# USYS National Championship Livestream



## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/user/usyouth

http://tournaments.usyouthsoccer.org/events/2017-National-Championships/


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## gkrent (Jul 25, 2017)

Go Beach!


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## outside! (Jul 25, 2017)

Here is the live stream schedule.

http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org/live/

There are 17 games with CalSouth teams being streamed. Good luck to the CalSouth teams in this last National Championships before GDA takes the majority of the rest of the high end teams that haven't already departed this tournament with DA and ECNL.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

gkrent said:


> Go Beach!


They are leading 3-1.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> They are leading 3-1.


The eggs are cooling,  the butter's getting hard and the jello is jiggling.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

Sheriff Joe said:


> The eggs are cooling,  the butter's getting hard and the jello is jiggling.


4-1 with 10 second left.


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## mkg68 (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> 4-1 with 10 second left.


You couldn't wait 10 seconds to report a final score?


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

@MakeAPlay do not get me wrong I am ALL FOR every single one of these Cal South teams rolling to National Championships but I did not see one game today that was even remotely close. Legends did so well. Surf as per usual played magnificently and had no pressure at all, Beach the same. 
Is this standard? 
It seems to me that after CRL these teams have had no decent competition (save Heat and RSC in Surfs case) The teams they are playing at u14 for example are simply bad. 
I am not trying to take away from any team but there is absolutely no comparison between these SoCal teams and the other national qualifiers. 
I think at this point I will be shocked if every single one of these teams DOES NOT come home with a national trophy. 
Roll on Cal south roll on...


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## socalkdg (Jul 25, 2017)

Good to know that the best of the best is here in Southern California.  

I'm watching the 2017 USYS U13G San Diego Surf vs SDFC game as my daughter will be a U13 this coming season so gives me an idea what the best look like.


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

Too bad she didn't catch CRL this year at 04. I am telling you I saw more action at the 04 CRL than this garbage. FWR was no better except for Heat and RSC who we play all the time anyway. It's very disappointing actually to me- not because of anything other than there are many many many teams here better than what I just saw. Many...did I say many? Surf absolutely deserves that title and there is simply no comparison on the pitch.


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## pulguita (Jul 25, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> @MakeAPlay do not get me wrong I am ALL FOR every single one of these Cal South teams rolling to National Championships but I did not see one game today that was even remotely close. Legends did so well. Surf as per usual played magnificently and had no pressure at all, Beach the same.
> Is this standard?
> It seems to me that after CRL these teams have had no decent competition (save Heat and RSC in Surfs case) The teams they are playing at u14 for example are simply bad.
> I am not trying to take away from any team but there is absolutely no comparison between these SoCal teams and the other national qualifiers.
> ...


Yes and I will get on my soapbox once again.  There exists an east coast bias at the US Soccer level, NCAA D1 level, ECNL Level etc.  If we took our best SoCal kids and made a best of the best at whatever level we would dominate at all levels.  The only reason any other areas can compete with us is because we dilute our talent among 10 - 15 teams every year.  Put a best of the best SoCal team together and we would be the National Team.  Quit playing this political BS.  As a D1 coach once told me when ODP was the real deal.  I have no hope of getting any of these kids at my school but the 20 - 30 that didn't make the team are for the most part better than everyone else's 1st team for Region IV.


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## outside! (Jul 25, 2017)

CalSouth has many strong teams, but there are also very good teams from other parts of the country.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

mkg68 said:


> You couldn't wait 10 seconds to report a final score?


There was stoppage time so it was more like a minute or two.


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## KONI (Jul 25, 2017)

Sheriff Joe said:


> The eggs are cooling,  the butter's getting hard and the jello is jiggling.


Man I miss Chick!!!!


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

outside! said:


> CalSouth has many strong teams, but there are also very good teams from other parts of the country.


At ecnl level 03 and up yes - today no and definetly not in this league. 
At u14 I have seen no one so far who comes near the starting line up of Surf in any tournament they have had past Heat and RSC. It has been a slaughter. They have never beat a local team by these margins. This is not at all taking away from them please note but it's sad. I wish a Texas team was represented or a strong GA or MI. Today was embarrassing


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## Not From Around Here (Jul 25, 2017)

pulguita said:


> If we took our best SoCal kids and made a best of the best at whatever level we would dominate at all levels.  The only reason any other areas can compete with us is because we dilute our talent among 10 - 15 teams every year.  Put a best of the best SoCal team together and we would be the National Team.  .


I don't think there is any doubt that SoCal is the strongest area for girls soccer, but I do think you are underestimating other parts of the country in one way.  I believe other areas could put together a team of 18 that competes with SoCal's top 18.  Just going from my ECNL experience this past season, the Michigan/Illinois area and the north Texas areas wouldn't struggle to compete if they consolidated their talent to one team.  I am sure there are probably other areas in the country that could do the same.

Where SoCal would truly dominate is if each region had to put a second or third (or fourth or fifth) team together.  The depth of SoCal would easily win out.  I think it's similar to what people say about the EPL.  Obviously, the top teams from the other European leagues don't have to take a back seat to the top EPL teams, but I'd love to see a tournament that matched up teams #5 to #20 from the different leagues.  Like SoCal, the depth of the EPL would impress.


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

pulguita said:


> Yes and I will get on my soapbox once again.  There exists an east coast bias at the US Soccer level, NCAA D1 level, ECNL Level etc.  If we took our best SoCal kids and made a best of the best at whatever level we would dominate at all levels.  The only reason any other areas can compete with us is because we dilute our talent among 10 - 15 teams every year.  Put a best of the best SoCal team together and we would be the National Team.  Quit playing this political BS.  As a D1 coach once told me when ODP was the real deal.  I have no hope of getting any of these kids at my school but the 20 - 30 that didn't make the team are for the most part better than everyone else's 1st team for Region IV.


Not that this impacts me but out of academic curiosity @pulguita how does this tie into recruiting? Obviously I hope all our Cal South girls can reach their dreams. How though can a firecracker team from Beach or LAGSD be noticed. No offense but straight talk the lowest CRL TEAM at 04 was better than that NJ team today. No question. So how does that start to occur?


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

outside! said:


> CalSouth has many strong teams, but there are also very good teams from other parts of the country.


What pulgita was saying was that if you took our best 18 it would beat any other regions best 18 and I have to agree with him.  His daughter and mine won two ODP national championships together and the team their last year (missing about 6-7 girls from the championship team the year before that chose not to compete) could beat most D1 college teams and that is not an exaggeration in the least.  They had maybe one close game in 2 years.  The best 18 from her age group pretty much where all invites to at least one YNT camp and many are still pool players.  No other region has that kind of depth and that includes Chicagoland and North Texas.


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## pulguita (Jul 25, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Not that this impacts me but out of academic curiosity @pulguita how does this tie into recruiting? Obviously I hope all our Cal South girls can reach their dreams. How though can a firecracker team from Beach or LAGSD be noticed. No offense but straight talk the lowest CRL TEAM at 04 was better than that NJ team today. No question. So how does that start to occur?


Being a Beach homer not sure what you mean.  Take a look at this I think this sums it up pretty good - not ECNL and not DA yet. http://tournaments.usyouthsoccer.org/events/2017-National-Championships/Team/44883/BeachFC98AcademyCA-SNL-B1/


Not From Around Here said:


> I don't think there is any doubt that SoCal is the strongest area for girls soccer, but I do think you are underestimating other parts of the country in one way.  I believe other areas could put together a team of 18 that competes with SoCal's top 18.  Just going from my ECNL experience this past season, the Michigan/Illinois area and the north Texas areas wouldn't struggle to compete if they consolidated their talent to one team.  I am sure there are probably other areas in the country that could do the same.
> 
> Where SoCal would truly dominate is if each region had to put a second or third (or fourth or fifth) team together.  The depth of SoCal would easily win out.  I think it's similar to what people say about the EPL.  Obviously, the top teams from the other European leagues don't have to take a back seat to the top EPL teams, but I'd love to see a tournament that matched up teams #5 to #20 from the different leagues.  Like SoCal, the depth of the EPL would impress.


We do every year and its called ODP.  I will agree that ODP has lost its luster now but we have had ECNL and non ECNL girls on our teams for the last 5 years and no one can touch us.  So if Colorado or Texas or New Jersey or Michigan really want to put their best 18 up against our CalSouth 18 it is no contest.  Michigan Hawks draw everyone from a 2-3 hr radius. The two Colorados draw from the whole state.  NJ PDA draws from 2 hour radius. We have 8-10 teams drawing from a 2 hr radius in socal.  It is no contest.


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## Not From Around Here (Jul 25, 2017)

pulguita said:


> So if Colorado or Texas or New Jersey or Michigan really want to put their best 18 up against our CalSouth 18 it is no contest.


That would be a lot of fun. Someone should start a new league that allows this to happen!


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

pulguita said:


> Being a Beach homer not sure what you mean.  Take a look at this I think this sums it up pretty good - not ECNL and not DA yet. http://tournaments.usyouthsoccer.org/events/2017-National-Championships/Team/44883/BeachFC98AcademyCA-SNL-B1/
> 
> We do every year and its called ODP.  I will agree that ODP has lost its luster now but we have had ECNL and non ECNL girls on our teams for the last 5 years and no one can touch us.  So if Colorado or Texas or New Jersey or Michigan really want to put their best 18 up against our CalSouth 18 it is no contest.  Michigan Hawks draw everyone from a 2-3 hr radius. The two Colorados draw from the whole state.  NJ PDA draws from 2 hour radius. We have 8-10 teams drawing from a 2 hr radius in socal.  It is no contest.


I am talking about your younger Beach gals. That 04 team is a force. So how does recruiting work ? If you aren't on a national stage but to be frank clearly better than some random team from NJ then what?
Or is it u14 so basically it's not relevant until 16?


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> What pulgita was saying was that if you took our best 18 it would beat any other regions best 18 and I have to agree with him.  His daughter and mine won two ODP national championships together and the team their last year (missing about 6-7 girls from the championship team the year before that chose not to compete) could beat most D1 college teams and that is not an exaggeration in the least.  They had maybe one close game in 2 years.  The best 18 from her age group pretty much where all invites to at least one YNT camp and many are still pool players.  No other region has that kind of depth and that includes Chicagoland and North Texas.


So would you say that most SOCAL players who want to play college soccer can in fact do so? 
I am not seeing anyone so far that matches a bench player on some of these CRL squads.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> So would you say that most SOCAL players who want to play college soccer can in fact do so?
> I am not seeing anyone so far that matches a bench player on some of these CRL squads.


I have said repeatedly and I will say it again.  For our SoCal girls if a player wants to play in college there is a school for them.  They just have to play good soccer, get good grades, work their tails off and get help and support from their family and coaches to push them through the finish line.  The problem is there are lot's of moving parts, lots of pitchmen like @CaliKlines  and lots of snake oil salesmen out there and that can lead a family astray.

Good luck to you and your player.


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## outside! (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> What pulgita was saying was that if you took our best 18 it would beat any other regions best 18 and I have to agree with him.  His daughter and mine won two ODP national championships together and the team their last year (missing about 6-7 girls from the championship team the year before that chose not to compete) could beat most D1 college teams and that is not an exaggeration in the least.  They had maybe one close game in 2 years.  The best 18 from her age group pretty much where all invites to at least one YNT camp and many are still pool players.  No other region has that kind of depth and that includes Chicagoland and North Texas.


I agree with Pulquita, I was replying to Striker but others replied before me and I didn't quote Striker.

On a side note, I know that Penn Strikers is fully funded by sponsors lined up by the coaching staff (or at least they were two years ago). The downside was that players could be cut from the team at any practice if someone better showed up.


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## NoGoal (Jul 25, 2017)

pulguita said:


> Being a Beach homer not sure what you mean.  Take a look at this I think this sums it up pretty good - not ECNL and not DA yet. http://tournaments.usyouthsoccer.org/events/2017-National-Championships/Team/44883/BeachFC98AcademyCA-SNL-B1/
> 
> We do every year and its called ODP.  I will agree that ODP has lost its luster now but we have had ECNL and non ECNL girls on our teams for the last 5 years and no one can touch us.  So if Colorado or Texas or New Jersey or Michigan really want to put their best 18 up against our CalSouth 18 it is no contest.  Michigan Hawks draw everyone from a 2-3 hr radius. The two Colorados draw from the whole state.  NJ PDA draws from 2 hour radius. We have 8-10 teams drawing from a 2 hr radius in socal.  It is no contest.


And it's why out of state universities "LOVE" Cal South players!


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> And it's why out of state universities "LOVE" Cal South players!


If you look at the 2019's and 2020's on UCLA's recruiting list most of them were YNT players, however, ALL of them including the out of state players were standout ODP players at either Regionals or Nationals.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jul 25, 2017)

KONI said:


> Man I miss Chick!!!!


The one and only.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

Sheriff Joe said:


> The one and only.


I miss Vin Scully too.


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## socalkdg (Jul 25, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Not that this impacts me but out of academic curiosity @pulguita how does this tie into recruiting? Obviously I hope all our Cal South girls can reach their dreams. How though can a firecracker team from Beach or LAGSD be noticed. No offense but straight talk the lowest CRL TEAM at 04 was better than that NJ team today. No question. So how does that start to occur?


The NJ team seemed to give up after they went down 3-0.   But they were outclassed.   I was impressed with the quick decision making by the surf team.  Every player on the team was top quality.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> I miss Vin Scully too.


Speaking of the Dodgers, I was just given 4 tickets right under the press box and preferred parking.


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## Striker17 (Jul 25, 2017)

This was not competition to them. There was ZERO PRESSURE. As stated I have seen RSC, BEACH, Arsenal obviously play them much better. It was sad. Maybe I am used to football where people review tape. 
Clearly no tape was reviewed. Zero.
Again for the record I say National Champs all the way!


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

Sheriff Joe said:


> Speaking of the Dodgers, I was just given 4 tickets right under the press box and preferred parking.


I am jealous.  Let's hope Kershaw gets back soon....


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> The NJ team seemed to give up after they went down 3-0.   But they were outclassed.   I was impressed with the quick decision making by the surf team.  Every player on the team was top quality.


It would have been nice to see them play against an opponent of a similar level.  Those are the great games to watch.  Win or lose everyone comes off the pitch a winner.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> This was not competition to them. There was ZERO PRESSURE. As stated I have seen RSC, BEACH, Arsenal obviously play them much better. It was sad. Maybe I am used to football where people review tape.
> Clearly no tape was reviewed. Zero.
> Again for the record I say National Champs all the way!


I agree.  The rest of the country starts catching up at about U15/16.


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## Sheriff Joe (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> I am jealous.  Let's hope Kershaw gets back soon....


He is a beast.


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## pulguita (Jul 25, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Not that this impacts me but out of academic curiosity @pulguita how does this tie into recruiting? Obviously I hope all our Cal South girls can reach their dreams. How though can a firecracker team from Beach or LAGSD be noticed. No offense but straight talk the lowest CRL TEAM at 04 was better than that NJ team today. No question. So how does that start to occur?


That is a perfect example of the political BS.  Then that CRL team should have been there rather than the NJ team.  For ODP example, if some kids from BFE don't get selected for a camp be it ID2, or Regional etc they will quit sending their State teams to Regionals even though they get their ass kicked every year.  So we gotta give them some love right? Really?  They should get an invite to a camp and a better SoCal kid should not cause that would be too many SoCal kids invited to whatever.  In fact Cal South quit sending their teams to Regional Camp because it was useless when 17 out of 18 Cal South kids would be selected for the Region team.  There was no competition, including Colorado which seems to get a very high and disproportionate number of YNT invites every year.  We would always kick their ass in ODP regionals.  To answer your question on recruiting I am not totally sure what you are getting at.  04's will be what U14 this year.  They are still a year to 2 years away from really getting scouting love from the universities.  There is always the outlier but really at U15 things start to roll a bit for the recognized players but at U16 is where things really start to take off.  I probably had a better answer when you just had to worry about ECNL and non ECNL.  ECNL had their own built in program non ECNL was CRL, National League, USYS Championships , Surf Cup, Surf College Showcase and Vegas Players Showcase and ODP.  My kids team played in it all.   Now with the landscape changed I am not sure I have a great answer other than by U16 you want to be in a place that is getting good exposure and on a team that challenges your kid.  We were non ECNL although she was  a discovery player but over 4 years I think she played in a total of 8 games.  My thing was coaching that fit her style and a training environment that rivaled the game environment.  Our girls beat the crap out of each other in training.  Game time was a break typically.  There was not too many teams that challenged us like we did ourselves in training.  My kids path was certainly not conventional.  She was on no name teams up to U14 mostly trained by me but had gained notoriety with ODP and YNT and made move to the best non ECNL team in SoCal for her last 4 years.  She had zero college exposure on my teams and but got a ton on her club team and ODP teams at U15 and above.  That was our experience.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 25, 2017)

pulguita said:


> That is a perfect example of the political BS.  Then that CRL team should have been there rather than the NJ team.  For ODP example, if some kids from BFE don't get selected for a camp be it ID2, or Regional etc they will quit sending their State teams to Regionals even though they get their ass kicked every year.  So we gotta give them some love right? Really?  They should get an invite to a camp and a better SoCal kid should not cause that would be too many SoCal kids invited to whatever.  In fact Cal South quit sending their teams to Regional Camp because it was useless when 17 out of 18 Cal South kids would be selected for the Region team.  There was no competition, including Colorado which seems to get a very high and disproportionate number of YNT invites every year.  We would always kick their ass in ODP regionals.  To answer your question on recruiting I am not totally sure what you are getting at.  04's will be what U14 this year.  They are still a year to 2 years away from really getting scouting love from the universities.  There is always the outlier but really at U15 things start to roll a bit for the recognized players but at U16 is where things really start to take off.  I probably had a better answer when you just had to worry about ECNL and non ECNL.  ECNL had their own built in program non ECNL was CRL, National League, USYS Championships , Surf Cup, Surf College Showcase and Vegas Players Showcase and ODP.  My kids team played in it all.   Now with the landscape changed I am not sure I have a great answer other than by U16 you want to be in a place that is getting good exposure and on a team that challenges your kid.  We were non ECNL although she was  a discovery player but over 4 years I think she played in a total of 8 games.  My thing was coaching that fit her style and a training environment that rivaled the game environment.  Our girls beat the crap out of each other in training.  Game time was a break typically.  There was not too many teams that challenged us like we did ourselves in training.  My kids path was certainly not conventional.  She was on no name teams up to U14 mostly trained by me but had gained notoriety with ODP and YNT and made move to the best non ECNL team in SoCal for her last 4 years.  She had zero college exposure on my teams and but got a ton on her club team and ODP teams at U15 and above.  That was our experience.


I remember the North County United Boca days.  The little pesky blonde that seemed like she was everywhere.  I miss those days.


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## pulguita (Jul 25, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> I remember the North County United Boca days.  The little pesky blonde that seemed like she was everywhere.  I miss those days.


Me too things were a lot more simple.  Now she's out 4-6 weeks.


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## devupa2.0 (Jul 26, 2017)

Striker -

I've been wondering about this process myself. Unlike MAP and others, I am going through this for the first time with my DD and trying to learn as much as I can to help her reach her goals.

Last night our club put on a very informative college info night. It was designed to get the players info about the steps they should be taking to prepare for the college recruitment process. I came away from this with a few observations I'll share:

- To give you a sense of level, my dd is not a national team pool player. She was invited to the ODP pool (last year), but didn't make the final cut. She has been involved in a run of US training centers, but nothing more than that. She'll be playing DA this fall. I guess I would say she is very ambitious, she is a very strong player, but she hasn't reached the "elite" level (yet ;-))

- Funadamentally, the unicorns are a little different than what you will read below. If she is a regular national team player, then she may have people coming to her, but most of our DD's are not in that situation.

- My dd is going into 8th grade this fall. It was clear that this is a good time for her to start the process of thinking about how to get noticed. Beyond the performance on the field, she needs to be looking into the type of schools she might be interested in (academically) and then considering among those which programs play soccer in a way that interests her. She has to start her scouting of the schools now and we as parents need to help with that. I must admit I was a bit surprised by this. It just seems early to me. I thought the girls that get noticed at the early ages were all unicorns. However, the feedback from this session was all about the player taking the initiative to get on the radar screen at schools of interest.

- Lot's of info about what can and can't be done in the recruitment process at the early ages. Geeze these rules seem arcane! However, the general theme was that my DD needs to be taking her own initiative to develop her list of schools now based on criteria we will discuss together. She needs to reach out to programs of interest over the course of this year, just to let them know she is out there and interested in them. Get on their radar screen. At this age, she can't expect much back and forth in that communication (with some minor exceptions), but she can register her intent with them, which can make a huge difference.

- There was a panel of college coaches at the event (they are here this week in prep for Surf and Silverlakes). They gave a lot of interesting feedback. Lot's of attention being paid to the intangibles. Social media presence, off field behavior, interactions with the player and her coach/parents/other players. All these are observed and considered as a quick tool to cross someone off the list or give them a plus in a coach's mind. The numbers are staggering in terms of available players each year compared to the number of spots colleges have to fill. So, they use everything they can to make quick decisions that whittle down their list.

- The thing that I thought was interesting was the comments about seeing a player at events. The discussion was not about ECNL, DA, Surf, Disney, etc. It was much more about using a network of feedback to quickly evaluate whether they should watch a player. Overwhelmingly, the college coaches all spoke about the importance of the discussion with a club coach/DOC. Apparently, college coaches will reach out to clubs to enquire about a player that is on their radar screen. This is an important interaction. I found the comments very interesting. The clubs want to make honest recommendations because if they recommend players that are a waste of time for a college coach, then that college may not ask again. Similarly, the college coaches rely on that feedback as part of their process to whittle down the list of players they are considering.

- Given the comment in the paragraph above, colleges will find a way to watch players that may fit their needs. This gave me a sense that the league/playing circuit/tournament schedule matters much less than the quality of club/coach that your DD is with. While their role is only a small part of the recruitment process, it is important.

- There were lots of great comments about the way my DD should initiate communications. I won't get into those details other than to say this: I'm sure your club will provide a similar college info session(s), if they haven't already. I highly recommend your active participation. My DD's eyes were opened and so were mine (which kind of the intent of the whole thing). This is going to be a lengthy, challenging process, but I think we have the resources to help our DDs make this happen, if they are committed.

Hope this helps!


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

I was really looking forward to some Cali love and was waiting to see how exactly they would summarize the amazing goals and total slaughter but alas I guess they missed the Surf game or the Legends teams dominating but alas I guess they didn't catch those games:

http://www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs/youth-boys/us-youth-soccer-national-championships-day-1-recap-2/


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

pulguita said:


> Me too things were a lot more simple.  Now she's out 4-6 weeks.


Ugh.  I wish her a speedy recovery.


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## PLSAP (Jul 26, 2017)

devupa2.0 said:


> - To give you a sense of level, my dd is not a national team pool player. She was invited to the ODP pool (last year), but didn't make the final cut. She has been involved in a run of US training centers, but nothing more than that. She'll be playing DA this fall. I guess I would say she is very ambitious, she is a very strong player, but she hasn't reached the "elite" level (yet ;-))
> 
> - Funadamentally, the unicorns are a little different than what you will read below. If she is a regular national team player, then she may have people coming to her, but most of our DD's are not in that situation.
> 
> - My dd is going into 8th grade this fall. It was clear that this is a good time for her to start the process of thinking about how to get noticed. Beyond the performance on the field, she needs to be looking into the type of schools she might be interested in (academically) and then considering among those which programs play soccer in a way that interests her. She has to start her scouting of the schools now and we as parents need to help with that. I must admit I was a bit surprised by this. It just seems early to me. I thought the girls that get noticed at the early ages were all unicorns. However, the feedback from this session was all about the player taking the initiative to get on the radar screen at schools of interest.


8th Grade???Is that an '04? Isn't that U14?? The youngest age for the national teams is U14, it's promising that she's been in some TC's. As for ODP, I know plenty of elite players who didn't make the cut of who weren't even invited until later in the game, and are now playing at an extremely high level. @MakeAPlay 's DD is a great success story about not always being on top for the minute you have opportunities to be the "highest". It sounds like you were with an older age group, honestly, because of course it's important to start the process early, but all the talk about being a more consistent YNT players and more elite doesn't seem to coincide with her age.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

devupa2.0 said:


> Striker -
> 
> I've been wondering about this process myself. Unlike MAP and others, I am going through this for the first time with my DD and trying to learn as much as I can to help her reach her goals.
> 
> ...


Great post and very true.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

PLSAP said:


> 8th Grade???Is that an '04? Isn't that U14?? The youngest age for the national teams is U14, it's promising that she's been in some TC's. As for ODP, I know plenty of elite players who didn't make the cut of who weren't even invited until later in the game, and are now playing at an extremely high level. @MakeAPlay 's DD is a great success story about not always being on top for the minute you have opportunities to be the "highest". It sounds like you were with an older age group, honestly, because of course it's important to start the process early, but all the talk about being a more consistent YNT players and more elite doesn't seem to coincide with her age.


That's why we are asking you all as you have been through it. Our 04 are either 7 or 8 graders many have TDS ACCOUNTS, Instagram showcasing them, emails , etc .
I think we all understand YNT players would go first and those of us who had girls in ODP or USTC are in the radar but it's a whole new world that's why we asked you!
Did you start emails in 8th grade? Did you do videos?


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## The Driver (Jul 26, 2017)

Elite?


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

PLSAP said:


> 8th Grade???Is that an '04? Isn't that U14?? The youngest age for the national teams is U14, it's promising that she's been in some TC's. As for ODP, I know plenty of elite players who didn't make the cut of who weren't even invited until later in the game, and are now playing at an extremely high level. @MakeAPlay 's DD is a great success story about not always being on top for the minute you have opportunities to be the "highest". It sounds like you were with an older age group, honestly, because of course it's important to start the process early, but all the talk about being a more consistent YNT players and more elite doesn't seem to coincide with her age.


Colleges will trust their evaluations and they may not align with what the YNT or rating services see.  There are some positions that are impossible to evaluate without watching a player.  Also position changes matter too.  In my player's case she switched positions towards the end of her U14 season and at her current position their are certain desirable attributes that come out at a later age.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

The Driver said:


> Elite?


What is elite in 8th grade is different than what is elite in 10th grade which is different than what is elite at age 18/19.  It's better just to focus on having a player with the skills to play any field position.


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## NoGoal (Jul 26, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> That's why we are asking you all as you have been through it. Our 04 are either 7 or 8 graders many have TDS ACCOUNTS, Instagram showcasing them, emails , etc .
> I think we all understand YNT players would go first and those of us who had girls in ODP or USTC are in the radar but it's a whole new world that's why we asked you!
> Did you start emails in 8th grade? Did you do videos?


My DD started sending emails at 8th grade only becuase she was on the ODP team and Region IV ODP team for her age group.  Also, at Region IV ODP tryouts there was a list of college coaches who attended  the camp to evaluate the players and a few of those schools she would consider attending after we discussed it as a family.

IMO, ODP pool invite and US Training Centers should expect committing by the end of their HS Jr year, so sending emails as HS Freshmen is more realistic.  When researching universities, make sure you read the players bio's on their roster and see what type of individual player accolades they achieved.  It will give you a good basis, if you are wasting your time with that school.  Example:  No YNT experience and your DD wants a chance to play in college....then UCLA, USC, Stanford are most likely off the list.

Another example: My DD's freshmen incoming class teammates...5 of the 7 field players all played on the same ODP Region IV team.  The other 2 players, U20 YNT player and a Cal South ODP pool player top 36.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

Thanks for all the information I have no desire for what the "traditional wishes are" of soccer parents. I have a very academic high achieving DD who wants a smaller exclusive school so I am pretty sure I am stuck in limbo until Junior year anyway


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

PSS love 





NoGoal said:


> My DD started sending emails at 8th grade only becuase she was on the ODP team and Region IV ODP team for her age group.  Also, at Region IV ODP tryouts there was a list of college coaches who attended  the camp to evaluate the players and a few of those schools she would consider attending after we discussed it as a family.
> 
> IMO, ODP pool invite and US Training Centers should expect committing by the end of their HS Jr year, so sending emails as HS Freshmen is more realistic.  When researching universities, make sure you read the players bio's on their roster and see what type of individual player accolades they achieved.  It will give you a good basis, if you are wasting your time with that school.  Example:  No YNT experience and your DD wants a chance to play in college....then UCLA, USC, Stanford are most likely off the list.
> 
> Another example: My DD's freshmen incoming class teammates...5 of the 7 field players all played on the same ODP Region IV team.  The other 2 players, U20 YNT player and a Cal South ODP pool player top 36.


PSS love the accolade rec I have been doing that. With ODP changing though I will be watching what happens to the 02 and 03 closely


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## outside! (Jul 26, 2017)

Give my congrats to the 99 Legends girls Cali. Looks like you have a good chance of an early day on Saturday, but at least the heat should not be so bad.


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## The Driver (Jul 26, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> What is elite in 8th grade is different than what is elite in 10th grade which is different than what is elite at age 18/19.  It's better just to focus on having a player with the skills to play any field position.


Unicorns @MakeAPlay nothing more.


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## GoWest (Jul 26, 2017)

Lots of good info. Thing to remember @Striker17 is every players journey is a bit different. My DD was recruited by top P5 and mid-major programs and she gave her verbal during her freshman year. No accolades along the way other than she performed consistently well in league and NE play against those players that were getting special invites to camps (NT, id2, ODP, etc). What made it a fairly stress-free ride was that we started visiting schools early with zero pressure. Walked around the campus. Visited the fields. Occasionally talked to players, administration, etc. Just going about our business building a "catalog" of experiences along the way so that when she felt ready (and it's different for EVERY player) and the offers were at hand, it was an exciting but informed decision. We could not be happier.

Again, everyone's story will be different (and hopefully personally amazing for your DD) at the end of the day. MAP, NoGoal, etc offer some great advice so read, re-read and learn from their experiences and the experiences of others as you move through the recruitment process.

Wish you the best of luck along the way!


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## NoGoal (Jul 26, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Thanks for all the information I have no desire for what the "traditional wishes are" of soccer parents. I have a very academic high achieving DD who wants a smaller exclusive school so I am pretty sure I am stuck in limbo until Junior year anyway


You're correct about the Ivies and D3 schools.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> You're correct about the Ivies and D3 schools.


We are also dual sport so it's odd how soccer is 8-9 grade and the other one is later. 
For the record you guys are so helpful and I know we ask some dumb questions like who in the role does the recruiting video, how do you write an email, what's the difference between touching base and looking like an idiot? 
My DD is specific but it's related to the other sport and also my alma mater. I am stress free about that to be honest. 
With all this technology now it's kind of annoying so I for one appreciate your smack downs, reality checks and the occasional "hey it's gonna be ok talks "


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## The Driver (Jul 26, 2017)

@MakeAPlay do programs recruit Stallions more so than Unicorns?


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## GoWest (Jul 26, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Thanks for all the information I have no desire for what the "traditional wishes are" of soccer parents. I have a very academic high achieving DD who wants a smaller exclusive school so I am pretty sure I am stuck in limbo until Junior year anyway


I may be wrong but I think Princeton, Yale and Brown recently "added" a few sophomores to their verbal list of commitments.


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## NoGoal (Jul 26, 2017)

GoWest said:


> I may be wrong but I think Princeton, Yale and Brown recently "added" a few sophomores to their verbal list of commitments.


It could be that those players took the SAT/ACT early and did well.  Harder for the Ivies, since they admit based on grades and test scores.


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## pitchplease (Jul 26, 2017)

Just curious... A question for those parents who have had their dd's commit early, let's say, prior to junior year,if  there were any regrets either way, or if everything worked out according to plan. We are starting to go through the very beginning process, but we hesitate to let her verbally commit too early. Is it becoming more commonplace to see so many 8,9,early 10th gr. commits, or has it always been this way? =)


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

The Driver said:


> @MakeAPlay do programs recruit Stallions more so than Unicorns?


A lot more Stallions out there than Unicorns.  Even less purple Unicorns.  A Stallion with a good skill base is going to get a whole bunch of looks and some good opportunities.


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## NoGoal (Jul 26, 2017)

pitchplease said:


> Just curious... A question for those parents who have had their dd's commit early, let's say, prior to junior year,if  there were any regrets either way, or if everything worked out according to plan. We are starting to go through the very beginning process, but we hesitate to let her verbally commit too early. Is it becoming more commonplace to see so many 8,9,early 10th gr. commits, or has it always been this way? =)


There is a pecking order, rule of thumb is the best players (YNT) usually commit as freshmen and sophomores to Power 5 and top mid-major programs.  Rest of the players and mid-major programs fall in line afterwards.

Unless your DD is a YNT player, the later you commit.  The less athletic money is available.


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## GoWest (Jul 26, 2017)

pitchplease said:


> Just curious... A question for those parents who have had their dd's commit early, let's say, prior to junior year,if  there were any regrets either way, or if everything worked out according to plan. We are starting to go through the very beginning process, but we hesitate to let her verbally commit too early. Is it becoming more commonplace to see so many 8,9,early 10th gr. commits, or has it always been this way? =)


It does seem more common place as you say. Good thought that you are sensitive to buyers remorse post verbal. That's a tough one and there are no guarantees. More often than not it works out but it's good you are digging for info. Best of luck to you and your player in this exciting journey!

BTW...no regrets on our end....so far


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## PLSAP (Jul 26, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> There is a pecking order, rule of thumb is the best players (YNT) usually commit as freshmen and sophomores to Power 5 and top mid-major programs.  Rest of the players and mid-major programs fall in line afterwards.
> 
> Unless your DD is a YNT player, the later you commit.  The less athletic money is available.


What about those who break into the YNT pool at a later age, like U16 or even U17 and manage to keep getting invited? Has that happened before?


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

pitchplease said:


> Just curious... A question for those parents who have had their dd's commit early, let's say, prior to junior year,if  there were any regrets either way, or if everything worked out according to plan. We are starting to go through the very beginning process, but we hesitate to let her verbally commit too early. Is it becoming more commonplace to see so many 8,9,early 10th gr. commits, or has it always been this way? =)


In my player's situation she is beginning her sophomore year at the school that she committed to at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school.  She has no regrets and things are going even better than we planned.  As long as you do your due diligence and pick the school not the soccer, then your player will be happy.  Just don't jump at the first offer (unless it happens to be her dream school then jump away if the $$$ is right).  Good luck to you and your player.


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 26, 2017)

PLSAP said:


> What about those who break into the YNT pool at a later age, like U16 or even U17 and manage to keep getting invited? Has that happened before?


Yes.  My player didn't break into the YNT pool until well after she had committed to her school and she continues to get invites (she has had to decline her last 2 due to injury).  The top schools tend to identify players of that caliber often before the YNT coaches do.


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## PLSAP (Jul 26, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> That's why we are asking you all as you have been through it. Our 04 are either 7 or 8 graders many have TDS ACCOUNTS, Instagram showcasing them, emails , etc .
> I think we all understand YNT players would go first and those of us who had girls in ODP or USTC are in the radar but it's a whole new world that's why we asked you!
> Did you start emails in 8th grade? Did you do videos?


I personally didn't start emails until freshman year, but she started a list of colleges in 7th grade and kept updating it throughout the process. For '04's, like @MakeAPlay  and @NoGoal would probably agree, if I were to do videos at all, I would do videos about her training/play time around the field. Say a forward, I would suggest not showing your DD scoring tons and tons of goals, because over the years, if she becomes a prolific goal scorer, the colleges will know (DA/ECNL/Premier, whatever). However, showing that she's learned and practiced and played defence or as a winger or a mid, etc, will show something that they may not see in a game. Or vice versa, her defensive skills show as a forward  who can take a ball from another defender and create a goal scoring opportunity or her striker skills as a left back who pushes up the field and joins the attack is definitely something that will catch a coaches' eyes.

(@devupa2.0  and @Striker17 ) I apologize if I came off condescending. It was not intentional, but if anything, the tone was not directed toward you, but toward whoever is giving you information like that (the elite part not the rest) at the wrong time and warping a parent's perspective of their DD's future opportunities  . (Your DD sounds like she is on a very promising track)


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## Dos Equis (Jul 26, 2017)

While the current 02-03 players are caught in this cycle, based on recent conversation with a D1 coach relatively in the know, expect within the next 18-24 months at least a vote, and possible implementation, of NCAA recruiting rules for soccer (boys and girls) similar to what lacrosse recently passed.  No contact before Sep. 1st of junior year, no scholarship offers or verbal commits prior to that time.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

GoWest said:


> I may be wrong but I think Princeton, Yale and Brown recently "added" a few sophomores to their verbal list of commitments.


They did.  They also start looking pretty early but the grades and tests have to be there. It's still competitive.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

pitchplease said:


> Just curious... A question for those parents who have had their dd's commit early, let's say, prior to junior year,if  there were any regrets either way, or if everything worked out according to plan. We are starting to go through the very beginning process, but we hesitate to let her verbally commit too early. Is it becoming more commonplace to see so many 8,9,early 10th gr. commits, or has it always been this way? =)


Heard the same the D1 transfer rate is atrocious apparently. Look at this year alone- why would CF committ to Cal as a sophomore then change to SDSU? Sure there are many reasons but who knows!
My nephew is FC Dallas boys DA- their attitude is totally different. He says offers are important early because then other schools say wait what is that player all about? He got offers upon offers because of previous offers if that makes any sense to anyone. 
What is horrifying to me is that some of these Doc actually would have a say in whether my kid would go to a school or not. Hell no! Just think about some of these clowns deciding whether or not your daughter gets in somewhere. Reason 3178367 why you pick the coach not club or team. I would absolutely not trust some of the coaches at my DD age group to be ethical with this.
We still play other sports and that is a deal breaker for me. So far we have had many coaches tell us don't stop doing that and it shows that she isn't soccer specific. I found that to be interesting. She was back east for an ID camp in June, not camp but an ID situation due to a regional placement win with another sport, and they were talking to her about "why she likes the other sport, could she see herself always playing..." of course she had to say that "she liked soccer more and was hoping to play college soccer". 
I guess we have more work to do lol


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## pitchplease (Jul 26, 2017)

A very big thank you to all of the information from everyone! It is a good starting point. I just don't want these next four years to go too fast, cliche i know, but true =)  Cheers!


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## outside! (Jul 26, 2017)

outside! said:


> Give my congrats to the 99 Legends girls Cali. Looks like you have a good chance of an early day on Saturday, but at least the heat should not be so bad.


In actual USYS National Championship news, Legends 99 and TSC Showcase are at the top of their 18UG groups after two games, and have identical GF, GA and GD. My gut feeling was these are the two strongest teams and they will probably meet in the final on Sunday. I've had nice conversations with parents from both teams. Good luck to all the players!


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

Dos Equis said:


> While the current 02-03 players are caught in this cycle, based on recent conversation with a D1 coach relatively in the know, expect within the next 18-24 months at least a vote, and possible implementation, of NCAA recruiting rules for soccer (boys and girls) similar to what lacrosse recently passed.  No contact before Sep. 1st of junior year, no scholarship offers or verbal commits prior to that time.


AMEN! As it should be! 
I am hopeful but won't bank on it.


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## NoGoal (Jul 26, 2017)

Dos Equis said:


> While the current 02-03 players are caught in this cycle, based on recent conversation with a D1 coach relatively in the know, expect within the next 18-24 months at least a vote, and possible implementation, of NCAA recruiting rules for soccer (boys and girls) similar to what lacrosse recently passed.  No contact before Sep. 1st of junior year, no scholarship offers or verbal commits prior to that time.


My DD told me it was just passed for Gymnastics too.  The story she heard from the gymnast at her school was college coaches were now making verbal offers to 7th and 8th graders, before the new recruiting rule is implemented. #lol


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## PLSAP (Jul 26, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> My DD told me it was just passed for Gymnastics too.  The story she heard from the gymnast at her school was college coaches were now making verbal offers to 7th and 8th graders, before the new recruiting rule is implemented. #lol


Well, I think I can understand the reasoning, sadly, gymnasts peak and compete at an earlier age. So, even though I don't agree with it, it makes more sense than recruiting for soccer at 7th and 8th, because the time frame is smaller. But that still doesn't take away all the things that could go wrong between then and college.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> My DD told me it was just passed for Gymnastics too.  The story she heard from the gymnast at her school was college coaches were now making verbal offers to 7th and 8th graders, before the new recruiting rule is implemented. #lol


That is the truth. The week before lacrosse changed many offers were made for that very reason


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## The Driver (Jul 26, 2017)

Dos Equis said:


> While the current 02-03 players are caught in this cycle, based on recent conversation with a D1 coach relatively in the know, expect within the next 18-24 months at least a vote, and possible implementation, of NCAA recruiting rules for soccer (boys and girls) similar to what lacrosse recently passed.  No contact before Sep. 1st of junior year, no scholarship offers or verbal commits prior to that time.


If this happened on the soccer side it could lead to the extinction of Unicorns.


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## CaliKlines (Jul 26, 2017)

outside! said:


> Give my congrats to the 99 Legends girls Cali. Looks like you have a good chance of an early day on Saturday, but at least the heat should not be so bad.


Thanks O...all games on Saturday are early. We drew the late start times for our Tues and Thurs matches, so an early morning (7am) start time on Sat will be appreciated. Hotter temp today, but my player said it felt cooler than yesterday with breeze and lower humidity. I had to work all day in Fort Worth...it felt pretty damn hot to me. Still wish you guys were out here to enjoy this weather too.


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

The Driver said:


> If this happened on the soccer side it could lead to the extinction of Unicorns.


I want to believe it but it basically puts it back a year. So this rule was instituted recently for lax. There was a mad rush to committ which did in fact happen and now we already have buyers remorse with teammates. 
I was told that instead of the usual 7-8 grade scouting now we should go to camps, tours, etc and by Frosh year the teams know who they want to "look at", by Soph year they have a "working list" and are actively speaking to lax coaches (we have winter camps too) and then Junior year Sept 1 it will be a frenzy.
The lacrosse position statement is incredibly passionate and they lobbied for this with the NCAA. They adamantly disagree with early commits and early specialization as a general coaching group. They are very very progressive in my opinion


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## Striker17 (Jul 26, 2017)

Nice summary for those who don't know ...

http://www.newsday.com/sports/lacrosse/q-a-on-new-recruiting-guidelines-for-ncaa-lacrosse-1.13505710

http://sportsrecruits.com/blog/2017/04/17/new-ncaa-lacrosse-recruiting-legislation-everything-need-know/


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

Absolutely horrified that the team that lost 8-0 to Surf won yesterday 2-0. Again absolutely horrified at the lack of meaningful competition at the National level. I hope Surf wins the championship 10-0 no kidding! Roll on!


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## sothpaw (Jul 27, 2017)

Legends 00 and 01 are in the semi-finals with the 99's undefeated and playing later today.  Legends have four teams at National's and have the chance to bring home three titles!


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## tugs (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Absolutely horrified that the team that lost 8-0 to Surf won yesterday 2-0. Again absolutely horrified at the lack of meaningful competition at the National level. I hope Surf wins the championship 10-0 no kidding! Roll on!



'04 age group lacking in depth and talent pool?


----------



## Deadpoolscores! (Jul 27, 2017)

sothpaw said:


> Legends 00 and 01 are in the semi-finals with the 99's undefeated and playing later today.  Legends have four teams at National's and have the chance to bring home three titles!


Well if they bring 3 titles I guess they will have to find a way to add more stars  to the new uniforms =)


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Absolutely horrified that the team that lost 8-0 to Surf won yesterday 2-0. Again absolutely horrified at the lack of meaningful competition at the National level. I hope Surf wins the championship 10-0 no kidding! Roll on!


They tied Lonestar today 1-1.  They are playing the team that they beat 8-0 in the final on Saturday so your prediction could happen.


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## sothpaw (Jul 27, 2017)

Legends has three teams in the semi-finals.  The girls 99, 01 and 02 are in the hunt for National Championships.  It's going to be an exciting weekend.


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

tugs said:


> '04 age group lacking in depth and talent pool?


Nationally absolutely horrible style of play.
SoCal I can easily say BEACH, Arsenal, RSC; and the lowest level of CRL was better than the team they will face in the final. 
They deserve the accolades though and I am proud!


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## The Driver (Jul 27, 2017)

sothpaw said:


> Legends has three teams in the semi-finals.  The girls 99, 01 and 02 are in the hunt for National Championships.  It's going to be an exciting weekend.


Big Ups to Legends and all the Southern California Squads


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

sothpaw said:


> Legends has three teams in the semi-finals.  The girls 99, 01 and 02 are in the hunt for National Championships.  It's going to be an exciting weekend.


Hopefully we have four Nattys! Great job LEGENDS AND SURF!


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## MakeAPlay (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Nationally absolutely horrible style of play.
> SoCal I can easily say BEACH, Arsenal, RSC; and the lowest level of CRL was better than the team they will face in the final.
> They deserve the accolades though and I am proud!


I remember when the USYS Championships were good.  Before USYS and US Club split.  Now it's usually one or two good teams beating up on everyone else once you pass U13.


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## chiefs (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Absolutely horrified that the team that lost 8-0 to Surf won yesterday 2-0. Again absolutely horrified at the lack of meaningful competition at the National level. I hope Surf wins the championship 10-0 no kidding! Roll on!


Congrats to Surf, but if I was a parent (s) traveling or paying the ticket for my DDs to play this level of competition, I would not be very happy.


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

Well on the flip side maybe the scouts and the coaches exposure are invaluable! Silver lining. That being said it is truly the worst opponent I have seen so I guess I am used to the SoCal 04 group. Really it's bad.....just watch


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> I remember when the USYS Championships were good.  Before USYS and US Club split.  Now it's usually one or two good teams beating up on everyone else once you pass U13.


It's great that Legends is there but it's not at the level of the ECNL playoffs for sure. ECNL playoffs were much more entertaining than this.


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## chiefs (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Well on the flip side maybe the scouts and the coaches exposure are invaluable! Silver lining. That being said it is truly the worst opponent I have seen so I guess I am used to the SoCal 04 group. Really it's bad.....just watch


I see your silverlining, but is it worth say $1500-$2000?


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

I am just trying to be positive! Hey if it gets them on the radar for a D1 scholarship worth 120k because they not only went but slaughtered I would say so! Good on them- they deserve that praise and recognition and I hope that maybe scouts were watching the 2022 group (majority of the team and starters)


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## RiverArsenal (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Nationally absolutely horrible style of play.
> SoCal I can easily say BEACH, Arsenal, RSC; and the lowest level of CRL was better than the team they will face in the final.
> They deserve the accolades though and I am proud!


For U13 - Two of the teams in Finals are DA for next year, makes you question the other regions quality.
Real national championship was probably played in Seattle for this age group. Congrats to u13 surf always a fun team to watch.


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

Uh the NJ team is DA? 
Well that's disturbing. Actually disturbing. Trust me watch the first game...
Welp I guess NG and MAP are right yet again. It looks nothing like a PDA team. Are you sure???????


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## Kicker4Life (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Uh the NJ team is DA?
> Well that's disturbing. Actually disturbing. Trust me watch the first game...
> Welp I guess NG and MAP are right yet again. It looks nothing like a PDA team. Are you sure???????


Right about what?


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

Right that many subpar even marginal teams would get DA status. In this case a team worse than anything I have seen here and equivalent of flight two at best. We aren't talking a SoCal "oddity" we are talking down right flight 2-3 quality. Just watch! 
Call me mean it's factual.


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## MarkM (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Right that many subpar even marginal teams would get DA status. In this case a team worse than anything I have seen here and equivalent of flight two at best. We aren't talking a SoCal "oddity" we are talking down right flight 2-3 quality. Just watch!
> Call me mean it's factual.


What clubs are you referring to that got DA status? If you are referring to SDFC, I don't think that club received DA status. 

http://www.ussoccerda.com/2017-girls-club-map


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## Kicker4Life (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Right that many subpar even marginal teams would get DA status. In this case a team worse than anything I have seen here and equivalent of flight two at best. We aren't talking a SoCal "oddity" we are talking down right flight 2-3 quality. Just watch!
> Call me mean it's factual.


Teams don't get DA on the Girls side, Clubs do. I don't recall seeing that Club in the GDA list. It I could be wrong....I hope I'm not.


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

Uh yeah aware a club gets that status I think you got my point.


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

MarkM said:


> What clubs are you referring to that got DA status? If you are referring to SDFC, I don't think that club received DA status.
> 
> http://www.ussoccerda.com/2017-girls-club-map


Previous poster said it not me. I was the one saying hopefully not


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## Lambchop (Jul 27, 2017)

tugs said:


> '04 age group lacking in depth and talent pool?





sothpaw said:


> Legends 00 and 01 are in the semi-finals with the 99's undefeated and playing later today.  Legends have four teams at National's and have the chance to bring home three titles!


Congrats to Legends.  Also congrats to WC FC boys.  Four teams went to Nationals and three are in the semi-finals.  Good luck to all the Southern California teams!


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## Multi Sport (Jul 27, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Thanks for all the information I have no desire for what the "traditional wishes are" of soccer parents. I have a very academic high achieving DD who wants a smaller exclusive school so I am pretty sure I am stuck in limbo until Junior year anyway


Don't rule out some of the NAIA schools. My DD wanted a small school with strong academics in her major. So many choices are available if you are strong in both athetics and academics. It gives schools more flexibility in what they can offer for scholarship money.


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## Striker17 (Jul 27, 2017)

I am not at all which is why I wrote what I did. Most parents focus on D1. We are not


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## Not From Around Here (Jul 28, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Uh the NJ team is DA?
> Well that's disturbing. Actually disturbing. Trust me watch the first game...
> Welp I guess NG and MAP are right yet again. It looks nothing like a PDA team. Are you sure???????


There are definitely going to be some weak GDA teams next year (and every year). It was the same case for ECNL this year. They need enough teams to make the league work, so they have multiple teams in areas that should have just one team.  Or 5 teams in an area that should have just 3.


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## Striker17 (Jul 28, 2017)

I absolutely agree that's not what I meant. There is a big difference between a flight 2-3 level NJ team though and a SoCal bubble DA. For example if people grumble about DA in SoCal who shouldn't be DA after what I have seen this week our weakest DA is better than that garbage and those SoCal girls deserve that opportunity to shine on a larger stage.
ECNL limited their market which was dumb and their demise.


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## Mystery Train (Jul 28, 2017)

Multi Sport said:


> Don't rule out some of the NAIA schools. My DD wanted a small school with strong academics in her major. So many choices are available if you are strong in both athetics and academics. It gives schools more flexibility in what they can offer for scholarship money.


Yep.  My best friend is an NAIA basketball coach.  They have waaay less restrictions on recruiting than what the NCAA has, and you can get some great scholarship/assistance with NAIA schools if your kid is a good student and athlete.


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## Joe Reynolds (Aug 6, 2017)

Congrats to Surf and the 6th grade girls national championship they brought home to Cal South. Seriously, it's a great accomplishment only marred by one mom's deplorable comments on this forum. That lady is a class act. Imagine being a parent on her daughter's team. College coaches LOVE people like her.

Maybe if California had sent the benchwarmers from the lower division 6th grade girls teams to compete in the other 13 boys and girls divisions, they may have won something else.


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## Striker17 (Aug 7, 2017)

Oh look another fake parent from a certain club posting! Shocker


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## Joe Reynolds (Aug 7, 2017)

Sorry for the flippant response. I had read all the tournament summaries last week, and I recall reading your coach's comments. My reaction at the time was "Great story! Good for them." Then I saw this thread, and it honestly disgusted me.

I assure you I'm not from whatever club you think I'm from. It's a boys team a couple of thousand miles away. We had a good tournament but fell a little short. Congrats to your daughter's team. Maybe just tone down the badmouthing a bit.


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## ForTheLoveOfTheGame (Aug 8, 2017)

Wow - And here I thought all this bravado and hubris was only in the Northeast.  For the parent who thinks that if Region IV could combine all their talent, they would kill the rest the country, you have no clue.  If you took Region I and did the same, there isn't a region in the country that would kill them - probably not even beat them.  Do you think SoCal is the only area that has to split their talent between 10-15 clubs?  

And before you get all high and mighty, SDFC is NOT DA, they aren't even close to what NJ has to offer as the best team.  Keep watching the GotSoccer rankings and believing you have a clue.


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## Striker17 (Aug 8, 2017)

Dear again new member,
See in SOCAL we kind of know what's up. We kind of know about Hawks, PDA for example. We understand the dominance of a solid Texas or Georgia team. we play soccer 12 months of a year OUTSIDE. 
Did anyone infer that team from NJ was DA? No quite the contrary we said we hoped they weren't. 
We understand it was a gaming circuit and that's it. 
Although I enjoy our out of town visitors please come with a clue. Facts don't care about your feelings.
I love how you bring up Got Soccer- know I really know you are clueless. Thanks for confirming.
Now if you would enjoy joining the discussion and actually contribute please help. For example tell me why and how that team made it that far?


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## ForTheLoveOfTheGame (Aug 8, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Dear again new member,
> See in SOCAL we kind of know what's up. We kind of know about Hawks, PDA for example. We understand the dominance of a solid Texas or Georgia team. we play soccer 12 months of a year OUTSIDE.
> Did anyone infer that team from NJ was DA? No quite the contrary we said we hoped they weren't.
> We understand it was a gaming circuit and that's it.
> ...


Maybe reading comprehension isn't your friend...


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## Striker17 (Aug 8, 2017)

ForTheLoveOfTheGame said:


> Maybe reading comprehension isn't your friend...


I love east coast visitors  now tell me how this all went down since you claim to be from the east. Enlighten me here. Seriously educate me on it because I would like to know how that population dense region is underrepresented 
Or are you a Cali parent?


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## ForTheLoveOfTheGame (Aug 8, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> Absolutely horrified that the team that lost 8-0 to Surf won yesterday 2-0. Again absolutely horrified at the lack of meaningful competition at the National level. I hope Surf wins the championship 10-0 no kidding! Roll on!


Curious as to how the Surf did against the team that LOST this game 2-0?


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## ESPNANALYST (Aug 11, 2017)

Look at any CRL game footage then look at that "National Championship" game which is available on line and you let me know what players they played. Maybe this will help you understand a score.


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