High school soccer in the new millennium. (Soccer).

How often do you hear someone claim that "There are no youngsters coming up from the JV that make a difference," or "The skill level of the incoming players is way down this year"?

No, it won't be Bruce Arena, our national team coach talking. It will much more likely be a high school coach talking about his pipeline or lack of talent.

Let's look at the problem and the way to solve it.

SYMPTOMS

1. High turnover of coaches, especially of head coaches.

No continuity means no development. The revolving door policy will often start the tailspin.

2. No commitment by the coach and the school administration.

You can recognize the coaches who are in it strictly for the extra paycheck. They are the coaches who keep checking their watches and calendars in their hurry to get to the end of practice (and the season).

They rarely seek to learn more by attending courses or clinics. They are like their employers, the school administration, who are always in neutral when it comes to making positive decisions.

Consequently, the program and the players survive in a constant state of inertia. "The less things change, the more they stay the same."

3. Lack of parental support.

It is very much a case of feast or famine. Either you have parents coming out of the woodwork, attacking from all sides, verbally and politically, or there are no moms and dads to be found anywhere.

Parents, as we know, can be a potent force at any level of youth sports. They have become more of a factor since the demise of physical education in the schools.

Parental support can directly impact the team by sponsoring or paying for equipment, trips, etc. They will invest in the program and demand a return -- a winning season, a championship, or more often, their child in the starting lineup.

4. The winning-record syndrome.

The coach sacrifices the players in his desire to win. He fails to understand that his obligation to the players, first and foremost, must be their development in the classroom and on the sports field.

There is nothing wrong with winning as long as the athlete's mental development remains paramount. The real "winning record" for any youth or high school coach lies in the number of athletes who continue playing into their early twenties.

If they continue into the over-30 leagues or go into coaching, their coaches can consider themselves successful: They have passed on their ultimate gifts: love for the athletes, respect for a great game, and a passion for skill development.

5. Player's Role.

Too many so-called "select players" desire the status but don't have the work ethic to earn it. Real players set the best examples and the highest standards by the way they play and practice, and their positive attitude and enthusiasm.

Real players set the pace for their teammates to follow. If they are good athletes, they will prove it every day.

SOLUTIONS

There are hidden dangers that float across the surface of the high school soccer seas. What can we do to avoid them?

1. Commitment.

The school must find the best available person for the job of coaching. Not just someone within the system, but someone who cares about the sport and the players and will set high standards of behavior on and off the field.

Top class programs at every level are exemplified by a strong system of discipline and high standards of behavior. Coaches who are stronger in these areas than in their technical expertise can always be found promoting valued lifetime skills.

A good coach is almost always a student of his game, a person who attends clinics, takes courses, etc. Every time a coach accepts a check for his services, he assumes an obligation to continue learning.

A good program is virtually a year-round affair that requires much planning. Preseason to us means kicking off in the spring, not mid-August. The die is cast by late August. The foundation has to be laid before.

It can be a mix of intramural leagues and coaching sessions to implant both the lessons that already have been learned as well as the seeds for what will be taught in the second part of preseason in August.

Some cities have summer high school leagues organized by coaches from afar, with parents and/or hired coaches running the teams, thus giving the players, especially incoming freshmen, several chances to shine in real games.

2. Parents.

This can make the difference between a brilliant and disastrous season. Whether a coach likes it or not, parents are not going away. So why not put them to work and use their talents to enhance the team?

Many parents are generous; they sincerely want to help the team. For example, a couple of enterprising parents might produce a game program - at least four pages, with lineups, background information, and even the names of the officials. Heck, they may even choose to lead the singing of the national anthem.

3. Players.

They are the high-visibility end of every school. They not only represent their school and everyone in it, but the surrounding community as well.

This is a responsibility arid an honor rolled into one.

The players must set a standard in the two A's-attitude and ability-for everyone.

4. Youth Programs.

Most high school coaches would have serious personnel problems for the supporting youth programs in their area. Too often these coaches moan and groan about the poor crop of players entering their school. They complain, but offer no solutions.

Why not invite the youth coaches and parents to a clinic on how to handle the problem?

The same kind of relationship can be established with the middle schools and their coaches.

5. Playoffs.

The open playoff system can help make the process more educationally sound. The regular season will allow the coach to experiment with various ideas.

However, you cannot play the finals at one site, one game after another. Even football doesn't do this, as it would ruin the field for the next game.

In many ways, soccer has to be played on a better surface than a gridiron. Since many soccer teams play various kinds of sound passing games, they have a critical need for a consistent surface.

What about a two-legged final-home and home-with the school that scores the most total goals being declared the winner? Isn't that a superior way of deciding the superior team?

High school soccer offers a democratic way of giving players a chance to play, regardless of their backgrounds. For social reasons alone, we have to give more serious thought to the importance of soccer in our rapidly changing society.

In Maryland alone, for example, soccer has expanded from 20,000 to more than 60,000 participants in less than a decade without any change in the organizational structure (of the 1970's).

After a generation of experience and the accelerating growth curve of the players, it is time to review high school soccer on its own merits. We need school administrators, athletic directors, and the coaches to examine the sport's growing frontier with new eyes and open minds.