Honest question: ECNL vs. ECRL

[Guest]

100% accurate. My D plays on ECRL team. She’s at the top half of her team. Skill wise, she’s top 3. If she were to make an ECNL team I think she would fit in but would be at the bottom and would prob not see the field as much due to her current speed , size and strength. That is why we decided to stay on ECRL team for her right now and see how she developes in a couple of years in her weaker areas.

Interesting...my D played ECRL (I am poster of comment about D choosing to play ECRL nearby instead of traveling to GA club). Compared to the roster of the ECNL team at her club, she would probably have been top 3 in speed and quickness, middle of the pack skill-wise. Decision-making hard to quantify, but she's starting center-mid on her college team, so I assume it's pretty good. The biggest gap that kept her off the ECNL team was her lack of strength (she was a late bloomer physically, didn't reach puberty until 10th grade).

[Guest]

Interesting...my D played ECRL (I am poster of comment about D choosing to play ECRL nearby instead of traveling to GA club). Compared to the roster of the ECNL team at her club, she would probably have been top 3 in speed and quickness, middle of the pack skill-wise. Decision-making hard to quantify, but she's starting center-mid on her college team, so I assume it's pretty good. The biggest gap that kept her off the ECNL team was her lack of strength (she was a late bloomer physically, didn't reach puberty until 10th grade).

Sorry, but this is a bad fake. Top 3 in speed, middle of the pack skill wise and on RL instead of NL? If she for that bill, the NL team takes her in a second obviously and RL is not a mention. But

[Guest]

And look how well these leagues have prepared the youth national teams? Outside of CONCACAF games, they can’t compete. It’s a league designed to get them to college. No club or league are prepping them for international competition. Many are falling short of potential but at least getting a chance for a college degree.

[Guest]

Sorry, but this is a bad fake. Top 3 in speed, middle of the pack skill wise and on RL instead of NL? If she for that bill, the NL team takes her in a second obviously and RL is not a mention. But

She was 4'11" and about 100lbs in 9th grade...and not very strong relative to her peers. She grew to 5'4" and 125lbs by senior year and added another 5lbs of muscle in college. She ran varsity track as a sophomore (insanely, the track coach put her in the high hurdles at her height, and she ended up qualifying for the County Meet of Champions in junior and senior years).

Soccer-wise, she had great speed but didn't have the finishing strength to be an effective forward or wing, which is why they kept her on the RL team. She also wanted to play attacking-mid, and the ECNL team had a YNT player starting at that position, so she stayed on RL for better playing time.

[Guest]

And look how well these leagues have prepared the youth national teams? Outside of CONCACAF games, they can’t compete. It’s a league designed to get them to college. No club or league are prepping them for international competition. Many are falling short of potential but at least getting a chance for a college degree.

One did, but parents didn't want it.

[Guest]

And look how well these leagues have prepared the youth national teams? Outside of CONCACAF games, they can’t compete. It’s a league designed to get them to college. No club or league are prepping them for international competition. Many are falling short of potential but at least getting a chance for a college degree.

Just curious, are you watching the Olympics? How are both the women and mens team doing? Isn’t that international competition? Are you aware the U20’s qualified for the next World Cup?

[Guest]

Just curious, are you watching the Olympics? How are both the women and mens team doing? Isn’t that international competition? Are you aware the U20’s qualified for the next World Cup?

The US does fine internationally, especially given the fact the kids playing soccer here are the lesser athletes. People lousy want to complain. If I was 6’4” 220 instead of 5’’6” 140 I would have played football and basketball instead of soccer like all the best athletes in my high school and college did!!

[Guest]

She was 4'11" and about 100lbs in 9th grade...and not very strong relative to her peers. She grew to 5'4" and 125lbs by senior year and added another 5lbs of muscle in college. She ran varsity track as a sophomore (insanely, the track coach put her in the high hurdles at her height, and she ended up qualifying for the County Meet of Champions in junior and senior years).

Soccer-wise, she had great speed but didn't have the finishing strength to be an effective forward or wing, which is why they kept her on the RL team. She also wanted to play attacking-mid, and the ECNL team had a YNT player starting at that position, so she stayed on RL for better playing time.

This isn’t personal as I’m fairly confident I don’t know the child discussed here, but I deal with so many players and parents who think they are middle of pack skill wise and aren’t at all. If the player isn’t strong enough to finish good chance she is not as skilled as you think. She probably had great dribbling and in ball skills but that’s such a small part of the game. If you don’t have finishing strength, you don’t have crossing strength, crisp passing strength, breaking lines strength, defending strength and so much more. Strength plays such a massive role in soccer and limits the ability of so many players. Parents like to blame the size of their kid, but it’s almost always strength and not size holding them back. Couple this with overly individual training (think futsal all-Stars) and you get kids who often lack understanding and soccer IQ.

[Guest]

It’s funny how many people talked about skilled players in terms of on ball work. Really such a small part of the game as if you can’t find and create space and take space away for opponents who are not very skilled at all. So many kids waste all their time and parents money one individual and 1v1 that they never learn soccer concepts and teamwork.

[Guest]

It’s funny how many people talked about skilled players in terms of on ball work. Really such a small part of the game as if you can’t find and create space and take space away for opponents who are not very skilled at all. So many kids waste all their time and parents money one individual and 1v1 that they never learn soccer concepts and teamwork.

"I make the best dummy run in football!!!"

Seriously, skill is a broad term and you are right, it more often comes down to the technical aspects. But, it can bleed into what you say, would almost falls into the tactical pillar. Not completely, but running around with no intent is just gym class. Understanding the movement and reasons behind it is, as you state, a skill.

[Guest]

Technical abilities are still important for game speed. Meaning being technically sound can make your passes, shots, moves more efficient so you’re not making errant passes and have to chase the ball. Look at Spain - they tire their opponents out by keeping possession. They are not the biggest players but they are technically sound and intense.

[Guest]

This isn’t personal as I’m fairly confident I don’t know the child discussed here, but I deal with so many players and parents who think they are middle of pack skill wise and aren’t at all. If the player isn’t strong enough to finish good chance she is not as skilled as you think. She probably had great dribbling and in ball skills but that’s such a small part of the game. If you don’t have finishing strength, you don’t have crossing strength, crisp passing strength, breaking lines strength, defending strength and so much more. Strength plays such a massive role in soccer and limits the ability of so many players. Parents like to blame the size of their kid, but it’s almost always strength and not size holding them back. Couple this with overly individual training (think futsal all-Stars) and you get kids who often lack understanding and soccer IQ.

So you are not able to separately consider someone's skills vs. their physical strength? Interesting....

[Guest]

This isn’t personal as I’m fairly confident I don’t know the child discussed here, but I deal with so many players and parents who think they are middle of pack skill wise and aren’t at all. If the player isn’t strong enough to finish good chance she is not as skilled as you think. She probably had great dribbling and in ball skills but that’s such a small part of the game. If you don’t have finishing strength, you don’t have crossing strength, crisp passing strength, breaking lines strength, defending strength and so much more. Strength plays such a massive role in soccer and limits the ability of so many players. Parents like to blame the size of their kid, but it’s almost always strength and not size holding them back. Couple this with overly individual training (think futsal all-Stars) and you get kids who often lack understanding and soccer IQ.

I'm the poster you are responding to you. At no point did I ever "blame" the size of my kid...I noted her lack of strength as the thing that kept her from getting a spot on her ECNL team, which doesn't seem to be at odds at all with what you are saying. But one way to be able to evaluate a player's skills vs. their strength is their performance in small-sided games. My D excelled in small-sided games. Quickness, touch, ball-handling/control, awareness, vision, speed of play, on-ball, off-ball, scoring, defense...she was clearly on-par with the majority of players on the ECNL team in her age group (other than the YNT player). Yes, 11v11 has a lot of different requirements, the most important being strength to do all the things you mention...and that was my point...that her lack of strength was the thing that kept her from the ECNL team, not speed or skill (or attitude or coach-ability or whatever). And I'm not "blaming" anything...it just was what it was...a girl who was late to blooming physically which kept her in a tier below the top.

[Guest]

Just curious, are you watching the Olympics? How are both the women and mens team doing? Isn’t that international competition? Are you aware the U20’s qualified for the next World Cup?

Are you watching? Morocco mocking US play. U20 are in semis so qualified but no accomplishment coming from CONCACAF. They may not even win it.

Girls teams are atrocious at YNT. Boys teams have done much outside of a couple of years ago.

Get that check ready for next season. Pay to play preparing everyone for rec ball!

[Guest]

This isn’t personal as I’m fairly confident I don’t know the child discussed here, but I deal with so many players and parents who think they are middle of pack skill wise and aren’t at all. If the player isn’t strong enough to finish good chance she is not as skilled as you think. She probably had great dribbling and in ball skills but that’s such a small part of the game. If you don’t have finishing strength, you don’t have crossing strength, crisp passing strength, breaking lines strength, defending strength and so much more. Strength plays such a massive role in soccer and limits the ability of so many players. Parents like to blame the size of their kid, but it’s almost always strength and not size holding them back. Couple this with overly individual training (think futsal all-Stars) and you get kids who often lack understanding and soccer IQ.

So you are saying that a player can't be skilled without having strength?