Soccer is different from every other sport on earth, both professionally and on the amateur level. No other sport is played as often or by as many, and no other sport can even hold a candle to the kind of passion the better part of the world holds for its sacred football.
As different as the sport is in America, where an 18 year old who signs a pro-basketball contract makes headlines compared to other places where most children signing to play professionally are more acclimated to making picture frames out of uncooked macaroni for their parents than signing their own names, one aspect remains the same: There just isn't any other sport like it.
Since soccer itself is so unique even in this country, it only makes sense that college recruiting in the sport takes on a life of its own. All of the other major sports in America are dominated on the amateur ranks by high schools. Want to find the next Lebron James? Look at a high school. The next Ahmad Brooks? That's right, high school again. Even in baseball where club teams rule throughout a player's beginning years, high schools still dominate. The vast popularity of club teams, as well as the United States Olympic Development Program (ODP) and the many levels of the U.S. National Team make finding amateur soccer players a whole different ballgame.
Both the Virginia men's and women's teams are well-equipped to sign the top players from the National Teams and the ODP. Women's head coach Steve Swanson, heading into his fifth year at Virginia, was head coach of the U-16 National Team from 2000-2002, head coach of the U-18 team in 2000 and recently an assistant with the U-19 National Team.
Swanson has consistently brought some of the top recruiting classes in the nation to Virginia, including many players from his own national teams. Even so, he downplays the impact of those associations, and his success in recruiting and building programs at Dartmouth and Stanford -- he coached Dartmouth to its first two conference titles in school history and Stanford to a pair of conference titles as well -- before he started coaching the national teams definitely supports his case.
"I think it's been helpful in a lot of ways because you certainly are able to see the players and look at the players and evaluate the players," Swanson said. "But I could tell you I've probably lost the same amount of players that I've gotten because you can't keep everybody on the national team and they know if you don't bring somebody in for a roster, that'll be that for you on the other side."
Even if the advantage of gaining players from the National Team is somewhat offset by the loss of players who cross your name off their list of potential suitors for not making the squad, being the head of a national team is still a pretty enviable position. Swanson's first recruiting class at Virginia included six All-Americans, four of which were members of the U.S. U-19 National Team, and one who spent time with the U-18 squad.
Since that first class, Swanson hasn't slowed down in bringing National Team players to Virginia. A total of nine players who had spent time with the National Team, including last season's All-Americans Kelly Hammond and Becky Sauerbrunn, have joined the Cavaliers since 2001. Of the players brought in without National Team experience, virtually all of them played for their local ODP clubs.
Even though this season's class of five doesn't boast some of the credentials of years past, Swanson is just as confident in what they will bring to the program.
"The one thing about this year's class that I'm excited about, I feel we've gone for some kids we feel maybe haven't peaked just yet," Swanson said. "You have somebody like a Brett Burns or a Sarah Curtis who don't have National Team experience but we feel are going to be every bit as good very quickly in our system and in our program
Read More
Men’s lacrosse fades in second half, falls 18-9 to No. 8 North Carolina
By Sam Chun | 6 hours agoMore struggles pushed last weekend's encouraging performance from memory.
No. 9 women’s lacrosse blows out Louisville en route to a successful Senior Day
By Peter Kratz | 6 hours agoVirginia earned a much-needed win before a tough upcoming slate of games.
No. 25 Virginia softball falls just short versus No. 8 Florida State
By Victoria Blankenship | 6 hours agoA last-minute momentum swing in the sixth inning gave the Seminoles a lead at the most crucial moment.
