Well I guess congrats for Legends winning State Cup first off. Two years ago there was a parent who would post almost every game on YouTube. It was those videos that eventually put me here....
Cedar Stars Monmouth has added the two best players from Lehigh Valley Black over the Winter Break. Lehigh Valley is going to take a big fall in March. Cedar Stars is now on pace or better than PDA Legacy.
DKSC will likely stay on top until SuperCopa. I pick Cedar Stars to win every tournament they enter, including SuperCopa. PDA for some reason is not entering any tournaments at this point?
Seems like there is a lot of parody in SoCal this year. I have no idea who will come out on top at this point. One thing is for sure, they will be well represented if the GOATS go to SuperCopa.
Doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather get more touches on ball in 9v9. Big field is too big if majority of girls on team have not gone through growth spurts yet.Hearing top Slammers team might be playing only 11v 11 most of the season for ECNl preparations. Makes sense to me....
Let’s be honest, that’s debatable at best, 9 v 9 doesn’t resemble a big field game nor does it promote “good habits”.Doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather get more touches on ball in 9v9. Big field is too big if majority of girls on team have not gone through growth spurts yet.
What are "good habits" for U12 players that 11v11 promotes and 9v9 does not?Let’s be honest, that’s debatable at best, 9 v 9 doesn’t resemble a big field game nor does it promote “good habits”.
I think those teams are saying "we have girls that are ahead of the growth chart and we are not concerned." If they can pull it off, it is smart for them to get ready for 11 v 11 early. But the field size increase, game time increase, and roster size needed are all game changers and it will put a lot of strain on a 09 team.Doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather get more touches on ball in 9v9. Big field is too big if majority of girls on team have not gone through growth spurts yet.
What are "good habits" for U12 players that 11v11 promotes and 9v9 does not?
I think those teams are saying "we have girls that are ahead of the growth chart and we are not concerned." If they can pull it off, it is smart for them to get ready for 11 v 11 early. But the field size increase, game time increase, and roster size needed are all game changers and it will put a lot of strain on a 09 team.
Especially because there is an unexplainable drop off in the number of players starting with the G09 group. This is something that I have noticed but I now have numbers to back it up. For example, there were 215 '08 teams when they were U11 in 2019. There were only 185 '09 teams this year. There were 244 '08 teams across National Cup and State Cup this year. It remains to be seen how many '09 teams will be added - the likelihood of adding 50 teams to close the gap? Very little.
"What is 30 teams? It means nothing!" you say? Well, that means that there are approximately 15% fewer players. Hence, the whole economics of the clubs will change. And how you need to build the teams will change. Teams that recognize it and plan for it correctly (everyone will have their own way of responding) will survive.
"Winter is coming." - Jon Snow, also Joe Stalin
Bump in birth rates around 07/08 and been dropping since. View attachment 6496
The financial crisis of '08 and '09 definitely contributed to the decline in birth rates and partly explains the participation decline. But the sudden decline of 15% in participation doesn't get explained entirely because the birthrate did not drop by 15% between 08 and 09. Perhaps there are a lot of '09 girls in the '08 group. But clearly, something must've fundamentally changed a few years ago when '09 and '10 girls got into the game. Perhaps it is YouTube. Perhaps it is the price tag. In a few years, we will get to see if the participation is a steady and sustained decline.Bump in birth rates around 07/08 and been dropping since.
The financial crisis of '08 and '09 definitely contributed to the decline in birth rates and partly explains the participation decline. But the sudden decline of 15% in participation doesn't get explained entirely because the birthrate did not drop by 15% between 08 and 09. Perhaps there are a lot of '09 girls in the '08 group. But clearly, something must've fundamentally changed a few years ago when '09 and '10 girls got into the game. Perhaps it is YouTube. Perhaps it is the price tag. In a few years, we will get to see if the participation is a steady and sustained decline.
This bring me to the main topic of this thread...getting ready for the next season. As SoccerFan4Life mentioned, I think many people are having a lot of difficulties getting players this year. There is a fundamental issue of supply being cut off. And it will be a bigger problem next year when the roster size (demand) needs to increase. So, be patient friends! It is the only way, unless you are Duke and Kentucky who can get 5 star recruits every year. (As you can see, there are ways to beat Duke and Kentucky. You just can't play the same game as they do.)
What are the names of the ODP playersBesides the usual swap of players between Slammers FC and Blues, any other major players movement?
Is any ODP player changing club?