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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 3, 2024 21:06:31 GMT -5
7A Final 4 matchups are tomorrow night and it will be interesting to see who moves on. Discovery vs Kennesaw Mountain and Campbell vs Archer... East vs west, Lawrencevile versus I75 corridor in both matches. Last week I predicted "So my picks for Final 4 - Milton vs Lambert and Discovery vs Colquitt County". Good thing I'm not a betting person. Regions Representation in the final 4: Region 1: 0 Region 2: 1 Region 3: 0 Region 4: 1 Region 5: 1 Region 6: 0 Region 7: 1 Region 8: 0 Seeds Remaining in final 8 1 Seed: 2 2 Seed: 2 3 Seed: 0 4 Seed: 0 Scoreboard Top 10 And Last Result 1. Discovery: Previously #2. Beat Greyson in Round 3 2. Archer: Previous #5. Beat Milton in OT in Round 3 3. Campbell: Previously unranked. eat #1 Lambert in Round 3. 4. Kennesaw Mountain: Previously unranked. Beat unranked Colquitt County in Round 3. 5. Lambert: Former #1 lost to Campbell in Round 3. 6. Milton: Previous #4. Lost to Archer in Round 3. 7. Grayson: Previous #3. Lost to Discovery in Round 3. 8. Collins Hill: Lost to Milton in Round 2 9. Hillgrove: Lost to Carrolton in Round 1 10. Colquitt County: Previously unranked but moves into top 10 even with loss. Lost to Keneesaw Mountain in Round 3. Dropped out Previous 7. Pebblebrook: Lost to Colquitt County in Round 2 Previous 9. Walton High School: Lost to Lambert in Round 2 Previous 10. South Forsyth: Lost to North Gwinnett in Round 1 Max Preps Top 10 - New rankings have not come out since 4/29, beforeRound 3 1. Lambert: Lost to Campbell - Out 2. Milton: Lost to Archer - Out 3. Discovery: Beat Greyson - Final 4 4. Greyson: Lost to Discovery - Out 5. Hillgrove: Out 6. Colquitt County: Lost to Kennesaw Mountain - Out 7. Collins Hill: Out 8. Archer: Beat Milton - Final 4 9. East Coweta: Out 10. South Forsyth: Out Not in the top 10 but still playing: 12. Campbell: Beat Lambert - Final 4 19. Kennesaw Mountain - Final 4 Match Ups: Kennesaw Mountain (12-8-1, 36GF, 32GA) at Discovery (18-2-1, 46GF, 17GA) I have not seen KM play but looking at their schedule, results, goals scored and goal allowed and quite simply KM should not be going to the final 4. They've benefitted from a weak playoff schedule - Central Gwinnett was 10-7-1, N. Gwinnett was 8-8-1 and somehow cleared South Forsyth out of the way in round 1, and Colquitt County, while 16-3-1, never played a team North of Macon during the regular season and feasted on weak competition. All that said , KM are in the Final 4. Play two inspired games, get a lucky break or two and they could finish the season on top. Standing in their way is Discovery who have been consistent all year long, handled tougher competition and enjoy a 29 goal differential. And they are at home. I would say this is the Lock of the Week, but look how well I picked last week. Archer (15-3-1, 67GF, 28GA) at Campbell (11-6-2, 61GF, 41GA) Comparing the records, schedules, goals scored and given up, this one seems like one to lean to Archer to get the win. Campbell's one advantage is playing at home. Will Boom Ball work against Archer the way it did against Lambert. It's not pretty soccer but it did produce a ton of opportunities last week. Any free kick from just beyond mid field or any throw in from the 20 are going to be put in the box where anything can happen. And a byproduct of that is the defending team scrambles to clear the ball turning possession back to Campbell. Lambert ceded too much possession allowing Campbell to dictate the game. How will Archer handle the arial assault? Does their defensive back line have some height to clear some balls? I lean Archer but Campbell is playing hot at the right time. My 7A State Championship prediction sees Discovery Vs Archer... Lawrenceville vs Lawrenceville... and Discovery winning it all. So yeah…Kenn Mtn won 1-0 and Campbell won 2-1. Now the all Cobb County final has to be played in Gwinnett at Duluth HS? Wonder if it’s not to late to love to like Marietta Hs, haha? No one is playing at McEachern Friday night. They should just play there.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 3, 2024 15:33:54 GMT -5
Buford beat Walton 1-1 (4-2) PKs 3-2 on PKs. It was a good hard fought game by both teams. Neither deserved to lose. The local paper said Walton coach got a red card after Walton scored the go ahead goal in regulation. What was that for??? Tough to go through OT and PKs without a coach.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 3, 2024 8:00:56 GMT -5
West Forsyth beats North Gwinnett 4-2 Looked like 3 of 6 goals scored were pks (2 for WF and 1 for NG). Plus one own goal.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Apr 30, 2024 12:18:12 GMT -5
Players on the field say AR said no call but CR overruled. Hard to see their conversation in the video. But agree AR had a much better view. Also agree that Harrison had the better of the first half and should have finished several chances so it didn't come down to this. Crappy way to end a season. Then by all means if the players of the team that the foul was called and said no call then it should’ve definitely been no foul. I am sure the other team was saying it’s a foul. Crazy how that works. if you read closely I did not say the players said no call. I said they heard the AR say no call.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Apr 30, 2024 12:07:37 GMT -5
Wish I could see video of this. The only video I saw, was the goal to make it 1-1 by NG. Where the same keeper in question clearly took out the player. I wonder what the call would have been had the player not scored. I just saw the video of the "PK". Couple things when slowed down, the keeper didn't get the ball first. However, the keeper did make a "fair" challenge on the ball and wasn't reckless. Shouldn't have been a PK. The attacker kicked the ball to the side, but I can't tell if the attacker flopped or not, but it was fair challenge on the ball though. What really makes this bad is first, this shouldn't have been called, I wouldn't have. Second, the center ref was a good 25-30 yards and had a terrible angle to see this. Third, it wasn't a four minute discussion btw, it was a quick minute maybe less and the CR went with what AR saw and the AR was shaking his yes as well. In the end this should have gone to OT and not been a judgement call to me. Players on the field say AR said no call but CR overruled. Hard to see their conversation in the video. But agree AR had a much better view. Also agree that Harrison had the better of the first half and should have finished several chances so it didn't come down to this. Crappy way to end a season.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Apr 29, 2024 21:32:55 GMT -5
North Gwinnett ref gave pk call with 25 seconds left to decide game.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Dec 27, 2023 21:48:26 GMT -5
ECNL posted all of their 2023-2024 event dates last May. And they have followed the same weekend/timeframes for years (before GA even existed). There has been an ECNL showcase the first weekend of December for as long as I can remember, it just used to be in Greenville. So I don't think they are purposely trying to schedule on top of GA.
But yes, it is unfortunate for all parties (both leagues, players, and college coaches) that they overlap now.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Nov 4, 2023 7:36:58 GMT -5
Twitter/X is VERY active for most youth sports recruiting now (soccer, football, softball, volleyball...). I didn't believe it at first either. However, you can tell by the verbiage choices that most are run by parents haha. I would still add it to the list of though.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Oct 23, 2023 6:56:49 GMT -5
Does that mean that you technically can play MLS Next as well as ECN/RL during the same season? Theoretically yes. It also means that theoretically a girl could play GAL, say for TopHat, and ECNL, say for Concorde. As Mightydawg pointed out though, MLS Next prevents this on the boys side. I am nto aware of a rule for ECNL or GAL preventing this, but time limitations certainly keep it from happening. Now moving from one to the other has happened, and I have seen it. There are definitely some girls that play in both leagues across the country. Some are in the national team pools, def not a secret. Solar brings girls in from all over the country. I haven't heard of any Georgia girls doing it yet. I would think the DOC egos here would prevent it.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Sept 19, 2023 14:25:42 GMT -5
Mandatory SafeSport Training. 2 hours in and no end in sight. OMG, I get it, not allowed to tickle players or shower with them. Talk about a 3 hour training that could be an email. Creator clearly paid by length. This alone might get me to stop refereeing. Players that turn 18 at any point in their club calendar year also have to take this now! Hours and hours. Thought my player might give up the dream because of it.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 31, 2023 9:43:15 GMT -5
For the 2005/2004 group, there isn't a single local team that only has 18 on its roster. Interestingly enough, Concorde doesn't even have the largest roster! Thanks to the birth year mandate, it's really a no win for all involved. If they keep 24, people complain. And if they cut several their senior year, people complain. I think having an additional composite team like they did the first year was somewhat in the right direction but I guess it wasn't executed well. It just really sucks that after all these years on the hamster wheel, the last year often ends up being the worst tryout process.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 17, 2023 14:12:54 GMT -5
None of these kids in comparison are playing in either league yet though. How many of these kids are just playing at their closest local club for Academy then making the move at U13 when it starts to matter? And if so, is the move toward ECNL so they can play high school or not? And you would also have to take Atlanta United out of the mix. I think everyone agrees true MLS clubs are the strongest but are for the few and far between.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 5, 2023 13:26:01 GMT -5
Anyone have any experience with end of season high school All Star games? Are there different ones per area? Do colleges scout there? Is it worth going if invited? If anyone wants to play, I'm sure it would be fun and fun is something these kids should have. As far as "All-Star" goes, that's where DiVarsity gets a little odd. Some schools' coaches obviously participate. Just look at the rosters and see where the coaches come from and then the list of players. Additionally, look to see which schools aren't there at all (including players that you know are top-notch). If your player wants to play, just nominate them. All it takes is a player, or parent nomination (or coach, sure) - and you're in. Pay 100 bucks and you are an All-Star. Again - no knock on the kids doing it. There are some quality names included and $100 is the cost of a couple of private sessions, so it could be worth it just to go have fun against some other players. But just know that going in and manage expectations of it being some kind of real merit-based honor. And no college coaches will be there. 100% THIS.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Apr 26, 2023 8:24:54 GMT -5
Where do they post the all-region selections? Anyone have the answer? I see random post from schools in various regions/classifications but is there anywhere to see all the selections? From what I can tell each region just manages it on their own and plays by their own rules. It's not an official GHSA thing. Some regions do two teams and honorable mentions, some only one team. Some regions do 20-30 names, some more like a true best 11. In our region, I believe coaches nominate players from their own team and then all the coaches in the region vote from that list. Final list is passed down to the teams in the region. Then it's up to schools to post. Not a super formal process. So I guess your coach should know.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Apr 25, 2023 10:40:36 GMT -5
In 7A, it looks like Forsyth Central and Denmark might be on a collision course in the final. Of course, both have to get through their final four matchups first. Central probably has their toughest game of the season playing Walton. I don't know much about Campbell. Will be curious to see how those games play out. Betting on a Campbell/Walton final.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Apr 13, 2023 7:13:23 GMT -5
Girls 7A all 1 and 2 seeds move on except Milton the lone 3 seed to move on after beating Cherokee. Now it gets good. Several solid match ups in the Sweet 16.
Walton / Buford Campbell / North Paulding Denmark / Norcross Harrison / East Coweta
Walton / Buford arguably the toughest. Both teams would be expected to go very far.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Mar 17, 2023 7:23:32 GMT -5
To me quitting means you/they are giving up during season, and to me that isn't acceptable. If a player makes a commitment for a season/year, they should see it through. Once that commitment is complete, I 100% agree the player should make a decision about their future. If that is moving down a level (or 2), or even giving up the sport, that's fine. I wouldn't consider that quitting though. The bottom line is each player needs to assess where they are and where they want to go with soccer, or for anything for that matter (another sport, dance, music, etc.). The parents also need to realize it isn't all about winning. It is about developing both as an athlete and as a person. The winning is nice, but it should be secondary to overall development. Too many parents, coaches and club leaders (I use the term loosely) have lost sight of this. I agree with this. Quitting mid season is not OK (unless extreme extenuating circumstances of course). Choosing what you want to do before the season starts is not quitting, it is planning ahead and re-evaluating priorities. And yes, totally OK. I think it probably hurts us more than them because we see all of their potential. But in the end, it is their life and they need to forge their own path. Learning to do what makes them happy at this age is all that we should hope for. I do think they need to map out the pros and cons and understand the consequences though. It is not easy to come back so just make sure it is a well thought out decision.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Jan 29, 2023 8:41:29 GMT -5
Sorry to hijack the thread but I have questions about HS soccer. A friend's daughter who is a freshman made Varsity at a decent school and it looks like she'll be starting games. Could this mean she has a bigger chance of making a higher level club team in the fall? Like, are HS games scouted by club coaches at all? If not, I guess at least she'll get better by playing with better/older players. Are parents allowed to coach loudly at HS games? My daughter is not in HS yet but when she is, she might be on JV or Varsity with someone who has an extremely annoying parent, and I'm already worrying about this parent poisoning things like has happened before. Club coaches do come watch their players in high school season. Local colleges do come watch specific players too. I would say the scouting is usually more in the way of kids saying "my friend on our high school team is an amazing left back, we could really use her". And they are invited to come to a practice or tryouts. I have seen a few players move up in level this way. As for parents coaching from the stands, I am sure it varies by coach just like club and what the coach allows. I will say it is not accepted at our school.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Dec 5, 2022 21:53:28 GMT -5
Those numbers are not accurate. We received an email with the same numbers as you but our own onsite tracking (handing out brochures and writing down schools) showed over 120 schools with probably 90% plus D1.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Oct 4, 2022 7:01:20 GMT -5
You know how many times I hear parents say it doesn't matter if my daughter wants to play in college this is just for fun? ... Then go to rec. There are girls who want to play for fun AND want to take it beyond club soccer. This is why USA soccer is starting to get a wake up call on the women's side internationally ... soccer is a luxury here that the upper middle class and rich casually put their kids in ... pricing out the potentially more talented and lion hearted. Girls from all over the world are taking D1 scholarships here in the states. ALL players should receive the BEST training in academy. In U12, meet with player and parents about the track they want them to be on for Select and take it year to year. But Post publicly player evaluations and largely take that in consideration. I respect the folks who put their kids in schools like IMG b/c if you are going to pay the money make it count for something. Paying a crap load of money to be like ... if they play in college ... they play in college... no big deal ... go to rec then! Ever watch boys rec? It's competitive and sometimes fast pace .... rec will improve if the "I don't want to play in college" folks go there. Deciding at U12? Most girls will say they want to play on the US National team at that age so that probably won't open up any spots for you. Not to mention there are about 87 levels between ECNL and Rec. Yes, I've watched Rec. I couldn't disagree with this strategy more. But to each his own.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Oct 4, 2022 6:14:35 GMT -5
Agree. I also think the transfer portal has really changed the recruiting game for coaches and players. I've heard many players being put on the back burner by coaches until they get thru their transfers. One coach had taken 10 transfers and had no spots left for freshmen coming in. It can be super deflating for some and they decide instead to cut bait and play club soccer at the academic school of their choice. Can be a win-win for some. And to the ones who say "step out of the way if you don't want to play in college" ... these girls are still athletes and highly competitive. They work hard on and off the field in school. They appreciate and respect the higher level of training and competition. They sacrifice nights and weekends for the love of the game. They should not have to step down because their end game is not a college scholarship. That is like saying a student should not take honors courses if they don't intend to go to college. Go be competitive in rec and yes, step out of the way of kids who want to take this further. You are blocking other folks blessings. It pains me to watch club soccer on the girls side sometimes b/c just b/c the speed of play is faster doesn't mean it's more entertaining. A lot of these girls don't even watch high level soccer ... they are comfortable with being in a high level spot knowing their heart isn't in it. This is ridiculous. Most 14 year olds (even 16 and 17 year olds committing) don't even know what they want/need out of their college experience yet. And kids play soccer/sports for many, many, different reasons. If someone is playing only for the college scholarship, they are missing the point entirely.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Sept 7, 2022 14:54:42 GMT -5
Why not just carry a bigger roster? With injuries, senior year commitments, SAT/ACT dates, etc, the solution is a roster of 24 or so at both ECNL and ECRL. This would largely solve most of the problems that are being discussed. Some clubs do do this. Super fun to be told you can't even dress on game day. Especially if you are still trying to get committed. I don't have the right answer. It is a cluster for sure.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Sept 7, 2022 14:53:15 GMT -5
Very simple if you are a sr in this situation and already committed to a college either don’t play or drop down from top team. Getting committed is just the first step. You need to work even harder to earn your spot in college. So quitting or dropping down a level would seem extremely detrimental to your career.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Aug 20, 2022 7:35:39 GMT -5
Agree. That seems crazy. Player of the Year in one age group a little suspect but if above is true, makes sense now.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Jul 11, 2022 12:51:12 GMT -5
Agree. I think it is always in Portland and sponsored by Nike maybe.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Jul 11, 2022 12:18:08 GMT -5
I think I read that everything is paid for once you are there. Hotel, food, gear... But you need to get yourself there.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on Jun 28, 2022 10:19:55 GMT -5
Looks like NASA and UFA U18/19 Boys play each other in the Semis today of the ECNL Boys Champions League bracket. Concorde U18/19 is in the Semis of the North American Cup division.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 29, 2022 13:49:38 GMT -5
Thanks Luke for that answer. What are your rates? If you’d taken two minutes to review my previous posts you’d see I have nothing to do with Luke. My kid simply played soccer at a high level and received multiple D1 offers during COVID recruiting. My player was a student of the game and trained with Eddie, Luke, and Justin in Orlando many times. Eddie also flew to Atlanta and trained my kid here. Luke has trained my kid numerous times. His rates do not fluctuate but he is selective about who he trains - primarily about their commitment to grow. Side note: I genuinely feel sorry for you and those closest to you who have to navigate around you. Really sad. Where did your daughter end up committing? How is it going so far? Curious if Eddie/Luke were helpful in that process?
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 11, 2022 5:06:36 GMT -5
I'm hearing ECNL travel will be less this year. With the addition of 4 teams in the Southeast, there will be 16 teams. Everyone will only play each other once, home OR away. Then rotate home and away every year. So two trips to Florida every year and one trip to South Carolina every other year. Plus a day trip to Alabama. The Florida teams are more aligned now so it eliminates the dreaded Tampa/Ft. Lauderdale at one time trip.
Add in 2-3 Showcases depending on age group.
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Post by hateallthesechanges on May 7, 2022 11:13:38 GMT -5
Well said!
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