# Whats coming next?



## SOCCERMINION (Mar 12, 2018)

So this is US Soccer Plan for our Girls?
 2016 we get the age change causing players to move to different teams based on birth date. 
 2017 We get DA and players have to move teams again based on clubs affiliation or if girls want to play with teams other than DA.
2018 Now this year having  Dual age groups mean last years top DA starters have to choose between  bench warming or changing to alternative league. More team movements.
2019- Hmm whats next, _ I guess more DA clubs in each region to add to travel costs and allow for more choices to again cause more player movements.
2020- Even more DA Clubs added to each region and promote DPL to all regions to cause more player movements._
 If US soccer's goal is to get our girls accustomed to starting over with new teams and rosters every year, check that box. 
I guess when they select the few players from all of DA teams to try out for the rational teams each year, they ready want them ready and accustomed to playing with a new team.
Hmm . make you wonder how our girls would be if they all just left things alone and our girls stayed playing with their same teams in the same leagues with there existing coaches, and  the coaches had similar rosters for a few years straight to develop our girls into great team players.


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## coachsamy (Mar 12, 2018)

SOCCERMINION said:


> So this is US Soccer Plan for our Girls?
> 2016 we get the age change causing players to move to different teams based on birth date.
> 2017 We get DA and players have to move teams again based on clubs affiliation or if girls want to play with teams other than DA.
> 2018 Now this year having  Dual age groups mean last years top DA starters have to choose between  bench warming or changing to alternative league. More team movements.
> ...


I actually like the team shuffling. It makes the kids compete for a roster spot and not get complacent that will be the starter on the team because of whatever circumstances had allowed in the past. National teams  which is for what DA "develops" for, are normally not the same lineup in a constant basis, therefore getting kids to play outside their comfort zone and compete against different kids that also want their spot.


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## Dummy (Mar 12, 2018)

US Soccer has had more than a century to develop world class players and teams.  Its results speak for themselves.  It now seems to have given up on that and wants to run youth soccer programs for that vast majority of players that will never be selected for ODP let alone the National Team.  Maybe this will help them sell more jerseys and tickets?  Good luck to all the families without unicorns that live in places where their players are stuck in the system you so aptly describe.


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## timbuck (Mar 12, 2018)

What is your end goal?
If it’s the USWNT then DA is where you need to be. And you and your daughter need to be honest with yourselves on whether this is realistic.  If 4 days of training plus games is not enough for her and she is playing a lot and making a difference in every game-  then she might have a chance. If your kid is in the lower age end of a split age group and doesn’t make the team- is she really National Team potential?  If she doesn’t make it on the split age team, will she work tirelessly to make sure she never gets cut again?
If playing in college with some money to cover costs, then you play DA or ECNL.  Probably whichever gives you the most playing time.  And she needs to want to train everyday and think about nothing but soccer all day long.

If either of these options are your end game-  then you need to prepare for the soccer shuffle of moving teams and take whatever US soccer throws at you.

For the rest of us-  find a good team, with a good coach, good families, relatively close to home with a cost that you can afford.  And hope that you are raising athletic girls that grow up to be athletic, smart, confident women.


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## mirage (Mar 12, 2018)

SOCCERMINION said:


> So this is US Soccer Plan for our Girls?...


Actually the only thing unique to the girls in your post is the formation and promoting DPL.  Everything else either already had happened long ago or apply simultaneous to the boys.

*"2016 we get the age change causing players to move to different teams based on birth date."*
Apply to boys too.  Fully supported and still support the move (my kid is Nov Bday so no advantage) to coincide with the rest of the world.

*"2017 We get DA and players have to move teams again based on clubs affiliation or if girls want to play with teams other than DA."*
Its been this way for the boys for over 10 years.

*"2018 Now this year having Dual age groups mean last years top DA starters have to choose between bench warming or changing to alternative league. More team movements."*
It used to be that U18/17, U16/15 and U14.  And it was always calendar year for DA.  Inserting U15 and adding U12~13 were done at the same time (I think, my kid was past these age when happened) for both genders, and changed the combined ages to U19/18, and U17/16.  

Its really not a big deal.  Kids are done with puberty and its no different than multiple grade players playing on a high school Varsity team.  Good players will play regardless of where they are in the age grouping.  USSF encourages clubs to play younger talented players up so that they face stronger competition.

*"2019- Hmm whats next, I guess more DA clubs in each region to add to travel costs and allow for more choices to again cause more player movements."*
Adding more clubs locally for lower age provides LESS traveling for those players, not more.  At the older ages, there is some travel involved.  When my kid played DA, we traveled all up and down the west coast - Vancouver to Arizona.  Most players like playing teams from other regions (and MLS academies e.g., Whitecaps, Seattle Sounders, Timbers and so on...)

_*2020- Even more DA Clubs added to each region and promote DPL to all regions to cause more player movements.*_
That's couple of years from now and who knows.  But for now, its girls side only.

You always have a choice not to play DA.  There are other venues.  You knew going into the DA league what it is about....


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## AFC (Mar 12, 2018)

timbuck said:


> What is your end goal?
> If it’s the USWNT then DA is where you need to be. And you and your daughter need to be honest with yourselves on whether this is realistic.  If 4 days of training plus games is not enough for her and she is playing a lot and making a difference in every game-  then she might have a chance. If your kid is in the lower age end of a split age group and doesn’t make the team- is she really National Team potential?  If she doesn’t make it on the split age team, we she work tirelessly to make sure she never gets cut again?
> If playing in college with some money to cover costs, then you play DA or ECNL.  Probably whichever gives you the most playing time.  And she needs to want to train everyday and think about nothing but soccer all day long.
> 
> ...


It makes me wonder how girls made National team and won World Cup before DA and ECNL?


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## timbuck (Mar 12, 2018)

AFC said:


> It makes me wonder how girls made National team and won World Cup before DA and ECNL?


US Soccer relied on colleges to do the work for them.


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## coachsamy (Mar 12, 2018)

AFC said:


> It makes me wonder how girls made National team and won World Cup before DA and ECNL?


Lack of women rights around the world.


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## Zdrone (Mar 12, 2018)

timbuck said:


> For the rest of us-  find a good team, with a good coach, good families, relatively close to home with a cost that you can afford.  And hope that you are raising athletic girls that grow up to be athletic, smart, confident women.


I keep telling my son that but he just doesn't like the stockings or makeup


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## timbuck (Mar 12, 2018)

Zdrone said:


> I keep telling my son that but he just doesn't like the stockings or makeup


Tell him that he can be whatever he wants if he puts his mind to it.


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## 3JMommy (Mar 12, 2018)

mirage said:


> Actually the only thing unique to the girls in your post is the formation and promoting DPL.  Everything else either already had happened long ago or apply simultaneous to the boys.
> 
> *"2016 we get the age change causing players to move to different teams based on birth date."*
> Apply to boys too.  Fully supported and still support the move (my kid is Nov Bday so no advantage) to coincide with the rest of the world.
> ...


I agree, if you don't want to play by the mandates that USSDA puts forth, then don't. However, it has an additional dilution effect that the boys clubs haven't had in the past which is ECNL. That impacts ALL players in ALL leagues from DA to Flight 3, or Bronze CSL. It impacts the number of higher caliber girls available, the number of higher caliber coaches available, and on and on. Plus the calendar they (ECNL/SCDSL/DA) operate by is different, thereby causing some pretty significant shuffling possibilities in the June/July timeframe, when us regular folk are needing to get teams set up and practicing for league play in the fall. The Girls side seems to have had a program that was working (path to college, and an existing successful NT filled with plenty of strong newcomers). Maybe I'm wrong about that, but to claim that we have a choice about letting DA impact our daughters' soccer life is really not accurate.


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## Simisoccerfan (Mar 12, 2018)

mirage said:


> Actually the only thing unique to the girls in your post is the formation and promoting DPL.  Everything else either already had happened long ago or apply simultaneous to the boys.
> 
> *"2016 we get the age change causing players to move to different teams based on birth date."*
> Apply to boys too.  Fully supported and still support the move (my kid is Nov Bday so no advantage) to coincide with the rest of the world.
> ...


Actually DPL has no affiliation with DA or US Soccer.  It is a league formed by the 10 Southwest DA teams that don't have ECNL also as a place for their second teams to play.


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## Overlap (Mar 13, 2018)

SOCCERMINION said:


> So this is US Soccer Plan for our Girls?
> 2016 we get the age change causing players to move to different teams based on birth date.
> 2017 We get DA and players have to move teams again based on clubs affiliation or if girls want to play with teams other than DA.
> 2018 Now this year having  Dual age groups mean last years top DA starters have to choose between  bench warming or changing to alternative league. More team movements.
> ...


You got it!... teams would be far less diluted, more teams would be competitive, parents would be driving a lot less and teams wouldn't be falling apart every year due to the next shiny thing... and for what, a parent that thinks their DD will be on the next Women's National Team?


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## Dummy (Mar 13, 2018)

On the other hand, if the US Soccer girls DA program can achieve the same level of success as the boys program has, at least the parents of players actually on the next Women’s National Team won’t have to worry about driving all over the planet for World Cup games.


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## Fact (Mar 13, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> Actually DPL has no affiliation with DA or US Soccer.  It is a league formed by the 10 Southwest DA teams that don't have ECNL also as a place for their second teams to play.


Glad to see that you are finally being honest.


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