SuperLiga Goal Differential Policy

[Unregistered]

Jurgen Klinsmann named the USMNT coach. Here is a interesting quote from his bio "As a 9-year old striker he scored 106 goals in one season with a record 16 goals in one game during a 20-0 win against the town of SV Aichelberg." Here is an accomplished international soccer player who best memories is one that he scored a lot of goals as a 9 years. This says a lot about SuperLiga policy and in fact US Youth Soccer.

[Unregistered]

Jurgen Klinsmann named the USMNT coach. Here is a interesting quote from his bio "As a 9-year old striker he scored 106 goals in one season with a record 16 goals in one game during a 20-0 win against the town of SV Aichelberg." Here is an accomplished international soccer player who best memories is one that he scored a lot of goals as a 9 years. This says a lot about SuperLiga policy and in fact US Youth Soccer.

I've been trying to track that little bugger down for years. Thanks for sending this worthwhile info.

[Unregistered]

Nice quote..this has been the subject on some other threads as well as a point in the MASS thread on why US does not produce top players.

Landon Donovan stated he scored a bunch of goals when he was taken to play soccer and got him excited to play. I think Abby Wambach stated she scored 27 goals in first 3 games so they moved her to the boys team.

I think the larger point is not 1 kid scoring a bunch of goals; but when you get up 5 or 6 goals, you have to switch the mentality of the team. Your second tier players or your defenders/goal keeper don't get the chance to score..or you can't have your top forwards/mf perhaps trying some more creative things on the field that they might be reluctant to do in a tight match. One of the emphasis in the new US soccer curriculum is finishing, yet we de-emphasize it in the youth game until the kids become older and then lament how we lack creativity and finishing in the attacking third. Even at the more competitive tournaments, winning by too much causes you to be penalized in "sportsmanship" points.

Clearly, at some point it becomes counter-productive to have a lopsided match, not sure personally it's at 6 goals. The current SL rule forces you to go into keep away mode. Also, the incentive in SL is not to go overboard in placing teams correctly (even the basic rules like 4 teams must have 1 anchor get waived) nor have restrictions (such as preventing a team with majority 2d year in an age group from playing in blue/rhody -- like you see the B-G and Chariho/Westerlys do).

Maybe it's mercy rule and then the match officially ends and becomes a scrimmage so you can play with different rules like adding more players or taking off players like in indoor.

[Unregistered]

maybe if some of the coaches in superliga put there team in the appropriate div. instead of playing down to win you would see better consistency in the play and scores. To many coaches are afraid to challenge there team with tougher play in order to stroke the ego of themselves and the parents of the team.Not to mention SL does not have in place any rules to force said teams to play the higher div. and allows them to continuosly stomp on everyone year after year and to boot it is the same associations doing this. Time for some changes instead of riding the financial tide superliga brings.

[Unregistered]

Nice quote..this has been the subject on some other threads as well as a point in the MASS thread on why US does not produce top players.

Landon Donovan stated he scored a bunch of goals when he was taken to play soccer and got him excited to play. I think Abby Wambach stated she scored 27 goals in first 3 games so they moved her to the boys team.

I think the larger point is not 1 kid scoring a bunch of goals; but when you get up 5 or 6 goals, you have to switch the mentality of the team. Your second tier players or your defenders/goal keeper don't get the chance to score..or you can't have your top forwards/mf perhaps trying some more creative things on the field that they might be reluctant to do in a tight match. One of the emphasis in the new US soccer curriculum is finishing, yet we de-emphasize it in the youth game until the kids become older and then lament how we lack creativity and finishing in the attacking third. Even at the more competitive tournaments, winning by too much causes you to be penalized in "sportsmanship" points.

Clearly, at some point it becomes counter-productive to have a lopsided match, not sure personally it's at 6 goals. The current SL rule forces you to go into keep away mode. Also, the incentive in SL is not to go overboard in placing teams correctly (even the basic rules like 4 teams must have 1 anchor get waived) nor have restrictions (such as preventing a team with majority 2d year in an age group from playing in blue/rhody -- like you see the B-G and Chariho/Westerlys do).

Maybe it's mercy rule and then the match officially ends and becomes a scrimmage so you can play with different rules like adding more players or taking off players like in indoor.

I think you are missing to point. They got excited because they were scoring alot of goals. In SL, a team get penalize for scoring over 6 goals so what happen is the kids lose interest in the game. Look as a coach your job is to teach your kids to score and defense and allow them to be as creative as they can. Once you tell them hey you can't score anymore because we will get in trouble with SL the team play a passive game which don't allow players to be creative. American youth soccer is too passive that is while kids don't learn.We get award for losing the game and get awrd fot winning the game. Trying to grow the game does not mean you have to sacrifice the development of creative offense soccer. When the other team scores alot of goals don't blame the kids but the coach for not teaching the players to play soccer the right way. This is the reason why American have a terrible time of finishing goal opportunities.

[Unregistered]

Kind of what I was saying..although can't always fault the opposing team if teams are misplaced in the league.

Agree with other poster..can't count on some coaches and associations to do the right thing..SRI will have a community rule and SL a premier player limit rule that inhibit higher level competition, but no rules about ensuring correct placement. EG and Coventry can put 2 teams in Anchor, but Barrington which has 5 teams in both U12 Boys/Girls..and not one in anchor? Westerly has 2 teams in U12B..and only in classic blue/rhody?

How about some simple rule that rhody/classic blue teams can not have more than 50% players from 2d year group -- so U12 division can not have teams that are comprised of majority U12 kids in blue/rhody, etc.

[Unregistered]

Kind of what I was saying..although can't always fault the opposing team if teams are misplaced in the league.

Agree with other poster..can't count on some coaches and associations to do the right thing..SRI will have a community rule and SL a premier player limit rule that inhibit higher level competition, but no rules about ensuring correct placement. EG and Coventry can put 2 teams in Anchor, but Barrington which has 5 teams in both U12 Boys/Girls..and not one in anchor? Westerly has 2 teams in U12B..and only in classic blue/rhody?

How about some simple rule that rhody/classic blue teams can not have more than 50% players from 2d year group -- so U12 division can not have teams that are comprised of majority U12 kids in blue/rhody, etc.

You know, I feel bad for the players. They (coachs, parents, players) sacrifice learn over winning. Beating teams that are less superior in skills do not teach and develop the players in the long run. We have an inferior complex mentality and this seen to be the trend in RHODE ISLAND that is why we are doing soo poorly when competing with other states in the region. It is such a defeatist attitude. The first excuse people would say is we only have 28,000 registered players compare to MA with 180,000 registered players. So what. Japan only have less than 30,000 registered players and look what they did at the Women's WC. So excuse does cut it here.

Again, let get back to the goal differential policy. I would rather get cruched by 10 goals and learn from the experience than beating up on some hopeless teams. The best lesson is not from winning but from losing. I know SL does not like club complaining to them and they want to ensure recreational players are happy because that mean more teams+more $$$ for SL. But we can still be achieve both goals by creating a pure anchor division with no strictions. Also move all anchor games to Saturday thereby avoiding schedule conflicts with the premier clubs. It works in MA. This will allow more premier players who wishes to play with their friends to comeback and play in SL. We should not punished true soccer players so that majority of recreational players can be happy. These players will never take soccer seriously so why are we devoting soo must times and efforts to keeping them happy unless there are other motive. As a soccer purist I would like SL and SRI provide equal support for the better players instead of finding ways to restict their ability to play soccer in Rhode Island.

[Singlethreaded]

The max goal differential should be increased -- would be better at 10. With standings often using goal differential of 4 goals as a criteria, there should be no way that a team limited by a max goal penalty should hold themselves to just six if there's a chance they might give up an easy two or three when playing other, perhaps weaker players. For that reason alone the max differential should be at least double.

And with small-sided games intended to open up the play, encourage individuality and ball handling and open up scoring. Often one or two players in a 6v6 can score at will. The coaches of those team often have to keep those players available to compensate for keeping a 4 goal differential, but not exceeding 6. If a coach was allowed the freedom to go to 10, he could be more flexible in his subsititution patterns. Quite often the strong side of a 6v6 team will go up 4-0 or 5-0 minutes into a game, and then the next substitutions, and the rest of the game is a game of keep away -- talk about killing the motivation and development of the players.

And if Superliga is going to enforce a 6 goal differential, give the leading team the opportunity to invoke a "mercy rule" in the older age groups. Games last year, defenders knew that at 6-0 the offense couldn't score. Defenders start taking down the offensive players in the box, knowing full well the penalty kicks will need to be sent wide of the goal.

I agree with the previous poster that when playing in the same age group games, you learn much more from a 10-0 shellacking than you do watching your team chase the ball in a game of keepaway. After all you want to see how the other team is putting the ball in the net, and then try to defend it and mimic it.

Chasing the ball in keep-away teaches you nothing.

[COL]

If the politics do not allow for a separate league, perhaps OD might consider breaking the anchor division away and run the league with separate, more competitive rules than current SuperLiga. Work the schedule to allow for best town teams and perhaps some of the "less competitive" premier teams to play and not interfere with State Cup rules.

I'm not sure of the politics and rules with community rule (would this league have to be reconstituted as a premier league, etc.) -- but even if not workable for some premier teams that get killed in MAPLE/NEP, at least free up more competitive play for the associations who want to challenge and retain some of their more committed players.

[soccernkscrfcoss70]

I agree with both sides of this debate. I have as a coach and a player been on both sides of this, we as coaches feel sometimes it's insulting to play keep away but if there was a mercy not sure how that would field to players. I think every time a player set foot on the pitch they have the need to win and winning means scoring, if they are held back you are stumping their ability.

[Unregistered]

Is the policy the same for the fall? Also, are the SL fall schedules out? I checked the website and nothing, but a neighbor says his kid's coach is telling him the season starts this weekend. Anybody know what's up with Fall SL?

[Unregistered]

It says schedule as of Sept 5th, and there is a fall schedule posted.

[Unregistered]

Thanks.

What's up with Barrington U12s.. 9 teams and 5 in Rhody..not 1 girls team capable of playing anchor?

[Unregistered]

Thanks.

What's up with Barrington U12s.. 9 teams and 5 in Rhody..not 1 girls team capable of playing anchor?

My guess, and only a guess, is that they're using it as a substitute for a fall rec league with many players that you might not ordinarily see doing travel playing. Perhaps teams formed through a blind draft of eligible players.

[Unregistered]

that would explain why so many teams and why a few would play in lowest division..although one would assume they have also selected their "year-round" teams as well and would have at least one anchor team in both genders, especially since they had 9 or so teams in the spring as well last season and not one anchor team..at some point don't some of those first year players ever become second year players capable of playing anchor given all that Blackwatch coaching expertise..