DPL

Between UFA DA this morning and CF ECNL Platinum/Premier  tonight, I bet there are going to a good number of NTH girls at both.  

The issue is that many won't make CF top team so UFA DA will be an option for some.  I think across the board CF top teams are much better than UFA DA teams.   I think UFA is improving, but not there just yet.  Getting some TH ECNL kids may help with depth.  

for what age group?  Essentially they are both top teams - one is SSA and one is the original CF team.  

Only 05 is SSA dominant.  05 both teams are very good.  04 second team needs depth.  03 top team needs some depth and second team does too.  02/01 second team should get some depth as not all of the current 02s can make the top team due to numbers.   They will also pick up some solid 01 kids who are rising seniors.  Combine them with current team and a few TH kids and it should be a very solid team.  

I actually think that this may be a great case where less is actually more. We are fortunate that we leave in a great city where there truly is an abundance of great clubs, players, teams, and passion for the game. In fact, I really believe that the demand for great and diverse opportunities far exceeds the supply. Hence, you have had the many different issues and challenges within our great soccer community over the last couple of years. Too much talent at one club can actually be difficult to manage in a pay to to play set-up (team formation, playing time, equivalent competition, politics, etc). At some level, no one really has any fun if they are the 15th player in a game in which the team is winning 6-0 somewhere 8 hours away from home. The elite players are elite for a reason so there definitely needs to be a pathway and manner to discover, develop and stress test those players and teams (e.g. AU). One less "elite" offering should trickle down and test the meddle and mindset of those players competing for another elite team. Further, those that might not want to go in that direction but truly enjoy the game and want to play with friends with good competition will also benefit instead of burning out.

I believe the numbers, especially at the older ages, were down a lot. But that is through the grapevine. Maybe someone who was there could verify?

What’s to discuss? This one is a real long shot. A national based league for B teams with half the teams in California. Potentially eclipsing every other league in travel and cost. I believe someone said DPL stands for “Dumb Parent League”. LOL. I think it’s fitting...

Overheard today that Tophat could petition to go back into ECNL next year. I sure they won't do that because they will not get rid of DA. Hopefully this program will grow and be successful like SCCL. I am sure Tophat knows what they are doing they have been considered a top club for a long time. I am sure they are considered this because of the players coaches and the smart choices they make. Like I said for the SCCL we need to give it a chance and see what happens. I am going with the glass is half full

I was there the last two days and there definitely was a lot of girls for 03,04,,and 06.

@ sanesoccerdad - Most of the players at tryouts were current TH players, and not many from outside clubs came. I know that a lot of TH girls defected from all age groups at tryouts for good reason. TH lost ECNL because of their love affair with DA, and were not transparent to their soccer families about anything that was happening, hoping that parents would have 'blind faith' and trust what they were doing. What they don't realize or care about, is that many girls, and their families do not want to play DA. Why? Extensive travel, no other outside sports, practice 4 nights a week, and of course, the cost. It's a ridiculous move because TH's bread and butter is NOT with the top players/teams. They use the top players/teams to recruit others, but the top teams are comprised of players who are not 'homegrown' TH academy players.

I witnessed, and met, so many players/families who paid thousands and thousands of $$$ year after to year in the 'academy' program only to lose their spots to shiny new pennies from other clubs. I won’t speak for all, but there is a fear and intimidation factor that is evident with some of the ‘top’ coaches. Here are some actual quotes, "You're garbage." "You're an embarrassment." "You suck." "You shouldn't be on this team". "You won't have this spot for long." "I should have never rostered you for this team." - I could go on, but I won't. And I'll spare you the expletives.

It's appalling to me that parents would allow ANYONE to talk to their girls that way. Some of these girls are petrified to make mistakes, for fear of being dropped down to a lower academy team, or benched. A normal coaching environment teaches kids to learn and improve from mistakes - not be fearful of every move they make to the point of paralysis. Some girls end up regressing, or quitting soccer all together, while others stick it out as Stockholm syndrome survivors, or, are smart – and just go to another club, where they are treated with respect, and have actual dialogue, and constructive criticism from the coaches.

Shiny new players, who are creative and fearless, will inevitably come in from the outside, and sadly, the beaten down homegrown 'hatters', who have been stripped of all their self confidence and self worth, are then replaced. It's the most twisted culture I've ever experienced. If you stay there, you're a bit of a masochist.

They use the college recruiting as a reason to be part of DA, but the reality is that there are so many girls who receive scholarships from ECNL, SCCL, and even HS soccer teams. TH is a marketing machine that uses 'their' top players (from other clubs) to recruit outside players into their unhealthy vortex, and dangle the idea, that they can get D1 scholarships, or better, become national team soccer players.

A perfect example is TH taking credit for Emily Sonnett playing on the national team. Emily played at NASA (mutually exclusive from TH) years before NASA and TH and merged, yet TH will happily take the credit to market their stellar academy program others- with the hopes that some sucker will believe that TH created her success. Bottom line is that TH top players are not 'homegrown'. It's similar to a cult, with everyone drinking the kool-aid. If you’re smart, take a hard pass.

I agree with a lot of what you said but you can change the Tophat name and add any other club in Georgia in that also. If you think you can't then you are drinking another kind of Kool AID. In regards to taking other clubs players I find it funny that some clubs had open arms when the Tophat girls came running. I know some girls that got a spot with out even trying out. I have been told that one team is now at least 90% former Tophat players, but I am sure the club will let everyone know they came from another club right?

Welcome to youth soccer. I am glad I only have 2 years left of this. Hopefully all the major changes have stop and they can continue when my time is up. Maybe I will get lucky and get an early release

All clubs have their good and bad issues, and there's no club or coach around that will ever make every bat-s*#t-crazy soccer parent happy.  However, you are spot on with TH academy (main location) being borderline mental abuse for the young academy players.  TH is an exceptional club that produces results.  But there's a price to pay for that.  

This is a depressingly accurate assessment of some Tophat coaches. It seems to be the Tophat way, though wasn’t the NASA way, so there are still pockets of good fundamental coaching but the abusive behavior is common and apparently condoned or at least overlooked. Shocking to me that parents get angry but continue to allow their kids to be subjected to that kind of behavior. These are girls that are going to grow up lettingbtheir boyfriends or husbands abuse them because their parents are unintentionally condoning them being treated like trash at such a young age. Everyone is trying to do what is best for their kids, I just had an aha moment this year and saw this abusive, threatening behavior for what it is- completely unacceptable. :-(. It all makes me very sad.