For me, this has everything to do with disagreement with tournament directors allowing stacked teams to play in prestigious national tournaments, period.
Fast forward to the year 2025. Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, and the other national championship contenders are preparing scholarship offers to the class of 2027.
College Coach (CC): We think you're a great player and have all the qualities we look for in a player. But...I was looking through your bio and I noticed that you didn't win the U11 Blues Cup Championship back in 2019. Can you tell me what happened?
Player (P): There's this forum online called SoCal Soccer forum and some users put a stacked team together and knocked my team out. But that was when I was in fifth grade. Two-thirds of those girls stopped playing before we got to high school.
CC: So you didn't win?
P: No, but I told you, it was in fifth grade.
CC: *sigh* I don't think you understand. The Blues Cup is a PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL TOURNAMENT. In fact, reaching the finals is a prerequisite for joining our program. I'm sorry, but I don't think you're UCLA/Stanford/NC material.
P: I was 10 years old! I've grown 7 inches, gained 30 pounds, my technique is top notch and I've been called in to USYNT national camps multiple times. I don't understand why a tournament I played in 5th grade, before I even went through puberty, would have an impact on your decision.
CC: Our decision is final. Good luck to you.