ODP in California

OMG @met61, it gets even better. Here you are claiming that the ODP roster doesn't have the best players because "all the legit ballers" play DA. Can you remind me again what "DA" is? Isn't it the league that collapsed years ago because it didn't have any of the "legit ballers"?

Oh, and what kind of grown man refers to 12 year old girls as "legit ballers" anyway?
WOW...met61 has been exposed!!! Hasn't your child aged out already? lol Time for you to get on an "Empty Nest" forum..lol
 
I talked with the Founder bro on why was ODP put together in the first place. The Original Founder was in charge of finding the first U15 YNT, way way back in the day. How does one pick 18 girls across the country? He and others thought it would be good to do ODP and then pick IV Regions of top players and then pick the YNT from those four teams after they battle in big time games. Politics took over quickly and he was gone. It's not like it was and for sure politics of who you know, how you know them and what your willing to pay, is the norm. It's not about how good your kid can ball anymore. I still think it's a great accomplishment for any kid who makes it. The adults have messed this whole list thing up. The adults who lie are the real losers in all this.

Yep, this is exactly how it worked when I played years ago, make state team, go to regional camp, 4 regions go to national camp

i also think you were seeing , especially on boys side players who were never involved in the YNTs getting noticed late teens/early 20, clearly the ODP program was not capturing the talent “early “ on

I do know for a fact that Steve Sampson was scouting for YNT in the late 90s in California ( I believe it was his job after he got fired as men”s coach).

I assume scouts now are spending a lot of their time trying to get dual nationals in the program early
 
OMG @met61, it gets even better. Here you are claiming that the ODP roster doesn't have the best players because "all the legit ballers" play DA. Can you remind me again what "DA" is? Isn't it the league that collapsed years ago because it didn't have any of the "legit ballers"?

Oh, and what kind of grown man refers to 12 year old girls as "legit ballers" anyway?
Fact Check: True

DA levels above any ODP roster.
 
Yep, this is exactly how it worked when I played years ago, make state team, go to regional camp, 4 regions go to national camp
Still worked that way this past year. The difficult part is getting picked for the state team. I noticed a lot of returning players from a couple years ago were invited back. This left a small amount of players that were scouted and added to the list. Other states have open tryouts, a couple cut downs, then a state team.
 
In one of the age groups, there were 0 ECNL players from San Diego Surf, HB Koge, Beach, Blues, etc…the top clubs and players. They weren’t on the original ODP list for tryouts. My guess is that those clubs don’t view ODP as valuable otherwise they would be recommending all of the top players right and left. At least in the age groups I am familiar with, these weren’t the top players. So, in response, it makes sense they wouldn’t be selected for the final ODP team (still a little surprising, but not a total shock).
There were players from top ECNL teams from those clubs you mentioned in some age groups. It’s an imperfect system just like the USYS National/regional team pools and the USYF team. Sorry, but it’s true! You have players in the USYS National pools that should have been dropped but they were picked up at U13/14, and no one ever bothered to scratch them off the list. Meanwhile other players have got better and still can’t get on the list.
 
Imo, there were just not hardly any CA girls who went down to FL for the Interregional in Nov. We moved from CA to the midwest and the only thing outside of club team is ODP. CA has a leg up to have PDP, and feel especially in NorCal a larger support by the clubs for it. I do know a few from our old club had got invites to go to the interregional, but chose not to go. So if they miss that they dont get to NTC.
I think another factor is Hs season varies from state to state. For CalSouth it overlaps, and although you can do both, it is not that easy and many were injured this year. I know in some age groups they had to go beyond the alternatives, due to Covid tests positive and last minute injuries. At that point, it’s too late for them to repool a group.
 
lol......that is indeed the question :)......maybes the ODP teams should play Surf or another ECNL team with no picks and see how the score goes........
Part of the issue is parents discrediting it without real experience, or because their feelings are hurt because their kid wasn’t pooled or picked. It’s an imperfect system, however that doesn’t change the fact that it stimulates player development and red presents a handful of top players. When parents put it down, it just discourages participation and then it becomes what you say it is. BTw, my player plays top ECnL and told me she felt she walked away as a much better player for several reasons. Yes, we lost some good players to Covid and injury, but she still felt the level and growth was valuable.
 
Imo, there were just not hardly any CA girls who went down to FL for the Interregional in Nov. We moved from CA to the midwest and the only thing outside of club team is ODP. CA has a leg up to have PDP, and feel especially in NorCal a larger support by the clubs for it. I do know a few from our old club had got invites to go to the interregional, but chose not to go. So if they miss that they dont get to NTC.
The players were selected during the summer ODP camp, which most EcNL players could not participate at bc they were at EcNL FL and Va tournaments last summer.
 
here's the problem.

the parent who chaperones kids first on that bus and first out on the field when the game starts regardless of skill.

the politics just dont stop during the selection process. when you have kids coming off the bench who have led their leagues for multiple years in scoring for players who had their last hattrick on a u6 ayso team is just wrong. Until the program gets fixed and the best actually get selected with ZERO parent involvement, ODP in California will be a JOKE.
the “best” are scattered. They are not on Surf A team, that’s just more politics, parents and pay for play.
 
the “best” are scattered. They are not on Surf A team, that’s just more politics, parents and pay for play.
The Four Important P's in Youth Soccer are: Politics, Parents, Pay 4 Play :) I had sour grapes but not no more. I got sweet grapes now and made some fine wine and then found time with my wife instead. Youth soccer sure grabbed my attention but I moved on after I saw how the game is really being played.
 
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The Four Important P's in Youth Soccer are: Politics, Parents, Pay 4 Play :) I had sour grapes but not no more. I got sweet grapes now and made some fine wine and then found time with my wife instead. Youth soccer sure grabbed my attention but I moved on after I saw how the game is really being played.

Did you not get enough free handouts?

Soccer must be free for everyone to play! Kiddie soccer is more important to society than education and healthcare!
 
The players were selected during the summer ODP camp, which most EcNL players could not participate at bc they were at EcNL FL and Va tournaments last summer.
The Cal South girls 05 that went to camp were 60-70% ECNL. Only 3 girls made it from Cal South to the West Region team. Washington was most represented with 5 girls that made the West Region Team, all from ECNL. The 18 players representing the West Region was 80-90% ECNL. I believe 1/3 have already committed, and expect 90% of these girls will play on scholarship in college by the time they graduate.

The Cal South girls 05 that recently played in Arizona in Jan. vs other States was 80-90% ECNL. This team won it all. Washington was down because they had planned to go to Florida and were missing the 5 ECNL girls that were part of the West Region team.

It seemed most of the girls that were playing just wanted to represent Cal South against the best from other states. Parents were all great (There was one parent I noticed that was joy sticking his daughter - yes, age 16 and still telling your kid what to do on the pitch).
 
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