Best Young Players in BC / Canada

[TKBC]

BCSPL is watered down when the top kids are moved to a closed academy. Those are the kids that aspire the others in the league to achieve better play. (quoted by several prominent BCSPL coaches)

My second post clarifies the problem with BCSPL. Its too exclusive. Everyone cites the money but its more than that. Any other league as a coach I can play to improve my team throughout a season without having to worry about the almighty win every week. BCSPL with the limited subs and playoff structure promotes winning above all else. It permeates though the league with bench warmer players, over demanding coaches who are under pressure to succeed on a scoreboard rather than perform development. They are paid as well so the underlining pressure of success or bust is already present.
The leagues recent attempts to 'fix it' don't even cover the issues. There idea is to scratch out drop kicks from goalies! touch lines at ages over 13! Eliminate scoreboards! Like waking from a bad liberal lefty nightmare where feminists are demanding safe spaces on the soccer field.
Your idea of BCSPL 123 sounds good on paper but I can tell you from experience coaching in Div. 1 that relying on volunteer district people to properly tier a league is a joke.
My point is... there was nothing wrong with the old structure. Its used throughout the rest of Canada. Metro is the highest and that is that. The only reason BCSPL exists is one so people can feel secure with paid coaches which is another argument altogether. The second being the main reason is so the higher ups can identify one - two players out of an age group easier then they were able to in the past.
All this is about 1 - 2 players. The rest... feast or famine good luck playing at whatever University/College that might take you.

-With respect to you quoting coaches apparently bemoaning kids on their team moving on to Whitecaps academy, I am going to assume you are not representing those coaches accurately. But, if there are any BCSPL coaches that don't want their kids to move to Whitecaps, then I respectfully ask that they stop coaching in BCSPL.

-I do agree that the BCSPL having a playoff structure as they do there could be a knock-on effect of coaching to win rather than development.

-Regarding the idea of BCSPL 1-2-3, it wouldn't be run by volunteer district boards. It would all have to go under the BCSPL banner.

 

[Total -Base]

Kids over train here period pre-residency or not. Development angle starts falling after two years. If you look at Caps or some other development practices it makes you laugh. Practice is at slow pace kids over dribble. Worlds game is one two move the ball. Worlds finish is way above ours.
Caps would be better off to put U16 team in mens div two program in VMSL or PCSL.. Kids would learn to play like man move the ball much faster, it would stop them from over playing the ball. Senior team adds a kid a year if rest get the door on the way out. Div two team will add two maybe three residency playersa. In my opinion it all leads to many upset parents and sad young men.
Mr Reed is a new president of Canadian soccer, I hope he wakes up and puts a program in BC and Alberta maybe three Provinces for a start. We need 120 guys per age group in three provinces starting from U15 Up. Tournament format only. Every three weeks. Starting in April till Mid October. This way kids would see best players they would get to know each other much faster.
Only via University schools in US div one our kids would get equal chance to make it at Pro level.
The way it is right now it is not whats you know it is who do you blow. There is no way we can do well in the World with out better pace and way more strength on the ball. We have so many good kids jet they just do not get a chance. I ask why Caps need imports on D?
Our guys could easy do the job.

 

[Admin]

I ask why Caps need imports on D?

Because they need to justify their draft picks. It is a joke.

 

[TKBC]

Because they need to justify their draft picks. It is a joke.

Draft should be two rounds but they go through the dog and pony show of more rounds. Caps will find a Tim Parker every 5 yrs or so, the rest will never work out.

 

[Admin]

Drafted players are what, 21 to 22 years old?

By that age, the Caps would/should have been able to produce players to the same "standard" over the course of 8-9 years (assuming 13 years old starting in Caps academy "system"). Tim Parker isn't a diamond in the rough player.

 

[TKBC]

Drafted players are what, 21 to 22 years old?

By that age, the Caps would/should have been able to produce players to the same "standard" over the course of 8-9 years (assuming 13 years old starting in Caps academy "system"). Tim Parker isn't a diamond in the rough player.

Not sure what you mean re: Tim Parker. All I am saying is the draft will only be good for a Whitecaps starting-level player once every 5 years or so - Tim Parker being that one player right now. The draft is useful in that not all players of MLS-ability can attend an MLS academy (ie, Cyle Larin) so they can grab some players that were otherwise missed. I believe MLS teams should only need 2 rounds, max, for the draft especially since they all have an academy.

 

[Admin]

Meaning IMO Tim Parker isn't such a special player that is over and above players developed here at the age of 21 / 22.

 

[Alex Polevoy]

May be sent Soccer Canada executives to Iceland for 2-3 month, to learn how simple it is to build good national program if you have clear strategy and support of the government. It is population of of about Burnaby, that made to quarterfinals in Europe, by simply making sport priority, and providing funding and system to have professional clubs develop game and players, vs volunteer/non profit organizations.

 

[TKBC]

Meaning IMO Tim Parker isn't such a special player that is over and above players developed here at the age of 21 / 22.

I haven't seen any academy Whitecaps centre backs of the same level as Parker. There was hope for Farmer but that has obviously not worked out. The current u18's have a Jason DeVos clone so maybe him?

 

[TKBC]

May be sent Soccer Canada executives to Iceland for 2-3 month, to learn how simple it is to build good national program if you have clear strategy and support of the government. It is population of of about Burnaby, that made to quarterfinals in Europe, by simply making sport priority, and providing funding and system to have professional clubs develop game and players, vs volunteer/non profit organizations.

It's not that easy. They centralized everything as well. All of their coaches and players are based in their capital. They also have Euro competition very closely to test themselves against. We simply don't have that, nor can really. Even if we did centralize the players and coaches there's no competition within a reasonable distance.

The MLS and NASL academies are the way to go for us - CPL should have academies too. But what we are lacking, you are correct, is direction given from CSA, and lack of coach education. We will never progress with uneducated coaches at youth level.

 

[Admin]

I haven't seen any academy Whitecaps centre backs of the same level as Parker. There was hope for Farmer but that has obviously not worked out. The current u18's have a Jason DeVos clone so maybe him?

Are academy centerbacks 21/22 years old?

 

[TKBC]

Are academy centerbacks 21/22 years old?

OK there seems to be a miscommunication going on here? It seems like you do not believe we should use the draft? If so we are left with academy players, age 17-18 (who presumably go to USL before MLS). I think we should use the draft, but only 1-2 rounds - but even then we'll only get a Parker-level player every 5 or so years.

 

[Admin]

My point is basically draft picks automatically get a higher status in the club and that is ridiculous. Draft picks are still kids. Their competition has mainly been vs other kids in extremely short seasons.

For Parker, let me ask you this: what attributes make him a standout centerback? Have you focused on his play during a game? What did you see?

 

[TKBC]

My point is basically draft picks automatically get a higher status in the club and that is ridiculous. Draft picks are still kids. Their competition has mainly been vs other kids in extremely short seasons.

For Parker, let me ask you this: what attributes make him a standout centerback? Have you focused on his play during a game? What did you see?

From what I've seen the 1st-2nd round guys get a higher standing in the club from day 1, and I agree that is not right. The later round picks all seem to get cut I think?

If I read between the lines you think that I believe Parker to be some sort of amazing centre back. I don't. He's better than the academy centre backs we've had, that's all. But, what has he achieved? I never saw him play USL but the reports were that he was a very consistent, strong performer. He was moved into the 1st team I think for a Voyageur Cup game, and did well (I saw that game), and I think got other opportunities from there. Since then he's cemented himself in the 1st team, and is touted as a likely full USA international. If he gets into the USA senior team he'll be in Europe shortly after. Basically, he's worked hard, and performed consistently. Do we have any academy players that appear to be on a similar path in the centre back role? Farmer was the most likely, and he appears to have not worked out as he doesn't start for the USL team (I don't think he does anyway? Maybe this year he is?). I think he has a couple senior Canada appearances but those were for meaningless friendlies with basically a C-Canada team. We have a u18 centre back that I saw the other day that looked like he has a lot of potential, so maybe in 2-3 yrs (so about age 20) he'll be able to get into the 1st team? Of course that's very difficult to predict. A kid I know on u18's said their best Centre Back is hurt right now, and I agree in the other game I saw that kid was better than the one I saw the other day. But he's small and unless you are Cannavaro being a small CB isn't likely going to get you far in North America, rightly or wrongly.

I believe Whitecaps should be giving every opportunity to our academy kids. I see no reason, for example, Nerwinski is in the 1st team on Saturday to replace Williams. How the academy has not developed at least a back-up full back for both sides is beyond me. Indeed, there should be a back-up from the academy at almost every position by this point - the academy is nearly 15 years old now isn't it!? Adekugbe is basically the back-up left back, I understand, but he's hurt and was on loan before that. I think Adekugbe should be taking Harvey's place next season.

 

[Admin]

I think we are on the same page here