2014-2015 Boys U12 Best Teams

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And your kid is one of those two?

No, you DOPE!

My son has played against them over the last 4 years. Having coached at the high school level, it is not that hard to see the talent and the drive.

Why is it so hard for you to recognize that one of the best teams in MA has some standouts that have the potential of going D1? Do you think they would be at the top of the list of teams without a couple of candidates?

I have not seen a couple of the other top teams in MA but I am sure they have at least one per team that is "going" D1.

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drive, ambition and fun (some genetics) =god given talent

The Valeo U12 team has several players with God given natural talent. A gift if you will. the majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides. i am a parent of one of them, and he's a fantastic player himself who plays with team mates of equal ability. I don not know of many teams that play like them, granted I have not seen many teams play, but they are the best I have seen so far.They will only get better if that is even possible. BTW, i see at least 4 players going pro, either in MLS or even in Europe and I am not exagerating on this. I am happy for my son and his mates.

- what drives accelerated growth ? - ("Mindset"/Dweck, "Bounce"/Syed, "Sports Gene"/Epstein, "Champions Mind"/Afremow) - (not deity related but) drive, ambition, personal motivation for growth and super fun cohorts to up the competitive atmosphere as well as create coherence and a will to excel. A group of hard-working, disciplined achievers continue to challenge themselves and each other enabling them to reach great heights physically and mentally. If this can continue to be fostered along with the outstanding coaching, they can achieve as much as the Williams sisters et al. The only question- is can this be sustained?

"Even amongst the most elite performers, certain athletes stand out as a cut above the rest, able to outperform in clutch, game-deciding moments. These athletes prove that raw athletic ability doesn’t necessarily translate to a superior on-field experience—it’s the mental game that matters most.
Sports participation—from the recreational to the collegiate Division I level—is at an all-time high. While the caliber of their game may differ, athletes at every level have one thing in common: they want to excel. " .. the champions mind

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The Valeo U12 team has several players with God given natural talent. A gift if you will. the majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides. i am a parent of one of them, and he's a fantastic player himself who plays with team mates of equal ability. I don not know of many teams that play like them, granted I have not seen many teams play, but they are the best I have seen so far.They will only get better if that is even possible. BTW, i see at least 4 players going pro, either in MLS or even in Europe and I am not exagerating on this. I am happy for my son and his mates.

I bring you exhibit A:
"the majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides"

Let's break it down:
"The Valeo U12 team has several players with God given natural talent. A gift if you will." - Being tall is a gift, soccer is an accumulation of learned skills.
"The majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides." - Majority = more than half... so nine D1 full rides seven years from now on the roster? Whole starting team, maybe?
"I am a parent of one of them, and he's a fantastic player himself who plays with team mates of equal ability." - Anyone else have questions if this is a healthy parent-athlete relationship?
"I don not know of many teams that play like them, granted I have not seen many teams play, but they are the best I have seen so far." - I'm sure this guy's kid didn't start playing a month ago, however, this version of this U12 Valeo team has played only eleven games.
"They will only get better if that is even possible." - Do you doubt that they can continue to improve? That's an odd twist on the strong belief in player development. Are you suggesting they are D1-ready right now?
"BTW, i see at least 4 players going pro, either in MLS or even in Europe and I am not exagerating on this." - This comment laughs at itself.


This may actually be the best single post I've seen here.

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No one is saying the majority of the team. And regardless of whether it is this team or another team, there are clearly a couple of kids that are D1 potentials. At 12/13, in most sports you can start seeing who is going to play beyond high school.

why is playing D1 soccer some "holy grail". does D1 soccer = full ride. I am asking because I don't know. Do all the schools below give a full ride to play soccer?

Top 5 DI Soccer (men's)
North Carolina
UCLA
Creighton
New Mexico
Notre Dame

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I bring you exhibit A:
"the majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides"

Let's break it down:
"The Valeo U12 team has several players with God given natural talent. A gift if you will." - Being tall is a gift, soccer is an accumulation of learned skills.
"The majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides." - Majority = more than half... so nine D1 full rides seven years from now on the roster? Whole starting team, maybe?
"I am a parent of one of them, and he's a fantastic player himself who plays with team mates of equal ability." - Anyone else have questions if this is a healthy parent-athlete relationship?
"I don not know of many teams that play like them, granted I have not seen many teams play, but they are the best I have seen so far." - I'm sure this guy's kid didn't start playing a month ago, however, this version of this U12 Valeo team has played only eleven games.
"They will only get better if that is even possible." - Do you doubt that they can continue to improve? That's an odd twist on the strong belief in player development. Are you suggesting they are D1-ready right now?
"BTW, i see at least 4 players going pro, either in MLS or even in Europe and I am not exagerating on this." - This comment laughs at itself.


This may actually be the best single post I've seen here.

The team is a merge of NU and Valeo. Both had a tie with WUP and NEFC in March as separate teams. From here, of course one would see that the V team gained strength and talent that tryouts could never achieve from a merger. They'll have a good year. But after that, who knows. Growth spurts may affect such a small boned team.

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Problem is.... the team really has nothing to do with your child. The team CAN win without your your son significantly contributing.

If Valeo was playing easy games in NEP against weak teams that might be true but they are playing over a dozen highly competitive games this fall, B level effort by several starters and they lose. That will happen at some point.

It's apparent that several of the angry clueless dads simply don't understand the concept of competition, both within practice and in games, in the development process. Your son plays against much weaker teams, much slower pace, much less challenged but...he will catch up soon enough playing and practicing less! Ok. You should really read a basic text on development.

[Unregistered]

The team is a merge of NU and Valeo. Both had a tie with WUP and NEFC in March as separate teams. From here, of course one would see that the V team gained strength and talent that tryouts could never achieve from a merger. They'll have a good year. But after that, who knows. Growth spurts may affect such a small boned team.

I make no judgment about the team or it's players. I'm sure they work hard and are very talented. I honestly hope I stumble on them sometime so I can see it all in action.

My discussion of that unbelievably confident post about kids playing in Europe was regarding the over-the-top views of parents when their U12 team has some success.

For argument's sake, let's say the team had lost the PA tourney final 5-1 and tied one of the MAPLE games they've played so far. Are the kids still going to play in Europe then? Couldn't a kid who is the unquestioned star of a less successful club team be a better player than kids on the winningest club team?

Winning does not necessarily equal individual success, especially at this age, where a well-learned system can succeed over a less-organized team of equal or greater ability.

[Unregistered]

If Valeo was playing easy games in NEP against weak teams that might be true but they are playing over a dozen highly competitive games this fall, B level effort by several starters and they lose. That will happen at some point.

It's apparent that several of the angry clueless dads simply don't understand the concept of competition, both within practice and in games, in the development process. Your son plays against much weaker teams, much slower pace, much less challenged but...he will catch up soon enough playing and practicing less! Ok. You should really read a basic text on development.

yes... now i get it... thanks for helping out.... we are the ignorant ones, NOT you. I plan on taking in one of those "highly competitive games"

[Unregistered]

D1 scholarship = $5-9K max

I bring you exhibit A:
"the majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides"

Let's break it down:
"The Valeo U12 team has several players with God given natural talent. A gift if you will." - Being tall is a gift, soccer is an accumulation of learned skills.
"The majority of these boys will without a doubt play Division 1 soccer and be given full rides." - Majority = more than half... so nine D1 full rides seven years from now on the roster? Whole starting team, maybe?
"I am a parent of one of them, and he's a fantastic player himself who plays with team mates of equal ability." - Anyone else have questions if this is a healthy parent-athlete relationship?
"I don not know of many teams that play like them, granted I have not seen many teams play, but they are the best I have seen so far." - I'm sure this guy's kid didn't start playing a month ago, however, this version of this U12 Valeo team has played only eleven games.
"They will only get better if that is even possible." - Do you doubt that they can continue to improve? That's an odd twist on the strong belief in player development. Are you suggesting they are D1-ready right now?
"BTW, i see at least 4 players going pro, either in MLS or even in Europe and I am not exagerating on this." - This comment laughs at itself.


This may actually be the best single post I've seen here.

Agreed!
FYI No D1 mens soccer gives full rides. $5-9k at best. If these parents are counting on full rides, they need to invest in a different sport or get sex change operations for their kid

[Unregistered]

Agreed!
FYI No D1 mens soccer gives full rides. $5-9k at best. If these parents are counting on full rides, they need to invest in a different sport or get sex change operations for their kid

If those are the numbers, it changes EVERYTHING. It is probably best to focus on classroom activities.

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Agreed!
FYI No D1 mens soccer gives full rides. $5-9k at best. If these parents are counting on full rides, they need to invest in a different sport or get sex change operations for their kid

Wrong. Women's 14 and Men's 9.9 total full rides which can be shared. Plus merit and financial need based scholarships to get around limit.

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Wrong. Women's 14 and Men's 9.9 total full rides which can be shared. Plus merit and financial need based scholarships to get around limit.

Everybody MUST earn straight A's or they are benched.

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Wrong. Women's 14 and Men's 9.9 total full rides which can be shared. Plus merit and financial need based scholarships to get around limit.

Somebody thinks they've done their homework.
Those are likely the maximum allowable scholarships, and not nearly every school gives them. And I also doubt that's per year, rather how many they can have rostered at one time (who needs 40 full-ride soccer players?).

So - two per year per school... max.

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Somebody thinks they've done their homework.
Those are likely the maximum allowable scholarships, and not nearly every school gives them. And I also doubt that's per year, rather how many they can have rostered at one time (who needs 40 full-ride soccer players?).

So - two per year per school... max.

'Total' not per year so you don't have to doubt or guess. It's all easy to find if you know how to use Google which apparently you didn't before spouting innacurate information. So "two per year...max" suggests you were pretty lazy. The scholarships can and are divided up, approximately 45 percent average which means your $5-9k post was way off. There are many ways around these limits, other financial support is available. It's not free but if your child is good enough to play college soccer it's not insignificant either.

[Unregistered]

'Total' not per year so you don't have to doubt or guess. It's all easy to find if you know how to use Google which apparently you didn't before spouting innacurate information. So "two per year...max" suggests you were pretty lazy. The scholarships can and are divided up, approximately 45 percent average which means your $5-9k post was way off. There are many ways around these limits, other financial support is available. It's not free but if your child is good enough to play college soccer it's not insignificant either.

From your source...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_I_(NCAA)#Overview

D1 Scholarships PER TEAM (not per year)... 9.9 for D1 mens' soccer. Not every D1 school gives athletic scholarships for mens' soccer. (And if you think I'm wrong, the football number of 85 per TEAM is also correct. D1 football teams don't carry 380 players.)

If you give 9.9 full rides to a team in year one, you can't give any in years two through four.
So to repeat myself... an average of 2.4 full rides per year, per school, max.

2.4 full rides x 204 total teams = ~280 full-rides per year in all of D1... max.