Gal

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That PDA team had just won the ECNL National championship. They were very well prepared.

ECNL National Championships are in July. PDA vs. Barcelona was in December. Many PDA players play high school soccer from Aug-Nov, so doubtful PDA was well-prepared for a game in December.

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So, because the Barca girls weren't trying to ram it down PDA throat they don't have individual ball skills? I would wager to guess that these girls have just as good if not better ball skills. If anything, the Barca girls don't have a single player used as a blunt instrument for attack and don't have the me me me attitude that is so dominant in the US.

It is a factor of what you do in training and games for development. It's very clear that Barca focuses its training on game model, possession tactics, etc, and then employ those things in games. On the other hand, PDA probably focuses more on on-ball skills and passing thru lines, winning 1v1s, etc.. Yes, Barca probably spends some time training skills, and yes, PDA probably spends some time on ball movement/possession. But there are only so many training hours in a week, and inevitably players in each system will be more proficient at the things they are coached to focus on. So to answer your question, yes, it's likely the Barca player do not have the same level of on-ball skills that the PDA players have. Whether you think that is a bad thing or an irrelevant thing depends on what style of soccer you like.

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https://***********/yxghcuru

Netherlands might have lost on the scoreboard this time but they won in time of possession 62%, Passes 558 to 331 and Passing Accuracy 77% to 70%. You can't lose those and expect to be dominate for long.

athletic teams can dominate without the ball.

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I have seen average players, through shear will, turn into respectable starters and I've seen athletic players turn into over weight slobs by being sloths. Athleticism is great and all but with out actual training, guidance and determination it doesn't mean sh*t.

Again, why are you bringing up slacking in training? The questions being asked here are about skills and styles of play. You can't say one style is better than the other because one style works harder than the other. Assume that everyone is training hard.

I agree with the other post that says there is a ceiling to how fast/strong/athletic a player can train to be. If hard work was all it took, Rudy would have been a starter at Notre Dame.

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It is a factor of what you do in training and games for development. It's very clear that Barca focuses its training on game model, possession tactics, etc, and then employ those things in games. On the other hand, PDA probably focuses more on on-ball skills and passing thru lines, winning 1v1s, etc.. Yes, Barca probably spends some time training skills, and yes, PDA probably spends some time on ball movement/possession. But there are only so many training hours in a week, and inevitably players in each system will be more proficient at the things they are coached to focus on. So to answer your question, yes, it's likely the Barca player do not have the same level of on-ball skills that the PDA players have. Whether you think that is a bad thing or an irrelevant thing depends on what style of soccer you like.

Obviously you don't know much about how the European Academies train vs American. In America, kids go to school and train at their academy or club 2 or 3 days a week for an hour or hour and a half per session. In Europe, the Academy is their school, they train early in the morning daily and in the afternoon. While Americans are getting 4-6hrs of training Europeans are getting 10-20hrs. If you've ever had a chance to play the kids 1v1 or in a pick up game you'd see real quick they are on another level.

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Obviously you don't know much about how the European Academies train vs American. In America, kids go to school and train at their academy or club 2 or 3 days a week for an hour or hour and a half per session. In Europe, the Academy is their school, they train early in the morning daily and in the afternoon. While Americans are getting 4-6hrs of training Europeans are getting 10-20hrs. If you've ever had a chance to play the kids 1v1 or in a pick up game you'd see real quick they are on another level.

Ok, so then why is it so bad that PDA lost to Barca? Barca obviously training much more than PDA. Barca should be winning games against US clubs by 5-6 goals every time.

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Ok, so then why is it so bad that PDA lost to Barca? Barca obviously training much more than PDA. Barca should be winning games against US clubs by 5-6 goals every time.

Because I hate PDA! I thought my kid would finally get a shot at being the best in GDA but now it's just GAL and it sucks :(

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Because I hate PDA! I thought my kid would finally get a shot at being the best in GDA but now it's just GAL and it sucks :(

You ain’t kidding brother, this GAL thing has been a debacle. PDA south is stealing players from our club now that they have ECNL while we play the likes of CSA, Ukies etc....might have to join them if you can’t beat them.

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Ok, so then why is it so bad that PDA lost to Barca? Barca obviously training much more than PDA. Barca should be winning games against US clubs by 5-6 goals every time.

Sure, because thats how the game works. SMH

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Ok, so then why is it so bad that PDA lost to Barca? Barca obviously training much more than PDA. Barca should be winning games against US clubs by 5-6 goals every time.

that's why the tournament requested for barca to send a u14 team to play in a u15 bracket.

they couldnt win by 5-6 because literally each girl was 2-3 inches taller and 10 lb heavier on average

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that's why the tournament requested for barca to send a u14 team to play in a u15 bracket.

they couldnt win by 5-6 because literally each girl was 2-3 inches taller and 10 lb heavier on average

Why is height and weight a factor? If you play a possession-style game, height and weight shouldn't matter.

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Why is height and weight a factor? If you play a possession-style game, height and weight shouldn't matter.

I think there is a trend to have taller and stronger players everything else being equal. If you are playing possession style you might still pick the taller and stronger kids. There are certainly plenty of exceptional players that are below average in height and weight. But as the cream rises to the top sometimes it is a differentiator. Certainly helps in set pieces and when the game is physical. Definitely quicker and smaller players can succeed but sometimes can get bodied off the ball. I have seen in NJ that many of the top teams are taller and stronger as they get into high school than their competition. Before the full sized field I think it really doesn't matter that much. My D plays on a small fast and aggressive team, they do well against most teams until they play a taller team. As they have aged they have definitely lost the edge they once had to larger less skilled players and teams. I have seen arguments regarding synapses firing faster to legs....but also know stride length matters as well.

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I think there is a trend to have taller and stronger players everything else being equal. If you are playing possession style you might still pick the taller and stronger kids. There are certainly plenty of exceptional players that are below average in height and weight. But as the cream rises to the top sometimes it is a differentiator. Certainly helps in set pieces and when the game is physical. Definitely quicker and smaller players can succeed but sometimes can get bodied off the ball. I have seen in NJ that many of the top teams are taller and stronger as they get into high school than their competition. Before the full sized field I think it really doesn't matter that much. My D plays on a small fast and aggressive team, they do well against most teams until they play a taller team. As they have aged they have definitely lost the edge they once had to larger less skilled players and teams. I have seen arguments regarding synapses firing faster to legs....but also know stride length matters as well.

Except all things are never equal. None of this has to do with cream rising to the top. It reflects the focus on winning games from a very early age. Remember, it is easier to destroy than create.

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I think there is a trend to have taller and stronger players everything else being equal. If you are playing possession style you might still pick the taller and stronger kids. There are certainly plenty of exceptional players that are below average in height and weight. But as the cream rises to the top sometimes it is a differentiator. Certainly helps in set pieces and when the game is physical. Definitely quicker and smaller players can succeed but sometimes can get bodied off the ball. I have seen in NJ that many of the top teams are taller and stronger as they get into high school than their competition. Before the full sized field I think it really doesn't matter that much. My D plays on a small fast and aggressive team, they do well against most teams until they play a taller team. As they have aged they have definitely lost the edge they once had to larger less skilled players and teams. I have seen arguments regarding synapses firing faster to legs....but also know stride length matters as well.

Again, we are talking about the PDA-Barca game, and someone has suggested that despite a huge advantage in the amount of training they do (3x the volume of training apparently), Barca would have trouble beating PDA and other US clubs because they are smaller in terms of height and weight resulting from being 1 year younger. And on top of that, Barca plays a possession-style game that relies on ball movement, player-movement off the ball, good spacing/shape and passes that don't go through lines that would require 1v1 battling. I will say that in the absence of 1v1 battling, height and weight becomes less of a factor.

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Anyone remember the North Koreans dominating our U20s with the Cruyff style of play? We had far better athletes and they made us look silly.