For high level players and parents only

[Anonymous]

So true. And, the interview was great, definitely worth the time

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

100% agree, so unnecessary. Even more frustrating to go to SC to play Bethesda when your club is from NOVA.

On the girls side, the whole GA and ECNL thing is going to need to resolve itself so that there isn't a dilution of talent on the top teams. Then we'd be in business.

We'd be in business for what? What do you think changes if there are fewer GA and ECNL teams? The talent is already mostly concentrated to just a few teams. It wouldn't be better for top players who may be forced to commute further to training? It wouldn't be better for mid-tier players who wouldn't have access to national leagues anymore. It wouldn't be better for parents who will need to travel out of state more often to play league games. It certainly wouldn't bring down prices with less competition. It wouldn't be better for coaches with less opportunities. It wouldn't be better for clubs who lose GA or ECNL access. I'm trying to understand who would benefit from fewer top teams.

So you drank the kool-aid. There is NO reason for midtier players to NEED a national platform. They can continue to grow and improve playing other midtier players locally. The reason for travel should be to find competition. If you can get that locally there is absolutely no need to travel for it.

The reason is development. Stay in the state-leagues, you don't ever play the higher level clubs anymore and the level of play gets more like HS. As a mid-tier if you play a national platform, it's not an easy path, but you get to play stronger/faster teams and it works as long as you aren't getting blown out and winning/tying a few. And for a few, maybe you're the team to beat. And now your best players are more likely to stay because they can now get recruited without having to join the mega club. And travel? Commuting to those mega clubs -- 1-2 hours 4x a week -- over the course of season isn't that great either.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 keep telling yourself there isn't enough competition locally. If you live in a rural area absolutely but not here.

So, we're in winter league now and playing some of the local teams and we're now clearly a level up and it's pretty clear because we're getting challenged and better from playing high-level teams out of state.

Winter league where?

What age group?

What is your play style?

There are ALOT of teams who win with a direct long-ball with athletic wingers and strikers. I would argue those are the precise teams that should stay local and try only score after stringing together 5 passes or connecting the midfield. Can you develop a 6 or 10 that can go D2? SYC won the national championship in MLS Next. They have none of the top 10
most valuable professional players from the DMV right now. That tells you how important winning is to development.

😂 winter league results 😂

There's your problem. You imagine everything is just one way.

Amazing response to use winning the single barometer of success. My entire purpose of being in travel soccer is I have a kid with aspirations. I had no problem doing rec in elementary and then playing middle and high school. They have aspirations so I have to oblige.

If you care anything about your child’s development, pop in an earbud this long weekend and listen to the interview.

Sadly, I am trying to help. We complain about kids quitting the sport and why internationals dominate D1 but we are not diagnosing the symptoms. I see people screaming at their kids weekly. I see coaches joysticking their kids and then touting that “they won.” I see parents analyzing the rankings app like it is a quarterly financial statement. I see local clubs and parents flexing every time that beat MLS Next or ECNL if they are the opposing league. Watch the video. We can’t expect to have different results from the past if we keep repeating the same behaviors.

You're seeing what you want to see. Your focus on complaints misses the actual development and ignores the pitfalls of staying completely local -- which led to the system we have today. Not saying it's without fault but a lot of what you complain about would exist no matter what system there'd be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

100% agree, so unnecessary. Even more frustrating to go to SC to play Bethesda when your club is from NOVA.

On the girls side, the whole GA and ECNL thing is going to need to resolve itself so that there isn't a dilution of talent on the top teams. Then we'd be in business.

We'd be in business for what? What do you think changes if there are fewer GA and ECNL teams? The talent is already mostly concentrated to just a few teams. It wouldn't be better for top players who may be forced to commute further to training? It wouldn't be better for mid-tier players who wouldn't have access to national leagues anymore. It wouldn't be better for parents who will need to travel out of state more often to play league games. It certainly wouldn't bring down prices with less competition. It wouldn't be better for coaches with less opportunities. It wouldn't be better for clubs who lose GA or ECNL access. I'm trying to understand who would benefit from fewer top teams.

So you drank the kool-aid. There is NO reason for midtier players to NEED a national platform. They can continue to grow and improve playing other midtier players locally. The reason for travel should be to find competition. If you can get that locally there is absolutely no need to travel for it.

The reason is development. Stay in the state-leagues, you don't ever play the higher level clubs anymore and the level of play gets more like HS. As a mid-tier if you play a national platform, it's not an easy path, but you get to play stronger/faster teams and it works as long as you aren't getting blown out and winning/tying a few. And for a few, maybe you're the team to beat. And now your best players are more likely to stay because they can now get recruited without having to join the mega club. And travel? Commuting to those mega clubs -- 1-2 hours 4x a week -- over the course of season isn't that great either.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 keep telling yourself there isn't enough competition locally. If you live in a rural area absolutely but not here.

So, we're in winter league now and playing some of the local teams and we're now clearly a level up and it's pretty clear because we're getting challenged and better from playing high-level teams out of state.

Winter league where?

What age group?

What is your play style?

There are ALOT of teams who win with a direct long-ball with athletic wingers and strikers. I would argue those are the precise teams that should stay local and try only score after stringing together 5 passes or connecting the midfield. Can you develop a 6 or 10 that can go D2? SYC won the national championship in MLS Next. They have none of the top 10
most valuable professional players from the DMV right now. That tells you how important winning is to development.

😂 winter league results 😂

There's your problem. You imagine everything is just one way.

Amazing response to use winning the single barometer of success. My entire purpose of being in travel soccer is I have a kid with aspirations. I had no problem doing rec in elementary and then playing middle and high school. They have aspirations so I have to oblige.

If you care anything about your child’s development, pop in an earbud this long weekend and listen to the interview.

Sadly, I am trying to help. We complain about kids quitting the sport and why internationals dominate D1 but we are not diagnosing the symptoms. I see people screaming at their kids weekly. I see coaches joysticking their kids and then touting that “they won.” I see parents analyzing the rankings app like it is a quarterly financial statement. I see local clubs and parents flexing every time that beat MLS Next or ECNL if they are the opposing league. Watch the video. We can’t expect to have different results from the past if we keep repeating the same behaviors.

Where did I say anything about winning beyond it's not a good idea to get blown out all the time? You assume too much. When I say level above, it's how they're playing on the field/speed/decision-making. Yes, wins/goals are more likely to happen, too, in winter league, because of the development, but that's ancillary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is from a professional academy. Most of the “high level” players and parents playing on local mlsn and ecnl teams are not and never will be at that level. Local clubs are not and should not be run like professional academies. If you watch this video and think it applies to your kid and coaches you are living in a dream world.

The OP describes how things work in the best breeding grounds for player development in the world - places like Catalonia, Spain. Most players that end up in the top professional academies in the region (Barca, Espanyol, Girona, etc) by the time they’re 17 or 18 played for academies with no professional pathways (like Damm, Cornella, Mercantil, etc). The notion that the professional academies house the top players at 14 that then are also the top players at 18 is just completely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

This is how it is in the top youth soccer hubs in the world - Catalonia, Paris, England, Rio, Buenos Aires.

My son has played some matches in Barcelona. The “local” academies have tremendous facilities and coaching talent and are super accessible to players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

This is how it is in the top youth soccer hubs in the world - Catalonia, Paris, England, Rio, Buenos Aires.

My son has played some matches in Barcelona. The “local” academies have tremendous facilities and coaching talent and are super accessible to players.

We HAD/HAVE a local system, the USYS. The problem becomes when you play the same clubs year-in/year-out and stagnate and the club-based pro/reg system ALSO put to much weight on winning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

This is how it is in the top youth soccer hubs in the world - Catalonia, Paris, England, Rio, Buenos Aires.

My son has played some matches in Barcelona. The “local” academies have tremendous facilities and coaching talent and are super accessible to players.

We HAD/HAVE a local system, the USYS. The problem becomes when you play the same clubs year-in/year-out and stagnate and the club-based pro/reg system ALSO put to much weight on winning.

The “elite” clubs and teams travel quite a bit. That’s not local.

In Catalonia, the elite teams and clubs play their regular season games locally.

There is also a very defined promotion/ relegation system, which we don’t.

MLS gets “gifted” elite status. ECNL picks and chooses who gets to be in the league and at what level.

This is breeding grounds for mediocrity, which is what we are in terms of football.

[Anonymous]

I would like to think my presence on n the sideline creates a high level sideline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my presence on n the sideline creates a high level sideline.

And your coaching from the sideline? Elite!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

100% agree, so unnecessary. Even more frustrating to go to SC to play Bethesda when your club is from NOVA.

On the girls side, the whole GA and ECNL thing is going to need to resolve itself so that there isn't a dilution of talent on the top teams. Then we'd be in business.

We'd be in business for what? What do you think changes if there are fewer GA and ECNL teams? The talent is already mostly concentrated to just a few teams. It wouldn't be better for top players who may be forced to commute further to training? It wouldn't be better for mid-tier players who wouldn't have access to national leagues anymore. It wouldn't be better for parents who will need to travel out of state more often to play league games. It certainly wouldn't bring down prices with less competition. It wouldn't be better for coaches with less opportunities. It wouldn't be better for clubs who lose GA or ECNL access. I'm trying to understand who would benefit from fewer top teams.

So you drank the kool-aid. There is NO reason for midtier players to NEED a national platform. They can continue to grow and improve playing other midtier players locally. The reason for travel should be to find competition. If you can get that locally there is absolutely no need to travel for it.

The reason is development. Stay in the state-leagues, you don't ever play the higher level clubs anymore and the level of play gets more like HS. As a mid-tier if you play a national platform, it's not an easy path, but you get to play stronger/faster teams and it works as long as you aren't getting blown out and winning/tying a few. And for a few, maybe you're the team to beat. And now your best players are more likely to stay because they can now get recruited without having to join the mega club. And travel? Commuting to those mega clubs -- 1-2 hours 4x a week -- over the course of season isn't that great either.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 keep telling yourself there isn't enough competition locally. If you live in a rural area absolutely but not here.

The real problem with local competition is some clubs want that elite access for them and use the mid-tier clubs as a feeder. When you have only 1 or 2 local teams with elite platform access your area may have a better chance to compete for national titles BUT the flip side is a bunch of talent is frozen out and coach/club politics dictate too much. More choice is better for these reasons.

Player has the control of a springboard and thinks driving 4 states to play a game will help

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

100% agree, so unnecessary. Even more frustrating to go to SC to play Bethesda when your club is from NOVA.

On the girls side, the whole GA and ECNL thing is going to need to resolve itself so that there isn't a dilution of talent on the top teams. Then we'd be in business.

We'd be in business for what? What do you think changes if there are fewer GA and ECNL teams? The talent is already mostly concentrated to just a few teams. It wouldn't be better for top players who may be forced to commute further to training? It wouldn't be better for mid-tier players who wouldn't have access to national leagues anymore. It wouldn't be better for parents who will need to travel out of state more often to play league games. It certainly wouldn't bring down prices with less competition. It wouldn't be better for coaches with less opportunities. It wouldn't be better for clubs who lose GA or ECNL access. I'm trying to understand who would benefit from fewer top teams.

So you drank the kool-aid. There is NO reason for midtier players to NEED a national platform. They can continue to grow and improve playing other midtier players locally. The reason for travel should be to find competition. If you can get that locally there is absolutely no need to travel for it.

The reason is development. Stay in the state-leagues, you don't ever play the higher level clubs anymore and the level of play gets more like HS. As a mid-tier if you play a national platform, it's not an easy path, but you get to play stronger/faster teams and it works as long as you aren't getting blown out and winning/tying a few. And for a few, maybe you're the team to beat. And now your best players are more likely to stay because they can now get recruited without having to join the mega club. And travel? Commuting to those mega clubs -- 1-2 hours 4x a week -- over the course of season isn't that great either.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 keep telling yourself there isn't enough competition locally. If you live in a rural area absolutely but not here.

The real problem with local competition is some clubs want that elite access for them and use the mid-tier clubs as a feeder. When you have only 1 or 2 local teams with elite platform access your area may have a better chance to compete for national titles BUT the flip side is a bunch of talent is frozen out and coach/club politics dictate too much. More choice is better for these reasons.

Player has the control of a springboard and thinks driving 4 states to play a game will help

They do that because as a poster noted above MLS and ECNL tries to control access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all these discussions here and with parents on the sidelines, the one absolute change I'd like to see is the reduction of a travel. I like the idea of soccer hubs, like the DMV, Atlanta, NY/NJ etc. where there is enough density to provide opportunities across a range of skill levels.

This is how it is in the top youth soccer hubs in the world - Catalonia, Paris, England, Rio, Buenos Aires.

My son has played some matches in Barcelona. The “local” academies have tremendous facilities and coaching talent and are super accessible to players.

We HAD/HAVE a local system, the USYS. The problem becomes when you play the same clubs year-in/year-out and stagnate and the club-based pro/reg system ALSO put to much weight on winning.

The “elite” clubs and teams travel quite a bit. That’s not local.

In Catalonia, the elite teams and clubs play their regular season games locally.

There is also a very defined promotion/ relegation system, which we don’t.

MLS gets “gifted” elite status. ECNL picks and chooses who gets to be in the league and at what level.

This is breeding grounds for mediocrity, which is what we are in terms of football.

That's what forces kids to travel more -- the picking/choosing of elite clubs in a closed system.

[Anonymous]

Long distance travel for non professional academies is non value-added

What part of yourh development in soccer happens in a plane or bus or hours in the car?
It's all about training and executing your training in games at game speed decision making

You can play the same 6 clubs all season in under an hour drive and develop as a player.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long distance travel for non professional academies is non value-added

What part of yourh development in soccer happens in a plane or bus or hours in the car?
It's all about training and executing your training in games at game speed decision making

You can play the same 6 clubs all season in under an hour drive and develop as a player.

Long distance travel happens because in the US, soccer is a pay to play activity more like competitive dance than a tier 1 sport. Half the people don’t care much about developing their kids in soccer and are more about the experience. Long distance travel is a better experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got so excited about watching this video they ran to post without giving thought or applying the nuances involved in rubber stamping one approach in every other environment

Because they think their 12 year old baller is a high level player and going pro 😂

Every pro was once 12, no?

While your statement is true it also exhibits a high-degree of intellectual disability to conflate both as inherently equivalent

You sound like Dr. Theopolis.