8/6/2023 0 Comments Mls phoenix soccer![]() ![]() Hagen was looking forward to what he felt was a special team. "Hopefully, this will be figured from the AIA, if not there is discussion for some type of league play," Lanman said. Queen Creek Casteel boys soccer coach Greg Lanham said his program will continue to train with hopes that the AIA and multiple school districts figure a way to save the season. Tempe Prep girls soccer coach Megan Richardson said athletic directors in the 3A Conference are meeting via Zoom on Monday to discuss an alternative season. I’m sure there will be more thoughts and ideas next week when we get back to school." "With the decision coming around noon on Friday, it was difficult to get an idea of what could possibly be done. "Some ideas have been discussed amongst coaches about trying to do something in-district, but nothing official has been determined," Gray said. MORE: AIA board's decision to cancel winter sports season angers Arizona high school community ![]() MORE: AIA winter sports cancellation draws reactions from coaches, athletes, parents, college recruiters Surprise Shadow Ridge girls soccer coach John Gray said his team will continue training. "I know our athletic director is in touch with some folks so we’ll see how it plays out," he said. Phoenix Northwest Christian girls soccer coach Jeff Penzone said his school is "looking for something in a modified version of the season." We also respect and support the players on campus who pursue other opportunities."Įven though the AIA has canceled the season, it isn't stopping districts from developing some kind of alternative competition, especially as long as those schools are staying open with hybrid/in-classroom learning this semester. At Hamilton, we’ll coach the boys who desire to be part of our program. "Players and parents are put in a difficult position as they try to navigate through their opportunities. "Many players feel a pressure to stay with their club during the high school season, even if they're not playing official matches. "Unfortunately, the club directors aren’t seeing the value of high school soccer," he said before the season was canceled by the AIA. It's created a lack of campus connection but it still had coaches feeling the pinch on their teams to rebuild from the losses of elite players.Ĭhandler Hamilton boys soccer coach Nick Barker, who came over from Scottsdale Coronado this year, said about 15-20 players were lost to the MLS Next platform. With some school districts not having in-person learning and some going hybrid, it's been a different 2020-21 school year for kids with social distancing, masking and the lack of the normal engagement seen on campus because of COVID-19. The players attend their high schools for the academics and gather to practice almost every day for extensive training from highly qualified coaches. "It has been a challenge in terms of extra precautions," Cooke said in regards to COVID-19. But it's been harder right now to get competition because of the spiking coronavirus numbers. This youth program plays out-of-state teams traveling in to play on "more of a friendly" basis, Cooke said. The main feature of our program is that we want hard-working players dedicated to being the best in all aspects." "They have the ambition to progress as much as they can while being good people developing life skills. "These players have the ambition to be pro players and in a good level of college soccer," said Steve Cooke, who is director of soccer development for Phoenix Rising FC. ![]() There are also high school-age players involved with Real Salt Lake Arizona, which is part of the MLS Next. In the high school range, there are about 50 players in the academy as part of the Phoenix Rising FC youth program that began in August as part of the new MLS Next platform. ![]() That platform is not keeping players from training and competing right now. Now, in light of Friday's news, those players recruited by the MLS Next platform gives them an outlet that their high school soccer teams may not have now. It was the new Major League Soccer Next platform, a year-round developmental academy for aspiring future pro players that was taking players. It wasn't the pandemic that caused them to lose players and figure who would be next to pick up the slack. Before the Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board voted Friday to cancel the winter sports seasons, many boys soccer teams were already trying to reconfigure their teams. ![]()
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