Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new format for USYS National Championship Series comes out on Friday. I’ve seen the leaks, but sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

What is National Championship series?
And does USYS matter? All the clubs in my area only play US Club umbrella.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Yeah, it seems like such an ilogical perspective. I have heard way too many stories about late bloomers etc. For example, my coworker's son got looks at Newcastle, but not until he was 15 because he grew like 6" over the summer. He was technically good, but couldnt compete with speed, size and strength, so always struggled. He ultimately got injured senior year so the race was over. I asked him for what he would have done differently and main advice was to not worry about it and just let it play out. While girls are slightly different, their body goes through a tremendous amount of change around those years. Technical mastery definitely matters, just listen to Henry, but there are a lot of other factors. The race is definitely not over at 12.

Just an observation, but if you look at my DDs team, there really hasn't been nearly the change that we saw with my DS through those years...you can pretty much look at a picture of my DDs team at U12 and then now going into U17 and the girls that were the tallest at U12 are still the tallest today. Some of the faster girls on the team at U12, still fast today. Technical skills and soccer IQ continue to grow, but some of those physical traits haven't changed a ton.

My DS on the other hand, huge changes with some of the boys. DS was the shortest of his friends at that age and had one of those huge summer growth spurts in his teens and ended up the tallest at almost 6'-3". One of his buddies topped out at about 5'-10" and was really close to that when he was 13 or 14.

Everybody's different, but sure, just because you think you have it made at 13, don't think that you will at 18 unless you keep putting in the effort and work.

Girls mature sooner than boys so at u13 you have a mix of physically mature and those that are only starting to hit puberty. This will give some a huge advantage early but usually these players are 5'1". By the time they hit u15 coaches are on the lookout for bigger 5'6" and above ideally with skills as well. This is because the smaller players get physically pushed off the ball.

This is where the disconnect occurs with Talent ID invites. The early developers get looked at first and US Soccer likes to pick who will move forward based on things that arent soccer related.

Like what?

Anonymous wrote:The new format for USYS National Championship Series comes out on Friday. I’ve seen the leaks, but sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:The new format for USYS National Championship Series comes out on Friday. I’ve seen the leaks, but sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Yeah, it seems like such an ilogical perspective. I have heard way too many stories about late bloomers etc. For example, my coworker's son got looks at Newcastle, but not until he was 15 because he grew like 6" over the summer. He was technically good, but couldnt compete with speed, size and strength, so always struggled. He ultimately got injured senior year so the race was over. I asked him for what he would have done differently and main advice was to not worry about it and just let it play out. While girls are slightly different, their body goes through a tremendous amount of change around those years. Technical mastery definitely matters, just listen to Henry, but there are a lot of other factors. The race is definitely not over at 12.

Just an observation, but if you look at my DDs team, there really hasn't been nearly the change that we saw with my DS through those years...you can pretty much look at a picture of my DDs team at U12 and then now going into U17 and the girls that were the tallest at U12 are still the tallest today. Some of the faster girls on the team at U12, still fast today. Technical skills and soccer IQ continue to grow, but some of those physical traits haven't changed a ton.

My DS on the other hand, huge changes with some of the boys. DS was the shortest of his friends at that age and had one of those huge summer growth spurts in his teens and ended up the tallest at almost 6'-3". One of his buddies topped out at about 5'-10" and was really close to that when he was 13 or 14.

Everybody's different, but sure, just because you think you have it made at 13, don't think that you will at 18 unless you keep putting in the effort and work.

Girls mature sooner than boys so at u13 you have a mix of physically mature and those that are only starting to hit puberty. This will give some a huge advantage early but usually these players are 5'1". By the time they hit u15 coaches are on the lookout for bigger 5'6" and above ideally with skills as well. This is because the smaller players get physically pushed off the ball.

This is where the disconnect occurs with Talent ID invites. The early developers get looked at first and US Soccer likes to pick who will move forward based on things that arent soccer related.

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Anonymous wrote:The reverse is more common, a big fast kid in u10-u13 moves to the middle of the pack and then out because they were never good soccer players, just a good athlete.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a Q4 (U11/U12) and to some degree, I want the decision to be taken out of our hands. Our club told us that they will move everyone to school year, but who knows if it is that strong of a rule, but that is what we were explicitly told, and gives me a little anxiety relief. I really dont know what is in his/ she best interest as they are our oldest sibling and we are learning as we go. He/ She has always played at the highest level and plays at one of the better clubs in the area for when of the better teams in he/ she age group. However, I feel like my kid is growing slower relative to peers, mentally and a bit physically. He/ She isnt necessarily the smallest, middle of the pack, but lacks a level of maturity that I see with others. He/She loves the game and I keep waiting for it to click, but it is really hard. I see the argument that leveling to school year will have them back to where they are in a few years, but could also become a major confidence boost that springs he/she into their teenage years. Also, it seems like there is a lot of benefit for an extra year at 9v9 as he/she isnt making decisions fast enough. I am sharing our story in case there are others feeling a similar way.

Your child loves the game. As long as he / she continues to love the game, they will become a great player.

There are no 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 year old super stars. The super stars at 15, 16, and 17 are generally not super stars in their 20s.

Love for the game will take them far. If it doesn’t, he or she had a lot fun and enjoyed the sport!

The top players at u13 arent the same at u16. Even the top teams change.

Yeah, they actually are at the too level. Easy enough to prove. Go to VDA or Richmond 2009 and look at their top 3-5 players. They literally all were studs at U13.

Assume you are talking about the girls side...yeah. Many of the players there have been there for some time and have been playing at a high level and are getting recruited to play at high level collegiately. I think the boys side has a greater development window - you'll see move movement as the boys get older. Could be due to later maturity dates in boys v. girls...

Not sure how this impacts SY v. BY....but as they say, it is what it is...

So these 12 year olds held firm over the past 5 years? All girls follow the same path with no changes over time? I only have a younger girl who has performed at a high level but would have to imagine that puberty will have a direct impact on her trajectory, physically, mentally and emotionally. I think you are saying there has to be a solid foundation at 12, which I agree, but I also think things evolves over time.

All I am saying is that there is a pervasive myth that “all bets are off until puberty” or “stars at u13 aren’t stars at u15” and I am disagreeing with that presumption and pointing out evidence to bolster my claim that stars at U13 ARE stars at U15 usually.

It is not absolute or binary but you very rarely see a bench warmer at U13 turn into a star at U15 at the ECNL level just because they grew a few inches.

It is a different dynamic than hoops or football because of skills involved.

I can nane 5+ u13 talent id invites that didnt make the cut. No matter how much our coach tried to position them. I can name 4-5 that got looked over and because of it grind it out every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new format for USYS National Championship Series comes out on Friday. I’ve seen the leaks, but sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

What is National Championship series?
And does USYS matter? All the clubs in my area only play US Club umbrella.

Anonymous wrote:The new format for USYS National Championship Series comes out on Friday. I’ve seen the leaks, but sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Yeah, it seems like such an ilogical perspective. I have heard way too many stories about late bloomers etc. For example, my coworker's son got looks at Newcastle, but not until he was 15 because he grew like 6" over the summer. He was technically good, but couldnt compete with speed, size and strength, so always struggled. He ultimately got injured senior year so the race was over. I asked him for what he would have done differently and main advice was to not worry about it and just let it play out. While girls are slightly different, their body goes through a tremendous amount of change around those years. Technical mastery definitely matters, just listen to Henry, but there are a lot of other factors. The race is definitely not over at 12.

Just an observation, but if you look at my DDs team, there really hasn't been nearly the change that we saw with my DS through those years...you can pretty much look at a picture of my DDs team at U12 and then now going into U17 and the girls that were the tallest at U12 are still the tallest today. Some of the faster girls on the team at U12, still fast today. Technical skills and soccer IQ continue to grow, but some of those physical traits haven't changed a ton.

My DS on the other hand, huge changes with some of the boys. DS was the shortest of his friends at that age and had one of those huge summer growth spurts in his teens and ended up the tallest at almost 6'-3". One of his buddies topped out at about 5'-10" and was really close to that when he was 13 or 14.

Everybody's different, but sure, just because you think you have it made at 13, don't think that you will at 18 unless you keep putting in the effort and work.

Girls mature sooner than boys so at u13 you have a mix of physically mature and those that are only starting to hit puberty. This will give some a huge advantage early but usually these players are 5'1". By the time they hit u15 coaches are on the lookout for bigger 5'6" and above ideally with skills as well. This is because the smaller players get physically pushed off the ball.

This is where the disconnect occurs with Talent ID invites. The early developers get looked at first and US Soccer likes to pick who will move forward based on things that arent soccer related.

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Yeah, it seems like such an ilogical perspective. I have heard way too many stories about late bloomers etc. For example, my coworker's son got looks at Newcastle, but not until he was 15 because he grew like 6" over the summer. He was technically good, but couldnt compete with speed, size and strength, so always struggled. He ultimately got injured senior year so the race was over. I asked him for what he would have done differently and main advice was to not worry about it and just let it play out. While girls are slightly different, their body goes through a tremendous amount of change around those years. Technical mastery definitely matters, just listen to Henry, but there are a lot of other factors. The race is definitely not over at 12.

Just an observation, but if you look at my DDs team, there really hasn't been nearly the change that we saw with my DS through those years...you can pretty much look at a picture of my DDs team at U12 and then now going into U17 and the girls that were the tallest at U12 are still the tallest today. Some of the faster girls on the team at U12, still fast today. Technical skills and soccer IQ continue to grow, but some of those physical traits haven't changed a ton.

My DS on the other hand, huge changes with some of the boys. DS was the shortest of his friends at that age and had one of those huge summer growth spurts in his teens and ended up the tallest at almost 6'-3". One of his buddies topped out at about 5'-10" and was really close to that when he was 13 or 14.

Everybody's different, but sure, just because you think you have it made at 13, don't think that you will at 18 unless you keep putting in the effort and work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots and lots of younger parents want to declare the race over at u13. Reality is the race hasnt even started yet.

Yeah, it seems like such an ilogical perspective. I have heard way too many stories about late bloomers etc. For example, my coworker's son got looks at Newcastle, but not until he was 15 because he grew like 6" over the summer. He was technically good, but couldnt compete with speed, size and strength, so always struggled. He ultimately got injured senior year so the race was over. I asked him for what he would have done differently and main advice was to not worry about it and just let it play out. While girls are slightly different, their body goes through a tremendous amount of change around those years. Technical mastery definitely matters, just listen to Henry, but there are a lot of other factors. The race is definitely not over at 12.