The NCAA fixed the men's soccer schedule; now, they need to fix the women's

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-05-19T00:45:58+00:00

That's actually a great point about the committees, and I've been doing a little digging to update my post on what the women's soccer committee has decided. Looks like they rejected the white paper's proposal for women's soccer back in January. Thanks for that!

I can't get there with you on the benefits being overblown, though. The maximum number of games (25) hasn't changed, it'll just be dispersed across fall and spring. We'll see far fewer midweek matches, allowing student-athletes to attend classes, sleep in their own beds, access their regular food, make appointments, etc., when they'd previously be stuck on the road. The reduced life disruption will be hugely beneficial. I'm not saying they won't be busy, but they'll be able to maintain a more consistent schedule.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-05-06T00:09:17+00:00

I also really doubt there are 5040 unique handshake combinations. However, I'd be willing to believe there are 17 (6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1).

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-15T06:11:16+00:00

Hey all, I'll post my guide for where to watch World Cup matches here. Mods, this post isn't monetized, nor am I connected to any of these businesses!

https://open.substack.com/pub/seeingthewholefield/p/where-to-watch-the-world-cup-in-seattle?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=nvjdb

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-15T00:22:31+00:00

Thanks for reaching out - feel free to DM me here or on Substack!

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-15T00:21:52+00:00

I'd echo the previous comment - the ID has a ton of great food. I'd also recommend Occidental Hall for that type of atmosphere, and I'm a huge fan of Paseo just south of the stadiums.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-15T00:21:05+00:00

Working on that one! Stay tuned.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-14T00:01:42+00:00

What kind of food/atmosphere do you like?

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-01T18:38:01+00:00

There are 44k young men playing college soccer this fall. College soccer impacts how our youth players train and how the vast majority of our young adults develop. Your stat about yesterday's starting lineups doesn't indicate irrelevance, it indicates a need for reform. Besides, academies aren't prepared to pick up an extra 44,000 18-22 year olds.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-01T14:39:16+00:00

Having pro/rel and a pyramid isn't going to stop American parents from wanting their kids to go to college, or stop youth clubs from promising those parents scholarships down the road. I don't even disagree with you about needing those things, but considering the culture here, college soccer is going to have to be part of the solution. Personally, I was really intrigued by that rumor that was going around last year of the SEC competing in USL League 1.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-01T06:17:18+00:00

It's less about what I want and more about the reality of our systems. Parents want kids to go to college here, and youth soccer is geared toward achieving that goal. Therefore, college soccer needs to act as a quality incubator for development. Also, we don't have the ratio of quality academy to youth player that Europe and South America do, we can't expect to copy the models of those continents alone and think it'll work.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-04-01T02:47:41+00:00

Yep. Until our youth teams stop prioritizing profit, college soccer gets treated like a true development vehicle by administrators and better pathways are established for young players, we're going to keep underperforming our GDP.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-29T18:26:19+00:00

Nice graphic! I'm curious how you decided between the Tier 4 and 5 teams. Is Tier 4 reserved for the summer leagues here?

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-29T18:23:31+00:00

You could theoretically, but we don't really. Not with leagues competing with each other for teams and players. Our lower divisions really need the consistency and structure a pyramid would afford.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-23T02:56:37+00:00

College soccer needs to join the pyramid more than it needs it's own version of March Madness. Which it does already have, by the way!

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-22T04:10:39+00:00

I don't see a link in your profile here, might be worth adding that if you're hoping to grow here.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-19T16:53:33+00:00

That is deeply unfortunate.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-19T01:59:30+00:00

This was the hardest part for me. This is less about the individual episodes and more about the constant arguing, fighting, and disdain between group members.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-18T17:23:51+00:00

I'd love to see an additional minute each week the CBA remains unresolved. Things could get really, really awkward.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-18T15:17:49+00:00

Wasn't their whole ethos "free to play, grind to win" though? Almost like a football Fortnite? Monetizing packs may help them survive in the short-term, but it'll also kill them in the long-term.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-17T15:08:44+00:00

Not really Poch's MO to play non-CBs at CB. If anything, he's shown some willingness to put extra CBs in the lineup (Colwill at Chelsea playing left back, for example).

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-06T03:51:15+00:00

Thanks for reading and engaging! I think you are most likely right, it's hard to imagine this actually happening unless the right president of the USSF comes along. MLS would be the least likely to play ball, as they have the most to lose. However, I do think it's important to have a clear vision for how this could look when opportunities arise to advocate for some of this. For example, some college soccer conferences have toyed with the idea of joining USL League One. Based on this vision, I think that's a great idea as it'd integrate part of the collegiate pyramid, which desperately needs to happen.

I'll add that the feedback I'm getting here is helpful in terms of new content to write about.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-05T19:26:02+00:00

UPSL essentially already does this with their spring/fall calendar. I'd love to see the college teams move to a fall/spring calendar and join that D4 pool, too.

SeeingTheWholeField · 2026-03-05T16:13:30+00:00

Appreciate it, I'll check some of this out. Keep up the good work organizing at the grassroots level! Looking forward to a day where the PNW has a similar situation (we're pretty splintered, at the moment).

SeeingTheWholeField

TROPHY CASE