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Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss
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Anonymous
| The physical nature of play in the elite divisions at local tournaments like The Virginian is nothing compared with what you see outside the U.S. We got to experience play in Europe over spring break and the intensity and physicality were jaw-dropping. It's just the way the game is played and the kids figure it out pretty quickly. That's not to say it's dirty, but jersey tugging, swim moves, lots of contact, etc. is all part of it. We noticed the refereeing is much different, as well. The refs are truly part of the development process and they provide a lot of teaching moments during matches. We rarely see that here, although once in a while we get an above-average ref who does some of that. |
Anonymous
| Funny. I think perspectives can be skewed. I've been around travel soccer for a long time, and we've always thought the NY teams were the most physical. The Baltimore teams can be as well. We always thought our NoVa teams were too polite and needed to be MORE physical. Not dirty, just not afraid to go after a ball in a physical way. |
Anonymous
+1 We played this way as kids in travel. We were taught the proper way to use your shoulder, etc. Hands out when dribbling to create space, etc. And, when the ref ain't looking, fair game. Soccer has always been a contact sport. As a girl, it was a great way to release aggression. Also--strikers take the brunt of it. Refs tend to go easier on strikers because they always have 2-3 markers tugging at their shirt and fouling them. If they didn't get physical they would be non-effective. I am amazed to be on the sidelines in VA while metrosexual men yell out comments about 9-years olds as 'thugs' or 'rugby players'. Well, when the game of tag isn't even allowed in local elementary schools and the no-touch policy---you wonder why they play like 'kitties'. |
Anonymous
|
I saw a game recently with a Hispanic ref, one mostly Hispanic team, and one more diverse team that had a tall African-American striker.
Guess which kid was repeatedly singled out by the ref, even as players were pulling shirts and taking blatant dives all over the field? It was ... awkward. Uncomfortable. I'm sure some people would say I was the one bringing a cultural bias to the field. I don't accept that. I don't think refs should just accept gamesmanship as "part of the game." Shoulder challenges? Yes, that's legal, and a lot of parents don't know that. Shielding the ball is legal and not well-taught. Slide tackles are legal at some age -- I forget when. (That was my best skill at U14 -- drove me crazy when opposing parents would yell at me.) But a lot of NoVa refs these days let anything go at U9. In an All-Star tournament, when I scooped my third injured player off the field, I politely asked the ref about it. He said he would never get out a yellow card at U9. Terrific. |
Anonymous
How do people NOT know these things? I didn't grow up playing soccer but after maybe one or two seasons of my kids playing, I knew the rules - what was legal and what wasn't, etc. Drives me crazy to hear explosive parents on the sides shouting out things that aren't accurate. I'm sure it confuses the kids, too. And how do kids learn if refs aren't going to enforce the rules? I saw a kid get a straight red card once. This kid was the nicest kid around and they were probably U11 at the time, so it was probably the first time he'd seen a straight red. He didn't fully understand what was going on, and the ref pulled him aside, explained the last defender rule, told him he was required to give him a red, etc. (it was actually more complicated b/c he was the keeper, and had come out and missed and made chase). THAT'S how they learn, though. |
Anonymous
+1 ! |
Anonymous
Interesting observation. The game does seem to be getting really physical around here. I think some clubs and players are picking up on the fact that very little is called at the younger ages. So there is a competitive advantage to playing really physical. There are many fouls that the single ref wandering near the center circle may not even see let alone call. There are a few times this past season where I have seen players use arms to flat out push / knock opposing players to the ground and no call. And have not yet seen a yellow or red card. Saw a player tackled from behind in the box and a penalty kick was awarded but no card. I think it is unfortunate and will lead to injuries despite all the chest thumping from parents saying this is the way the game is played. Our kids team's results started to drop off this spring. They received advice from their coaches and parents that they were getting pushed around and needed to be more physical. And they have and their results have improved. It is unfortunate - the cynical play and pushing and shoving can be learned at any age, the younger kids should be encouraged to play the right way and develop their skill. |
Anonymous
| People ask why parents and coaches lose their minds and leap over the barricades at games, and it's because travel soccer refereeing can be so incredibly whimsical and disconnected from stated rules, from what just happened thirty seconds ago, and from decades of tradition. If both teams are allowed to play a physical brand of soccer, amen, but usually one team gets to beat up the other. A couple weeks ago I learned that tall players cannot be fouled, while small players are not capable of committing a foul. And the week before it seemed like the opposite, with giants sending mortals tumbling down the field without any consequences whatsoever. Referees don't seem to wake up even when multiple players are leaving the game with injuries; that isn't an impetus to rethink. |
Anonymous
| Trying asking a referee about "player safety" sometime. Fun hobby for masochists. |
Anonymous
That's good reffing. |
Anonymous
That's interesting because lately there has been a lot of criticism of US Soccer -- and the MLS in particular -- about it being too physical. Where in Europe? |
Anonymous
Defenders screaming that they were tripped when their leaning in results in the opponent stopping and ducking away? Is that normal soccer? Surely they understand gravity enough to know that if they're pushing their full body weight into a person, and that person steps away, they're going to fall and it's not from being tripped? |
Anonymous
Thank you. This is pretty much it in a nutshell. In our local leagues, the emphasis at the younger ages is on footwork and passing. They wait to start teaching the more physical use of body at older ages, after the skills are learned. At younger ages, the kids are taught to go after the ball, not the player, and so when the pushing, shoving, leaning hard, shirt grabbing, kicking at heels starts, in their minds it's all fouls. When it doesn't get called, they start to retaliate. Except they haven't been taught all those "do this and you can get away with it" nuances. So it's kind of a mess. If we can stick to our local model (not incorporating the overly physical/aggressive stuff until U13/U14 or older), I'm happy to do it. I think it's better soccer development. There was one team that almost beat us without completing a single accurate pass. It was all dribbling, pushing the opponent off the ball, kicking blindly, and then someone else pushing the opponent off the ball. If they'd only been able to shoot accurately, they would've won the game. |
Anonymous
|
QUESTION:
If a coach is coaching a high-level elite team in an elite league, what level of coaching license should the coach have, or does it even matter? |
Anonymous
U14: D license or equivalent Above U14: Ideally a B, but a C is OK. |