How important is it to play ussda at the younger ages?

There are no strict guarantee's for playing time in the DA league, rather mandates and recommendations

More of an honor system where the individual coaches manage playing time, during the reviews and audits clubs will hear from the scouts and whatnot if there out of balance much. Players who don't get the recommended minutes have options during the transfer windows .

With the two teams in the U12 age group there is some flexibility, often what happens often is there is "a" and "b" groups and kids positioning themselves to play with one group or the other during the week.

Don't pursue DA if you're concerned much about even playing time, most teams & coaches care more about the results than if x player has played in x minutes or started x games.

If you think your player will/or can be a starter, has been outstanding in their prior/current league play DA might be a good fit.

DA is a big commitment, there are some tradeoffs and you really have to be dedicated for the 3-4 practices a week & 10-month season to make things out well. Some young kids might have the skills, desire but they also have to/show some maturity to do more, improve and be consistent week in and week out.
 
DA does a lot of reviews of player development, each team is suppose to be evaluated by Scout's at least 10x a year with each club getting 2 formal evals with feedback in many(-100x) categories.

More Training & Meaningful games /W top coaches is what DA is about.
 
I'm at an academy setup where the players are great, but the constant problem is availability of coaching to adequately allow players to improve their ability. My son improved because the other teams were really good and applied pressure and don't allow for mistakes in any situation. As a result, my son's touches are great because this was always his strength and drills are good, but his decision making has not really improved and his tactical improvement is negligible. He did have an injury and it was nagging for a while, and I think that didn't help.

So here's where I find myself - part of a great organization, with great players around, but the truth is I don't see my son really improving. The reality is I have to believe that it is him mainly and not external factors, because if we don't look introspectively at these situations we wind up moving our kid around to the next situation because it's someone else's fault. But I ask myself - what is another situation? I don't want to play for another club, which costs more, the parents are annoying and all think their kids are superstars, the travel is the same, it's hard to get players, not all players are serious as where we are now. If there is decision on USSDA next year maybe that's where we find our fate - he makes it or doesn't. I'm fine with either, but I still ask myself. Do I go find a futsal league close to home so he can develop? We're already doing extra training with a great coach, but not enough of it. Also noting that my son has grown wider but not taller, which is part of the growth pattern I've seen in other kids, and there are growing pains I saw my daughter endure. I file this all under development too. Thanks.
 
uburoi yes futsal is a good way to continue developing. With the fall season component winding down this is a good time.

For tryouts for the new teams, dates and type vary. Some will hold tryouts either open or by invite around the 1st 3 months of the year, others ones after st/nt cups, and possibly ones later spring if they still are looking for players. Can also be a combination of all three, less or more. Best to check with the clubs you're interested in early to see what their plans are, normally when the coaches are named you know,

DA doesn't roster or register to mid to late august so the process can be drawn out through the spring, tournaments, etc until things are set.

 
SBFDad said:
USSDA teams are pretty selective. If you have young ones that you'd like to see playing in a true academy somewhere down the road, I recommend extra training early and often and finding a coach and team that focuses on technical and tactical aspects of the game. The higher level players you can get your kids playing with and against, the better.
Click to expand...
I would like to add that you make sure that your player has the desire, drive and passion to pursue academy status otherwise you'll be in for a long and expensive ride only to have him/her decide that they are no longer interested in soccer. Make sure that they are enjoying their soccer experience in such a competitive arena because pushing them too far rather than incouraging them may become a heartbreaking moment in the future. Just make certain you allow them to be kids too and not just soccer robots. I've witnessed this firsthand with my oldest, soccer burnout is a huge bummer...luckily I had 2 other chances to get it right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top