pooka
SILVER ELITE
Hell yes!
Girls Development Academy
- Thread starter Swoosh
- Start date
why would you say that? When have you ever seen them play without subs? They sub 5-6 players at a time every 15 minutes or so. Have watched them play many times over the years and have never seen them play without tons of subs so I don't know if they could win without that.
NoGoal
DA
Bingo, and I heard the Pepperdine coaches were at the Blues-Baker practice this evening evaluating players. Girls DA doesn't effect the Uolder players who are being recruited.
GoWest
GOLD
I would agree with you that it doesn't "effect Uolders who are being recruited." If you were good enough to catch U of XYZ on yesterdays ECNL team, no worries on tomorrow's GDA team. However, it does effect a players ability to continue to prep for the (D1 Power 5 and high-midmajors) college level in that the level of talent and competition around your player remains at the highest level possible. A parent can put their Unicorn on the "easiest" team in the "easiest" conference or they can keep challenging them on a team that plays with and against good to great competition.
NoGoal
DA
Seriously? You actually think those players will be taking a step backwards by not playing Girls DA? Laughable at best!
I'm sure the Baker players get more than enough competition among each other in their own practices. Why do you think the Pepperdine coaches were their evaluating players? I highly doubt they were saying to each other, but they aren't playing Girls DA. #enoughsaid
NoGoal
DA
BTW, put down the Girls DA kool-aid. You have had enough to drink already. #lmao
GoWest
GOLD
I really do see your point. Great teams just simply attract but how does a recruiter know that a kid is great? How many times s/he juggles? How hard / accurate s/he shoots the ball in practice? My point is you must MUST challenge your player against better players (not just playing up against bigger meatheads on the same club) to continually get them to improve all areas of their game...psychological, tactical, in game technical, etc.
NoGoal
DA
Meatheads at the same club? It's SoCal Blues who have a litany of top players on every age group committed to Pac12 and top mid-major schools.
You must be a ulittle parent.
GoWest
GOLD
I see the value in the idea just like I embraced ECNL years ago while the naysayers ranted. Whether DA proves in the end to have the same value that ECNL has brought to the girls soccer landscape is yet to be seen. I'm not shy about my DA intrigue.
NoGoal
DA
That was obvious!
GoWest
GOLD
Blues is an elite club. They have "no meatheads." Str#$@%$ is not an elite club. They have "meatheads." My point was if everything was equal, you want your player on Blues because "all things Blues" will bring the challenge for growth against other elite level competition like "all things Slammers, Surf, Michigan Hawks, Top hat, PDA, etc.
All things = coaches, tech trainers that understand the game and have a vested interest in bettering the "best of the best".
GoWest
GOLD
I like that!
NoGoal
DA
Um, the discussion was Blues-Baker and you posted can't play older meatheads at the club. Meaning Blues older teams. You had no reference to Strikers!
Have you bothered to look up the Blues-Baker teams ECNL record in the U16 and U15 age group? They are both undefeated! As I posted, they will be fine not playing Girls DA. If you know the history of the Bakers you will know their Breakaway team didn't play CSL Premier or National League for a year (before ECNL took off). They did some sort of college campus tour throughout the state instead. The team came back the following year and still performed at a high level, beating top clubs you mentioned.
GoWest
GOLD
I think there is some confusion which I will take responsibility for. We are saying pretty much the same thing. Your BluesBaker example is in harmony with the point I was trying to make...they played (or at least attempted to play) better competition via college tour then ECNL. That's my point as well. I can't imagine Rodman accepting anything less.
meatsweats
SILVER ELITE
The U13 national championship game was streamed last year and the bench looked very light to me. That would have been the '02 group. This was also during surf cup. If I'm not mistaken, they won that too, with torn teams and age group changes. I'd have to look though. Anyway, the top ECNL teams I have seen, all have a large bench and even bigger roster. It's nothing new.
NoGoal
DA
IDK, but it wouldn't surprise me any. The Baker Bros always do their own thing.
Dos Equis
GOLD
The application/contract signed by each club's DOC when the applied to DA specifically required they place their best players in the club onto the DA teams. It was (and still is) online, so you can look it up. It spoke volumes about how US Soccer viewed the role of the parent/player in the actual decision making process of controlling their own development. Arrogant is a word that comes to mind.
What is not surprising is that clubs who were awarded DA did not make this clear to their members/players at that time nor during tryouts. Likely clubs also asked themselves how that provision would be enforced, decided it would be difficult, at best, for US Soccer to do so, so they ignored it. Good for them.
As for Baker Blues and other '02 and up ECNL teams, my bet is that ECNL continues to be a stronger league than DA for these age groups, by a wide margin, even in Socal.
Yeah, why are TEENAGE GIRLS even being referred to as meatheads? (Not talking about every single player in the world in this example, but) This isn't high school American football where there players get in by being giants and some are, not to be rude, but just simply "meatheads" that are literally just weight and that's about it. Even the least fit and the least knowledgeable player in a club shouldn't be referred to as a meathead.
Thank you for being reasonable. It's so odd to me that everyone ranting about the DA or "who has concerns" doesn't have a kid in the DA.
It's bizarre