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Post by justwatching on Mar 8, 2021 12:10:31 GMT -5
Lots of frustrated kids and parents who say they are "done" with ODP Curious-are they done because they lost or because of disorganization or both? The loss wasn't that big of a concern but "done" and frustrated because of the disorganization and a lot of "bad soccer". This was a build up of disorganized trainings throughout the fall and the beginning of the spring, "bad" soccer (some describe it as resembling recreational soccer) at the other events e.g. SC and TN (they won at these venues so winning/losing didn't seem to be the main driving force behind the many comments), very large pools of players with a wide range of skill level (FL was described as having all their top kids playing), mixed rosters not allowing for teams to matchup against stronger competition, and constantly adding additional kids to age groups. |
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Post by atlutd17 on Mar 8, 2021 12:28:26 GMT -5
Curious-are they done because they lost or because of disorganization or both? The loss wasn't that big of a concern but "done" and frustrated because of the disorganization and a lot of "bad soccer". This was a build up of disorganized trainings throughout the fall and the beginning of the spring, "bad" soccer (some describe it as resembling recreational soccer) at the other events e.g. SC and TN (they won at these venues so winning/losing didn't seem to be the main driving force behind the many comments), very large pools of players with a wide range of skill level (FL was described as having all their top kids playing), mixed rosters not allowing for teams to matchup against stronger competition, and constantly adding additional kids to age groups. Can you be specific on the age group you saw training being disorganized and "even" teams? I was under the impression teams were A/B this year, at least that's what it looked like in TN. As for the large size pools, I understand they didn't want to cut any kids due to Covid for not having the opportunity to play last year. I doubt they'll do that again. |
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Post by soccernoleuk on Mar 8, 2021 13:47:28 GMT -5
I'm curious where the person posting Georgia went 1-11 last weekend got that information. First off, there were some great games played at the level we see in ECNL. Venue and hotel were fantastic and within walking distance. There were 8 games 9v9 decided by a single goal or tie, with 2009 and 2010 groups and GA/FL ether split games or went 2-3-3, not sure. There were 8 games 11v11 with 2007 and 2008 where GA went 0-5-3, all except 3 games were very competitive. A couple points to make here 1) FL treated these games like they played for a National Championship, and 2) several top GA players were not available. It happens at ODP when you travel 8 hours away. Interestingly enough the ODP staff also held training sessions for goalkeepers and field players, thought was a nice touch. Most families stayed at Champions Gate, siblings everywhere, so there was plenty of chatter around and while there was some frustration with one older group in particular, the majority of people seemed very positive and pleased. And again, Champions Gate is an amazing place to stay and also play. I got the information from being there and speaking with various people, as well as watching some games. Apparently information was either incorrect or incomplete. The '07 group went 0-4, losing by a combined score of 17-1 I believe. The '07 A team played the FL '08 A team on Sunday and it was the most competitive of the 4 games for the age group, as I heard the final was 2-0. The '07 B team played the FL '07 B team both days and played a lot better on Sunday. It also helped that substitutions were made more frequently than Saturday, and the coaches put speed in the back to defend the wingers. I spoke with a parent on Sunday who had an '07 and an '09 child. He told me the '09 team his daughter played on Saturday won, and as far as he knew it was the only win for the age group on Saturday. His daughter's team then lost Sunday morning. I also spoke with a parent at our home club who has a daughter in the '09 age group and he told me the weekend didn't go well. He heard they only won a single game. Maybe he was speaking of only 1 team in the age group and not the entire age group. I spoke with an '08 parent Sunday in an elevator and they said they lost the day before and didn't have high expectations against the top '07 team that morning. Again, in the conversation it was mentioned that they didn't think their age group won a game the previous day. Florida definitely treated this with a higher priority than Georgia. I do not believe there were any non-ECNL players on either FL '07 roster, and unfortunately there were a lot of non-ECNL players playing for Georgia. Some held their own while others struggled. Overall it was a good weekend. A lot of girls had an opportunity to get to know people they didn't know prior. Also, while some scores were lopsided, there was definitely good soccer played. |
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Post by atlutd17 on Mar 8, 2021 17:09:19 GMT -5
Good posts. From what I heard and read, small sided games were nail biters but overall fun to watch  . Full sided games on the other hand sounds like were mostly a nightmare  . Our dear neighbors seem to take ODP far more seriously than most other places. They were physical ... surprise surprise ... FL coaches very vocal like club games, and refs with their interesting calls down there as always. Back to us now, and more importantly, we too have great players and serious talent. But many of them just choose to not be part of ODP. Could it be the pool selections? The perceptions? Training methods? Simple example, no matter how good, can just two coaches effectively train and correct over 50 kids of various skill levels and abilities together on one field? Do massive tryout processes and not enough scouting cause too many selection errors to begin with? Just thinking out loud as I saw those things with my own eyes not long ago. And it's not a new problem. For ODP to be legit and true to its purpose, the best of the best should be part of it. The errors start with selections at tryouts by staff that doesn't know the group they'll be coaching. By 13U or 14U teams have played each other so many times that most club staff, players and parents know who the best players in the state are within their age group. And frankly, they often know much better than any ODP coach who is totally unfamiliar with the age group. The ODP coaches eventually may get it right but not before they've accepted players they shouldn't have in trying to reach an x amount of players, resulting in a huge pool. Would it perhaps be better to focus on quality rather than quantity and do more to identify and attract the best players early, regardless of club, and prepare them to make the Region and National teams? What about reducing training pools to the top 30-32 close in talent players, and cut those who don't perform or don't attend provided there are no conflicts with club commitments? Sometimes less is better. Or what about accepting fewer players initially at least? Or will budget limitations and player selection choices or politics continue to restrict what can otherwise be a great program? |
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Post by bogan on Mar 8, 2021 17:56:03 GMT -5
“ Our dear neighbors seem to take ODP far more seriously than most other places. They were physical ... surprise surprise ... FL coaches very vocal like club games, and refs with their interesting calls down there as always.”
Yeah-it’s funny-maybe It’s the heat-but they are very vocal as a whole- joystick coaches-very physical style of play-many times not pretty soccer-our last tournament-many, many yellows and a few (straight) reds. Entertaining-but not pretty soccer.
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Post by varys on Mar 8, 2021 22:30:59 GMT -5
The reason why FL took that weekend seriously is because it was the first time and maybe the only time they would play together this year. No team practices and the roster was only announced days before the game.
By the way, The FL 07 A vs GA 08A game was a blowout. I think it was 6 or 7 -1. The FL 07A vs GA 07A was just as bad.
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fgug
Jr. Academy
Posts: 68
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Post by fgug on Mar 9, 2021 6:23:54 GMT -5
The 2010 games were competitive against the 09 FL groups. GA1 tied and lost by a goal in an easily winnable game. I think GA 2 won and lost? Either way, all four games were close and the soccer wasn’t terrible.
ODP has been fine. This age group has some top players from the top clubs and girls from smaller clubs that are very good as well.
The rosters are too big, with some girls getting a limited amount of playing time compared to others. This is probably my biggest complaint (16 is way too many for 9v9). I don’t understand some of the roster selections (well I do, but they aren’t based on merit), but overall it hasn’t been a terrible experience. I’m not convinced to do it again, but I’ll let this year play out and decide at a later point in time.
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Post by atlfutboldad on Mar 9, 2021 9:24:06 GMT -5
They had much bigger pools/tryout groups this year and took most of those who tried out. I think next year will be back to 2019 numbers (less kids trying out).
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. Full sided games on the other hand sounds like were mostly a nightmare 
. Our dear neighbors seem to take ODP far more seriously than most other places. They were physical ... surprise surprise ... FL coaches very vocal like club games, and refs with their interesting calls down there as always.
