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Post by mightydawg on Jan 18, 2024 15:05:01 GMT -5
There have been several national champs from the SE so not sure that I buy the argument that SE cannot compete with west coast and other areas of the country. If there is statistical relevant data to suggest otherwise, I would attribute more to the soccer calendar than anything else. Having club in the fall and HS in the spring is a huge disadvantage to SE teams v. teams that have HS in the fall and club in the spring when the tournament is played over the summer. SE Region teams sometimes win national championships. And SCCL and ECRL teams sometimes beat GAL and ECNL teams. There was not a single SE Region team who made it to ECNL nationals last year. Do you buy that? That is simply not true. In an admittedly down year for the SE compared to more recent history, there were several SE boys teams that made ECNL Finals. NTH U14 and U16. There were also several that made it Regional League National Finals--U13 GSA and U14 NTH. ECNL national finals and regional finals are the final 8 in the country. Anyone who makes it is can compete. If you expand to making the knockout stage, CESA had 3 teams (2007, 2006, 2005); Platinum had 2 (2010 and 2005); NTH had 3 (2009, 2007, 2005); SC Surf had 1 team (2007). That is 9 teams to make the knockout stages. On the girls side, Concorde Platinum was a semifinalist at 2005. Since U18/19 do not go to national finals and instead finish up at ECNL playoffs, that is still a SE team in the final 4. When looking at knockout stage, CESA had 1 team make knockouts (2008), Florida Premier had 1 team make knockouts (2013); UFA had 2 in knockout stage (2009 and 2007).
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Post by mightydawg on Jan 18, 2024 12:31:24 GMT -5
I will be a contrarian. It is not as if the stronger players can just go to another local team, how are they going to make it to practice? Do you think a kid being in a carpool with practice four hours a night four nights a week is reasonable? Atlanta traffic sucks. Even if some kid was willing to do that we as adults should encourage them not to unless they are driving to ATL UTD or getting looks from the national team, and even then... They should add an ECNL/RL team in the Roswell / Woodstock area. Last year 3 of the 4 teams that played in the Georgia State Playoffs came from this area. A lot of talent in that area are stuck if they can't make NASA ECNL and/or if Concord West doesn't have an ECNL/RL team in their age group, which has a cascading effect through all levels. The only option is to drive, some kids on the east side of 400 can drive to AFU, some kids on the west side of 75 can drive to SSA, some kids make the drive north to UFA, and most kids make the hike to central. All of those options though suck for those kids as they are long drives. The kids that are left settle. If you look at this year or past years, it is why you get anomalous teams from this area - a few years ago SCCL was placed in a tournament with ECNL teams and got a couple of ties and a win, or this past season a 4th place SCCL team last year (spring 2023) with no roster changes ties an ECNL team in a tournament (fall 2023), or a SCCL team beating an ECRL team (fall 2023), those are just a few of the random games I am aware of, I am sure the list goes on and on. I would add, that I believe you get better teams performing nationally by encouraging expansion. I think what we all know if you have had a child playing at a high level here in ATL, the thing you notice the most is speed of play and technical ability, I would add after that intensity. The more kids you have playing at that level, then have the best kids from those teams get recruited to a NASA or Concord Plat. I agree with your points on driving kids hours vs the pay offs and the toll that takes on parents and kids alike. And it's also good to note, as you did, that some SCCL/ECRL teams at some age levels sometimes beat an ECNL or GAL team. What I categorically disagree with is your last statement. "... I believe you get better teams performing nationally by encouraging expansion"
Metro Atlanta youth soccer needs contraction and not expansion. This is specific to top level youth soccer and I'm probably speaking more towards the girls' side than the boys' side (and SCCL/ECRL is not top level youth soccer.) You can see this borne out in the fact that southern teams don't perform as well nationally compared to other regions, and this is singularly a product of lack of depth. It's very common for teams from our region to crush everyone regionally but struggle nationally (ie vs west coast teams.) As a basic example, if you have 10 - 12 ECNL/GAL clubs in Atlanta, and each team has say, maybe, 3 or 4 elite players, if you you contract those teams down to 8 teams, you would be increasing depth by adding multiple elite players to those 8 remaining teams (with the other non-elite players moving to ECRL,SCCL, etc with cascading effect through lower teams.) With expansion you would be removing those elite players and spreading them out to other teams, thus decreasing depth at the top level, while at the same time bringing up ECRL and SCCL players into an expanded top league and diluting the depth. So the expanded top league teams would have an even more difficult time competing nationally. There have been several national champs from the SE so not sure that I buy the argument that SE cannot compete with west coast and other areas of the country. If there is statistical relevant data to suggest otherwise, I would attribute more to the soccer calendar than anything else. Having club in the fall and HS in the spring is a huge disadvantage to SE teams v. teams that have HS in the fall and club in the spring when the tournament is played over the summer.
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Post by mightydawg on Dec 11, 2023 14:21:35 GMT -5
Biggest season ever and STILL counting on the gimmick of paying a star in the twilight of his career.. wanting to escape a pressure environment. A broken system that starts at the top. HAH! I won’t argue with any of that. However, at least for me and probably many others judging by the sold out stadiums the entertainment factor was there. I loved watching Miami play this year and can’t wait for the second season! Yep, as long as over the hill European stars can come here and dominate, it is at least entertaining. Rooney, Zlatan, and now Messi have all put on quite a show while here.
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Post by mightydawg on Dec 8, 2023 12:10:02 GMT -5
Hopefully, this means that we will get some USMNT and USWNT games in Atlanta. We will probably need a soccer specific stadium to make that happen or put grass in Mercedes every time they want to play a match. gasoccerforum.com/thread/7028/copa-americaI understand the Copa America game and the World Cup games. Those are all about the money. When was the last time the USMNT or USWNT played a friendly, world cup qualifier, etc. in Atlanta? Last I remember is Gold Cup game in Georgia Dome.
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Post by mightydawg on Dec 8, 2023 10:30:03 GMT -5
So will Atlanta emerge as Soccer City USA in the next few years??? Typically west coast cities LA, Seattle, and Portland lay claim to this touting strong MLS, NWSL, USL and men’s and women’s Division I college teams. However, Atlanta, with strong youth soccer, Atlanta United, US Soccer national training grounds, and minor league teams, I’m throwing our name in the hat. I know we are emerging in other areas but still noticeably lacking women’s top tier professional soccer and top tier men’s Division 1 programs. Hopefully, this means that we will get some USMNT and USWNT games in Atlanta. We will probably need a soccer specific stadium to make that happen or put grass in Mercedes every time they want to play a match.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 24, 2023 14:22:09 GMT -5
Hi, looking for current opinions on UFA Norcross for Boys and Concorde Fire Central for coaching and development. I have of course heard all the great things about NASA but it’s just way too far for us. Also does anyone have an idea of how many teams for each in the academy 2014 ages for boys and how they’re defined, ie gold, silver, etc? UFA Norcross team designations: Premier Red Concorde academy team designations: Black White Red Silver
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 23, 2023 5:46:37 GMT -5
MLS Next is managed by MLS, but falls under the US Youth Soccer umbrella. Does that mean that you technically can play MLS Next as well as ECN/RL during the same season? Yes, except MLS Next prevents you from playing any other sport or with any other team.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 12, 2023 13:28:01 GMT -5
That’s cute what some of you all think. Who cares about a club or a team? It’s all about individual success. Clubs don’t go to colleges teams don’t go to colleges players do. If your player is developing and getting looked at then it’s a win. As for those mentioning national teams. That is laughable. The country fails when it comes to scouting talent. Bet you are loads of fun to be around at parties. While playing in college may be A GOAL for some, it is not THE GOAL. Sports offer many more lessons than individual success and moving to the next level. Most players hate playing with players who only care about their individual success instead of the success of the team.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 12, 2023 12:51:39 GMT -5
I don't even know if there is an answer to this question, honestly. There are clubs that may be great at one age group, but absolutely terrible at another. And I don't mean just wins and losses. A club is a compilation of the staff, parents, coaches, and players, but each is siloed by age. The u-10's may be a fantastic program with great coaches and player development, but the u-12's could have a toxic coach that drives kids off. Which one is representative of the club when determining success? You have hit the nail on the head. The single most important factor for any player is the coach. The crest on the jersey really has very little meaning except for opportunity. A club can set an overall philosophy that may or may not trickle down from coach to coach and team to team. Teams within the same club are radically different based on the coach.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 11, 2023 14:52:51 GMT -5
I measure success by how much hate they get on the board. The more hate, the better the club. No hate, means no one cares about you.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 11, 2023 14:47:38 GMT -5
Assuming the coach turns a deaf ear and nothing changes in the Fall... what are y'alls thoughts on leaving after the Fall season, and not waiting until after the Spring? If you don't mind the wasted money and the impact that it will have on the team, go for it. Clubs are not going to give a refund so you will likely be paying twice and buying a new uniform.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 5, 2023 11:05:09 GMT -5
ECNL alternates between west coast and east coast for Playoffs and Finals. In 2023, the playoffs were east coast and the finals were west coast. In 2024, it is reversed--playoffs are west coast and finals are east coast.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 5, 2023 11:01:38 GMT -5
Tell me how many high school players (that you don't already know) you would recognize walking down the street. Their name, image and likeness is worthless. This is a blatant attempt to allow schools through their boosters to pay for kids to attend their schools. The real question is why would a booster pay a high school kid for their name, image and likeness? It’s big money (for pointy ball). But what is the motivation for boosters? With a college, there are typically hundreds of thousands of fans so being connected to the success of the college has a certain financial appeal to the booster. The largest high school in Georgia is around 4,000 kids. If every kid and parent of the kid attending the school were influenced by the NIL or the booster making the team good, still only talking about 12,000 people. Throw in some alumni who might care, still south of 25,000 people.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 5, 2023 9:28:37 GMT -5
Tell me how many high school players (that you don't already know) you would recognize walking down the street. Their name, image and likeness is worthless. This is a blatant attempt to allow schools through their boosters to pay for kids to attend their schools.
The real question is why would a booster pay a high school kid for their name, image and likeness?
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 22, 2023 11:50:00 GMT -5
There are legitimate reasons, even in academy, of why kids do not receive 50% playing time. Most of the time, it is not some sinister motive by the coach. When my son was U9 and U10, we had the same coach both seasons and virtually the same team. Team was really good but we had a few players that could not control themselves at practice and were disruptive to the learning of the other players and the flow of practice. As a result, those players would get less time in the game because the coach did not want to reward the bad behavior. This was readily apparent to anyone who watched practice. The parents of those players were upset because their kids did not get 50% playing time but the coach had his reasons, which were for the good of the team. This is but one example of why you should always start by asking the coach what your player can do to earn more time. If he has a reason, fix it. If his reason is winning, work with your kid on developing their skills and find a new place to play the next year. Completely agree that some reasons are valid like the one you just mentioned. Thankfully in this case none of the kids that have more bench time I would personally consider to be disruptive during training. I also don't think it has anything to do with reasons such as " my son is not as skilled" compared to those that get more game time. Not at all. With respect to talking to the Coach......hard to believe this BUT after the tournament I mentioned earlier in the post Coach cut-off all communication with parents and any comments , requests or concerns have to be communicated to the Team Manager and the TM will talk to Coach. But other than say Hello and Good bye there is no communication between parents and the Coach. THat is a problem for sure. A team manager should not be involved in those types of issues. I would ask the coach for a time either before practice or after practice to talk about your son. I would approach that your son loves soccer but he is losing some of his passion for the game and he wants to earn more playing time. What can he do to earn more playing time? and then listen to what the coach has to say.
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 22, 2023 7:59:17 GMT -5
There are legitimate reasons, even in academy, of why kids do not receive 50% playing time. Most of the time, it is not some sinister motive by the coach. When my son was U9 and U10, we had the same coach both seasons and virtually the same team. Team was really good but we had a few players that could not control themselves at practice and were disruptive to the learning of the other players and the flow of practice. As a result, those players would get less time in the game because the coach did not want to reward the bad behavior. This was readily apparent to anyone who watched practice. The parents of those players were upset because their kids did not get 50% playing time but the coach had his reasons, which were for the good of the team. This is but one example of why you should always start by asking the coach what your player can do to earn more time.
If he has a reason, fix it.
If his reason is winning, work with your kid on developing their skills and find a new place to play the next year.
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 21, 2023 15:24:39 GMT -5
The first conversation with the Coach should be:
Little Johnny would like to earn more playing time. What can he do to earn more playing time?
Take the conversation from there. If you start a conversation with, you are favoring other players, it won't go well.
There are a number of reasons that some kids get more time than others including practice attentiveness and performance. Also, is this kid driven or parent driven?
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 21, 2023 7:48:40 GMT -5
Website says DOC still “open”. No idea what the impact has been. Anyone see any discernible change? Honestly I’m not sure what a DOC does anyway except taking the group that looks like the strongest team(s) and taking a cut of tournament fees. But Roswell killed their only tournament (remember their annual 5v5 event) a LONG time ago. Hopefully, they hire a known local "pro" who's journey and experience, could help elevate the program... I hear that James Harris is looking for a job. Too soon?
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 19, 2023 9:49:16 GMT -5
Is there enough land right across from Franklin Gateway and down the street from Atlanta United training center? www.google.com/maps/place/1033+Franklin+Gateway+SE,+Marietta,+GA+30067/@33.9295996,-84.4917384,921m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x88f5116fbc910a6d:0x72ece4fe8458e701!8m2!3d33.9284422!4d-84.4926076!16s%2Fg%2F11rp1y32m1?entry=ttu
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 11, 2023 11:17:24 GMT -5
Speaking of TopHat. This weekend I had a conversation with a former TopHat parent that stated, TH is subscribing to a flat upfront coaching fee(s) for tournament and showcase travel/per diem for their GA teams. I don’t want to quote that costs but can anyone confirm this? On the NASA side, they collected a flat fee that covers the projected costs for the season and was payable in installments. If the costs end of being more, we will settle up later. If the costs end of being less, we will get a little money back. That is the way that we have done it on other teams in the past. It is just easier to do an estimated budget for the season and collect the money up front (or in installments). Paying each time a team needs money is a pain in the rear for the team manager to constantly harass people for money and a pain on the parents because it feels like the team is always asking for money. Setting a budget and funding the budget is the way to go.
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Post by mightydawg on Sept 11, 2023 10:06:37 GMT -5
I get it talent is objective - but i've lost hope -- hence why US will underperform. 2 of the best players in a particular age group in this city didn't get "accepted" at AU after lengthy trials. One in particular is a flat out stud, baller, game changer, touch, IQ, pace, work ethic is unapparelled. shocking to be honest. Both run circles around their current roster in this age group. I heard both showed extremely well as well based upon the feedback, but were told basically they didn't want to drop a few current players given how long they had been there. are these kids USYNT team players, one could be potentially in my opinion. But that really isn't the point, both are phenomenal talents. Very frustrating to hear and observe from a far. i am really shocked to hear that Atlanta United would not take a better, more talented kid because they did not want to drop a player that had there for a few years. There sole objective is to identify and develop players for the 1st team or players that can be sold to someone else. if the current players do not meet those criteria and the new players do, the decision should be easy as impersonal and as cut throat as that sounds.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 31, 2023 11:15:42 GMT -5
Just U15 and above but that could be part of the problem—different formats in the same conference.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 31, 2023 10:59:36 GMT -5
Anyone know what happened to the ECNL boys schedule it disappeared from the app and website on Monday? They are converting everything into the 2 divisions.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 29, 2023 19:40:49 GMT -5
Two separate leagues and sanctioning bodies. If the club allows it, you can be on both team rosters.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 29, 2023 7:54:28 GMT -5
Depends on the age and the league. Some leagues have already started. Most others start the weekend after Labor Day.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 26, 2023 10:28:28 GMT -5
Charlotte boys showcase is on as scheduled. They did reduce the length of Saturday games
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 25, 2023 13:12:47 GMT -5
The accusation that has been referred in this conversation is inappropriate texts/grooming.
You would think that James and/or the kid have the texts and the full conversations for UFA to read and review.
Let's play devil's advocate here for a minute about why UFA would remove him from one team and not from the other 2 teams--the texts and/or the full conversation did not sufficiently establish inappropriate behavior but because of the allegations and the result of the allegations, the best interests of the team at the beginning of the season and before league play starts was to have a new coach step in.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 22, 2023 16:13:51 GMT -5
Keepers should play as many games as they can. Cannot simulate game conditions for a keeper. If he can play up physically given the bigger goals, he should do it.
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Post by mightydawg on Aug 18, 2023 12:16:45 GMT -5
Bad for Atlanta United. Good for Atlanta.
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US women
Aug 18, 2023 8:46:42 GMT -5
via mobile
bolo likes this
Post by mightydawg on Aug 18, 2023 8:46:42 GMT -5
RE: FLIX - > "what girl from Atlanta has played on the national team or gone pro besides the girls from UFA? And you know what they trained with boys" I'm not completely certain for how long. But Kelly O'Hara grew up in Fayetteville and played at AFC. Emily Sonnet played at NASA. Both have been a part of several USWNT world cup cycles. Further to your question about others, there are many young ladies from the ATL that are a regular part of the USWNT training pools at different ages. The ones I'm personally aware of train and play with whomever is on the pitch. Morgan Gautrat (formerly Brian) is from St Simons.
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