Today on The Score, I wrote about the need for Canada to develop a proper development pathway, perhaps in the form of provincial semi-pro u20 leagues. You can read the article here, but the idea will not be new to long-time readers of CSN.
However, there was a single line within that article that should be expanded on. When talking about NCAA soccer, I mentioned that there was a proposal on the table that would see spring friendlies eliminated if passed. Within the context of The Score article, it was included as just one more example as to why NCAA soccer was pretty much useless as a development pathway for Canadians. It is another example, but such flippancy does not spell out just how bad an idea it is.
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Right now, the NCAA plays from late August until mid-November. The bulk of the season is in the two months of September and October. As self-contained programs the focus on NCAA programs is winning, with development a happy offshoot of that effort. What that means in practical terms is that most programs give the majority of minutes to the best 11-15 players. However, college programs have 25 or more players on them. The only time those depth players can see the pitch is in the spring, when a few friendlies give them a chance to show the coaching staff that they deserve to be in the 11-15 for the next season.
If you take away those friendlies you could have a situation where a kid rots on the bench for two to three years before even getting a sniff. Considering that even training time is restricted in the NCAA, that doesn’t seem like the best development choice for a Canadian kid.
On the men’s side of the game, the solution is simple: If your goal is to play pro soccer, stay the hell away from the NCAA. Canadians don’t share the sentimental attachment to college soccer that many of our American friends do so we can call it bluntly – the NCAA is next to useless as a development pathway. Although some players do emerge from the NCAA, it’s unlikely that any player benefits from his involvement. Even the most successful NCAA grads would have been better off developing in a proper football environment. Actually, especially the most successful NCAA grads would have benefited from developing in a proper football environment.
So, with that in mind, you might think that Canadians need not overly care about the proposed changes in the NCAA. However, that would be ignoring the women’s game.
Unfortunately, women’s football has not developed to the point where players can ignore the NCAA. American college soccer will be a major development pathway for some time to come. Therefore, if you care about the continued improvement of the women’s game you should hope that the NCAA comes to its senses and changes its mind about the elimination of spring soccer.
Don’t hold your breath though. It’s the NCAA where common sense is often in short supply.