youthsportsugh
SILVER ELITE
Don't think Thorns is dependent on Quakes, Where are the Quakes going?
Nor Cal GDA Teams - What's Next
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kickingandscreaming
PREMIER
Obviously, I have too much time on my hands. I checked the roster for the semi-final game on the DA site. (They never posted the game report for the final but the roster was the same.) Quakes had 1 girl from Marin, 1 from Oakland and 1 from San Ramon. All the rest are from "Peninsula/San Jose/Gilroy area". That's not to say Deza doesn't recruit and that they don't have girls from as far as Fresno in the club. As I think about it, that team may have been the most "local" team in the Quakes club. Kind of amazing given that MVLA '04s also predominantly pull from the same area. I'm not sure what's harder to believe. That two teams in the same age group from the same area won National Championships a year apart or that they haven't played each other since August of 2017.
There are 3 million people in peninsula/south bay, and soccer is by far the main sport for young girls there, and the region has more than enough cash for fields and private lessons.
No surprise at all that a good year has two great teams. Just stupid politics that they don’t play each other.
Tyler Durden
BRONZE
That Quakes team is comprised of girls from the Barcelona Bay Area (South San Jose) team that was very successful before they moved over.
gotothebushes
GOLD
Who is the best and most qualified club in the SF to SJ area in many ways. This is substantiated in the 2019-20 DA league Standings:
Personally, they should let all Norcal DA Teams into ENCL but not sure if that will happen give LAMO in such a small club and there close to Mustangs and Rage. Socal teams are getting accepted left and right. What's the hold up for these Norcal Teams.
| DA Standings | U15 | U16 | U17 |
| Thorns | 1st | 2nd | 4th |
| SJ Quakes | 3rd | 1st | 5th |
| Placer | 2nd | 3rd | 7th |
Personally, they should let all Norcal DA Teams into ENCL but not sure if that will happen give LAMO in such a small club and there close to Mustangs and Rage. Socal teams are getting accepted left and right. What's the hold up for these Norcal Teams.
The hold up is that MVLA, San Juan, and Mustangs don’t want the competition.
If those 3 teams get added, give credit to the existing clubs for doing the right thing for the kids. If not, then not.
gotothebushes
GOLD
I would think ECNL in Norcal would want competitive teams joining ECNL making it a more competitive league.
For someone who said that your kids don't even play in GDA, you seem to be heavily invested in the topic. Cracks me up that you are so sure that you know that the inner workings of these clubs and that they are the hold up, and don't even have a pony in the race. Let us know the inside info you have. What's the scoop?
futboldad1
PREMIER
Compelling standings and those do NOT lie....but don’t think that is accurate to say socal got accepted left and right.....only two big successful clubs got accepted in so cal ..... and two other big ones were not, they should get in next year but if they do there will be ‘no room in the inn’ for any other new clubs......so I am thinking NorCal may get a couple over the next year but not more......hopefully it is the deserving ones listed by the standings.....
Another thing to keep in mind, if you look at the current ECNL map it has 19!! teams in the Northwest conference. Yes, Nor Cal only has 7 but if that map is accurate for next year, adding more is a challenge. Of course I can't guarantee it but don't be shocked if none of those teams are let into ECNL this year. If beach and Legends aren't getting in from so cal, then any great club can suffer the same fate.
Clubs have a say or the powerful ones do but it's not the only reason typically. It's pretty known though ECNL clubs in a certain region have a say.
Clubs have a say or the powerful ones do but it's not the only reason typically. It's pretty known though ECNL clubs in a certain region have a say.
With GDA, mostly I don’t like the split. Didn’t like it when it was GDA’s fault. Don’t like it now that it is ECNL’s fault. Same for ccsl/cysa. I want my kid to be able to play good opponents and I don’t like to drive all over.
To be honest, I care more about the injury rate. Clubs watch dozens of kids get concussions or ACL tears, then pretend to be surprised every time it happens again.
Plenty they could do:
Mandatory PEP (or similar) during the practice, starting one year before puberty.
Make it league-wide: a coach may not want give up instructional time unless the opposing coach does also.
Start before puberty so the kids have time to learn the exercises and build up strength before the injury rate rises.
Ban headers until a later age, when the neck muscles have had a chance to develop.
Use a lighter ball, like basketball did.
For youngers, put in a 3 line rule to discourage having the CB smash the ball directly at the opposing team’s striker.
Change the referee guidelines and training to encourage refs to actually call fouls.
Relegate teams with high rates of yellow and red cards.
Shorten games at showcases so kids aren’t playing tired.
Heck, even just mandate reporting of all injuries that result in a doctor’s visit. Index by team, opposing team, time, kind of injury, situation, and referee. Find out how large the problem is, and give the stats guys something to work from.
I'm sure the DA Clubs are in discussion with ECNL. ECNL doesn't "need" to add another club in the NW, but, strategically, they should. If the Earthquakes moved to ECNL, ECNL would have a stranglehold on NorCal. I just don't see The Earthquakes as an organization continuing the girls program. So what club would and could bring in Deza, his staff and the players that ECNL would accept? Minus the fact that Force/Thorns would never bring Deza back in and ECNL would not accept Force/Thorns, it would really be the optimal choice. So with that off the table, what other club could/would work?
Doesn’t really matter which club. I am sure you could find half a dozen clubs willing to suffer Deza if it came with an ECNL patch. Or call it “Deza FC”. But the kids are clearly worth playing.
dk_b
GOLD
was that last game (in 2017) at Mustang Stampede?
Probably unlikely a current ECNL club would take that on. While you would get some good coaches and players, it would cause a huge intrusion to a club. It's not like a DOC is going to move over for him of course either. A place like Quakes was perfect since he was the only person in charge and pro club is already cutthroat so it fit right in perfectly.
The Outlaw *BANNED*
PREMIER
I hope Erin can fix that player's attitude if it didn't happen already.
Has it been confirmed that ECNL won't accept Force/Thorns?
dk_b
GOLD
Really interesting to quickly read this thread. I think if the handles are removed, it is pretty easy to see which comments come from NorCal folks and which come from SoCal. There is a level of complexity and history that many can't grasp by simply looking at teams' successes and promotion/relegation and ECNL accepting/rejecting teams. You have to know about Gryphons and Force, and how the market trainings were handled and the rumors that sprang from those, how Albertin and Deza are viewed by many, how (prob not unlike SoCal) small clubs continue to get squeezed b/c of big clubs, how PDP (not ODP) has factored, and even how HS has impacted some of the rosters over the last few years.
I have kids in different age groups, at different clubs, who have had very different experiences and different outlooks w/in the sport. I have seen first-hand Deza-led trainings and games and Albertin-led trainings and games and respect what I have seen on the pitch (if we lived closer, I am quite certain at least one of my kids would have played on the Peninsula). My older kid is in an age group that saw a lot of that shake out and played against those two when she was at a small club playing small-sided games.
This is definitely not so simple that ECNL or NPL (run up here by NorCal Premier) simply picks up the "best" teams. In the abstract, that seems great and can even seem logical (to have a NorCal Region for ECNL makes a lot of sense and would definitely reduce the travel). And b/c the ECNL process is more lengthy, I can see, in the short term, NPL reaping benefits b/c, despite the qualification rules, I could see the magic hand of NorCal making exceptions to create the best competition (I have kids in NPL2, positioned to have a chance at NPL1 b/4 the season was paused (certainly to be cancelled), and I'd have zero problem with a team being added in CL that would decimate teams in NPL1 or NPL2 b/c extremely lopsided games do not help anyone, not the stronger team and not the weaker team)). But b/c of the timing of this "pause", there is a great uncertainty about what these rosters will look like - I mean, will clubs or teams just fold? do you just get added by reputation and history? I had been paying close attention to Marin FC b/c they announced being part of ECNL after last year's tryouts and I figured that would be a set of teams poised to make a big jump with a highly competitive, well-attended tryout. But now what? And would ECNL bump Marin FC to include Quakes (if the other clubs supported it)? And will any of the bad blood - the recruiting shenanigans, for example, but also the league hopping of a few years ago - create challenges for the clubs? And if that happens, do kids bolt? And are parents savvy enough to be knowledgeable consumers or super vulnerable to being swayed by promises of Coach X or Club Y? This 2004 age group - which is excellent in NorCal - will be HS juniors next year. Typically, that's a bit late for major changes. How will that factor in?
I am glad that I'm done with this for one of my kids - graduating this year - and I do think my others are JUST young enough that the shake out may be OK for them. Whether you are SoCal or NorCal or not-Cal, I hope you are staying safe and that this resolves in such a way that is beneficial and joyful for your kids.
I have kids in different age groups, at different clubs, who have had very different experiences and different outlooks w/in the sport. I have seen first-hand Deza-led trainings and games and Albertin-led trainings and games and respect what I have seen on the pitch (if we lived closer, I am quite certain at least one of my kids would have played on the Peninsula). My older kid is in an age group that saw a lot of that shake out and played against those two when she was at a small club playing small-sided games.
This is definitely not so simple that ECNL or NPL (run up here by NorCal Premier) simply picks up the "best" teams. In the abstract, that seems great and can even seem logical (to have a NorCal Region for ECNL makes a lot of sense and would definitely reduce the travel). And b/c the ECNL process is more lengthy, I can see, in the short term, NPL reaping benefits b/c, despite the qualification rules, I could see the magic hand of NorCal making exceptions to create the best competition (I have kids in NPL2, positioned to have a chance at NPL1 b/4 the season was paused (certainly to be cancelled), and I'd have zero problem with a team being added in CL that would decimate teams in NPL1 or NPL2 b/c extremely lopsided games do not help anyone, not the stronger team and not the weaker team)). But b/c of the timing of this "pause", there is a great uncertainty about what these rosters will look like - I mean, will clubs or teams just fold? do you just get added by reputation and history? I had been paying close attention to Marin FC b/c they announced being part of ECNL after last year's tryouts and I figured that would be a set of teams poised to make a big jump with a highly competitive, well-attended tryout. But now what? And would ECNL bump Marin FC to include Quakes (if the other clubs supported it)? And will any of the bad blood - the recruiting shenanigans, for example, but also the league hopping of a few years ago - create challenges for the clubs? And if that happens, do kids bolt? And are parents savvy enough to be knowledgeable consumers or super vulnerable to being swayed by promises of Coach X or Club Y? This 2004 age group - which is excellent in NorCal - will be HS juniors next year. Typically, that's a bit late for major changes. How will that factor in?
I am glad that I'm done with this for one of my kids - graduating this year - and I do think my others are JUST young enough that the shake out may be OK for them. Whether you are SoCal or NorCal or not-Cal, I hope you are staying safe and that this resolves in such a way that is beneficial and joyful for your kids.
MacDre
PREMIER
I agree. However, in terms of injury I’m gonna hold parents to a higher standard. If parents focused on multiple sports and strength training that would free up time for soccer coached to teach soccer and not ACL injury prevention. So, I think parents are mostly responsible for high ACL rates. I think blaming coaches for ACL injuries is analogous to blaming a HS math teacher for failing a kid that never learned their math facts.
The Outlaw *BANNED*
PREMIER
This will be a fun one to watch. Seems like we only have a few mythical names in NorCal when it comes to being a soccer messiah. You have the Ziemers in Santa Rosa but they're remote... Robertson had a nice run in Davis but those players are in college now so what does he do next?... Montoya along the peninsula... and really just Deza. Who else is a big enough name that you're going to contemplate sending your kid there if the commute is long? I don't think Placer gets ECNL, fair or unfair, and I don't think they have a single entity on the level of the others. I don't hear great things about Baicher, either.