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Post by oraclesfriend on Oct 21, 2019 11:02:12 GMT -5
I continue to be surprised with the dismal outlook from so many people. I have seen 9 year old kids with amazing skills, beating 3 and 4 people at once, solving pressure, etc. I have seen U12 boys teams (when my kid referees) play amazing possession soccer with complex passing patterns and fantastic technical skills. My kid described these kids this past weekend as "better than any little kid has a right to be." My kid plays at a high level, near the top of the pyramid and was exceedingly impressed with these little guys.
So...my question...where do all of these little guys disappear to???
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Post by atv on Oct 21, 2019 11:19:24 GMT -5
Did anyone watch any of these games and see the large gap between the Concorde teams and the AU teams? The organization, the difference in composure, the difference in coaching, the discipline the AU players played with? As a relative of a Concorde player and as someone who saw all but the last game between the 17s, what AU provides these kids for free is insane. As someone who played in a pro academy in Europe at the youth level, very few, if ANYONE, on this whole comedic site has a clue about player development OR soccer business culture. But I do enjoy reading this ignorant, comedic gold. It's like a million Borats on a forum. Loud, ignorant, extremely misinformed, and mostly hilarious  Blah, blah, blah stupid Americans, you will never understand soccer. Atlanta United free, everybody else pay. They have best facilities. Some of the best coaches. Ha, ha, comical. ... Yeah, real funny. |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Oct 21, 2019 12:35:14 GMT -5
I continue to be surprised with the dismal outlook from so many people. I have seen 9 year old kids with amazing skills, beating 3 and 4 people at once, solving pressure, etc. I have seen U12 boys teams (when my kid referees) play amazing possession soccer with complex passing patterns and fantastic technical skills. My kid described these kids this past weekend as "better than any little kid has a right to be." My kid plays at a high level, near the top of the pyramid and was exceedingly impressed with these little guys. So...my question...where do all of these little guys disappear to??? I think the general thought is our young kids are doing great, its the 18 - 24 year olds where there is this drop off -- obviously many factors involved, the size of the country, talent identification, player retention, college, USL, cost, the list can go on and on . |
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Post by jash on Oct 21, 2019 13:32:08 GMT -5
Did anyone watch any of these games and see the large gap between the Concorde teams and the AU teams? The organization, the difference in composure, the difference in coaching, the discipline the AU players played with? As a relative of a Concorde player and as someone who saw all but the last game between the 17s, what AU provides these kids for free is insane. As someone who played in a pro academy in Europe at the youth level, very few, if ANYONE, on this whole comedic site has a clue about player development OR soccer business culture. But I do enjoy reading this ignorant, comedic gold. It's like a million Borats on a forum. Loud, ignorant, extremely misinformed, and mostly hilarious It's awesome to have someone here with your level of experience and knowledge. As this is a forum, you'll find it natural that people like to discuss things. Sometimes people have opinions founded in ignorance, sometimes they have opinions that are founded in experience different from other people, and sometimes they have excellent first-hand knowledge.
Since you seem to have first-hand knowledge, it would be great if you could contribute and help people grow their knowledge of the game.
It would be even better if you could do it without sounding like a pompous know-it-all, but I'll take it either way :-)
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Post by diceshooter on Oct 21, 2019 15:06:29 GMT -5
That guy has one post. One.
Smells fishy.
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Post by atlfutboldad on Oct 21, 2019 16:27:55 GMT -5
Definitely trolling
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Post by GameOfThrow-ins on Oct 21, 2019 17:51:24 GMT -5
Might be Ricky Gervais himself. Hahahaha!
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Post by soccerfan111 on Oct 21, 2019 18:19:28 GMT -5
Did anyone watch any of these games and see the large gap between the Concorde teams and the AU teams? The organization, the difference in composure, the difference in coaching, the discipline the AU players played with? As a relative of a Concorde player and as someone who saw all but the last game between the 17s, what AU provides these kids for free is insane. As someone who played in a pro academy in Europe at the youth level, very few, if ANYONE, on this whole comedic site has a clue about player development OR soccer business culture. But I do enjoy reading this ignorant, comedic gold. It's like a million Borats on a forum. Loud, ignorant, extremely misinformed, and mostly hilarious It's awesome to have someone here with your level of experience and knowledge. As this is a forum, you'll find it natural that people like to discuss things. Sometimes people have opinions founded in ignorance, sometimes they have opinions that are founded in experience different from other people, and sometimes they have excellent first-hand knowledge.
Since you seem to have first-hand knowledge, it would be great if you could contribute and help people grow their knowledge of the game.
It would be even better if you could do it without sounding like a pompous know-it-all, but I'll take it either way :-)
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Post by soccerfan111 on Oct 21, 2019 18:30:21 GMT -5
That guy has one post. One. Smells fishy. Definitely didn’t go into detail because I’m sure this will be met with resentment, BUT for anyone who has coached a team before, the optics of who plays and for how long has a lengthy myriad of circumstances that all come into play- who’s sick, who just came off an injury, who had bad grades at school, who said something disrespectful and is being punished, and so on and so on. With that said, it’s always perception versus reality plus background story in that regard. Open the door instead of looking through a peephole to get the full scope. In terms of development, with a club with so many resources, and the lack of parents in coaches pockets, who besides the players and their families hold them back in an environment like that? I also know when there is a clear pathway to the pros there AND you have full time coaches that want to stamp their name on players that have drive, are a bit genetically gifted, and take all the opportunities to succeed why would they do anything except try to develop players? So why would a club of that size be maliciously reckless? The people in this forum that hate something they should be proud of is amazing. AGAIN, my nephew doesn’t even play for the club, BUT if he were good enough to play there I’d encourage it. I am honest enough and aware enough however to push him to strive for that level instead of bashing something that most parents on this forum who are secretly upset their player isn’t good enough to play there so they bash it anonymously online. **Que angry responses from bitter parents whose kids aren’t good enough to play there, and angry coaches who’ll never be asked to coach there. |
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Post by hotspur1 on Oct 21, 2019 18:34:18 GMT -5
That guy has one post. One. Smells fishy. Definitely didn’t go into detail because I’m sure this will be met with resentment, BUT for anyone who has coached a team before, the optics of who plays and for how long has a lengthy myriad of circumstances that all come into play- who’s sick, who just came off an injury, who had bad grades at school, who said something disrespectful and is being punished, and so on and so on. With that said, it’s always perception versus reality plus background story in that regard. Open the door instead of looking through a peephole to get the full scope. In terms of development, with a club with so many resources, and the lack of parents in coaches pockets, who besides the players and their families hold them back in an environment like that? I also know when there is a clear pathway to the pros there AND you have full time coaches that want to stamp their name on players that have drive, are a bit genetically gifted, and take all the opportunities to succeed why would they do anything except try to develop players? So why would a club of that size be maliciously reckless? The people in this forum that hate something they should be proud of is amazing. AGAIN, my nephew doesn’t even play for the club, BUT if he were good enough to play there I’d encourage it. I am honest enough and aware enough however to push him to strive for that level instead of bashing something that most parents on this forum who are secretly upset their player isn’t good enough to play there so they bash it anonymously online. **Que angry responses from bitter parents whose kids aren’t good enough to play there, and angry coaches who’ll never be asked to coach there. I’m just surprised given your supreme knowledge and obvious incredible youth history in a pro academy, you weren’t able to train your nephew to a point where AU isn’t drooling all over him. Must be his parents fault - they obviously know nothing about soccer. |
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Post by soccerfan111 on Oct 21, 2019 18:56:01 GMT -5
Definitely didn’t go into detail because I’m sure this will be met with resentment, BUT for anyone who has coached a team before, the optics of who plays and for how long has a lengthy myriad of circumstances that all come into play- who’s sick, who just came off an injury, who had bad grades at school, who said something disrespectful and is being punished, and so on and so on. With that said, it’s always perception versus reality plus background story in that regard. Open the door instead of looking through a peephole to get the full scope. In terms of development, with a club with so many resources, and the lack of parents in coaches pockets, who besides the players and their families hold them back in an environment like that? I also know when there is a clear pathway to the pros there AND you have full time coaches that want to stamp their name on players that have drive, are a bit genetically gifted, and take all the opportunities to succeed why would they do anything except try to develop players? So why would a club of that size be maliciously reckless? The people in this forum that hate something they should be proud of is amazing. AGAIN, my nephew doesn’t even play for the club, BUT if he were good enough to play there I’d encourage it. I am honest enough and aware enough however to push him to strive for that level instead of bashing something that most parents on this forum who are secretly upset their player isn’t good enough to play there so they bash it anonymously online. **Que angry responses from bitter parents whose kids aren’t good enough to play there, and angry coaches who’ll never be asked to coach there. I’m just surprised given your supreme knowledge and obvious incredible youth history in a pro academy, you weren’t able to train your nephew to a point where AU isn’t drooling all over him. Must be his parents fault - they obviously know nothing about soccer. It’s my nephew’s dream to chase so if he wants it he’ll get there. Instead of telling him how unfair life is I give him things to get better and ways to focus on himself instead of what the “unfair club” across town is doing. He nor I are hurt about not being selected there. I’m the meantime he enjoys playing, I enjoy watching him play, and I also have huge respect for the work AU is doing with their players. None of those things have to be mutually exclusive. At the end of the day, if you don’t support a club you don’t have to bash them. We should all be thankful that there is a place to play for every kid in Georgia. |
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Post by hotspur1 on Oct 21, 2019 19:17:15 GMT -5
I’m just surprised given your supreme knowledge and obvious incredible youth history in a pro academy, you weren’t able to train your nephew to a point where AU isn’t drooling all over him. Must be his parents fault - they obviously know nothing about soccer. It’s my nephew’s dream to chase so if he wants it he’ll get there. Instead of telling him how unfair life is I give him things to get better and ways to focus on himself instead of what the “unfair club” across town is doing. He nor I are hurt about not being selected there. I’m the meantime he enjoys playing, I enjoy watching him play, and I also have huge respect for the work AU is doing with their players. None of those things have to be mutually exclusive. At the end of the day, if you don’t support a club you don’t have to bash them. We should all be thankful that there is a place to play for every kid in Georgia. As an FYI, most posters on this site think the training at AU is incredible and many of the coaches top notch. Not sure why your initial post was so condescending. Now I do believe a lot of folks have issues with the DA/MLS club structure, including myself, and US soccer structure as a whole but there are a lot of folks on this board that are pretty knowledgeable. And maybe one or two that played higher than youth academy in Europe. Maybe a couple ex pros? Several DOC’s? Maybe College coaches or state ODP coaches? Hope you get my point and don’t come across as such an a-hole on future posts. |
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Oct 21, 2019 20:08:55 GMT -5
That guy has one post. One. Smells fishy. Definitely didn’t go into detail because I’m sure this will be met with resentment, BUT for anyone who has coached a team before, the optics of who plays and for how long has a lengthy myriad of circumstances that all come into play- who’s sick, who just came off an injury, who had bad grades at school, who said something disrespectful and is being punished, and so on and so on. With that said, it’s always perception versus reality plus background story in that regard. Open the door instead of looking through a peephole to get the full scope. In terms of development, with a club with so many resources, and the lack of parents in coaches pockets, who besides the players and their families hold them back in an environment like that? I also know when there is a clear pathway to the pros there AND you have full time coaches that want to stamp their name on players that have drive, are a bit genetically gifted, and take all the opportunities to succeed why would they do anything except try to develop players? So why would a club of that size be maliciously reckless? The people in this forum that hate something they should be proud of is amazing. AGAIN, my nephew doesn’t even play for the club, BUT if he were good enough to play there I’d encourage it. I am honest enough and aware enough however to push him to strive for that level instead of bashing something that most parents on this forum who are secretly upset their player isn’t good enough to play there so they bash it anonymously online. **Que angry responses from bitter parents whose kids aren’t good enough to play there, and angry coaches who’ll never be asked to coach there. Have to say, I may have been wrong about you and for that I offer my apologies for jumping to a quick conclusion about you. Most of what you said in this post is spot on. I still think you could have tempered the personal attacks on folks and their kids. But you have made some valid points and I see where you're coming from. I do hope you keep the snarky attacks at bay and stay a while to offer a different perspective and share in your experiences with the class... |
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Post by soccerfan111 on Oct 21, 2019 21:43:19 GMT -5
Definitely didn’t go into detail because I’m sure this will be met with resentment, BUT for anyone who has coached a team before, the optics of who plays and for how long has a lengthy myriad of circumstances that all come into play- who’s sick, who just came off an injury, who had bad grades at school, who said something disrespectful and is being punished, and so on and so on. With that said, it’s always perception versus reality plus background story in that regard. Open the door instead of looking through a peephole to get the full scope. In terms of development, with a club with so many resources, and the lack of parents in coaches pockets, who besides the players and their families hold them back in an environment like that? I also know when there is a clear pathway to the pros there AND you have full time coaches that want to stamp their name on players that have drive, are a bit genetically gifted, and take all the opportunities to succeed why would they do anything except try to develop players? So why would a club of that size be maliciously reckless? The people in this forum that hate something they should be proud of is amazing. AGAIN, my nephew doesn’t even play for the club, BUT if he were good enough to play there I’d encourage it. I am honest enough and aware enough however to push him to strive for that level instead of bashing something that most parents on this forum who are secretly upset their player isn’t good enough to play there so they bash it anonymously online. **Que angry responses from bitter parents whose kids aren’t good enough to play there, and angry coaches who’ll never be asked to coach there. Have to say, I may have been wrong about you and for that I offer my apologies for jumping to a quick conclusion about you. Most of what you said in this post is spot on. I still think you could have tempered the personal attacks on folks and their kids. But you have made some valid points and I see where you're coming from. I do hope you keep the snarky attacks at bay and stay a while to offer a different perspective and share in your experiences with the class... I am still learning the southern art of being polite. I didn't mean to be completely disrespectful to any one person, but the early majority of this post was much more negative than anticipated. I am very intrigued by the conversations that go on here. Some of it comes off as comical because of how new the sport is here, the realities of what top players do, and the difference between parental involvement in the US and most countries outside of the US. Forgive my blunt, and possibly disrespectful, comments but I promise I don’t mean to hurt any feelings. I look forward to learning more about the youth soccer community here and possibly giving a different perspective. |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Oct 22, 2019 7:30:28 GMT -5
All I know is the european model will not work in the US - Things we all know - UK vs Georgia - UK is 1.58 times bigger than Georgia   |
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Post by atv on Oct 22, 2019 7:54:02 GMT -5
So what model is less geographically restricting for countries with a much larger land mass and less population density? What identification process only looks at talent and is not geographically or politically biased?
I see the current system reducing participation and club growth. Not growing it. The system artificially restricts competition.
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Post by atlfutboldad on Oct 22, 2019 8:10:03 GMT -5
My harp (as always), ODP was and should have been the answer there. They've overhauled the system, but likely too little too late as we now have around 4-5 youth national training camps to scout (USSF, ECNL, USL Super-Y, ODP, US Club?) but only one is truly USSF.
Anyways, much better 2nd post than the first. I get what he's saying about people dogging AU.
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Post by mistergrinch on Oct 22, 2019 9:06:07 GMT -5
All I know is the european model will not work in the US - Things we all know - UK vs Georgia - UK is 1.58 times bigger than Georgia
I posted a similar bit of info almost a year ago.. still stands
Dec 14, 2018 13:06:08 GMT -4 mistergrinch said:
For anyone saying that we need our academy system needs to work like Europe.. keep this in mind:
1. England has 92 professional clubs in the top 4 leagues alone (there are 8 levels total).
2. England has an area of roughly 50k square miles
3. The US has 24 MLS teams.. NASL is functionally dead
4. The US has an area of roughly 3.8 MILLION square miles.
So - England alone has 4x the clubs in 1/76th of the space. You do the math on why this doesn't work here. The same people who bizatch that DA/ECNL/ODP end up only promoting players from major metro areas - this would be even worse.
/rant
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Post by beentheredonethat on Oct 22, 2019 9:40:25 GMT -5
So you're all saying ATL United is this great development machine and we should praise what they're doing...Ok, fair enough they have the resources, the coaching is still somewhat questionable for me, but I can get past that as their system and curriculum seems to be deeply ingrained across the organization.
But...
Here's my issue: What becomes of the players that get let go after a year or two?
Is it the players fault? Is it the coaches fault? Is it the clubs fault? Or does no one assume responsibility and they are just chucked back into the chaos of youth soccer outside of the great and mighty AU? Discarded and left to try and rebuild and repair the emotional toll a 12, 13 or 14 year old should not have to deal with?
I have tried to follow as best I can the players that get cut from AU (usually the ones that sat the bench and didnt get much playing time during their stint at AU) to see if they developed and improved and although I have no scientific evidence (but I would love to see a study done on this group of players) it seems most players that get released from AU are worse off than when they were recruited into the program. How is that possible if this club is all about development? How many of those players sitting on the bench against Concorde's 07 this past weekend will be callously shown the door in the next 8 to 20 months? And what happens to them? How do the families of those 13 years olds keep the flame and passion alive in those kids?
We talk about the Bello's and Carlson's of the world but what about the dozens and dozens of young athletes that are treated like commodities at 12, 13 or 14 years of age. They were good enough once for AU but now they're insignificant with no guidance, plan or direction once they enter the soccer "wasteland" that is not AU...why? I thought AU was the all-conquering development machine that creates superstar professional players that nobody else has the resources or knowledge to offer?
I have dealt first hand (not my kids but family friends) who's sons were fantastic players with great attitudes when they were first recruited by AU. One quit soccer all together amd somehow the others are mid to lower level ECNL players. Hiw were they not developed? If they had stayed at their original club where would they be now? These are questions we should be asking?
Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to repair the emotional devastation of that experience with a 13 or 14 year old? I have yet to see a player get cut by AU and come out a better, more refined, more intelligent, robust and improved player. Why is that? I mean even if they arent starters or play regularly ,if the training, development and daily atmosphere is top notch they should be better regsrdless, right?
Why aren't we having that conversation? Why do we only talk the the 0.5 or 1%? Surely our soccer community as a whole should pay attention to the other side (the dark side, if you will). Or should we ignore those players and families that are discarded and just be grateful we have the mighty AU development machine to guide and development our 0.5%?
And no, I am not a bitter parent...just an old head who cares about all players and the game in general not just the 0.5%.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Oct 22, 2019 9:46:24 GMT -5
So you're all saying ATL United is this great development machine and we should praise what they're doing...Ok, fair enough they have the resources, the coaching is still somewhat questionable for me, but I can get past that as their system and curriculum seems to be deeply ingrained across the organization. But... Here's my issue: What becomes of the players that get let go after a year or two? Is it the players fault? Is it the coaches fault? Is it the clubs fault? Or does no one assume responsibility and they are just chucked back into the chaos of youth soccer outside of the great and mighty AU? Discarded and left to try and rebuild and repair the emotional toll a 12, 13 or 14 year old should not have to deal with? I have tried to follow as best I can the players that get cut from AU (usually the ones that sat the bench and didnt get much playing time during their stint at AU) to see if they developed and improved and although I have no scientific evidence (but I would love to see a study done on this group of players) it seems most players that get released from AU are worse off than when they were recruited into the program. How is that possible if this club is all about development? How many of those players sitting on the bench against Concorde's 07 this past weekend will be callously shown the door in the next 8 to 20 months? And what happens to them? How do the families of those 13 years olds keep the flame and passion alive in those kids? We talk about the Bello's and Carlson's of the world but what about the dozens and dozens of young athletes that are treated like commodities at 12, 13 or 14 years of age. They were good enough once for AU but now they're insignificant with no guidance, plan or direction once they enter the soccer "wasteland" that is not AU...why? I thought AU was the all-conquering development machine that creates superstar professional players that nobody else has the resources or knowledge to offer? I have dealt first hand (not my kids but family friends) who's sons were fantastic players with great attitudes when they were first recruited by AU. One quit soccer all together amd somehow the others are mid to lower level ECNL players. Hiw were they not developed? If they had stayed at their original club where would they be now? These are questions we should be asking? Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to repair the emotional devastation of that experience with a 13 or 14 year old? I have yet to see a player get cut by AU and come out a better, more refined, more intelligent, robust and improved player. Why is that? I mean even if they arent starters or play regularly ,if the training, development and daily atmosphere is top notch they should be better regsrdless, right? Why aren't we having that conversation? Why do we only talk the the 0.5 or 1%? Surely our soccer community as a whole should pay attention to the other side (the dark side, if you will). Or should we ignore those players and families that are discarded and just be grateful we have the mighty AU development machine to guide and development our 0.5%? And no, I am not a bitter parent...just an old head who cares about all players and the game in general not just the 0.5%. I'm glad someone has said this --- that has been my perception as well. and folks need to read this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ( I caveat my opinion with the fact that I interact more with kids that have left AU then the ones that are still there) |
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Post by atv on Oct 22, 2019 11:53:30 GMT -5
One would think they are better soccer players because of the experience but it doesn’t always seem to be the case. Not sure why, every individual is different but could be a number of reasons .... Burnout, injures such as from specialization at such a young age leading to repetitive use injuries, conflicting priorities (school, family, friends, etc.), or errors in assessing the future pro potential, development, and physical and emotional maturation of a twelve or thirteen year old, ..?
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Post by atlfutboldad on Oct 22, 2019 13:09:22 GMT -5
IMO club-player development is a MYTH.
The best players I see are all the product of extensive private training (looking at Olivia Moultrie as an example). The ones that are great shooters, passers, first touch, skills/dribbling/moves/turns, etc...VERY little of that comes from team practice.
You want your kid to be a better soccer player? Get them private training with a good trainer twice a week (super hard to find from my perspective). I think 2 team practices and 2 x 2-hour training sessions would do better for the kids than 3 or 4 team practices a week.
I've become largely of the opinion that the team environment is just there to teach them some tactics, teach them how to be a good teammate and to allow them to play in games.
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Post by soccerdad76 on Oct 22, 2019 13:57:03 GMT -5
So you're all saying ATL United is this great development machine and we should praise what they're doing...Ok, fair enough they have the resources, the coaching is still somewhat questionable for me, but I can get past that as their system and curriculum seems to be deeply ingrained across the organization. But... Here's my issue: What becomes of the players that get let go after a year or two? Is it the players fault? Is it the coaches fault? Is it the clubs fault? Or does no one assume responsibility and they are just chucked back into the chaos of youth soccer outside of the great and mighty AU? Discarded and left to try and rebuild and repair the emotional toll a 12, 13 or 14 year old should not have to deal with? I have tried to follow as best I can the players that get cut from AU (usually the ones that sat the bench and didnt get much playing time during their stint at AU) to see if they developed and improved and although I have no scientific evidence (but I would love to see a study done on this group of players) it seems most players that get released from AU are worse off than when they were recruited into the program. How is that possible if this club is all about development? How many of those players sitting on the bench against Concorde's 07 this past weekend will be callously shown the door in the next 8 to 20 months? And what happens to them? How do the families of those 13 years olds keep the flame and passion alive in those kids? We talk about the Bello's and Carlson's of the world but what about the dozens and dozens of young athletes that are treated like commodities at 12, 13 or 14 years of age. They were good enough once for AU but now they're insignificant with no guidance, plan or direction once they enter the soccer "wasteland" that is not AU...why? I thought AU was the all-conquering development machine that creates superstar professional players that nobody else has the resources or knowledge to offer? I have dealt first hand (not my kids but family friends) who's sons were fantastic players with great attitudes when they were first recruited by AU. One quit soccer all together amd somehow the others are mid to lower level ECNL players. Hiw were they not developed? If they had stayed at their original club where would they be now? These are questions we should be asking? Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to repair the emotional devastation of that experience with a 13 or 14 year old? I have yet to see a player get cut by AU and come out a better, more refined, more intelligent, robust and improved player. Why is that? I mean even if they arent starters or play regularly ,if the training, development and daily atmosphere is top notch they should be better regsrdless, right? Why aren't we having that conversation? Why do we only talk the the 0.5 or 1%? Surely our soccer community as a whole should pay attention to the other side (the dark side, if you will). Or should we ignore those players and families that are discarded and just be grateful we have the mighty AU development machine to guide and development our 0.5%? And no, I am not a bitter parent...just an old head who cares about all players and the game in general not just the 0.5%. I agree that a kid losing the passion stinks, but what is the alternative? What happens when that undiscovered gem is ready but a previous “lifetime” AU spot is standing in the way? At a regular club should a kid that made the first team this year be guaranteed a spot on the first team next year to protect their psyche? Most on here are passionate about the tryout process and how some kids have not “earned” their place... this feels a bit like that in reverse. I just don’t know how else AU or any club should handle without hurting feelings. This assumes a relatively fair process; level / potential was there at first but now not cutting the mustard and really should be elsewhere (or on a lower team). Afraid to say you can’t put your kid in the kitchen if you are worried about the potential heat. |
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Post by beentheredonethat on Oct 22, 2019 14:24:17 GMT -5
I think you're missing the point...if we're going to rave about the coaches, development, resources, environment and overall ability of AU to develop players then we should expect most (not all, I understand that) players to be better for the experience whether it was for one or two years (or however long they remain in the program)? That is currently not the reality...Most players cht are nowhere they are near the player they were before they were brought in to the program.
And once they've been purged from AU does that mean they will never get another look? Are AU of the opinion that once they cut a kid (or cant develop them), let's say at u13, that that kid will never develop into a pro one day? Does AU have a program where they keep tabs on players they've cut or was the kitchen so hot the kid got burned to a crisp and is now damaged goods not worth a 2nd look?
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Post by oldgasoccer on Oct 22, 2019 14:27:17 GMT -5
Puberty changes a lot in kids. Those kids that were early developers get caught and passed. Kids grow and bodies change. As the mind grows interests will change. Being the best at 12U or 13U means nothing when kids are 17 or 18. It happens in every sport. You can not blame coaches or kids when they stop growing and getting faster. Others will pass them and it is nobodies fault. It is what is it. You are not always going to get what you want out of life. Don't look to blame others when it happens.
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Post by mightydawg on Oct 22, 2019 14:35:49 GMT -5
So you're all saying ATL United is this great development machine and we should praise what they're doing...Ok, fair enough they have the resources, the coaching is still somewhat questionable for me, but I can get past that as their system and curriculum seems to be deeply ingrained across the organization. But... Here's my issue: What becomes of the players that get let go after a year or two? Is it the players fault? Is it the coaches fault? Is it the clubs fault? Or does no one assume responsibility and they are just chucked back into the chaos of youth soccer outside of the great and mighty AU? Discarded and left to try and rebuild and repair the emotional toll a 12, 13 or 14 year old should not have to deal with? I have tried to follow as best I can the players that get cut from AU (usually the ones that sat the bench and didnt get much playing time during their stint at AU) to see if they developed and improved and although I have no scientific evidence (but I would love to see a study done on this group of players) it seems most players that get released from AU are worse off than when they were recruited into the program. How is that possible if this club is all about development? How many of those players sitting on the bench against Concorde's 07 this past weekend will be callously shown the door in the next 8 to 20 months? And what happens to them? How do the families of those 13 years olds keep the flame and passion alive in those kids? We talk about the Bello's and Carlson's of the world but what about the dozens and dozens of young athletes that are treated like commodities at 12, 13 or 14 years of age. They were good enough once for AU but now they're insignificant with no guidance, plan or direction once they enter the soccer "wasteland" that is not AU...why? I thought AU was the all-conquering development machine that creates superstar professional players that nobody else has the resources or knowledge to offer? I have dealt first hand (not my kids but family friends) who's sons were fantastic players with great attitudes when they were first recruited by AU. One quit soccer all together amd somehow the others are mid to lower level ECNL players. Hiw were they not developed? If they had stayed at their original club where would they be now? These are questions we should be asking? Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to repair the emotional devastation of that experience with a 13 or 14 year old? I have yet to see a player get cut by AU and come out a better, more refined, more intelligent, robust and improved player. Why is that? I mean even if they arent starters or play regularly ,if the training, development and daily atmosphere is top notch they should be better regsrdless, right? Why aren't we having that conversation? Why do we only talk the the 0.5 or 1%? Surely our soccer community as a whole should pay attention to the other side (the dark side, if you will). Or should we ignore those players and families that are discarded and just be grateful we have the mighty AU development machine to guide and development our 0.5%? And no, I am not a bitter parent...just an old head who cares about all players and the game in general not just the 0.5%. I agree that a kid losing the passion stinks, but what is the alternative? What happens when that undiscovered gem is ready but a previous “lifetime” AU spot is standing in the way? At a regular club should a kid that made the first team this year be guaranteed a spot on the first team next year to protect their psyche? Most on here are passionate about the tryout process and how some kids have not “earned” their place... this feels a bit like that in reverse. I just don’t know how else AU or any club should handle without hurting feelings. This assumes a relatively fair process; level / potential was there at first but now not cutting the mustard and really should be elsewhere (or on a lower team). Afraid to say you can’t put your kid in the kitchen if you are worried about the potential heat. Doubt that I ever have to worry about it, but there should be some strategy involved in accepting an Atlanta United invite. I am not sure that U12 or U13 would be the right time to go. Seems more like U15 or U16 would be a better time to give it try. |
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Post by beentheredonethat on Oct 22, 2019 16:00:35 GMT -5
So let me get this straight...if players go into AU academy and dont develop it's because of all the intangibles that oldgasoccer mentioned above like puberty, loss of interest, development timelines etc...
But when players dont develop at other clubs (other than AU) it's because they dont have the resources, coaches, knowledge, expertise, experience of AU? Really? GMAB.
I think its telling how no one wants to address the issues I've brought up in previous posts. And yes, respectfully, FG and soccerfan111 your silence is deafening.
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Post by Upper90 on Oct 22, 2019 17:08:32 GMT -5
beentheredonethat-
”I think its telling how no one wants to address the issues I've brought up in previous posts. And yes, respectfully, FG and soccerfan111 your silence is deafening.”
I think it’s comical for lack of a better word of how much animosity & passive aggression is shown towards members who actually support a club. Obviously, in this case the club being AU. FG & now I see soccerfan111 show support for AU & quite honestly, I do too. While I may have a vested interest in AU, regardless, I would see the importance in not disparaging the MLS club in *our* town any chance one gets.
I have no doubt FG will respond w/ her own thoughts & maybe soccerfan111 will too, apparently though they are on some type of posting countdown clock.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Oct 22, 2019 17:42:37 GMT -5
The shame is that we have one fully funded club in the city. That’s the shame of it all. We need competition for players and competition for coaches and some incentive for local clubs to send top talent to the next level.
I want US soccer to be great. No reason we can’t be, actually there are tons of reasons why we won’t be.....
And one can still be critical of an organization yet supportive. For example I’m an extremely critical and frustrated atlanta falcons fan!!
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Post by Upper90 on Oct 22, 2019 17:49:25 GMT -5
That last part may be true for you Soccerhouse, but as I have stated before, that does not seem to be the case here on the forum with regards to AU.
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