Hodari
SILVER ELITE
Blue pill
G2010...how’s the season going 2019?
- Thread starter Sockers858
- Start date
Imho it's too tough to really evaluate these young kids' teams rankings accurately. Maybe not even worth it.
Inconsistency is a hallmark of most teams. I've seen a lot of 2010 matches over the last several years and you know who the really good teams are. The rest are just good/bad on their day.
Forget the rankings, celebrate these little kids playing the beautiful game.
I was impressed by the CM at Ole, CB at SDSC Blue, Powerful dribbling attacker at Albion, CSC keeper, and the rw for Rebels elite.
I was at the tournament for my son's matches and wandered over to watch some littles. I saw all of the second half. It was 3-3, very back and forth. Albion player who doesn't play keeper (how do they not have a keeper?) picked up ball, set it down, picked it up again. Indirect fk in the box leads to the winning goal. Albion immediately had two shots on goal from their fast li'l dribbler. Ole had another 1. Then a strong, lofted kick/shot/hope was hit from just inside the halfway line and lofted over the Albion "Keeper" (How do they not have a keeper?). 5-3. Deserved win for Ole but could've gone either way. Nice, physical match. Not pretty.
Parents were a little cringey.
LASoccerMom
SILVER
On the North Texas Soccer forum
He is a funny dad. How's he holding up over there? I can't go there. One soccer forum from socal is all I can handle
Because the recommendations are that until at the very earliest age of 12 kids shouldn't be playing FT keeper. Between 9-11 kids trying on the keeper role should be doing some training, maybe splitting their time half and half at most. And before that rotation of keepers, if any.
Even if a littles team has a keeper that does some training, the expectation from 9-10 is that they get the loose balls and balls shot directly towards them. If they are following a regimented program with a GK coach that knows what they are doing, the GK coach will be working on catching primarily, basic positioning and safety in diving so they don't injury themselves (not competence in diving). After a year or so of that the GK coach will introduce diving for competence (and it takes them quite a while to get it). Only after that (if they started at age 9, say around age 11-12) the basics of high balls.
If they don't have a FT keeper, maybe it's because they are doing it it right, but the shortage of girl keepers might also contribute it. Sure there are some naturals out there and some anomalies (say a baseball outfield player that has experience with lofted balls), but GK coaches don't expect littles to get the shot you describe at that age.
I agree with the developmental perspective completely. Recommendations also have 4v4 until age 7 and no scores kept until much later, yet here we are for better/worse. Honestly, many/most coaches of young kids have a flawed idea of what is realistic to expect of young keepers.
We all know among the "top"(weird) teams at even very young ages they want to have a set keeper. Question still stands. Literally every other top team has a set keeper. Albion does not. Strange.
justneededaname
SILVER ELITE
For the past several years Albion has been as @Grace T. describes. No set keeper, several kids rotating through playing half the game in goal half on the field. One kid did a little training with the Albion goalie coach, but that was it. No goalie training during practice, all footwork and field work. The coach only uses pugg goals in practice.
This coming year Albion is getting a new coach. He is more "traditional" for a flight 1 coach. He went out and got the SDSC keeper and cut the three girls who rotated through goal.
Their is only one way to get the cream to rise to the top. You have to make tough cuts and recruit cream that will push the best cream to the top. If you do that for 3 or 4 years, by the time girls are 14 or 15 years old you will see the final product and the cream will rise to the top. The questions is, how are you making your cream? Let me tell you right now. SoCal Blues is #1 at making pure cream. They will be #1 in the country for 2020 season. Mark my words. NoCal team will also be top team.
Or, you can create an environment where soccer is fun and kids like to practice for the joy of getting better.
Not every top team cuts 3 to 4 kids every year. Some do, others are more stable.
Just a thought.
@MakeAPlay said we only have 40 top players per age group in socal. I think at U10 it's more like 100. Get those players together on teams and let them fight it out. Mentally tough and physically hard practices every week. All other kids can form a team for fun & joy & Xmas party before the big Goliath finals. BTW, I think my dd would have more fun with the fun & joy team. However, she will get a lot better in the Mentally Toughness and Physical Toughness team.
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Top players will completely try to cluster on a few teams. My dd certainly did.
The question is not whether to recruit and cut, but how aggressive you need to be. Do you cut 4 per year, or just one?
It may be a little different when you have so many top teams so close together. Club hopping becomes an option. Similarly, team churn is more tempting when you have so many top kids.
(I am from norcal. Fewer top teams and top players up here. Pissing each other off leads nowhere.)
The question is not whether to recruit and cut, but how aggressive you need to be. Do you cut 4 per year, or just one?
It may be a little different when you have so many top teams so close together. Club hopping becomes an option. Similarly, team churn is more tempting when you have so many top kids.
(I am from norcal. Fewer top teams and top players up here. Pissing each other off leads nowhere.)
That’s savage!
u9 and u10 you cut as much as possible. As the girls body matures, the final product is visible around u15. Less cuts and more girls quit at u15 because of boys and other things. Or, they got slow and can't keep up.
justneededaname
SILVER ELITE
I don't know how other clubs work. This is my second player through the Albion system. Albion cuts 3-4 players every year up until the DA years. Some years the replacements are better than what was cut, some years they are the same, some years worse. But it is a system. For the 2010s this year will be an upgrade. The coach pretty much hit paydirt. Had attackers and defenders and needed a goalie and midfielders. SDSC had those things and the team was disintegrating.
let’s remember this is girls soccer... and how can you say that the Blues environment is not fun? There is no such thing as practice for they joy of getting better. Anyone who practices for the joy of getting better is called a competitor. You play with the right competition and you just get better.
justneededaname
SILVER ELITE
I am not convinced it is that high. I would say 40, maybe. But my son is an 05 and he grew up playing against OM and GT so I tend to use them as a measure of what a good girl player is. I remember my 2010 dd watching OM play with the TFA boys at the MIC Cup. Our Albion boys were in the stands chanting TFA, USA, TFA, USA. OM was the best player on the field (boy or girl).
I called it almost a month ago, @ SD united said Surf girls and SDSC girls play futsal together and that he was their coach. He claimed the girls are just having fun and no one is leaving. Clearly he didn’t get the memo. SDSC is splitting up between the 2 big clubs, Albion and SD Surf. Hands down, Both teams upgraded!
Blues practice is a different kind of fun. If you like going up against the best at practice and walk away feeling you beat them at times and you belong is fun for some. My dd loved it and hated it all at the same time at u11 and u12 if that makes any sense. Loved the friends but at times had to fight with teammates and that was hard for her being 6-9 inches shorter than all the other goats and didn't like the physical practices at times and struggled at times with but loved the winning and came back for more. Held her with YNT players and that was cool