Universities with a Majority of Foreign National Rosters

[ERA]

2005 Women's Soccer Season Roster

 

Below, you will find the roster for a Tennessee University girls soccer team. Why would a Tennessee University place this many foreign born students on their roster? Looking at this strictly as an objective observer that has nothing to do with soccer, I find this troubling that with as many girls that work hard to play this game, invest so much time and money, travel to the four corners of their regions and sacrifice their personal lives for this game in the states while coming up short of scholarships. Foreign nationals occupying so much of a roster just does not appear right to me.

 

I have watched this game for several years and understand the investment needed to succeed at this game, however, athletics is supposed to be a compliment to their academics in college and provide a vehicle for financial aid for those that can use it. Do any of you find this the least bit troubling or am I off base here?

 

Benton, KY

Palm Bay, FL

Malmo, Sweden

Alberta, Canada

Paris, TN

Manchester, England

Vasteras, Sweden

Manchester, TN

Huddersfield, England

Alberta, Canada

Kanagawa, Japan

Sala, Sweden

Wakayama, Japan

Nashville, TN

Tokyo, Japan

Sunderland, England

Saitama, Japan

Houston, TX

Hazel Green, AL

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Poessneck, Germany

New Market, AL

Sydney, Australia

Lawrenceburg, TN

Caymen Islands

Lewisburg, TN

[BigG]

2005 Women's Soccer Season Roster

 

Below, you will find the roster for a Tennessee University girls soccer team. Why would a Tennessee University place this many foreign born students on their roster? Looking at this strictly as an objective observer that has nothing to do with soccer, I find this troubling that with as many girls that work hard to play this game, invest so much time and money, travel to the four corners of their regions and sacrifice their personal lives for this game in the states while coming up short of scholarships. Foreign nationals occupying so much of a roster just does not appear right to me.

 

I have watched this game for several years and understand the investment needed to succeed at this game, however, athletics is supposed to be a compliment to their academics in college and provide a vehicle for financial aid for those that can use it. Do any of you find this the least bit troubling or am I off base here?

 

Benton, KY

Palm Bay, FL

Malmo, Sweden

Alberta, Canada

Paris, TN

Manchester, England

Vasteras, Sweden

Manchester, TN

Huddersfield, England

Alberta, Canada

Kanagawa, Japan

Sala, Sweden

Wakayama, Japan

Nashville, TN

Tokyo, Japan

Sunderland, England

Saitama, Japan

Houston, TX

Hazel Green, AL

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Poessneck, Germany

New Market, AL

Sydney, Australia

Lawrenceburg, TN

Caymen Islands

Lewisburg, TN

Welcome to college soccer in the U.S. You will find this on most any team, unfortunately.

[Hoya]

Welcome to college soccer in the U.S. You will find this on most any team, unfortunately.

 

Absolutely true and more so on NAIA teams than at NCAA schools.

[GREG141]

Welcome to college soccer in the U.S. You will find this on most any team, unfortunately.

"unfortunatley", you have got to be freakin kidding me. Wake up. Coaches have to look for the best players...end of story. If Germany played the best high school football.... the SEC would be full of young german men playing on saturday. What about all the latin-american baseball players. Soccer is akin to golf and tennis in the sense that travel teams require a significant financial investment on the behalf of the player. Tough to swallow when some child from less advantaged country competes for something that has been shrouded by an economic buffer. Get over it. It is UNFORTUNATE that you appear to be closed-minded by your above post.

[mjuhb]

well it is basically were ever the hot spot is for that sport

[GREG141]

well it is basically were ever the hot spot is for that sport

Supply to fill demand, imagine that

[BigG]

"unfortunatley", you have got to be freakin kidding me. Wake up. Coaches have to look for the best players...end of story. If Germany played the best high school football.... the SEC would be full of young german men playing on saturday. What about all the latin-american baseball players. Soccer is akin to golf and tennis in the sense that travel teams require a significant financial investment on the behalf of the player. Tough to swallow when some child from less advantaged country competes for something that has been shrouded by an economic buffer. Get over it. It is UNFORTUNATE that you appear to be closed-minded by your above post.

Before you start accusing people of being closed minded, maybe you should think about the context of how I stated it. Perhaps I was referring that it was unfortunate that our girls are not as good as the foreign players. I happen to have been a college soccer coach, and I have "woken up" to reality. I wish more US players were on college rosters. Relax a little there Greg141.

[GREG141]

Before you start accusing people of being closed minded, maybe you should think about the context of how I stated it. Perhaps I was referring that it was unfortunate that our girls are not as good as the foreign players. I happen to have been a college soccer coach, and I have "woken up" to reality. I wish more US players were on college rosters. Relax a little there Greg141.

Whatever

[coachof3]

"unfortunatley", you have got to be freakin kidding me. Wake up. Coaches have to look for the best players...end of story. If Germany played the best high school football.... the SEC would be full of young german men playing on saturday. What about all the latin-american baseball players. Soccer is akin to golf and tennis in the sense that travel teams require a significant financial investment on the behalf of the player. Tough to swallow when some child from less advantaged country competes for something that has been shrouded by an economic buffer. Get over it. It is UNFORTUNATE that you appear to be closed-minded by your above post.

Wouldn't any country hope that their youth would provide enough talent at the Univerisity level?

Edited October 7, 2005 by coachof3

[Hoya]

For what it's worth, it seems relevant to point out that the very best womens' soccer in the world, at all levels, is played in the US. In the womens' game, the rest of the world is trying to catch up with us across the board in club, high school, college and professionally. The pro-foreign bias of some womens' college soccer coaches is not justified by supply and demand.

 

Mens soccer is quite different and is in the middle of a long period of change in the US. For a long time, the skill level and tactical understanding of US high schoolers were significantly behind their counterparts in other countries for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, the US now holds its own in international youth competition through most of the mid-teen years and US youth club players do very well in international club competiton. The US player development push of the last 20 years has markedly decreased the need for a pro-foreign bias at the mens college level. Today's American players compare much more favorably to the foreign kids who want to come to the US for college than they did even 10 years ago.

 

At the truly elite level, US college soccer is viewed as a step down for the top players (US and International), not as a spring board to the next level. Top level pro prospects, here and abroad, move from their club teams directly into the professional sides as fast as they can. That's what the MLS's Project 40 is all about. College is viewed as too limited in practice time & match opportunities to truly develop elite players.

[BigG]

I wonder if foreign players are able to get a little more financial aid than U.S. players. I know at the college where I was coaching, the foreign players were often able to get more money from different types of non athletic scholarships, so that the soccer team did not have to put out as much money. That could account for the disparity.

[GLENNRAY]

For what it's worth, it seems relevant to point out that the very best womens' soccer in the world, at all levels, is played in the US. In the womens' game, the rest of the world is trying to catch up with us across the board in club, high school, college and professionally. The pro-foreign bias of some womens' college soccer coaches is not justified by supply and demand.

 

Mens soccer is quite different and is in the middle of a long period of change in the US. For a long time, the skill level and tactical understanding of US high schoolers were significantly behind their counterparts in other countries for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, the US now holds its own in international youth competition through most of the mid-teen years and US youth club players do very well in international club competiton. The US player development push of the last 20 years has markedly decreased the need for a pro-foreign bias at the mens college level. Today's American players compare much more favorably to the foreign kids who want to come to the US for college than they did even 10 years ago.

 

At the truly elite level, US college soccer is viewed as a step down for the top players (US and International), not as a spring board to the next level. Top level pro prospects, here and abroad, move from their club teams directly into the professional sides as fast as they can. That's what the MLS's Project 40 is all about. College is viewed as too limited in practice time & match opportunities to truly develop elite players.

You have it right, HOYA but I would add one thing. I was recently told by a college coach that there are over 350 Division 1 ladies soccer programs in the U.S. That would require approx. 9000 girls to fill their rosters alone. Then add in Div. 2 & 3 and NAIA. There truly are not enough competitive or "elite" players with the skill/ability to make all these programs competitive. The writer who is unhappy about this should put themselves in the place of the college coach who cannot attract the best national, regional or even the best local talent and he is not going to be competitive unless he can find some of those elite players. They are not simply looking for "bodies" but real talent that can advance their programs. So after N.C., Perpperdine, Santa Clara, etc. take the cream of the crop they will look where they can to find, not just bodies, but bodies who can play.