Girls Development Academy

C.A.M. said:
1. Never said they didnt have good players. They sure the hell wouldn't have beat us if they didn't. Other teams playing their way still were shut out and controlled. We had our chances and didn't finish. They had theirs and did. In fact, they are right behind some other IE/ECNL powerhouses with their style. They beat Beach Demelo in National Cup which is no easy feat. They were playing to win the tournament. We were playing to perfect our style and try to win within the system we play. Neither of us accomplished our goal.
2. Didn't subtly trash the team. I explained the differences I saw between the DA and non DA teams. I don't do anything subtly. I say what I mean. Not trying to fight with you, just asking you not to put a spin on my words please. I didn't say any team was bad.
3. I didn't see their other games. Against us they played EXTREMELY DIRECT. We would have them buried deep in their own end and they were launching the ball from their defenders to however far they could for their players to run on. It wasn't tactical counter attacking. It was kick and chase and they are damn good at it. I have seen the video and man that ball was flying in the air back and forth and not to feet. That's my version of kickball.
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I have never seen them play kickball but then again it was about 100 degrees so I can understand how it would get to that point. But the underlying comment was basically DA teams were trying to play the "right" way and non-DA teams not. Something about their objectives being different.... as in, only the DAa teams was there to develop and improve. If this is the first time you have been on a team where winning less important than development, then you have been doing it wrong. There are a lot of non-DA clubs and coaches that have been teaching a nice possession, play out the back style for years. And while your team may have struggled with that, I can name several non DA teams that wouldn't because they have been doing it for years.

Basically in conclusion don't trash another team just because yours lost. And yes calling them direct, kickball, with only goal of winning is trashing them.
 
When kids are only 14 you can win consistently playing direct. Especially if you have kids that have matured early. The issue is that by the time your kids turn 16/17 you can't win consistently playing that style. But let's not confuse kickball with playing direct. To me kickball means the player kicks the ball when they see it with little or no thought in actually passing to an open player. Playing direct means kicking from the back to a fast forward who can beat a defender and run on to the ball hopefully scoring.

Yes, a direct style has its place especially if you can create a breakaway but by the older ages the goalies and defenders usually can shut down that style of play. Learning to play out of the back with possession can be brutal at first but well worth it in the end. It eventually gives a team more options but it can take several years to develop this style of play. The truly great teams can modify their style of play to what works best against their opponent.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
When kids are only 14 you can win consistently playing direct. Especially if you have kids that have matured early. The issue is that by the time your kids turn 16/17 you can't win consistently playing that style. But let's not confuse kickball with playing direct. To me kickball means the player kicks the ball when they see it with little or no thought in actually passing to an open player. Playing direct means kicking from the back to a fast forward who can beat a defender and run on to the ball hopefully scoring.

Yes, a direct style has its place especially if you can create a breakaway but by the older ages the goalies and defenders usually can shut down that style of play. Learning to play out of the back with possession can be brutal at first but well worth it in the end. It eventually gives a team more options but it can take several years to develop this style of play. The truly great teams can modify their style of play to what works best against their opponent.
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I agree with you, however, I have seen plenty of college teams that can't stop direct play. Defender is one of the hardest positions to play at a high level and it is even harder to recruit because it's so hard to know which kids are going to easily adapt to the college game. There are so many subtleties to defending at the highest levels that few teams have what I would consider a good defense. You will also be surprised to see how many kickball college teams there are. A direct team won the National Championship this year. We are probably a generation away from that changing and it starts at the top.
 
MakeAPlay said:
I agree with you, however, I have seen plenty of college teams that can't stop direct play. Defender is one of the hardest positions to play at a high level and it is even harder to recruit because it's so hard to know which kids are going to easily adapt to the college game. There are so many subtleties to defending at the highest levels that few teams have what I would consider a good defense. You will also be surprised to see how many kickball college teams there are. A direct team won the National Championship this year. We are probably a generation away from that changing and it starts at the top.
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I understand. My dd become a defender two years ago. She very rarely gets beat but when she does it could very well lead to a goal. A striker can fail most of the time and is looking for the opportunity to get it right once or twice a game. A defender needs to get it right every time. Add to the equation that she is expected to get forward in the attack also and it results in a very complex position to play.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
I understand. My dd become a defender two years ago. She very rarely gets beat but when she does it could very well lead to a goal. A striker can fail most of the time and is looking for the opportunity to get it right once or twice a game. A defender needs to get it right every time. Add to the equation that she is expected to get forward in the attack also and it results in a very complex position to play.
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Complex yet extremely valuable...
 
MakeAPlay said:
I agree with you, however, I have seen plenty of college teams that can't stop direct play. Defender is one of the hardest positions to play at a high level and it is even harder to recruit because it's so hard to know which kids are going to easily adapt to the college game. There are so many subtleties to defending at the highest levels that few teams have what I would consider a good defense. You will also be surprised to see how many kickball college teams there are. A direct team won the National Championship this year. We are probably a generation away from that changing and it starts at the top.
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and why I roll my eyes reading.....my team is DA and the players are being trained to play the right way, because as time passes younger parents will realize there are a lot of direct college teams who don't play possession.

The players need to learn how to play both ways!
 
Simisoccerfan said:
I understand. My dd become a defender two years ago. She very rarely gets beat but when she does it could very well lead to a goal. A striker can fail most of the time and is looking for the opportunity to get it right once or twice a game. A defender needs to get it right every time. Add to the equation that she is expected to get forward in the attack also and it results in a very complex position to play.
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Unfortunately, defending is not the responsibility of only the back 4....All of the field players are defenders also and this should have been taught by the club coaches.
 
NoGoal said:
and why I roll my eyes reading.....my team is DA and the players are being trained to play the right way, because as time passes younger parents will realize there are a lot of direct college teams who don't play possession.

The players need to learn how to play both ways!
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I honestly think that the reason that $C won the championship last season because they were willing and able to play direct against the teams that were superior to them. A team with a tough defense and the ability to get in behind an opponents backline is tough. It also helps if they can strike from distance and are extremely physical too.
 
NoGoal said:
Defending is not just the back 4....All of the field players are defenders also.
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The best defensive teams have forwards that track back and midfielders that don't let player run free at the backline. The less often a centerback gets pulled away from the middle the better. A certain centerback that I know of gets pretty upset when she gets pulled away from the middle due to midfielders and wide players not tracking runners.
 
NoGoal said:
Unfortunately, defending is not the responsibility of only the back 4....All of the field players are defenders also and this should have been taught by the club coaches.
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Exactly. Which is why the defensive (holding) midfielder is such a tough position as well. Responsible for defending, maintaining possession and initiating offense.
 
MakeAPlay said:
I honestly think that the reason that $C won the championship last season because they were willing and able to play direct against the teams that were superior to them. A team with a tough defense and the ability to get in behind an opponents backline is tough. It also helps if they can strike from distance and are extremely physical too.
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and why the strategy vs possession teams is to drop deep aka park the bus and counter attack. We see it all levels of the game from club, YNT, national teams and pro teams.

Everyone talks about Barca and their possession game, but let's not forget the back to back reigning UEFA Champs is Real Madrid.
 
NoGoal said:
If you ask my DD who has played the 10, a false 9, 7 and 11, and the 2 and 3 positions. She will say the 7 and 11 positions.
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Thanks NG, but I was being a smart ass with my question. Since you responded, my DD has played every position with her current team (including GK a few weeks ago). When they play a 3-5-2, she says outside mid is the most running since they play box to box. I think all the positions are difficult to play well. Its like asking which symphony instrument is easiest to play well.
 
outside! said:
Thanks NG, but I was being a smart ass with my question. Since you responded, my DD has played every position with her current team (including GK a few weeks ago). When they play a 3-5-2, she says outside mid is the most running since they play box to box. I think all the positions are difficult to play well. Its like asking which symphony instrument is easiest to play well.
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My DD said the same, winger/wingback runs a lot defends and has to attack.
 
outside! said:
Thanks NG, but I was being a smart ass with my question. Since you responded, my DD has played every position with her current team (including GK a few weeks ago). When they play a 3-5-2, she says outside mid is the most running since they play box to box. I think all the positions are difficult to play well. Its like asking which symphony instrument is easiest to play well.
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The 8 on my player's team routinely has her GPS hit 9-9 and a half miles in a game! She almost hit a 60 on her beep test so she is extremely fit (and has to be).
 
NoGoal said:
and why the strategy vs possession teams is to drop deep aka park the bus and counter attack. We see it all levels of the game from club, YNT, national teams and pro teams.

Everyone talks about Barca and their possession game, but let's not forget the back to back reigning UEFA Champs is Real Madrid.
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Thanks NoGoal you beat me to it. RM has never really been identified as a possession team. Sure they play in Spain, La Liga which is possession oriented but they are a counterattacking/direct team. I don't see anyone diminishing the fact that Real won two Champions Leagues ( I hate em and am I Barca Homer) by saying yeah they won but they won direct. They won! Map get over it. I will take $SC anyday over fascist UC! They won a Natty. The only people that try to diminish it are a few on here that think they play "possession" more than SC. UCLA does not play Barca possession so get over it. They play sorta possession. USC played sorta possession against Stanford and NC last year and smashed them. They did not play sorta possession against WVU. As Nogoal profoundly described it, we absorbed the pressure and countered/played direct and won. There are quite a few on our team that could play possession. But definitely not enough in the final or enough with the proper IQ to play it under those circumstances. Who remembers WVU? Oh they played possession - and they lost! Who the f' cares. WVU was the only team we played all year that was more athletic than us. They choked in the mental/tactical department. Possession soccer is a fundamental teaching tool. If you have that foundation you can play any style and employ any tactic. I believe it is not vice versa. If you only have learned to play direct jungle soccer you cannot play possession. You do not have the fundamental tools. If there are those that believe that the DA is going to change it you are confused. For the "most" part the same tools that were coaching in ECNL that US Soccer didn't like are now the DA coaches. What do you think you are going to get? Is there going to be a revolution of possession oriented new female soccer players being created? Doubt it. The only ones that will be developing them are the ones that were doing it before whether in or out of DA/ECNL/not in either.
 
pulguita said:
Thanks NoGoal you beat me to it. RM has never really been identified as a possession team. Sure they play in Spain, La Liga which is possession oriented but they are a counterattacking/direct team. I don't see anyone diminishing the fact that Real won two Champions Leagues ( I hate em and am I Barca Homer) by saying yeah they won but they won direct. They won! Map get over it. I will take $SC anyday over fascist UC! They won a Natty. The only people that try to diminish it are a few on here that think they play "possession" more than SC. UCLA does not play Barca possession so get over it. They play sorta possession. USC played sorta possession against Stanford and NC last year and smashed them. They did not play sorta possession against WVU. As Nogoal profoundly described it, we absorbed the pressure and countered/played direct and won. There are quite a few on our team that could play possession. But definitely not enough in the final or enough with the proper IQ to play it under those circumstances. Who remembers WVU? Oh they played possession - and they lost! Who the f' cares. WVU was the only team we played all year that was more athletic than us. They choked in the mental/tactical department. Possession soccer is a fundamental teaching tool. If you have that foundation you can play any style and employ any tactic. I believe it is not vice versa. If you only have learned to play direct jungle soccer you cannot play possession. You do not have the fundamental tools. If there are those that believe that the DA is going to change it you are confused. For the "most" part the same tools that were coaching in ECNL that US Soccer didn't like are now the DA coaches. What do you think you are going to get? Is there going to be a revolution of possession oriented new female soccer players being created? Doubt it. The only ones that will be developing them are the ones that were doing it before whether in or out of DA/ECNL/not in either.
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First of all @pulguita I love you to death and agree with you 95% of the time so let me start with that. Now let's talk about $C and possession. You say that the only team that was more athletic than your beloved Trojans was WVU but I clearly remember them looking pretty thugish and bad against a more athletic, more possession oriented and just plain better UCLA team. Next, to say that UCLA doesn't play possession is just down right false and you know it. Do they play like Barca? Of course not. Do they have the best possession pieces in the country? Ask the U20 WNT what they think about UCLA's possession. Yes the $C rugby team won the national championship last year. Mills still plays like a thug in the league. Johnson still looks average in front of g0al. Prudhomme still hasn't gotten into a game. Freeman is the only one that is playing well as a pro and I can show you video of her getting megged by a UCLA player in that game (not to mention she wasn't even the best defender on the field that night!). I also remember a certain player laying Morgan Andrews out just to send her a message and dispossessing her repeatedly. Was Alex Anthony even in that game? I ask because my player said that she wasn't very good and she made her look pretty average. You know that $C isn't a possession team. They have the chance to prove it this year. They will be preseason number one but we all know the truth.

Enjoy the Natty. My player plans on getting one herself this year along with plenty of hardware to come along with it.
 
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