Monday, January 14, 2019

U18 Girls Youth Soccer

This page is focused on Under 18 girls youth soccer, primarily in Region 1 and everyone is invited to post.

Teams face increased competition for the top players, (who are increasingly attending college showcases).

More teams consolidate and the best teams--academy soccer, club soccer and high school teams--battle to attract and retain the right player mix.

Stay tuned. This is bound to be good.

2,858 comments:

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Anonymous said...

Eric I appreciate what you do but pda is a much deeper club than penn fusion. While I know your kids coming back from waivers will definitely improve the team, your level drop from top to bottom is smaller than theirs. Looking at the penn fusion roster their 01 full timers on the 99/00 are not regular starters- 2 with one start and 1 with 2 starts.. My guess is they are using the 00/99 roster to keep players developing to make sure they are ready to add to the 01s next year to keep numbers up at the 01/00 team next year and the year after. Your pda team will probably beat penn fusion again in November with your waiver kids added on even if penn fusion has their full roster active. With penn fusion missing 3/5 of their starting defense and a skillful playmaker and goal scorer midfielder Saturday they were undoubtably easier to handle. Double team their remaining offensive threats and exploit a hobbled defense and there it is 3-0. My guess is it wasn't as close as you suggest. Thanks for sharing the links to the videos. Might take a look if I have time.
My observations are penn fusion has a few very high end players who make a huge difference. However the level of their players is very variable. The da system favors less deep teams. If the absences were because of significant injuries -hope not- my guess is they will fall off a bit but their super star attackers who were quieted by a great pda team will continue to run rampant over some of the weaker teams in the da.

Anonymous said...

PF was missing some starters that were on college visits. One of them is my friend's daughter. Her visit was scheduled over the summer before the schedule came out. I know my friend said they are looking forward to when they meet again in like two weeks or something.

Anonymous said...

are we really making comments about depth with regard to PF? Wow. They are deep relative to almost every team in the Mid A and NE. Multiple YNT players . If they are not deep in a GDA context, then what are teams like NYCFC?

Anonymous said...

9:59 the PF team IS very good. Saw them dismantle some teams. And I'm with an opponent. but as several posts noted some top players not rostered including a scorer and GK. schedule says they see each other again in November. let's see what happens.

Anonymous said...

doesn't matter how many YNT scorers you have if you can't keep ball out of net. With 3 of their back 1/3 out, including the GK who I have watched make big stops and saves. of course it makes a difference.

Anonymous said...

It make a difference, may not. I said they are deeper than 90 pct of the teams in the MA and NE and therefore that cannot be considered a factor. Every team has kids missing, College visits etc, but very few have the luxury they have. And i would have more sympathy if they managed to score, they didnt.

I dont care who won, I just find the depth comments entertaining. Look at NYCFC ,Cedar Stars, Fury etc at this age and tell me about depth .

Anonymous said...

9:59 - funny, PF team has never been very good. funny. finishing in top of ECNL without having depth against teams with deep and big rosters i would consider very good.

Anonymous said...

1:09

There is a problem at the DA with GK that somewhat did not exist at ECNL. The GKs in ECNL were comparable and each could play a half, at the DA level no one want's to sit through 5 games and then come in against the top team. Yes it is definitely an opportunity to prove yourself but not an optimal situation. This is a flaw at the DA that will not only impact GK but others will see the disparity in playing time and make the decision to move on. PF had 2 workable keepers at ECNL last year but one moved on to college and the incumbent was strong. It would be interesting to hear what was pitched to get the back-up on the team??

Anonymous said...

109/123 do now its the GK fault? Wow. PF did not score right ?

Anonymous said...

1:33,

She is also a '20 graduate so it tells me that PF could not find an on-age back-up for the team. Leading to a few earlier comments about depth.

Anonymous said...

Yes and the point is that if NYFC was missing their national player they are much less likely to win the game no? Losing special players impacts any team. Very few other than PDA have 4 or 5 special attacking players or a similar number of great defenders. I know PDA has 2 great GKs- not many others with that luxury.

Apparently PF didn't have replacement players at the level of the ones that were missing. They were not deep enough to manage the starters missing. I am guessing because I didn't see it that they didn't have enough special attacking players to take marking top kids out of the game from the tactical options. Some have said that they were easier to handle because of missing their starting defense- that's in the obvious category.

PDA misses 8 kids on waiver and they are still the top team. There is no other team that could have the same happen and remain top of the table- there is no other team with that kind of depth. PF have several very top end players, but there is a big drop off in level as you go down the roster with a wide talent level evident even in their starting XI. Top end players does not equal depth.

Is Washington spirit BA "deep" because they have 1 kid who played up 2 years in the u17 WC, The only player in our region to have done so. Does she make them "deep" because they have the "best" at least by USSF standards player in the region? PDA have a bunch that have been to national camps. PF a few too and a stud attacker at the top of the scoring table. PDA kept her from earning any points. The other national kid the same. NYFC has a stud attacker. Are they deep because their top end is so high? Nope. Pda are deep because the relatively narrow spread in level from top to bottom of the roster. The roster is in general more consistent with high level players. Hence they deserve to be top of the table.

Anonymous said...

1;16 PF does have depth just not in in every position obviously. having multiple scorers and very good ones doesn't amount to a hill of beans if they can't keep the ball out of the back of their own net. this is the first game where they didn't have at least 1 goal let alone multiple.
You can play a different game when you trust the players in the back.

Anonymous said...

1;23 you would be wrong. that GK did exist in ECNL. She kept them in many games. so while you may not know her, the leagues sure do as does US Soccer. She was only in ECNL two weeks before multiple teams reached out including Power 5.

Anonymous said...

159 Your post makes no sense. It is not a given that just becasue you have X on waivers that they are better than those playing. Have you seen these kids play? Maybe they are just as good. Maybe they add something that the others dont and vice versa. Are NYCFC top of the table? Results =/=depth.

Its not easy to mark a kid out of the game. you make it sound like it is. Its even harder when you supposedly have multiple creative, attacking threats. If it is/was, then maybe the players had a bad day or are not what you think they are ( I have no view either way)I read here about goals, assists and general brilliance about many PF attacking players. Where they playing? Where they not rostered for this game?

Yes, we know that top end =/= depth, but when 3/10 of your outfield players are YNT caliber, you are way ahead of the field. They also have several other very competent players to call on. I never heard anyone here say , hold on , tha attackers are good , but wow that Back 4 and the GK are critical to their success. Maybe I missed it.

So yes, I stand by the fact that PF are one of the deeper teams in the North East and clearly anyone can lose on any given day, but to cite depth as the reason seems very odd. Maybe the ball just bounced for one team and not the other. but depth ? Nah, not buying it. Next time they play, the result could be totally different and even then, i bet depth will not be the reason.

Kids can have bad games. Its ok. Its part of it. And just becasue a kid is on a waiver, it does not mean that automatically we assume the return guarantees top performance.

Anonymous said...

1:23 yes, while some games the PF GK's played halves in big need to win games, they didn't; like CASL, Ohio Premier, etc. Even in the North American Cup, she was subbed back in to stop 3 out of 4 PK shootout in 0 vs 0 win to get into semi-finals. They aren't comparable. It's just how that coach handled his team. My kid was on her team and that was our biggest gripe. Keep her in.

Anonymous said...

And no one should blame the back up GK, fully. The ball has to get through 10 other kids before it gets to her.

Anonymous said...

159 not the best player in the region @ u19/18 and never has been the best player in game I have watched at the older age. Bad analogy there. maybe the best in her age group and maybe USSF are buying unrealized potential?

Anonymous said...

204 lol
The goal scorers failed because their defense was not good???
Lol just leave it at the goal scorers were not good enough when faced with one of the few competent defenses in the area. Does not bode well for their college careers. Some of these players are very selfish and when they can't go it alone because they run up against good defenders they fail. They will need to learn to combine and develop more sophisticated tactics in college. Need to learn you can't try and turn every defender. Sometimes you need to involve others in more creative ways to get through. Thought this might happen. PDA play a much more fluid passing and possession game. The whole team can play it. Penn fusion is more direct and leans on individual brilliance to succeed. The brilliant were not bright enough on Saturday. Defense is more that responsible in part for the three against but the goose egg is on the attack.

Anonymous said...

2:17 - you are right. the board didn't value the work those missing in the defense have done for the past several years for that team with a lack of a deep roster back there. now you know.

Anonymous said...

2:23 i am not disagreeing, the attacking game needed to get at least 1, but you play a different game when you have a defense you trust.

Anonymous said...

217
It makes sense
Deep equals consistent roster level. Is that hard for you to understand? PF does not apparently have a consistent roster as they did not cope with missing some starters.
One of the kids missing was their one and done if you are counting her among your players you have read about she is one of the more creative players in the DA. Her missing would affect the overall effectiveness of the attack for sure. Having her out means the defense had fewer threats to occupy them and could mark the other two out of the game. I am guessing they did just that. Unless Eric says they were hitting cross bars and posts and the PDA gk and defense played out of their minds and PF studs just had a unlucky day. There are no stats reported like shots/sog/ possession % so hard to tell.

Anonymous said...

I guess all of this will be settled on 11/11. Get your popcorn ready.

Anonymous said...

what is a one and done? This is not college basketball. You said fewer implying that there are others. that is the point. It sounds like you were not at the game and are just drawing conclusions based on history. When you say one of the more creative players in the DA, is that vs similar opposition or the weaker teams that PF racked up stats against?

Like i have said repeatedly, any team can have a bad day, I just find the excuses about depth etc amusing. You talk about the players that are missing like its a given that they would make a difference. I bet before the game you thought the ones who were there would make a difference as well. The games have to be played and on teams with limited talent - that would be almost ALL of them apart from PF and PDA - unless your big player(s) play well, you are not competitive. Beating poor teams by football scores does not make a player special. Its what they do in the games vs equivalent talent and on this showing, PF was either unlucky of a let down. I was not there so I dont know which. I do know it has nothing to do with who was NOT there.

My final point would be I wish the USSF actually looked at WHO you are playing against when selecting YNT players. I would be looking at this tape if I were the USSF co--ordinator

Anonymous said...

1:23 - i have a kid on one of the younger teams and the younger GK hasn't been sitting. I have heard that she has played some games with the younger team. In checking the scoreboard, that is true.
No GK's from the PF ECNL 00/championship league team moved to college. i believe their 98/99 keepers did move to college along with most of that team.

Anonymous said...

3:05 okay, but don't you think they should be judged by who you are playing with as well.
kids that play on teams that don't have depth and have success should be judged by what they bring to a team to play against those that have depth.

Anonymous said...

3:05 so you would look at a tape when you play a team not at full strength over the tape when they are? okay.

Anonymous said...

3:05 actually knowing the team and knowing who would be out, i didn't have a good feeling about this game.

Anonymous said...

317 100 pct yes. Is a player better becasue they are always on the strongest team? I learn far more about players in adversity than I do in comfortable strength. Im not evaluating the team, Im evaluating individual players - I assume that is what the USSF are doing.

314 No I dont. If i see a kid on a weak team playing at a high level Im intrigued. Its a lot harder to do that , as PF found out t, that it is to roll over weaker teams. Mental toughness is a big part of it. I dont really understand your last sentence. Im not big on the "who you play with". If a player plays better alongside another kid all the time then maybe I should be looking at the other kid!! I want to see how a kid reacts when they know they have to pay well to be competitive.

Anonymous said...

320 so according to you that team is heavily reliant by one player then ? Thats very different to what i have read here over the last few months

Anonymous said...

Current U18 DA keeper and current Lehigh Freshman were the ECNL pair last year. Previous year's keeper left for CFC and is now at Lehigh. Keepers are a valuable commodity and very good ones are hard to find. The GK has to be one of the top 3 on the field and not having the top GK in a game against equal or better talent will be exposed. The GK should manage the back line and control some of the game speed. Not having #1 GK and missing defenders challenges the staff to game plan differently, and if the team is missing a top striker along with the top GK you are missing 2 of your 3 top players. I did not see the game and have no real rooting interest. My observations come from playing/coaching the GK position and now having a daughter who plays GK. There is also the fault of not developing players at the position and providing them opportunities to play. My daughter trains with a lot of these girls, and between the pipes there are only subtle differences when it comes to saves and shot stopping. The difference is between the ears to get to the next level. Not a commercial, just an endorsement. If your daughter is a GK get her to TKI.

Anonymous said...

3:27 they were not weaker teams.

PDA played FC VA to a 1-0 game; PF won 3-0 (full roster); PDA played VDA to a 1-0 game; PF 10-0 (without YNT); PDA played Classics to a 4-1 game; PF 6-0 without top scorer).

PDA hasn't played Spirit VA yet. And that wasn't a weak game. Spirit never gave up. They took many shots even breakaways (may have been their YNT player) without success. PF 8-1 (without YNT).

Still don't think these missing kids made a difference?



Anonymous said...

sorry PDA hasn't played Spirit MD yet. PF hasn't played Spirit VA yet. PF 8-1 over spirit md.

Anonymous said...

336 you miss the point. Scores mean zero and PF have more than enough to be competitive with anyone, even without one or two kids. Bottom line is for all the common opponent BS you have laid out, Vs PDA PF failed to score. The argument you put forward has a few potential conclusions. the most likely, and conversation ender would. PF did not play as well as they can. No excuses. PDA outplayed us. All the other ones call into question how good the kids who played really are and there is not enough evidence to do that. To keep suggesting that one or two make the difference is not valid based on the admittedly limited # of times I have seen them play. the group I have seen is a match for anyone on their day. Maybe Saturday was not it.

Anonymous said...

3:30 what are you talking about? PF's 98/99 keepers are at Penn and Lafayette.
00 BU commit is current starter GDA/PF keeper (and was on their 00 ECNL team and 99/00 team as well). The other PF 00 keeper isn't playing DA.

Anonymous said...

3:45 well from my conversations with her parents, if you ask the TKI coaches about the current PF U18/U19 GDA starter, they know her quite well, too. She and her parents speak very highly about TKI.

Anonymous said...

3:28 one player? how about 4 and one is scorer and other is top keeper. so yes. makes a difference.

Anonymous said...

3;44 i would agree with you if they hadn't been scoring more than 3 goals every game. as someone noted you can play differently with different players.

Anonymous said...

3:30 you are not correct. no one from the 00 PF ECNL team went to college, yet.
The U18 starter GK a 00 birthyear is from that PF team (Champs League) and also played on the 99/00 PF ECNL team the year previously (North American Cup semi-finalists).
And, prior was on USYS team. She was never on CFC.

3:45 is correct. I'm 2:08 and 2:18.

Anonymous said...

344 out played us? If you are from penn fusion then you would know they were missing more than 1 or 2. Not that I don't generally agree with your points, but it was 4: #1 top level GK and starting CB pair who on any team help keep the defense organized and a 2 way midfielder who creates and scores a lot just sayin... I know that team. My guess is the defense couldn't manage PDAs offensive power and the big time PF pair up top saw no service without the midfielder pulling the strings. Just guessing but intrigued enough to watch the video.
But I think they still lose on the 11th. PDA will be fielding a much stronger team then with their waiver kids back. I don't think the penn fusion kids, assuming they are not injured, return will offset the reinstatement of the 2016 ECNL champion team.

Anonymous said...

Not the OP but looked it up to see if the one I thought was the missing midfielder was the one I know. Yes one of the most creative kids in the da against all levels from ecnl champions league to da. She's been fun to watch since she was a little kid and I mean really little. Now bigger but still with the flair she had when she was tiny. My kid hates playing against her.

Anonymous said...

4;17 i disagree. i think it makes for a very exciting game. as someone posted, get your popcorn ready.

Anonymous said...

3:44 - as the scorecards note, all of the key kids out on saturday played in those games mentioned by 3:36; multiple goals v zero.
bad game; obviously.
should they have still seen some success, of course.
but can't overlook they are a stronger team with the missing players on the pitch then not rostered. that's all.

Anonymous said...

4:17 okay. i'll take that bet.
pda in ECNL was able to make full roster/depth line up changes in the games for fresh legs through out the league games. GDA/FIFA sub rules make a huge difference.
fully loaded teams. it will then be a battle of the coaches to see who can get the most out of their best players. now that sounds like a great game.

Anonymous said...

(4:14 PM)- PDA were far better than all but one or two teams last year in entire ECNL. PF were not even close to the top teams in Northeast Division! The 2000 PF ECNL team from last year was a fine team, but there was only 4 to 6 points separating teams 4 through 9 in the division. PF advanced to a ECNL champions league spot because of depth, but in my opinion, Match Fit, Continental and Alberston all played better soccer, but none of those teams had the depth to finish above PF. Right now our DA division isn’t very good so it makes sense that PF would have a close result vs. FCVA and get beat by Sky Blue. The teams PF have played to date are not as good as the teams they played last year in the ECNL. I don’t think you can judge this age group on results as the majority of the conference is less than average. Sky Blue 99/00 are not as good as in past years, but still a very good team and were also missing very good players, impact players that will be back. I love the PF parent (or friend….) of the girls that were missing letting us all know how much of a difference she would have made. I’m sure they didn’t just write how creative their daughter is and what a difference she would have made (4:25 PM). (12:41 PM) I’m sure it was someone else other than the parent (a friend) that posted about girls being at a college visit. She wouldn’t have made a difference on Saturday. Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Hahaha PF advanced to ECNL Champs because of depth. Not at all. In fact they were hit pretty hard last year with injuries and they only rostered 18 or less. Now injuries and kids having things are part of it. It's called life. All of the teams have to deal with it too. And yes i am a friend of the parents of kids on the team. If you believe it or not, i really don't give a rats arss.

And since those other teams mentioned did so well in the runner up leagues in ECNL well that is just a testament to what you believe.

The PF teams both the 00 and 01 made it to champs league and the 00 team beat the #10 seed (Ohio) and tied the #4 seed (who was undefeated previously SLSG - MO) and more.

Guess the grapes you can't reach are sour too.

Anonymous said...

I'm on PF and what close game are you talking about re FC VA? The 3-2 win and then the 3-0 win. First of all, FC VA is a very good team. And, the PF v FC VA game 3-2 should have been 3-0 as well. The keeper made two spectacular stops on balls that weren't cleared. But, it happens. Game of soccer. However, isn't that a 1 goal differential like FC VA vs. Sky Blue?? Second time they met and all the missing girls from sat were present as well, 3 goal differential.

Anonymous said...

8:33 i am the above poster. no one said sky blue isn't good. why would you put that out there?

Anonymous said...

8:49 PM the only sour grapes are coming from Penn Fusion. Go back and read all your posts... You lost, to the better team, that has always been a better team. You are sad.

Anonymous said...

10:07 you are a tool. no one said sky blue wasn't better on sat. clearly they were. congrats. no sour grapes. I'm a beer drinker.

Anonymous said...

See you on 11/11. should be fun.

Anonymous said...

3:08 yes the younger PF keeper has been playing, too. she is very good and is developing nicely. she played in some games with the U16/U17 team and did well. as someone said in a previous post, it has to get past 10 other girls before it gets to her. this was not their day. maybe it changes come november. good game girls.

Anonymous said...

yawwwwwwwwwnnnnnnn
U18 PF page I guess.....

Anonymous said...

Okay how about a new discussion?
Are most committed kids being applying regular admission or early admission/early decision? Don't know when to send in kid's application.

And someone a while back asked about the NCAA Clearinghouse or i heard a discussion on the sidelines. Is that necessary after you have made a verbal commitment?

Anonymous said...

...for the above...being asked to apply not being applying. argh cell phone keypad.

Anonymous said...

The clearinghouse has to be done sometime before they will give your kid a LOI. Basically you get an all clear form the NCAA eligibility center.

Most schools require an early decision application because I think they are moving signing day to December. Can anyone confirm? The Director of Operations at the school is managing the application stuff for my kid. We sent scores and transcripts to him.

Anonymous said...

7:30

Early decision versus early action. Early decision plans are binding-a student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college. Early action plans are nonbinding-students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until the normal reply date of May 1.

My daughter's situation was that the coach told her to apply when the app process started, he did not indicate either of the above. She received her acceptance letter and initial scholarship letters last week. December is the date for her to provide her signed acceptance.

Anonymous said...

Talk to the school. No one here will know as it varies.

Anonymous said...

good info. t/y

Eric Harris said...

@7:30am.......way to change it up lol lol. I will say I haven't met most of you personally but I am sure we have seen each other in this very small world of soccer but I can can honestly say this and really mean it. I love each and everyone of you. No I am not IN LOVE with you but I love you all lol lol. Do we get under each others skin and poke at each other yep we sure do but I know for a fact that we are all good people outside all this and great parents as well. I love have one moment we can be in a heated debate and the next someone will switch it to something that can be helpful. When these girls graduate and this is all over come this year we need to have a Youth Soccer U18 B'QUE somewhere and just laugh, joke, tease, and have a few cold ones for some of you. Myself I don't drink but I would love to sit with you guys and girls and share stories and past conversations of laughter. Great stuff really. Regarding the Clearinghouse stuff I know I registered my daughter back in 2016 and started her file then. I do know if you plan on playing Sports in college you have to be in the CLEARINGHOUSE. Its to really show that you are eligible to participate in collegiate sports. I also know that my daughter had to notify her high school so that they can add her transcripts etc. If you haven't done that you should call or go to your child's high school guidance office and let them know or explain to them. First though you better register with the CLEARINGHOUSE online. It's a fee to do it so have your credit card handy lol. As far as admissions I know that my daughter recruiting class they wanted everyone to be applied for early admissions and they asked us to have it done by October 31. I assume they do this to make sure that everyone is on track and there is no surprises as far as girls not getting in or not being qualified. Trust me it happens. I hope that also helps but you really should just email the college coach and just ask so that you are clear on what they want and when they need it etc.

Eric Harris

Anonymous said...

Parent from my church gave me a great tip on a good book. What Made Maddy Run. Discusses the girl from UPenn track and soccer player who sadly took her own life when she just kept trying to keep it all together. These kids are under tremendous pressure like nothing before. Their lives are captured in print, in photos, in social media and they have such pressure to excel and do well in everything. And nobody can.

Anonymous said...

Good reminder, let's just leave the hyper soccer parenting on this board. Vent here.
And thank you for the college information stuff. Very helpful.

Anonymous said...

6:09,

Thanks for the reality check. Thinking back to my senior year (which was loooong ago) and it puts into perspective what children are dealing with today. Our kids are probably the first generation who have the highest percentage of parents who graduated college. My generation was blue collar parents with maybe one who had a degree, or even graduated from highschool. My dad's mantra was "Just do better than me and you will be ok". Today kids are being scheduled out for school, tutoring, sports, training, testing, mandatory volunteer work, and a multitude of other things while navigating social media, friends, and trying to have some down time. I think no matter who you are as a kid these days, the struggling "outcast" or the hyper active top 10, AP, Athlete, eventually there is going to be a crisis point for most. I have told my kids to find something you like, that you are good at and find a way to make it you life's work, then live within your means and lead a good life, be kid to others, help out the less fortunate, and be a good person. There is a book called Lessons From a Third Grade Dropout by Rick Rigsby, it may also be a good read.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. This is a great reminder that these are kids. High school kids. And while they may drive us crazy, really great kids who are not roaming the streets, getting into trouble. They are just kids trying to play a sport, do well in school, get noticed, get some $$$ (to help us), get into a good college and enjoy their lives.

We get caught up in all of this for us, for them. Don't loose sight about what Eric has pointed out above and the subsequent posts discuss, we are all on the same journey for our children. And, like us, they max out.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the hype, we forget, at least I do. Doesn't mean we shouldn't have spirited discussions, but just be respectful and mindful.

Anonymous said...

Gluph. i have read that book as well. was eye opening. it's not only that their lives are wrapped around social media it's the type of social media.

for instance, every post that shows a video clip about a kid doing something great has another kid or kids that failed. their failure is in the digital world. would eric still offer his video for everyone's view if his team had lost? I'm not trying to use his kindness as something bad, just trying to prove a point to support the social media pressure out there.

that's what we don't understand. but these kids do.

Eric Harris said...

@12:48............so does them mean we are definitely having a class of 2018 B'QUE......lol lol lol cmon tell me how fun it would be. Now our kids would probably think we are crazy if they even knew but its own secret society lol lol lol. But you sure brought it home when you said that "THEY ARE ACTUALLY HELPING US OUT" So true and never really looked at it in that honestly. I can say my daughter truly did her thing and got it all right. She is a super kid......must of got it from her mother lol but you are so true they are doing this not knowingly saving us a TON of money.

Eric Harris

Anonymous said...

Eric,

I think the barbeque idea would actually make a good reality show, have people who post on anonymous blogs get together and see what happens in RL.

Last night was my daughter's senior night for High school and it was bittersweet. After playing soccer for 13 years a chapter is complete. She said to me before the game that this was the best team she played on (their record was way below 500). And by best she meant that a school team of diverse kids were a family that played every game hard, not for parents, not for scouts but for each other and their coach, and their school. They learned to cover for each other, to play out of their club position if needed and to get up when knocked down and make the next play. Could my daughter have given up her senior year and played DA, sure but based on her goals and where she wants to be as a person the commitment to HER team was important. This IS somewhat a knock against the DA set-up and the execution of the rollout as well as a knock against youth soccer. It really isn't about the kids once you make the decision to buy into the process (yes to metaphors there Buy and "The Process"). And the fact that there were girls offered waivers tells you that if your daughter had to give up High school but a DA team mate did not that team mate is viewed as a commodity above your daughter and you are not on equal footing.

My daughter plans to play for at least the next 4 years, she also plans on getting an education. As noted by someone earlier, she was able to leverage her love of the game to help with the cost of the next 4 years. I wish you all the best with your daughter's future and hope that "The Process" eventually provides the type of soccer experience that focuses on the players and not the organizations/coaches/DOC and money.

Eric Harris said...

@ 8:47am I seriously think a B’QUE would be fun honestly lol. And BRAVO to your daughter and her SENIOR NIGHT. That is a great accomplishment and although my daughter went a different path in playing in the DA. The relationship that she has built in her previous years of high school soccer never faded and never was or will be forgotten. Besides playing in the games she does go and support them from the stands when she can and still cheers them on and guess what on Senior night……you are not going to below the power of kids but when I say kids are great it’s the adults involved in the game that make it screwy. The whole high school team requested her to be at Senior Night to also honor her for her commitment and also, she had to make a choice not to play with them her senior year they all respected her for her decision because the relationship and the character of my daughter shined brighter than any DA decision and the girls only saw her as what she meant to them and that was a leader and someone who always had their backs and supported them and help them win a State Championship year prior. No, she didn’t walk on the field with us her parents but after the game they gave her a private ceremony right there at the field with flowers and posters. Now tell me how great those kids are. And let me tell you about her DA coach and his response to her request to attend Senior night and miss DA practice……...he told her to go and enjoy the night and it was OKAY……didn’t hold her at fault and didn’t shun her but supported her as a COACH is supposed to do. I know after this year is over and she moves on to the next level I do know that she will never forget that moment because it really told her and showed her that this journey is really about the relationships that you are building along the way and hopefully the relationships that you build and get into are forever lasting as moments as those and many other girls that are experiencing the likes of SENIOR NIGHT or State Championship runs etc. I always tell my daughter and people that I come across either on here or at the fields, that SOCCER may have brought us together in life but I refuse to let it TEAR US APART. The relationship that I have built along the way as my kids I sure hope they are forever lasting and sure our kids may compete against each other and with each other but I hope at the end of the day and when the game is over I can say hey great game and I can’t wait to see you again my friend, buddy, associate, etc.

Eric Harris

Anonymous said...

847 I understand what you are saying but I dont agree with this HS is a team and Club cannot be. In your Ds case clearly she felt that way. There are many club kids who have played together much longer then HS. Played together since U-10.The club environment is different, but can be just as team oriented at some place. I dislike the notion that kids feel they owe loyalty to HS teammates but not Club ones. Loyalty is loyalty. Having said that, I do get your PoV. Everyone is different.

On waivers, I dont beleive that any person who really bought in to what the GDA is offering would seek a waiver. Thats the problem in it. You are allowing Clubs to use it as a marketing tool and that , to me is wrong. It goes against what I believe the GDA SAY they are selling. A full time immersive experience for kids willing to give up some of the other things. To then offer a back door in to kids who have no real reason other than, I want to play with my friends, makes the whole point of some having to make the choice contentious and moot. Kids are not going to judghe each other on this one, but I fault the parents. Its the mentality that says , the rules dont apply to me. My case is more "special" than yours. I dont like that. It sends the wrong message. But to be fair, that message is sent many times over in youth sports. The better you are, the more people bnd over backwards to bend rules. Look at Pitino et al.

Ultimately the girls youth soccer scene is so bog here that it spans a wide range of abilities. the very top of the pyramid - say the top 100 players, can pretty much do whatever they want. There are some top 100 parents who post here. When they type stuff, its clearly atypical to the normal experience and I notice others jump on them. they are telling the truth as they see it. For the majority I dont think playing HS or not is going to make much difference in the bigger picture. I do think that the life lesson here is the way kids handle the situation and the message they take from it.

College soccer is clearly different in different schools, conferences etc. but I hope you find what you are looking for.

Anonymous said...

Eric,

I am happy for your daughter receiving the support she did. But I do not think you understand the difference between being liked and being honored. I am sure the relationships your daughter built with her high school team are strong. And her contribution to the team was important. But she made a self decision not a team decision, and I am thinking her commitment for her next 4 years was decided prior to her decision to move to the DA. I am thinking at PDA the level of training from ECNL to DA changed slightly but not to a significant level, basically a couple percentage points if even measurable. While it is great that her team mates honored her in a "private" ceremony, I hope her teammates also realize that your daughter's decision while a bit of a grandstand play was one that overlooked her dedication to them. Maybe I am wrong but the decision your daughter made not to play for her high school will has most likely not changed her trajectory in soccer. And I think this is one of the negative issues with youth soccer. I am also thinking that your background and status has helped your daughter get to the front of the line a few times.

Anonymous said...

1023 Could not disagree more. There are MANY relationships built int eh game. and to suggest that only the HS ones count is idiotic. Friends are friend and they remain so. If any kid felt that playing GDA was for them, then I have more respect for the ones who made the tough call to leave HS, than the ones who got waivers. My opinion clearly does not matter, but its how I feel. I dont like teh crab in a basket mentality that uses emotional blackmail to try and hold a kid back. If JH thought that GDA was 2pct better than HS, then I support that 10000pct.

Anonymous said...

1023 Here

I am not saying that the HS relationship is the only one. People assume absolutes without proper context, fact is the team my daughter played against had two of her club team mates and the respect and admiration was apparent as both schools seniors were honored. My point in all of this is to shed light on the perspectives we have that determine the greater soccer landscape. without a strong single force in US soccer there will never be success on the men's side and the women's side will begin to erode internationally. Academies work in Europe because that is the basis of there soccer platform and has been for many years, it intertwines with their schools and education and grows players or factory works. The US grows athletes into students and then into pros for most sports. Baseball may be another example of how US dominance is dwindling (although a do believe there is a resurgence of US players on MLB rosters).

The decision to play GDA in your senior year is a selfish one and by selfish I mean to the GDA not the player. The line that "I respect the tough decision made" is legit but there should not have been a tough decision. By 17/18 US soccer knows who is in the pipeline and can offer November - June soccer for that age and leave HS alone, for the younger ages maybe no HS soccer is a good thing and will prove out to be the game changer over the next few years. There are still so many biases and associated selections that I do not have a lot of hope however.

Anonymous said...

1220 Where do you put those kids who gave up HS and trained during HS season long before GDA arrived? For some, that was the right thing to do . There are kids who did not believe HS soccer was a positive part of their soccer or social curriculum.

Eric Harris said...

@10:23am I am not sure what you mean or maybe I wasn’t clear on how I delivered the message. Maybe the part that I left out was all the other Seniors were honored that night as well but they (meaning the girls) reached out to my wife and myself without our daughter knowing asking if she would come to senior night and that they wanted her to be a part of it. It was very touching and the fact that one of the parents came and found my wife at one of my daughter’s DA games to deliver the message from the HS team meant a lot and surely her “SELF” decision was not held against her for the simple fact that whatever relationship she has with them girls are much stronger than soccer. Yes, I will agree she made a SELF only decision based off what she felt she needed to do or prepare for the next phrase of her life. I truly believe that the training she is getting up at PDA is far better than High School is will help her continue to prepare and be sharper, but its not the only way to prepare and it’s certainly not guaranteed that it will make a difference. All I know is she felt that it would better her. I at first was strong on the DA over HS only because the coaching aspect and I knew that better coaching would help her continue to grow. Now as far as environment HS vs CLUB/DA doesn’t even compare. No one comes to CLUB/DA games but your parents and the other team’s parents mostly. HS you have the community, classmates etc., which is unmatched. Sure, you may be covered by the Newspapers and get some press time sure that’s all there in HS soccer but if you knew my kid you would know she really doesn’t care about all that but only about winning and winning more and more. So, giving up that aspect in HS didn’t really fade her. I disagree that it was a GRANDSTAND play because it wasn’t something she expected and surely if you know my kid she is definitely not about attention……. NOW IF IT WAS ME………. whole another story lol lol. I doubt my background helps my kid in anyway as far as soccer. I am a football guy. Now I do share my experiences with my kids and if you know me as anyone that does on this board will tell you I am a straight shooter and I am very hard on my kids. I love them dearly but I surely never sugarcoat or hold what I feel back from them. Will my daughters decision change where she is going as far as soccer certainly not but I think what it will change is how she looks at life and she is seeing and understanding that life is not fair but we all have choices and she made her and only she has to live with that and as I say don’t complain to me……..you made the decision, you thought it out, you stick with it and see it through with no regrets and so far no regrets so hopefully today when I see her she still feels the same because believe it or not I ask her everyday if she still wants to do that and its always yes. I always want her to feel that she has an out and she has choices.

Eric Harris

Anonymous said...

1:34 PM

It was the players decision to make that choice, and a choice they made for the high school career. They were not forced to miss out on their last year of playing with their school team.

Anonymous said...

It was very nice of the girls to reach out and include your daughter. You are very lucky to be part of a school community that realizes that this is about the kids not about the adults. And that high school is part of the experience not the only part of the experience. i am sure part of it is your daughter as well. she sounds like a great kid. and that is what you should be most proud of. And i am sure you are.

See ya at the BBQ. :)

Anonymous said...

2;17 are we still lamenting about this? seriously? just support the kids in whatever choices they made. best of luck to all of them.

Anonymous said...

217 as 229 says, why not support them ?And in the case under discussion Im sure that the kid under discussion could had taken a waiver. so she was not forced to either. When the truth comes out, its the parents who miss HS. They miss the pride when their kid does something, wins and award or gets inches in the paper. All this or that. I missed it, but then IO realized that it was totally irrelevant given her goals and aspirations.

Im proud of the fact that she aspires to achieve more, thinks she has to work harder to get it and is willing to sacrifice certain things to try and get there. Guarantee? No. Tough decision , especially pre GDA. Yes. Right one? Time will tell. Regrets for her so far ? None.

She could have played HS, won a lot( assuming no injury) won awards and gotten local accolades - like Im sure other kids could - but chose a different path. Life lesson for her either way. Choose, stand by it, if you were wring, admit ti and own it either way. In my eyes that is as much a leadership and life lesson as the ones kids get playing HS.

We all learn things thru differing experiences and decisions, its what makes us who we are.

Anonymous said...

I am the original poster and feel like I need to restate the purpose for my comments and provide a mea culpa.

I no dobt see that Eric's daughter made a difficult decision but one she should not have had to make, and my muddying the waters the either individual GDA clubs or GDA as a whole made a mistake, in my opinion, by establishing the no HS rule for the U17/18 players this year. And then allowing waivers. My opinion is that they should have let the seniors play out their Senior year (I realize there is risk of injury but that also could happen in the 3-4 trainings a week) and start up at the end of High school. Yes the arguments are there for lower levels of coach and play but it would have been the right thing to do for the kids. As far as Eric, I respect him for being transparent and actually coming on this board and I appreciate his insights (one of his videos actually helped my daughter).

My only parting shot is please don't downplay the fact that HS teams get press and look at that like it's an ego trip any bigger than saying "My daughter is on the US Academy Team". Both are somewhat humble brags. That being said, I wish all of the girls the best in DA games, High School games, and ECNL/Club. It is for them to realize their dreams, whatever those dreams are, and as a parent it is great to know that soccer has given them an advantage in becoming the person we all hope they can become.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. This is a dead horse.

Parent your kid and support her and her friends, classmates and teammates club and high school. These kids have only one high school experience. Don't screw it up for your kid or others.

May they look back and fondly remember everything, not how mommy or daddy meddled in their or someone else's future dreams. Enjoy the journey.

Anonymous said...

3;59 exactly. txs!

Anonymous said...

359 Cool of you to restate your position, but I still disagree. We cant do/have everything we want and at times what we want is not even best for us. I think the kids who wanted to play HS, are and the ones who didn't are not. Yes there are some who would like to have had both, but no one spares much thought for the kids who are playing GDA NOW having given up HS who will perhaps be displaced. This is not about Erics daughter and to be honest I am not comfortable with her being involved. It personalizes the discussion.

In my opinion there should have been no waivers outside of very special circumstances. Just the same as you say kids should have been able to do HS and then join becasue the impact is/was minimal- then the impact of them NOT joining and playing in a league tha allowed HS play would also be minimal. less disruption, less ill feelings on teams that turnover mid year.

Reality is that the Clubs are the ones making these decisions and some clubs did indeed say no waivers. Others have used it as a discretionary way of keeping teams together. The funny thing is I doubt some of these clubs would do it for average players. Ie to them its more about the marketability of the product going forward and the impact winning may have. FC Stars at the older ages is clearly split. Kids with NT aspirations went to GDA and the rest ( some very good players) chose ECNL and HS. I respect both decisions. I actually feel bad for the YNT kids becasue Ijudging by initial rosters, it does not matter if GDA or not. I feel they are the ones selling out perhaps for something that the USSF may offer them. The USSF are notoriously fickle and I fear many will be disappointed or sent very mixed messages.

I can only speak for my kid and say being on teh GDA is no humble brag. The teams are no better than the one she was on in the ECNL and in many cases worse. The training is good, but it was before and the games are usually 90 mins of hard effort. No subs and no breaks. Nothing to brag about and nowhere near as "glamorous" as your friends and neighbors reading about you in the paper.

Anonymous said...

fickle? nope just continued to be polluted with politics.

http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/mclean-youth-soccer-announces-2016-2017-travel-coaching-staff/

tennis anyone?

Anonymous said...

old news anyone??

Anonymous said...

Not old news to me. I didn't know that the GDA technical adviser was part of that club team in particular as of the end of this past club season. Maybe why those club kids didn't feel the need to do GDA.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I was coming on board to talk about the game last night. What is going on as far as attendance? Is this from the guy's failure do you think?

Eric Harris said...

@3:59pm yesterday. I would say and certainly believe that my daughter is no victim and I certainly do not feel sorry for her. She had a decision to make and as I said in the beginning I was strictly against HS but then I got to thinking that this is HER decision and I want her to make it on her own with the PRO’s and CON’s of both and whatever her decision was to have no regrets. This is life and I felt this was a great step learning about life and giving her the power to pick. Was she given a waiver to play HS, yes, she was but after talking to me and our family I told her honestly my opinion about it and to me I am the guy that says either you are in or you are out, don’t play the middle of the rode. Now that’s just my opinion and I only hold my kid to that not our other friends that choice to play HS. Personally, I feel that HS is great and its where all great players before our kids have flourished for years and nothing was wrong with it then so why now. Sure, I get the argument about how “BAD” high school soccer or can be, but let’s not forget that CLUB/ECNL/GDA has let’s say “BAD” soccer at times also. Just because you play ECNL/GDA doesn’t mean or ordain you as the best thing out there. There are plenty of great soccer players here in the state of NJ/NY/PA that don’t play in any of those leagues and probably some of the best players that we have set our eyes on. At my daughters HS the coaching is good I mean those men and women do the best they can with what they have and believe it or not her HS team is very talented and have plenty of debt without her being involved. I totally believe in being transparent on what I feel and who I am. Sure, people will judge or disagree but that’s what we are all here for I believe. I am here to learn from other parents as myself how to navigate this soccer world and what am I doing or not doing to either help myself or my children. Now all information is not for me but through these years I have had my eyes open to a lot and all for the good really. And finally, please don’t think that I am taking any stabs at anyone playing HS and me mentioning the NEWSPAPER and AWARDS. That’s all great stuff and it’s really great that kids get rewarded for their efforts and their work they put in season to season, game to game. I have been for weeks talking to the Star Ledger or NJ.COM about live-streaming games and although we can’t get all games on the TV screen what if they could live-stream or post live-steams of games being played around the state.

Eric Harris

Anonymous said...

8:00am

From my view I think US soccer support will drop like a wet rock. I think the camera angles were set to not show the stadium and empty seats. I was at the Army Navy Game last week and I am sure there were more people there than at the game last night. The men's failure and the women's aloofness are heavily playing into the downfall of viewership and supporters. I wonder what the comparisons are between WNBA and NWSL?? I love to watch soccer, I am up every Saturday for PL/UEFA/Bundesliga and most Thursday nights there are college games on. But I played the game, love the game and have kids that play. I also live in a college town and will go to the local games when I can. THe WC was already in jeopardy based on the time difference for live games and now with no US presence I think viewership in the US will drop. You will still se expats watching their teams and real soccer fans in the US following their origin team (Germany!!). It will also be interesting to see how the numbers are TV wise for the U17 game tomorrow. I hear that the AO are holding watch parties which is nice. Maybe a U17 WC win will help rejuvenate the home base and start the ball rolling for 2022.

Anonymous said...


The women's game is tough to watch. People have not been turing out for WNT games and the NWSL final was empty. It's a little better than the WNBA, but not much. US Soccer needs to hold these games in smaller MLS stadiums so it looks like people are turing up to the games. You can hide low turnout in 14 to 17,000 seat stadiums, you can't hide in a big venue! Also, women and girls need to turnout for these games and support the product; they don't do it in great enough numbers.

Anonymous said...


1. The games was played at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New orleans (they don't even have an MLS franchise or are on the expansion list)

2. It was Thursday night

3. They went against the NFL - let's see women's soccer or the NFL? Soccer in general would have lost in that stadium if your goal was to fill it. That being said Attendance of 9,371 wasn't bad.

NWSL 2017 season per-game average to 5,083 is behind the 2016 average of 5,558. Not a huge difference.

WNBA 2017 season registered its highest average attendance 7,716 since 2011.


Anonymous said...

just chiming re the NWSL average, 2016 games didn't have USNT and other international players as they were at Olympics so attendance was down. So the 2017 numbers should have been better by a lot.

And according to the ratings, NFL is down so should pick up some additional viewership.

But the game just wasn't exciting. We watched our recorded USWNT v GE 1/4 final WC game instead. Now that was an exciting game. Still is to watch.

Anonymous said...

1. The games was played at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New orleans (they don't even have an MLS franchise or are on the expansion list)

Correct- US Soccer, don't put a women's soccer game in a football stadium.


2. It was Thursday night

Correct- US Soccer, don't play a women's soccer game on a Thursday night in a football stadium.



3. They went against the NFL - let's see women's soccer or the NFL? Soccer in general would have lost in that stadium if your goal was to fill it. That being said Attendance of 9,371 wasn't bad.

Correct- US Soccer, don't play a women's soccer match on a Thursday night in a football stadium against NFL. 9,371 is bad.

NWSL 2017 season per-game average to 5,083 is behind the 2016 average of 5,558. Not a huge difference.

Correct- Not a huge difference. Poor and still poor.

WNBA 2017 season registered its highest average attendance 7,716 since 2011.

Correct- poor, but the US women's national team is a better product. The NWSL should be a better product. Without support from women and girls, it will never become anything.

Anonymous said...

And why not schedule the College Cup during the DA showcase event in FL not before it. makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

CASL Showcase & Women's College Cup= People in the stands

College Cup and no showcase= very few people in the stands.

College soccer does not schedule around the GDA, the GDA needs to hook-up with the NCAA Final Four but at the end of the day....the GDA isn't about women's college soccer.

Anonymous said...

interesting topic. don't you think USSF should encourage attendance at high level soccer matches by GDA and all leagues. How is that a bad thing? If the girls get hooked, the may attend NWSL and other women's soccer matches.

Anonymous said...

5:58 you hit the nail on the head. How stupid the USSF is? We have the NCAA and instead of talking advantage of something we have that no other country has we do nothing.

Fall and Spring schedule for starters.

The NCAA should allow schools to create club teams and the tuition paid by parents at the younger ages should be subtracted from College tuition regardless if they make the team or not. It will no longer be a pay to play system since what ever you pay you get back when it matters the most. Let's use Rutgers as an example. from U9-U18 a player plays at the Rutgers SC they pay 2,000 per year for a total of 20,000 for the 10 years they are at the club. If they go to Rutgers they pay 20,000 less if they go to another school then that's on them.

Anonymous said...

9,700 at WakeMed for USWNT vs. S. Korea. How's that as far as attendance?
Also, did the commentators say that the S. Korea team was mostly youth without many, if any, caps? Why would USWNT agree to that?

Anonymous said...

12:01 8:11 here the Capacity is 10,000,approx 300 shy of a sellout, I would say not bad. It's a game that the girls completely dominated from start to finish. They did what they had to do. If the result was different we would have been slamming them.

Anonymous said...

You seem to have skin in the game. I am a supporter of them as well, however, playing weaker teams like Russia and this team of SKorean inexperienced players doesn't really give you much.
Why not play a tough team? Don't they want meaningful games? Or is it that maybe the other countries don't want to show their hands yet?

Anonymous said...

continuing with above - why not play England, FR or AU again and get a real idea.

Anonymous said...

there are no meaningful games in woso outside of the Olympics, Euros and the WC. The US marketing machine tries to hype up games for obvious reasons, but most countries are not going to spend $$ to get their teams together at odd times, often from all over the world, to fly to the USA and risk injury etc. They dont need to unless the USSF pay them a lot of $$ .

Most countries wil use these games as training , development and go from there.

The US overstate the importance of thsee games and play far too many internationals becasue its the only way the players stay relevant and repay the allocation $$. Its all marketing.

Anonymous said...

If you don't have some games i guess, people will loose interest. The men's team seem to have a lot less. I guess the results show that too, but it seems like WNT are always having friendlies and MNT are not.

I don't want to pay to see S.Korea "B" team and Russia play WNT. Why would they think they would get a good audience in New Orleans against a B team. The She Believes Cup teams were worth it. And, their follow-up tour too with Brazil and AU.

I would love to see an NWSL all star squad including the internationals v. WNT. That would be fun to watch. Obviously the allocated US players would play for US.

Anonymous said...

10-22 8:11 - interesting concept. not sure NCAA would allow or should allow although i found it amusing with your choice/example. some say that is happening there already.
anyway, growing players works professionally not for college and the amateur status needed to participate.

Anonymous said...

12:01 AM, 9,700 is a good number for the USWNT and for marketing US Soccer needs to continue to play at Wake Med or venues like Wake Med. The product isn't good, so give those that are into going to see the USWNT play a good experience. 9700 in a 60,000 or even a 23,000 seat stadium isn't good, but a 10,000 venue is a better fit.

Anonymous said...

There are WNT games coming up in early November vs. Canada; one in Vancouver and one here. hopefully these should be good games as many Canadian NT players are allocated to NWSL as well.
Let's see the numbers re attendance. It may be people don't want to spend to see "B" teams v WNT.

Anonymous said...

Years ago when my daughter was involved with the Union Jrs I asked the question Why aren't the Independence players involved with the girls side. The explanation was that the Union and MLS as a whole did not want to associate with the NWLS because the sustainability of a women's league was not proven. And based on the disolvement of the Independence it looks like they were correct. If you look at the landscape of sports when fan participation starts in High school you can see that Football followed by basketball are the 2 big draws for spectators. This continues through college and into the pros. As HS soccer moves into playoffs there is some additional interest but the people attending are close friends and relatives of the players. For the WNT there is a legacy of support and the AO bring some additional notoriety to games but the product and the attitude somewhat lack any allegiance to the fan base. I will say that there is more college womens soccer broadcast through the SEC and Big 10 networks but the on-site attendance (as is the men's side) is not too impressive. In the US soccer is a novelty somewhere between hockey and a host of other sports. There are enough fans for the men's game when they were playing meaningful games, but the fact that the Panama qualifier was on the BeIn network kinda tells you where it stands. And having women's soccer on a women's network kinda sours it a bit as a novelty act. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the game, but I grew up playing, I coached, and I had 2 kids play. I look forward to watching my daughter play in college but the culmination of that is watching her graduate.

Anonymous said...

with MLS not wanting to associate with NWSL teams and their predecessor league, don't you think that is why it dissolved? The NBA has adopted WNBA. I also think with MNT some are soured with their lack of wanting to support the hard work of their female counterparts with pay and playing facilities.

Look at ECNL a league specifically developed for girls. Now, boys are in it too. And from what I have been told, it caught fire pretty quickly on the boys' side. It's a matter of time before ECNL the girls side gets pushed aside for ECNL the boys side. Just my pov.

Anonymous said...

US Soccer is fine and the $$ generated at the club/travel level is what sustains the business. I also think the MLS model works based on growing in line with revenue generation. The fact that the MLS did not support the women’s league is that the revenue wasn’t there no matter the investment. At the time the Independence were playing their stadium was at West Chester University I think. There is this outcry for equality that I do not see as really equal, take the recent news about the High school girl who was not “allowed” to take home the first place trophy in the boys league for golf. Well, there is a girls league, compete there and be rewarded. Yes there is that notion that if girls compete against boys it is against stronger competition, and in a non-contact sport there really is no danger, but it blurs lines and cheapens the girls side. So in fact by trying to “Beat the Boys” it is actually pushing the girls game backwards. As far as women’s soccer vs men’s soccer, and fair pay, base it on revenue generation and see what the allotted players say when the salary across all teams is based on income and split evenly. I am sure the allotted player would not agree to that type of contract.

Anonymous said...

8:48 AM, BeIn has the TV rights to Central America. The US home games are on ESPN. I love BeIn, I think they show the best leagues in the world too.

Anonymous said...

@650 Tne canadian womens team will not be their A team. At least their 2 young WVU players are playing in the european club champions league and wont play. Buchanon is the better known one and her absence will impact the level of play very significantly.

Anonymous said...

How did ESPN, FOX, NBS or any other sports channel let that happen?
Oh yeah soccer is not a major player in the states and people still think MLS Cup is more important than CONCACAF Champions league (probably a bunch on this site). I would love for MLS play in Copa Lib but we can't even beat mexican clubs. So how do we attract better players and coaches to the MLS?

Yes this is all connected - more money means more money to go around maybe even to the NWSL from MLS success just like the NBA shares.

We never see the big picture and that shows in the style of play both our girls and gals play, we are easy to defend when we play top teams and we don't know how to break them down either when they pack it in.

Like I said before we have the NCAA as a developmental league and we don't explore options on using them. We can keep the players amateur reward them by paying for their education (yeah we do that know - but we can do it so much better).

PS in regards to revenue 1 Soccer club can bring in close to 300k per year just from tuition on the girls side and if they host a major tournament we are talking a million per year. You tell me the NWSL can't use that?

We are so unorganized by design, because so much money is made this way for a bunch of people that have nothing to do with advancing the sport

just my 2 cents

Anonymous said...

1103 they get away with it becasue parents cannot look past their own nose. Its so easy to divide an conquer. We do not demand excellence. We only care about what impacts our own. Nothing is going to change becasue the money is in status quo.

Anonymous said...

11:03 AM, college coaches are not very good. Most, the majority, are really bad! Women's college soccer is not very different than that of high school soccer. US Soccer knows the NCAA level is poor, that is why there is a DA. US Soccer would love to see top players move from the GDA right to the NWSL. Won’t happen often, but it is what US Soccer wants.

I don't think college sports should be used as a farm system in academia. I would like to see all college sports move to a pure amateur system, no athletic scholarships. Scholarships should be need based and academic. NFL football should have their own farm system and not use universities and our tax dollars. None of this will happen, but the NCAA is flawed in many ways. The NCAA shouldn’t be the pathway to professional athletics.

Anonymous said...

Someone posted previously changing the substitution rules in college to match GDA which are FIFA rules instead of ECNL rules. Don't you think that will change college soccer as coaches will have actually coach and think about matchups? Maybe it will divide teams into DI A and AA as they do in football.
And our tax dollars are going into the state schools more so than private universities.

Anonymous said...

11:03 here - ECNL rules? I think the ECNL copied the NCAA, no?


1:20 I agree 100%.

2:42 Why do away with Athletic Scholarships? NCAA shouldn’t be the pathway to professional athletics but it should be a pathaway to professional bankers, lawyers, etc? I don't believe we should label our kids. The NCAA should provide the education like they do, what the kids do with it is on them. Is the coaching bad or are scholarships being given to the wrong kids who can't adopt to play real soccer at the speed needed?

The USSF thinks the college soccer is bad? Maybe they should look in the mirror.

again just my 2 cents

Anonymous said...

3:57 PM, The coaching is bad. Women's soccer is also bad. The poster is correct, NCAA is the pathway for real pro sports. The owners get a free farm system. It doesn't work like that around the rest of the world. The 25 or so universities that make money off of football and basketball, they control the NCAA, so you won't be seeing changes anytime soon.

Why should USSF care about college soccer???

Anonymous said...

11:03 - 3:57 here. yes, NCAA rules that ECNL adopted. It works in ECNL because it's the development/recruiting tool for college. However once in college, the GDA/FIFA rules should govern. It will improve the product; it should improve the product.
just my 2 cents.

And what exactly does USSF care about?

Anonymous said...

College coaches don’t want FIFA rules. Teams with the greatest depth will always have success at the college level. Top D-I teams that use a bench throughout the season survive, have health, and succeed in December. Coaches don’t want the limitations for numerous reasons. Coaches want to win with the most talent available, and athletic directors along with college presidents want happy athletes that will give back to the university because they had a good athletic experience. Athletes and fraternity members are the most generous in giving back to their alma mater. Women’s college soccer fits better with ECNL rules. More playing opportunities, happier athletes. Also, soccer playing rules for D-I are the same as D-III. How many D-III programs want FIFA rules?

US Soccer wants the GDA, not college soccer as a means of developing players, and that makes sense. People on here fail to understand that the DA established for boys was never about college. College is seen as a failure for boys that don’t advance beyond the DA. Male DA programs have always had the goal of developing pro players. The US national program benefits from those pro players, whether they are playing in the MLS or in Europe. That is the agenda. It has never been anything other than that and it is what they want from the girls too.

It’s been over ten years and men’s college soccer hasn’t adjusted to the DA and the DA has no plans on adjusting to college soccer. The same will hold true for the women’s soccer. Two different types of soccer with different goals.

Anonymous said...

851 I dont understand why people mention the BDA when talking Girls. Boys soccer is a global game with thousands potential jobs. Girls not so much. The is some incentive for clubs to develop their own players. It reduces labor costs initially and i a business in itself. Bo one has any incentive to develop female players. They dont have the rights to said players and they cannot put them in their teams or sell them outside the draft, so lets not compare the academies.

College soccer is a product of the rules and the players . the reason womens College soccer is not great is simple, we dont produce enough high quality players from the system we have. The few colleges that can consistently recruit the verry best player play good soccer. The one you should take issue with is UNC and Dorrance- a man who has had access to the best players and continued to play the worst rule abusing soccer out there. I think he is largely responsible for the standards we see to day. He elevated certain parts of the game , but not on the field..

College will continue to be the proving grounds for the majority of pro players on the womens side and as such the USSF certainly do care. All the GDA is trying to do is give those players a better foundation to start with. GDA is not going to be the pro pathway because the $$ just are not there and the system is not set up to change that.

Anonymous said...

8:06 - how so re Dorrance? this is an interesting post. t/y

Anonymous said...

Any confirmation on the PDA loss to FC VA? And score? just wondering if it's a rumor since nothing has been reported?

Anonymous said...

no rumor. pda lost to fc va 0-2

Anonymous said...

exciting time of the year; college conference playoffs going on.

Anonymous said...

Interesting RE PDA. parity at the top of the table big drop off and then parity in the middle and then smaller drop off and parity at the bottom. How will the ECNL tables look? I am guessing similarly. McLean, matchfit and Bethesda at the top? IF CFC is anywhere near the top then it will be obvious that the quality is way down. Continental won some interesting games last year like PF. So not sure that there is a huge drop if they go up.

Anonymous said...

PDA losing like that and Fusion winning against FCVA tells me that the kids everyone said didn't matter missing at PF really did hurt them assuming they were full roster against FC VA. Or maybe its just the ups and downs of teenaged soccer.

Anonymous said...

as always, its the latter. The assumption that every game these kids are going to play to form is ludicrous.

Anonymous said...

11:29
checked the us soccer scoreboard. looks like the penn fusion missing kids from pda game played this weekend in their win - 5-0. so not injured. that's good. their ynt kids that played pda not rostered. maybe still in camp.

Anonymous said...

12:12
i don't agree. those missing kids played in both PF wins against fc va. it wasn't one game it was two wins. so there is an argument to be had that they would have made a difference. i am sure both teams are looking forward to a rematch.

Anonymous said...

Well I know that team and the kids missing were the heart of the defense for sure. Not sure where they play this year on the DA team but last year in the ECNL I think the GK, both starting CB and a holding midfielder. May explain the 3 goals against. Not sure why the Nattie's didn't score. They are both attacking powerhouses. May be as alluded to earlier simply an off game. If PDA takes it to them again it's more than that. Some teams just don't match up as expected.

Anonymous said...

The PF girl going to UNC is a good player and the other girl shouldn't in a national pool. Another example of our YNT system failing. Must say, Sky Blue and PF are not that good and this age group in general is poor. I thought it might be because many good players didn't go forward with the GDA, but I think it just has to do with this age group being less than average.

Anonymous said...

1:18 so says a nobody.

Anonymous said...

Do you mean poor across the US or just in the NE?

Anonymous said...

hahaha love those that speak in absolutes because they are the authority.
Many good players DID go forward in GDA; SOME did not.

Anonymous said...

Are we going to rehash this all over again?

118 your point re YNT pool is not clear. I think we all approach this totally wrong. the question should be how many elite players are we producing in the NE. What the teams do is irrelevant to me, I just want to see better players emerging from our area. Instead the focus seems to be on who beat who last week. In the past when other teams with much less talented rosters have had YNT players away for long stretches, the comments have not reflected that.

Apart from a GK, PDA rarely suffer from this and PF have only recently started to.

Why?

Anonymous said...

yes, i have yet to see a team that is high level every player. didn't see that in ECNL or NL either. the good players in all the leagues are known and are in the US Soccer database. Average ones are not.

Anonymous said...

1:52 not sure what you mean? the argument has always been deep rosters vs not so deep. ECNL play favors deep rosters with multiple/unlimited substutions for fresh legs; GDA doesn't. Most YNT kids or YNT caliber kids are playing GDA and as above poster said, SOME are not.

Anonymous said...

@1:52 yes i don't get your comments either. no one is talking about teams suffering with YNT kids away. PF and PDA had YNT kids in both their losses.

Anonymous said...

Both PF national players are outstanding. Obvious in their inclusion to multiple camps. However the team doesn't appear to rely on them. Sometimes national players are disruptive to the team's flow and chemistry, saw this last year with a player on my 99 player's ECNL team, just because they are not a constant at training or games. If they are gone to camps as is the case with PF this fall I would not be surprised if these players are less than engaged with their "secondary" teams. My guess is that they are focused on the NT. Are these players "elite" how many 'elite players are there in this age group in region 1? none, 1, 3, 5?

in the 99/00 pre college age group I think I know about 8 I would say are significantly above the rest, have rare qualities, and make a big difference in the result of the games.

Anonymous said...

don't you people have jobs? no wait, soccer experts, right? hahaha

Anonymous said...

2:07 i don't think that is true in particular with PF kids. and i agree, both are very good players.
their call ups are due to their performances in their "secondary" teams. some kids that were at prior camps left off this list.

Anonymous said...

i think my point is very clear. Why do we not produce more YNT caliber players? And If PF and PDA are so good, then why over the last 2 years or so have these teams produced so few?

I am far more interested in the production of elite players than I am who beat who.

My other point was that other teams have suffered from losing YNT players and it was rarely, if ever, brought up for discussion here as to the impact it had on the team. This seems to be a recent addition correlated to PF getting a few players back in camps after a decent hiatus.

207 The reason they are not missed on these teams from a results pov is that they are relatively deep AND the other teams for the most part are not. If they were playing teams like Real Colorado. Solar or Slammers- trust me , they would absolutely be relying on them.

The impact of taking a NT caliber player from say Albertson or NYCFC is going to be far bigger than taking the same from PDA or PF. The smaller teams dont have the depth to handle it, even vs the other smaller teams. \\As far as PF goes, to me the biggest diff between them and last yr ECNL is adding a big attacking presence who will impact the time and space ALL the other players get. Very few of these kids are evaluated in a vaccum.

5 max for me. I may even be stretching it at 5. If you say rare qualities, then I may cut it to 3

Anonymous said...

can't get around some call ups are still political. instead of ecnl board politics, it's us soccer. they need to get people that don't have ties to various clubs to give it more legitimacy.

Anonymous said...

219 if you think that is how the YNTs work then I cant help you. PF have several good players, but why do PDA have so few kids in these camps? Once you move away from the USSF chosen few, its all about connections and relationships.

Stars had several players in camps. then poof , they all disappeared. Why ? Did the PF players suddenly surpass all of them? Of course not.

Im looking forward to some of these kids in College. I think you will see the impact of playing on deep teams in our region vs being a real difference maker on the national stage,

Anonymous said...

2:25 - i'm 2:29. i think that is part of reason. politics. it's still a who knows who think for some picks.

Anonymous said...

229 I disagree. You will not find people without relationships. You need to add people who are honest, willing to be held accountable, and in it for the right reasons. So many of these younger coaches are trying to build reputations by hitching the wagon to the progress of specific players. Its pretty obvious.

Anonymous said...

what are you talking about? one PF gal is top of the entire league in goals scored in GDA and the other came back and scored 4 in one game. maybe some pda kids and others that have coaches on ecnl board were just that political picks.

Anonymous said...

1:54 PM

I think you nailed the problem. The USSF should have flushed their databases and started with fresh eyes across all ages. The fact that girls are in the DB is a failing/lazy factor of why the best are not getting to the next level. For those of you who believe the YNT system works is because your daughter is in the YNT system and may have been for a few cycles, but there are plenty of girls (probably yours included) that should have been rotated out. Case in point, my daughter, a GK, had the opportunity to train for a day with Tony Dicicco. It was a NSCAA event and she was invited with her club team to demo. After the first round of drills I saw Tony talk to her and thought nothing of it, he then went over to her again after the next drill and motioned for someone else to come over. I was curious. After the event while I was standing with her he walked over with the other coach introduced himself and the other coach asked if my daughter had attended any YNT camps. When we said no he said "Well she should have been in". asked the other coach to get our information and send an invite. Guess what, the invite never came. Apparently the current regional coach already had a relationship with the girls on the roster and did not want to upset the chemistry.

Anonymous said...

2:36 is it too hard for some to comprehend that other kids can improve over the prior golden ones? and maybe should have been or should be called out but for the encl coaches influence? didn't stars run the PDP last year? didn't PDA run one as well. weren't kids from teams that opted out of ECNL left out? you don't even need a ruler to draw those lines.

Anonymous said...

2:41 please, my kid is a keeper too and had the same experience. and she went head to head with kids on the YNT and WNT team at various events. and it was pretty obvious even by the US coach running the event. it's all political.

Anonymous said...

236 Its all relative. I dont watch her, but to look at goals can be very misleading. Is a player better becasue they bang in 4 vs a weak team than a kid on a weak team who battles to score 2 with little service vs a good team? I dont know the answer, but its a lot more than goals scored.

Anonymous said...

I agree. but, she had 2 vs. FC VA in first game and 1 in second. They are a very good team as pda will attest.

Anonymous said...

its not ALL political, but when you are talking U18s there is a lot of politics. the "better " ones are all in the u20 pool vying for WC spots/attention. Once you are talking about kids of similar abilities, it gets political.

Anonymous said...

woops sorry, that other ynt. but other very good ynt (who was not there for 1st FC VA game) did have 1 vs. FC VA, too. as well as banging in 4 vs another.

Anonymous said...

257 . so you think that = YNT call up? I dont think it necessarily does and Im not saying it in this case. I honestly dont know her well enough to say. I will say that the little I do know is she has played at a similar level for some time in the ECNL and was not getting call ups right ? Like I said, very few are evaluated in a vacuum. Im sure I can find impressive scoring feats from kids who are not called in if I tried,

lets relax a bit on FC VA - Solar, Slammers, PDA, Real Colorado and many other teams ECNL teams were far better. Its like saying NYCFC are a good team becasue they have done well in the GDA ( they are an average side at best) . FC VA are a good strong organized team, no more. I would expect PDA to beat them at full strength. Its easy to forget that PDA are nowhere near at their max, player wise and correct me if Im wrong, but they shut out PF and their high powered offense.

Anonymous said...

2;58 - i'm 2:52 - okay, it's mostly political. and why should some get the nod over others just because their club coach has an "in"? why not invite several?

Anonymous said...

Scoring goals against weak teams means nothing. The real value of a player is determined against the best competition. Which players excelled in the champions league? Which team won the ECNL championship? Those are the real quality players and teams. I agree a great player may not rack up stats on a weak team. However she will be immediately apparent as a special player in her own right. How many are they? On a great team a high scoring player may benefit from outstanding service. The USSF does not appear to value midfield suppliers in not reporting assists and total points.

Anonymous said...

3:05 i'm not saying that; i'm saying they aren't dialing it in with GDA as some alleged.

Anonymous said...

3:05 so the argument is let's wait for the waiver kids? here's the problem, the game was saturday. it was about who showed for THAT game.
just like when they beat pf (who had missing players as well for it's game against pda), it was about who showed for that game. So one's a good win and the other an excusable loss? please.

Anonymous said...

A team of NCAA All stars would probably beat the USWNT if provided sufficient training. Just like a fresh group of U18 Players drawn from club teams would beat the Current U18 USNT. What matters is what we would do internationally. The top PDA player vs the top PF player is not the question, it's what they would do together. Just like all of these ID2 and YNT camps and BS. We are not looking to build teams that win we are identifying players. PDA playing PF should be a good game. It would be nice for all of you who have more than a rooting interest if every girl selected for the team was actually playing. It looks like there are a few private school girls from PF who are still not rostered but I don't think they are the top players everyone here is talking about. And if players are missing their DA games for YNT events then that is poor planning by the DA. And players have bad games, the conditions are not optimal yada yada yada. PF parents are already thinking of those plus more excuses and PDA parents are hoping they won't need excuses, and vice versa. I am actually beginning to think that ESPN will soon have a 1/2 hour GDA show hosted by Abby Wambach and Hope Solo.

Anonymous said...

311 So how do you account for the great player on a weak team? Playing well and scoring consistently when you are the focus of every team you play week in week out is pretty hard. Making the CL etc are great team achievement s, but I dont think it say any more about a player or necessarily reflects poorly on those who dont.

Anonymous said...

319 I think you are mistaking me for someone who cares about the results.

Anonymous said...

321 you are miles off base. Its not poor planning . the GDA EXISTS for the YNT. Its about individual development not team results. In theory a Club that loses a bunch of reg season games becasue its best player is way at camp is winning, not losing.

Anonymous said...

3:05 - PDA beat PF without key players who are not on waivers but were not rostered for that game. Key players that have helped their "high powered offense" already as the scores have demonstrated in games where those missing kids have played already vs the same conference teams.

But now PDA looses with the same team that played with vs. PF playing a team that PF beat, twice, but now the excuse is our waiver kids will make a difference. hilarious.

Anonymous said...

These are interesting;
https://thecube.com/event/sky-blue-pda-u18-u19-vs-penn-fusion-s-a-u18-u19-753162
https://thecube.com/event/fc-virginia-u18-u19-vs-sky-blue-pda-u18-u19-756741
Thanks Eric
Pick out the national camp kids

Anonymous said...

3:21 - i don't see PF whining. they won with kids at ynt camp.
PDA didn't have any ynt camp kids this time. They lost and someone posted that their waiver kids would make a difference.
i know you need breadcrumbs dropped sometimes to follow the trails.

Anonymous said...

None of the PF missing kids at the PDA were really attacking players. The national kids just had an off game and the missing defensive players did them in. Simple

Anonymous said...

329 you are way off base. I dont think anyone is making any excuses for the game. it is being used in the context of player evaluation. Someone brought up the goals vs FC VA as evidence of how good PF were at scoring AND added a jab at PDA. The balance was simply redressed. PDA shut out PF correct? The thing I find amusing is the sudden feeling the PF are full of elite players. Same way FC Stars were full of the same right? No one has answered the simple question as to why GK aside, PDA has none.

My original comment still stands. we are looking at this all wrong. The majority are still stuck in the who won mindset. I want to see great players going on to great things. I dont care who wins these games. It seems USSF dont either judging by the players from out area who have represented the US at this age group in the last 18 months or so.

Anonymous said...

338 an honest evaluation. Its really not that hard. Bravo !!

Anonymous said...

3:30 seriously? how are they comparable? the tape of the PF team is missing key players that play with them NOW, played this weekend in the 5-0 win. Not on waivers.

Anonymous said...

3:38
i wouldn't go by last 18 months/2 yrs. ECNL board of directors influence there. some of these kids were only new to ECNL then.

Anonymous said...

347 you know FCV and VDA are not the same right ? And you know that PDA are far better than VDA right ? the 5-0 this weekend is largely irrelevant for comparative purposes.

Anonymous said...

351 so what do you want to go by ? you have no idea what influences exist now. There wer kids getting selected from smaller Clubs - PDA are on the board and they had next to none. How do you explain that ?

Anonymous said...

Well there are many points to be made regarding the videos. One would be an evaluation of the YNT players currently on PF since they played in that game. Are they immediately recognizable as superior to the rest? No one said "compare" the two games. That said, I would like to be able to compare a video of the two FCVA games to see more of an apples to apples with the missing kids. But apples to apples will be November 11 if there isn't another YNT camp. However it would be fascinating if the PF team actually fares better without their stars. Being one who cheers the underdog, I hope they do.
338 then I guess we can't say any of these u18 aged players are anything now since we can only judge them on their future impact -right?

Anonymous said...

3:47 if i can chime in:

PDA played VD - 1-0 (pda win)
PF (with missing players from PDA game) played them twice 10-0 and 5-0 (ynt players missing) - both PF wins.

PDA played FC VA twice - PDA 1-0 win; PDA 2-0 loss;
PF (with missing players from PDA game) played them twice 3-2 (one YNT not there) and 3-0. Both PF wins.

PDA played PF (missing key players) - 3-0 (PDA win).

You can surmise that the PF missing players when they played PDA would have made/should have made a difference. We'll see. They play each other again very soon.

Put a pin in it until then.

Anonymous said...

Hey 3:51 - check out 3:59.

PDA played VDA to a 1-0 game.
PF played them twice - 10-0 and 5-0. (14 goals more)
PF kids missing from the PDA game played in both of the VDA games.




Anonymous said...

Well I would point out that PDA only beat VDA 1-0. PF beat VDA the first time with their YNT players 10-0 but it doesn't look like VDA has been blown out like that since their first game. I suspect that score was an anomaly. Of note PF beat VDA without its YNT players by a much larger margin than any other team has. But they havent played FCVA. One thing i noted while looking at these scores is the schedule is really odd. Some teams have played each other twice while others have yet to meet. Some play each other 3 times in the year and others once. No idea what the rules are here.

Anonymous said...

4;04
which team hasn't played FC VA? VDA?

Anonymous said...

yeah VDA hasn't played FCVA. But PF beat them 5-0 without their YNT players. That's a bigger goal differential than any other team has put up on them. Both of PF YNT players are attacking players from the stat page. Are they just scoring goals against weak teams or with support of the other unsung players behind them? They don't look so special in the video actually. Yes could be an off game. Until PF publishes its videos we can't tell really what their quality is beyond this one glimpse. If the top scorers are tapping in a bunch of goals it would make sense that they are on an island if their support system is gone from a game. Sounds to me like against PDA PF was missing the foundation and that disallowed the embellishments to shine. That said I know the PDA team well. There are kids on that team that are more impactful than YNT players in Camps this year. Not necessarily the PF ones but in general.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean? The videos of the FC VA team vs. PF? interesting. you probably need club approval for it, both clubs? Why doesn't US Soccer do this?

Anonymous said...

3:11 none of the stats for any league show value for all the positions. yes, the us soccer stats don't count assists at least on what we see, or saves, corners, shots taken, all of it.

Anonymous said...

Conclusions from common opponents are as dumb as it gets. They played. One team won. The other made excuses. The most telling feature is USSF seem willing to select kids who on paper are beating up poor teams and not doing same vs equivalent ones.

Anonymous said...

2;25 several factors going on from what i can see. big attacking player add. soft roster spots either not there or are hidden by stronger players that are much better to cover for weaknesses. i see this with a few teams.

Anonymous said...

4:38 - both teams have opportunity to beat up teams, no? one is and one isn't.

Anonymous said...

427 PDA makes its GDA game videos available to the public. PF does not

Anonymous said...

4:54 - they only make some available. don't see the CASL loss or the Ohio Premier loss.

Anonymous said...

4:54
is that different from other teams? i don't see tape from anyone other teams or clubs than what someone named Eric offered for PDA. Do fc va, stars, breakers, nysfc, courage, tophat, others make their game tapes public?

Anonymous said...

5:00
do other gda teams have access to all of the gda team games? i know we only see our team vs opponent and have access to it.
i don't agree that any of them should be public unless us soccer approves and the teams. that's part of our gda fees. we use them for training purposes.

Anonymous said...

3:21 i concur with 3:29. us soccer could care less. they have scheduled camps during ECNL championship events.

wasn't that a hot topic for a bit when kids were at YNT camps getting ready for World Cups (which went so well) and were not at the nationals for Real CO when PDA played them for the ECNL championships?
Maybe ECNL complained and US soccer said, well then we'll create a new league to compete with you. who knows?

Anonymous said...

4:38 that's kind of obnoxious. "on paper"? well i guess scores are made up?
and "beating up poor teams"? not cool. i have yet to see a poor team; some not as strong as others, but none is poor.

Anonymous said...

438 - what are you implying that vda isn't good? vda is much improved (as the pda 1-0 score denotes). don't be so dismissive of these teams. they are in constant development and getting better each week.

Anonymous said...

So then a 5-0 score is a pretty great result without the ynt studs.

Anonymous said...

4:56 they were talking about PDA/GDA tapes being available not PDA ECNL tapes; although those you reference as far as their losses from ECNL may be available too.

Anonymous said...

3:38 - what was the added jab against pda? I read it that pda would attest that fc va is a very good team. certainly they challenged pda both times they met, right? i don't see that as a jab. i see it as throwing an bone to both teams for good competitive play.

Anonymous said...

interesting comments.

3:05 pm 10/30 - kind of interesting that you deemed fc va a "good, strong and organized team, no more". but then get into pda would have beaten them at full strength (with their waiver kids). Good, strong and organized is more than half the battle on the field, no?

Then, a jab at pf that didn't pda shut them out. pf was missing key kids not rostered that day it seems.

As someone keenly noted:
-pda beats a pf team missing key kids, it's a good win.
-pda gets beat (shut out) by fc va and it's an excusable loss.

gotta love that kool-aide being served in nj.

Anonymous said...

Really interesting watching some of the games linked up here. I saw a technically solid PDA team pass through PFs heart because their YNT kids were basically cherry picking and not contributing to the defensive press or shape. It is clear how they rack up goals against weak teams. Their PF teammates are playing "Get the ball to the Italians!" tactics.

The FC VA were as previously stated more organized and shut down the PDA game effectively.

Anonymous said...

745 Its a huge part of the battle if your focus is winning games in the GDA or ECNL ..yes. I dont think that is the primary goal for most teams. They dont have the numbers or the depth to do so. I look at this whole process as an individual training environment, with the "score" being how many kids does a Club advance to play at the next level where the games actually count a bit more.

I have evaluated it that was for a long time. if a coach say to a player- man mark that kid and if you get the ball in our defensive third just kick it upfield and we will reset. Thats effective, becasue very few teams can retain the ball well enough to turn the possession into goals,. Is that advancing the player? probably not. Or saying , let kick it long over the top all game for our fast fwd to chase. Is that advancement?

You can coach a fairly average group of individuals to be a very effective team if you put the time and the effort into that becasue talent is spread very thin. At the bigger Clubs you have enough depth and fear of replacement that you can probably get kids into play your way. At the smaller club with local competition, its not so easy to do.

As to the rest, I still think its being taken out of context becasue PDA has had 7 or so kids missing all year. They had kids missing when the beat PF, the same as PF did. As another poster noted, PF did have YNT kids on the field that day and failed to score. Point is none of these results mean much to anyone outside those two teams and they certainly are not indicative of anything on an individual level.

i dont think a player is suddenly better just becasue they get invited to a NT camp and I think there are talented players who for one reason or another dont ever get invited.

Anonymous said...

9:31 okay. being good, strong and organized means kick and fetch because the ball gets kicked up the field or cleared up the field. ridiculous. it's called direct. and, it is very effective when mixed in with possession play. all leagues including professional men's use it, too.

i don't want to belabor this because i don't like either club, frankly, but your comparison is not the same at all.
pda was missing kids vs fc va that hadn't played yet - their waiver kids;
and it doesn't appear those missing kids played fc va 1st time those two teams met without them as well? but win didn't miss them; loss, well, they were missed.
pf was missing top level kids, including gk and midfielder/scorer, that not only have played but have directly contributed to their success, now. not the same.

yep, kool-aide.

Anonymous said...

spirit md played spirit va this past weekend. scores not posted yet. were they cancelled? anyone know. who is in charge of posting?

Anonymous said...

1254 This is not exactly tactics central. I gave a simple EXAMPLE to illustrate a point. Why am I not surprised that it was taken in the most literal and clearly unintended way. Silly me.

A better way to put it would have been, getting a team to play in any disciplined style needs to have 2 things. Players capable of executing it and consequences when they dont. Most teams dont have that at Club level now that the pool of players is spread so thin. Its exacerbated at this age as kids have many conflicts and its even harder to get your 18 players together on game day.

Anonymous said...

I have been trying to figure out the arguments. Is it that we are not producing players for the next level, that certain teams send more players to the next level, we don't have good selection and training or is it all about my daughter is better than your daughter.
Argument 1, we are producing enough good players, but if it's not our daughter we don't agree with the selection.
Argument 2, we do not have unbiased selection and we do not have consistent training.
Argument 3, Yes certain teams do tend to send more players to the next level, some on merit and some on bias
Argument 4, Yes my daughter is better than yours.

Anonymous said...

There are only 2 discussions . the main one seems to be PF vs PDA. The secondary discussion was not team specific at all. you seem to be trying to take it back to the level we were trying to avoid, s personal one. Why are we not producing more YNT caliber players from the NE region. In this age group, PDA do not have an outfield player who has been consistently in recent camps. Seems hard to believe given all the TEAM positives.

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