Stat Analysis: Most Girls DA Clubs without Prior ECNL Experience Struggling

The crazy thing about statistics is that they can be fairly easily manipulated to show a desired outcome. The original statistics are flawed. You cannot compare three unlike groups and get reliable data. You compared groups of 14, 38, and 17. The data was not normalized thus causing incorrect correlations that favored your point of view.
Normalizing the goal differential figure (i.e., scaling it in a range from -1 to 1) produced the following avg. goal differential results:

Dual vs DA Only +0.52
Dual vs Left ECNL +0.54

DA Only vs Dual
(0.52)
DA Only vs Left ECNL (0.21)

Left ECNL vs Dual (0.54)
Left ECNL vs DA Only +0.21

I'm not sure I understand why normalization improves the analysis though, as goal differential is measured based on the same scale for each group.

In any event, I didn't set out to manipulate anything and I'm happy to compare the results for the various clubs in any way you think is fair. Just let me know what you'd like to see.
 
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So if GDA soccer is about development, why keep ridiculous stats like games started, played, goals scored? Why have a playoff or even keep score?
 
"Nothing will change - it is all about money and wins to keep the paying parents coming... No need to spend your time doing what you did - all it does is continue to foster and fuel the problem."

Bullseye!
 
Winning is developing. There are not any colleges that want kids that are okay with losing. Those coaches lose plush jobs if it is important to the alumni. The developing of skills and schemes is during the week at practice. You have to test what you learned. Games are probably the best teacher. Mistakes are made and sometimes they are critical mistakes and that is a great tool. If every game goes perfectly then where do you grow? "If winning wasn't important then why are there scoreboards"? <---Vince Lombardi
 
Winning is developing. There are not any colleges that want kids that are okay with losing. Those coaches lose plush jobs if it is important to the alumni. The developing of skills and schemes is during the week at practice. You have to test what you learned. Games are probably the best teacher. Mistakes are made and sometimes they are critical mistakes and that is a great tool. If every game goes perfectly then where do you grow? "If winning wasn't important then why are there scoreboards"? <---Vince Lombardi

At the Lombardi level, all that counts is winning. At lower levels that profess to prioritize an amorphous thing called "development" in order to provide a stream of excellent players for Lombardi et fils, winning is only a shallow measure of that purpose.
 
At the Lombardi level, all that counts is winning. At lower levels that profess to prioritize an amorphous thing called "development" in order to provide a stream of excellent players for Lombardi et fils, winning is only a shallow measure of that purpose.
respectfully disagree. Learning how to win means scratching and clawing your way even when you are overmatched. The will to win is what coaches look for. At least if I were a college coach with a cushy job (in comparison to other) that what i would be watching for. If you are DA age hopefully you got your development (skills/ general to good idea) of how to play. If you dont have those at this age you probably won't ever have them unless you are a freaky athlete. Just my opinion.
 
respectfully disagree. Learning how to win means scratching and clawing your way even when you are overmatched. The will to win is what coaches look for. At least if I were a college coach with a cushy job (in comparison to other) that what i would be watching for. If you are DA age hopefully you got your development (skills/ general to good idea) of how to play. If you dont have those at this age you probably won't ever have them unless you are a freaky athlete. Just my opinion.

It seems that your opinion would eliminate the need for DA altogether. Just look for players on the winningest youth teams.
 
It seems that your opinion would eliminate the need for DA altogether. Just look for players on the winningest youth teams.
No that is not what im saying. If US soccer is trying to teach what they want their soccer players to be then the DA is their pipeline. They want the hungriest kids. They want talented kids. They will filter out until they get the type player they want. Look at DA teams now. Coaches will and are not inviting kids back. Some teams only resigning as few as 2 players and recruiting the rest. Developing doesn't mean taking on a project and trying to make someone that is a tier 2 player into a tier 1 player. At least I don't believe that is what the DA is trying to do. Now if you are a college coach you will look at the winningest teams. Most recruiters cant be bothered with watching pool play. They watch the clubs that are consistently playing in the last games because they probably have the most talent. They look at the heavy hitters surf, Blues, West Coast, Slammers etc. If a kid is talented they are playing at one of those. But there is always the exceptions.
 
No that is not what im saying. If US soccer is trying to teach what they want their soccer players to be then the DA is their pipeline. They want the hungriest kids. They want talented kids. They will filter out until they get the type player they want. Look at DA teams now. Coaches will and are not inviting kids back. Some teams only resigning as few as 2 players and recruiting the rest. Developing doesn't mean taking on a project and trying to make someone that is a tier 2 player into a tier 1 player. At least I don't believe that is what the DA is trying to do. Now if you are a college coach you will look at the winningest teams. Most recruiters cant be bothered with watching pool play. They watch the clubs that are consistently playing in the last games because they probably have the most talent. They look at the heavy hitters surf, Blues, West Coast, Slammers etc. If a kid is talented they are playing at one of those. But there is always the exceptions.

What color was the koolaid they gave you?
 
tell me where im wrong

On the men's side of DA, the program was instituted with a 10-year plan to raise American player level to the prevailing international standard. Now that some DA players have started to be integrated into the national team level, we can see the results - failed to qualify for WC for the first time in 30 years.
 
On the men's side of DA, the program was instituted with a 10-year plan to raise American player level to the prevailing international standard. Now that some DA players have started to be integrated into the national team level, we can see the results - failed to qualify for WC for the first time in 30 years.
So what does that have to do with anything i said? I really don't care about the mens side. My boys don't play soccer. My girls do. Women's team seems to be doing fine. If people smarter than either you or me want to implement a plan then great. And since you don't have a plan or a system ill go with the pros. That road is to the next level is always paved with nay sayers........ And no i don't think my DDs are going to play at that level.
 
So what does that have to do with anything i said? I really don't care about the mens side. My boys don't play soccer. My girls do. Women's team seems to be doing fine. If people smarter than either you or me want to implement a plan then great. And since you don't have a plan or a system ill go with the pros. That road is to the next level is always paved with nay sayers........ And no i don't think my DDs are going to play at that level.

The women's side is doing fine with its disorganized program, because no one else has figured out how to do it better (but watch out for Japan and China). However, we need more than slogans on the men's side.
 
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