2021 Fall Leagues predictions and updates
- Thread starter Venantsyo
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SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
With boys, the bigger and faster players dominate in the younger age groups. The best players start showing up around age 13 with strong technical skills. Looks like this could be the case with these girl teams.
Charlieburton
BRONZE
You might right! I remember when the 2009 Surf team finished bottom of the San Diego league at U11 and got placed in flight 2 of their own tournament. Contrast that to Blues who won numerous state cups etc. looks like the tables have turned. Kudos to Surf and CB.
rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
Surf would get destroyed at U11 playing out from the back. Glad to see that it's paying dividends now...that's a win for "good" soccer.
So, I have a U11 daughter and have seen her grow from 7 v 7 to 9 v 9 to now 11 v 11. She's on a good team and I can say that I've heard a million opinions on what is best for youth soccer. I can also say that there are a lot of "if you do this" with those opinions on changes to rules and such for teaching "good soccer". I've learned to trust the process, because every good team with good passing and rondo skill development will blossom with 11 v 11. I've seen it first hand.
I'm starting to wonder if we're doing the opposite of what is best for development. Expecting good build out with undeveloped youth players especially taller players just getting used to their body structure and touch and making the fields smaller and more compact under pressure with loud parents is the opposite of what they need. The parents and focus on winning is the least of the problems imo.
Until these girls are 12 or over, they should focus on dribbling, passing, collecting, and position play for every position. They should not be getting boxed into 1 position imo. I saw constant rondo for months develop our girls into pretty good passers and movers on the field.
7 v 7 and 9 v 9 with compact field and pressure is great for girls who are confident and developed with touch and skill instincts to dribble out of pressure and to take space, but for the less developed girls, I think it might even be a negative, because it makes them rush, panic, and boot the bal
In my perfect world, they would play 11 v 11 and rondo, switch positions often, and provide more games and fun rather than skill training and ball mastery. They need a practice or 2 every week and then games on weekends to use those skills in games to develop the ability to read the field and play specific positions where they would gain incredible soccer iq.
I don't agree with this slow the game down, so they can learn to build out. They have to learn how to dribble, control, and think before they can handle pressure in tight spaces. Instead we put the most pressure on them when they are young and clumsy and then the most space and time with 11 v 11 when they actually have the skills to build out in 9 v 9.
All of our girls have different skill sets too, so I'm sure opinions are different based on where they play. There are a lot more goals and easier access to the ball in 9 v 9 for counter attacks for skilled, athletic girls.
So my bad. It was 3-1 Solar!
I fully expect Solar to make it past Eclipse tomorrow.
Surf and PDA play a very similar game but the edge would go to the athleticism of PDA. Nothing against Surf, but PDA is blessed with some amazing athletes. Surf can pull out the win with a successful counter attack in this one or perhaps some luck on set pieces. So while I might give an edge, this game could still go either way.
Maybe just bigger fields in 7 v 7 and 9 v 9 could accomplish good amount of touches and space to collect, carry, and pass. They need to learn to build a rhythm and use space and anticipate angles for passing. This all takes considerable time and patience. They can still do 7 v 7 and 9 v 9 with bigger fields, rule against kicking from behind build out to midline, and more position changes where everyone has to learn to build out from the goalie and be apart of offensive strikes. In my perfect world!
rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
If they don't learn how to play under pressure in 7v7 or 9v9 then they most likely will never learn once they get to 11v11. Skill training and ball mastery is a must if they want to develop as soccer players. Without it expect to see a lot of kicking the ball and lower level soccer.
That's not true. The build out line for 7v7 was created to decrease the pressure and the younger ages. Playing small sided 7v7 9v9 at younger ages help develop players more as they get more touches and become accustomed to working in tighter spaces from a young age. Again, if they don't learn it on small side games at young age then they probably will never master it when older on the big field.
Totally disagree and I've seen it with my own daughter and other defenders this age. They did not really learn how to carry the ball until 11 v 11. It could be different for offensive players who can lose the ball without getting scored on, but the pressure on youth defenders before they have good carrying and instinctive skills to dribble around is not good for their confidence or game iq. Defenders build the ball out from the back and most lack the skills to do so under pressure. Some try, but my opinion is they will gain those skills quickly in 11 v 11 with space and time more available and better touch and control.
You have to be able to carry the ball and control it as well as read the field and move to get open after passing before you can build the ball out well. This is exactly why so many 7 v 7 and 9 v 9 games are so direct. So much pressure and challenge for the ball rather than space and time to LEARN HOW TO CARRY the ball. Players up top will develop better, but defenders are put under immediate pressure where they get scored on and lose if they lose the ball. My daughter is a defender and I totally get it. She can carry and pass playesr now in 11 v 11, because she developed carrying skills over time, but her skills are enormously better now and not from the game she played in 9 v 9 or 7 v 7. That pressure stunted her game more than it helped.
Sure, some ball mastery and technical training is good, but games are way more important imo. What good are technical skills if you don't have the timing or instincts to use when and where they are applicable. I've seen so many girls with incredible footwork in training and lack of strength in the game, because they train more than they play. They lack physicality sometimes or can dribble and pass players one on one, but can't handle a field of players. So many other variables in a game. Again though, I play the game and do what's best for my daughter and my experience.
My daughter did gain incredible physicality, athleticism, and ball challenge skills as a 9 v 9 and 7 v 7 defender, but she also suffers from stay back anxiety which we had to break. A defender's #1 job is to defend and many like her stop goals first. I'm coming from a defender's parents perspective. I would want small sided games for training and bigger fields for 9 v 9 and 7 v 7, so all the kids get comfortable dribbling and timing their instinctive skills to pass players.
You could also put them in futsal or indoor games and have them play 12 hours a week or so, but I don't want to overtrain my daughter either.
Wow. Anyone have a link where someone could watch that game?
Charlieburton
BRONZE
Code
GOLD
It's hard to tell how the leagues match up these days, without a reliable ranking database. But you can look at the hard results from tournaments where there is a good amount of cross league match-ups. For example, last weekend had the Albion Cup, which has a good representation of ECNL, ECRL, GA, DPL, NPL, and SOCAL teams. If you look through the results, it is pretty clear, with an exception or two that the GA teams were strugggling to best the NPL and SOCAL teams. The DPL teams are at the bottom almost across the board. So to answer your question "What tier is NPL for girls these days?", I would say the scoreboard says Tier 2, competing with ECRL. GA has fallen to Tier 3, and DPL should be playing in SOCAL Flight 2.
SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
So much for SoCal dominance at this age level! Too many leagues and too many ECNL/NPL/GA teams have diluted the quality of our teams in SoCal. Congrats to the final 2 teams.
Other then one really weak team the girls faced out there the others were better than any RL team we have seen or played imo....Also, you forgot E-64 lol, which I'm pretty sure will be jump into that #3 spot competition wise.. Unfortunately the Vegas scene is pretty weak in comparison to the bigger markets like Cali, Texas etc....There is 1 only ecnl club here and 2 GA clubs and I honestly do not see any of them going anywhere anytime soon. I'm certainly not speaking on anyone's behalf or situation, just my observation.
Charlieburton
BRONZE
Interesting! Appreciate the insight. E-64? I don’t even know what that is? So how long before this team starts drifting to the local ECNL / GA clubs in Vegas? Or is the Vegas market better to guest with SoCal teams? I heard rumors slammers pay to fly in special players from the Vegas area (their stud forward on the 07s)