pooka
SILVER ELITE
I never said all. I said plenty. I never pointed out a certain body type or speed. I never put down anyone's kid. I never pointed out anyone's kid. Please don't put words in my mouth. Don't take it personal because you feel someone is talking about your girl or a friend/teammate who has seen success. My kid has been on the team with girls who will continue to be successful and girls who will fall off. This is just how it is.
I said it because it's true. I have been railing on this topic for over two years. I said it because I watch them play and not as a parent, but as an observer and student of the game. Like any athlete in any sport the best system is the system that fits the mind frame and physical abilities of that particular player. Value of a player depends on the system.
If you have an issue with my statements then in effect you have an issue with the DA system and why it was created. Our failures at the YNT international level is clearly showing we are lacking girls with the ability to pass and defend in the midfield. I didn't make this up. I stayed up in the middle of the night and was horrified observing Japan run through with ease. The whole time the announcers were praising this American midfielder unable to defend or get out of her own way forcing the other mids and the defenders to cover for her so Japan had open passing lanes. ALL DAY!
You see my issue is with the coaches being obsessed with a certain type of player that looks good, but isn't effective. My issue is with coaches putting fast girls up top and having them chase the ball and score with speed, but not teaching them the hold up 9 game and how to pass. My issue is with midfielders who over dribble, dribble into double teams and lose the ball and never connect with their fellow midfielders, wings and forwards but stays on the field while a midfielder who touches it twice and feeds the ball properly is benched because it just doesn't look fancy enough. My issue is with a 10 that loses the ball and can't waste her precious energy to go get it back right away but stays on the field over the effective 2 way player.
My issue is we pay these damn coaches to develop these girls and most of them don't.
The girls we have propped up as stars through ECNL/ODP are no match for the midfields that Germany, France, Japan, South Korea and now Mexico throw at us. Our disjointed version of kickball masquerading as "direct play" is easily shut down by back fours who don't send the wings forward leaving them exposed for the counter and every top country has figured it out.
If a current "star" becomes a "great" or "good" player it isn't necessarily his/her fault at U15. The systems they have been in are geared towards winning because that is what is best for the clubs. Showmanship gets more kids through the door. I know plenty of good defenders who will not be effective in this system where they must trap the ball and pass out to the wings and not just boot it up. I know plenty of fantastic strikers that will struggle because they can't play with their backs to goal and feed the wings and mids making runs. I know plenty of keepers who will struggle because they have never been taught to play out the back.
So yeah I said it. Frankly I don't give a shit if you like it or not. Truth hurts.
Been holding that in for a while huh? Feel better? GOOD! Now I'm not sure why you felt the need to cuss at me, and tell me you don't give a shit. I mean we are strangers on an Internet forum, here for amusement and obsession. I obviously don't give a shit what you think either. Now on to my thoughts....
I don't take anything personally about my child lol. You don't know who she is or how she plays. I take issue with the thinly veiled hopefulness that all of the second team parents are spewing on here that DA will be their DD final rise to the top. And not because they have worked to get there, but because it will "expose" the previous top girls. Wtf does that even mean? I don't like it because it ignores the fundamental truth that other girls' success is not at the expense of your precious snowflake who can pass the ball. If the snowflake was elite, then damnit she would just be elite! There's nobody that could overshadow that. No matter if a coach did favor a certain player. Talent is undeniable.
Now I do agree with you that coaching in the US overall sucks. Perhaps us soccer should have started with that. I do disagree with the whole idea of DA. Why? Because after a decade, hey have not achieved a damn thing on the boys side. Our BNT suck, our MNT suck, and the boys DA has done nothing to improve it. Soooo now all of a sudden, they want to mess with th girls side? Why not change their coaching curriculum?
Our girls YNT definitely need a shakeup of girls. Perhaps a new scouting system. Perhaps just staking it with girls from blues and surf and PDA isn't enough anymore.our WNT is finally getting a shakeup in personnel and diversity. Perhaps if we had cut some of the relics earlier, we would have had more success last year. But @C.A.M. i tell you what, message me and tell me what team your dd is on, and let's really observe this "amazing" da curriculum you're raving about over the next year.
im happy for all the girls, no matter the patch. But for the love of god stop trying to beat us over the head with this DA superiority thing when it hasn't even launched.