# GA 2008 Showcase Dominated by FRAM DPL



## South Bay Baller (Oct 25, 2021)

The FRAM 08 Girls DPL team went into the GA Showcase as a guest and proved they were the best team there. Hopefully, they can get an invite to some more of these events and and even some ECNL events so they can dominate those teams as well.


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 26, 2021)

toucan said:


> I doubt the GA has much of a future in Southern California.
> 
> It does not have the most talented teams; nor even the second-most talented teams.  Some ECRL teams would handle any of the GA teams pretty easily.  There are some Discovery teams that would easily beat most of the GA teams.
> Notwithstanding the lack of top-tier quality, the GA clubs charge outsized fees and require interstate travel for meaningless games.  It is poor value.
> ...


This is the unfortunate truth for GA Southwest division. Also, once a club like Albion drops out to take advantage of local talent/leagues + less travel + less costs. Stick a fork in it GA is done.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

toucan said:


> I doubt the GA has much of a future in Southern California.
> 
> It does not have the most talented teams; nor even the second-most talented teams.  Some ECRL teams would handle any of the GA teams pretty easily.  There are some Discovery teams that would easily beat most of the GA teams.
> Notwithstanding the lack of top-tier quality, the GA clubs charge outsized fees and require interstate travel for meaningless games.  It is poor value.
> ...


How did you determine that the DPL, GA, and ECRL are not in the mix for best leagues in Socal?  The truth is that all of those leagues are on par with the ECNL. I do not see any team out there that the FRAM team would not put a hurting on if they are playing well that day.


----------



## Desert Hound (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> How did you determine that the DPL, GA, and ECRL are not in the mix for best leagues in Socal?  The truth is that all of those leagues are on par with the ECNL. I do not see any team out there that the FRAM team would not put a hurting on if they are playing well that day.


How do you figure that the league is on par with ECNL in SoCal?


----------



## Goforgoal (Oct 26, 2021)

Where can I get some of the Kool-Aid this guy is drinking? It sounds better than the crap I'm sipping on.


----------



## VegasParent (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> The FRAM 08 Girls DPL team went into the GA Showcase as a guest and proved they were the best team there. Hopefully, they can get an invite to some more of these events and and even some ECNL events so they can dominate those teams as well.


Talk about jumping to conclusions. They played in the third out of 4 divisions. It's a big stretch to say they were the best team there.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

Desert Hound said:


> How do you figure that the league is on par with ECNL in SoCal?


Based on what I have seen on the field. I would also suggest you take a look at the DPL standings and see just how much of an Alpha the FRAM team is.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

VegasParent said:


> Talk about jumping to conclusions. They played in the third out of 4 divisions. It's a big stretch to say they were the best team there.


Have you seen any of the highlights posted on the FRAM 08 teams instagram account? You would likely change your tune if you watched them.


----------



## VegasParent (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> Have you seen any of the highlights posted on the FRAM 08 teams instagram account? You would likely change your tune if you watched them.


Really? The FRAM 08 instagram account posted a good highlight video of the team? I'm sure you think you kids team is good and you want them to play in bigger events but you are getting a little carried away.


----------



## futboldad1 (Oct 26, 2021)

This thread is comedy gold....SBB is either trolling or completely clueless...


----------



## Sike (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> The FRAM 08 Girls DPL team went into the GA Showcase as a guest and proved they were the best team there. Hopefully, they can get an invite to some more of these events and and even some ECNL events so they can dominate those teams as well.


I love your spirit.  Looks like you have a solid little team.

However, hopefully you realize that you "dominated" the third tier of this showcase by beating teams who aren't ranked in the top 250 nationally (one isn't in the top 1000 nationally).  GA still has some really good teams across the country and even a few here in SoCal, but you didn't play any of them at the showcase.  Oh, and please don't hold your breath on getting into an ECNL event as there is no incentive for ECNL to do so.  The most you should hope for as far as ECNL competition is matching up with some teams in a tournament or two (looks like you did in August, losing two with a negative eight goal differential and tying one).


----------



## Bubsy (Oct 26, 2021)

Carlsbad7 said:


> This is the unfortunate truth for GA Southwest division. Also, once a club like Albion drops out to take advantage of local talent/leagues + less travel + less costs. Stick a fork in it GA is done.


Albion won't drop out of the GA, IMO they have no where to go.


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 26, 2021)

Bubsy said:


> Albion won't drop out of the GA, IMO they have no where to go.


I agree but I bet offers like "Drop out of GA now and in 2-3 years we'll give you an ECRL team to prove yourself" will occur if they're not happening already. This goes for all the big GA teams. Once 1-2 make a move the rest will follow.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

Sike said:


> I love your spirit.  Looks like you have a solid little team.
> 
> However, hopefully you realize that you "dominated" the third tier of this showcase by beating teams who aren't ranked in the top 250 nationally (one isn't in the top 1000 nationally).  GA still has some really good teams across the country and even a few here in SoCal, but you didn't play any of them at the showcase.  Oh, and please don't hold your breath on getting into an ECNL event as there is no incentive for ECNL to do so.  The most you should hope for as far as ECNL competition is matching up with some teams in a tournament or two (looks like you did in August, losing two with a negative eight goal differential and tying one).


Those games against the ECNL teams in August were controlled by FRAM . The first game against the Breakers was a tough one because of the heat that day and some of the girls stayed up too late the night before. The second game against Rebels was a tie but FRAM was the better team and by a mile. The last game against Blues was a loss but FRAM played much better soccer than the Blues that day.  People that know the game know that the score does not always tell the entire story.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

futboldad1 said:


> This thread is comedy gold....SBB is either trolling or completely clueless...


What is so funny about this?


----------



## Desert Hound (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> What is so funny about this?


Because you are excitable apparently for starters.



South Bay Baller said:


> Those games against the ECNL teams in August were controlled by FRAM


This one is rather funny. 

I guess controlling the game means losing 6-1 vs a last place team in the ECNL. 
I guess controlling the game means losing 3-0 to another team. 

Scoring 2 and giving up 10 vs 3 teams doesn't really fit the definition of control.


----------



## Desert Hound (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> Based on what I have seen on the field. I would also suggest you take a look at the DPL standings and see just how much of an Alpha the FRAM team is.


This one is particularly funny. 

Have you seen how my team is dominating AA baseball? Based on how they are doing there they would probably be in the World Series today. 

That is somewhat your argument. Funny.


----------



## Sike (Oct 26, 2021)

Desert Hound said:


> Because you are excitable apparently for starters.
> 
> 
> This one is rather funny.
> ...


Soccer is a cruel sport.  I am certain we have all seen games where we felt the better team lost.  But not quite sure I have seen a loss at 1-6 or even 0-3 where I thought the better team lost.  Has to be a troll.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

Sike said:


> Soccer is a cruel sport.  I am certain we have all seen games where we felt the better team lost.  But not quite sure I have seen a loss at 1-6 or even 0-3 where I thought the better team lost.  Has to be a troll.


 I would love to see some of these “top” ECNL teams scrimmage the FRAM team now. With the way the team is rolling now I suspect the Legends and Koges of the world would find a reason not to play.


----------



## Sike (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> I would love to see some of these “top” ECNL teams scrimmage the FRAM team now. With the way the team is rolling now I suspect the Legends and Koges of the world would find a reason not to play.


Yes, I am quite sure all the ecnl teams are scared of you guys.

Not to talk badly about another team, but you do realize that 1-6 loss you took was against a team that has lost 6 out of 7 in ecnl so far, with a negative 18 goal differential. Heck, they scored 2 more goals in the game vs your team than they have scored total over 7 league games. Your team must've stayed up all night and had to play in hotter weather than the other team on the field. I'm sure you guys controlled the game though. Tell us more about how you "know the game". Yikes.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

Sike said:


> Yes, I am quite sure all the ecnl teams are scared of you guys.
> 
> Not to talk badly about another team, but you do realize that 1-6 loss you took was against a team that has lost 6 out of 7 in ecnl so far, with a negative 18 goal differential. Heck, they scored 2 more goals in the game vs your team than they have scored total over 7 league games. Your team must've stayed up all night and had to play in hotter weather than the other team on the field. I'm sure you guys controlled the game though. Tell us more about how you "know the game". Yikes.


LOL at you not recognizing what is happening today. Just take a look at the current DPL standings and what happened in Del Mar this past weekend. Your attempts to ruin this diacussion are appalling.


----------



## JumboJack (Oct 26, 2021)

SBB joined yesterday. 100% that it’s a troll.


----------



## SoccerLocker (Oct 26, 2021)

Thank you for giving me a reason to check in on this board more.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Oct 26, 2021)

SoccerLocker said:


> Thank you for giving me a reason to check in on this board more.


Want some popcorn?


----------



## COSMOS (Oct 26, 2021)

Unfortunate this was the first analysis out on the GA tournament this weekend.


----------



## silverback (Oct 26, 2021)

This is all so much gold…
“Blues beat the crap out of us but our style was much better” is a story as old as time…
Also Albion not dropping GA. Albion IS GA. They will certainly go down with the ship.


----------



## what-happened (Oct 26, 2021)

Kicker4Life said:


> Want some popcorn?


Yes...to go along with the highlight reel of an 08 team.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 26, 2021)

COSMOS said:


> Unfortunate this was the first analysis out on the GA tournament this weekend.


It is almost as if they are trying to sweep FRAMS performance under the rug.


----------



## jimlewis (Oct 26, 2021)

what-happened said:


> Yes...to go along with the highlight reel of an 08 team.


site hasnt been this good since Luis Andres was at Ole.  keep it going


----------



## Kicker4Life (Oct 26, 2021)

jimlewis said:


> site hasnt been this good since Luis Andres was at Ole.  keep it going


I mean…this could get ugly LOL.  In all fairness, they are making a case for promotion to GA next season, should that be a possibility for the team/club. Them and SD Force (who is ahead of FRAM at the other age groups).  

fight clean, no low blows and keep the girls out of it…


----------



## Larzby (Oct 26, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> How did you determine that the DPL, GA, and ECRL are not in the mix for best leagues in Socal?  The truth is that all of those leagues are on par with the ECNL. I do not see any team out there that the FRAM team would not put a hurting on if they are playing well that day.


FRAM G08 is on par with any 08 team. Never underestimate any of coach Tino's teams.


----------



## Desert Hound (Oct 26, 2021)

JumboJack said:


> SBB joined yesterday. 100% that it’s a troll.


On the bright side it is the first time someone has talked about GA on the forum since July


----------



## rainbow_unicorn (Oct 26, 2021)

GA and DPL need to join forces while allowing promotion of top Discovery teams to join their ranks.


----------



## what-happened (Oct 27, 2021)

toucan said:


> South Bay Baller is not with FRAM.  His daughter's team lost to FRAM.  He is posing as a FRAM parent to make the club look bad.


The plot thickens..


----------



## met61 (Oct 27, 2021)

Carlsbad7 said:


> I agree but I bet offers like "Drop out of GA now and in 2-3 years we'll give you an ECRL team to prove yourself" will occur if they're not happening already. This goes for all the big GA teams. Once 1-2 make a move the rest will follow.


...there is only 5 GA teams left in SoCal and with the MW move to Sharks, he'll draw top Albion players, not to mention GA players from SDSC & City, and probably Surf ECRL...I don't see a way GA survives in SoCal, and if by chance it does , it'll be weak.


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 27, 2021)

met61 said:


> ...there is only 5 GA teams left in SoCal and with the MW move to Sharks, he'll draw top Albion players, not to mention GA players from SDSC & City, and probably Surf ECRL...I don't see a way GA survives in SoCal, and if by chance it does , it'll be weak.


You can see whos in GA Southwest (2009 level) here...


			GotSport
		


Socal needs more ECNL options. 

SDSC is Surfs way of keeping one foot in GA. WCFC needs to continue getting things together after the OC Surf days but I believe they used to be ECNL before going to DA. City has Duggan and he's guaranteed to go down with the GA ship. For the big socal teams this leaves Albion who just lost MW to Sharks. There's blood in the water and clubs are looking for a way out.

ECNL just needs to wave the golden ticket to 1 or 2 of the big GA Southwest clubs and it will collapse locally.

Another option would be for GA to take on some of the lesser teams in Socal so there's more local games. Problem with this approach is that GA would be admitting second tear status.


----------



## met61 (Oct 27, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> Those games against the ECNL teams in August were controlled by FRAM . The first game against the Breakers was a tough one because of the heat that day and some of the girls stayed up too late the night before. The second game against Rebels was a tie but FRAM was the better team and by a mile. The last game against Blues was a loss but FRAM played much better soccer than the Blues that day.  People that know the game know that the score does not always tell the entire story.


...you forgot a dog ate the goalies gloves and the striker had a hang nail.


----------



## Emma (Oct 27, 2021)

Socal needs more ECNL options.

SDSC is Surfs way of keeping one foot in GA. WCFC needs to continue getting things together after the OC Surf days but I believe they used to be ECNL before going to DA. City has Duggan and he's guaranteed to go down with the GA ship. For the big socal teams this leaves Albion who just lost MW to Sharks. There's blood in the water and clubs are looking for a way out.

ECNL just needs to wave the golden ticket to 1 or 2 of the big GA Southwest clubs and it will collapse locally.

Another option would be for GA to take on some of the lesser teams in Socal so there's more local games. Problem with this approach is that GA would be admitting second tear status.
[/QUOTE]
GA could take the play in approach (like CRL did) for all teams and create a higher level of local play.   They would actually put a dent in  ECNL as this may help local clubs retain local talent and help GA fill a gap currently not available.


----------



## met61 (Oct 27, 2021)

Carlsbad7 said:


> You can see whos in GA Southwest (2009 level) here...
> 
> 
> GotSport
> ...


...such as Frame and SD Force, not many options for GA in SoCal... probably best they concede Cali.


----------



## met61 (Oct 27, 2021)

Emma said:


> Socal needs more ECNL options.
> 
> SDSC is Surfs way of keeping one foot in GA. WCFC needs to continue getting things together after the OC Surf days but I believe they used to be ECNL before going to DA. City has Duggan and he's guaranteed to go down with the GA ship. For the big socal teams this leaves Albion who just lost MW to Sharks. There's blood in the water and clubs are looking for a way out.
> 
> ...


GA could take the play in approach (like CRL did) for all teams and create a higher level of local play.   They would actually put a dent in  ECNL as this may help local clubs retain local talent and help GA fill a gap currently not available.
[/QUOTE]


...clubs are welcome to go down with the ship, it's a business decision...but most of the talent on GA teams will eventually gravitate towards ECNL clubs as they approach the college window... GA will either fold or become  weak... ECNL could sink GA in SoCal if they wanted to, we'll see what they choose to do.


----------



## Desert Hound (Oct 27, 2021)

met61 said:


> ECNL could sink GA in SoCal if they wanted to, we'll see what they choose to do.


GA in So Cal is already close to dead. There are only 6 clubs in So Cal that are in it. That isn't much of a division, and looking at the clubs that are in it, none really stand out. 

Outside of this thread that just started a day or so ago, the last time ANYONE posted about GA was in July.

There appears to be other areas of the country where GA is stronger.

That said it seems most have come to the conclusion it is a 2nd tier national league.


----------



## Sike (Oct 27, 2021)

Carlsbad7 said:


> Socal needs more ECNL options.


Why?

Don't get me wrong, I think ecnl will add some clubs next year and/or the year after, but I don't think they need to.  No rational person thinks ecnl isn't the top girls league in SoCal and the country.  Players continue to look to move from the other leagues to ecnl.  And there are still plenty of bad ecnl teams at the bottom of each age group that can take talented players.


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 27, 2021)

Sike said:


> Why?
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I think ecnl will add some clubs next year and/or the year after, but I don't think they need to.  No rational person thinks ecnl isn't the top girls league in SoCal and the country.  Players continue to look to move from the other leagues to ecnl.  And there are still plenty of bad ecnl teams at the bottom of each age group that can take talented players.


I agree with your assessment that talent will migrate to ECNL over time.

Regarding why there needs to be more ECNL options. Geographically there's still Socal locations where it's an hour+ to get to an ECNL club. To maintain top tier status ECNL needs to have local options so competitor leagues can't sneak in.


----------



## Sike (Oct 27, 2021)

Carlsbad7 said:


> I agree with your assessment that talent will migrate to ECNL over time.
> 
> Regarding why there needs to be more ECNL options. Geographically there's still Socal locations where it's an hour+ to get to an ECNL club. To maintain top tier status ECNL needs to have local options so competitor leagues can't sneak in.


What areas dont have ecnl options?  I'm sure you are right, just not familiar with where.  

I'd still bet on Pats getting added, which doesnt help the geo issue at all.  Now sure what other socal clubs could actually get a ticket, unless they decide to let Albion in.


----------



## VegasParent (Oct 27, 2021)

met61 said:


> ...there is only 5 GA teams left in SoCal and with the MW move to Sharks, he'll draw top Albion players, not to mention GA players from SDSC & City, and probably Surf ECRL...I don't see a way GA survives in SoCal, and if by chance it does , it'll be weak.


I get people like MW but he's not a miracle worker. He can't coach every ECNL team at DMCV. Plus, didn't he make his mark at Albion coaching u13 and younger? What's his track record with olders?


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 27, 2021)

VegasParent said:


> I get people like MW but he's not a miracle worker. He can't coach every ECNL team at DMCV. Plus, didn't he make his mark at Albion coaching u13 and younger? What's his track record with olders?


It doesn't matter what his track record is. (It does I'm just exaggerating)

Sharks are/were at the absolute bottom of the barrel looking up. Any improvement is better than where they were.

Also just like players ECNL will attract the best coaches. Mike might have his hands full right now but over time coaching will resolve itself.


----------



## VegasParent (Oct 27, 2021)

Carlsbad7 said:


> It doesn't matter what his track record is. (It does I'm just exaggerating)
> 
> Sharks are/were at the absolute bottom of the barrel looking up. Any improvement is better than where they were.


I only know him from Albion so I really don't know how he did before that. Maybe he's great with olders.


----------



## met61 (Oct 27, 2021)

VegasParent said:


> I get people like MW but he's not a miracle worker. He can't coach every ECNL team at DMCV. Plus, didn't he make his mark at Albion coaching u13 and younger? What's his track record with olders?


...no miracle necessary, in fact Sharks have nowhere to go but up. Excellent track record developing youngers, but he was hired as girls side director. I hear it's already paying off with talent from Albion following him...but I believe the key is in his ability to attract, hire, and fire coaches...the upcoming tryout season will be interesting in that area...my money is on MW having a significant impact...of course, we'll know soon enough.


----------



## Emma (Oct 27, 2021)

met61 said:


> GA could take the play in approach (like CRL did) for all teams and create a higher level of local play.   They would actually put a dent in  ECNL as this may help local clubs retain local talent and help GA fill a gap currently not available.



...clubs are welcome to go down with the ship, it's a business decision...but most of the talent on GA teams will eventually gravitate towards ECNL clubs as they approach the college window... GA will either fold or become  weak... ECNL could sink GA in SoCal if they wanted to, we'll see what they choose to do.
[/QUOTE]
GA in socal is currently weak.  Most of the SD Force and East County Surf teams could beat up the GA teams easily, with maybe the exception of City. A bunch of Discovery NPL teams can beat the GA teams, not just in SD but also in LA, OC and IE.  Their only chance to strengthen or weaken ECNL is to give local players the opportunity to compete with their local teams in a decent league with good showcases.  If local players have the opportunity to showcase while playing locally, then most families would choose to stay with their local teams.  Driving long range everyday and leaving your neighborhood friends is only done because people think they NEED to, not want to.  

In San Diego, there are only 3 ECNL clubs and two are right next door to each other.  Geographically, it's just not feasible for north county (Oceanside, Vista, Escondido) families or east county families to make it to practice 3-4 times a week without sacrificing a job by one parent.  If ECNL adds City and East County Surf, this would take care of the travel problem in most of San Diego.


----------



## Goforgoal (Oct 27, 2021)

Emma said:


> In San Diego, there are only 3 ECNL clubs and two are right next door to each other.  Geographically, it's just not feasible for north county (Oceanside, Vista, Escondido) families or east county families to make it to practice 3-4 times a week without sacrificing a job by one parent.  If ECNL adds City and East County Surf, this would take care of the travel problem in most of San Diego.


Non-issue. There are tons of families who make it work, every week ... although it's true that the geographic dispersion of ECNL clubs in San Diego is not how you would draw it up if starting from scratch. Still, as long as Surf exists as a club, there will be the same or less number of ECNL clubs in San Diego, not more. There's a reason Surf was the only ECNL club in San Diego for years ... until Girls DA came along.


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 27, 2021)

Emma said:


> ...clubs are welcome to go down with the ship, it's a business decision...but most of the talent on GA teams will eventually gravitate towards ECNL clubs as they approach the college window... GA will either fold or become  weak... ECNL could sink GA in SoCal if they wanted to, we'll see what they choose to do.
> 
> GA in socal is currently weak.  Most of the SD Force and East County Surf teams could beat up the GA teams easily, with maybe the exception of City. A bunch of Discovery NPL teams can beat the GA teams, not just in SD but also in LA, OC and IE.  Their only chance to strengthen or weaken ECNL is to give local players the opportunity to compete with their local teams in a decent league with good showcases.  If local players have the opportunity to showcase while playing locally, then most families would choose to stay with their local teams.  Driving long range everyday and leaving your neighborhood friends is only done because people think they NEED to, not want to.
> 
> In San Diego, there are only 3 ECNL clubs and two are right next door to each other.  Geographically, it's just not feasible for north county (Oceanside, Vista, Escondido) families or east county families to make it to practice 3-4 times a week without sacrificing a job by one parent.  If ECNL adds City and East County Surf, this would take care of the travel problem in most of San Diego.


I dont know much about East County Surf other than they're bringing decent teams lately.

The issue with City is that current leadership is heavily invested in GA. (Hint hint... founding members of GA and DPL). If this wasnt the case City would be in an ideal location for an ECNL expansion.


----------



## South Bay Baller (Oct 27, 2021)

Larzby said:


> FRAM G08 is on par with any 08 team. Never underestimate any of coach Tino's teams.


At least Larzby is not a hater like the majority of the posters here who cannot stand to see the ECNL and GA superiority myth ended by a DPL team. Haters gonna Hate!


----------



## COSMOS (Oct 28, 2021)

Wildly interesting conversation here.  

On the one hand you have this guy desperately trying to over promote his team from the second division of a startup league...to what end?...His assertions seem a little off-base, and the results don't match the story.

On the other, you have this overly emotional crowd trying to aggressively submarine the GA league..not sure why so much passion since they are clearly in a superior position...gotta be some history there with the whole DA thing...would love to hear the backstory.  

As many folks are this time of year, we are just trying to make rational decisions on which club our kid will compete for next year..ECNL/GA/ECRL/DPL.  TBH... both groups seem terrifying, and just reinforces the fact that competitiveness of leagues and divisions is relevant to age groups and can easily be dynamic year to year.  Broad statements, irrespective of year group, of this league vs that league seam meaningless to me.  

Someone tell us we are naive and need to "chase the dragon" by club hopping out here in SoCal.  I'd love to hear that that has worked for someone, and didn't burn their kid out by age 14.


----------



## MacDre (Oct 29, 2021)

COSMOS said:


> Wildly interesting conversation here.
> 
> On the one hand you have this guy desperately trying to over promote his team from the second division of a startup league...to what end?...His assertions seem a little off-base, and the results don't match the story.
> 
> ...


I believe SBB.  I have had a similar experience as SBB up here in NorCal.  My niece plays for an NPL team and their soccer is much better than the local ECNL teams in my opinion.  The ECNL girls are big and athletic but are not very talented soccer players.  

Last night I went to the FSU and UVA game in Tallahassee and it was more shit soccer.  Girl soccer sucks and the ECNL clubs need to stop the bullshit because at this juncture I’d say that ECNL is the primary reason our girls play dumb ass shit soccer!!!

I’m posting a SA article to prove up my point:



Steve Swanson  has spent more than 30 years developing soccer players. With 30 straight winning seasons (including the last 21 as University of Virginia women’s head coach), a world championship with the U-20 U.S. women’s team, and two World Cup titles as an assistant with the U.S. women’s national team, he’s come to appreciate the most important element of a soccer player.
It’s her brain.

“It’s good to have a strong mentality. But most countries do,” the Michigan State graduate and former professional says. “We’ll win World Cups because we make better decisions than other teams.”

He has dedicated his professional life – including stints at Stanford University and Dartmouth College – to developing the brains (and feet) of his players.

His years on the international stage are important. But he has a special fondness for college-age athletes.

“It’s an amazing time in the span of a soccer player,” Swanson notes. “They’re still growing. There’s room to develop in every facet of life.”

As he has helped developed players, he’s watched the college game grow. When he started coaching, there were fewer than 50 NCAA Division I women’s teams. That number increased sevenfold. Club soccer has grown exponentially too.

The result, Swanson says, is “more technical players, and less space to play.” Still, he sees “a little too much reliance on athleticism. You need to make quick decisions in those tight spaces.”



Steve Swanson served as an assistant coach to Jill Ellis when the USA won Women's World Cup titles in 2015 (which led to a White House invitation from Barack Obama) and 2019. The USA's last U-20 Women's World Cup title came in 2012 with Swanson at the helm of a team that included Crystal Dunn, Julie (née Johnston) Ertz, Morgan Brian and Sam Mewis. He's coached U.S. national teams at all age groups from U-16s to U-23s.

With more coaches having grown up playing soccer – not always true in the past – Swanson believes “the onus is on all of us” to instill the high standards needed to reach skillful levels, both technical and tactical.

“Every player needs the skillset to pass, shoot, receive, attack and defend one-on-one. College is too late to learn how to strike a long ball properly. We’ve improved enormously from 25, 30 years ago. At the same time, we have to make teaching those things a priority.”

Having learned those fundamentals, Swanson adds, players must apply them when making decisions. “That’s more important than going undefeated at a young age.”

He includes not only coaches, but entire leagues, in that responsibility.

He understands “turf wars” between the ECNL and Girls Academy. But, he maintains, “we all need to get on the same page to help grow the game. We’re not there yet. A lot of people have good intentions. We have to have the big picture in mind. And we all need to do better.”

His international experience has given Swanson a broad perspective. Women’s soccer is booming across the globe; new powerhouses have burst on the scene. “That’s the competition the U.S. needs,” he says. “That’s the way we’ll get better.”

The women’s game is evolving dramatically here, with players becoming more complete. The top athletes must attack and defend, play inside and outside, and assume different roles on the field at different times. It all comes back to his mantra: better technical skills, and quicker decision-making.

Swanson says, “As a country, we’ve been very focused on the ball. Now we have to focus more off the ball. Coaches at the youth and college level have to keep that in mind. They need to do their homework, so they can prepare their players well.”

He is excited by the number of passionate people working to improve U.S. soccer. Now, he says, “we all need to get rolling in the same direction.”



COVID changed Swanson’s life dramatically. After working two jobs for more than 10 years – head coach at Virginia, and U.S. Soccer national teams’ coach – he was forced to slow down. The national teams did not get together for months.

After traveling the world with the full women’s and U-20 national teams – and across the country with the Cavaliers – Swanson appreciates Charlottesville even more now. It’s the quintessential college town, filled with “quality people” in all walks of life. He and his wife Julie have raised three children there.

Next Post


----------



## MacDre (Oct 29, 2021)

His route to Virginia was varied. Swanson started as a youth coach, with U-13 and U-16 boys. He’s coached “all ages, sizes, abilities and genders” – and enjoyed it all. Every team has contributed to his own coaching education. And, he says, “I’m still learning and growing.”

As for the future of U.S. women’s soccer, Swanson believes “the sky’s the limit. We have amazing people in this country. We just need to keep the standards high, at every level.”

Photos courtesy of UVA Athletics
7 comments about "Steve Swanson, coach of world champions, has a special fondness for the college game".
frank schoon, October 28, 2021 at 9:37 a.m.
As a coach ,Steve is also a good 'politician'. But a lot of things he states are simple generalities than anyone can agree with and some other things he states I questioned.

I cringe whenever I hear the Terminology, 'skillset' which I hear of read about so often is another way of not getting into real specifics, but still sounding very knowledgeable and it can be easily taught... The problem is what Steve enumerates is not really taught. Have you watch a women's college game....good lord, it's awful, skillwise and/or thinking wise....It's simply not good soccer...

In college, he states it's too late to learn to strike a long ball. I beg to differ ,of all the techniques that one can learn at a late age this one is the easiest to learn and furthermore it is better to learn kick long balls when you're older in the late teens for then the body is more coordinated. Now if he had stated learning to play wing, which all the skills, and other assets,nuances that comes with the position it then I would say has a point. But I have taught a specific move to a wing player that he can use. 

The Cruyff once stated that coaches today would feint if a wing came up to him and ask to teach him several wing moves. Another example, running fast towards an uncoming ball and able to control upon meeting it, that can be learned by just practicing and that doesn't take long. But even at the National level , you never even see a women player of the WNT run at ball ,they just stand there and pass to the feet....Or trapping a ball dead on the feet or underneath the shoes from a goalie's high kick...these things can all be learned in practice. There a lot of skills than can be learned to be more effective as a player at an older age that just are not taught at college level.

To me the most important 'skillset' , is ATTACKING ONE ON ONE, PERIOD.  That is really the initial movement with the ball you learn playing pickup...That goes for any sport, i.e. basketball...
To beat your opponent is the most satisfying and most rewarding of all aspects of soccer in the beginning stages of one's development, and it builds  your self-esteem as a player....There is a PSYCHOLOGY that coaches don't understand which is so important to the player. In my days in street soccer the one that gets the respect from other players is the best one on one player. That is how the hierarchy is formed among the players. Players automatically look up to you because you can beat the competition, one on one. 


                                                        NEXT POST

Reply
frank schoon, October 28, 2021 at 10:01 a.m.
 PSYCHOLOGY that goes with beating a player ONE ON ONE,that particular aspect of the game is missing in today's players which is due in great part to coaches getting involved in youth soccer.  Pickup soccer when I played or even today is free from restrictions (COACHING). There were no coaches, telling you to be 'efficient', saying 'you dribble too much', 'one-touch it', 'switch the field', 'pass it', along with  the other organizational and team aspects which should be taught but at a much later age like 15 or so. 

This PSYCHOLOGY is what made the youth player who was good one on one, a cocky, confident player. Just look at Zlatan, Mr. Pickup himself, his character, the way carries himself, all of which he nurtured and gotten from playing pickup soccer, and he didn't get into organized ball until around 17...I miss that in today's players for they don't have that PSYCHOLOGY. In my days most of the good youth players had that psychologically of , 'you think you're better than me'. At Ajax, the youth that tried out were all cocky youth players because they represented the best players of the various neighborhoods in Amsterdam. How you a handle ball against competition marks you as 'the man'.

The other aspect of this PSYCHOLOGY was that you try to stay on top of the competition because of the respect you earn from your peers. By being confident and cocky with the ball, it is so much easier to learn other aspects, technically and tactically as you get older....After you gained great skills you BRANCH OUT into those other areas.

When I look at the MNT, I don't recognize any cockiness, confidence from these players, instead I see a lot of strange hairdo's, tattoos and other forms pseudo machoisms but as soon as one has a ball on their foot and a opponents show up he gets the shakes. The players are formed and programmed all these years by coaches that they end up lacking a strong individuality with the ball..
                                                   NEXT POST

Reply
frank schoon, October 28, 2021 at 10:23 a.m.
Steve had mentioned that women soccer has improved over the past 25-30 years....to me i, yes, horizontally, there are more women players and therefore more possible talent to choose from but TECHNICALLY, no. I think the best women players are also the more athletic types with some talent...If you look at Mia Hamm and others of that generation, than I don't see the improvement in women soccer ,individually, considering all the improvements and benefits  in coaching,etc...The quality of the game has stayed at one level..

"Quicker skills and quicker decision-making"....to me are just Mantras employed by coaches to sound knowledgeable for I don't see that in women soccer, and how do you go about doing this....I think we will always have handicapped as American players until 'pickup' soccer becomes part of all culture. You can't expected our player to better by just going to training at a club and be lead by by programmed coaches....Like in basketball the good ,better player come out of playing pickup all the time for that is where you hone and learn the inner aspect that can't acquired from just the coaching side

"As a country we've been very focused on the ball". TOTALLY DISAGREE. If we were focused on the ball we would have GREAT INDIVIDUALISTS. Brazil is country that is focused on the ball, for that is the first step how youth developed and they have great players on the ball..WE DON'T HAVE THAT....I wish we were focused on the ball than we could say, "yeah, our NT doesn't win because we have such great individualists with the ball and all we need now is a coach that put them together as a team". BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT, PERIOD. If anything that is where our training thinking should be directed to put a lot of focus on the ball then later when we can talk about 'off the ball'.

Reply
Mike Lynch, October 28, 2021 at 10:58 a.m.
Dan, Great article highlighting Steve Swanson's long and consistently successful career not only getting results but also in developing players and people. His record is indisputible and his opinions are credible. Are there lots of aspects to our current state of player and team development, including college age female players here in the US that could be better, need fine tuning? Absolutely, but college soccer is not a barrier to these possible solutions. At it's best as one of several different player development pathways, it continues to attract and develop many of the best players in the world as evidenced in past World Cups and Olympic competitions including the lastest ones, and at it's worst as a player development pathway, still provides young people an opportunity to pursue BOTH education AND athletics, a pathway not possible elsewhere ... and if one that is so bad, why are so many players from abroad clammering to be a part of our college soccer experience here?


----------



## 3FOUR3 (Oct 29, 2021)

South Bay Baller said:


> At least Larzby is not a hater like the majority of the posters here who cannot stand to see the ECNL and GA superiority myth ended by a DPL team. Haters gonna Hate!


Is that you Jen Psaki?


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 29, 2021)

COSMOS said:


> Wildly interesting conversation here.
> 
> On the one hand you have this guy desperately trying to over promote his team from the second division of a startup league...to what end?...His assertions seem a little off-base, and the results don't match the story.
> 
> ...


The reason parents are concerned about leagues is because they tend to just disappear if things start going downhill. As an example GA is a replacement for DA which blew up about a year ago. Here's another example, Socal is a replacement for Presidio which also blew up when it's main guy switched leagues roughly a year ago as well.

When this happens clubs scramble to pick up the pieces to provide something for their players. When you're scrambling to make things happen you're not being proactive about the future.

Just to be clear, there's no hate for GA. They provide a product that caters to a certain type of player and parent.

The challenge with GA Southwest is that there aren't many local clubs to play and the quality of the clubs is up and down. If you're on a good GA team in the southwest expect to travel to the East Coast / South or maybe Colorado for competition. While it's great that options are available via travel. It gets expensive quick when you calc in flights, cars, hotels, food, and various. Not all parents have the means to make this happen. GA coaches know all this and will offer scholarships on club fees but that doesn't change all the rest of the things you'll need to pay for when traveling.

Another challenge is that recently 2 big Southwest GA teams left for ECNL. With soccer leagues when this starts to happen it tends to snowball.

Of course everything I've stated above about GA in the southwest is never relayed to parents that are just excited to have their kid on a top team.


----------



## Emma (Oct 29, 2021)

Goforgoal said:


> Non-issue. There are tons of families who make it work, every week ... although it's true that the geographic dispersion of ECNL clubs in San Diego is not how you would draw it up if starting from scratch. Still, as long as Surf exists as a club, there will be the same or less number of ECNL clubs in San Diego, not more. There's a reason Surf was the only ECNL club in San Diego for years ... until Girls DA came along.


It's a non-issue for you and and most high earning income families with flexible schedule or a stay at home parent/part time working parent but for the average middle class family with two working parents with fixed schedules, it's tough especially for San Diegans who don't live in the Chula Vista area or close to CA-56.  

Just because people are doing it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do for the kids.  FOMO is causing a lot of mental health issues because parents think it's the right thing to do for their kids because if not they are depriving their children of some potential opportunities.  Opportunities can be created in ways that save us all time so our kids aren't always worried about having enough time for homework or school friends. 

"My kids are willing to sacrifice..." - why do they think they need to sacrifice their social wellbeing for soccer?  Who convinced them that it's necessary to make this sacrifice?  Why don't we work as a community or league to eliminate this issue as much as possible?

I have nothing against leagues but I am against rules that limit the ability of a child to participate based on their local club. Forcing a child to drive one or two hours a day, after school, homework, practice and dinner is really bad for anyone, especially children and teens.  

No league is elite enough to be ruining childhoods.  It doesn't matter which league we are referring to - GA, ECNL, DPL or ECRL or NPL.

As smart as we are as individuals, we are much smarter if we work together as a community for our children's sake.  Advocate for open leagues and local teams. 

That's my rant today as I thought Covid break was going to unite versus divide the soccer community further but compromise for the kids is an ugly thing in "elite" club soccer.


----------



## outside! (Oct 29, 2021)

In the long run or even short run, ECNL (and all of the competitors) are not good for soccer in the US. They exist simply as a way to funnel money into the hands of the top executives for those leagues. My hope is that a local, relatively inexpensive Southern California league will start up and begin holding onto quality players. It will only take a handful of players to get recruited to top schools or straight to the pros to start the end of the closed monopoly leagues like ECNL. Having said that, if my DD was nearing HS right now and wanted to play in college, I would be looking for an ECNL team for her.


----------



## what-happened (Oct 29, 2021)

outside! said:


> In the long run or even short run, ECNL (and all of the competitors) are not good for soccer in the US. They exist simply as a way to funnel money into the hands of the top executives for those leagues. My hope is that a local, relatively inexpensive Southern California league will start up and begin holding onto quality players. It will only take a handful of players to get recruited to top schools or straight to the pros to start the end of the closed monopoly leagues like ECNL. Having said that, if my DD was nearing HS right now and wanted to play in college, I would be looking for an ECNL team for her.


California is uniquely positioned to promote grassroot/local soccer and make it work.  The talent is there, the infrasructure is there, travel could be severely curtailed, and every college scout/coach has no issue traveling there when the weather in their neck of woods is crummy.  

Unfortunately it's also home to mega clubs with footprints that extend well beyond CA borders.  I would guess the benefits of competing in ECNL/GA outweight the community benefits of providing a more local product. 

The ECNL vs (GA/DA, whateverA) debate will continue as long as there are $$$ available for parents to throw at their kids.  There isn't a doubt that ECNL is top dog in SOCAL.  Plenty of talent to go around though, and the GA will continue to serve a purpose. Only so many roster spots on the surfs,beaches, legends, slammers of the world.   Plenty of schools are offering GA players across the country.   They can't afford to loose any more name clubs in CA (and in AZ for that matter).  At the end of the day, if this is the model we are stuck with, it's a win for  DDs who want the opportunity to play on rosters that don't include the names Stanford, UNC, UVA, FSU and more.  Sitting on a long bench of an ECNL team doesn't get you many looks, even with the smaller schools and lesser divisions.

From a GA corporate perspective, their first year went very well.  I'm sure there were some local clubs that had friction, but nationally, the league fared well.  They put on good showcases, their leadership is respected, and they adapted well to COVID curveballs (streaming games comes to mind).  They have clubs that are ranked in the top 100.  We don't know what the future holds but for now, no word on the big GA clubs leaving.  Meanwhile, the ECNL machine will continue to roll, coming up with or reviving ways to coax more dollars out of our bank accounts.


----------



## SoccerLocker (Oct 29, 2021)

outside! said:


> In the long run or even short run, ECNL (and all of the competitors) are not good for soccer in the US. They exist simply as a way to funnel money into the hands of the top executives for those leagues. My hope is that a local, relatively inexpensive Southern California league will start up and begin holding onto quality players. It will only take a handful of players to get recruited to top schools or straight to the pros to start the end of the closed monopoly leagues like ECNL. Having said that, if my DD was nearing HS right now and wanted to play in college, I would be looking for an ECNL team for her.


Thats EXACTLY what Tudela is attempting in LA.  Not an easy path, but they are making strides with incredibly strong support from the families who have bought in.


----------



## ToonArmy (Oct 30, 2021)

SoccerLocker said:


> Thats EXACTLY what Tudela is attempting in LA.  Not an easy path, but they are making strides with incredibly strong support from the families who have bought in.


I once was in a way annoyed for lack of a better word with Tudela after Bill Simmons went on a podcast making claims like the original poster on this thread. But now I am fan and wish all those girls success. My daughter has a couple times had a strong group of girls, playing on a high level, with great families and a good coach that truly cared about the girls. If we stuck together we could of been like that Tudela team now as juniors in HS and this ride coming to an end. but no we are all on our 3rd and 4th team chasing stupid patches and coaches with no loyalty, burnt out, and wondering where to play next year.


----------



## SoccerLocker (Oct 31, 2021)

ToonArmy said:


> I once was in a way annoyed for lack of a better word with Tudela after Bill Simmons went on a podcast making claims like the original poster on this thread. But now I am fan and wish all those girls success. My daughter has a couple times had a strong group of girls, playing on a high level, with great families and a good coach that truly cared about the girls. If we stuck together we could of been like that Tudela team now as juniors in HS and this ride coming to an end. but no we are all on our 3rd and 4th team chasing stupid patches and coaches with no loyalty, burnt out, and wondering where to play next year.


It's not an easy path.  Even BS's kid left for another team in a letter league...


----------



## Carlsbad7 (Oct 31, 2021)

ToonArmy said:


> I once was in a way annoyed for lack of a better word with Tudela after Bill Simmons went on a podcast making claims like the original poster on this thread. But now I am fan and wish all those girls success. My daughter has a couple times had a strong group of girls, playing on a high level, with great families and a good coach that truly cared about the girls. If we stuck together we could of been like that Tudela team now as juniors in HS and this ride coming to an end. but no we are all on our 3rd and 4th team chasing stupid patches and coaches with no loyalty, burnt out, and wondering where to play next year.


This sounds all rainbows and unicorns but...
- What if some players are advancing and others aren't?
- Does the coach stay with the team for 10+ years?
- If players choose to play in college they'll have no idea how cuts work.
- Without checking out different teams how will you ever know if you're on the right one?
- What if parents dont like each other?


----------

