Friday, July 09, 2010

BC Soccer and the World Cup

With the World Cup final coming up this weekend, we shouldn't forget that BC has become a very important U.S. soccer program. We know about Charlie Davies but there are some other prospects that could be contributing to future national teams. Alejandro Bedoya was one of the final cuts from this year's World Cup team. If he raises his skills and starts playing in a higher level European League he could continue to be called up by the National Team. Sacir Hot is training with the U.S. U-20 team. The U-20 team will be a great showcase for his talents and will get him notice internationally.


Ed Kelly deserves much of the credit for building the BC program. The U.S. will never be a soccer power if we are dependent on college players but having a few BC guys for depth is not a bad thing. I am encouraged that U.S. soccer is taking young talent and developing it professionally before the guys even reach college age. Ultimately that is the way to go. But our youth soccer population is so broad and our professional infrastructure is still so new, that it is nice to have guys like Ed Kelly finding and developing hidden gems. Enjoy Sunday's game and let's hope that in four years the U.S. is playing in the finals with a few Eagles on the field.

2 comments:

chicagofire1871 said...

Wow, ATL I'm impressed. This is an insight often overlooked by sports fans who aren't soccer fans, because the model is different.

As Jurgen Klinnsman pointed out on one of the WC telecasts, the pyramid of US soccer is turned upside down since players "pay to play". As Americans, we need the best players playing and getting developed without respect for whether or not their parents can pay for a traveling squad. Otherwise, you'll just end up with a yuppy team, not necessarily the best team. Good think MLS has started their academies in most markets. Not sure about New England, 'cause Robert Kraft is notoriously cheap.

Sr.Atlanta said...

Sorry I didn't see the article before: well done Bill! BC soccer is underappreciated!

When I head to Boston for the weekend, I make it a point to see the soccer team play on Friday nights at Newton campus. BC soccer crowds surprisingly big and loud! On Saturday, of course, I enjoy the 'other' BC football team!

And we can't forget that the BC men's soccer team was the first BC team to win an ACC title!!