Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hold anything against players for seeking more opportunities to play, and you do bring up a very good point, the team could have rostered them and just saved them for the Sunday games or they had other commitments. More than anything I was reflecting upon the coaches who would bring a player of that caliber to a bracket in which most of the teams are in Division 6-4 of NCSL. Like you said, obviously that team did something right to get to the final, they were a very good team to begin with, which is why bringing the player seemed madly unnecessary. Maybe he used to play there and was just guesting for his own team, again, I don't blame the player, but that you'd think it is a nothingburger is questionable.

How is is it even remotely questionable? So a team brought some guest players, who cares. Your team could. And by the looks of it they did not lean on the kids for the tournament.

Perhaps the kids wanted to play with some friends. Most guest opportunities are as a result of some social connection to the host club. Some clubs will use guest opportunities to try and bring a player in but many use them simply for depth and ask kids who somebody on the team knows is available. Rarely is it so sinister as you make it out to be.

I've been a team manager for many years for two different teams and every tournament my kids' teams have been in (at least from U11-U14), refs have checked player cards and rosters for the final game. Maybe some rinky dink tournament would allow non-rostered guest players, but any credible tournament would not. Also, many tournaments have a rule that a player can't guest play for another team if the team with whom s/he is regularly rostered is playing in that tournament. So if the A and B teams of a club are both in a tournament, A team players can't guest for the B team.

I never heard of this...I've been a coach and a team manager. However, our club moves players between the the A and B team all the time based on availability, how they are currently playing, etc. and we play in the same tournaments. This has NEVER been a problem and my son has probably played in maybe 16-17 tournaments.

it's standard - you should read the tournament rules some time.

Do you know of it being strictly enforced?

Agree its standard. Enforcement depends on (1) how closely the tournament AGCs are checking rosters when they are submitted for check-in and whether they'd notice a player being double rostered and (2) whether the field marshal or ref are checking cards and rosters before the game to make sure the players match the roster. (2), in particular, can be pretty spotty when everyone is under pressure to keep the games moving and on schedule.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hold anything against players for seeking more opportunities to play, and you do bring up a very good point, the team could have rostered them and just saved them for the Sunday games or they had other commitments. More than anything I was reflecting upon the coaches who would bring a player of that caliber to a bracket in which most of the teams are in Division 6-4 of NCSL. Like you said, obviously that team did something right to get to the final, they were a very good team to begin with, which is why bringing the player seemed madly unnecessary. Maybe he used to play there and was just guesting for his own team, again, I don't blame the player, but that you'd think it is a nothingburger is questionable.

How is is it even remotely questionable? So a team brought some guest players, who cares. Your team could. And by the looks of it they did not lean on the kids for the tournament.

Perhaps the kids wanted to play with some friends. Most guest opportunities are as a result of some social connection to the host club. Some clubs will use guest opportunities to try and bring a player in but many use them simply for depth and ask kids who somebody on the team knows is available. Rarely is it so sinister as you make it out to be.

I've been a team manager for many years for two different teams and every tournament my kids' teams have been in (at least from U11-U14), refs have checked player cards and rosters for the final game. Maybe some rinky dink tournament would allow non-rostered guest players, but any credible tournament would not. Also, many tournaments have a rule that a player can't guest play for another team if the team with whom s/he is regularly rostered is playing in that tournament. So if the A and B teams of a club are both in a tournament, A team players can't guest for the B team.

I never heard of this...I've been a coach and a team manager. However, our club moves players between the the A and B team all the time based on availability, how they are currently playing, etc. and we play in the same tournaments. This has NEVER been a problem and my son has probably played in maybe 16-17 tournaments.

it's standard - you should read the tournament rules some time.

Do you know of it being strictly enforced?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hold anything against players for seeking more opportunities to play, and you do bring up a very good point, the team could have rostered them and just saved them for the Sunday games or they had other commitments. More than anything I was reflecting upon the coaches who would bring a player of that caliber to a bracket in which most of the teams are in Division 6-4 of NCSL. Like you said, obviously that team did something right to get to the final, they were a very good team to begin with, which is why bringing the player seemed madly unnecessary. Maybe he used to play there and was just guesting for his own team, again, I don't blame the player, but that you'd think it is a nothingburger is questionable.

How is is it even remotely questionable? So a team brought some guest players, who cares. Your team could. And by the looks of it they did not lean on the kids for the tournament.

Perhaps the kids wanted to play with some friends. Most guest opportunities are as a result of some social connection to the host club. Some clubs will use guest opportunities to try and bring a player in but many use them simply for depth and ask kids who somebody on the team knows is available. Rarely is it so sinister as you make it out to be.

I've been a team manager for many years for two different teams and every tournament my kids' teams have been in (at least from U11-U14), refs have checked player cards and rosters for the final game. Maybe some rinky dink tournament would allow non-rostered guest players, but any credible tournament would not. Also, many tournaments have a rule that a player can't guest play for another team if the team with whom s/he is regularly rostered is playing in that tournament. So if the A and B teams of a club are both in a tournament, A team players can't guest for the B team.

I never heard of this...I've been a coach and a team manager. However, our club moves players between the the A and B team all the time based on availability, how they are currently playing, etc. and we play in the same tournaments. This has NEVER been a problem and my son has probably played in maybe 16-17 tournaments.

it's standard - you should read the tournament rules some time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hold anything against players for seeking more opportunities to play, and you do bring up a very good point, the team could have rostered them and just saved them for the Sunday games or they had other commitments. More than anything I was reflecting upon the coaches who would bring a player of that caliber to a bracket in which most of the teams are in Division 6-4 of NCSL. Like you said, obviously that team did something right to get to the final, they were a very good team to begin with, which is why bringing the player seemed madly unnecessary. Maybe he used to play there and was just guesting for his own team, again, I don't blame the player, but that you'd think it is a nothingburger is questionable.

How is is it even remotely questionable? So a team brought some guest players, who cares. Your team could. And by the looks of it they did not lean on the kids for the tournament.

Perhaps the kids wanted to play with some friends. Most guest opportunities are as a result of some social connection to the host club. Some clubs will use guest opportunities to try and bring a player in but many use them simply for depth and ask kids who somebody on the team knows is available. Rarely is it so sinister as you make it out to be.

I've been a team manager for many years for two different teams and every tournament my kids' teams have been in (at least from U11-U14), refs have checked player cards and rosters for the final game. Maybe some rinky dink tournament would allow non-rostered guest players, but any credible tournament would not. Also, many tournaments have a rule that a player can't guest play for another team if the team with whom s/he is regularly rostered is playing in that tournament. So if the A and B teams of a club are both in a tournament, A team players can't guest for the B team.

I never heard of this...I've been a coach and a team manager. However, our club moves players between the the A and B team all the time based on availability, how they are currently playing, etc. and we play in the same tournaments. This has NEVER been a problem and my son has probably played in maybe 16-17 tournaments.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent responses to the post I made about pay to play not being the only issue. Yes, we do have kids in the US who can afford to play, that play on their own, love the sport, are passionate, have the culture in their blood, have been outside the US, have parents that played all their lives, etc etc etc. We probably have a million of these kids. Yet we can't seem to get them together. I still think we need to find ways to make "elite" soccer more inclusive but the real problem is what the kids are learning and who the coaches are selecting. We need to start there. The question is...how does that change?

It's funny. The soccer landscape is huge in the DMV. I have a U-10 and a U-13. I have worked hard to find training and places that do things the right way. What is incredible, is I'll show up to a training session or camp (not well broadcast) and it will be the same 10 or so families everywhere I go. I always feel confident my instincts were correct when I see these people who I've seen since my kids were age 7 at the same places, clubs, camps, etc.

I will add, we are from all over the area---Maryland, VA, etc---but end up the same places with the same gripes about travel clubs. And, yes, either the mom or dad played at a very high level themselves and are disappointed in the choices/options available. How to get a bigger group? I'm not even sure.

I have tired to wrangle my older child's friends into some of the stuff we are doing---but they are so caught up in team color and winning tournaments, etc. One now has a 14-year old child and is trying to back track and catch up on all the things my kids have been doing since a young age. If the parents weren't heavily involved in the soccer scene as children/teens--it's really hard to get them to understand that what they are being told and sold is crap. So--millions keep paying for it and if their kid moves up a single team they think it's a huge success (not noting any technical skill development, btw---just 'we made the A team!".

What places have you ended up at? We do a lot of extra soccer training - Super Y, winter clinics, summer soccer day camps, in addition to the regular team. We moved to a club that isn't as well regarded on this board but is teaching our U14 possession and skills rather than just kicking and aggression.

I'd definitely cut out Super Y.

Anonymous wrote:My U-13 is small but has soccer IQ and an obsession with the game. Every weekend he watches the time, gets ready on his own with no prompting from us, and heads to our local park to play pick up soccer with a bunch of Somali adults. He asked them to let him play every Sunday afternoon and they finally let him, now they include him because he can play at their level. It's the best training he gets all week and the most fun he has all week.

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone who isn't a 5 year old SEE any good games this weekend in the older age groups? Results can be looked up online. The way a team plays on the field can't be made out by a scoreline.

Anonymous wrote:Any good games this weekend in the older age groups?