17-18 boys applications

DefenseWins said:
While I can see why TFA families would say this, it's assuming that US Soccer has been politicized, which I would hope isn't the case. However, they are geographically pretty darn close to So Cal's two MLS Academies. And once LAFC moves into their new stadium they'll be even closer together. With that said, because they always put a good product on the field for others to compete against, it IS a bummer.
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With BK at LAG and JC at LAFC working on the same style of soccer there is no need for TFA in central LA past U11. For the youngers, definitely still a market for them.
 
DefenseWins said:
While I can see why TFA families would say this, it's assuming that US Soccer has been politicized, which I would hope isn't the case. However, they are geographically pretty darn close to So Cal's two MLS Academies. And once LAFC moves into their new stadium they'll be even closer together. With that said, because they always put a good product on the field for others to compete against, it IS a bummer.
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Some politics play a role in just about everything but the ussda does have a strict criteria for applications: http://www.ussoccerda.com/overview-join-the-academy

Geography, location of several other existing da clubs in the LA county area.

TFA has'nt been around that long traditionally focused on the younger ages so may not have much to show for players in the YNT or pro levels yet.

TFA's staffing doesn't have former world cup players as a director, coaches, or really any high profile ex soccer players or anything like that I'm sure doesn't help when looking at one of the criteria.

I watched some of the TFA u12's at the futsal showcases this past weekend and I was impressed, those players stood out compared to the other teams.

What would help everyone not just TFA is a more open approach with real regulation & promotion where some of establishment that has lost its ways can be replaced with those org, coaches, and teams doing a better job of development.
 
Distraction said:
With BK at LAG and JC at LAFC working on the same style of soccer there is no need for TFA in central LA past U11. For the youngers, definitely still a market for them.
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If LAG and LAFC are serious about their first team playing in that style, surely it's in their interests that as many clubs as possible in southern california play that same way.
 
One change I heard about this past weekend is for the youngest age group DA U12 scores will not keep any longer starting in the 17-18' season. Currently, there are no standing until U15/16 but scores are kept for all events and age groups.

Is this a good idea? Will this diminish the competitive spirit, will and desire to win or this help player, clubs, teams to work on their identity, style of play without being overly concerned with the game results?
 
younothat said:
One change I heard about this past weekend is for the youngest age group DA U12 scores will not keep any longer starting in the 17-18' season. Currently, there are no standing until U15/16 but scores are kept for all events and age groups.

Is this a good idea? Will this diminish the competitive spirit, will and desire to win or this help player, clubs, teams to work on their identity, style of play without being overly concerned with the game results?
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I remember when SCDSL started doing this and everyone was up in arms over it. At the end of the day we have posters on the forum who will share the scores ..... hopefully.
 
Everyone has heard this analogy but I'll repeat it. When Germany reformulated its national culture when it came to soccer and abandoned scorelines until the older ages, above 13 I think it was, 10 years later they won the world cup. I think this was done across European countries and not just Germany. Someone on the forum probably knows. If this works, why not try it? Do you think the kids really care or is it just the parents that care? Parents ruin the game for the kids, we know this. We also know that kids know that they played good or not, usually. They have the rest of their life to work on winning and losing. What about just developing?
 
uburoi said:
Everyone has heard this analogy but I'll repeat it. When Germany reformulated its national culture when it came to soccer and abandoned scorelines until the older ages, above 13 I think it was, 10 years later they won the world cup. I think this was done across European countries and not just Germany. Someone on the forum probably knows. If this works, why not try it? Do you think the kids really care or is it just the parents that care? Parents ruin the game for the kids, we know this. We also know that kids know that they played good or not, usually. They have the rest of their life to work on winning and losing. What about just developing?
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Too many parents and coaches over value winning. Someone here even mentioned abandoning good soccer as long as it gives you a chance of winning a big tournament.
 
younothat said:
One change I heard about this past weekend is for the youngest age group DA U12 scores will not keep any longer starting in the 17-18' season. Currently, there are no standing until U15/16 but scores are kept for all events and age groups.

Is this a good idea? Will this diminish the competitive spirit, will and desire to win or this help player, clubs, teams to work on their identity, style of play without being overly concerned with the game results?
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If you are not keeping scores or standings, why bother with goalkeepers or defense? If the opponents put the ball in your net, you just get the ball back halfway up the field, for free.
 
When these discussions pop up, I always find myself going back to 3four3 and spending some time reading. What does Gary say on the subject? I can never find the blogs that I think I remember, and I usually just find the ones that make me realize that he would call me an idiot, ignorant, and an amateur (and he is probably right).

Here is one I found today:

Winning vs Development: Really? That’s the problem?
http://blog.3four3.com/2010/12/11/winning-vs-soccer-development-really-thats-the-problem/

Read through his replies in the comments. It is definitely worth it.

When it comes to deciding whether we should keep score, I wonder if we should ask the players what they think. I remember back when my son was 4 and playing in his first community league. There were no scores kept by adults. But my son sure did. He always knew the score. He plays soccer because you score points. This is a kid who stopped riding his bike that same year. I love bike riding and was looking forward to years of riding with him. When I asked him why he stopped, his answer was "You can't score points on a bike." For my son, scoring points matters. Scoring more points than the other team is what drives him to get better. He cares about his development because he knows it will help him win. If all of the training had no end result he wouldn't be interested in putting in the hard work needed to get better.

Who does a development-only model serve? The kids? Hardly. 99.9% of them will never get to a level where they can practice that development. Might it be better for US soccer in the long run? Might the US national team win more games? Might the MLS be prettier to watch? Maybe. But my kid really doesn't give a damn about whether the US national team wins more games sometime in the future. That will not motivate him to work hard, pay attention in practice, and try to apply what he has learned on the soccer field. Winning is what motivates him to do those things.
 
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mahrez said:
Second Largest Development Academy Expansion Welcomes 17 New Clubs for 2017-2018 Season
17 Clubs, 165 teams and 2 divisions added for 2017-18 Development Academy Season
http://www.ussoccerda.com/20170203-development-academy-expansion-announcement
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Nothing in there about how well the "development" is doing except a throwaway line at the end about how many Academy graduates are playing pro and MNT. How much better are those players than they would have been without DA?
 
Adding 165 teams for the 17-18 is more than most would have guessed, ussda is really increasing at a rate (more so in other parts of the county) not seen before these last two seasons:

SoCal Summary:

NEW CLUBS WELCOMED AT U-11/12:
  • Legends FC (LA)
  • Los Angeles Premier FC (LA)
  • Murrieta Surf Soccer Club (LA)
EXISTING CLUBS PROMOTED INTO U-13 & U14:
  • LA Galaxy San Diego (Southwest)
  • Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) (Southwest)
EXISTING CLUBS PROMOTED INTO U-15:
  • Albion SC (Southwest)
  • Los Angeles United Futbol Academy (Southwest)
EXISTING CLUBS PROMOTED INTO U-16/17:
  • Albion SC (Southwest)
 
What is unsaid in this announcement, but should be considered carefully by parents in the 2006 age group who are considering Development Academy for their son starting this coming season when they become eligible for U12, is that very few clubs that received U12 Academy slots last year were promoted to the U13 age groups (pretty much only the academies affiliated with professional clubs). Clubs may promise that they are applying to get full academy in future years, but the evidence suggests that those efforts are unlikely to succeed. That means if you move from your existing team to take a spot on a DA team in a club that only has a U12 Academy Program, there is a very good chance you will have to move again the following year if you want to stay in the DA. Moreover, because the pool of U12 Academy clubs is intentionally much larger than the clubs with U13 DA teams (150 v. 115 in 2017-2018), many kids won't even be able to stay in the DA after this one year and they will have to not only move to a third club in three years, but they (and their parents) will have to accept a "demotion" back to regular club soccer. It's not a reason not to take the leap (as they say, "you can't win if you don't enter"), but it is something to consider. It's easier to get into DA now than ever before because of the increased number of entry-level slots, but the high school-level slots really haven't changed in the last several years. It's a wider funnel, with a very narrow spout.
 
DefenseWins said:
Add Rebels Soccer Club from San Diego to your new U-11/12 clubs.
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NEW CLUBS WELCOMED AT U-11/12:
  • Legends FC (LA)
  • Los Angeles Premier FC (LA)
  • Murrieta Surf Soccer Club (LA)
  • Rebels Soccer Club (San Diego)

Dargle said:
What is unsaid in this announcement, but should be considered carefully by parents in the 2006 age group who are considering Development Academy for their son starting this coming season when they become eligible for U12, is that very few clubs that received U12 Academy slots last year were promoted to the U13 age groups (pretty much only the academies affiliated with professional clubs). Clubs may promise that they are applying to get full academy in future years, but the evidence suggests that those efforts are unlikely to succeed. That means if you move from your existing team to take a spot on a DA team in a club that only has a U12 Academy Program, there is a very good chance you will have to move again the following year if you want to stay in the DA. Moreover, because the pool of U12 Academy clubs is intentionally much larger than the clubs with U13 DA teams (150 v. 115 in 2017-2018), many kids won't even be able to stay in the DA after this one year and they will have to not only move to a third club in three years, but they (and their parents) will have to accept a "demotion" back to regular club soccer. It's not a reason not to take the leap (as they say, "you can't win if you don't enter"), but it is something to consider. It's easier to get into DA now than ever before because of the increased number of entry-level slots, but the high school-level slots really haven't changed in the last several years. It's a wider funnel, with a very narrow spout.
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The ussda way of promotion (subtraction + philosophy buy in, geography, player production, etc) is different and does favor the establishment or existing members more than new ones. One could say those late to the party have a more difficult time being invited back to other parties. For these new U11/12 clubs there are some methods to mitigate ... 07's (thats why u11 is listed) in certain numbers so they can play next year at u12 again for example.

U12 was new this year and one year in the league clubs were not a priority over new geographical regions or clubs, for example, this expansion year. You really have to stand out if you're not an MLS or pro affiliate but as we've seen with these promos possible for high value smaller to mid-size niche clubs.

Since there is no normal promo/reg system this hybrid approach...the number of players are way up in ussda even for the high school kids nut yes there is a pyramid of numbers to some extent just like number of HS players to college ones...U18/19...numbers reduce drastically
 
mahrez said:
Adding 165 teams for the 17-18 is more than most would have guessed, ussda is really increasing at a rate (more so in other parts of the county) not seen before these last two seasons:

EXISTING CLUBS PROMOTED INTO U-13 & U14:
  • LA Galaxy San Diego (Southwest)
  • Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) (Southwest)
Click to expand...

So who's the LAFC team? Is this the '03 Slammers Godinez team?
 
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