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Post by gaprospects on Jan 11, 2017 0:24:43 GMT -5
I do agree with most of this, especially the distribution of ages at development academy clubs. Culturally there are certain things holding us back from taking that next step as a soccer nation. My follow up question, then, is what can be done about it. You yourself are a youth coach, so how are you and other coaches promoting different aspects of the game other than physicality? How much control do you have at your club over whether physical or mental traits are being rewarded with team placement and attention to development? You give the example of undersized kids without the best athleticism being dismissed at 13 and 14, but you are someone who is in a position to keep those kids invested. I don't want to come across as accusing anything, but you aren't the first youth coach I've heard this criticism from. Too often I find coaches that understand these problems yet are unwilling to do anything about it. With all due respect I don't just "talk the talk", I try to instill the love of the game and try to actually develop my players. I currently coach club, ODP, High School and Women's College Soccer. Everyday I am doing as much as I can to develop the players and teach them what I believe is the right way to play. I've been at Tophat for over seven years and regardless of anyone's club affiliation or biases I would wager most if not all people would say Tophat has a local and national track record for developing technically skilled players that can possess, build out of the back and keep the ball. Although the technical and athletic abilities may be different even most of our third and fourth level teams try to keep the ball and play possession soccer. I value technical ability and soccer IQ over anything else and that's what I look for, now if they have superior athletic traits to go along with then that's even better. I don't want someone that's 6 ft tall that has a poor first touch, no technical skill that can just outrun people. I do keep my kids invested and I do what I can to promote the ideals I mentioned above but I'm only one person. The only thing that will change it is to take the parents money out of the equation. Coaches feel pressure to win because if they don't their better players will leave, additionally many parents aren't going to wait and be patient to allow kids to develop, we live in an immediate gratification society unfortunately, most parents only see development through wins and losses. You have to allow kids to fail so they can ultimately succeed. Also I don't "Nintendo coach", meaning I don't yell out instructions every five seconds, if a coach is doing that they haven't properly prepared their players during the week. Additionally players have to be able to think for themselves, you can't tell them what to do every 30 seconds. Yes I see the problems but until culturally we change, take parents somewhat out of the financial equation and stop focusing on just 1% of the player base 20 years down the road we will be having the same conversation. Anyway it's been a good discussuon, I'm off to Tophat Soccer camp, have a good night. I appreciate the discourse friend, I'm always looking for opportunities to learn from those who know more than myself. Until next time!
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Post by gaprospects on Jan 10, 2017 16:19:51 GMT -5
Here's an article from SoccerWire detailing the introduction of the new U15 age group. The basic gist of the article is that, as we know, the U15 age will be a single age team for the 2003 birth year. The decision of US Soccer is that all of the clubs currently participating in the U16 and U18 (soon to be U17 and U19) split ages will also partake in the U15 competition. In addition, 6 clubs have been "promoted" into the U15 age group based off of a bunch of coaching and development metrics. They are: Albion SC – San Diego, Calif. Armada FC Pro Academy – Jacksonville, Fla. Ballistic United SC – Pleasanton, Calif. Cedar Stars Academy – Carlstadt, N.J. New York Soccer Club – Chappaqua, N.Y. Virginia Development Academy – Woodbridge, Va. For Georgia, this leaves only Atlanta United and Concorde Fire at the U15 age group for next 2017-18, barring any new DA clubs being admitted. What this also means is that, since the only players at Georgia United currently are 02s and 03s, ALL of the current Georgia United players will be forced to move on at the conclusion of this season, not just the 02s. You all are opinionated people so I'd love to see your thoughts on this.
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Post by gaprospects on Jan 10, 2017 16:10:28 GMT -5
This is a silly comparison. If anyone of Xavi or Iniesta's technical ability and IQ came through the US's system he would never make it to college without getting a contract somewhere, either in the US or abroad. And any player that shows that kind of technical aptitude will have already stood out on tape and in person to pro scouts. These sorts of exercises are only about adding to the scouting profile of the player, not the only thing they are making judgments from. I know you know that though, which leaves me to believe you are just looking for something to shout about. I'm not looking to "shout" about anything, like you I am just expressing my thoughts on the subject. I would counter that a Xavi or Iniesta would probably have never attained their level of play had they lived here in the US, if they did they probably would have been dismissed at 13 or 14 years of age because they weren't "athletic" enough, not fast enough or not tall enough. We put too much emphasis on "work rate" and athletic ability and not enough premium on technical ability or soccer intelligence. 75-80% of the Region Pool have birthdays in the first 6 months of the year, why do you think that is? What was the real reason for the birth mandate change? It certainly wasn't for a developmental advantage. Having someone that is physically mature because they have an earlier birthday is going to help us on the world stage? They are totally revamping the women's program because the rest of the world has closed the gap on us and they understand that technically our players simply aren't good enough. We probably have the best fitness and exercise science specialists at our disposal here in the US but the days of getting by on effort, team spirit, blue collar work rate, speed, etc simply aren't enough anymore and you see that in our YNT's and not doing well or advancing in major tournaments. The best players at their respective sports are good because they dedicated thousands of hours on their own developing their craft, even if they didn't have "wow" factor athletic ability: take Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, John Stockton and many others, they certainly weren't athletic specimens but they had mastery of their craft and had a high IQ to go along with it, not to mention the countless hours they invested in their skills outside of practice. That level of ability isn't coached, it's typically the result of the work they did on their own. Our biggest roadblock is cultural....most kids don't go out and play on their own and develop the creativity they need to excel at the top levels in soccer. When I was growing up parents had to drag us inside, now its the opposite parents have to drag their kids out of the house: too much social media, TV, computers, Playstation, etc. We would go to the park and play 3 v 3 for hours until the sun went down, no coaching just using some bookbags for goals and trying new things. Look at the kids in the inner city that play basketball, they literally carry a basketball around everywhere they go, they are always dribbling, working on moves, crossovers, going to play pickup, etc. That's why we typically produce the best basketball players. Now imagine if you went to a local park and saw dozens of soccer kids playing pick up or out there dribbling through cones, emulating moves they see on TV, etc....that more so than coaching, private training or more practices would have the biggest positive benefit in soccer development and having a larger pool of players that can play at the highest levels. I do agree with most of this, especially the distribution of ages at development academy clubs. Culturally there are certain things holding us back from taking that next step as a soccer nation. My follow up question, then, is what can be done about it. You yourself are a youth coach, so how are you and other coaches promoting different aspects of the game other than physicality? How much control do you have at your club over whether physical or mental traits are being rewarded with team placement and attention to development? You give the example of undersized kids without the best athleticism being dismissed at 13 and 14, but you are someone who is in a position to keep those kids invested. I don't want to come across as accusing anything, but you aren't the first youth coach I've heard this criticism from. Too often I find coaches that understand these problems yet are unwilling to do anything about it.
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Post by gaprospects on Jan 10, 2017 9:59:35 GMT -5
Xavi and Iniesta would never win a track meet or jump out the roof but they have superior technical ability and high soccer IQ, which can beat a more athletic physical player. Just continues the trend as to why we are light years behind everyone else on the mens side. This is a silly comparison. If anyone of Xavi or Iniesta's technical ability and IQ came through the US's system he would never make it to college without getting a contract somewhere, either in the US or abroad. And any player that shows that kind of technical aptitude will have already stood out on tape and in person to pro scouts. These sorts of exercises are only about adding to the scouting profile of the player, not the only thing they are making judgments from. I know you know that though, which leaves me to believe you are just looking for something to shout about.
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Post by gaprospects on Jan 9, 2017 18:41:36 GMT -5
What is the issue you all have with this? The majority of these players have 4 years of scouting tape on them from their college and semi-pro days, they're all scrimmaging against each other this week, what's the harm in seeing how quickly they can accelerate or how high they can jump?
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Post by gaprospects on Jan 6, 2017 16:30:02 GMT -5
Saw an article today in regards to how a Catalan National Team would look like if they declared independence from Spain. The article also highlighted (for me at least) the gulf in development here in the US vs other countries given our population. An independent Catalonia would have a population of approximately 7.5 million people, which is roughly the population of the state of Washington. Total US population is around 318 million. Here would be a projected starting 11 for Catalonia GK- Victor Valdez Defenders: Jordi Alba, Marco Bartra, Gérard Pique, Aleix Vidal, Midfield: Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets Forwards: Cristian Tello, Bojan Krkic, Sergi Roberto That team would throttle the US and probably many other national teams as well. Shows with our population how far behind we really are. I get the point you're trying to make, but you do realize that the last time the US played Spain in a competitive tournament the US won, right?
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Post by gaprospects on Dec 20, 2016 16:17:07 GMT -5
I admittedly don't watch much women's soccer outside of WC or Olympics, how does NWSL compare quality-wise to the French or German leagues?
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Post by gaprospects on Dec 7, 2016 11:54:53 GMT -5
I've heard nothing concrete about NWSL in Atlanta. There have been rumors that a team could expand here but those rumors are in connection with a prospective NASL ownership group, and NASL is about to die.
Of course, if Atlanta United wanted to get an NWSL team, the easiest way to do it would be to trade for Servando Carrasco.
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Post by gaprospects on Nov 24, 2016 12:54:23 GMT -5
Claiming Pulisic as DA product is a stretch only Sunil Gulati could endorse. Morris played for Sounders Academy for 1 year prior to college. Same with Yedlin (although with Crossfire). None of them can be claimed as DA products. To think otherwise is to disregard the timeline of the development of those players. The USSF should be held accountable for the total and complete failure of the DA program to advance the national team agenda over a period of 9 years. Plenty long enough. So how long does a player need to be in the DA to be considered a DA product? Only players that are identified by the DA when they are still in middle school? A 14 year old who began playing DA nine years ago would only be 23 now and not even into his prime as a professional player. To say that the USSF should be held accountable for the failure of the DA program is completely dismissing the progress the DA has made over those nine years. The coaching and the level of play have improved massively and still are improving. Be patient, these things take time.
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Post by gaprospects on Nov 16, 2016 11:28:19 GMT -5
Two questions: 1. Does anyone understand USMNT tactical plan last night? If so, please give a shot at explaining. 2. Does anyone think that was a thinly veiled statement by players that they have had enough? I'm not even gonna try with the first one, but I do believe based on some of the recent media comments from the players that they have had enough of Klinsmann. This is similar to how his Bayern tenure ended, many of the team's biggest players turned on him, and many of them still have bad things to say about him (Philipp Lahm especially). For me, I've loved having Klinsmann in the technical director role. He has greatly improved the standard of youth development in the US and we're starting to see the fruits of that labor. Pulisic was 12 when Klinsmann took over and grew up in his development environment, and there are more future stars behind him. This, for me, is the biggest reason he has to go. The US now has the biggest and most talented player pool it has ever had, and its getting bigger and better all the time. Despite this, the results of the USMNT haven't improved and in many ways have taken a step back. There's every reason to believe the next generation of the USMNT is the best this country has developed in its history, and we can't afford to have them being coached by someone as tactically inept and personally vindictive as Klinsmann.
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Post by gaprospects on Nov 16, 2016 11:04:31 GMT -5
so consider me puzzled. Isn't this thread is about Atlanta United (of the MLS) Development Academy teams? Yes, you are correct. Just keep a log of how many make the first team and how many actually play versus how many go to college. Being a new team in MLS, there won't be any patience to build from within with youth. Most spots will be filled with veterans and retiring players from Europe. Of course most of the players in their current setup will play in college as opposed to playing for the first team. This is the case with youth development at every club in the world. Do you really think that the majority of La Masia graduates end up in the Barcelona first team? Five years from now there will be former ATLUTD Academy players in the ATLUTD first team, in their reserve USL team, and in the NCAA, playing the NCAA offseason likely with an ATLUTD U23 team in the PDL or something. There will be players who will sign pro deals either domestically or overseas and leave the academy. These guys really just started this academy this past summer and these things take a long time to grow to their full potential, which makes their early success so promising. However, in more immediate terms, I know the club is planning on having a few of the best U18s train and likely play with the first team in preseason, so if one of two of those kids can impress the coaching staff and prove they belong in the team, we could see one or two more homegrown signings before the season begins.
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Post by gaprospects on Nov 15, 2016 14:34:33 GMT -5
So we're now basically through with the fall portion of the DA schedule, and through 11 matches played, both the Atlanta United U16 and U18 teams have yet to lose a game.
U18s: 8-0-3, +19 GD, #3 overall seed in the DA U16s: 9-0-2, +25 GD, #1 overall seed in the DA
Not only that, but the U16s went to Generation adidas Cup qualifying in Philly and beat the Union, DCU and the Red Bulls over just 4 days.
With the resources AUFC is putting into their academy I imagine there are high expectations, but I don't think them or anyone else would have thought they would be this good this quickly. Of course their ultimate goal is developing players for the 1st team and they don't want to overemphasize youth results, but having a club that can realistically challenge for DA national titles is pretty new for GA Soccer and it will be very interesting to follow their progress.
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Post by gaprospects on Nov 10, 2016 10:08:50 GMT -5
I found it funny that Pulisic just assumed ahead of time that Colin hadn't heard of Luis Figo
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Post by gaprospects on Nov 1, 2016 13:42:36 GMT -5
ridiculous! This is another example of how the refs are not educated enough on protecting the goalkeeper. (or knowing what the protocol is ). I have seen it every weekend. Keeper has hand (sometimes both) on the ball and player attempts to kick the ball out of hands. (sometimes resulting in a goal). Cleats up when striker slides into keeper (even though keeper clearly has 2/3 steps advantage. Not one card or warning. This has to be addressed! The NFL/College/HS all protect the QB. The same is needed for goalkeepers or it will continue to be a problem. As for not proper technique, I didn't witness the play so not sure. In the event of a 1v1 break away, your training teaches you how to best avoid an injury. Maybe the situation called for the keeper to go feet first. I'm not sure. But the bottom line is to get proper training. If this isnt done then its the fault of the parent and Coach. They both have to be on the same page in regards to the safety of the player. Head injury is the scariest of them all and should be over emphasized by the ref. I would rather have my kid sit out the rest of the game and go to the ER to rule out any trauma. No missing around on this. I hope she is ok For anyone who is a ref, is there currently an emphasis on dealing with head trauma in game? I mean, I used to ref but that was like six years ago and I only took an R9 class then anyway. Immediately halting play to deal with a head injury is something that only came to the EPL like last season, so this is fairly new in the soccer world, but that doesn't make it any less of a pertinent issue. Is it the referee's responsibility to check a player who is returning to the match after a blow to the head, or does that fall on the coach to know when/if the player is able to continue playing?
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 28, 2016 10:25:25 GMT -5
In my experience at most big 6A and 7A schools in Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, you have to be playing at a decently high level to make JV as a 9th grader. In terms of training and instruction it's not nearly the level that a strong club program is but the level of play is usually pretty solid.
This is on the boys side, the girls side is usually more variable in skill level.
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 26, 2016 10:24:57 GMT -5
Not sure where DA is going with adding (if they do) so many clubs next year for the boys side. Just going to be a watered down league then. Not sure why any parent will want a U10/U11 playing in DA. Cant guest play. Sounds more and more like Georgia United is going by by. If half the clubs get U13/U14 DA next year whats the point in GA United. I don't think GA United will go away necessarily, and I also don't see all of the U12 DA Clubs getting older teams. One thing I can see happening is UFA essentially taking over GA United's current program and running it themselves. Most of the main personnel at GA United is from UFA anyway and now that they have Girls DA it seems natural they will want to expand their Boys DA program. I also could see UFA/GAU returning to the U17 and U19 ages, especially as Atlanta Utd continues to attract players from around the country. There will soon be enough talent for 3 older DA clubs in GA, if there isn't already. And UFA can use the Silverbacks as essentially a first team/a team for alumni in college to play for in the offseason.
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 24, 2016 19:38:25 GMT -5
Yes, from what I gather from the DA applications 2006 - u12 2005 - u13 2004 - u14 2001/2002 u16/u17 2009/2000 u18/u19 notice no u15/2003 age group. *U-15 Age Group The Development Academy will not have applications for the U-15 age group for the 2017-18 season. Instead, the decision on which clubs will have a U-15 age group will be made after internal planning and in collaboration with each club. ussoccer.app.box.com/s/9ihcqb1bn71d0lnhj594wuwivayyy4d1which is scary because that means for the u12 agegroup 2007s are eligible also, thats crazy crazy crazy young. Have I said thats crazy young yet??? That's a very strange way to handle the U15 age group. I can't imagine that Atlanta United or Concorde would pass up on having a U15 squad, it would make absolutely no sense to have teams on either side of that age and not one in that age. Not so sure what Georgia Utd will do. U14 Fall Classic is a big season because it has a serious say in which teams become RPL the following year. Once your team is RPL its relatively difficult to be replaced, especially if you're RPL Premier. If some of these smaller clubs can earn RPL status next fall then they will likely be able to draw the best 04s not playing DA.
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 20, 2016 19:21:30 GMT -5
So obviously with U12 DA here this season, a lot of the best 2004s in the state are playing in that division. As a result, U13 Classic I, usually the highest level at this age group (since no RPL) has some different clubs at the top of it's table. The current top 3 clubs in that division are Cherokee Impact, Metro YMCA Strikers, and DSC Revolution. The clubs with U12 DA teams, who usually have teams at or near the top of this division, are near the bottom of it, or in some cases, not in it at all. For example, UFA and Concorde's top teams are near the bottom of CI, and NASA's top team is mid-tier CII.
Now, with the age mandate presumably coming to the DA in 2017, this is likely the only year this will happen, but with the age update will come a massive shrinking in available DA slots for 2004 players. So what happens when all these kids playing U12 DA are playing U14 Classic next fall? Is there a chance for some of these smaller clubs to maintain their position at the top of the pile?
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 15, 2016 18:57:01 GMT -5
I was at Pace for the older teams. U18s finished 5-2 AtlUtd. It was more competitive than the scoreline shows, but AU also missed several easy chances.
U16s was 4-0 AtlUtd, but it wasn't that close. AU had their 4-0 lead after 30 mins and basically played possession the rest of the way.
Both teams are heading to Florida next weekend, including AUFC vs Orlando City on Sunday. That should be a great battle.
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 13, 2016 17:00:47 GMT -5
Yea, based on what I've seen of the U18s, it should be a great game. CF's U18s have picked up some nice results so far. AU has a stronger squad (especially if the two homegrowns are there), but a result for CF wouldn't surprise me too much. There's also several former GA United players on both sides of this one, so that could be a fun subplot.
The U16s will probably be less of a contest. AU has yet to play a team that can hang with them physically and talent-wise for a full match, and if the Red Bulls couldn't do it, I don't see it happening Saturday. I do think Concorde will score, they have some good attacking talent and AU usually starts mostly 01s/02s in defense.
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Post by gaprospects on Oct 11, 2016 10:31:11 GMT -5
The U12s have already played each other once but all five teams are in action against each other this weekend. Looking at some of the results and players on both teams, I think Concorde can give AU a real challenge in a couple of age groups. AU should have most if not all of their YNT players back as well.
Hopefully I'll be at Pace Academy for the U18 and U16 games, it should be fun to see some of the state's best players going at it. I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts about any age group.
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