The high school soccer season concluded three weeks ago with some of the state’s best boys and girls players enduring alternating rounds of steady drizzle and brief downpours to compete in the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Organization’s all-star matches at Blossom Athletic Center’s soccer complex and Comalander Stadium.

The exhibition contests pitted top graduating seniors from Region I vs. Region II and Region III vs. Region IV. A fun time, it appeared, was had by all.

For Boerne High School’s Rowdy Fritz, the occasion was the culmination of an incredible few weeks. In April, Fritz helped the Greyhounds win the UIL Class 4A state championship at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown. He was named to the all-tournament team and has since been selected all-state by TASCO and the District 26-4A MVP.

The accolades, though, likely wouldn’t have been achieved had the U.S. Soccer Federation not eliminated its Development Academy a year ago. The organization said it shuttered the program because of financial hardships brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The decision allowed some of the area’s top talent to compete for their high school teams after previously not being allowed to by U.S. Soccer.

“I always wanted to go back to Boerne after (last) year, especially the way it ended with coronavirus,” said Fritz, who played his freshman and sophomore years at Boerne and his junior season with San Antonio FC’s Pro Academy. “(It was) definitely worth it.”

Fritz’s journey served as a microcosm of a clash between U.S. Soccer and high school coaches, one that caused hard feelings and left players in a conundrum over to do what might be best individually or represent their high school.

U.S. Soccer established developmental academics for boys in 2007 and girls in 2017 in hopes of identifying and training the nation’s best teenage players to perform on the international stage. The selected players competed in year-round competition vs. the nation’s other top clubs and were barred by USSF from playing for their high school team. Major League Soccer, after the demise of the DA, created MLS Next as a replacement.

“The USSF took up the position that in order for our senior national teams to do better on the world stage, they needed to get the elite youth players constantly in similar environments and competitions against each other on a year-round basis,” said Reagan boys soccer coach Gilbert Villarreal, who is also president of TASCO. “They believed that the high school environments were not developing players adequately enough, which might be true at some schools, and they therefore did not allow players in the DA to participate with their high school teams.

“At Reagan, we believe we have provided an excellent environment for player development within a very competitive atmosphere and have had several players go on to play at the next level, and have also had a long history of excellent results in the UIL playoffs. Having said that, we have supported some of our elite players’ decisions to pursue DA opportunities, because there is no denying that those DAs also provide excellent exposure and opportunities for the best of the best players. We are in the business of doing what is best for kids, and while we highly believe in the school experiences, life lessons and community building that high school athletics provide, we also support all of our players’ long-term soccer development, and for some the DA and now MLS Next programs are indeed what is best for their development.”

Villarreal has led Reagan to the Region IV-6A final in two of the past three completed seasons, winning the title in 2018 and finishing as runner-up to LEE in 2019. The Rattlers accomplished the success despite losing such standout players as Chaise Thiel (Houston Rush), Fabrizio Bernal and Jason Sukow (both San Antonio FC), Carson Price (FC Dallas and Austin Lonestar) and Caleb Powell (Seattle Sounders) for some or all of their high school careers. Thiel signed with Ohio State and Price with UNC-Charlotte. Bernal is currently with San Antonio FC.

Steele’s Gisselle Kozarski, Southwest’s Jathan Juarez, Johnson’s Josh Hallenberger and Brandeis’ Ethan Bryant were other area players who left high school for DA. Kozarski, who guided Steele to the Region IV-6A final in 2017, is a freshman at Texas Tech. Juarez had 37 goals and 15 assists as a freshman at Southwest in 2018, but played the last three seasons with Houston Dynamo Academy. He signed with the University of San Francisco. Hallenberger played at Johnson in 2017 and 2018 before leaving for the Houston Dynamo. He just completed his freshman season at Clemson. Bryant played at Brandeis in 2017, went through San Antonio FC’s elite training program before being called up to the top team in 2018, signed with Belgian club K.S.V. Roeselare in 2019, before returning to his hometown United Soccer League Championship club late during the 2020 season. He re-signed with SAFC earlier this year.

“There’s so much value for them to be able to compete with people of all ages, instead of just their age group,” said Austin Vandegrift girls coach Sharis Lachappelle, a former Johnson High School standout who this spring led her team within one win of a Class 6A state title. “Getting to learn how to be a leader, getting to learn to play with different types of players and maybe even a different style of play, really benefits the players. I don’t know necessarily that high school vs. club, one wins and one doesn’t. I think that if they co-exist, it could be a beautiful thing for these kids.

“I’m very grateful I never had to make the decision, because I actually loved playing for my high school team and I also actually loved playing for my club team. I think if I was teenager and I was faced with that decision, it would be really, really tough. If I put myself in these kids’ shoes now, it’s hard to say no to what’s supposed to be the top level.”

But this was a scenario some area athletes faced.

‘It was a simple choice’
The bell sounded and another school day concluded. As some students headed to their automobiles and others waited for a school bus, Grace Loehr and Teah Vloedman made a quick dash to awaiting cars. They were at different high schools, in different parts of San Antonio, but were traversing the same path — one that often included trying to beat mid-afternoon rush hour three times a week as they traveled to Austin for elite training.

“I kind of got to see both sides,” said Loehr, who played at Johnson as a freshman, played a season with Lonestar in Austin while attending Texas Connections Academy, a tuition-free online public school, before attending Antonian this year. “But for the most part, just because it was such a sacrifice, I had to look at (the DA) positively to be worth it. I love the game so much. For me, high school was cool. Once I entered DA, it was like night and day.”

This was the life Loehr and Vloedman signed up for. To be their best, and to compete against the best, trips to Austin on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for practice and on the weekend for tournaments were a necessity. If that meant not being able to hang out with friends, missing school functions, or returning home from practices late at night, then that was a price to pay.

“When I first went, me and my dad talked about what I’d have to give up or sacrifice in order to play at DA, and when I saw what I had to sacrifice and what I gained, it was a simple choice for me,” said Vloedman, a junior midfielder who has committed to Texas Tech. “You get U.S. coaches watching you, have college coaches on your sideline, and the competition was crazy good.”

Amber Lockwood was also enamored by the same prospects of high-level visibility and connections. She attended Cornerstone Christian Schools through middle school before moving to Dallas in 2017 to play for the Allen-based Solar Soccer Club’s DA team. She and her mother shared an apartment for two years before Lockwood lived on her own during her senior year while attending Texas Connections Academy.

“I think the opportunity that came with it, I think the amount of college coaches that came to my games and just players not being distracted with high school and having to be focused specifically on club, I think was the biggest part of my decision,” Lockwood said. “I became very independent very young, and so going into college there was no homesickness, there was no, ‘How do I talk to these coaches, how do I fit in with players when my parents aren’t here?’ I don’t regret my decision at all. I think it was the best thing for me.”

A goalkeeper, Lockwood just completed her freshman season at Oklahoma State, amassing a 1.53 goals-against average and 23 saves in six appearances, including three starts, and helping the Cowgirls (13-3-2) advanced to the second round of NCAA tournament before falling to Texas A&M in penalty kicks after the teams played to a 3-3 draw through regulation and overtime. On March 29, she was tabbed Big 12 Conference freshman of the week after posting two saves in the Cowgirls’ 2-0 win vs. Oklahoma. She was pressed into action after a pregame injury to the scheduled starter.

A new horizon
Fritz was returning from a family vacation in mid-April 2020 when he learned that the USSF terminated its DA program, which was intended to help close a gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world in men’s soccer through player development and a focus on more training.

“It was kind of shocking,” Fritz said. “It was out of the blue for me.”

Suddenly, Fritz and others were at a crossroads. Do they join Elite Clubs National League, the DA’s chief competitor, or do they play for their high school?

“I remember the day that the DA announced it was no longer having a league,” Lachappelle said. “I got four or five text messages from girls from my high school that were super-pumped that they could finally play high school.”

The addition of DA players, Lachappelle said, did add star power. But its biggest impact was adding depth to top teams like Dripping Springs, Vandegrift, Round Round, Westwood, Austin Westlake and Austin Lake Travis. Dripping Springs, led by goalkeeper Caroline Dill and forward Taliyah Copeland, won the UIL Class 5A state championship. Round Rock, led by junior forward and Arkansas commit Jordan Doss, advanced to the regional final. Flower Mound, buoyed by the additions of Riley Baker and Sydney Becerra, edged Vandegrift 2-1 in the Class 6A final. All of the aforementioned athletes previously were in DA.

Some area teams received a boost from former DA players. Antonian, with Loehr and freshman Angelina Lopez added to the fold, advanced to the TAPPS Division I state semifinals before falling to defending state champion Houston St. Agnes 1-0 on a “golden goal” in overtime.

“As we played more and more games, it started getting harder and harder, especially in the playoffs,” said Lopez, who added she would have played DA if she had to choose. “It was really fun. The rivalry games were really intense.”

Vloedman saw as much firsthand. Even while playing for Lonestar DA in Austin, Vloedman hung around the Brandeis team enough, whether during the team’s athletic period or at dinners, to see the camaraderie the players had.

“I was like, ‘I really want that,” said Vloedman, who added she left DA to focus more on her academics. “When I found out I could do high school, I was super-excited.”

The excitement was palpable during the final week of the regular season. LEE, Johnson and Brandeis were locked in a battle for District 28-6A’s final playoff berth. The teams were tied heading into the finale, but Johnson advanced to the postseason via a head-to-head tiebreaker over LEE.

Johnson nipped LEE 2-1 on March 16 at Blossom Athletic Center as freshman Mabry Williams — a former DA player — volleyed in a pinpoint pass from teammate Claudia Veliz with less than two minutes to play. Had the contest ended in a tie and things played out the way they did, Johnson would have missed the playoffs. Brandeis tied Madison 1-1 in the teams’ finale.

“Yes, it was stressful at the end because we’re like, ‘We have to win this game,’ ” said Vloedman, who had a team-high 10 goals and seven assists. “But it was also fun, because we were going to try our hardest. At first, I was nervous (playing in high school) because I was like, ‘Oh, these guys are going to think I’m a big shot or something.’ It really helped being on a team that was supportive. Yes, they looked up to me, but they didn’t expect me to do everything. They just expected me to do my part.”

Vloedman said she was empowered by former Madison standout and current UCLA freshman Jillian Martinez, who played in high school as a senior in 2020 after three years in the DA. Martinez tallied 39 goals and helped Madison earn its first district title in 20 years and first playoff berth in 16 years.

“I went to one of her games and I was talking to her dad (Larry) and he said she had so much fun because the pressure kind of went off her back,” Vloedman said. “I think that kind of opened my eyes and it kind of helped me.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1