wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:07 pm
So our club just quit the us soccer development academy and instead is an innagural ECLN boys club (ECLN was basically DA but only girls until next fall). The big reason.... High school soccer prohibition for DA teams.
Mixed feeling. Like kid playing high school ball but on my area that means these top notch kids playing both will take roster spots and pt from kids who are not DA quality but varsity level at our 2 local high schools.
Just read a couple interesting takes on this:
https://socceramerica.com/publications/ ... occer.html
https://www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs/y ... nl-status/
I became overwhelmed while researching the various academy options and leagues. It sounds like the DA system is phenomenal for those looking to go pro, but there are probably far too many DA teams, and it's draining the HS programs of top players. I see a plus side to having more kids in the DA program, casting a bigger net and missing fewer prospects for the National Teams, but it probably waters down the talent the top players play with and against. Who fucking knows, in some ways, this country is too damned big to properly scout and develop talent for a National Team.
After doing all my research, and taking advice from you guys and a dozen or so parents with kids in academy programs, we decided to keep my daughter on her travel club for another year. My wife and I both felt good about the decision, but now that the Spring season has started, we both feel like we might have made a mistake. I think the gap between my daughter and her teammates has grown. It didn't help that in our second game, it was 35 degrees, windy, and started raining. Most of my team quit on us. Some refused to go back in, and none of them played D. I was feeling like I made a huge mistake, and dreaded the thought of coaching this team for another year. My daughter was furious in the car home, as we were tied at the half, outplaying the other team, and then we gave up 5 goals in the second half.
We have 3 girls who are equivalent to playing down a player, a few others who have potential, but just don't have a concept of the game yet. I've been trying to get parents to get their kids to watch soccer on TV to get an understanding of positioning and movement off the ball, but they won't watch, and can't translate the concepts into games. To make it worse, we have only had one coaches practice all year, because the grass fields are still closed. My daughter is getting frustrated, because she is looking to pass, and usually has nobody to pass to. She is in a clinic now where she is the youngest kid, and it's mixed girls and boys. Playing with older boys, it's amazing watching her pick out passes, hit through balls, and splitting 3 defenders to hit a long pass. She is loving playing as a playmaker, but in her games, her only option is to try and dribble through the other team, and like she said, it isn't soccer, it's dribbling and shooting.
I was hoping we could get enough players to have B team, but I'm not optimistic. If nothing else, we should get a few more players, and since we have a maximum allowed roster, we could drop the bottom 3. We have 14 players for 7v7, which is way too many, but the club didn't want to cut anyone. Ideally, we get 20-24 players, and can run with a smaller roster.
Anyways, last minute panic last week, as my wife insisted we can't leave our daughter on this team. I thought we missed all of the academy tryouts, but we had time for sign up for one (STA). Signed up, reworked my schedule to make it possible, but its a 30 minute drive for a 4:00 tryout 2 days this week. Then, my daughter changes her mind and doesn't want to go. I didn't want to force her. She asked if she could tryout for the older team in our town travel program, so we are going to give that a go. In some ways, I think her current team would be better off without her, and dropping from Flight 1 to Flight 3 or 4. Most of the girls on the team don't belong in Flight 1.
An honest to God cult of personality - formed around a failed steak salesman.
-Pruitt