PDA Showcase

[Guest]

Soccer Nut,

You make a valid and great point that I will bet you if you surveyed the players themselves you would get a different look into who is at the top of the game and who is not. Now of course you can't weigh their opinion as law because you know if I know there will be HATERS lol sorry but it's just a fact. Even in my days of playing sure I would give you as a player respect but to say that you are better than me....NAWWWW ain't happening lol. Yes this will be my 15th year and counting at PDA and I still have my Junior in HS to go but I tell you even when she leaves for college I am not leaving PDA. PDA is where my kids call there home and has it been a perfect place I would be a fool and hypocrite to say everything has been peachy and clean on their journey. But what I can say is that although it's not perfect.....they call it home and no home is perfect I don't care what you say. No one's house is like the Brady's or Cosby's nope not even close. Although we tend to look at things from a black vs white or minority vs white I feel we put all those "white kids" in a situation that is 100% not fair. Those kids work just as hard and any other minority and what I feel we are creating is reverse racism and to be a successful player who happens to be white people will look at you as you're only there because your mommy and daddy and that is not the case and its sad. Its really sad and not fair to those kids in my opinion and that's why I take the stance I take because I refuse to roll around in that mess and say the color of your skin should be enough to get you a look. HECK NO not in my house.....you deserve a look because you worked your butt off and you CONTINUE to get better and you CONTINUE to WORK HARD and perfect your craft. There are a ton of kids that are getting left out the picture due to the travel of youth soccer. I know at PDA they offer scholarships to any family that needs one. I know this for a fact because and I know they do offer them. The problem is TRAVEL....and I have brought this up to leadership in meetings several times and our hands are tied when it comes to that. Sure you can give families scholarships all you want but if those kids can't get to practice, can't make it to Florida, Cali, Texas etc it really doesn't matter how many kids you let come in on scholarships. Soccer Nut it's important that you don't disappear off the sense once your children are done. I feel it voices like yours and many others on this board that at times gives everyone a time to reflect and sit back and look at real issues as these in this state of soccer and these discussions are real discussion that we all need to talk about and discuss and peel back our skin to the bare-naked of what lies beneath. We speak about journey and as my oldest finished her college career with a lost in the sweet 16 to Duke I said her as she will now prepare to enter the NWSL which in many soccer circle she may be selected high in the first round.....but I said to her that no matter what you do you journey is the same as everyone else in this game. If you had won you would be preparing for the next round as you're not, but the fact that you lost you have the same journey as them and that's to prepare for your next stage and if it the NWSL draft that is great but if its not, that is great also but your journey is no different. I feel as you said earlier that we look at these young kids and we say at the age of age of 8,9, 10, 11 etc years old what these kids are and will be. I remember at a very early age my oldest wasn't select at all for anything and always was put on the outside looking in. Yes she was 13 years old and sure I trust with all these soccer men and women sad.....NOT....lol I would laugh and I still do when I hear the stories or people ask me how my oldest has become what she has and I simply say to them.....well for one she was 12 years old when you made it up in your mind that she wasn't ELITE lol lol. Has she outshined those that she has come through the system with.....nope not at all. Those kids are who they are and mine is who she is and has been but again its NOT WHAT YOU KNOW......ITS WHO YOU KNOW and its who owes who a favor in my opinion.

Eric Harris

Tremendous post. Truth be spoken for all the naysayers and nonbelievers. A lot of people have a lot of hate against PDA and their success thinking it’s all about wealth and pay to play not hard work and earning every opportunity and accolade. How do people think girls from PDA get to top schools like Rutgers, North Carolina, Stanford etc. HARD WORK and PERSEVERANCE!

[Guest]

How many of those are American born?

All but 2

[Guest]

Tremendous post. Truth be spoken for all the naysayers and nonbelievers. A lot of people have a lot of hate against PDA and their success thinking it’s all about wealth and pay to play not hard work and earning every opportunity and accolade. How do people think girls from PDA get to top schools like Rutgers, North Carolina, Stanford etc. HARD WORK and PERSEVERANCE!

Are you now commenting on your own post? Come on.

[Guest]

Sounds like he’s very involved and clearly admits he got his kids where they are bc of his involvement and WHO he knows. Appreciate that transparency. For me the bigger question is what’s the end game? After 15 years your kid gets into draft and makes $30k? That’s where the logical parents and players take a pause. I’m all for it if parent is wealthy and willing to foot the bill for another couple of years. But then they get out and if not the very top (only a handful are) they have a hard time finding proper jobs- even Carli Lloyd has to do sponsored IG posts. It’s sad, but that’s the reality

Okay Derek A. since you are answering your own post lol lol which is pathetic let me explain to you and maybe I can help you as I always have. Soccer owes my kids or my family $0. Just like any other kid I don't care what sport it is I hope that you are playing this game because you LOVE IT and even if you are not getting paid you still play it. Listen for many of us and that goes for you also Derek A. when it's time to hang up the cleats its time and then you move on. If any of my kids or any other kids have the opportunity to continue this game further after college I say go for it because they have their whole lives to work and these time will not last forever. So to make "$30K" in your opinion I say that is a STEAL and to play this game that you love and they pay you......HECK YEAH I say you do it. Don't worry about the money live your life man.....And yes Derek A. I will be at PDA long after my kids are gone. Everyday naw I doubt that but if they need me sure I would do it in a heartbeat. And you are wrong Derek A. unlike you who only wish harm on young kids who you think took a spot from you kids (you're pathetic) and stupid but anyway I cheer for every kid including my own. Yep I support every last one of these young athletes male and female because I remember when I was their ages and how hard things were then and the struggles that these young athletes deal with now and probably 10X worse in today's age with all this social media and the hype of trying to live up to the next best thing. Its tough for these young children but I will say I keep things in perspective Derek A. and I never put the cart before the horse.

Eric Harris

[Guest]

Eric. You have a lot of experience with PDA. I’d like your thoughts on their White and Regional programs. This is a serious question. What do you see them as?

I believe you trying to get me assassinated lol..

Eric Harris

[Guest]

Again not talking about APPLES to APPLES which makes my point with a lot of you. All you are doing is moaning and groaning about PDA because what.......you don't like them. Okay we get that but EDP is a "LEAGUE" not a soccer club/academy as the rest of us. But lets be fair so are you really trying to compare APPLES to APPLES so how about comparing what the ECNL or GA does compared to EDP......you tell me who runs a better tournament.

Eric Harris

PDA is ECNL in NJ so maybe just a different variety of apple eh. Lets be fair, you love PDA because what......you get your ego stroked by having a kid there. PDA can and should do better but you just can't admit that in any way. We can all see the bias even if the mirrors you look into aren't showing it.

[Guest]

He's the only one with enough balls to put his name on the post (including me). He also doesn't put other teams down, people like to twist words and pretend to be outraged just to get some attention, mean while we all post anonymously. He's a very nice guy and does a lot for the club.

Which is why he has a personal spot a pot and parking spot. I mean bathrooms aren't all that modern are they?

[Guest]

Eric. You have a lot of experience with PDA. I’d like your thoughts on their White and Regional programs. This is a serious question. What do you see them as?

But...let me play along to this and this could be a TROLL but hey I am a open book and maybe you are just trying to stir the pot but who knows. Okay in my honest opinion with explanation and you know by now I will get long winded and probably bore the heck out of you. Okay lets go back some 10 years ago with all this. I remember at a time when most clubs had only one team per age group. Yeah remember those days. Maybe you do or don't but I remember it well and at PDA I remember when they first did it and if my memory serves me correctly my oldest daughter's team was the first they made two teams out of and PDA Gunners and PDA Athletica. Now what they sold to us was that the two teams were equal and that they would be split into two equally competitive teams. Mind you this was at U12. I can tell you parents were not happy because they were smart enough to figure that one team had the "stronger" kids on it for the most part. I can remember when they sent our "starting" goalie to Athletica (the second team) in the eyes of most. Well they sent her to that team and I was like "WHAT THE HECK" she is only 13 years old what are they doing? Long story short that young kid ended up not only coming back to the Gunners but help lead them to a National Championship and to go on and have a stellar college career being a NCAA record holder and has appeared in some US National Camps and playing in I thing a World Cup.

So what do I think of the White and Regional Teams, that's quite easy in saying that they serve their purpose and they are needed not just at PDA but at every club. I know some town teams that have A B C D teams like in Middletown, NJ. Those teams are for a reason because kids do develop at different rates. Let's take winning out of it for a second and just think for a moment. Let's say that winning wasn't a means of measurement of success of a program. The White and Regional teams get the same amount of exposure as the Blue teams. Now what parents get pissed at is the the type of exposure their kid is getting. Well this is what I tell most parents and I figured this out a long time ago as many of us have but fair to act on it. Clubs as mine and yours and others have a job. That job is to develop our kids and also give them a platform for them to be seen and give them a platform that they can use to further their soccer career. I can say this not as an opinion but as a fact and my statement is this. PDA has never made one phone call to any colleges for either of my kids and guess what.....its not their job. I don't expect them to do that. That is MY JOB as a parent to use the platform that they have given us exposure to. I can show any of you how that is done as just recently a couple of associates of mine came to me as many have in the past once they knew what I was doing for my kids and other kids in different sports...and doing it FOR FREE because its something so easy to do that I even made templates for kids and family to use. I started both of my kids off in the 7th grade. Yeah its seems young but it's about creating a footprint and a paper trail to say.

PDA's White teams are just as important as their Blue team's as there are players that are on the White team's that should be on the BLUE teams and there are players on the Regional Team that should be on the White team and lets not be so forgiving because I am sure you could make an argument that there are kids on the Blue team that would be better suited for the White team and kids on the White team that would be better suited on the Regional team. In all those cases those are coaches decisions and they are making these decisions off of what they see at the time. Do they get it right most of the time...I would say yes they do but they also get it wrong also. These coaches are human just like us all. What I would say about our teams at PDA is that they give each and every player access to the platform they provide. If you think they are going to call college coaches for every kid then I am sorry that's not the case. I say this to anyone and I say why would you want a coach to do all that. Your kid is the best advocate for themselves and certainly as a parent you are more vested in your kid than any coach out there. Like I said I figured this system out long ago and so far I am batting 1000% with helping parents with this. Nothing I did for them other than show them truth behind all this recruiting stuff. My daughter and I did a podcast well livestream session talking about recruiting and her experience. It was a fun session I will say and of course she was busting my chops but also gave me some praise which was happy to hear lol. Not sure if this answer's all but I see them as valuable as any team we have in our club or any other club for that matter.

Eric Harris

[Guest]

The games started late bc of frost. Teams were notified days before.

You are slow. The games were 20 minutes + later than the updated times. Each game lets a few minutes blead and next thing you know the last game is a half hour later than scheduled. I know since daughter had last game and it was dark already when we got home and we don't live all that far.

[Guest]

Town clubs often provide a more family like atmosphere and are cheaper, without giving up too much on the competitive side. If you compare like for like results Wall is just as good as the CSAs, PSAs etc. bottom line do your research and enjoy the journey!

Wall is just OK but don't get crazy. Maybe at the younger ages but the 06 team can't beat any team with a pulse.

[Guest]

But...let me play along to this and this could be a TROLL but hey I am a open book and maybe you are just trying to stir the pot but who knows. Okay in my honest opinion with explanation and you know by now I will get long winded and probably bore the heck out of you. Okay lets go back some 10 years ago with all this. I remember at a time when most clubs had only one team per age group. Yeah remember those days. Maybe you do or don't but I remember it well and at PDA I remember when they first did it and if my memory serves me correctly my oldest daughter's team was the first they made two teams out of and PDA Gunners and PDA Athletica. Now what they sold to us was that the two teams were equal and that they would be split into two equally competitive teams. Mind you this was at U12. I can tell you parents were not happy because they were smart enough to figure that one team had the "stronger" kids on it for the most part. I can remember when they sent our "starting" goalie to Athletica (the second team) in the eyes of most. Well they sent her to that team and I was like "WHAT THE HECK" she is only 13 years old what are they doing? Long story short that young kid ended up not only coming back to the Gunners but help lead them to a National Championship and to go on and have a stellar college career being a NCAA record holder and has appeared in some US National Camps and playing in I thing a World Cup.

So what do I think of the White and Regional Teams, that's quite easy in saying that they serve their purpose and they are needed not just at PDA but at every club. I know some town teams that have A B C D teams like in Middletown, NJ. Those teams are for a reason because kids do develop at different rates. Let's take winning out of it for a second and just think for a moment. Let's say that winning wasn't a means of measurement of success of a program. The White and Regional teams get the same amount of exposure as the Blue teams. Now what parents get pissed at is the the type of exposure their kid is getting. Well this is what I tell most parents and I figured this out a long time ago as many of us have but fair to act on it. Clubs as mine and yours and others have a job. That job is to develop our kids and also give them a platform for them to be seen and give them a platform that they can use to further their soccer career. I can say this not as an opinion but as a fact and my statement is this. PDA has never made one phone call to any colleges for either of my kids and guess what.....its not their job. I don't expect them to do that. That is MY JOB as a parent to use the platform that they have given us exposure to. I can show any of you how that is done as just recently a couple of associates of mine came to me as many have in the past once they knew what I was doing for my kids and other kids in different sports...and doing it FOR FREE because its something so easy to do that I even made templates for kids and family to use. I started both of my kids off in the 7th grade. Yeah its seems young but it's about creating a footprint and a paper trail to say.

PDA's White teams are just as important as their Blue team's as there are players that are on the White team's that should be on the BLUE teams and there are players on the Regional Team that should be on the White team and lets not be so forgiving because I am sure you could make an argument that there are kids on the Blue team that would be better suited for the White team and kids on the White team that would be better suited on the Regional team. In all those cases those are coaches decisions and they are making these decisions off of what they see at the time. Do they get it right most of the time...I would say yes they do but they also get it wrong also. These coaches are human just like us all. What I would say about our teams at PDA is that they give each and every player access to the platform they provide. If you think they are going to call college coaches for every kid then I am sorry that's not the case. I say this to anyone and I say why would you want a coach to do all that. Your kid is the best advocate for themselves and certainly as a parent you are more vested in your kid than any coach out there. Like I said I figured this system out long ago and so far I am batting 1000% with helping parents with this. Nothing I did for them other than show them truth behind all this recruiting stuff. My daughter and I did a podcast well livestream session talking about recruiting and her experience. It was a fun session I will say and of course she was busting my chops but also gave me some praise which was happy to hear lol. Not sure if this answer's all but I see them as valuable as any team we have in our club or any other club for that matter.

Eric Harris

Beautiful answer

[Guest]

PDA is ECNL in NJ so maybe just a different variety of apple eh. Lets be fair, you love PDA because what......you get your ego stroked by having a kid there. PDA can and should do better but you just can't admit that in any way. We can all see the bias even if the mirrors you look into aren't showing it.

I will tell you I love PDA because of several reasons. One I have met some many life long friend and associates that I would have never expected. I mean I have met some really good families that my kids have grown with and built life lasting relationships. PDA has been a place where my children have learnt and still learning some life lessons and understanding that life isn't always fair so get over yourself and keep moving forward. I myself don't think I could give them that experience because as a parent we all want what's best for our kids all the time and for anyone to say not true.....they just lying in my opinion lol. Sorry but I don't get any special privilege's at PDA than any other member of the club. Now one may think but sorry I don't. People think the coaches are unapproachable etc up at PDA and most clubs I think but I never was raised that way. I was raised you always SPEAK to people and you talk and you say hello.....good bye....can I help you with anything.....etc. Maybe I am old school but its the only reason I say I know a lot of families up at PDA. I love talking to people. I am a people person and I love learning about life and how those life experiences of maybe others can help my life or my families life. Talking in these room I have learned a lot not only about soccer but life and helps me to want to do more when I hear stories of peoples struggles or hate for a place as PDA. Trust me my heart hurts because as a human I do wonder ask if I could do more or if I need to do more. I don't know but I do know that I will always be myself as in Eric Harris and that comes with the good and bad and even if some anonymous person wants to verbally attack me and try to put me down or just get after me lol lol. It's okay and its not. I don't mind it because I know where it come from and I usually know its Derek A. from PDA . But again I am 100% okay with that stuff but again not worrying about and EGO or parking space........my wife drives so I don't even worry about that lol lol. Should PDA be doing better.........HECK YEAH and they are trying to. Maybe not to your liking or maybe they don't even know your beef as I don't even know your beef unless again you are Derek A. posting then again which very well might be the case..then I know your story and I will tell you again...YOU ARE WRONG DUDE!!!! But yes PDA is making strides to do better but so is Match Fit, CSA and STA. I see these clubs doing tremendous things. Are they perfect...HECK NO but they are doing great things for these kids here in NJ/PA and NY. Thats just my opinion but I support them all.

Eric Harris

[Guest]

Wall is just OK but don't get crazy. Maybe at the younger ages but the 06 team can't beat any team with a pulse.

Hey before all this ECNL stuff came about WALL was one of the best clubs in the country and had teams that could compete and beat the likes of PDA at a time. Now you have to be Ol' School kat to know that but I think it was the Wall Wombats.........I think or something like that.

Eric Harris

[Guest]

Hey before all this ECNL stuff came about WALL was one of the best clubs in the country and had teams that could compete and beat the likes of PDA at a time. Now you have to be Ol' School kat to know that but I think it was the Wall Wombats.........I think or something like that.

Eric Harris

I sadly played against Wall in a HS tournament in the early 80's and we even stayed with host families so yes I remember well when there were only a few hotspots of soccer in NJ but man were those spots hot.

Amazing how good some players/teams were just playing with their local neighbors. It didn't cost a fortune and guys still made the national team consistently. Crazy.

[Guest]

I sadly played against Wall in a HS tournament in the early 80's and we even stayed with host families so yes I remember well when there were only a few hotspots of soccer in NJ but man were those spots hot.

Amazing how good some players/teams were just playing with their local neighbors. It didn't cost a fortune and guys still made the national team consistently. Crazy.

I wasn't involved in the soccer scene heavy then as my oldest was only 8 years old but I use always hear well read lol lol on forums. What was the ranking system long time ago.......(I forget) but people use to get pissed every time those rankings came out on the forum lol lol. Was it Youth Soccer Talk (Something like that) but they had a "National Ranking" system back in the day. Boy those was the good ol' days lol lol. I could be wrong but Freehold also had a very good team back in the day Coach by USP soccer at the time Kevin McD. and Frank C.

Eric Harris