# Expansion



## VegasParent (Mar 4, 2022)

FC Tucson


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## tjinaz (Mar 6, 2022)

They have some good teams, do well in the State leagues.  Good add to GA/DPL but this club and the move of Arizona Soccer Club (Thunder) to DPL will make our state leagues significantly weaker.  Guess every one wants to travel now.


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## Carlsbad7 (Mar 6, 2022)

If ECNL had let CitySC and/or Albion in they could have slowed GA down in Socal significantly. 

Instead GA Southwest keeps adding clubs + making things happen.


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## ToonArmy (Mar 6, 2022)

Fram is in as well

Tucson going into southwest not mountain west? Does this mean realignment again for the Arizona and Nevada clubs?


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## MamaBear5 (Mar 6, 2022)

Tucson is going southwest and del sol is coming back into southwest as well. Guess they would rather drive to so cal than fly to colorado.


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## tjinaz (Mar 6, 2022)

MamaBear5 said:


> Tucson is going southwest and del sol is coming back into southwest as well. Guess they would rather drive to so cal than fly to colorado.


Yup making the new kids at Arizona Soccer Club fly to Colorado and Utah


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## Larzby (Mar 7, 2022)

MamaBear5 said:


> Tucson is going southwest and del sol is coming back into southwest as well. Guess they would rather drive to so cal than fly to colorado.


Where did you hear this?


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## what-happened (Mar 7, 2022)

Larzby said:


> Where did you hear this?


The  usual rumor mill, but likley true.


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## MamaBear5 (Mar 7, 2022)

Larzby said:


> Where did you hear this?


As far as tuscon it was on their announcement instragram post that they would be part of southwest. My kiddo brought home to rumor that del sol was back into southwest. Makes sense to have two arizona clubs in the same region.


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## Larzby (Mar 7, 2022)

MamaBear5 said:


> As far as tuscon it was on their announcement instragram post that they would be part of southwest. My kiddo brought home to rumor that del sol was back into southwest. Makes sense to have two arizona clubs in the same region.


I saw Tucson, but I was wondering about Del Sol because I saw something on the GAL website that made it seem like Del Sol was in Southwest.  But now I can't find it???  Yes, it does make sense to have 2 AZ teams, instead of 1


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## Surf Zombie (Mar 11, 2022)

I saw on the GA’s Instagram account they added a few news clubs for 2022-23. (NY, NJ, AZ & CA).
I guess it’s that musical chairs time of year again.

I’m curious to see how many clubs the GA adds this year and whether the ECNL is done with expansion (for now).


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## tjinaz (Apr 28, 2022)

Surf Zombie said:


> I saw on the GA’s Instagram account they added a few news clubs for 2022-23. (NY, NJ, AZ & CA).
> I guess it’s that musical chairs time of year again.
> 
> I’m curious to see how many clubs the GA adds this year and whether the ECNL is done with expansion (for now).


DPL just added 2 clubs from Phoenix into Mountain West.  AZ Soccer Club (Thunder) and Phoenix Premier.  They sent Tucson and SCDS to SoCal to balance out.


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## what-happened (Apr 28, 2022)

tjinaz said:


> DPL just added 2 clubs from Phoenix into Mountain West.  AZ Soccer Club (Thunder) and Phoenix Premier.  They sent Tucson and SCDS to SoCal to balance out.


youth soccer madness.  Travel to CO and UT from AZ (and vice versa) can be painful and pricy.  But oh well.  We will see how long this lasts.  SCDS only traveled once to CO and never to UT before being pulled back into the SW.  Don't know why this happened, mabye parents?  

DPL/ECRL don't do parents any favors.  Both are good at draining bank accounts. Maybe take on the DPL/ECRL moniker and only travel for showcases?  Pipe dream I'm sure but traveling to socal and the mountain west for one sided games is likley painful.


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## VegasParent (Jul 19, 2022)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1549484265750003713


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## Kicker 2.0 (Jul 19, 2022)

VegasParent said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1549484265750003713


Good for them!  Great little club doing good things!


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## ToonArmy (Jul 19, 2022)

Event only member does that mean just showcases no league? If thats the case that's a win win.


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## Dargle (Jul 19, 2022)

ToonArmy said:


> Event only member does that mean just showcases no league? If thats the case that's a win win.


My guess is that they don't yet have teams in all age groups (I don't see a G06 in last Fall's So Cal club list) or not all their teams are ready for GA (they had mostly Flight 2 teams in the younger age groups). That doesn't work well for league, where one club generally plays another club in all or at least most age groups, but allows them to admit some of the more competitive older teams for the regional/national events. In theory, by joining GA, they may attract some quality players for the younger teams so they can fully join later.


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## Carlsbad7 (Jul 19, 2022)

Looked at their site. They do Futsal + small sided 5v5 field games / tournaments on Fridays.

Also fully funded for the younger ages.

Interesting...


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## LASTMAN14 (Jul 19, 2022)

VegasParent said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1549484265750003713


Would like to hear from KJR or Ajaxiahi to share more details on this.


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## SDMama (Jul 19, 2022)

tjinaz said:


> DPL just added 2 clubs from Phoenix into Mountain West.  AZ Soccer Club (Thunder) and Phoenix Premier.  They sent Tucson and SCDS to SoCal to balance out.


Why did they put 2 AZ teams in SW (16 teams) and 2 in MW (10 teams)?  Why wouldn’t they keep the 4 AZ teams in the same conference to let them have less travel?  (Not to mention that now all SW CA teams have to travel to AZ for league games.)


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## SDMama (Jul 19, 2022)

Congrats to Leahi SC out of Honolulu, HI.  Interested to see how this works.


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## Larzby (Jul 19, 2022)

SDMama said:


> Congrats to Leahi SC out of Honolulu, HI.  Interested to see how this works. View attachment 14362


Also great news, congrats!  But boy talk about travel...


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## Carlsbad7 (Jul 20, 2022)

Is "events only" code for preapproved for GA tournaments / showcases?

I assume if this is the case + they do well in events it would be a pathway to league membership?


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## Happened again (Jul 20, 2022)

Carlsbad7 said:


> Is "events only" code for preapproved for GA tournaments / showcases?
> 
> I assume if this is the case + they do well in events it would be a pathway to league membership?


That seems to be the case.  There has always been a steady trickle of talent coming out fo HI, maybe this will help girls with broader exposure?


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## tjinaz (Jul 20, 2022)

SDMama said:


> Why did they put 2 AZ teams in SW (16 teams) and 2 in MW (10 teams)?  Why wouldn’t they keep the 4 AZ teams in the same conference to let them have less travel?  (Not to mention that now all SW CA teams have to travel to AZ for league games.)


Premier and AZ SC  went to Mountain West.   SC del Sol was already in GA but in Mountain West and moved to SW.  FC Tucson is new and went to SW as well.   So end of the day 2 AZ teams in Mountain West (good luck with your flights) and 2 in SW (yea drive to San Diego).

Looking at last years GA schedule SW only had 6 teams and Mountain West had 8.  Where are you getting your info?


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## Brav520 (Jul 20, 2022)

Isn’t Tudela the club that a very famous sports  podcaster has a kid at?

I feel like he was always raving about the club on social media


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## SDMama (Jul 20, 2022)

tjinaz said:


> Premier and AZ SC  went to Mountain West.   SC del Sol was already in GA but in Mountain West and moved to SW.  FC Tucson is new and went to SW as well.   So end of the day 2 AZ teams in Mountain West (good luck with your flights) and 2 in SW (yea drive to San Diego).
> 
> Looking at last years GA schedule SW only had 6 teams and Mountain West had 8.  Where are you getting your info?





tjinaz said:


> DPL just added 2 clubs from Phoenix into Mountain West.  AZ Soccer Club (Thunder) and Phoenix Premier.  They sent Tucson and SCDS to SoCal to balance out.



Was talking DPL for the coming season based on one of your precious comments. GAL website doesn’t seem to have 2022-23 alignment posted yet.


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## tjinaz (Jul 20, 2022)

SDMama said:


> Was talking DPL for the coming season based on one of your precious comments. GAL website doesn’t seem to have 2022-23 alignment posted yet.


Ah.. yea.  sorry.  SCDS and FC Tucson both have GA maybe why they are in SW.  Phoenix Premier and AZ SC will be DPL only.  May be why the alignment went as it did.


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## SDMama (Jul 20, 2022)

tjinaz said:


> Ah.. yea.  sorry.  SCDS and FC Tucson both have GA maybe why they are in SW.  Phoenix Premier and AZ SC will be DPL only.  May be why the alignment went as it did.


No problem. Good insights. Any idea when 2022-23 GAL alignment will be posted? 

I saw somewhere that West Coast will be in ECRL for the coming season. Will they continue in GAL, too?  Or will they leave GAL which brings SW down to 5 (returning clubs) + the 2 AZ clubs = 7? 

(Btw-typo in previous post - “preVious comments” not “precious comments” )


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## Larzby (Jul 21, 2022)

SDMama said:


> No problem. Good insights. Any idea when 2022-23 GAL alignment will be posted?
> 
> I saw somewhere that West Coast will be in ECRL for the coming season. Will they continue in GAL, too?  Or will they leave GAL which brings SW down to 5 (returning clubs) + the 2 AZ clubs = 7?
> 
> (Btw-typo in previous post - “preVious comments” not “precious comments” )


There will be 9 clubs in GA SW.  The six returning and 3 new- 2 AZ clubs and FRAM


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## ajaxahi (Jul 21, 2022)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Would like to hear from KJR or Ajaxiahi to share more details on this.


Hey all, speaking as a Tudela parent, not an official representative.  From what I understand you guys have it right, “event-only” means just GA showcases/tournaments for now, with the possibility of gaining full league status later on based on how they do as well as filling out/strengthening some club age groups. Our 05’s and 07’s were invited to the GA showcase in Oceanside in June and both teams won their groups in style so that obviously helped their cause.  The club’s development model is excellent and unique, and there is a ton of buy-in by loyal families with some really high quality players, but the biggest knock has been college exposure for the olders. As the club’s oldest age group, the 05’s have had to be very proactive with ID Camps, showcases, recruiting videos, and outreach to colleges just to get on the recruiting radar.  It’s worked, with many of our players committed to top colleges or soon to be, but the GA status should help pave the way for the younger age groups and help retain those quality players seeking college exposure as they get older. If you have seen any of the Tudela teams play, and especially if you have seen them train, this is a well deserved reward for a lot of hard work and sticking with a philosophy that swims against the tide of “win at all costs.”


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## Code (Jul 21, 2022)

ajaxahi said:


> Hey all, speaking as a Tudela parent, not an official representative.  From what I understand you guys have it right, “event-only” means just GA showcases/tournaments for now, with the possibility of gaining full league status later on based on how they do as well as filling out/strengthening some club age groups. Our 05’s and 07’s were invited to the GA showcase in Oceanside in June and both teams won their groups in style so that obviously helped their cause.  The club’s development model is excellent and unique, and there is a ton of buy-in by loyal families with some really high quality players, but the biggest knock has been college exposure for the olders. As the club’s oldest age group, the 05’s have had to be very proactive with ID Camps, showcases, recruiting videos, and outreach to colleges just to get on the recruiting radar.  It’s worked, with many of our players committed to top colleges or soon to be, but the GA status should help pave the way for the younger age groups and help retain those quality players seeking college exposure as they get older. If you have seen any of the Tudela teams play, and especially if you have seen them train, this is a well deserved reward for a lot of hard work and sticking with a philosophy that swims against the tide of “win at all costs.”



I watched about half a game of the Tudela G2007 team play last summer at Del Mar.  Best G07 team I have seen play in any League, Tournament, or Showcase.  You guys are doing a great job, only team I have seen in person where I was in awe of how well they worked together on the field.  They would definitely put any ECNL team back on their heels, and I expect they will beat any team from any other League.


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## SDMama (Jul 21, 2022)

Code said:


> I watched about half a game of the Tudela G2007 team play last summer at Del Mar.  Best G07 team I have seen play in any League, Tournament, or Showcase.  You guys are doing a great job, only team I have seen in person where I was in awe of how well they worked together on the field.  They would definitely put any ECNL team back on their heels, and I expect they will beat any team from any other League.


Why wouldn’t they go ECNL instead of GA?


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## Carlsbad7 (Jul 21, 2022)

SDMama said:


> Why wouldn’t they go ECNL instead of GA?


Why not go GA? What's the difference? 

If you can win + make things happen doors will open for you.


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## Code (Jul 21, 2022)

SDMama said:


> Why wouldn’t they go ECNL instead of GA?


Not saying they can't.  But I have no idea what a club has to prove or what politics are required to get a club added to the ECNL or GA Leagues in the SW.  They have been invited to play GA events, so it looks like there is an opportunity there.  If I was the club, I would be talking with both


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## LASTMAN14 (Jul 21, 2022)

ajaxahi said:


> Hey all, speaking as a Tudela parent, not an official representative.  From what I understand you guys have it right, “event-only” means just GA showcases/tournaments for now, with the possibility of gaining full league status later on based on how they do as well as filling out/strengthening some club age groups. Our 05’s and 07’s were invited to the GA showcase in Oceanside in June and both teams won their groups in style so that obviously helped their cause.  The club’s development model is excellent and unique, and there is a ton of buy-in by loyal families with some really high quality players, but the biggest knock has been college exposure for the olders. As the club’s oldest age group, the 05’s have had to be very proactive with ID Camps, showcases, recruiting videos, and outreach to colleges just to get on the recruiting radar.  It’s worked, with many of our players committed to top colleges or soon to be, but the GA status should help pave the way for the younger age groups and help retain those quality players seeking college exposure as they get older. If you have seen any of the Tudela teams play, and especially if you have seen them train, this is a well deserved reward for a lot of hard work and sticking with a philosophy that swims against the tide of “win at all costs.”


And there it is.


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## Larzby (Jul 21, 2022)

SDMama said:


> Why wouldn’t they go ECNL instead of GA?


Hard to say, but GA is probably more way anxious to add teams than ECNL because the SW division in GA is weak compared to ECNL.  They need to add quality.  I think it is a good thing that GA is looking creatively at different ways to up the quality in the southwest division.  GA teams are required to put their top team in GA and their second team in DPL.  So they've got to have 2 credible teams at each age division.  That's very tough for any club that isn't already fairly large.  You also need things like quality field space, and lots of other must-haves that keep the league top-tier.  So there's more to it than just having good teams at certain birth years.  But with the advent of Elite 64 and the like, I think GA may need to break those rules and begin drawing in the excellent one-off teams from smaller clubs who can't maintain all the other components required.  Sometimes its a chicken-or-the-egg thing and teams need a leg up to get to the final destination.  Perhaps the GA is trying a different approach and seeing if clubs like Tudela and the Hawaii team can get that leg up by offering the exposure of GA events, without all the other prohibitive requirements.  If it works it would be great for GA.


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## ToonArmy (Jul 23, 2022)

Brav520 said:


> Isn’t Tudela the club that a very famous sports  podcaster has a kid at?
> 
> I feel like he was always raving about the club on social media


Yep Bill Simmons of The Ringer. Not sure if she is still there


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## Code (Nov 8, 2022)

ajaxahi said:


> Hey all, speaking as a Tudela parent, not an official representative.  From what I understand you guys have it right, “event-only” means just GA showcases/tournaments for now, with the possibility of gaining full league status later on based on how they do as well as filling out/strengthening some club age groups. Our 05’s and 07’s were invited to the GA showcase in Oceanside in June and both teams won their groups in style so that obviously helped their cause.  The club’s development model is excellent and unique, and there is a ton of buy-in by loyal families with some really high quality players, but the biggest knock has been college exposure for the olders. As the club’s oldest age group, the 05’s have had to be very proactive with ID Camps, showcases, recruiting videos, and outreach to colleges just to get on the recruiting radar.  It’s worked, with many of our players committed to top colleges or soon to be, but the GA status should help pave the way for the younger age groups and help retain those quality players seeking college exposure as they get older. If you have seen any of the Tudela teams play, and especially if you have seen them train, this is a well deserved reward for a lot of hard work and sticking with a philosophy that swims against the tide of “win at all costs.”


I hear that both of these teams were caught cheating  in the SOCAL NPL League and the club received a heavy fine.  I can see that both teams have had all thier wins removed from the 2022 fall season.  Care to fill us all in on what happened?


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## dad4 (Nov 9, 2022)

Code said:


> I hear that both of these teams were caught cheating  in the SOCAL NPL League and the club received a heavy fine.  I can see that both teams have had all thier wins removed from the 2022 fall season.  Care to fill us all in on what happened?


If you”re going to accuse someone of cheating, you need to provide a link to the evidence.   If there is no evidence, it’s not really fair to post it.


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## From the Spot (Nov 9, 2022)

A Tudela official posted an explanation here: Tudela LA FC G05 White caught cheating | Socal Soccer . In short, no cheating but SoCal admin administrative forfeits due to Tudela decision to participate in the GA showcase instead of the Discovery NPL playoffs.


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## Code (Nov 9, 2022)

dad4 said:


> If you”re going to accuse someone of cheating, you need to provide a link to the evidence.   If there is no evidence, it’s not really fair to post it.


True.  I appologize for my hasty assumption that your teams were caught cheating based on rumors without hearing the otherside of the story first.  I was curious what happened and certainly should have worded my question in a less accusing tone.  Tudula made the right, and honorable decision to let the second place NPL teams countinue on in their place.  Also the right decision for thier players to participate in confliciting GA/ECNL events.  In no way should your teams face any negative reprucusions from SOCAL.  Keeping teams that perform like yours in the NPL should be SOCAL's number 1 priority, if they truly want to compete with the ECNL/GA for top talent teams.  I wish I could delete the unfair comment, but I will just have to own it.


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## zags77 (Dec 5, 2022)

*Tudela's GA Showcase Results *

- 2004/2005 - 3-0-0, 8 GF and 3 GA - Showcase F (7th Bracket) **(1st out of 6)**
- 2006           - NO TEAM ENTERED
- 2007           -2-1-0, 5 GF and 5 GA - Showcase E (6th Bracket) **(2nd out of 6)**
- 2008           -0-3-0, 3 GF and 9 GA - Showcase E (6th Bracket) **(6th out of 6)**

Is this enough to get them into GA? Thoughts?


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## toucan (Dec 6, 2022)

Based on a comment from KJR in which he stated that Tudela will not participate in the Discovery League any more, I infer that Tudela has already received some kind of assurance from either the GA or the DPL that the club will be added for next year.  But if not, I would still say that Tudela is a good candidate for GA or DPL status.  My reasoning follows:

The club has grown to the point where it has filled all GA/DPL age groups for next Fall, except for the G2006s.  It should not be that hard to fill that one age group for next year.
Competitively, the club’s teams have performed well at the U13 and older age groups.
The GA and the DPL are in a battle for relevance and need to add more clubs to their program.

*2021 Fall Season*​*2022 Fall Season*​20042005Discovery White: 2nd of 13 teams
Flight 2 Gray:  3rd of 10 teamsDiscovery White: *See note below20062007Discovery White: 2nd of 15 teams
Flight 1 Blue: 12th of 12 teamsDiscovery White, playing as G2006s: *See note below
Flight 1 Blue: 4th of 7 teams2008Flight 2 White: 2nd of 11 teamsFlight 1 White:  1st of 9 teams2009Flight 2 White: 7th of 9 teamsDiscovery White:  11th of 11 teams2010Flight 2 Blue:  No StandingsFlight 1 White:  2nd of 8 teams
Flight 2 Blue: 5th of 7 teams2011Flight 2 White: No Standings
Flight 3 Blue:  No StandingsFlight 1 White: No Standings (11 wins)
Flight 2 Blue: No Standings (4 wins)
Flight 3 Gray:  No Standings (3 wins)2012Flight 2 White: No Standings
Flight 3 Blue: No Standings2013Flight 3 White: No Standings
Flight 3 Blue: No Standings2014Flight 3 White: No Standings
Flight 4 Blue: No Standings


*I believe the team performed well, but its wins were forfeited based on a decision against participating in the NPL playoffs.


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## KJR (Dec 7, 2022)

toucan said:


> Based on a comment from KJR in which he stated that Tudela will not participate in the Discovery League any more, I infer that Tudela has already received some kind of assurance from either the GA or the DPL that the club will be added for next year.  But if not, I would still say that Tudela is a good candidate for GA or DPL status.  My reasoning follows:
> 
> The club has grown to the point where it has filled all GA/DPL age groups for next Fall, except for the G2006s.  It should not be that hard to fill that one age group for next year.
> Competitively, the club’s teams have performed well at the U13 and older age groups.
> ...


Among our top six age groups in SOCAL, we had three first place league finishes (two of which we surrendered when we pulled out of the national cup playoffs), one second place, and one undefeated team in a non-standings age group. That's...pretty good.

Our 05 team has played in two GA events and has yet to lose; the 07s lost one game in the mud on Sunday; and our 08s had their first experience at a national showcase, missing several players to illness. I'm proud of how they played, and they'll be fine moving forward. Which is to say: armchair judgements like "Is this enough to get them into GA?" from another poster are silly. Context is important (also, I don't see calls to remove another SoCal team from the GA just because their oldest team went 0-3-0 in their bracket. Weird how people want to drill down on our results though.)

We've been very intentional in our growth over the past five years -- I think every large club in SoCal has asked us to "merge" at some point (meaning we wear their shirts and pay them fees but get their access to GA/ECNL), but we've remained independent because we believe in what we do, from development to financial aid. Even as our top teams had to fight for top brackets in events (because GA and ECNL clubs don't want to risk being beaten by some random, small indie one), we stayed patient. Our oldest girls went through college recruiting without the platform of those big circuits; we (and they) made it work. 

And finally: we've finished the conveyor belt of age groups, with the exception of an 06 team that we're currently putting together. So yes, we're ready to take our next step as a club.

All we want is for our girls to be challenged competitively every year as they develop. With the way youth soccer is set up, that means getting access to the big leagues, and the GA has been very supportive of our club for a couple years now. We're very happy to have our teams represent them. We also have a lot of respect for the ECNL, but let's not pretend it's a strict meritocracy. When Breakers were admitted, a reasonably competitive local team was suddenly "ECNL." They got blown out their first season and Breakers had to go graft a better outside team onto their 05 age group. Ultimately, ECNL wanted a foothold in Los Angeles, and the Breakers' financials made sense--the assumption was that, with time and the ECNL label, the results would follow. And I get why both sides made that deal. But we weren't going to buy our way into ECNL--it's not who we are. So our road was longer and went in a different direction.


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## zags77 (Dec 8, 2022)

KJR, thanks for the extensive write up, no question the 05 & 07 groups are the best teams at Tudela so the results they earned are not surprising, especially in the 6th bracket of each age group at the GA showcase.

Case in point is an example is the 2007 LA Surf GA team.  The team has a 0-7-2 record in GA fall league play.  They played in the GA Showcase H, went 2-1 with 7 GF and 2 GA.  Success right?  Well, its important to note that bad So Cal teams are battle tested going into these national events. When So Cal teams get the opportunity to play a team from Oregon or middle of America, Cal south teams will usually come out on top unless you are playing in top 2-3 brackets.  I am not saying it is why you had success this past weekend with 05 & 07 but the teams certainly were not tested.

I appreciate how Tudela has organically grown and from the outside looking in, it looks like every team that JT has his hand on is successful and does well.  What I think could be holding the club back from "higher leagues" are the following:

-*Politics *- (GA you have to think LA surf will fight like hell to keep you out as you are direct competition to them, ECNL same situation with LA Breakers)
-*Resources* - My understanding and correct me if I am wrong, the club had to cancel several games this fall season to do lack of fields or field closures, to be in GA or ECNL you will need a field for an entire day, same sight to be able to host another club for 6 age groups, everyone thinks they can find this, but its hard to find in your area especially on 7-8 weekends.  Does Tudela only use LAUSD fields?
*-Player Pool *- Results is So Cal league are not important in my honest opinion for age groups 2010 and older.  ECNL and GA both start at that age so that removes 17 of the best ECNL and 9 GA teams from the equation.  Lets just say 20 of those teams are high level as we know there are always some bottom feeders in every age group that don't belong playing in those leagues.   You aren't playing the best competition so in turn your results are skewed.  Id be curious to see how your 2011 and 2012 teams did as those are playing the best teams from ECNL clubs.
*-Coaching Depth* - no question the coaching line up is legit, but we also know that these coaches were not present in the fall as they have college commitments and its impossible for them to do both...

I think it will be interesting to see how the 2009 and 2010 age groups will do at the GA West Regional Event in Phx in March.  If the results are similar to the 2008s will the question be is the depth there to get every age group up to speed for admittance to GA for 23-24season.  There is no question that the GA wants you to be successful which is why they are providing you the opportunity to do this and I think you will start to pull more talent into the club if its announced sooner than later.


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## KJR (Dec 8, 2022)

zags77 said:


> KJR, thanks for the extensive write up, no question the 05 & 07 groups are the best teams at Tudela so the results they earned are not surprising, especially in the 6th bracket of each age group at the GA showcase.
> 
> Case in point is an example is the 2007 LA Surf GA team.  The team has a 0-7-2 record in GA fall league play.  They played in the GA Showcase H, went 2-1 with 7 GF and 2 GA.  Success right?  Well, its important to note that bad So Cal teams are battle tested going into these national events. When So Cal teams get the opportunity to play a team from Oregon or middle of America, Cal south teams will usually come out on top unless you are playing in top 2-3 brackets.  I am not saying it is why you had success this past weekend with 05 & 07 but the teams certainly were not tested.
> 
> ...


That's all very thoughtful, and I won't be able to do full justice in this response.

Politics is certainly an issue with youth sports generally, and youth soccer in SoCal is no different. There are things that happen behind closed doors that no one outside can control; that's why we've just tried to build our club and hope that, eventually, others would agree that there are enough players for everyone and good local competition helps us all. 

As for resources, being at the mercy of LAUSD didn't help us as we came out of lockdown, though we certainly weren't the only organization affected by its reluctance to grant permits. I will say that the cancelled games were examples of poor admin by SOCAL schedulers. When LAUSD informed us they wouldn't be able to process permits for some dates we'd been promised, we told SOCAL and assured them that we had alternative fields we could use; minutes later our games were listed as canceled. As you can imagine, that inflexibility was incredibly frustrating--particularly when we were at the same time agreeing to reschedule one of our teams' games because their opponent had a conflict with prom. Fortunately we were able to move our training and home field away from LAUSD, at an incredible facility, and meet any league requirements.

Regarding depth in the player pool, I think that opens up a broader issue in youth soccer: the emphasis on results over development in younger age groups. When some of our 05s were first coming together as 8- and 9-year-olds, Jacob warned parents that if they were only looking for trophies for the next few years we might not be the right team for them. Winning is more fun than losing, but our focus was on development and effort; and we don't want to change that just to impress whoever might be looking at the results of our younger teams. Those 2012 girls might have 70% possession and be learning how to build out from the back, make smart overlapping runs, etc. and lose to a bigger, more direct team on two free kicks. We'll take that loss and tell the girls that, when they're sixteen and the sizes have evened out, things will be different. Our 05s have proved that point (not just with "easy" league wins but with tournament and showcase results, as well as college recruiting) and, we hope, set an example for players, and parents, in the rest of the club.

Coaching education and retention is critical for any club. We have an insanely talented, committed staff right now, but any club that isn't constantly striving to improve its coaching depth is either naive or coasting.

We don't have 100 girls coming to try out in every age group; our margin for error is smaller than bigger clubs, who can basically just swap out underperforming teams. All we can do is develop the girls we get as well as we can and then play whoever we're put against. (Trust me: our girls would have loved to play higher than the 6th bracket last weekend, but we were happy to go where the GA put us.) But yes, being in the GA would certainly help us bring more girls into our program; based on what we've already accomplished, we think that would be good for us and for the GA.


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