Let the fun begin. For those that are travelng to Frisco to watch the u16 age groups it will be a great 2 days of Soccer. Im actually excited to see some of the teams play. Some questions will be- 1) How will the North and East Coast teams look compared to the Academy teams that have been playing for a while. 2) How will the u16 Academy teams that have older 91's on the comparedto some u16 Academy teams that have very few older 91's 3) What scouts will be around and how many D1 coaches will be in attendance. At a quick look some games of intrest. If you watch any of these u16 games please post how they looked. Chicago Magic vs DC United Arsenal vs Vadar Red Bulls vs Michgan Wolves ( Last years National Champs at u15) What other matchups look good?
I wish I was going to be in Frisco to see the U16 CASL vs Arsenal game. I would expect that to be a good one. CASL played the Columbus Crew this past weekend - that was a very entertaining game to watch! CASL came away with a 1-0 win on a nice finish in the first half. They also played Ohio Elite, winning that one 5-0, although that was Ohio's first league game as far as I know.
So I take it that these matches are open to the public? Has anyone found a link for rosters? I found the link below for a nice media guide to the Nike Friendlies, I was hoping they had a similar one for this Showcase. http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/MediaGuideFinal.pdf
Just heard that in presentation at the USYSA convention this past weekend, the USYSA president was told by the Federation that the Academy program will go down to U14 and that there are no plans in the immediate future for a girls' academy program. Anyone hear anything similar?
Very smart to go down to U14. They should do it from U14 through U18. If true, sad that there would be no girls' program.
I'm not so certain. The age effect for boys is very pronounced there. The year my son did ODP, OK I guess that was U13, the Region took 34 players off the teams formed for the first half of the year for Regional Pool, 0 players formed off the second half. Anybody born from July onwards in an area of 60 million people was shut out. In another Region, a kid who scored 14 goals in Regional competition in 6 matches against State Cup teams, and who was a minor sensation two years later in HS varsity as a freshman in a tough league, didn't make his State ODP team, born too late. So I'd be a bit worried about tracking too early with boys at U14. I do not believe that the coaches, by and large, can distinguish between kids who succeed by being older/more developed, and kids who can play but who are behind physically. In fact, I would say they tend to downplay accomplishments by younger players who succeed through skills & tactics -- the items that count most for the long term -- as opposed to succeeding through physical overmatches. Because they think that the athletic superiority is what counts for the long term, although often it is only temporary. And if the response is, get better coaches, hey this is what we have right now.
Given the whole calendar year vs. school year difference, when you say U14 what do you mean? Since this year U16's can have a birth date of 1/1/91 (this session), would the equivalent for U14 be a birth date of 1/1/93 (realizing it's not in place this year)? And would it be just one more team added so that the Academy would be U18 (this years '89) U16 (this years '91) U14 ('93 if they had it)
With respect to the Academy games in Frisco this weekend, people should have realistic expectations for the Magic/Wind u-16 team. The team is young(almost all late-1991 and 1992 birthdays), has a number of new players as well as a new coach. The team has been unable to practice outdoors and has yet to play a game. The Frisco tournament will be the kids first games together and also the first time most of these kids have played outdoors since October. They will be at a big disadvantage relative to teams that have been together for a while, particularly those teams who reside in friendlier climates.
bcboy, I believe that several of the academy teams are in the same boat. It looks like there are at least a few of the academy teams that this will be their first competition as an academy team. I know Cal Odyssey has a completely new group that have never played a competitive match together outside of maybe 3 or 4 boys that have been on the same team in the past. I always thought the academy was about having more training and each match meaning something. Not so much about stacking a bunch of brutes just to win. Hopefully each team is given time to develop before anyone rushes to judgment. Of course this is a discussion forum so I would be totally asking too much.
It is going to be really interesting to see how these teams develop throughout the season. It the case of the Chicago Fire, very few of these boys have played together other than at an ODP event. And Sunday they will walk on the pitch with a total of two indoor scrimmages under their belt. Even a team like Sockers U16, which has a strong core that have played together in the past still has to contend with the melding of the Older 91's (traditional U17) with the younger 91's/92s (traditional U16). Its going to great to watch them progress.
Don't worry. You'd be surprised at some of the out of state teams we faced when it was their first games. They were so fired up for their first game and the fact they were playing in SoCal, they came out with guns-a-blazing! You watch, your boys will be so excited, the adrenaline will be pumping, and they'll do well. On another note, our manager told us that USSF is holding a dinner at the Embassy Suites for all of the teams that Sunday evening in the Grand Ballroom. Parents can come too for $25. How nice of them. It will be so exciting to have all the boys, the coaches, parents together for a nice dinner and I'm sure a presenation by US Soccer.
us soccer is looking to start u14 in '09. womens side are looking at starting in 09 or 10. but, as per us soccer, anything can change.
While the Chamber of Commerece would no doubt prefer I talk about last weekend (Sunny and 70's both days), this weekend isn't shaping up too well. While today is Sunny with a projected high of 61, it's looking like rain and 40's Saturday and rainy, low 50's on Sunday. Then again, 3 days out the forecast could change multiple times. Stay warm.
In Chicago recently it's been snow, snow, and more snow. Mixed with below 0 wind chills. Watching my son play against great competition on Sunday and Monday in the 50's will be heaven, even if it rains.
John R, I have often agreed with you on this subject but I often focus more on the onset of puberty as the great US Soccer mistake. The early maturers of course getting too much early recognition before the table is level. Here is an article that has to do with swimming but is very interesting. All you have to do is switch the word swimming with Soccer and it makes perfect sense. I'm on the side of waiting till U16 to start making strong weighted judgements on players potential abilities. http://www.swimsaluki.com/library/articles/010201.htm
Weather permitting, I am planning on seeing some of these games. Dress appropriately: 5-Day Forecast Friday Hi 55 Lo 44 Light Showers Saturday Hi 53 Lo 44 T-Storms Sunday Hi 52 Lo 43 Light Showers Monday Hi 58 Lo 34 Mostly Clear Tuesday Hi 62 Lo 35 Partly Cloudy Current Conditions Temp: 45° Dew Point: 37° Humidity: 76% Wind: NNW 12 mph Visibility: 2.5 miles Pressure: 30.22 in. + Sky: Overcast Wind Chill: 39°
Better than today, but still early ... imagine what college basketball rosters would look like they were formed based on the opinions of coaches after watching the HS sophomore seasons. They would have missed MJ, he wasn't on varsity that year. At any rate, I don't to sound pessimistic ... at least at my son's club, I see a lot of later developers in the pool, so there seems to be room for all types. The later-developers might get left out of key games, yes, but they are at least in the hunt, and have the opportunity as they get older to force their way to the front. It's certainly an improvement going from 18 players on a State ODP team to 80ish players per age group for the 4 Academy teams, that opens the door much wider for skilled but physically immature kids. Weather in Dallas looks warm by my standards , but I don't like that T storm on Sunday thing.
And from the NOAA weather desk: Sunday: A 20 percent chance of rain before 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Windy, with a northwest wind between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Monday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. While in Chicago Sunday: Periods of rain before noon, then periods of rain and snow between noon and 3pm, then periods of snow after 3pm. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 37. Breezy, with a east southeast wind 20 to 25 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sunday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 20. Blustery, with a northwest wind around 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Monday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy and blustery, with a high near 21.