Top Eclipse ECNL team vs. FC United DA team. Eclipse blow them out? (Girls) anyone have an opinion what a result might be in general terms?
2005 Sockers DA just beat FCU. Great job for those hard working girls! I think Sockers would do well to get back into State Cup - especially with there Pre-Academy teams on the boys side.
Close to a top ECNL side? - likely none as there are far better teams outside the region that would kill all three. A top Eclipse side? - 2005 Eclipse are really good. 2006? Meh but they are well above Sockers - not sure on FCU. Of course everything may change for FCU next season with Eclipse in the area.
Hey everyone - long time Chicago soccer fiend, turned on to this forum by a friend. Good talks. Some rumors I've heard lately: -FCU is apparently looking at not having a U19 girls DA next year with all the players leaving for Eclipse North. No one from pre-academy interested in moving up. -FCU also losing top ends of 2004 and 2003 to Eclipse North. Have enough depth to maintain teams, however. -Eclipse Lunar 2004s are imploding. Many not happy with the coach and lack of training. Most going to Sockers. -Pretty quiet on the Sockers front, but it appears their girls DA is improving based on scores/results. Hearing that the club is making changes in their business structure, maybe to keep up with FCU on that front? -Campton/FV merger failed last-minute, now Campton going thru a restructure due to lack of enrollment. Coaches being demoted or let go. These just rumors and hearsay. Could really be all BS. But can anyone substantiate or add?
Makes sense... If the 2004 coach is the same as the 06/05 coach I can totally see this happening. That coach is now being monitored bt MN based on many parents complaining. My guess is that coach may be done after this season. 04 and 05 are improving but that DA pool is not the greatest - but improving is good for those girls - keeps them fighting. Move BC to GDA exclusively and give the Pre-Academy girls to JN and AA - those guys are great! That said I hear only 15 showed up for pre-academy sessions between 04/05/06 teams. Enrollment is only a small part of it. But their 2005 girls are looking really good! Sounds reasonable too me.
Thanks, Volk. That was my take, all sounds reasonable. I guess we'll see. What are anyones thoughts on the coaches? Like the Eclipse, FCU, Sockers, Fire, etc.. Anyone stand out to you as good or bad? I only have experience with one guy at of those clubs and it was good. Wonder if its like that all around.
Best handle on here...we’ll played! Friend told me at Sockers ‘06 training last night there were 6-7 kids trying out and apparently a good amount moving over next year in that age group. No word on quality. Some on here disagree but I’ve spoken to many who believe Brian one of the best coaches on sockers staff. I’ve heard this from several people plus friends who had kids with him at Celtic. I don’t have kids who play/played for him but “they”all say the same thing-meaning the praise is consistent... Take it for what it is...(volk no need to re-hash amigo) many praise Rudy and it sounds like improvements being made with group(s) that isn’t the most talented bunch. When you say revenue structure what does that mean in regard to FC United and how would that make a difference for Sockers girls program? Curious.
If the 2004 coach is the same as the 06/05 coach I can totally see this happening. That coach is now being monitored bt MN based on many parents complaining. My guess is that coach may be done after this season. The 2004 coach is not the same as the 05/06 Coach. Nonetheless, what are you basing your comments on with regards to the 05/06 coach? I hope it’s not the constantly complaining parents who think their daughters are the most stellar on the team when they can’t even follow simple directions. The coach is great and develops the girls, even the ones who did not play well at the beginning of the season. Those girls have changed tremendously for the positive and have even displaced some of the previous starters.
I'm basing my comments from what I have been told by a current Eclipse coach. I see that Chi Fire Jrs South is playing Eclipse for the 2006 girls State Cup. That ought to be really interesting.
Thanks, Ryan. Haven't heard much about Brian or Rudy so this is helpful. Not exactly sure about how the business for Sockers is changing, if it is at all. Again this is rumor, but it sounded like Peter is getting back involved. He was the mastermind of Chicago soccer back in the 80s, 90s, early 00s...started Sockers, NISL, dabbled in small pro teams...who knows how that will translate to today. From a business perspective FCU looks to be doing a great job with marketing, social media, growing tournaments, etc.. By the sounds of it all the only thing they're missing is the soccer part lol. To be fair, they'll probably pick up a few more state cups this year so things aren't all that bad I guess.
What does anyone know about these get-togethers like Illinois Premier, Rush, and the newest upstart GPS? They all look to be smaller clubs that get together to make premier teams for tournaments and elite leagues. Anyone have experience with them?
Best bet for Sockers on the girls side is for DR to move out when his daughter is done and have BC come in full time with RC and you have a decent combo for DA. Let AA and JN run the rest of the girls teams - they are a great good cop bad cop combo. Then hire someone to be an interface with the parents. I recently heard a club out by me is reaching out to parents who do not return to find out why in an effort to make the right changes in order to retain players. Club soccer has got to get out of thinking that they have all the answers. They need to work with parents and understand that a successful club needs more then just coaches but people who understand how business is run and the value of customers as a whole. Sockers is in a decent enough location that if they get it right - it could be very beneficial to players in the area. I wish nothing but the best of luck.
No idea about girls side, all I hear is they lack the talent pipeline in the younger DA groups compared to boys DA's. Once, or if, they prime that pump as they have with boys watch out... Great coaches help (sounds like the two you refer to are doing a lot with very little) but no AAA talent = no results. And it doesn't have to be a stocked AAA talent team. Just very sound and solid 7-9 kids laced with 2-3 legit stars... The other coach I see at Olympic constantly is the bald guy who owns Step Ahead. Apparently he's a legend in Chicago Soccer...forgetting his name! But he's coaching full time as near as I can tell. I think Sockers as a business is doing just fine...I don't know their costs but the numbers and "tuition" they charge I have to believe they're quite profitable. Which is a good thing. As a customer I've been reasonably impressed with how they go about things...very few complaints. Re: Parents more input...only thing "more" with parents should be education. 95% (at least) are ignorant when it comes to this sport. Not trying to be disrespectful of anyone... That ignorance, coupled with fees in the 2K+ range drives a lot of very bad decisions at a lot of clubs...(i.e. win, win, win no matter what) Henry Ford said if I asked people what they wanted before I built the Model T they would have said "A faster horse" (or something like that). That applies to soccer parents to a T...many of them. Don't get me wrong...most are great people, well intentioned. But they just lack knowledge of the game...lack knowledge of the racket that is club soccer. Lack an ability to gauge their child properly in context of elite player (I'm just as guilty on that last point) Clubs should each have a unique identity imo. This is what makes European soccer so great in my view. They are clubs, not franchises as they are in MLS. Clubs built by communities (many long, long ago) that via promotion relegation (i.e. a free market not choked off by a monopoly) creates an unparalleled, world class soccer system. Is it perfect, nope. But it's light years ahead of American soccer...and youth clubs , clubs like Sockers are our only hope in fighting this... This would be my challenge to the Richardson family....use your knowledge, resources and connections and take on the status quo above and beyond DA games with Chicago Fire. Whomever this Pete guy is (is he the guy that runs Soccer City and Lil Kickers?) I would love to see this view taken. Someone to take a stand against the machine that is the incestuous and harmful relationship between US Soccer and MLS...a relationship that kills the sport here. We should absolutely wipe the floor in the U17, U20 World Cup and reach quarterfinals regularly at World Cups...we have that level of talent...but kids hit 15 and they die on the vine vis a vis their European, SA counterparts. Cest la Vie....my two cents on a Friday afternoon...
Tony Kees. Sockers are profitable but as a customer that's really not what I am looking for. Of course it's good to be in the black. Yes on ignorant parents - this is why all of youth travel sports are a mess because parents are just willing to write checks for whatever.
Forgot, this quote was the whole point of my crazy long diatribe... In my experience (and have been at this awhile) this won't yield anything in 80% of the cases and above. Defections come about for two reasons in my experience: 1. they hit a certain age and want to focus on another sport that is their primary 2. they hit a certain age and want to leave their community club for greener pastures 3. The remaining (leave to go to a team that wins a lot, leave b/c coach sucks, etc are a rounding error to the top 2 I would bet)
I would say that's assumptious and arrogant. You actually believe that understanding your customer is not a valid approach in youth soccer? If so you are assuming that the club knows the best path forward - and they will follow that path - full blinders on. Sounds like USSF. Back in 2014 Sockers lost 1.5 entire boys teams that one coach had - it's funny because I was just talking with a Sockers coach about this guy last night! In any case, in 2015 that coach was paired with Batata (on probation) before he was canned. I have to think if they had an open diologue with their customers (players/parents) that they could have fixed this before losing 20+ players in one shot. They would have kept me had they sat down and understood what they were doing to my kid. LOL you know what? BC figured my kid was #1 in your post above until the very last game when he pulled her out with 10 minutes left and she had a fit - threw her water bottle and inloaded a host of F-Bombs. He put her back in right away. That kid that is falling back and not looking interested anylonger may not be a #1. It could be that she thinks her coach does not like her, then thinks she sucks at the sport and finally wants to quit. A different coach/enviornment brough back the love of the game for my kid. She's playing her best ball ever and loves her mates. So right there, your assumption (#1) completely backfires over a lack of diologue that can only benefit the development of a club and their players.
Prediction on the 05 and 06 State Cup games...05 Eclipse vs Chi Inter= Eclipse 06 Eclipse vs CFJ South= South 06 Eclipse is Getting better and CFJS is not as strong as they were the last couple of years even considering JS strong recruiting tactics.