Changing Landscapes - Chicagoland

I'd like to share some facts:

There are DA players in Chicagoland who have attended 3-4 college ID camps since January 1, have played friendlies without DA rules, train 4 days a week with matches on weekends so they don't feel the need to seek additional training or games, and have a schedule that was initially created by the DA but the club was allowed to manage that schedule as they saw fit while maintaining the integrity of the league (i.e not scheduling to create an unfair advantage).

There are multi-sport athletes on every team in at least one of the Chicagoland girls DAs.

The federation does not dictate the clubs games model, system or style of play. I've utilized 1-4-3-3, 1-4-1-2-1-2, and 1-3-4-3 personally and have played against 1-3-5-2 this year.

Do you have anything to substantiate this claim?

I mean no disrespect when I say and ask these things, I just want to clarify what is actually fact and what's opinion and/or misinformation. I honestly don't believe you're trying to undermine any club or platform.

 

this is the biggest drawback of the DA to me.... excellent teams out there that you can’t play because they’re not a part of the “club”.
Ironically their charter states “more meaningful matches” but from where I sit I see a lot of “meaningful matches” that will never come to pass, but would be for the greater good of the game if they did...

 

I know rules are for losers... but you'll admit you are breaking the rules as published by USSF, right?
That's not really a knock... I think it is good for your program that you allow your players to go to ID camps, and that you'll play teams outside the league. Sounds like you have a great relationship with the mothership downtown.

Just more than a few years in the stands and in the homes with parents of more than a handful kids that went through the system or are still in it. Different perspective than yours for sure. Seen kids sacrifice a lot to sign their junior year, then kind of dragging through the year and a half left on their DA commitment before heading off to non-P5 soccer assignments... but maybe its worth it to them. Trying not to judge, just seems like a high entry price for a partial scholarship and the opportunity to finally play for something (your school) in front of more than a couple dozen crazy parents.

 

An early March trip to Minnesota to play Salvo can't be what USSF had in mind as 'meaningful matches'. However, I'm pretty sure Salvo will finally have all their high school players back for the spring season so maybe they will be competitive. Use Volk's car rental coupon code and enjoy the 6 hr drive!

 

agree 100% but I have less of an issue with the salvos of the world (Mn should have a DA club in the twin cities and eventually they’ll get there) than I do with the campton United’s being forced to play them when there’s literally 2-3 teams in the area that aren’t DA that would also beat campton 9-0 each game.

granted no system is perfect and I do think the DA is making moves to address those very problems (no matter how poorly handled/executed/driven by mls).


ECNL as I understand it has similar issues and from the perspective of cost, travel, poor competition at times and partial college scholarships they’re in a similar boat no?

To me what’s most important is to have your kid who loves a sport and wants to push themselves to be in the best environment you can possibly put them in. To be around kids who are soccer obsessed, an environment that motivates them to want to be better and to have great travel experiences with teammates that sometimes become very close friends.
Until we have a utopian model that supplants our current pay two play system I don’t think you can do better.... IF you find that ideal environment/club that works for you and your kid and makes them better (on/off field) than had they not gone to that club in the first place. And DA or the first team are not pre-requisites for this type of outcome (again if you’ve found the right place/team/etc)

 

legal just told me to add the following qualifier lest Volk sends me another Kool-Aid gif

“even when one finds their ideal environment warts will still emerge, you’ll find yourself saying “wtf” under your breathe on several occasions and there will be plenty of setbacks and not fun challenges and people that your kids will have to deal with. In short nothing is remotely perfect.”

 

Very similar issues, and in these parts some extra special issues. But it is a more flexible system.
Nothing is perfect, that's for sure.

 

Spot on !
Could not agree with you more - exceptionally high entry price to be "on" a college roster and eventually maybe finally get to play for something (your school) by the time you are 19.

Until the GDA confronts and solves this issue - ECNL will continue to be an attractive similar platform offering identical competition in a more user friendly schedule for girls and continue to dilute and spread the talent pool.

But not likely to happen anytime soon - the federation originally set the DA up for the men/boys pathway - and wrongly assume that the GDA will neatly fit into that package - which it doesn't - but the federation would need to look at GDA outcomes and care which I have not seen evidence of.

 

Great, but you did not address the DA sub rules. My understanding is they were put in place to prepare players (a fractional number of players, that is) for international play on youth national teams. Yet I would imagine nearly all BNT and GNT players are used to playing 90 min in most matches for their DA club teams because, well, they are the best players on their teams. The best players in ECNL and USYS usually play 90 too. So how exactly do the DA sub rules do anything but squeeze playing time away from players not in the top 11, or even the top 6? And, at the very least, DA could drop the sub rules for college showcases, but they don't. And if a player finds himself or herself on a YNT, and they have to come off the bench in the 70th minute or later, I think the player can figure out the situation even if they are not used to coming off the bench: "we need the equalizer, I have fresh legs, I need to make something happen."

 

So this sacrifice is specifically caused by USSF DA? There is no sacrifice for ECNL or USYS players that want to play college? I personally have not seen any players "Dragging through" their senior years paying some unknown price to play DA. In all Leagues (ECNL, USYS, DA) kids are playing their senior year because they want to. If you have seen kids unwillingly playing I think you should be looking at their parents and not USSF.

 

Although I have been disagreeable the last few posts I'll comment that I totally agree with this. The sub rule is too restrictive. As MarkM said, YNT level players are usually playing 90 minutes regardless of rules or leagues. There is no reason to be this limited with clubs / coaches flexibility around subbing. Use the ECNL subbing rules to keep things to a minimum (no 'Hockey line" subbing) but still allow coaches flexibility. I suspect some coaches would still run subbing the same way but more flexibility should be given.

 

Plenty of sacrifices must be made if you want to play in college, very familiar with it.

If your player loves the GDA format, go for it, I'm happy for you. I'm just emphasizing, as you just did in your comment about subbing rules, that some of their rules are overly restrictive and don't help the development of most players.

Their league and rules and apparently now their camp invites, were intentionally set up to herd the unicorns into one pen.

A solid club and great coaches can offset any of the structural problems, and to be sure the quality of the local club and coaching is the biggest factor to consider. Being granted a GDA badge doesn't magically make clubs and coaches any better, same with ECNL. Having those badges should make clubs and coaches more accountable... unfortunately, in practice, it seems to make them less accountable.

 

[Just more than a few years in the stands and in the homes with parents of more than a handful kids that went through the system or are still in it. Different perspective than yours for sure. Seen kids sacrifice a lot to sign their junior year, then kind of dragging through the year and a half left on their DA commitment before heading off to non-P5 soccer assignments... but maybe its worth it to them. Trying not to judge, just seems like a high entry price for a partial scholarship and the opportunity to finally play for something (your school) in front of more than a couple dozen crazy parents.[/QUOTE]


Kudos to GDA Coach Rudy for being transparent with his identity.

I'm certain there are other coaches (perhaps even DA) posting or reading here anonymously. I would suggest to the GDA coaches and directors that they are in a unique position to strengthen the structure of the product being offered to the GDA players by the USSF -
the vehicle is to let USSF know what your players think of the restrictions.

Unique concept - I know - ask the players what they think - but it could be powerful and a way to wake up USSF about the needs of their client base which is critical if they want to be the top dog.

Questioning the players would obviously have to be done anonymously to get an accurate read (many might fear losing their spots if they openly admitted they would like to participate in sports or school activities other than the DA product yet still continue in DA) perhaps targeted questions through a survey format addressing many of the issues presented here.

I wonder what percentage of the GDA will say yes to the question "Would you participate in a sport or activity through your school if the GDA allowed you to take a break with re-entry to do so". I bet coaches and clubs would learn that over 90% of your players would answer yes. Take that to USSF - see if they really do put the players first.

There is room for that flexibility for periods of 8 to 10 weeks per DA season to suit the various players needs. Especially when the rosters on many of these Chicago GDA teams are upwards of 22 per age group.

 

Depends on the quality of player in both cases

 

Would love to hear more about your experience with this.
Would also like to hear others experience with same or trying alternative paths after club career.
Thx

 

You are correct, and some high school coaches also love making club tryout season as difficult as possible. HS soccer isn't a bowl of cherries either. The schedule can be brutal and players need to really listen to their bodies. For many kids the social aspect (more important for girls than boys) is really important and worth the physical toll.

It is really unfortunate that the IL HS season is out of sync with NCAA... there are a lot of id camps that happen right in the middle of the state hs schedule. Would be much easier if our state was in line with the NCAA fall season, and club season occurred while colleges are actually doing the bulk of their recruiting.

 

Curious then how past players who list GDA and HS on their college "resumes" were able to get around IHSA bylaw regarding independent team participation?

 

"SOCIAL" is a grossly misapplied term used by mostly male coaches to attempt to explain why these HS female athletes desire to participate on their high school team - and diminishes what these athletes give up to play GDA.

What they give up is the opportunity to play the sport they excell at in front of their high school peers wearing their school uniform. To show their adolescent peers that they are exceptional at something. To do this in their home school stadium often filled with more than just the 10 parents who drove them to the GDA game.

This experience of playing for your school cannot be replicated - this is what they give up...
Unless these GDA girls get to the college level - and then ONLY IF they are lucky enough to actually step off the bench of that 30 person college roster MIGHT they have another opportunity to play for their school. So guys is not just about DD wanting to hang with her other girlfriends after school.