Harvard University's publication, The Crimson, is releasing a series of columns that examine, as author Maruicio A. Cruz says, "the current climate of college soccer – its role in the development of the sport in America, its drawbacks and limitations, and the future of the game amidst a growing trend towards youth professional development." In the first installment, the paper considers college soccer's changing role in America's development of professional players.
America's top players are increasingly forgoing college as a viable pathway to professional soccer. Ten years ago, 72 percent of the U.S. Under-20 roster for the FIFA Youth World Cup concurrently played ball in college. In the current U.S. Under-20 squad, only 33 percent of the roster is affiliated with a college squad. Primarily, this shift has occurred because the college environment hampers player development. Its short season gives American players less playing time than their counterparts across the world, which play 10-month seasons against high-level competition. Also, the increased competitiveness and viability of American professional soccer prompts MLS teams to scout the best possible talent, both from abroad and improving youth academies, while shirking the players in the college game. This has caused a thinning of the pool of college players in MLS. As another potential cause for decline in college soccer's influence on the professional game, third-party professional management companies, such as Traffic Sports, have started to take a keen interest in American youth. These companies broker contracts for young players with foreign teams.
College soccer's diminishing relevance in the professional game puts it in a difficult and debatable position in the American sports landscape. By bypassing college, young Americans push the level of the game in this country. But these players also miss an opportunity to gain from a valuable educational resource. As Cruz writes: "Right now, college soccer provides a platform for players who may have been overlooked to showcase their talents. At the very least, it provides a college degree at the end of four years, an often underappreciated aspect of American sport when compared to European professional academies that quickly burn out young adults, leaving them with no career prospects if unable to 'make the cut.'"