Comments on: In defense of American college soccer: A community perspective

By: Going Pro: Kelsey Davis, American Soccer, and Emerging Adulthood | Pitch Invasion

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:06:01 +0000

[...] game that can open minds—which is one reason I’m amongst the odd group of serious American fans who like college soccer. When it is done well I like the idea of sports being combined with education, and I like how a [...]

By: College Cups and the State of American Soccer Culture | Pitch Invasion

College Cups and the State of American Soccer Culture | Pitch Invasion — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:49:57 +0000

[...] I recognize that college soccer is a peculiar and flawed concoction, as I’ve written previously I still tend to think there are some pragmatic reasons why it does matter as part of a [...]

By: Glass Voice

Glass Voice — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:31:43 +0000

“Here I’d like to focus on the second key issue to do with American college soccer that I think gets less attention: the possibility that supporting the college game provides a distinctive opportunity to build the types of community engagement with soccer that are essential for America to truly embrace the global game.”

As citizen’s of the United States we are used to being a power house in many areas. I believe that sporting events, particularly soccer provides a perfect opportunity to expose college students to a global world. By having a weaker team it somewhat encourages other countries to compete against us.

By: MLS Cup and the Geography of Soccer in Seattle | Pitch Invasion

MLS Cup and the Geography of Soccer in Seattle | Pitch Invasion — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:05:04 +0000

[...] Colleges and Universities: As I’ve written before, while soccer aficionados inevitably write-off college soccer as a major problem with the American [...]

By: Timoteo

Timoteo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:35:26 +0000

I believe college soccer COULD be a crucial and constructive part of soccer development in the U.S. I agree with one of your points that makes it uniquely positioned to do this: universities are located in many areas that will never be served by a pro league, so COULD serve as an important focal point to build interest in the game in many communities.

However, as several of the above posters have pointed out, the NCAA has (deliberately?) hampered soccer’s progress in the university environment. The excuse that it the ultimate point of “college soccer is to promote the game as part of an education that produces the citizens who may one day be leaders in their communities” maybe valid in Division 2 and Division 3 schools, but is not for most Division 1 sports. In Division 1, where “student/athletes” are at the university on ATHLETIC scholarships, the sport takes at least equal precedence to a student studies, at least during the season of the sport.

There is no reason why a soccer player can’t get a college education AND be part of a valid development program. Lengthening the season and applying FIFA regulations to the game would not jeopardize a student’s ability to graduate necessarily.

My proposal would be this: as some schools have already done: opt out of the NCAA and its negative impact on soccer and go into the USL (1st or 2nd division of D league). Instead of salary payment, the player would be paid by a scholarship or a combination of both. The D League is during the summer so, it would allow the student to study unimpeded during the school year, or if the more high powered schools chose to enter the 1st or 2nd division, the seasons still have little overlap with the school year.

By: Stan

Stan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:22:28 +0000

But why lump that responsibility on colleges in the first place? They don’t get kids until they are 18. If you’re expecting college to develop kids, it’s only because you’ve done something catastrophically wrong before that point.

By: imp

imp — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:27:33 +0000

For me, college soccer is too results-oriented to produce and develop the kind of players that the US game badly needs – players with imagination and flair. College soccer can churn out reams of big, tough defenders and hard-tackling midfielders, and they have their uses. But I’ve been watching college soccer for several years at its highest level (at College Park), and though I like the atmosphere there, and the NCAA knockout games are certainly competitive, I’ve seen very little attractive soccer, and almost no memorable games aside from the time Charlie Davies came and tore apart the Terps defense. There’s nothing wrong with young players getting an education while they develop as players, but the fall-only season and the non-existent connection with MLS (aside from the draft) is poorly thought out and needs wholesale reform. I feel that a player like Davies comes through in spite of the college system, not because of it.

Having said that, I liked the angle of this article. Fall really is a beautiful time for soccer in the US at all levels, and the importance of a certain tradition and community in colleges because of the soccer programs wasn’t something I’d much considered before.

Oh, and I’d love to see Sasho Cirovski take the head coach’s job at DC United.

By: Let’s Link | TheOriginalWinger.com

Let’s Link | TheOriginalWinger.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:27:58 +0000

[...] defense of college soccer. – PitchInvasion Posted on Sep 3rd, 2009 by [...]

By: A. Ruiz

A. Ruiz — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:11:29 +0000

I know a guy who played college soccer and he grew up playing in a professional environment in South America. He has said many times that NCAA soccer is nowhere near a pro environment. They can only play and practice during certain times of the years and they play too many games in too short of time. They don’t follow FIFA rules, it’s pretty much a mess.
So I dunno, it’s great for schools to use sports for the building of character and community. That’s great! But I disagree that they’re a good environment for future pro players. If you want to play in front of friends and family while getting a scholarship and take your chances in MLS/USL/wherever when you graduate that’s one thing. But if you think you’re actually good enough to play at an elite level someday…….your probably better off doing something else. Although, those players in the US number in the few dozens. For everyone else it’s probably the best option, but it could be improved. It’s a flawed system, I don’t think anyone will deny that.

By: Max J.

Max J. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:17:17 +0000

Fair enough, dodge may be the wrong word there, and I do think your point is a good one. There is definitely benefit in the context of American soccer, but I feel like I read a lot of apologia for the college game simply because it’s an American institution. Fine, but it’s possible for it to be both a uniquely American, loyalty-building thing, AND a path that looks more like development systems around the world. I suppose I would just rather see more pressure on the NCAA to get its act together than defense of the abstract college game.

And, again, a change in the stale fan experiences I’ve had at college games would be nice. I realize it’s not like that everywhere, but the games I went to in SF and Santa Clara were pretty bland affairs with heavily regulated student sections.