8:49 AM
Over at Top Drawer Soccer J.R. Eskilson reports on a new rule change that will dramatically change the landscape of American junior college soccer. For quite some time, many of America's best JuCo teams have relied heavily on recruiting international players to fill their rosters - severely limiting opportunities for young American players.
In response, the new rules, which take effect Fall 2012, limit the number of international players on a team's roster to only 4. Early predictions suggest this change will impart a huge change on the quality and character of American JuCo soccer. Take, for example, the fact that the two finalists in last year's JuCo National Championship - Cloud County Community College (Kansas) and Tyler Junior College (Texas) - carried a combined total of 15 Americans out of 52 players on their rosters.
In theory the new rule would then create 37 new opportunities for young Americans.
However it's not quite that simple. If those new vacant rosters spots are filled by Americans, then surely there will be increased opportunity for young Americans to play at a highly competitive level. But the numerous international players currently increase the quality of American JuCo soccer, and so their loss (or redistribution amongst other JuCo teams) will presumably decrease the overall level of play. So there are obvious pros and cons....and teams like the UCSB Gauchos - who seems to have unearthed a gold mine scouting JuCo soccer - will have to change their recruiting approach.
The NASL, USL and NPSL are working diligently to expand the scope of lower division professional soccer in the United States, but they have a long way to go until they can provide adequate opportunities for all the talented players in America. Until then, JuCo soccer remains an excellent way for international players to enter the American soccer market, and thereby gain exposure to NCAA and professional teams.
What do you think about this new change? Will it turn out to be good or bad for the development of young American soccer players? How about for college soccer? Pro soccer?
Posted in: 
2 comments:
I think policies such as this are provincial and backwards. Yes, you make it easier for American Soccer players, but at the same time you are not encouraging american soccer players to be better. Policies such as this create a "welfare" system designed to "protect" but in reality just encourage not to be as good.
Provincial is such a great word to describe that mentality.
There are many talented foreign players throughout the MANY junior college teams in America. They raise the level of play and make the other players better. Better soccer is better for America.
Post a Comment