who are we and why are we doing this?
We are three soccer dads, based out of Southern California, but - with kids still playing club soccer - have made a decision to remain anonymous, for now. The reason we started doing this thing - originally, we called it the Kante Project - was to figure out what was accurate about the clubs and about our players, our kids, and what wasn't. How did our kids and their teams compare to other kids and teams? Were our kids good enough to play in college? Was what the clubs and coaches saying accurate and/or helpful?
Having a child in competitive youth soccer - MLS Next, ECNL, GA, Premier - requires a significant commitment of time, energy and resources, and we weren't convinced that it was worth it. And then we started producing content and analysis, and started posting on the SoCal soccer forum under the screen name Kante. It's been a lot of work but it seems to be helpful. And people seem to enjoy the insights and, most importantly, contribute to the ongoing dialogue.
Now that we've been doing this for a while, our primary goal is to attempt to evolve the discussion around youth soccer in the United States to make sure that families have all the best information possible to make the best choice for their kids. Basically, as close to full information as possible, in an environment, that was - and is - frequently purposefully opaque. Hope this all helps. Good luck this weekend! |