CSL TRIES TO DAM GALAXY RIOS New youth squads spark controversy
By Andrea Canales, LASoccerNews.com Associate Editor
Alexi Lalas did not seem inclined to accept Coast Soccer League's Gary Sparks' proposal of borrowing players. Andrea Canales, LASoccerNews.com
The Los Angeles Galaxy’s youth soccer teams have yet to fully form, but already the organization has come under attack. Surprisingly, it is a former ally that is moving to threaten the nascent program.
The Coast Soccer League has worked with the Galaxy in the past. Among other activities, the league has brought numerous youth soccer players on discounted tickets to Galaxy games, but chairman Gary Sparks recently told Soccer America that CSL clubs would no longer cooperate with their local Major League Soccer team if the club did not meet their conditions.
According to Soccer America, the Galaxy were offered a partnership by the Coast Soccer League for select players make guest appearances for the Galaxy while remaining with their CSL clubs. If the Galaxy does not accept the offer, Sparks stated that the Galaxy youth teams would not be allowed in the league.
Sparks then issued a warning tinged with the intent to intimidate, saying that the Galaxy could lose 40,000 competitive youth players and their families as Galaxy customers if it recruited any players from CSL teams.
As quoted by Soccer America, Sparks made it clear that the financial future of the youth soccer structure motivated his approach.
''The coaches in California make a living by how well they do in state competitions, national competitions, tournament competitions and if their best players are continuously recruited away by MLS, their chances of winning reduce, their income reduces. They won't be happy.''
Sparks did not return messages left by LASoccerNews.com requesting comment on this issue.
Alexi Lalas, the general manager of the Galaxy, responded after reading the Soccer America article.
“Maybe I’m crazy, but I believe that the CSL players and their families can think and decide for themselves,” stated Lalas. “We won’t dignify threats by anyone. I have a much greater respect for what amounts to our customers. I believe that nobody has the right to tell me or anybody else who they’re going to support or where they’re going to spend their money.”
While there are still numerous elements yet to be decided, the Galaxy have named their youth program Galaxy Rios, utilizing the Spanish word for “rivers”.
“This is a development scenario of small leading to large,” explained Lalas of the name. “We can talk of how the progress of a soccer player from a young age is full of twists and turns and ultimately hoping that it leads to a much more exciting conclusion.”
This is the first year that all MLS squads must comply with a league requirement to field youth squads. Some teams, like Red Bull New York and Chivas USA, already have teams in place.
Though the Galaxy are starting out in this area, crucial team resources are being allocated to the program. One of the Galaxy’s two assistant coaches, Trevor James, has been named the director of player development.
“From a coaches’ point of view, for the Galaxy and other teams, it’s exciting,” declared James of the new MLS-mandated youth teams.
“It does give us the chance to work with youth players at a younger age when normally, without a youth program, we’re then picking from college and so on. We’re excited to get a chance to work with them at a younger age and hopefully, that will make a bit of a difference, because they’ll then progress a bit quicker. You can show them what it is to be a professional, as well as still have the option of college, of course.”
The CSL proposal for the Galaxy to use guest players was rejected as unworkable by Lalas.
“That’s not a scenario that we’re willing to look at – at this point,” clarified Lalas. “If we were to enter a specific league or competition, I think that that league and that competition only benefits from our addition. I can’t see why anyone would want to curtail the development of a specific league or a specific tournament. It doesn’t make much sense.”
However, Lalas could understand why the CSL organizers could get territorial.
“I’ve seen how youth soccer has evolved over the past couple of decades,” said Lalas. “It’s pretty incredible how fast and how well we have grown. Because the existence of professional soccer hasn’t always been there, we’ve had to come in at a later stage. That’s going to ruffle some feathers. The youth soccer market is nothing if not an incredible revenue-generating enterprise in many cases. When you have that involved, people are going to take a very individual approach. While they may publicly say that it’s about the development and about the good for the kids, the reality is that it’s often far from that. That’s disappointing.”
It still surprised Lalas, however, that CSL would try to impose such protectionist conditions, given that the Galaxy program will begin on a small scale.
“How can you claim, ‘What a wonderful talent pool we have with all these kids we’re developing,’ and then when what amounts to two teams of eighteen arrive, say, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re taking away the best players,’” wondered Lalas. “It’s insulting to the players that exist and to the very industry that you hold up there with such esteem.”
Around the world, youth soccer teams aligned to professional clubs have been the cradle for teaching many top talents the game, partly because of exposure to the regimen of the pro game.
“There will be a head coach for the U15’s and a head coach for the U18’s,” detailed James of plans for the two Galaxy youth squads. “Then we’ll also have other support staff in other developmental areas. Those coaches are still to be put in place.”
Besides overseeing the program, James planned to expose youth players to techniques and training from other top Galaxy staff.
“I will certainly do some sessions with the teams as we go through the program,” related James. “Other coaches will be involved, such as Paul Bravo and Tim Hanley and occasionally, we may get Frank [Yallop] out. But we won’t coach the team day in and day out, because obviously, we’ll be working with the first-team squad also.”
It is in the Galaxy’s interest to do the best possible job of preparing players for the long term. Lalas pointed out that this contrasted with the urgency Sparks mentioned regarding doing well in local competitions.
“They’ve clearly stated here, it’s about winning and losing,” noted Lalas. “We’re about developing individual players in a team structure. There shouldn’t be a problem and I think that the CSL structure would love to welcome a competitive Galaxy youth team. It would only enhance their club stature. We would love to work with them. We’re not here to poach players. There’s plenty of quality in Southern California.”
The available talent pool also impressed James.
“As far as athletic athletes, we excel here with that,” acknowledged James. “I think sometimes we don’t learn the general movement that you would use throughout South America or Europe, the general movement of play. I think the progress [the Galaxy youth programs] can make in the next three years will help. Not to knock the youth coaches, because there’s a lot of good youth coaches out there, but we can maybe give them insight to what movement and making themselves available for the ball a little bit more can do.”
Despite the hostile reception given to the Galaxy youth program from CSL management, Lalas was optimistic about the endeavor as a whole.
“I look at this as a tremendous positive for the youth soccer community here,” said Lalas. “I would hope that others would be able to see past some of their own individual concerns and look at how this can benefit not just the Galaxy, but everybody.”
