First year for '05 DA discussion

There's a few players on the 2004 Pats F2 from this Fall team that could probably hang on the DA team. And I heard they added some strong players. That will be the team to beat (IMO) in SCDSL F1 this year.
 
Interesting. I'm unfamiliar with their recruiting history. Are you referring to the current 04 Pats DA team? If so, do you think they may not have learned from that mistake for the 05s (Or could it be they don't think they made a mistake in signing players so early)? I know they held ID sessions in early January. From what I understand, they made offers to some outside players not too long after those ID sessions. I'm guessing they wanted to shore up commitments early, before the other DAs, and look to make offers to the strongest players from the current Pats 05 pre-academy after national cup.

I commented in the 04 DA thread that I got a chance to watch a Pats 04 DA practice not too long after those 05 ID sessions. This was a week or 2 before DA matches were scheduled to resume. I have to say that I was very impressed. It didn't look like a team that had lost almost all of their games in the 1st half. Although I only had that one practice to base my prediction, I had a feeling that they would start the second half of the season strong, and they did. I wouldn't call 4-0 and 6-0 clean sheets luck. Something changed. It'll be interesting to see how that 04 DA team evolves over the rest of this season and into the next.


Remember with DA teams, there are periods where national team callups happen and those kids can’t play during those weeks. That taints the scores in some games. I’m not saying here, but teams with multiple players on the national team are dramatically different without them.
 
There's a few players on the 2004 Pats F2 from this Fall team that could probably hang on the DA team. And I heard they added some strong players. That will be the team to beat (IMO) in SCDSL F1 this year.

Just asking, but if they can hang on DA, why not play DA? Why play flight 2 or flight 1 for that matter. And why stay at pats because flight 2 or 1 isn’t free. Ecnl and da are attractive options for 04.
 
Just asking, but if they can hang on DA, why not play DA? Why play flight 2 or flight 1 for that matter. And why stay at pats because flight 2 or 1 isn’t free. Ecnl and da are attractive options for 04.
I think it's based on what the player and parent end-game is. They like the team. They like the coach. They aren't looking at a scholarship. They are fine with practice 2x per week and an occasional private training or strength training here and there. They don't have to fly to games and/or miss school to do so.
 
Coaches are supposed to follow a curriculum set up by US soccer. How do we know if they are adhering to it? What if they arent?
 
US Soccer monitors them pretty closely, I think all are teaching the basic principles that are dictated to them. If they aren't, I would speak first to the coach directly..if that doesn't seem to go anywhere you could talk with the academy director.

Hopefully at the beginning of the year the coach(es) will outline their plans for the year. You should get a pretty good idea of what to expect and what is expected.
 
We're doomed if we are expecting our kids to develop based on following a curriculum produced by US Soccer!
Dude, I’ve posted again and again curriculum is the most important piece to any development. Until one is decided upon than it’s all nada. Only then will we see real development. And it has to be a program that incorporates creativity, IQ, and a style of play.
 
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Dude, I’ve posted again and again curriculum is the most important piece to any development. Until one is decided upon than it’s all nada. Only then will we see real development. And it has to be a program that incorporates creativity, IQ, and a style of play.
I’d say we might be better served with a bunch of different curriculum. Look at other sports in the US.
Basketball- so many styles of play. Run and gun. Zone (variety of options) defense. Pick and roll. Motion offense. Etc.
Football- so many different ways to play
Baseball- who cares? So boring
Hockey- variety of styles.

What each sport lives off of though is basic fundamental skills (which can be coached), individual creativity (which is done in pickup type of games or working on your own) and a variety of tactics based on the players you have and the game situation.
 
I’d say we might be better served with a bunch of different curriculum. Look at other sports in the US.
Basketball- so many styles of play. Run and gun. Zone (variety of options) defense. Pick and roll. Motion offense. Etc.
Football- so many different ways to play
Baseball- who cares? So boring
Hockey- variety of styles.

What each sport lives off of though is basic fundamental skills (which can be coached), individual creativity (which is done in pickup type of games or working on your own) and a variety of tactics based on the players you have and the game situation.
Soccer is not those sports. On the men’s side. Why is Germany and Spain where there at. Curriculum. France is on its way. Belgium too. Brazil has finally comeback to what made them great. Addendum- England and Australia and not to mention Japan on the women’s are making huge strides. I think Japan plays the best tactical soccer out there.

So I disagree on a different curriculum. Because on the girls side it’s to wide open and it’s not good. And the cracks are exposing themselves. If we ignore them well. It’s our fault.
 
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Soccer is not those sports. On the men’s side. Why is Germany and Spain where there at. Curriculum. France is on its way. Belgium too. Brazil has finally comeback to what made them great. Addendum- England and Australia and not to mention Japan on the women’s are making huge strides. I think Japan plays the best tactical soccer out there.

So I disagree on a different curriculum. Because on the girls side it’s to wide open and it’s not good. And the cracks are exposing themselves. If we ignore them well. It’s our fault.

Good post and I agree.....Concern is USSF being in charge of it. Clue. Less. That's the issue.

Surf, Slammers, Blues, Galaxy SB....there are some big old dogs that are coming in strong and going to just strengthen their hold on the age group if they add more talent.....would love to see how these teams do playing a year up....
 
I’d say those countries have a culture that teaches extremely technical and creative play. Not through curriculum but through backyard play, parents and kids knocking a ball around in the house and kids watching their favorite players on TV several hours per week.
Similar to how our kids interact with football and basketball.
Shooting a basketball underhand in the US is like toe-poking a soccer ball in Brazil. It just isn’t done past about 4 years old. But there are still some toe poking kids at the lower (rec) levels smashing a ball with their big toe.
I know many basketball playing kids in the US will spend hours in the driveway shooting layups and free throws. Or playing small games with 2-5 friends.
There are probably some soccer kids doing something similar. But those are the exception. If they are doing anything outside of practice it’s usually with a private trainer. (And lots of basketball kids now have private trainers too. But they are also messing around in the driveway “just for fun”)
So when those kids play on a “club / aau” basketball team they have pretty solid fundamental skills. And their coach then teaches them system/style of play that fits his ideals. Or fits the type of athletes he has on the team.
 
Dude, I’ve posted again and again curriculum is the most important piece to any development. Until one is decided upon than it’s all nada. Only then will we see real development. And it has to be a program that incorporates creativity,

Dude I know. Just because you keep repeating it doesn’t mean you’re right.

Schools across the nation follow the same curriculum with massive variance of results. Environment and quality of coaching staff are far more significant than any curriculum.
 
Dude I know. Just because you keep repeating it doesn’t mean you’re right.

Schools across the nation follow the same curriculum with massive variance of results. Environment and quality of coaching staff are far more significant than any curriculum.
Dude, you keep saying otherwise and doesn’t mean your right. In fact you believe in a method that does not work. As an educator myself yes we follow a curriculum but we have one. US Soccer does not.
 
I saw a 04 DA game this past weekend. One team following the system laid out by US soccer and the other clearly playing jungle ball. Do some investigation and watch your potential club and see what they are doing.
 
I saw a 04 DA game this past weekend. One team following the system laid out by US soccer and the other clearly playing jungle ball. Do some investigation and watch your potential club and see what they are doing.

Sometimes when a team is far superior and more athletic- the lesser team plays kickball because they are under more pressure than they are used to. That jungle ball team might look like Barca against a lesser team.
 
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