How often and bad is this obsession at clubs and teams?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God forbid teams utilize their most talented players. You people are idiots

it can work, I saw it U11. The aftermath was other kids getting pissed off enough that their parents decided to leave and the star leaving for a better club

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God forbid teams utilize their most talented players. You people are idiots

If you can't understand that people are talking about going WAYYYY beyond utilizing your best players, then you are the idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God forbid teams utilize their most talented players. You people are idiots

If you can't understand that people are talking about going WAYYYY beyond utilizing your best players, then you are the idiot.

I was a PP and wasn't talking about just utilizing best players. However, if we are talking about coaches telling a kid to do nothing other than feed the ball to the most talented player, that is a problem too.

The coach is supposed to help each kids develop, not build a team around one or two kids who are able to dominate when they are 9 or 10.

Beyond that, the social media aspect can be so hurtful. I try not to get caught up in social media, so I encourage my kids to overlook it. But at one club, we finally had to pull the plug. To give one of many examples, my son was literally cut out of a picture so that it could be cropped to focus on the "stars." He looked at it, noticed his cleat in the picture, and went to his room.

[Anonymous]

The solution is simple, leave the club.

[Anonymous]

Yep I know this club and it’s associates. Some coaches probably do not notice but some of their practices are pretty discriminatory.

[Anonymous]

I had a DS on a "high level" travel team and had a problem with the following:

Players not coming to practice during the week; showing up and starting games.

Sons of the assistant coaches. One was a pretty good player, but loved to hoof the ball at the goal from 35 yards out. He'd do this 8-10 times in a game. Doesn't work after U13, buddy. Head coach wouldn't say a word. Son of the other assistant was a big, strong kid who could defend well, but if he won the ball he would immediately pass it to someone wearing a different color shirt. Like, 18 out of 20 times. Even random passes should have better odds than that.

The better players will get treated differently--more playing time, more leeway to make mistakes, etc. No big deal. But it's doing EVERYONE a disservice, including those talented players, if the coach doesn't hold them to some kind of universal minimum standard.

We left that travel team after U14. 2 years later, 80% of the team is still together, same coach. They've gotten steadily worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a DS on a "high level" travel team and had a problem with the following:

Players not coming to practice during the week; showing up and starting games.

Sons of the assistant coaches. One was a pretty good player, but loved to hoof the ball at the goal from 35 yards out. He'd do this 8-10 times in a game. Doesn't work after U13, buddy. Head coach wouldn't say a word. Son of the other assistant was a big, strong kid who could defend well, but if he won the ball he would immediately pass it to someone wearing a different color shirt. Like, 18 out of 20 times. Even random passes should have better odds than that.

The better players will get treated differently--more playing time, more leeway to make mistakes, etc. No big deal. But it's doing EVERYONE a disservice, including those talented players, if the coach doesn't hold them to some kind of universal minimum standard.

We left that travel team after U14. 2 years later, 80% of the team is still together, same coach. They've gotten steadily worse.

Oh, that's a big problem. The "star" kids make mistake after mistake, taking poor shots when a teammate is wide open or even getting unnecessary fouls. The a bench player comes in and immediately gets yanked as soon as he loses the ball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The solution is simple, leave the club.

Yes leave the club before your DC gets behind on his development as a player. If the club favors those ball holders and your DC has a small role during games or us benched. The ball holders players are usually the ones with worst passing skills and tactical play as they hardly have to use the skill. Playing in games is important for the player development because game pressure Is different to practice or scrimmage.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread is a great example of why you should try to find a team for your kid with relatively equal skill level. No one is served by a team with one star- their development is stunted as is the players who are supposed to defer to them (if those players listen to the coach- which, in this situation, they are probably better served by ignoring the coach)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is a great example of why you should try to find a team for your kid with relatively equal skill level. No one is served by a team with one star- their development is stunted as is the players who are supposed to defer to them (if those players listen to the coach- which, in this situation, they are probably better served by ignoring the coach)

Not to mention that it's bigger than soccer, because your kid will not develop any confidence because nothing he or she does will be good enough. Take it from a parent who has made every mistake in the book.

[Anonymous]

Your kid isn’t making it if they are upset by the top players getting special treatment. Be the top player should be the mindset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God forbid teams utilize their most talented players. You people are idiots

If you can't understand that people are talking about going WAYYYY beyond utilizing your best players, then you are the idiot.

I was a PP and wasn't talking about just utilizing best players. However, if we are talking about coaches telling a kid to do nothing other than feed the ball to the most talented player, that is a problem too.

The coach is supposed to help each kids develop, not build a team around one or two kids who are able to dominate when they are 9 or 10.

Beyond that, the social media aspect can be so hurtful. I try not to get caught up in social media, so I encourage my kids to overlook it. But at one club, we finally had to pull the plug. To give one of many examples, my son was literally cut out of a picture so that it could be cropped to focus on the "stars." He looked at it, noticed his cleat in the picture, and went to his room.

Team sport, right? What a joke for a Club to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a DS on a "high level" travel team and had a problem with the following:

Players not coming to practice during the week; showing up and starting games.

Sons of the assistant coaches. One was a pretty good player, but loved to hoof the ball at the goal from 35 yards out. He'd do this 8-10 times in a game. Doesn't work after U13, buddy. Head coach wouldn't say a word. Son of the other assistant was a big, strong kid who could defend well, but if he won the ball he would immediately pass it to someone wearing a different color shirt. Like, 18 out of 20 times. Even random passes should have better odds than that.

The better players will get treated differently--more playing time, more leeway to make mistakes, etc. No big deal. But it's doing EVERYONE a disservice, including those talented players, if the coach doesn't hold them to some kind of universal minimum standard.

We left that travel team after U14. 2 years later, 80% of the team is still together, same coach. They've gotten steadily worse.

Oh, that's a big problem. The "star" kids make mistake after mistake, taking poor shots when a teammate is wide open or even getting unnecessary fouls. The a bench player comes in and immediately gets yanked as soon as he loses the ball.

A lot of coaches in the area also only see 'activity' over "efficiency".

I can't tell you how many Coaches love the kid that 'hussles', runs around with a chicken with his head cutoff, yet produces literally NOTHING.

They don't notice the kid completing over 90% of his passes that knows when to run vs when to dribble, when to pass vs when to dribble. They like the energizer ineffective bunny. BTW, this is a trait of U.S. soccer. Bradley was king of this mode of play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a DS on a "high level" travel team and had a problem with the following:

Players not coming to practice during the week; showing up and starting games.

Sons of the assistant coaches. One was a pretty good player, but loved to hoof the ball at the goal from 35 yards out. He'd do this 8-10 times in a game. Doesn't work after U13, buddy. Head coach wouldn't say a word. Son of the other assistant was a big, strong kid who could defend well, but if he won the ball he would immediately pass it to someone wearing a different color shirt. Like, 18 out of 20 times. Even random passes should have better odds than that.

The better players will get treated differently--more playing time, more leeway to make mistakes, etc. No big deal. But it's doing EVERYONE a disservice, including those talented players, if the coach doesn't hold them to some kind of universal minimum standard.

We left that travel team after U14. 2 years later, 80% of the team is still together, same coach. They've gotten steadily worse.

Oh, that's a big problem. The "star" kids make mistake after mistake, taking poor shots when a teammate is wide open or even getting unnecessary fouls. The a bench player comes in and immediately gets yanked as soon as he loses the ball.

A lot of coaches in the area also only see 'activity' over "efficiency".

I can't tell you how many Coaches love the kid that 'hussles', runs around with a chicken with his head cutoff, yet produces literally NOTHING.

They don't notice the kid completing over 90% of his passes that knows when to run vs when to dribble, when to pass vs when to dribble. They like the energizer ineffective bunny. BTW, this is a trait of U.S. soccer. Bradley was king of this mode of play.

Our striker is like this. He plays the entire game and has almost zero completions and is always b*tching at every other player. U16. The Coach loves his 'drive'. Ummm---he dribbles into the ground over and over and over...and yeah he can run fast--but doesn't do sh*t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a DS on a "high level" travel team and had a problem with the following:

Players not coming to practice during the week; showing up and starting games.

Sons of the assistant coaches. One was a pretty good player, but loved to hoof the ball at the goal from 35 yards out. He'd do this 8-10 times in a game. Doesn't work after U13, buddy. Head coach wouldn't say a word. Son of the other assistant was a big, strong kid who could defend well, but if he won the ball he would immediately pass it to someone wearing a different color shirt. Like, 18 out of 20 times. Even random passes should have better odds than that.

The better players will get treated differently--more playing time, more leeway to make mistakes, etc. No big deal. But it's doing EVERYONE a disservice, including those talented players, if the coach doesn't hold them to some kind of universal minimum standard.

We left that travel team after U14. 2 years later, 80% of the team is still together, same coach. They've gotten steadily worse.

Oh, that's a big problem. The "star" kids make mistake after mistake, taking poor shots when a teammate is wide open or even getting unnecessary fouls. The a bench player comes in and immediately gets yanked as soon as he loses the ball.

A lot of coaches in the area also only see 'activity' over "efficiency".


I can't tell you how many Coaches love the kid that 'hussles', runs around with a chicken with his head cutoff, yet produces literally NOTHING.

They don't notice the kid completing over 90% of his passes that knows when to run vs when to dribble, when to pass vs when to dribble. They like the energizer ineffective bunny. BTW, this is a trait of U.S. soccer. Bradley was king of this mode of play.

Bingo.