Ranking Soccer Environments

For the third edition of my rankings of soccer environments that I have played in, I will be discussing a small private high school. This is the second-best experience with soccer I have ever had. As always, it will be ranked on atmosphere, schedule, coaches, teammates, training sessions, facilities, and the level of competition.                Right off the bat, or foot I guess, is the atmosphere of a small Christian private school. To put it simply, it was great. There was a competitive air about it, but there were many players that were there for recreation and casual play. Similar to the public school, there was a mix of guys who were looking to play college soccer, and some who are looking for time outside the house. But unlike the public school, every player had a competitive drive that took over in high pressure situations. One of the most important and valuable things of the team, however, was the fact that ...

  For those that do not know what Penultimate is, allow me to enlighten you. It is the word for the second to last in a series. While this is not the second to last post, a public-school soccer program is the second worst environment, according to my experience. There are a few reasons for this, as my rankings are based off the atmosphere, schedule, coaches, teammates, training, sessions, facilities, and the level of competition. Let’s hop into it. I’ll start with an evaluation of the atmosphere of public high-school soccer. There is an interesting mix between casual and competitive players. Some guys are there to have fun and fill their time, while others are there fighting for a chance to play college soccer. It created an interesting dynamic at practice, as some guys would take training more seriously than others. This led to certain groups being formed between the players. There was typically a divide between casual players and the competitive players, as many players looking...