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[quote=Anonymous]COMMENTARY
U.S. Soccer blundered badly on high school soccer
by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Apr 20, 2018

American soccer, so plagued by the pay-to-play problem. If only there was youth soccer that didn't charge kids so much money.
Hold on! It does exist, and it’s massive. Nationwide. It’s called high school soccer.

Sometimes, hundreds of people show up for a high school game, the players are celebrated on campus, rivalries date back for decades, there’s even local media coverage.

Not always, but often around the country, high school games create a special kind of atmosphere in the stadium.

As you enter, there’s a snack bar with homemade baked goods and hot chocolate to raise money for senior night, the annual game when parents tear up like they do at graduation.

There’s a scoreboard, a PA announcer, and music blasting from the mixtape the captains compiled -- making sure they downloaded the censored versions of the latest rap songs -- while the players warm up.

Players from the same clubs play against each other – and the parents who usually root together are on separate sides after exchanging pleasantries. Postgame they congratulate and console each other.

Some club coaches are there too, proud that they’ve got current or former players on the teams. They mingle with the parents and catch up on old times. The boys team shows up to cheer on the girls, or vice versa. Friends and boyfriends and girlfriends are in the stands. The class clowns are leading cheers and jeers.

High school soccer differs from club soccer not just by exposing players to the pressure and exhilaration of playing in front of crowds, it also puts players from ages 14 to 18 -- from freshmen to seniors -- on the same field.

None of that seems to impress the U.S. Soccer Federation.

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