Membership Applications for 2018-2019

[focomoso]

LA Premier DA is going to be fully funded? Are you sure? I'd be very pleasantly surprised. Can anyone confirm that? Bumpy start for them this season with Boys U12 DA. Maybe they want to recruit some boys over?

I was surprised as well, but it's true. From http://www.lapremierfc.com/football/la-premier-boys-da-expansion-announcement

"In addditon, LA Premier has committed additional resources to our boys program to remove any financial barriers for particpation this year in both the BU-12 and BU-13 age groups. Through partnerships and sponsorships, players wishing to earn a place with our Boys Development Academy Program will be able to do so without having to contribute financially. This effort by LA Premier is designed to offer this incredible opportunity to more players in our community and seek to compete at the highest level of the sport in the country."

 

[Dr. Richard Hurtz]

Ussoccerda league should have promotion and relegation. And USSDA team coaches should cut and recruit way more often. These teams hold on to mediocre players for way to long. This is professional and it’s cut throat time people. It’s that simple. Your team sucks, the team gets relegated. The player sucks, the player gets cut. I’m not a rocket scientist but I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night. Please don’t reply to me if you’re an imbecile. My time is important to me.

 

[focomoso]

Ussoccerda league should have promotion and relegation.

This I completely disagree with. One of the main advantages of the DAs, at least at the younger ages, is that they don't have standings or promotion / relegation. From personal experience with many "flight 1" Coast teams, the coaches are more worried about the standings than developing players. This leads to timit coaching. If you have a kid who can play center back, he plays only center back all season because the coach is worried someone else might make a mistake and let in an extra goal or two. This isn't good for that center back and it isn't good for the other kids who might benefit from playing there. Whereas, on the DA, the coach is free to play the kids at positions that benefit the kids, not the scoreline. He can take risks and not have to worry about being relegated.

Winning games at u12, 13 and 14 near the bottom of the list of importance. What's important is developing players and players develop when they are free to try things and fail - until they succeed.

If you look at the DA standings, it's true that some teams are winning more than others. Some of this comes down to recruiting, but some also has to do with the kind of soccer the teams are playing. I'd rather my kid be on a team that plays good, positive soccer and loses a lot than be on a team that wins all the time by playing... less good soccer. And I assure you, this is exactly what's happening at the younger DA levels.

 

[espola]

This I completely disagree with. One of the main advantages of the DAs, at least at the younger ages, is that they don't have standings or promotion / relegation. From personal experience with many "flight 1" Coast teams, the coaches are more worried about the standings than developing players. This leads to timit coaching. If you have a kid who can play center back, he plays only center back all season because the coach is worried someone else might make a mistake and let in an extra goal or two. This isn't good for that center back and it isn't good for the other kids who might benefit from playing there. Whereas, on the DA, the coach is free to play the kids at positions that benefit the kids, not the scoreline. He can take risks and not have to worry about being relegated.

Winning games at u12, 13 and 14 near the bottom of the list of importance. What's important is developing players and players develop when they are free to try things and fail - until they succeed.

If you look at the DA standings, it's true that some teams are winning more than others. Some of this comes down to recruiting, but some also has to do with the kind of soccer the teams are playing. I'd rather my kid be on a team that plays good, positive soccer and loses a lot than be on a team that wins all the time by playing... less good soccer. And I assure you, this is exactly what's happening at the younger DA levels.

Why does the DA have standings?

 

[JPS]

This I completely disagree with. One of the main advantages of the DAs, at least at the younger ages, is that they don't have standings or promotion / relegation. From personal experience with many "flight 1" Coast teams, the coaches are more worried about the standings than developing players. This leads to timit coaching. If you have a kid who can play center back, he plays only center back all season because the coach is worried someone else might make a mistake and let in an extra goal or two. This isn't good for that center back and it isn't good for the other kids who might benefit from playing there. Whereas, on the DA, the coach is free to play the kids at positions that benefit the kids, not the scoreline. He can take risks and not have to worry about being relegated.

Winning games at u12, 13 and 14 near the bottom of the list of importance. What's important is developing players and players develop when they are free to try things and fail - until they succeed.

If you look at the DA standings, it's true that some teams are winning more than others. Some of this comes down to recruiting, but some also has to do with the kind of soccer the teams are playing. I'd rather my kid be on a team that plays good, positive soccer and loses a lot than be on a team that wins all the time by playing... less good soccer. And I assure you, this is exactly what's happening at the younger DA levels.

 

[JPS]

All this talk about DA being for development purposes and not about winning is just rhetoric and it doesn't exist in reality. How many coaches do you know that don't do their damn best to win games to build their resume and/or secure their jobs? let's not be dreamers here. no coach will insert a kid in a position that causes him to lose. I think the talent is being diluted in DA. it will end up being the same as SCDSL in a few years. That's why the soccer isn't getting anywhere in this country. lackluster, unsure leadership that changes its mind every 2-3 years.

 

[JPS]

Ussoccerda league should have promotion and relegation. And USSDA team coaches should cut and recruit way more often. These teams hold on to mediocre players for way to long. This is professional and it’s cut throat time people. It’s that simple. Your team sucks, the team gets relegated. The player sucks, the player gets cut. I’m not a rocket scientist but I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night. Please don’t reply to me if you’re an imbecile. My time is important to me.

 

[JPS]

Totally agree. We must start to narrow down the top talent around U13-U14 in order to be competitive globally. There are many leagues like SCDSL available for second tier players that can produce exciting soccer for them and also produce a few late bloomers that can still be identified and sent to academy. Let's not make the academy a training grounds to see whether a 13 year old has talent or what his position should be in the field. Academy shouldn't be a place for that.

 

[justneededaname]

Winning games at u12, 13 and 14 near the bottom of the list of importance. What's important is developing players and players develop when they are free to try things and fail - until they succeed.

I agree. This weekend my son's club played multiple kids up on several of their teams instead of playing them with their regular teams. Across the board their teams either lost or tied. But it was the right thing to do. In an environment with promotion and relegation, they would not have been given that chance.

But, while I disagree on promotion and relegation, I am totally against adding addition clubs and teams to the DA. Playing lower competition is just bad. There should be a few DA teams that actively draw and recruit the top players from all of the surrounding clubs.

 

[Wez]

I hear what you're saying, but wouldn't that mean that, in LA at least, the same 4 teams would play each other over and over? Or else they'd have to travel farther and farther to find games?

4 teams would be pretty bad, but going from the current 13 in the U13 age group, down to 8-9 would definitely help to consolidate talent. Any less and you would run into problems with very talented kids not be able to play on a DA team because of geography.

The scoreboard is the ultimate judge of successful results, but doesn't always tell the story as to what happened on the field. I'm not convinced this seasons results so far tell a story of all the talent being concentrated in the top 2-3 teams and the other teams being just glorified flt 1.

 

[focomoso]

Why does the DA have standings?

They don't. Not at the younger ages.

 

[focomoso]

no coach will insert a kid in a position that causes him to lose.

This is false in my experience. The good coaches - the ones who are really interested in player development over stats (that aren't even supposed to be kept) - do.

 

[JPS]

This is false in my experience. The good coaches - the ones who are really interested in player development over stats (that aren't even supposed to be kept) - do.

 

[JPS]

So what's the difference between the academy and other leagues? Why not just stop counting goals and just go have fun. we can do the same in high schools. colleges,etc.... for all sports. Don't keep track of scores. it sounds more like a psychotherapy than competitive sports. At some point in every sport, it needs to get serious and competitive. if my kid is not talented in soccer, I can't expect the top level program like academy to stay in constant development stage until he catches up or if he ever does. He may be better in a different sport or other activities.U12, U13, is really the time that you will know if your kid can play at a high competitive level soccer. Be honest with yourself.

 

[USC]

Ussoccerda league should have promotion and relegation. And USSDA team coaches should cut and recruit way more often. These teams hold on to mediocre players for way to long. This is professional and it’s cut throat time people. It’s that simple. Your team sucks, the team gets relegated. The player sucks, the player gets cut. I’m not a rocket scientist but I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night. Please don’t reply to me if you’re an imbecile. My time is important to me.

I agree, promotion/relegation is needed in the DA league, as well in MLS!

Also, there is an over emphasis on coaches credentials in The DA....if these coaches are so much better, why do they get their butts kicked when they play vs coaches that have lower licenses? What’s the excuse after they lose? Well, we are developing, we don’t focus on winning! Whatever! It’s just a BS excuse. In reality, the smaller Club is the one that IS developing the players, because they had the team/kids for awhile and taught the players great fundamental soccer. When a DA team gets the players, most are already developed! A DA club will not recruit any undeveloped kids! The kids in DA need more structure/discipline, rather than development!

DA should morphed into an open league, where no club gets special treatment...I reassure you that the competition will be much better, more clubs will work together and it will be better for the children.

 

[Dr. Richard Hurtz]

Definitely the DA needs to shrink and get all the bad teams and bad players out.. conentrate more on the kids with talent. You can tell by age 12 and 13... some kids just don’t belong. Some teams just don’t belong. And some clubs just don’t belong. Instead of casting a wider net to catch more fish ( mediocre talent ), how about just going after the lobster ( excellent talent and I.Q. ). And promotion and relegation will work, cause teams who are just big and fast and play long ball who’s coach is just out to win and does not develop WILL NOT BEAT ANY QUALITY DA TEAM. LAFC is a good example of development.

 

[Fishme1]

Definitely the DA needs to shrink and get all the bad teams and bad players out.. conentrate more on the kids with talent. You can tell by age 12 and 13... some kids just don’t belong. Some teams just don’t belong. And some clubs just don’t belong. Instead of casting a wider net to catch more fish ( mediocre talent ), how about just going after the lobster ( excellent talent and I.Q. ). And promotion and relegation will work, cause teams who are just big and fast and play long ball who’s coach is just out to win and does not develop WILL NOT BEAT ANY QUALITY DA TEAM. LAFC is a good example of development.

LAFC teams are overpowering with a mix of small and tall kids.

 

[Dr. Richard Hurtz]

Ussoccer needs more scouts. Not just ordinary scouts but good scouts, and a hell of a lot more. USA is huge way bigger than Europe. And then these scouts need to stop focusing on size and speed as if that’s all you need. They need to focus on first touch, techniques, and quality. Stop going after what they think is potential and start going after the gifted.. and we all seen the gifted kid. The one who never falters in a game.. hardly makes mistakes. Doesn’t crack under pressure. Makes it all look easy. Every move is smo. So smooth that is effortless for him or her while another kid struggles. Every pass every touch over and over again a thousand games.. knows the rules better than the refs.. out smarts his opponents.. so quick on restarts.. gains every opportunity for his or her team. It’s not the flashy kid. It’s the unoticed kid. It’s the kid that can play every position likes he or she’s been playing it their whole life. Its inate. No questions asked. It’s not the kid who powers every shot over the crossbar and we all say “Oh that was close!!” It’s the kid who slots it in the corner just outside the goalie’s grasp. That’s the kid you want.