There's been a lot of chatter about the local DA clubs and their respective merits (or lack therof). This article sheds some insights into how a successful club manages its program. That is, if success can be measured by titles (consecutive championships at U16 & U18) and the number of homegrown player signings. They probably sent some players to decent colleges but the article doesn't mention that.
http://www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs...sda-supremacy/
Select quotes:
Gonzalez said each of those teams had a core group of players who competed together in the past, a situation that developed because of Dallas’ commitment to splitting their teams into single age groups. It’s a common practice across youth soccer in Europe and South America. There’s too much talent to combine age groups, Gonzalez said, especially early in player development.
“Our dream is that the kids that played in the stadium with our pro team is not a kid who came at U-15 or U-16, although those are the case sometimes,” Gonzalez said. “But hopefully that kid was with us since U-10, U-11, U-12. FCD has been in their DNA because they’ve been here for so long, and they get more exposure to the program.” And after these players have gone through the Academy, the professional team’s technical staff has faith in their ability to play in the MLS.
And to help maximize these players’ maturation on the pitch, the club decided two seasons ago to shuffle around the Development Academy coaches. It sent Hayden, who won a USSDA title with the U-18s in 2012, down to coach the U-14 team based on his ability to educate his players. Without the pressure of staying on top of the standings or competing for a national championship, Hayden, who Gonzalez refers to as a teacher, could focus solely on “really dissecting the game and solving problems.” Gonzalez views himself as a hybrid, capable of both instructing his players and motivating them to make winning plays, such as defending a dead ball. Molina, meanwhile, will teach the older players what it takes, both in training and in matches, to successfully compete at the professional ranks.
“Soccer is soccer, whether it’s U-7 or U-18,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just the way things are communicated and how players are managed and the set-up of the training sessions.”
http://www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs...sda-supremacy/
Select quotes:
Gonzalez said each of those teams had a core group of players who competed together in the past, a situation that developed because of Dallas’ commitment to splitting their teams into single age groups. It’s a common practice across youth soccer in Europe and South America. There’s too much talent to combine age groups, Gonzalez said, especially early in player development.
“Our dream is that the kids that played in the stadium with our pro team is not a kid who came at U-15 or U-16, although those are the case sometimes,” Gonzalez said. “But hopefully that kid was with us since U-10, U-11, U-12. FCD has been in their DNA because they’ve been here for so long, and they get more exposure to the program.” And after these players have gone through the Academy, the professional team’s technical staff has faith in their ability to play in the MLS.
And to help maximize these players’ maturation on the pitch, the club decided two seasons ago to shuffle around the Development Academy coaches. It sent Hayden, who won a USSDA title with the U-18s in 2012, down to coach the U-14 team based on his ability to educate his players. Without the pressure of staying on top of the standings or competing for a national championship, Hayden, who Gonzalez refers to as a teacher, could focus solely on “really dissecting the game and solving problems.” Gonzalez views himself as a hybrid, capable of both instructing his players and motivating them to make winning plays, such as defending a dead ball. Molina, meanwhile, will teach the older players what it takes, both in training and in matches, to successfully compete at the professional ranks.
“Soccer is soccer, whether it’s U-7 or U-18,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just the way things are communicated and how players are managed and the set-up of the training sessions.”
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