davidj
Jr. Academy
Posts: 28
Member is Online
|
Post by davidj on Jun 15, 2021 10:18:44 GMT -5
So, we were kinda caught off guard by the intensity of the tryouts and the ensuing swirl of rumors, gossip, surreptitious texts with coaches, signed-on-the-field vs waiting-for-an-email, kids that signed with one team then quickly diverted to another team etc
Is this normal or was it a weird year bc of last year's COVID situation of no tryouts?
Foolish question perhaps, but what is everyone trying to accomplish at U12 level? Obviously I think my kid is good and he's on a "top team" but i feel like i dont' really know what to expect amid all the hype about pre-SCCL and what the difference with MLSnext is.... anyone wanna weigh in? I'll take oracle-quality intel and any hearsay/opinion stuff, too- thx
|
|
|
Post by Soccerhouse on Jun 15, 2021 10:59:40 GMT -5
I'll let others chime in on the various player pathways these days etc.
But wanted to speak to u12 -
Its the last year kids have at "academy" before teams age into what used to be DA or classic 1 or athena A ball lets say.
There historically at u12 was a race by some clubs to play 11v11, and many of the top teams would play classic II-Classic IV etc and play 11v11 against older teams. Many clubs disagreed with this approach and wanted to stick with 9v9 for league play and then have a few scrimmages thoughout the season at 11v11.
DA came in and offered 9v9 small sided soccer at u12, teams carried 24-26 players and fielded 2 teams in the age group. When DA folded, SCCL wanted to keep this concept going and the top teams in the SCCL alliance all played u12 9v9. Atlanta United was added as well, given how competitive the u12 age group was at the DA level.
I have no idea, but I assume the u12 pre sccl teams are still playing 9v9 and making sure teams don't chase that 11v11 bucket at the end of the rainbow.
|
|
|
Post by randomparent on Jun 15, 2021 13:54:48 GMT -5
So, we were kinda caught off guard by the intensity of the tryouts and the ensuing swirl of rumors, gossip, surreptitious texts with coaches, signed-on-the-field vs waiting-for-an-email, kids that signed with one team then quickly diverted to another team etc Is this normal or was it a weird year bc of last year's COVID situation of no tryouts? Foolish question perhaps, but what is everyone trying to accomplish at U12 level? Obviously I think my kid is good and he's on a "top team" but i feel like i dont' really know what to expect amid all the hype about pre-SCCL and what the difference with MLSnext is.... anyone wanna weigh in? I'll take oracle-quality intel and any hearsay/opinion stuff, too- thx Parents are trying to position their kids on a top team. Either to put them in a better chance of staying on that team when it turns MLSNext/ECNL or giving their kid more street cred when he trys out at another club at U13. Unfortunately, even with all the best preparation and trying will not help Billy when he plays against a 5'11 man child that its twice the size and twice the speed. Over the next three year 50+% of Billy's team will get pushed down levels or quit soccer entirely as new incredible athletes are brought in to the team.
|
|
davidj
Jr. Academy
Posts: 28
Member is Online
|
Post by davidj on Jun 15, 2021 16:52:24 GMT -5
Sheesh, a 5'11"man-child sounds terrifying at this age!!! I certainly hope you're joking... teams are not misrepresenting player ages, like they used to do with Cuban/Dominican baseball players, are they??!!
But that does lead to another question... at what age DO you see the biggest size/weight difference between same-age players? I don't remember this being an issue when I was a kid, but that was 1000 years ago, LOL!
When do the men-children show up?? U14? U15? U16?
|
|
|
Post by georgiatechalum on Jun 15, 2021 18:02:52 GMT -5
I am not sure I understand the original question. And I have never heard the term Pre- SCCL at U12 ( do you mean Pre- ECNL ? ) U12 is the age when SCCL starts. ( there are different levels with SCCL) ECNL & MLS Next Start at U13. They are 2 different leagues. Others will gladly give you their opinions of the 2 leagues but they typically do not play each other except maybe in a tournament or friendly scrimmage. ( I know this year that was not exactly true with AU playing ECNL ) Not sure I am helping - but not exactly sure of the question either.
|
|
|
Post by Keeperkeeper on Jun 15, 2021 18:57:10 GMT -5
At U12, a lot of parents of “top” players are trying to position their kids on the best team to put them in a position to jump to ECNL or MLSNEXT teams. Some parents are sending their 2010s to play u13 ECNL as many of the top players in the 2010s (next year's U12s) have already played U12 SCCL or GPL (Georgia Soccer).
I think it's just about getting the kid to the next shiny alphabet league. I think a lot of parents want their kid to play at the highest level possible. Someone on the forum used to write about how every parent saw their kid as either a “Little Messi” or “Little Mia.” Parents just want their “Little #nextsuperstar” to play at the highest level they can. Longterm, boys parents are riding the professional player dream and girls parents are chasing the college scholarship to the big D1. Many feel the decisions at U12 set that trajectory in place.
|
|
|
Post by rifle on Jun 15, 2021 20:42:26 GMT -5
Sheesh, a 5'11"man-child sounds terrifying at this age!!! I certainly hope you're joking... teams are not misrepresenting player ages, like they used to do with Cuban/Dominican baseball players, are they??!! But that does lead to another question... at what age DO you see the biggest size/weight difference between same-age players? I don't remember this being an issue when I was a kid, but that was 1000 years ago, LOL! When do the men-children show up?? U14? U15? U16? U12, U13 you definitely see it with boys. Some of them anyway. More in the higher level teams. And here’s a tip from somebody who has been there. When they start to play with full size goals, a short goalkeeper is a killer.
|
|
|
Post by soccerparentx on Jun 16, 2021 11:55:18 GMT -5
I'll let others chime in on the various player pathways these days etc. But wanted to speak to u12 - Its the last year kids have at "academy" before teams age into what used to be DA or classic 1 or athena A ball lets say. There historically at u12 was a race by some clubs to play 11v11, and many of the top teams would play classic II-Classic IV etc and play 11v11 against older teams. Many clubs disagreed with this approach and wanted to stick with 9v9 for league play and then have a few scrimmages thoughout the season at 11v11. DA came in and offered 9v9 small sided soccer at u12, teams carried 24-26 players and fielded 2 teams in the age group. When DA folded, SCCL wanted to keep this concept going and the top teams in the SCCL alliance all played u12 9v9. Atlanta United was added as well, given how competitive the u12 age group was at the DA level. I have no idea, but I assume the u12 pre sccl teams are still playing 9v9 and making sure teams don't chase that 11v11 bucket at the end of the rainbow. The race to play 11v11... If you watch the La Liga Academy U12s, they are still playing 7v7 and the football is a smaller version of what you see on TV— Technical, tactical, and amazing to watch. It’s a shame really that size, speed, and boom ball still dominate at the US youth levels today. I completely understand playing up if your child is a ridiculously technical kid and is dominating his or her age group— like Messi or Pulisic dominating— not because he or she is faster and bigger than everyone else. I kind of like a system that keeps kids in the right sized games based on a kid’s development.
|
|
|
Post by Keeper on Jun 16, 2021 15:57:10 GMT -5
I'll let others chime in on the various player pathways these days etc. But wanted to speak to u12 - Its the last year kids have at "academy" before teams age into what used to be DA or classic 1 or athena A ball lets say. There historically at u12 was a race by some clubs to play 11v11, and many of the top teams would play classic II-Classic IV etc and play 11v11 against older teams. Many clubs disagreed with this approach and wanted to stick with 9v9 for league play and then have a few scrimmages thoughout the season at 11v11. DA came in and offered 9v9 small sided soccer at u12, teams carried 24-26 players and fielded 2 teams in the age group. When DA folded, SCCL wanted to keep this concept going and the top teams in the SCCL alliance all played u12 9v9. Atlanta United was added as well, given how competitive the u12 age group was at the DA level. I have no idea, but I assume the u12 pre sccl teams are still playing 9v9 and making sure teams don't chase that 11v11 bucket at the end of the rainbow. The race to play 11v11... If you watch the La Liga Academy U12s, they are still playing 7v7 and the football is a smaller version of what you see on TV— Technical, tactical, and amazing to watch. It’s a shame really that size, speed, and boom ball still dominate at the US youth levels today. I completely understand playing up if your child is a ridiculously technical kid and is dominating his or her age group— like Messi or Pulisic dominating— not because he or she is faster and bigger than everyone else. I kind of like a system that keeps kids in the right sized games based on a kid’s development. Just like to add this to this great post, even Messi was playing 9v9 with Barca until he was U15. Rushing to 11v11 is only for the grown ups to make more money and not actually focus on development.
|
|
|
Post by oraclesfriend on Jun 16, 2021 17:02:26 GMT -5
The race to play 11v11... If you watch the La Liga Academy U12s, they are still playing 7v7 and the football is a smaller version of what you see on TV— Technical, tactical, and amazing to watch. It’s a shame really that size, speed, and boom ball still dominate at the US youth levels today. I completely understand playing up if your child is a ridiculously technical kid and is dominating his or her age group— like Messi or Pulisic dominating— not because he or she is faster and bigger than everyone else. I kind of like a system that keeps kids in the right sized games based on a kid’s development. Just like to add this to this great post, even Messi was playing 9v9 with Barca until he was U15. Rushing to 11v11 is only for the grown ups to make more money and not actually focus on development. Parents push this aspect of the game too. I cannot count how many times I have heard from parents saying they wanted their kid to move up from 7v7 to 9v9 or 9v9 to 11v11. Most of those parents wanted it because they know their kid has great speed and the larger field plays to their strengths. However I think these coaches need to work on speed of play which is much better on a small field.
|
|
|
Post by allthingsoccer on Jun 16, 2021 23:37:39 GMT -5
Its so funny. Go watch AU first team down to lower Academy practices. ALL of them play small-sided games.
Don't rush it. Its a LONG LONG path. You will find most of the clubs pushing because of the $$ per team. Bigger field, more players, more players, more money.
|
|