The recent earthquake in Haiti resulted in the death of over 200,000 people and has also rendered more than three million people homeless. It has led to a nightmarish situation in the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere. In order to lend a helping hand to the victims of this disaster over 80 soccer greats of all times from around 17 countries played a charity match in Lisbon. The match was played at Luz stadium with tickets costing 10 euros each.

The Seventh edition of the tournament called the “Match Against the Poverty” saw Zinedine Zidane of France gearing up against Brazil’s Ronaldo Luis Nazario to raise money for the global effort of eradicating poverty. The tournament is organized by the United Nations Development Programme. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General was all praise for the relief efforts and sporting world for the solidarity that they have shown during such troubled times. The message of the UN Secretary General was delivered by Wilfried Lemke, the special advisor of Ban and he agreed that this year’s match was indeed more significant as its proceeds would help the Haitians who need help.

The United Nations appreciated the help that has been offered by the star players as this is least that could be done for the people of a country who have lost everything. Ban also urged the people through his message to remember the victims of the attack that took place in Pakistan and Angola. He requested the world of sports and its fans to contribute in the efforts of United Nations who are helping the people of Haiti to get over the disaster and rebuild a new life.

I have been honestly thinking about this for quite some time. So what does a player do if he truly can not make an MLS squad or even get a look?

Internal Options:

1. The United Soccer Leagues or USL, offers just about the same thing that the U.S. does without the money and obvious fame. They are also considered “semi-pro” however the Seattle Sounders will reach the MLS by 2009. The USL also has 2 divisions plus the Premier Development League which is generally geared towards developing College athletes.
2. The next step down from this would have to be the Major Indoor Soccer League or MISL. These players make significantly less money however they are still professional. Something that someone just looking to play or get noticed might consider doing. The MISL however is not as popular.
3. The National Premier Soccer League or NPSL, is truly semi-pro. As a matter of fact I do not believe any of these teams actually pay their players to play. I think some travel expenses are paid for and pretty sure equipment is taken care of as well.
4. United States Adult Soccer Association: (USASA) This is to be honest, amateur level. There is no professional or even semi-pro status tag that is tied to this level of competition. Here you will see the little pub team to Hollywood United–an adult amateur club team that is known to have Alexei Lalas on its side from time to time. If a player were to go this route, I would strongly advise picking a team that competes in a strong league year to year, plays regular and many friendly matches against the senior USL, PDL, or NPSL teams, and always enters into the U.S. Open Cup…this is the least that you want from this type of team.

When all else fails, go international:

If everything else has failed you, and the U.S. simply isn’t your fit or place, look either North or South.

North: Canada has many different teams and leagues that are separate from the USL and NPSL. The CSL would have to be considered the strongest league outside of USL play. The Canadian Soccer League has many good teams as well as opportunities. Look here first.

The next level would have to be the Pacific Coast Soccer League, however it is relatively small. The league consists of teams that are all on the Pacific Coast of Canada and the level varies. Some teams do host top USL players during the USL off-season.

Right near the bottom comes the Canada Indoor Soccer League or CMISL. It is probably comparable to the level of the MISL here in the States, however we would probably consider it a lower league.

South: Mexico, Caribbean, and Latin America as well as Central.

Mexico: This country has a lot of opportunities, however if you do not speak Spanish, I do not know how you will even get a try-out. If you can not make the MLS, then forget about the top league. I would take a strong look at one of the lower level teams or even semi-pro down there.

Caribbean: I have heard most of the Caribbean is not very strong and as a matter of fact I bet one who would be willing to nationalize himself would have a decent shot at making the National team of one of these island nations.

Latin America: Latin America has its share of good playing countries and their respective pro leagues. Obviously, one who does not make the MLS will have an issue making say the Brazilian league team or Argentinian. The level of play is generally strong in Latin America because creativity, ball handling, and speed is a mere “given”.

Central America: Many of these nations will have spots open surely for players that are decently good.

Next: We shall take a look at English Soccer Opportunities!

The state of the U.S.’s current Academy system is very hard to explain and learn. However, I have studied youth and college soccer for the past 3 years…primarily for myself although I have come to terms with myself and am willing to use it for the better good of developing soccer.

Here goes: Thus far, the U.S. has a complex academy system. In Europe, pro teams sponsor and develop their own academy players. I have other posts on this so I won’t go into big details. The difference between our current (what you could call) academy system is like the difference between Privatized Insurance and say Universal Healthcare… get the difference? Ok…the only reason why these clubs get these kids’ parents to sign them over to the club is because the club promises many things such as food, a safe environment, some form of schooling, housing, and anything else…possibly a pro career.

The current U.S. academy is like playing for a club except you travel a lot and just being on the team is very expensive.

But this is not my argument…My main point here is: Should you(as parents) put your kids on a U.S. Academy team or just put them on a regular club or even cheaper put them on a city league team?

A U.S. Development Academy is technically sponsored by USSF(United States Soccer Federation), however there is only money involved when you make it to the finals of the entire system or you prove your mettle. Either option is not easy. Here is what to expect from this type of team:

• Major exposure at a price: A player can/should expect to go to all the big U.S. tourney’s(Blue Chip, Dallas Cup, Disney, Nomads, Surf Cup, etc. etc.) But a cost…each trip to these tournaments will cost anywhere from $500-anything with 000 at the end and a different number than 0 in front. See my point.
• Besides paying travel expenses, a player will most likely pay for his/her uniform and all other gear. Now some teams pay for this…but these clubs rarely have the money for this.
• Club fees: There are many of these…a club will get away with charing you anywhere from $200-thousands for fees such as: Coach Travel expenses, insurance, travel costs, tournament fees, grounds fees, etc. etc.
• However, with all the money mentioned…a player can also expect to get college recruitment from all this…not a bad trade off.

Now a city-league team/ regular club may have some of these perks however at a much cheaper cost:

City-League: I would recommend playing city league as well as playing for a club or academy team but that’s just a side-note. City-league will not get anybody noticed unless there is an active 4-year college in the immediate area. Fees are minimal and sometimes local cab companies-no honestly-sponsor the team. So sometimes its all about car expenses as this team will not be traveling more than 200 miles, probably not even 100. They are a good way to play against top talent, grow, and play a different type of soccer that you will not find in club/ academy/ anywhere else except here.

Club: To compare the current U.S. Academy and club soccer is pretty hard. And to be honest, the comparison between some clubs and academies are so far apart, somebody might think I’m making a cheap joke right about now. The perfect comparison to playing at the academy level and club level is playing club on any State Premier League team. Premier is the top class and is just about the only comparison. W/o further ado, club pros/cons:

• A player will get less exposure unless the team goes to a lot of tournaments. Now I’m all for Premier clubs, but they must go to a lot of tournaments. So, if you live in California like I do…Surf Cup, Newport Surf Cup, and Nomads are the ones that a team needs to attend. This will have higher costs but definitely cheaper than hopping on a plane and going to Florida from California for a tournament.
• The level of play will obviously be good, but it will be less than playing at the academy level. Put it this way, in the current U.S. academy system, the best clubs are the academies.
• Costs, considering that most clubs really don’t go all that far, except in-state and maybe 1 or 2 (which is pushing it) will be out of state. However, the costs will be lower.

So lets put everything into prospective. Overall, if a player and his family has the money to burn or can get some type of scholarship or financial aid from the team…then by all means play Academy. However, a cheaper route is to find, the best club team in your area even if that means driving an hour one-way…it will still be cheaper.

There are however possible reasons for this kind of behavior as can be seen with certain superstars that “could have been” or “were thought of have been”.

• Some players come from poverty
• Fame gets to their head
• The team stops putting normal pressure on them

Analysis: Due to some players coming from literal poverty, the sudden fame and money that is at their hands goes to their head. Since they get this way, sometimes their level of play declines(sometime A LOT). Often these players will flaunt their wealth, not that this is a bad thing, but sometimes it is unnecessary. Sometimes their careers or expectations go down the tube…literally.

Anyhow: What will happen to Ronaldinho, will Barca keep him and next season he will be back and re-focused? Or will he get better in mid-season? Or will he continue these ways and end up on the transfer block?