ODP today is not the ODP of yesteryear. In 2016, the first year 04' was eligible, they selected around 100 kids in SoCal. $100 to ball it up with all the other top goats in SoCal was an honor. This was The List you wanted to make in Socal, let me tell you. Reading your comments is understandable in todays soccer times but it wasn't like that before bro. We had some drills but mostly scrummages. Tough battles. If you like playing soccer games, it was great. Yes, many ball hogs and that style back then was weak sauce. However, I can't imagine back when I was a stud hoopster in middle school going to the top 100 in SoCal and doing drills all weekend or half the day for that matter, just so we can develop the finer parts of our game. I'm sorry Guru, we would be scrimmaging the whole time or "balling it up" as some call it. The only developing going on is taking someone on one v one and trying to dunk on his ass or faking him out and taking the three!!! Same thing with ODP back in the day. It was a pick up game with goats and it had defense, unlike the NBA All Star Game. Maybe what we should do for soccer, is have a juggling contest, shooting contest and so on for others who don;t like to scrimmage all the time.
This is how Soccerhelper see it. ODP was the best way to find the top100 in SoCal, then the top top 22 from SoCal is selected from how they did on the field. Everyone knows where they stand too and some will feel snubbed. Four Regions in the USA, see below. We are the West. 12 teams head to Phoenix and duke it out on the field for bragging rights. From there, each region selects 25 top top top goats to represent each region for more scrimmages. For example, Region 4 would have it's own coach and scouts and they would watch all the 12 04' teams play (12x22 players on each team= 264 x 4=1056). The player would be identified as top players in each age group, in each region across the USA. Do you see the cream rising? Do you see transparency at least? The top top top top 100 will have the honor to scrimmage and play games in front of the National Team coaches and top D1 coaches come too. Everyone is happy and the fairest way to see how everyone is elected is in plain site.
These question are for parents with a dd or dds who think they have a top 100 goat in Socal for the following ages. 04' 05' and 06'. I know who the top 15 are and the top 50 in our country based on the YNT List.
Q. Who are the top 100 socal players today?
Q Who are the top 22 players in socal today?
Q Who are the top 264 players in Region 4 today?
Q Who are the top 1056 players in the USA?
Q Who are the top 100 players in the country based on each Regions top 25?
I think this is a way better to have transparency and at least 1000 other 04's feel like they have a shot if they keep working hard.
ODP was the bomb!! I heard all the scrimmages were legendary. In fact, I still remember one of the all time great CRL League Games between Blues Bakers 02/03 and Surf Spooners 03/02 championship game at Birdsall park in Temecula. You want to talk about a battle of wills and competition. It was fierce. Savage from Surf was on fire. However, Simone Jackson put on a show unlike any other, right in front of my dd and I. I can;t remember seeing a more passionate league game since. It was sad to hear that the Blues beat Earthquakes 7-0.