Charlotte Soccer Academy
Profit first and serious leadership issues
This review is specific to York County CSA U9 to U11. My son spent three years in CSA.
Each year we were sold at tryout about how high standards of fundamental and high-quality practice and accountability from the top down would lead to long term growth and development of the kids!
The practices were run with no active coaching, the coach would do drills with no feedback given, no intensity from the coach, NO teachable moments, no reason given to why they are doing the drill. The coach never demanded any respect from the kid and had no leadership skills kids at that age need. Director said it's not our job to motivate these kids that a parent's job!
During games the kids played like a rec team no passing, spacing or formation and while winning or losing not important our team scored one goal in fall of 2023. They never once played as a unit or even resembled a team. The kids would argue with each other and many kids quit the team mid-season. Two kids quit in the middle of a game due to lack of leadership.
CSA has no practice facility and each practice is held at a middle school football field with 8 other teams. They have no room to do anything and only have two soccer goals on the field. Don't fall for the sales pitch at tryouts. After year two and all the issues we said we would not be back for a third season. However we were told and sold on how that it was just growing pains and things would improve.
The real issue is the director for York County Ralph Latchana is coaching too many teams while also being a director of York and Palisades. He is spread too thin and it’s too big of job for him. He is a coach not a organizational director.
CSA has no concerns about the player or experience and that comes from the higher ups. It's all about money and greed! They routinely will take younger kids with no travel experience and add them to an older more experience group to create more teams and make more money!
My son no longer wants to play soccer which is very sad! The CSA program in York County and Palisades (from what I heard) have significant growing pains and should be ashamed to be called a soccer club. Please choose any other club if you want your child to develop in soccer and life!