Pateadores Girls DA 03/04 - Observations

It seems like many of the posters in this thread have the belief that all of the current 03 ECNL players can go to any DA club and get on the DA I team. That may be true for the majority of these players, but I have seen multiple 03 ECNL players who don't possess the skills needed to be an ECNL player this year (IMHO). So the thought process is that the DA I teams will be stocked with only the best of the best players in So Cal. As we see with the ECNL teams, politics play a part in the player selection, so why will that change with DA?

Maybe the best thing to come out of the GDA is that there are more local options (especially for those that live in between South OC and Thousand Oaks), so players don't have to travel great distances to be a part of an ECNL team.

What we need to keep in mind with the GDA is that the current ECNL season will not end until May/June, so the final rosters for the DA I teams may not be set for six or seven months.
 
Sandypk said:
I'm wondering how many players/parents will be willing to leave an ECNL/DA club to go to a closer DA only club such as Beach or LA Galaxy...especially since coach selections haven't been announced yet.

Will some of the top South Bay players at Blues, Arsenal, Slammers or West Coast return to the South Bay area to reduce drive time or will they stay at their long distance DA/ECNL clubs? Clubs may get turned upside down in the next few months. It's going to get interesting!
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Most definitely!
 
MakeAPlay said:
I doubt it. Blues and Slammers get kids into college and into the YNT pool. They have a stable of coaches and all of the college and national team connections. Personally I can think of a couple of Blues coaches that I would pass right by and go to Long Beach if they were coaching my player's team. Who knows though. The main effect in my opinion will be going forward not backward. Why they would give LA Galaxy and Beach DA teams is curious. With so many DA teams I am still unconvinced that the product is going to be better than ECNL. We will see. I know that I would have never considered LA Galaxy, LA Premier or Pats for that matter as a club. Beach is a solid option and they have a WPSL team which is a good option for the truly elite players.

I am curious to see how it all settles out. Good luck to you and yours.
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Always trust you Map but for a second you have to look at it from a new way. The ECNL allowed those clubs to have a premium on the best players and they had no shortage of people trying to get on those teams.
Now that there is more of a dilution I do not believe there will be a super team, nor do I believe there should be if Ellis follows through and eliminates this focus on winning. Player focused eliminates this viscious cycle of ..
Player A going to top team to be seen, Player A wants to be on winning team, Club A appears to be one that develops due to a market share on top impact players in region, Club A able to recruit more players without developing.
Slammers and Surf are set- a large club with an infrastructure to support the DA and a large pool of players within. Beach also has a vast pool. I think the others that were added have the advantage of a vast supply of resources and field space for their players.
Do you believe smaller clubs can sustain?
Remember the underlying argument is they no longer have a market share on way they used to be able to court. Is everyone not acknowledging that "the brand" is not going to carry you anymore under this new landscape?
 
ESPNANALYST said:
Always trust you Map but for a second you have to look at it from a new way. The ECNL allowed those clubs to have a premium on the best players and they had no shortage of people trying to get on those teams.
Now that there is more of a dilution I do not believe there will be a super team, nor do I believe there should be if Ellis follows through and eliminates this focus on winning. Player focused eliminates this viscious cycle of ..
Player A going to top team to be seen, Player A wants to be on winning team, Club A appears to be one that develops due to a market share on top impact players in region, Club A able to recruit more players without developing.
Slammers and Surf are set- a large club with an infrastructure to support the DA and a large pool of players within. Beach also has a vast pool. I think the others that were added have the advantage of a vast supply of resources and field space for their players.
Do you believe smaller clubs can sustain?
Remember the underlying argument is they no longer have a market share on way they used to be able to court. Is everyone not acknowledging that "the brand" is not going to carry you anymore under this new landscape?
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I respect your opinion and we will see what happens. I just know that many of the clubs that we are discussing became successful by putting a superior product on the field and that isn't going to change. For my family it was never about the name on the jersey it was about the training and typically the top clubs have a greater number of good trainers. They don't have a monopoly on good trainers but they do have a lot of them. I hope that DA is all that US soccer has hyped it up to be. US soccer's track record on most things is spotty at best. Regarding the other clubs. We will see. I won't waste time giving my opinion on the other clubs as it is only my opinion based on my experience over the last 10 years and may not apply to the new landscape. Again we will see. Based on who the top recruits are in the high school ages, who the repeat YNT players are and who is getting players into top 10 schools I don't imagine much will change in the next few years.

Good luck to you and yours.
 
I think MAP is spot on with the assertion that the historically successful clubs will continue to be successful with the changes coming for 2017. I don't think Blues, Surf, Slammers, Beach or Legends will suffer at all from the changes with GDA. Blues is the smallest organization of these teams I highlighted, but they have been successful for so long getting girls exposed to college coaches, that their name alone will keep them in the upper echelon of teams.

As for the statement about good trainers, let's look at it another way. Usually the best trainers (coaches) are people who want to increase their knowledge base, so they get a higher coaching license. Why is US Soccer stating that GDA coaches need an "A" license? They correlate a better coach with a higher license. This is really no different that those of us that went to college. A bachelor's degree is great, but a masters degree should allow you to command a higher salary from prospective employers. Again, with a doctorate degree you should be able to command a higher salary. Coaches should be no different, the higher coaching license they attain, the more money they can make coaching our kids.

Can the smaller clubs attract A, B and C level coaches and pay them what the market rate is for those coaches? Probably not, at least not in the long term. That is where these mega clubs come in. They charge more for their product and thus should have the funds to attract the highest level coaches which in turn usually attracts the best talent.
 
Well said, Booey.

There may be outliers, but I think your point speaks to a general trend that we will see play out over time.
 
Friendly devils advocate here but many would be shocked to see the number of B and above licensed coaches at "the bigs".
Again I am of the mindset mainly because I have experience with the boys side DA that many parents who have been a part of the ECNL winning culture will be in shock with what the DA is like.
For the record I want all the DA to succeed as I feel that every club represented is worthy and offers a geographical opportunity to traditionally under represented areas on YNT etc.
 
This is from a Midwest DA website:

Outside Participation
As many of you know, the Development Academy does not allow players to participate
in high school soccer and the DA at the same time. However, the DA does allow outside
participation in other sports/activities such as high school track and basketball.

Is this a DA rule or is it a club to club decision?
 
The Driver said:
This is from a Midwest DA website:

Outside Participation
As many of you know, the Development Academy does not allow players to participate
in high school soccer and the DA at the same time. However, the DA does allow outside
participation in other sports/activities such as high school track and basketball.

Is this a DA rule or is it a club to club decision?
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DA doesn't prevent HS soccer play, you can get an exception but must apply...those at certain scholarship high school's

You can't play both at once so you have to suspend/ drop DA until the HS season is over. There are also CIF rules you have to adhere to

The potential conflicts is all of this is how/if your club will allow you take time off? Some will but by the time you get back from HS play the season is almost over for DA and there may not be any of few roster spots or playing time by the time you return.

High school track can be compatible with a DA soccer schedules but basketball is really difficult being a fall sport. The amount of practice and games for basketball makes it super demanding for those that want to play DA also and have enough time for school work. Practicing 3-4 times a week for DA and playing games on the weekend during the 10-months program while concentrating on school the rest of the time doesn't allow for much time to devote to another sport.
 
younothat said:
DA doesn't prevent HS soccer play, you can get an exception but must apply...those at certain scholarship high school's

You can't play both at once so you have to suspend/ drop DA until the HS season is over. There are also CIF rules you have to adhere to

The potential conflicts is all of this is how/if your club will allow you take time off? Some will but by the time you get back from HS play the season is almost over for DA and there may not be any of few roster spots or playing time by the time you return.

High school track can be compatible with a DA soccer schedules but basketball is really difficult being a fall sport. The amount of practice and games for basketball makes it super demanding for those that want to play DA also and have enough time for school work. Practicing 3-4 times a week for DA and playing games on the weekend during the 10-months program while concentrating on school the rest of the time doesn't allow for much time to devote to another sport.
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Your post is exactly why I think that it will change significantly from what the are proposing now. Having a player specialize in one sport at 12 is ridiculous.
 
MakeAPlay said:
Your post is exactly why I think that it will change significantly from what the are proposing now. Having a player specialize in one sport at 12 is ridiculous.
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I agree completely, MAP. But, reality is, the impetus on deciding what sport to focus on will be well before age 12. The thought process will be to, "be better prepared for DA". So, I can see many parents thinking they have to have their little one ahead of the curve, when in doing so, hinders the athletic development. Different sports use different muscles and skills/movements. Just my opinion, but a more rounded athlete is often a better athlete.
 
Kicknit22 said:
I agree completely, MAP. But, reality is, the impetus on deciding what sport to focus on will be well before age 12. The thought process will be to, "be better prepared for DA". So, I can see many parents thinking they have to have their little one ahead of the curve, when in doing so, hinders the athletic development. Different sports use different muscles and skills/movements. Just my opinion, but a more rounded athlete is often a better athlete.
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I agree 100% and it is sad that parents trying to do the right thing for their player will have to make this choice. I can understand perhaps if it was a really gifted boy because there is a professional option but even then if they aren't being courted by teams outside of the US then the potential rewards still aren't outweighed by a good degree. Look at the history of the first picks in the MLS draft. Look at the two Stanford players that quit recently. For girls getting drafted by the NWSL means making less than they could at an entry level job most places and most are done in 4 years are less. For the 1-5 kids per birth year IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY that get a national team contract they make a little more but not enough in my opinion to merit skipping out on all the other experiences that they are foregoing.

The question that parents should ask themselves is what is the goal for their player? If it is the national team then realize the reality of the numbers. 1-5 players per birth year out of millions. Good luck with that. I will take the Biology or engineering degree and grad school. Hell ZD's daughter is going to be President. Why would she give that up to maybe be that unicorn. Look what Pugh choose to do and she has full WNT caps and is the darling of US soccer!

Good luck to everyone however they choose.
 
"As a club, you have to start to think a little bit differently," Richardson continued. "Maybe you are not thinking so much about the team and the outcome of the team, but rather the way in which you are developing your players. As clubs, we are the platform and we have a responsibility to elevate our players."
LadiesMan217 said:
Article is incorrect since we are talking a 1.5M player pool across 15 years of players. College is 4 years (not 15) and is 9.4% chance, D1 2.25% chance, NSWL 0.04% chance (using the methodology of the pyramid corrected for 1 graduating year of college; although, that is statistically incorrect method), and NSWL contract 0.03%.
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Still long odds.
 
[QUOTE="Still long odds.[/QUOTE]

In general club soccer population, yes. 90% of the kids playing soccer at that bottom tier should be playing AYSO and just having fun but someone figured out how to make a buck. But, for the other 10% there is a 1 in 333 chance they can get a NSWL contract; and, that number is skewed because probably 80% of the girls won't even want a chance at playing NSWL; therefore, it is a 1 in 66. LOL. The whole pyramid scheme taking a general population of soccer players is skewed. A flight 3 player at age 18 should not be considered in these statistics. :)
 
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