Do you think that is a direct impact of ECNL and GA precluding (to some extent) the top players (for the most part) from playing HS soccer up here? I do.
Yup - I know the story behind these guys and what happened and you are spot on. Tell DR he's not doing something right - or even that Sockers could do something differently and your gone or will feel the cold air so badly, that you will leave on your own. This is why no change has really ever happened on the girls side since they pulled out of NISL in 2015 except a TON of good coaches getting beat down and leaving altogether. It's why at least on the girls side the Pre-GA end of the program will continue to diminish and the club will solely focus on recruiting. I mean we used to speak about the consistency of coaching at Sockers as a bedrock - like no other club in the region. They have lost more then any other club in the region over the last 3 years alone - absolutely mind boggling!
I've wondered this as well. I just assumed that it's a money grab. Anyone see that USYS added a wildcard bracket for Regionals? What the hell is that about? Teams who have no business playing in that were invited. What a sham of a league - total janky if you ask me.
Wildcards have been there in past years. The Midwest Regional has 12 state cup winners and 4 "wild cards" - the top 4 teams from the Midwest and Great Lakes conferences combined. I could make the argument that the wild cards are more deserving than many of the state cup winners. In the MWC, you have to work your way up to Premier I over years and then finish in the top 2 over a season. Club v Club does diminish this a little at U15 and up but the top CvC teams are still quality teams.
Thanks for the info on wildcards - while there for a few years I don't agree on it at all. Perhaps they should make changes to State Cup regulations to make sure better teams are competing. As far as CvC... It's garbage in so much that it ruins one of the only decent league (MRL) with relegation and so on. There are many teams in CvC that should not be there at all because USYS decided to make it a "Club" exclusive program instead of team-based as is the case with MRL. There simply is no justification for CvC other then kowtowing to clubs so that they can tell donkey-parents that they have "exclusive access to the top league in youth soccer" Cough(GLSA)Cough. Their 2005 1974 girls would barely make it through qualifiers at this point. USYS and MRL is just as laughable as NPL at this point (on the girls side at least). The only difference is that NISL never had the talent and USYS flushed the whole platform down the toilet for $$$
I do not think it was much different than previous years. If anything it seemed like more girls were playing high school this spring.
I would add - even more then just female coaches, coaches who have kids are often far better coaches at the u-little age groups then those who don't. Frankly if was hiring for that age group - I would not hire any coaches who did not have experience rasing kids.
Gotta say that I am shocked Puri Cup in Rockford this coming weekend is a ghost town! Based on so many folks getting back out there in so many ways, I figured that this - one of the first tourneys of the Summer would be slammed. That said - "getting back out there" may mean that people are taking a good deal of vacations this summer - meaning teams are short and cannot attend. It's not a strong tourney - but typically Rockford draws well from all over. Noticed a tourney in Wisconsin the same weekend - and it looks very light as well.
More news on Arlington Park and the Bears... Wonder is the Richardsons have started looking for a new home? ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — One week after the Chicago Bears submitted a bid to buy Arlington International Racecourse, rumors that the NFL team could one day call Arlington Heights home have reached a feverish pitch. Adding to the speculation was a Tuesday announcement the Bears have reached a multi-year exclusive partnership with Rivers Casino in Des Plaines — among other entities — which is owned by Churchill Downs Inc. The partnership includes Rush Street Interactive, Inc., a Chicago-based gaming company that operates BetRivers.com. The agreement is the Bears' first multi-year exclusive deal in the sportsbook and casino categories, according to a news release from the Bears. It also makes BetRivers the Bears' official sportsbook partner and Rivers Casino the Bears' official casino partner. https://patch.com/illinois/crystall...akingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alert
Who doesn't sell out? Your info has not panned out the last 3 years - you sure you wanna bet me? Bro I've got top men on it - top men!
AP is 326 acres... Why would anything North of NW Hwy be affected? That line of businesses is only a single lot deep. I can't see the homeowners selling their houses without a long legal entanglement.
It is pretty late for tournaments. Most people have checked out by now except teams playing in regionals that cannot participate in a tourney
We'll have too see. As I mentioned earlier - Palatine mayor has met with Arlington Heights mayor and village board about cooperating in order to get the deal done. Realistic I cannot see the Post Office going anywhere but honestly - would you want to live that close to the stadium or get a buy out? I'd say that's a 50/50 call. The entire building that makes up SC and more is so decayed that a buy out value may equate to more then any future sell - could in fact be a good out for the Richardsons if they can invest somewhere else. Question is where? That said the traffic alone will make things a total nightmare for all parties. My guess is that the State may jump in to assist with road re-routes and more.
Several area teams in South Bend for Super Y (WI, IL, Indiana Elite): https://www.sylsoccer.com/schedules (Boys and Girls)
Seems like he was posting a fact about the game. No shame in losing to FC Dallas. They are producing more talent than anyone in this country.
Would never bash any kids. I’m not even bashing Fire. What I am bashing is rankings that were posted here awhile ago. Apologies if that wasn’t clear enough. Fire has top talent. No one argues that…