Girls 02 Rankings

[Unregistered]

youth soccer will be run by MLS affiliates with strict curriculum....it will take a while to implement and we will not see true benefits for maybe 10-15 years but it is a necessary change. Once we weed out the Bball and football mentality soccer will grow.

Some clubs will be MLS affiliates. And some of those might have strict curriculum. But the vast majority of youth clubs will remain independant and thrive without MLS affiliation.

[Unregistered]

Some clubs will be MLS affiliates. And some of those might have strict curriculum. But the vast majority of youth clubs will remain independant and thrive without MLS affiliation.

Agreed...US Youth Soccer will need those non MLS affiliates because there isn't enough infrastructure to accommodate that....most of the non affiliates will become the feeder clubs to the MLS Affiliates....which will feed ODP, College and National Teams...it is the big plan

[Slow Xavi]

Okay, so everyone is jumping on the bandwagon for smaller is better but shouldn't our kids be exposed to a wide variety of game/playing conditions? I would guess that virtually all the clubs now practice in small field/sided games, yes? My DDs team works countless hours in this format all in close quarters with a focus on maximizing touches and fine ball skills. Then we go to futsal, spend the entire winter months working on small sided games designed to maximize touches and 1v1. Then we transition into spring or fall league on larger fields. The kids now have to adapt to a different environment. All of a sudden they find out they can't play the entire field and that they can't kick/clear the ball to the other end of the field, low and behold they are introduced to a new concept, midfield. They actually have to build up posession from the back to move the ball down the field (and here's the big "if" they are taught correctly). Also, when you stick young players in close proximity you don't get 1v1 you get 1v2 or 3 as they collapse making it nearly impossible for a young player to get enough space to practice all those creative moves we want them to learn and use!

I am not pro one or the other... but my point here is that just sticking them on a smaller field is not some magic solution and the larger field does force an element of balance on players that are already playing lots of small sided games. It's about the coaching and if the quality of coaching is good, I think the larger field can be a great learning opportunity. If your coach just wants to win and doesn't work on developing play on the larger field, then perhaps the small field is the player's best defense against crappy coaching and parents hollering boot it!

Yes, it is trendy right now to advocate for small-sided (and as others have pointed out on this forum, it appears some of the big clubs/Timbers leadership have changed their position on it), but there have been plenty of folks advocating for it for a number of years.

You are also correct that small side in itself is not the only part of the puzzle; it is but one part of continuously improving the soccer experience.

In terms of being crowded in a futsal court - it is amazing what a little bit of consistent coaching can do on that front.

[Unregistered]

Re your crowded comment. Ever notice how the field looks so crowded in an MLS game but so big in a Premier League or other top league game? Same size field, differently skilled players.

[Unregistered]

Re your crowded comment. Ever notice how the field looks so crowded in an MLS game but so big in a Premier League or other top league game? Same size field, differently skilled players.

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the reason they seem so different is usually due to where the camera is compared to the field. Its one of those cool little tricks that happens when you watch sports on TV

[Unregistered]

So

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the reason they seem so different is usually due to where the camera is compared to the field. Its one of those cool little tricks that happens when you watch sports on TV

So the fox people in UK that set up cameras for EPL are better at setting cameras up then the Fox people that do the same job in MLS?

[Unregistered]

So the fox people in UK that set up cameras for EPL are better at setting cameras up then the Fox people that do the same job in MLS?

It's more stadium dependent than anything.

[Unregistered]

Ok

It's more stadium dependent than anything.

So stadiums are better suited for television crews in Europe? Sorry but trying to understand your point.

[Unregistered]

So stadiums are better suited for television crews in Europe? Sorry but trying to understand your point.

Depending on the stadium depends on where they can place the camara's at. Plus factor in the fact that most our stadiums are built for football, which they place the camara's closer to the field for, makes a big difference.

[Unregistered]

NWCL Results for 02'

Since NWCL can't seem to post any results for their own playoffs, what were the scores/results for the semis and finals this weekend??

[Unregistered]

Since NWCL can't seem to post any results for their own playoffs, what were the scores/results for the semis and finals this weekend??

Westside Lost 2-0 against seattle united. Good game to watch, Westside had their chances but never took advantage of those chances.

From what I heard ***C lost 1-0 to Crossfire, apparently a goal went in off the crossbar (went straight down over the line and spun out) and the ref said it didn't go in, which would have tied the game 1-1. Unfortunate.

good showing from the two teams though.

[Unregistered]

Westside Lost 2-0 against seattle united. Good game to watch, Westside had their chances but never took advantage of those chances.

From what I heard ***C lost 1-0 to Crossfire, apparently a goal went in off the crossbar (went straight down over the line and spun out) and the ref said it didn't go in, which would have tied the game 1-1. Unfortunate.

good showing from the two teams though.

Thanks for the update! Seattle United had both skill and athleticism... 2-0 is a good showing for T/S. A bit surprised by the ***C score, unfortunate. Any word on the final? I would expect SU to pull out the win?!

[Unregistered]

SU over CF 5-1

SU won 5-1 over CF. Game was closer than score indicates. CF on nice header goal on a corner kick. CF unfortunate OG from a defensive header.

[Unregistered]

Player movement

Has there been any player movement this Winter?

[Unregistered]

Has there been any player movement this Winter?

I will take that as a no...