I watched the U16 Magic play the U16 Wind tonight in a friendly at the Max McCook. I am not sure if both teams were at full strength but the Wind were clearly the better side. I would guess they had the ball 75% of the time and there goal was never threatened while they struck the post 3 times in the first half and created some other fine chances. I had never seen either of those teams before but the Wind plays a very good style of soccer. They possessed the ball and created chances. The small, white center midfielder they have is an amazing player. The Magic did not appear to have any creative or athletic players. It was a friendly on a Wednesday night in December but that Wind team looked like a quality side. It is also interesting that these teams would play this type of match. When I played back in the early 90's, none of the big clubs would ever think of training together. Teams often would play weaker sides in league play and tournament matchups in fear of tipping their hand before state cup.
Ya they played on 1/2 of a full sized field and played 11v11. I think it was just a good chance for both teams to kinda knock it around, I dont think either side took it to seriously. Wind are a good side, always have been. I think it was more of just a chance for the Wind to get some good comp before they go and play some more national league games. Interesting that these two clubs seem to be playing nice
that's a nice facility, I wish there was another one like it. We train once a week there and it gets a bit crowded.
Unless the Magic has made wholesale changes at this age, I find it hard to believe that they did not have any athletic players. The last time I saw them play, it looked like they relied on their athletic advantage rather than creative soccer. Maybe the venue had something to do with this. Teams that rely on less on passing and more on one-on-one tend to do better on smaller indoor fields. I don't recall any Magic team that plays that way, with the exception of the Quavis Kirk led team. As to and Academy team playing a non-Academy team, I hardly think a practice scrimmage qualifies. As to the rumors of the Magic and Wind working together, it seems possible but not probable, given the egos involved.
I would say it has be be hard to draw much out of a half field...11v11 practice game. Also, it was a Wed night, I'm sure neither team was at full strength. Like I said, I think this had much more to do with the Wind's upcoming national league games than anything else.
The wind aren't playing any national league games until the spring so they would have plenty of time to prepare for that later since they aren't going to Orlando.
Oh thats to bad for them. I would have thought they would have tried to get as many games in as they could before a couple of their guys left for the Fire Academy. Oh well, guess there must have been another reason for the closed door friendly scrimmage...
It does but there was another practice going on so they played on a smaller field. I have to say that the wind also looked the stronger side than the magic. From what I understand both teams were missing a few key players though.
I do like the rumor mill, although as an earlier poster said it's unlikely given that each party would like to be in control.
I talked to a number of people who were at the Wind/Magic scrimmage the other night and the general consnsus is that the Wind still has alot of high quality players. The Wind kids that joined the Fire Academy are obviously excellent players, but they tend to play a very direct style. That is why people like BG criticized this team's playing style over the past couple of years. By and large, the kids that are still with the Wind U-16 team are the ones developed by Klopas and Sole since they were 9 or 10 years old (these are the kids that won State Cup at U-12 before the Fire Academy kids joined the Wind at U-14). I'm not saying that the team is better now than it was last year, but I am saying they play a much more attractive style of soccer and remain a formidable team. There is also absolutely no question that a number of the Wind players would be major contributors to a combined Magic/Wind academy team. The Magic players overall are bigger, while the Wind players are better technically and more creative. This Wind team has several very gifted midfield players who are already drawing attention from very good college prorams.
Those guys lost a fair amount of 1-0 games when they would have the ball 80% of the match, be unable to penetrate inside the box, then concede a breakaway goal. Always enjoyed watching them play, besides when the players all become adults most of the size issue will either disappear entirely because the little kids become average sized, or will be at the least less of an item, because within reason all adult players are large and strong enough to strike the ball hard. It's one thing to be 5' 3" 100 pounds against a 5' 7", 135 pounder in U14 soccer. It's quite another to be 5' 8", 155 pounds as an adult and face a moderately larger opponent. A whole lot of guys at that size succeed at the very highest level of play. I have a big boy but I never paid that size stuff much attention, if you play correctly size is way down the list of important attributes.
John R. I agree you with 100%. Size will be much less of an issue for the Wind U-16 team today than it was 3 or 4 years ago.
By the way, the Wind did a great job with the ULittles back in the day. My kid stumbled across the program by accident, as I had no prior experience with youth soccer and very little indeed with the adult version of the game. It was only later that I found out that constant technical work, with the emphasis on short passing and possession while under pressure, along with teaching the boys that it was OK sometimes to play too slowly and get stripped of the ball, better that than panicking and just getting rid of the thing, was absolutely the right way. And that not every club took the same approach to U8s or U10s. Although it's always more than just the club situation. I first encountered two of the current Wind U16 starters when they were in 2nd grade, not yet at the Wind, and they were recognizably the same players. Anybody who says that you can't pick out future players at a young age isn't paying much attention, yeah if you see an 8 year old who is sure on the ball, quick, plays with head up, focused, and makes some decent decisions on the field, he'll be good 8 years later too.
Do you know who the midfield players who are drawing attention are? From what I have heard the only Wind player attracting attention would be the small creative attacking mid but his name escapes me.
Chicagosoccer38, I believe the player you are referring to is Harry Shipp. Other players attracting attention are Conner Holloway (the tall blond defensive midfielder), Reuben Gaytan(the quick right winger), Cesar Garcia(a talented midfielder who I was told missed the scrimmage) and Reed Sullivan(a very physical defensive midfielder who plays alongside Holloway). All of these players are good students, which is obviously important to colleges as they start the recruiting process. The interesting about soccer, as opposed to football and basketball, Is that alot of the better soccer programs are also excellent academic institutions. Kids that focus too much on soccer and not enough on their homework will never get into these top schools. The soccer part is obviously, but the academic side is equally imperative.
Yah, he's a slick one, my boy just boots him. Is that Enzo kid still on the team? He is of the small trickster variety as I am told, although I haven't seen him play myself.
From watching the training session and match the other night, that Harrison Shipp is one heckuva player. His work rate is top notch. He is like Steve Nash on grass( or fake grass) I did not see him strike the ball so I am not sure about that part of his game but the rest reminds me of Paul Scholes. He was always darting to get the ball and then laying it off to teammates. Both the boys that played on the right side for the Wind were pretty impressive. Both were smaller players with great skill. The defensive midfielder, Reed I believe his name was, was suprisingly skilled for such a large player. The Magic had quite a few boys the same size but they did not appear to have the skill of that boy. Actually most of the Wind team had great technical ability. The Magic could not get any of the ball and when they did it looked disjointed. The small, fast surface usually favors a technically strong team so it may be different on a larger field but what I saw was very onesided. The most impressive part for me was training matches prior to the game. They had to small sided games going on and the skill of the players was amazing. Most of the kids had great first touch and played very composed in the small spaces.
Yet they are outside the new Academy system, which is intended to develop players like that, no? I always thought before watching ODP closely that the Regional and National team selections were the guys who among other attributes, performed best in SSG/keepaway exercises of the type that you describe, but that's not really so. Many whom I have seen are just OK at that, and a few are outright poor. I was surprised to learn that, and I remain surprised.