Anonymous
Post 05/26/2024 08:21     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:I disagree that the players in younger age groups don't care about winning. My kids have enjoyed looking at the rankings app and knowing the caliber of team they are up against. They also would get bummed when they lose games that they could've won, and excited when they win a tournament final.

People keep saying the younger age groups are about development. I ask you this, developing for what? I thought a sport is a type of competition, and we are going to tell these kids they are never going to really compete because it's not as important as learning the skills of the sport, even though 1% will actually use those skills at an elite level?

With that I think the reason my kids play soccer is not to develop skills, it is to have fun competing. It just so happens that developing skills makes them more competitive, and there is no reason to delay the gratification of winning competition because some parents/coaches are crazy and some kids aren't really ready for it.

I really want to believe this is a joke post. Otherwise it’s AI for “tell me why American youth soccer is so messed up”
Not going to waste my time saying anything else…
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2024 21:39     Subject: team ranking?
I disagree that the players in younger age groups don't care about winning. My kids have enjoyed looking at the rankings app and knowing the caliber of team they are up against. They also would get bummed when they lose games that they could've won, and excited when they win a tournament final.

People keep saying the younger age groups are about development. I ask you this, developing for what? I thought a sport is a type of competition, and we are going to tell these kids they are never going to really compete because it's not as important as learning the skills of the sport, even though 1% will actually use those skills at an elite level?

With that I think the reason my kids play soccer is not to develop skills, it is to have fun competing. It just so happens that developing skills makes them more competitive, and there is no reason to delay the gratification of winning competition because some parents/coaches are crazy and some kids aren't really ready for it.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2024 21:04     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Keep telling yourself that. Kids care about having fun. The parents make them care about winning to justify paying 3k a year because they think they have the next Messi.


If you're paying for club fees, your child isn't the next Messi. Kids with 1% of Messi ability at age 8 play for free. So if you're paying, enjoy the season ticket fee and front row seat to watch your kid get exercise.


Where do really good 8 year olds play for free???


In the yard.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2024 12:38     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Keep telling yourself that. Kids care about having fun. The parents make them care about winning to justify paying 3k a year because they think they have the next Messi.


If you're paying for club fees, your child isn't the next Messi. Kids with 1% of Messi ability at age 8 play for free. So if you're paying, enjoy the season ticket fee and front row seat to watch your kid get exercise.


Where do really good 8 year olds play for free???


Not in this country, usually.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2024 12:07     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The kids know their record at that age or at least generally if they win more than lose, but they could care less about the record of the team they are playing. Only parents care about standings at that age. I appreciate that NCSL doesn’t feed the madness. It comes soon enough.
You don’t realize at the time how young they are and how much changes every year. Have fun, if your kids team is winning enjoy, if your kid is having fun and developing another teams record doesn’t matter.


No argument here but how would you define development at u9 if the hope is that they progress to the highest levels, at least in this area? How much do teammates and competition factor in?


My son’s friend plays for DC United in HS. He played on the 4th or maybe it was even the 5th team at a big club until u11. He has a few other friends playing ECNL who also started at the bottom of big clubs. Several of his HS varsity teammates played on Bethesda green (3rd team) through HS and are playing or will play D3. Don’t get caught up in the hype. At the youngest ages it needs to be fun. They need to play at the level that gives them significant playing time so that when it matters later they still want to play.


Plays for DCU and HS?
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2024 12:06     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:Keep telling yourself that. Kids care about having fun. The parents make them care about winning to justify paying 3k a year because they think they have the next Messi.


Gotta love Germany, Belgium etc not having league standings until U14's

That way the coaches can leave the egos behind and focus on developing the kids
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2024 00:08     Subject: team ranking?
GotSport/GotSoccer has you covered for rankings.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 23:53     Subject: team ranking?
Many clubs send teams to at least one tournament a month to keep their stats high on things like gotsport.. And many go to tournaments and lower their brackets to win and get extra points for champion rankings. Gotsport is garbage. Look at ECNL and NCSL scores/records before you look at tournament scores/gotsport.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 23:36     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Keep telling yourself that. Kids care about having fun. The parents make them care about winning to justify paying 3k a year because they think they have the next Messi.


If you're paying for club fees, your child isn't the next Messi. Kids with 1% of Messi ability at age 8 play for free. So if you're paying, enjoy the season ticket fee and front row seat to watch your kid get exercise.


Where do really good 8 year olds play for free???
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 22:28     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The kids know their record at that age or at least generally if they win more than lose, but they could care less about the record of the team they are playing. Only parents care about standings at that age. I appreciate that NCSL doesn’t feed the madness. It comes soon enough.
You don’t realize at the time how young they are and how much changes every year. Have fun, if your kids team is winning enjoy, if your kid is having fun and developing another teams record doesn’t matter.


No argument here but how would you define development at u9 if the hope is that they progress to the highest levels, at least in this area? How much do teammates and competition factor in?


My son’s friend plays for DC United in HS. He played on the 4th or maybe it was even the 5th team at a big club until u11. He has a few other friends playing ECNL who also started at the bottom of big clubs. Several of his HS varsity teammates played on Bethesda green (3rd team) through HS and are playing or will play D3. Don’t get caught up in the hype. At the youngest ages it needs to be fun. They need to play at the level that gives them significant playing time so that when it matters later they still want to play.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 22:15     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:The kids know their record at that age or at least generally if they win more than lose, but they could care less about the record of the team they are playing. Only parents care about standings at that age. I appreciate that NCSL doesn’t feed the madness. It comes soon enough.
You don’t realize at the time how young they are and how much changes every year. Have fun, if your kids team is winning enjoy, if your kid is having fun and developing another teams record doesn’t matter.


No argument here but how would you define development at u9 if the hope is that they progress to the highest levels, at least in this area? How much do teammates and competition factor in?
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 22:10     Subject: team ranking?
The kids know their record at that age or at least generally if they win more than lose, but they could care less about the record of the team they are playing. Only parents care about standings at that age. I appreciate that NCSL doesn’t feed the madness. It comes soon enough.
You don’t realize at the time how young they are and how much changes every year. Have fun, if your kids team is winning enjoy, if your kid is having fun and developing another teams record doesn’t matter.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 21:10     Subject: Re:team ranking?

Kids with 1% of Messi ability at age 8 play for free.

Wouldn’t that be an ethical issue for free academies to take kids that young?
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 21:05     Subject: team ranking?
Anonymous wrote:Keep telling yourself that. Kids care about having fun. The parents make them care about winning to justify paying 3k a year because they think they have the next Messi.


If you're paying for club fees, your child isn't the next Messi. Kids with 1% of Messi ability at age 8 play for free. So if you're paying, enjoy the season ticket fee and front row seat to watch your kid get exercise.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2024 19:18     Subject: team ranking?
Keep telling yourself that. Kids care about having fun. The parents make them care about winning to justify paying 3k a year because they think they have the next Messi.