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



## Panenka (Oct 14, 2016)

how important is it to try to get a spot in an ussda or take it if offered versus hold off  and play wether it be csl or scdsl at the u12-u14 . as far as commitment from player/parent and travel and development of course..


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## God (Oct 14, 2016)

Idk, bragging rights come to mind. That and a shit load of Facebook Likes for sure. That's pretty important too.


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## xav10 (Oct 14, 2016)

No clear answer. Playing against the best kids is obviously a plus and makes your kid better. Travel seems no worse than other leagues. Coaching is better, I would guess. However, you want your kid to build confidence and have somewhere to grow into, so unless they're bored or too dominant at scdsl or coast, it is fine to grow into ussda much later.


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## younothat (Oct 14, 2016)

Big commitment first of all, really big...training 3-4 days a week, games on the weekend for 10 months of the year.  Pressure and expectations run high, can be doggy eat dog. 

How competitive of a player are your considering DA for?   If they can't get enough competition as their current level then yes consider DA. 

Are you willing to spend 3 hours+ each way to travel to/from San Diego to Bakersfield for U14 games... Including the hour warm up, 1.5hr game time =  8 hour+ day for some away games

Opportunities don't always coming knocking but when they do take them.  Your player should show and be able to tell you when their ready or not for the next challenge, level, league, etc.


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## Wez (Oct 14, 2016)

younothat said:


> Are you willing to spend 3 hours+ each way to travel to/from San Diego to Bakersfield for U14 games... Including the hour warm up, 1.5hr game time =  8 hour+ day for some away games


On weekends that's pretty bad but doable, it's the commute time to practices during the week that scares the hell out of me...


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## younothat (Oct 14, 2016)

Wez said:


> On weekends that's pretty bad but doable, it's the commute time to practices during the week that scares the hell out of me...


(1) Hour travel times each way to practice is not unusual, practices can go 2 hours so 4 hours per day x 3-4 per = 12-16 hrs a week just for practices..  that and getting there on time  say 6pm start if you work until 5 and have to get home or whatever first


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## Wez (Oct 14, 2016)

younothat said:


> (1) Hour travel times each way to practice is not unusual, practices can go 2 hours so 4 hours per day x 3-4 per = 12-16 hrs a week just for practices..  that and getting there on time  say 6pm start if you work until 5 and have to get home or whatever first


After practice is over the commute shouldn't be too bad, it's the getting there through rush hour that has me wetting my undies...


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## mahrez (Oct 15, 2016)

Normally get more difficult to get in as the ages go up.
1st year has the most opportunity after that the pool of established player's doesn't make much room for new prospects.

The competition level can make a big difference in a year kids can change, grow, improve a lot in a challenging environment.


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## No.Guts.No.Glory (Oct 20, 2016)

You should also consider playing time before committing to DA.  If the player is good enough to earn a starting spot than all the sacrifices are worth it. If, on the other hand, the kid is only getting 15 to 20 minutes of game time due to large roster, then consider SCDSL or CSL Prem.


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## GKDad65 (Oct 21, 2016)

If you're not getting play time then all that Kool-Aid is useless.


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## younothat (Oct 21, 2016)

Once of the challenges of any team, coach, players is getting enough playing time for the non-starters

DA has real mandates on playing time for the younger ages;  DA minimum standards of having U-13 players play in 50% of minutes per month and for U-14 to follow the rotation format of having players start in a minimum of 25% of their games per year.

Some teams & coaches do a better job of this than others but all the stats/minutes are keep on-line.  Clubs will get notified doing certain times,  reviews and players that don't get the required minimums have options.

One of the things the DA could look out is a reserve system or some way to move players around a bit easier beyond the DP tags.

Cal south clubs have a lot of teams and they can player or club pass  players to move them around easy among their teams within the roster & rules limits.   

USSDA is separate and you can only register new or  pass DA players already in the league,  No others or transfers from Cal South teams are allowed even withing your same club (drop from one CS team 1st, add to DA is only option) so that really limits roster flexibility and the pool of potential players.


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## uburoi (Oct 29, 2016)

I understand that my son's team may play USSDA u12 next year. It was my understanding that there is a certain amount of play time for each player and for that reason is more about development. Is this true? My goal for joining USSDA is really to play good soccer in a structured environment as opposed to the wild west approach of all the other clubs playing in the SCDSL, many with no coherent structure or mission. Since my son is an occasional starter, I also worry about the driving, etc. But then I'm already driving one hour each way to practice.


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## SBFDad (Oct 29, 2016)

uburoi said:


> I understand that my son's team may play USSDA u12 next year. It was my understanding that there is a certain amount of play time for each player and for that reason is more about development. Is this true? My goal for joining USSDA is really to play good soccer in a structured environment as opposed to the wild west approach of all the other clubs playing in the SCDSL, many with no coherent structure or mission. Since my son is an occasional starter, I also worry about the driving, etc. But then I'm already driving one hour each way to practice.


This year the rule is 50% per game for U12 USSDA.


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## espola (Oct 29, 2016)

SBFDad said:


> This year the rule is 50% per game for U12 USSDA.


Who enforces it?  What is the penalty for violation?


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## SBFDad (Oct 29, 2016)

espola said:


> Who enforces it?  What is the penalty for violation?


Based on the the U12 game reports and lack of data in them, there is no real way to know who is in violation without witnessing it from the sidelines with a stopwatch in hand. The U13s and older game reports are very specific on the subs and minutes, records kept by the ref. Not the case with U12 reports. Don't know if there is a penalty.


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## espola (Oct 29, 2016)

SBFDad said:


> Based on the the U12 game reports and lack of data in them, there is no real way to know who is in violation without witnessing it from the sidelines with a stopwatch in hand. The U13s and older game reports are very specific on the subs and minutes, records kept by the ref. Not the case with U12 reports. Don't know if there is a penalty.


Do the game reports include reasons why a player might be short of the required playing time, such as injury, illness, or discipline?


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## SBFDad (Oct 29, 2016)

espola said:


> Do the game reports include reasons why a player might be short of the required playing time, such as injury, illness, or discipline?


Not from what I can tell.


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## uburoi (Oct 30, 2016)

Great stuff, thanks. USSDA seems the best way to develop a player. My daughter has played club for a few years and I can't see my son really developing with a normal club, especially after playing for a year in an academy setup. He's not a star but does just ok. I'm not sure I can deal with the scdsl for the next 5 years or more.


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## Laced (Oct 30, 2016)

uburoi said:


> I understand that my son's team may play USSDA u12 next year. It was my understanding that there is a certain amount of play time for each player and for that reason is more about development. Is this true? My goal for joining USSDA is really to play good soccer in a structured environment as opposed to the wild west approach of all the other clubs playing in the SCDSL, many with no coherent structure or mission. Since my son is an occasional starter, I also worry about the driving, etc. But then I'm already driving one hour each way to practice.


To play in DA your club has to get accepted. Good soccer doesn't come from playing in a good league. Your club, especially your coach has the greatest impact on what style of soccer the team plays.


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## SBFDad (Oct 30, 2016)

uburoi said:


> Great stuff, thanks. USSDA seems the best way to develop a player. My daughter has played club for a few years and I can't see my son really developing with a normal club, especially after playing for a year in an academy setup. He's not a star but does just ok. I'm not sure I can deal with the scdsl for the next 5 years or more.


USSDA teams are pretty selective. If you have young ones that you'd like to see playing in a true academy somewhere down the road, I recommend extra training early and often and finding a coach and team that focuses on technical and tactical aspects of the game. The higher level players you can get your kids playing with and against, the better.


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## younothat (Oct 31, 2016)

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

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

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

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

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

DA is a big commitment, there are some tradeoffs and you really have to be dedicated for the 3-4 practices a week &  10-month season to make things out well.   Some young kids might have the skills, desire but they also have to/show some maturity to do more, improve and be consistent week in and week out.


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## mahrez (Oct 31, 2016)

DA does a lot of  reviews of player development,  each team is suppose to be evaluated by Scout's at least 10x a year with each club getting 2 formal evals with feedback in many(-100x) categories.

More Training & Meaningful games /W top coaches is what DA is about.


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## uburoi (Nov 4, 2016)

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

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


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## Panenka (Nov 10, 2016)

When do DAs usually hold their tryouts 
For yougers ?


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## younothat (Nov 11, 2016)

*uburoi *yes futsal is a good way to continue developing.  With the fall season component winding down this is a good time. 

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

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


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## Legit_play (Nov 24, 2016)

SBFDad said:


> USSDA teams are pretty selective. If you have young ones that you'd like to see playing in a true academy somewhere down the road, I recommend extra training early and often and finding a coach and team that focuses on technical and tactical aspects of the game. The higher level players you can get your kids playing with and against, the better.


I would like to add that you make sure that your player has the desire, drive and passion to pursue academy status otherwise you'll be in for a long and expensive ride only to have him/her decide that they are no longer interested in soccer. Make sure that they are enjoying their soccer experience in such a competitive arena because pushing them too far rather than incouraging them may become a heartbreaking moment in the future. Just make certain you allow them to be kids too and not just soccer robots. I've witnessed this firsthand with my oldest, soccer burnout is a huge bummer...luckily I had 2 other chances to get it right.


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