On summer evenings, 14-year-old Carlitos S.A. gobbled up his dinner and flew out the door with his headband, shinguards and Club América jersey on.
After jogging three blocks through the neighborhoods of Westwood, New Jersey, Carlitos arrived at a soccer field near Ketler elementary school. He normally comes at 5 p.m. to warm up and dribble before other players show up at 6:30 p.m.
The field was always a mess – there’s tall grass that hasn’t been cut in a decade. No white markings to define the penalty box, side lines and goal lines. Ant colonies waiting to be tripped over. Yet, Carlitos has called the field his second home ever since he began playing soccer seven years ago.
Unlike other 14-year-old kids who play soccer in Westwood, Carlitos always competes with Hispanic adults.
By the time the adults arrived, Carlitos was ready to launch balls into the net. No referees, uniforms, or additional equipment was needed.
“For the old guys, it’s all about luchando por un goal (fighting for a goal) and having some fun after a long day of work,” Carlitos said. “But it was everything to me. I wanted to get better. No, I needed to improve every day.”
Even though Carlitos enjoys battling against people twice his age, he yearns to compete against talented kids his age and learn from experienced coaches. Unfortunately for Carlitos and his family, they just can’t afford it.
After failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, many soccer pundits criticized the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s weak development system.
“If this failure does not wake up everyone from U.S. soccer to Major League Soccer, from pay-to-
play to broadcasters, to everything, then we’re all insane,” former U.S. men’s national team member and current ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman ranted on air the night the stars and stripes failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
While other analysts scrutinized the efforts of veteran players such as Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard, there is no doubt that U.S. soccer’s development system is atrocious.
It all starts in the youth leagues.
In contrast to Carlitos playing in a scrap-filled field with adults, the majority of Westwood kids play at Westwood high school’s turf field for Dragons soccer club. The travel team club plays year round and competes at numerous tournaments against 70 other club organizations in the Northern Counties Soccer Association. The NCSA is spread across North and Central New Jersey.
Dragons soccer club is the most recognized soccer club in Westwood. The organization fields boys’ and girls’ teams from the U-8 to U-17 level. The club often travels to compete against neighboring clubs and plays in an indoor facility at Waldwick, New Jersey during the winter.
The soccer club receives a great reputation for training adolescents and giving exposure to players wishing to compete in college. The club’s recent alumni, Brendan Docherty. and Collin Docherty, currently compete as midfielders at Moravian College.
Michael G, an assistant coach for the club’s U-15 travel team, has helped many players in the college recruitment process. However, he recognizes how expensive the process is for families.
“We provide a lot of support for our lads,” Michael G. said in a phone call. “We want them to play against the best and show off their potential to scouts. We make sure they know the game from inside and out. But at the same time, it take a lot of time and energy. Traveling, practicing, watching film, eating well and then paying lots of fees on top of that.”
Players must pay a $100 nonrefundable fee to attend tryouts for the club’s spring and summer U-15 travel team. Once accepted into the program, players and their families are responsible for paying an annual $350 membership fee. The membership fee does not include referee, uniform kit, and equipment and tournament fees. According to Michael, most families pay up to $650 annually. Additionally, the home and away uniforms cost $50 each while some tournament fees can reach to $100.
“My family can’t afford bills like that,” Carlitos said. “My parents both work two jobs and can barely afford rent in our small apartment. They work hard so I can go to a good public school. Where do these gringos (slang word for Americans) find the money to pay for all of that stuff?”
According to an audio conversation from National Public Radio called “Immigrant Families Find Soccer Shockingly Expensive To Play In The U.S.”, the average club registration fee can go up to $1,500 per year.
Another hidden cost of youth club soccer is traveling to compete.
Joey G., a junior at Monmouth University, recalls his experience with the Dragons U-14 team.
“Every weekend was a long road trip through the parkway,” Joey said in a Skype interview. “I would wake up at 7 a.m. and hit the road with my dad. I never came back until 9 p.m. Sometimes we had to stay a hotel for two day tournaments. Just thinking about, my parents probably racked up so hotel and restaurant bills.”
As a result of the expensive fees, almost all the players on the Dragons U-15 team come from upper class backgrounds. Coincidentally, there are no players from racial minority backgrounds on the team.
While discussing about the lack of racial diversity, Michael argues that it all comes down to the club receiving a sufficient amount of money.
“No matter what team we put out in the pitch, dues are always a priority in parent meetings,” Michael said. “Our club can’t survive without the dues. That kid (Carlitos) sounds like a promising forward, but if his family can’t pay, then he simply can’t play. I really wish that kid luck.”
Tying back to the financial aspects of American youth club soccer, a lot of renowned soccer stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo come from humble backgrounds.
Before debuting for Sporting Portugal in 2001, Ronaldo’s family struggled to make ends meet. According to Biography.com, Ronaldo’s father died from kidney problems in 2005 and his mother worked two jobs. At the age of 13, Messi requested FC Barcelona to cover his medical treatments when he first signed for them. According to Bleacher Report, FC Barcelona was willing to pay for $900 monthly treatments for Messi’s growth hormone disorder. Other clubs such as River Plate and Newell’s Old Boys refused to cover the medical cost.
If USMNT wants to develop a World Cup caliber team, they need to demand clubs to start recruiting poorer children who possess raw talent. Stars like Ronaldo and Messi were once hungry children who thrived with the help of their youth clubs. If kids from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro can grow up to become stars like Neymar, why can’t American children do the same?
Leave a Reply