LOL
I bet you really think you sound intelligent.
Clearly, not half as much as you do, but continue ignoring my original question.
LOL
I bet you really think you sound intelligent.
I don't usually engage with members under 40 posts, but I'll make you the exception for this one.Clearly, not half as much as you do, but continue ignoring my original question.
I don't usually engage with members under 40 posts, but I'll make you the exception for this one.
Okay.
I was merely laughing @the meaningless tournament. You're the one who wants to talk about it and now you're mad because I won't.
Looks like the cal south teams had a tough time in the gold flight at vegas cup. Pats LA won the silver elite...shut out the last 4 opponents. They were denied entry to the gold level.
Seven SoCal teams in Vegas Cup Gold flight, only one of them won more the one game, ouch.
You talk to bums when they blurt shit out?Haha! Well, color me honored. I'm not mad, far from it; just curious since you brought it up. I don't think I read anyone else mention the tournament, except for you. Based on that, I suppose your comment was meant to be as meaningless as Vegas cup. Kinda like the bum that hangs out outside the local liquor store and occasionally blurts random things.
Vegas Cup has been weakened by 1) DA League, which pulled out a lot of the top SoCal teams and 2) CRL which pulled out probably all of the rest of the top SoCal teams.
The fact is DA is watering down all the tournaments including Surf. I wouldn't even want to bring my kid to a DA tournament and pay for a hotel all week to play 1 game per day, especially if most of the teams in the tournament are from SoCal, because he will play them in DA League.
DA is a 2 team league. Everyone else would come in second at all the other leagues and tournaments. Oxnard and CDA are better than the rest of the DA teams. DA. Great way to spend a couple hundred a year and your son play half the games the rest of the SoCal kids are playing. If you're not at galaxy. You're wasting your time and a lot of money
Oxnard is a good, big, fast team that is much better on defense than offense. It's a huge stretch to say that Oxnard would be the third best team in DA League. I have never heard anyone else say this. No disrespect to Oxnard, but not once when I watched Oxnard play did the thought cross my head, "This could be one of the top teams in SoCal at this age group." I assessed Oxnard as a good, solid team and think they would do OK in the DA League.
CDA Slammers has the talent to match up with the best DA teams. The GSA dads here will give me holy hell, but I think CDA Slammers matches up very well against GSA, because GSA has struggled against teams with both speed and physicality in the past. I think CDA and Galaxy are the two best teams in the age group, and it would be a great match with the result dependent upon reffing, with GSA a close third.
I think you underestimate the benefits of DA League, especially the quality of the coaching and the emphasis on team and individual passing and receiving skills as opposed to direct connections to physically mature players, but since you seem happy with your situation, in your case ignorance is bliss.
I also agree 100% with the DA philosophy of fewer games and more rest time and practice time. My son has more time and energy to practice on skills, less time traveling and playing games vs. weak teams in a watered down league and tournaments that he gets very little out of. He has improved a lot in areas where, he was quite frankly, shit for several years.
Don't know much about Real SoCal, but last year's Strikers beat last year's GSA and everyone else en route to tearing their way to State Cup. This year's Strikers lost their right winger (who was their best offensive player), their best center mid, and top notch GK due to the age change, they were moved to 02 academy team. They also lost quality defensive player and their replacement right winger, whose a very skilled and fast player, is recovering from a serious injury and has not been in top shape or form.Big fair weather fish in a small pond syndrome. Seen this repeat several times over the years.
Just look at the Strikers or Real SoCal,. Strikers took NC and far west and RSC was near the top in league winning tournments prior to this DA year. Last time I looked both where in the bottom half of the table in the da league. Coaching, formations, requirements changed and they had to "relearn" how to play properly, making up for lost time. This is similar to what would happen if those other teams played DA IMO. I doubt any of them would fair any better than the Strikers have. Good for those two teams taking in the long term rather then looking to win at all costs now, but too bad they didn't do that sooner.
GSA, Galaxy and some of the other teams or players don't have to relearn, adapt to a new coach, or style of play because they have been doing this all along.[\quote]
What???
This year's Galaxy is a whole new team. Most of the players starting for Galaxy are new to Galaxy. They have a new coach, new players and they play a different, higher energy, direct more physical style than last year's Galaxy.
Last year's Galaxy was a mid tier flight 1 team, they were nowhere close to winning SCDSL flight 1 division.
For you to say Galaxy has been doing this all along when over 50% of the team is new and has a new coach and new style of play shows you really don't know at all the teams and talent in this age group.
Don't know much about Real SoCal, but last year's Strikers beat last year's GSA and everyone else en route to tearing their way to State Cup. This year's Strikers lost their right winger (who was their best offensive player), their best center mid, and top notch GK due to the age change, they were moved to 02 academy team. They also lost quality defensive player and their replacement right winger, whose a very skilled and fast player, is recovering from a serious injury and has not been in top shape or form.
You are attributing the Strikers drop in standings to move to the DA League and change in style of play while ignoring the huge impact of the loss due to age, injury or players changing teams of 5 talented players, 3 of which (the 02 winger, GK and center mid) were among the top players at their position in the league.
Last year's Strikers did not have issues moving the ball. They were clearly the best team in the 8/02-8/03 age group. This year's 03 Strikers is a different team because it's a different age group and they lost a lot of talent.
So losing's 3 players is a lot of talent but they retained what 11? Stretching a bit or maybe to much realiance on too few players? Again a perfect example of the bigger fish in the small pond. When things changed what happen? Oh I know let's see if we can "re- learn" to move the ball around now, text book example.
I've seen the Strikers play last season 02/03, they dont play the same syle or formation as the ussda team does now after and the scouting reports came ou
Every team is new this year,. Galaxy has like 10 returning players and the ones added played for teams will silmar pocession styles.
You clearly know a lot about soccer but I think you are placing way too much emphasis on the DA label and style of play, and not enough on talent on the field. Losing 3 top players is a huge loss. Losing a defensive starter to another team and another top winger to injury means that 4 of their starting 11, or 5 of their top 12 has to be replaced. Percentagewise that is a huge loss, nearly 40% of the starters and loss of top offensive reserve.
I'm really not sure what your point is because you make no sense. Saying last year's Strikers was a big fish in a small pond is false. There was no DA League last year, they beat up on GSA, Galaxy and everyone else's academy team and they did it in great style. That was a great team. They were the big fish in the ONLY pond.
I'm sure transitioning to new systems added to Strikers difficulties. But they ran a 4-3-3 last year that was winger oriented and a 4-3-3 this year that involves their center mids more. I don't think the transition from one flavor of 4-3-3 to another flavor of 4-3-3 is that difficult. What made the transition difficult is they added a bunch of players, mainly defenders, that were new to academy several of whom were flight 2 players the year before. The GK and right winger who used to bail them out of trouble are gone. So they are struggling. I know they are still looking for players, and they added to their roster a new defensive player over the break.
Galaxy is a brand new team. Most of their starters are new, or they were rostered with the 03 Galaxy team but played up a year and have now moved back down. You were wrong to say that Galaxy has been successful this season because they were continuously good with the same players, coaches, and systems, and should just admit it.
There is no continuity in this Galaxy team. They recruited top players from a bunch of teams and got a new coach for this new group, and he has them playing more direct. Last year's team actually played more of the passing system you seem to favor.
What you think you see and what we care about is much different. A players from any team can be a diamond in the ruff, doesn't have to be in the da league but the % of the players in that league that have potential is greater so we spend more time there.
We see continuity when a player has been with a club the previous year or a number of years, if they play up we are more interested. However, also very important to see how these players do when the coach or style changes,. If they regress or don't make progress as a result hard to recommend them because this normally means they will have a difficult time in new environments when the fair weather turns stormy.
Yes SCDSL or CSl is a small pond. When you play Dallas cup, internationally or the other top national tournaments how players do at those carry more weight for me.
You tell me how Galaxy was continuous from the previous year, and then when I tell you that Galaxy has added new players, changed coaches, and plays in a different style, your reply is "what you think you see."
What did you think you saw when you mistakenly said Galaxy is benefitting from continuing the same systems and coaches and players from the previous year? Because I would really like to know how someone who claims to be a scout and claims to watch a bunch of film doesn't notice a new coach and bunch of new players and a slightly different system of play.
Really? There are a few players who have remained at the top of the age group for a while, but every year most kids I see go up and down. If you really can tell whose going to be a great player at this age, more power to you. Most people I've talked to say they make their best guesses but nobody really knows and they are surprised all the time who emerges as a top player and who doesn't.
You can scout where you want or ignore SCDSL, CSL, Orange County players I could care less. I'm just pointing out to you that the teams you idolize, the LA players in Galaxy and Golden State, got their asses kicked last year in CSL/SCDSL by the Orange County players on the Strikers.
That there is significant actually. If by comparison then GSA has for the most part remained and 03 team even before the new age matrix came into effect. Strikers 02 would have the slight advantage since their best players were playing against a year younger.Don't know much about Real SoCal, but last year's Strikers beat last year's GSA and everyone else en route to tearing their way to State Cup. This year's Strikers lost their right winger (who was their best offensive player), their best center mid, and top notch GK due to the age change, they were moved to 02 academy team. They also lost quality defensive player and their replacement right winger, whose a very skilled and fast player, is recovering from a serious injury and has not been in top shape or form.