Girls Development Academy

[pulguita]

First of all @pulguita I love you to death and agree with you 95% of the time so let me start with that. Now let's talk about $C and possession. You say that the only team that was more athletic than your beloved Trojans was WVU but I clearly remember them looking pretty thugish and bad against a more athletic, more possession oriented and just plain better UCLA team. Next, to say that UCLA doesn't play possession is just down right false and you know it. Do they play like Barca? Of course not. Do they have the best possession pieces in the country? Ask the U20 WNT what they think about UCLA's possession. Yes the $C rugby team won the national championship last year. Mills still plays like a thug in the league. Johnson still looks average in front of g0al. Prudhomme still hasn't gotten into a game. Freeman is the only one that is playing well as a pro and I can show you video of her getting megged by a UCLA player in that game (not to mention she wasn't even the best defender on the field that night!). I also remember a certain player laying Morgan Andrews out just to send her a message and dispossessing her repeatedly. Was Alex Anthony even in that game? I ask because my player said that she wasn't very good and she made her look pretty average. You know that $C isn't a possession team. They have the chance to prove it this year. They will be preseason number one but we all know the truth.

Enjoy the Natty. My player plans on getting one herself this year along with plenty of hardware to come along with it.

Totally agree on the UCLA game but one league game does not a National Championship make. I know what my kid is and at her heart she is a possession player. There are a few more on her team and it will be up to them to tilt the scale in their favor. At the end of the day they play the way the staff wants them too. You know it will be a struggle when an unnamed individual says ya know if Beach played in the ECNL you wouldn't play the way you do. That unknowingly and unintentionally was probably the greatest complement he could have paid her. It also pretty much sums up the mentality here in the US. Although it seems nice what the U20 WNT says I would not be quoting anything the NT has to say about anybody as a definitive complementary comment. They have no clue what this or that looks like as evidence by theirs and every other NT level of play. People would be insane to rank SC as preseason number one. They lost 6 senior starters? I am excited that your player has those aspirations I would expect nothing less. Their are those that have a certain mentality and those that don't. Ours are winners that's just the way they think. I have always tried to focus mine on do whatever you have to to help the team and if you are successful everything else falls into place.

 

[C.A.M.]

That was funny! CAM is just an over zealous parent who has DD on a DA team.

I'm only overzealous for wanting to discuss the pro & cons and ins and outs of this new system. People have to put personal feelings about teams and singular players aside for that to work and this is really the wrong place for it.

 

[C.A.M.]

I honestly think that the reason that $C won the championship last season because they were willing and able to play direct against the teams that were superior to them. A team with a tough defense and the ability to get in behind an opponents backline is tough. It also helps if they can strike from distance and are extremely physical too.

Agreed. Have to say the season seemed to turn around when the young lady at the 6 found her passing groove to go along with her outstanding defense. I'm eager to see how they replace all those outstanding upper classmen. That from an UCLA fan.

 

[C.A.M.]

Thanks NoGoal you beat me to it. RM has never really been identified as a possession team. Sure they play in Spain, La Liga which is possession oriented but they are a counterattacking/direct team. I don't see anyone diminishing the fact that Real won two Champions Leagues ( I hate em and am I Barca Homer) by saying yeah they won but they won direct. They won! Map get over it. I will take $SC anyday over fascist UC! They won a Natty. The only people that try to diminish it are a few on here that think they play "possession" more than SC. UCLA does not play Barca possession so get over it. They play sorta possession. USC played sorta possession against Stanford and NC last year and smashed them. They did not play sorta possession against WVU. As Nogoal profoundly described it, we absorbed the pressure and countered/played direct and won. There are quite a few on our team that could play possession. But definitely not enough in the final or enough with the proper IQ to play it under those circumstances. Who remembers WVU? Oh they played possession - and they lost! Who the f' cares. WVU was the only team we played all year that was more athletic than us. They choked in the mental/tactical department. Possession soccer is a fundamental teaching tool. If you have that foundation you can play any style and employ any tactic. I believe it is not vice versa. If you only have learned to play direct jungle soccer you cannot play possession. You do not have the fundamental tools. If there are those that believe that the DA is going to change it you are confused. For the "most" part the same tools that were coaching in ECNL that US Soccer didn't like are now the DA coaches. What do you think you are going to get? Is there going to be a revolution of possession oriented new female soccer players being created? Doubt it. The only ones that will be developing them are the ones that were doing it before whether in or out of DA/ECNL/not in either.

DAs were given strategies, formations and curriculum to use by US Soccer. It very detailed and tailored to every position. There are enough variations to have coaches adjust for their personnel available, but all teams are suppose to be using that format. The object being any girl called up will be able to play the system with minimal introduction. I have read the actual information (so did my DD), so it's not hearsay. I'm not sure if there are repercussions for not doing following the guidelines. That wasn't included with what we were given and of course would be a deterrent from not following the guidelines.

I have no clue if ECNL did that or does that.

This is why I said we went to So Cal Showcase with objective one being to put into effect what we have been training on and having guests who never practiced with us scuttled that.

It wasn't a right way, wrong way thing.

 

[C.A.M.]

The 8 on my player's team routinely has her GPS hit 9-9 and a half miles in a game! She almost hit a 60 on her beep test so she is extremely fit (and has to be).

A good game for my girl at the 8 varies between 6-8.5 miles a game. Depends on the competition level. She does 5-7 miles when playing the 6 and 4-5 when playing the 4&5. Played the 10 for the first time in a long time the other day but she didn't wear it. Would have been nice to see it.

 

[C.A.M.]

I understand. My dd become a defender two years ago. She very rarely gets beat but when she does it could very well lead to a goal. A striker can fail most of the time and is looking for the opportunity to get it right once or twice a game. A defender needs to get it right every time. Add to the equation that she is expected to get forward in the attack also and it results in a very complex position to play.

Crazy thing is a defender can be in the right place but have the hips turned wrong and boom - own goal. I have a special affection for defenders because the only position with more pressure to not make mistakes or the team pays is goalkeeper. I just happen to have one of those too.

 

[C.A.M.]

I have never seen them play kickball but then again it was about 100 degrees so I can understand how it would get to that point. But the underlying comment was basically DA teams were trying to play the "right" way and non-DA teams not. Something about their objectives being different.... as in, only the DAa teams was there to develop and improve. If this is the first time you have been on a team where winning less important than development, then you have been doing it wrong. There are a lot of non-DA clubs and coaches that have been teaching a nice possession, play out the back style for years. And while your team may have struggled with that, I can name several non DA teams that wouldn't because they have been doing it for years.

Basically in conclusion don't trash another team just because yours lost. And yes calling them direct, kickball, with only goal of winning is trashing them.

I don't veil words. It's one of my major faults because I'm not concerned with the feelings. The words were meant as I said it. Each team had two different objectives.

If me saying your team trying to win a tourney you paid to play in is considered a slight, we don't have the same perception. Let's agree to disagree.

 

[chargerfan]

I don't veil words. It's one of my major faults because I'm not concerned with the feelings. The words were meant as I said it. Each team had two different objectives.

If me saying your team trying to win a tourney you paid to play in is considered a slight, we don't have the same perception. Let's agree to disagree.

You are cherry picking what I said but that's fine. I'm just surprised you guys couldn't pull out a win since apparently your girls move and pass the ball like the uswnt.

 

[Striker17]

Question CAM- sincere curiosity you have an 04. Where did she play BEFORE the DA?

 

[C.A.M.]

You are cherry picking what I said but that's fine. I'm just surprised you guys couldn't pull out a win since apparently your girls move and pass the ball like the uswnt.

I'm not. You took my original statement and twisted the heck out of it to make it seem like a supremacy statement because I said Surf went to win, played a style that gave them that opportunity and the coach subbed like he was keeping kids fresh in the heat. To me that means he came to win the tournament. He should have since they paid to come to it. His team looks pretty set, the girls know what they are doing and they don't have the same set of rules to work with come September.

On our end the first objective was to put into effect what we have been training on. Our roster isn't set and he started 4 guests players who never have practiced with us to take a really good look at them to see if they are a good fit. He subbed 2-3 players at a time every 15 minutes and didn't take advantage of the unlimited sub rules. We knew that would be the case coming in because our rules come September are 5 subs max and no re-entry. That doesn't make it feasible to have girls trying to learn a system and get major playtime.

So it doesn't matter what we think of the styles played and which is better. My version of "direct" is connect and counter, others feel it is blast the ball and chase. In the end while the kids all play to win, we actually had an objective that trumped that in this tourney. You can call that arrogant. I call it survival because we have to build our game around the parameters we have set in front of us.

 

[chargerfan]

I'm not. You took my original statement and twisted the heck out of it to make it seem like a supremacy statement because I said Surf went to win, played a style that gave them that opportunity and the coach subbed like he was keeping kids fresh in the heat. To me that means he came to win the tournament. He should have since they paid to come to it. His team looks pretty set, the girls know what they are doing and they don't have the same set of rules to work with come September.

On our end the first objective was to put into effect what we have been training on. Our roster isn't set and he started 4 guests players who never have practiced with us to take a really good look at them to see if they are a good fit. He subbed 2-3 players at a time every 15 minutes and didn't take advantage of the unlimited sub rules. We knew that would be the case coming in because our rules come September are 5 subs max and no re-entry. That doesn't make it feasible to have girls trying to learn a system and get major playtime.

So it doesn't matter what we think of the styles played and which is better. My version of "direct" is connect and counter, others feel it is blast the ball and chase. In the end while the kids all play to win, we actually had an objective that trumped that in this tourney. You can call that arrogant. I call it survival because we have to build our game around the parameters we have set in front of us.

I twisted nothing. You have been on here the past month making these claims about your daughter and her team that weren't backed up by the tournament results, so you made excuses while insinuating that is surf a kickball team whose goal isn't development. From what I have seen and heard from that team, that's not true at all.

 

[chargerfan]

I twisted nothing. You have been on here the past month making these claims about your daughter and her team that weren't backed up by the tournament results, so you made excuses while insinuating that is surf a kickball team whose goal isn't development. From what I have seen and heard from that team, that's not true at all.

I shouldn't be so specific. You said all non-DA teams so I guess Cda slammers, la galaxy sd and fram are more concerned with winning by playing the wrong kind of soccer soccer than development too.

 

[NoGoal]

I'm not. You took my original statement and twisted the heck out of it to make it seem like a supremacy statement because I said Surf went to win, played a style that gave them that opportunity and the coach subbed like he was keeping kids fresh in the heat. To me that means he came to win the tournament. He should have since they paid to come to it. His team looks pretty set, the girls know what they are doing and they don't have the same set of rules to work with come September.

On our end the first objective was to put into effect what we have been training on. Our roster isn't set and he started 4 guests players who never have practiced with us to take a really good look at them to see if they are a good fit. He subbed 2-3 players at a time every 15 minutes and didn't take advantage of the unlimited sub rules. We knew that would be the case coming in because our rules come September are 5 subs max and no re-entry. That doesn't make it feasible to have girls trying to learn a system and get major playtime.

So it doesn't matter what we think of the styles played and which is better. My version of "direct" is connect and counter, others feel it is blast the ball and chase. In the end while the kids all play to win, we actually had an objective that trumped that in this tourney. You can call that arrogant. I call it survival because we have to build our game around the parameters we have set in front of us.

Why did your head coach start 4 guest players in the final? Couldn't he have seen the guest players play at practice by scrimmaging an older team at the club? Tells me, he really wants to sign those 4 players.

 

[chargerfan]

Why did your head coach start 4 guest players in the final? Couldn't he have seen the guest players play at practice by scrimmaging an older team at the club? Tells me, he really wants to sign those 4 players.

Says a lot when a coach not only has 4 guests at a tournament, but starts all 4.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Totally agree on the UCLA game but one league game does not a National Championship make. I know what my kid is and at her heart she is a possession player. There are a few more on her team and it will be up to them to tilt the scale in their favor. At the end of the day they play the way the staff wants them too. You know it will be a struggle when an unnamed individual says ya know if Beach played in the ECNL you wouldn't play the way you do. That unknowingly and unintentionally was probably the greatest complement he could have paid her. It also pretty much sums up the mentality here in the US. Although it seems nice what the U20 WNT says I would not be quoting anything the NT has to say about anybody as a definitive complementary comment. They have no clue what this or that looks like as evidence by theirs and every other NT level of play. People would be insane to rank SC as preseason number one. They lost 6 senior starters? I am excited that your player has those aspirations I would expect nothing less. Their are those that have a certain mentality and those that don't. Ours are winners that's just the way they think. I have always tried to focus mine on do whatever you have to to help the team and if you are successful everything else falls into place.

Your player and her running mate have the ability to change things if they are allowed to do so. I also like AJ coming in and they have plenty of returning players. You know how rankings go. They only matter before the game is played. The Trojans will be preseason #1 and they have enough pieces assembled that it would not be inconceivable for them to be undefeated going into league play. That is when the season is going to really be fun. The way I see it the conference will have two great teams, 4 really good teams, one good team and 5 decent teams. There will be at least 6 ranked teams and this could be a year with 8 that get into the dance. Although it is hard for me to say I would be shocked if $C doesn't at least make the sweet 16. I guess I can dream though. I look forward to catching you on the pitch this season. As always, good luck to you and your player.

 

[NoGoal]

Says a lot when a coach not only has 4 guests at a tournament, but starts all 4.

and in the final over the girls who have been training in the Girls DA system.

 

[C.A.M.]

Why did your head coach start 4 guest players in the final? Couldn't he have seen the guest players play at practice by scrimmaging an older team at the club? Tells me, he really wants to sign those 4 players.

Whoa. Who said it was a final? This is how this whole thing ballooned up. People are twisting words, adding in what they think someone is saying, etc... It's hard to imagine that the game of telephone where what is originally said gets twisted by the end applies to the written word also.

I reassert my main point on the DA is the system is different and doing what our girls have done for the last 6-7 years will not guarantee success for any team or player by how they will be judged moving forward in it if US SOCCER evaluates the girls in the system how they do the boys side.

There are people who don't like that statement or disagree. That's fine. It will all work itself out in the next few years and we will be able to reflect.

Chargerfan: Your girls played their tails off. It was a high intensity game and the shot efficiency made the difference. You deserved the win. Also, you are right. It does say a lot when you bring 4 guest players to a tournament. It says you are still building your roster and you have quality players interested in joining your program.

Don't take umbrage to my observations about DA vs non DA play styles. It was an observation, not a slight. The rule changes (limited subs with no re-entry) and play curriculum dictate that DA and DA2 teams have a lot of stuff to work on. The season is around the corner and I noticed DA teams were working on the required play style. Girls are learning and coming along at different paces in the process and working out the kinks seemed to be the call of the weekend.

I know we put LA Galaxy SD DA2 on their heels early and they stuck to the game plan. They played out the back the whole game while we pressured the crap out of them. They could have punted and went direct, but they weren't there to do that because it wouldn't help them in the long run. They sacrificed attempting to get back in the game and win for developing their game play because you have to do it vs real competition to get good at it.

No Goal: Believe what you will. We had our reasons for the guests to be there when they were and for them to play how much they did.

**Someone asked if my girl was an 04 and what teams she played on. She is an 03. She's been at a few clubs.

 

[NoGoal]

Whoa. Who said it was a final? This is how this whole thing ballooned up. People are twisting words, adding in what they think someone is saying, etc... It's hard to imagine that the game of telephone where what is originally said gets twisted by the end applies to the written word also.

I reassert my main point on the DA is the system is different and doing what our girls have done for the last 6-7 years will not guarantee success for any team or player by how they will be judged moving forward in it if US SOCCER evaluates the girls in the system how they do the boys side.

There are people who don't like that statement or disagree. That's fine. It will all work itself out in the next few years and we will be able to reflect.

Chargerfan: Your girls played their tails off. It was a high intensity game and the shot efficiency made the difference. You deserved the win. Also, you are right. It does say a lot when you bring 4 guest players to a tournament. It says you are still building your roster and you have quality players interested in joining your program.

Don't take umbrage to my observations about DA vs non DA play styles. It was an observation, not a slight. The rule changes (limited subs with no re-entry) and play curriculum dictate that DA and DA2 teams have a lot of stuff to work on. The season is around the corner and I noticed DA teams were working on the required play style. Girls are learning and coming along at different paces in the process and working out the kinks seemed to be the call of the weekend.

I know we put LA Galaxy SD DA2 on their heels early and they stuck to the game plan. They played out the back the whole game while we pressured the crap out of them. They could have punted and went direct, but they weren't there to do that because it wouldn't help them in the long run. They sacrificed attempting to get back in the game and win for developing their game play because you have to do it vs real competition to get good at it.

No Goal: Believe what you will. We had our reasons for the guests to be there when they were and for them to play how much they did.

**Someone asked if my girl was an 04 and what teams she played on. She is an 03. She's been at a few clubs.

Relax no need for the diatribe. I'm just messing with you. I get it, your DD was previously at some small-medium club prior. She made a DA team, you're thrilled to pieces, you think she will play college (probably Stanford or UCLA), then NWSL or Europe and make 60K and why your posting the DA song and dance.

Better check with Dom, because I think CaliKlines hanked your account?

 

[chargerfan]

Relax no need for the diatribe. I'm just messing with you. I get it, your DD was previously at some small-medium club prior. She made a DA team, you're thrilled to pieces, you think she will play college (probably Stanford or UCLA), then NWSL or Europe and make 60K and why your posting the DA song and dance.

Better check with Dom, because I think CaliKlines hanked your account?

A small-medium club that didn't play possession or out of the back since this seems like a new thing to him.

 

[chargerfan]

Whoa. Who said it was a final? This is how this whole thing ballooned up. People are twisting words, adding in what they think someone is saying, etc... It's hard to imagine that the game of telephone where what is originally said gets twisted by the end applies to the written word also.

I reassert my main point on the DA is the system is different and doing what our girls have done for the last 6-7 years will not guarantee success for any team or player by how they will be judged moving forward in it if US SOCCER evaluates the girls in the system how they do the boys side.

There are people who don't like that statement or disagree. That's fine. It will all work itself out in the next few years and we will be able to reflect.

Chargerfan: Your girls played their tails off. It was a high intensity game and the shot efficiency made the difference. You deserved the win. Also, you are right. It does say a lot when you bring 4 guest players to a tournament. It says you are still building your roster and you have quality players interested in joining your program.

Don't take umbrage to my observations about DA vs non DA play styles. It was an observation, not a slight. The rule changes (limited subs with no re-entry) and play curriculum dictate that DA and DA2 teams have a lot of stuff to work on. The season is around the corner and I noticed DA teams were working on the required play style. Girls are learning and coming along at different paces in the process and working out the kinks seemed to be the call of the weekend.

I know we put LA Galaxy SD DA2 on their heels early and they stuck to the game plan. They played out the back the whole game while we pressured the crap out of them. They could have punted and went direct, but they weren't there to do that because it wouldn't help them in the long run. They sacrificed attempting to get back in the game and win for developing their game play because you have to do it vs real competition to get good at it.

No Goal: Believe what you will. We had our reasons for the guests to be there when they were and for them to play how much they did.

**Someone asked if my girl was an 04 and what teams she played on. She is an 03. She's been at a few clubs.

We are not at IE surf 03. Wrong age group, wrong county. We found coaches that taught possession and building out the back early, because it's harder to learn at u14, as you are finding out.