Paul Riley speaks on DA and ECNL chaos

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Kids don't need to play anymore soccer then they want to. For most kids, soccer will ultimately be recreational not occupational. For most kids, competitive soccer is a dead end. Spending anymore time than they already do playing soccer is probably a waste of time. There is so much more out there for them to experience.

I don't think anyone's suggesting they do. More a point of it is perhaps a cultural issue here. Soccer isn't seen as a realistic occupation whereas else where in the world it is and alongside that the additional hours are put in off the training field watching games, in the yard and park recreating what they saw on TV.

Exactly. It's a cultural thing. Kids that don't really want to play definitely shouldn't be putting more time in. A lot of kids shouldn't be playing at all. I see u10/u11s all the time that beg to not go to practice. I have no idea why parents think there kids that have no interest and ability are going to turn into a star that loves the game.

What I was suggesting is, for the kids that love it and want more, they need to be given the opportunity and encouragement to play more outside of organized activities. Send a couple decent balls to go in the schools recess bin. Have balls around the house with the rule they can dribble but not kick it. encourage these kids to watch high level pro games and skills videos on youtube. I see kids playing pick up basketball at the park all the time hucking up terrible fade aways and emulating Lebron, Dame and Curry. If we are ever going to be a contender on the world stage, we need the kids that love the game to be encouraged to play, unstructured, as much as they want.

I apologize for changing the conversation away from all the @ss talk ;)

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Hey! I was enjoying the @ss talk! But I have to agree that what’s missing is kids going out and playing pickup soccer because they love playing soccer.

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Hey! I was enjoying the @ss talk! But I have to agree that what’s missing is kids going out and playing pickup soccer because they love playing soccer.

There have been many threads on this forum that have beaten the ECNL vs DA dead horse. It was about time one of them turned to the subject of azz.

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I bet you remember the smell of the hair on the back of their neck. A mixture of sticky sweat, Old Spice aftershave and the three dozen raw oysters you fed them down at the Grotto.

Sausage Fest 2020

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Exactly. It's a cultural thing. Kids that don't really want to play definitely shouldn't be putting more time in. A lot of kids shouldn't be playing at all. I see u10/u11s all the time that beg to not go to practice. I have no idea why parents think there kids that have no interest and ability are going to turn into a star that loves the game.

What I was suggesting is, for the kids that love it and want more, they need to be given the opportunity and encouragement to play more outside of organized activities. Send a couple decent balls to go in the schools recess bin. Have balls around the house with the rule they can dribble but not kick it. encourage these kids to watch high level pro games and skills videos on youtube. I see kids playing pick up basketball at the park all the time hucking up terrible fade aways and emulating Lebron, Dame and Curry. If we are ever going to be a contender on the world stage, we need the kids that love the game to be encouraged to play, unstructured, as much as they want.

I apologize for changing the conversation away from all the @ss talk ;)

Even most very good players I know are driven by their parents to do all the extra soccer. By high school, most of them look miserable playing, like it’s a job they must do for their parents. It’s actually very sad.

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Even most very good players I know are driven by their parents to do all the extra soccer. By high school, most of them look miserable playing, like it’s a job they must do for their parents. It’s actually very sad.

It is sad. I'm sure it happens in other sports, but I see it i soccer all the time. I have a kid who is completely obsessed with the game. After every practice he asks to stay and train with one of the older teams and we usually allow him to. I feel bad when I see other parents get on their kids to do the same when their kid obviously doesn't want to. Parents should encourage their kids, but in areas they are truly interested. Even if you have a kid that is great, when competition ramps up as they get older, if they don't love the game, will they have the drive to stay at the top?

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Soccer wire podcast to be released later today:

Big quotes from Paul Riley in our new podcast (coming out later today) on the state of the youth game, including some specific prescriptions for fixing the ECNL vs. DA 'chaos':

“[The DA] wants videographers, nutritionists, they want a psychologist, they want strength and conditioning, you name it they want it. But they don’t talk about training enough for me, they don’t talk about player development enough for me. They seem to be on the outsides. And everything else seems more important, and to me [player development is] the No. 1 priority of everything we should be doing.”

Don't believe a word this guys says. First he loved ECNL. Then claimed he didn't like their practice to game ratio and got his club booted out of ECNL. So he creates a club and gets into DA. Claims DA is all about player development and practice to game ratio. This years tells his players to go play HS soccer and suspensions fly. Loses half his players. Now he's bashing DA because he's getting booted from there and wants ECNL back.
This guy is a liar and cheat and the youth soccer level.
Bottom line, find a club with training you are happy with, and take everything guys like this say with a grain of salt.

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Don't believe a word this guys says. First he loved ECNL. Then claimed he didn't like their practice to game ratio and got his club booted out of ECNL. So he creates a club and gets into DA. Claims DA is all about player development and practice to game ratio. This years tells his players to go play HS soccer and suspensions fly. Loses half his players. Now he's bashing DA because he's getting booted from there and wants ECNL back.
This guy is a liar and cheat and the youth soccer level.
Bottom line, find a club with training you are happy with, and take everything guys like this say with a grain of salt.

He sounds like most DOCs.... they will do and say whatever it takes to put more money in their pockets.

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They took a pounding so you’d think they would remember.

You always remember the men. Even if you try not to.

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Don't believe a word this guys says. First he loved ECNL. Then claimed he didn't like their practice to game ratio and got his club booted out of ECNL. So he creates a club and gets into DA. Claims DA is all about player development and practice to game ratio. This years tells his players to go play HS soccer and suspensions fly. Loses half his players. Now he's bashing DA because he's getting booted from there and wants ECNL back.
This guy is a liar and cheat and the youth soccer level.
Bottom line, find a club with training you are happy with, and take everything guys like this say with a grain of salt.

Is RILEY getting booted from da?

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I bet you remember the smell of the hair on the back of their neck. A mixture of sticky sweat, Old Spice aftershave and the three dozen raw oysters you fed them down at the Grotto.

The good old days.

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Is RILEY getting booted from da?

Yes. Hopefully he stays in NC, He's run out of suckers in NY.

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He sounds like most DOCs.... they will do and say whatever it takes to put more money in their pockets.

And that sums up all of Oregon soccer clubs...

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Is RILEY getting booted from da?

No he isn’t getting the boot as he is leaving voluntarily. I believe he wants to start e new EDP affiliated league at least that’s what I heard. I don’t even know what that is or anything about it

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No he isn’t getting the boot as he is leaving voluntarily. I believe he wants to start e new EDP affiliated league at least that’s what I heard. I don’t even know what that is or anything about it

He absolutely is getting the boot. He was on probation this year after his other club got the boot last year. Then he f'd up getting his players suspended due to playing HS. So he's te,ling people he's pulling out to avoid embarrassment, much like he did when he got booted from ECNL.