Crash and Burn! A very sad youth soccer story...

[Unregistered]

The facts are clearly stated in the original post with proof from external documents. Granted, it is much easier to deny than to fix your problems, and we all know that you guys can't help but take every dirty shortcut possible, regardless of the damage you leave in your wake. But, if you actually cared at all about soccer in the U.S., you would work for its betterment rather than attempt to hide or obfuscate what your company has been doing for years. Just do the right thing and act as a responsible soccer organization. There are clubs that actually do it the right way. You can do that too. The only thing in your way is your greed.

1) This is a very limited case

2) Versus all that ails US soccer, abuse of visa laws is at the bottom of the list.

[Unregistered]

Are any old staff trying to clam back wages?

[Unregistered]

1) This is a very limited case

2) Versus all that ails US soccer, abuse of visa laws is at the bottom of the list.

A good part of what ails US soccer is due to mega-clubs, of which GPS is the (wanted) poster child, using cartel powers to drive out any competition which might threaten their revenue growth - even if that competition might develop players better. The fact that the leading member of the cartel had to commit immigration fraud to help corner the market is not only illegal, it is immoral. Not exactly the kind of organization that should have anything to do with kids.

- a coach

[Unregistered]

A good part of what ails US soccer is due to mega-clubs, of which GPS is the (wanted) poster child, using cartel powers to drive out any competition which might threaten their revenue growth - even if that competition might develop players better. The fact that the leading member of the cartel had to commit immigration fraud to help corner the market is not only illegal, it is immoral. Not exactly the kind of organization that should have anything to do with kids.

- a coach

Waaaaah waaaaah waaaaah. Good lord. It’s soccer, not drugs. Oh by the way, no one holds a gun to parents heads and forces them to sign their kids up for soccer. Big clubs sell dreams and parents buy it. So? You don’t like it? Stop bitching on a meaningless soccer board and go do something about it keyboard cowboy.

- a parent

[Unregistered]

Sadly I hear the young staff member who sent the original email is being threatened with legal action and procedures.

[Unregistered]

Sadly I hear the young staff member who sent the original email is being threatened with legal action and procedures.

Source? Reads like it was an anonymous submission.

[Unregistered]

Sadly I hear the young staff member who sent the original email is being threatened with legal action and procedures.

Sure you heard this. You must be very very well connected. Eye roll.

[Unregistered]

Waaaaah waaaaah waaaaah. Good lord. It’s soccer, not drugs. Oh by the way, no one holds a gun to parents heads and forces them to sign their kids up for soccer. Big clubs sell dreams and parents buy it. So? You don’t like it? Stop bitching on a meaningless soccer board and go do something about it keyboard cowboy.

- a parent

It's not soccer. It's immigration fraud. It's cartel-based restraint of trade (i.e., making it impossible to "do something about it"). It's obvious to those with eyes willing to see.

- a coach (who does try to "do something about it") - rather than a parent who funds the law-breakers

[Unregistered]

He is threatened with “legal action” ???? What is the crime???STFU cuz you sound stupid. Legal action.... SMH

[Unregistered]

It's not soccer. It's immigration fraud. It's cartel-based restraint of trade (i.e., making it impossible to "do something about it"). It's obvious to those with eyes willing to see.

- a coach (who does try to "do something about it") - rather than a parent who funds the law-breakers

Exactly what are you doing about it? Cartel based restraint of trade? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Who knew that GPS had such power. Oh wait...it’s a youth soccer club. What was I thinking?

[Unregistered]

A good part of what ails US soccer is due to mega-clubs, of which GPS is the (wanted) poster child, using cartel powers to drive out any competition which might threaten their revenue growth - even if that competition might develop players better. The fact that the leading member of the cartel had to commit immigration fraud to help corner the market is not only illegal, it is immoral. Not exactly the kind of organization that should have anything to do with kids.

- a coach

Again, limited. even in MA let alone nationwide Calling it a cartel isn't adding to your credibility. I agree mega clubs aren't helping US soccer, but it's a business genie that was let out of the bottle a long time ago. There is no putting it back in. USSF and a highly fragmented landscape is only making it worse.

[Unregistered]

Exactly what are you doing about it? Cartel based restraint of trade? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Who knew that GPS had such power. Oh wait...it’s a youth soccer club. What was I thinking?

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

[Unregistered]

Again, limited. even in MA let alone nationwide Calling it a cartel isn't adding to your credibility. I agree mega clubs aren't helping US soccer, but it's a business genie that was let out of the bottle a long time ago. There is no putting it back in. USSF and a highly fragmented landscape is only making it worse.

I must disagree about whether the mega-clubs constitute a cartel.

"Cartel: n. a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate product, pricing and marketing of goods by the members."

independent business organizations= mega-club NEP members
combination= members-only NEP, etc.

If I were to concede the point anyway, then exactly how would you go about starting or running a (successful) independent club in the face of this cartel? What existing, credible league are you going to play in? What credible independent opponents are left for you to compete against if you also had to make a new, credible independent league?

Making youth soccer a business is fine (it is a business in Europe), but monopolies and cartels are pathologically bad business outcomes, against which we have laws for good reasons.

And the financial incentives here, unlike Europe, are completely counter-productive, and incentives unavoidably drive behavior. In Europe, a club can make a lot of money developing high-quality players (e.g., Ajax, La Masia). A single, highly developed Ansu Fati or Frenkie de Jong can fetch tens of millions of dollars.

On the contrary, here, to maximize profit, a cartel/club has to maximize the number of customers and the cost to each customer. Both of these objectives are trivial if you put non-cartel members out of business (say, by excluding them from your league).

Agree that USSF, US Soccer, and certainly USYS should act. Good luck and Godspeed to them reining in US Club Soccer. Not sure it's possible without realigning incentives.

[Unregistered]

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

Seriously. Replace GPS/Soccer with whatever it is you consume, and you can make the exact same argument. It's called capitalism.

We get that 'coach' and 'GPS-Crusade' person are passionate against all that GPS/big box soccer has ‘taken’ from them. I am not saying they are wrong. I also get that people who bought/paid for GPS/Big Box soccer services can be happy/satisfied. I am not saying they are wrong. But to oversimplify things to the point of a binary ‘either / or’ does not ‘enlighten’ anyone.

The big box soccer club/league business model disrupted a system some people still dearly yearn for. A system that had produced nothing at the national level, yet still holds a warm place in their hearts. That system has been replaced by what we have now, and the results are arguably worse. Either way, the end result is the same.

There is way too much projecting going on in this thread.

[Unregistered]

Not a cartel? Give me a break...

As soon as the league (NEP) allowed member clubs to control league decision-making and rules, and also decide which clubs could join in the future, the league became a cartel. GPS had the most control, but also NEFC, Bolts, etc. had lots of power. There is no independence in oversight. There is no incentive for member clubs to act in the best interest of NEP, only in the best interests of themselves. When existing member clubs can prevent potential new clubs from joining the league except by partnering with existing NEP clubs and wearing their kits, the league took yet another step in acting as a cartel and against the best interests of the sport and the players. The cartel clubs limited access to the league in order to force mergers and financially advantageous partnerships with non-member clubs. How does that help my kid or any other soccer player? It means I have to pay huge fees to a cartel club in order for my child to play in the league, even if I prefer the philosophy, coaching, and fee structure of a non-member club. You are screwing the system to make an extra dollar. It's that simple. You are significantly limiting choices in the market and harming the game for your own financial gain. It is simply wrong. Perhaps a lawyer and a group of clubs need to get organized and file a lawsuit against NEP and their member clubs. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only language GPS and the others seem to understand. It is sad, really.