HoopsCoach
SILVER
From first hand experience I would say I don't agree with the "great coaches" part of this statement. Deza tends to burn through players and coaches at an alarming rate. He wants absolute control and when coaches bring their own ideas it doesn't always work out. I'd also say that he has had two really great teams. His 98s and the 04s which he took over at Force. Beyond that nothing that stands out. Don't get me wrong. He is a great trainer, but also very challenging to deal with. There are lots of solid NorCal clubs and coaches out there and I don't think his brand is as unique as folks want thought.
We can agree to disagree and that's what's great about this message board. My daughter played for him starting at De Anza and finishing a couple years ago with EQ. Hands down he's the best trainer out there. I've seen many other coaching sessions at various clubs and none can touch the amount of detail that he has in his practices and training sessions. As a result, many of his players are at top schools and yes, they may have found their way to those schools by themselves, but his trainings are second to none and kids get better playing for him. I know my daughter did.
That said, he's not the easiest coach to play for and even less for a parent. Agree his 98 team was probably one of the top teams to come out of Norcal, but his 01's were right there, his 03's and 04's were just as good. I also agree that being in the GDA gave him a pipeline that MVLA, Mustang, Davis and other top clubs didn't have, but all those players (high percentage) were connected to very good soccer schools. Can you name other clubs that have the same brand top to bottom with all the teams playing the same style? I would say that this is unique as it's not apparent at many clubs.