Boys DAP is going bye bye

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There should only be ONE Elite team in town.

And it should be the club MY kiddo already plays for!

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My point - consolidated Timbers Academy (boys) is struggling badly. Have no idea what you mean by adidas; was referring to Generation adidas tournament where all MLS teams seemed to struggle and the Timbers did particularly bad despite arguably having a monopoly in this town.

You have harped on this forum for months for the need for consolidation. My point is that is not that it is all that is cracked up to be, even if it worked for your older daughter.

I do harp on this issue and will continue to do so as I have a stake in the outcome. I will concede that I shouldn't expect anyone who is not a parent of one of the top players in their age group to understand.

It is abysmal the way we have removed a path to a higher level. These abysmal results can be found on both the Timbers DA side and the ECNL side. How are the best players supposed to get even better when they are tethered to the a team comprised solely of players from Oregon? This isn't a bash on Oregon rather a statement about the population base.

The path to consolidation in my mind has to have a path for some that leads out of Oregon and to the next level of performance. Trust me, consolidation is not TWO teams at each age group that parents call elite. I am very frustrated with the state of youth soccer in general as it has turned into a money grab. Nothing more.

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When you say consolidation are you thinking consolidation occurs at the state level?

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I do harp on this issue and will continue to do so as I have a stake in the outcome. I will concede that I shouldn't expect anyone who is not a parent of one of the top players in their age group to understand.

It is abysmal the way we have removed a path to a higher level. These abysmal results can be found on both the Timbers DA side and the ECNL side. How are the best players supposed to get even better when they are tethered to the a team comprised solely of players from Oregon? This isn't a bash on Oregon rather a statement about the population base.

The path to consolidation in my mind has to have a path for some that leads out of Oregon and to the next level of performance. Trust me, consolidation is not TWO teams at each age group that parents call elite. I am very frustrated with the state of youth soccer in general as it has turned into a money grab. Nothing more.

A Regional Residential Academy would serve the top 5% of players well. Have a weeklong combine so scouts could get an honest look at talent. And have the program run by USSF without any club involvement.

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A Regional Residential Academy would serve the top 5% of players well. Have a weeklong combine so scouts could get an honest look at talent. And have the program run by USSF without any club involvement.

Of course that is what makes the most sense for the elite top talent. Residency or some other small program for only the very top, with no clubs, free for all, including travel. But clearly this battle is primarily a battle about USSF trying to wrestle power away from ECNL.

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Of course that is what makes the most sense for the elite top talent. Residency or some other small program for only the very top, with no clubs, free for all, including travel. But clearly this battle is primarily a battle about USSF trying to wrestle power away from ECNL.

About the money as much or more than the power.

[Unregistered]

I do harp on this issue and will continue to do so as I have a stake in the outcome. I will concede that I shouldn't expect anyone who is not a parent of one of the top players in their age group to understand.

It is abysmal the way we have removed a path to a higher level. These abysmal results can be found on both the Timbers DA side and the ECNL side. How are the best players supposed to get even better when they are tethered to the a team comprised solely of players from Oregon? This isn't a bash on Oregon rather a statement about the population base.

The path to consolidation in my mind has to have a path for some that leads out of Oregon and to the next level of performance. Trust me, consolidation is not TWO teams at each age group that parents call elite. I am very frustrated with the state of youth soccer in general as it has turned into a money grab. Nothing more.

It's all down to coaching. We have poor coaches in OR. Here are the reasons for that:
1. We do not have DOC's (or OYSA) that are good teachers.
2. Because of the above, we do not have coaches that embrace learning.
3. Clubs inherit coaching staff who think they know it all and do it their own way. When you have 15 - 20 coaches doing it their own way, you end up with what we have.
4. Our coaches do not inspire the players.
5. No OR club has a development plan for players or coaching staff.

We are a shambles and it just keeps getting worse.

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About the money as much or more than the power.

USSF doesn't benefit much financially from this. They'll have expenses - staff, they pay to run national events, the supposed "scholarships" while all they take in is nominal fees paid by the clubs. It's power based through and through.

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USSF doesn't benefit much financially from this. They'll have expenses - staff, they pay to run national events, the supposed "scholarships" while all they take in is nominal fees paid by the clubs. It's power based through and through.

Girls DA will still be pay to play, don't kid yourself. It won't be any less expensive than ECNL. And US Soccer wants some of that money, especially if they lose the suit with the USWNT and have to increase payments to the women's team.

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Girls DA will still be pay to play, don't kid yourself. It won't be any less expensive than ECNL. And US Soccer wants some of that money, especially if they lose the suit with the USWNT and have to increase payments to the women's team.

Clubs bear the brunt of costs - they have to reduce their fees to comply but still pay for top coaches, etc. They also have to pay USSF fees (from DA website).

"All Academy Players and Academy Coaches must register with U.S. Soccer to participate in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy program. Registration fees for U-15/16 and U-17/18 players are $10 per player, U-13/14 players are $100 per player, and all staff registration is $25 per coach. Fees are subject to change."

USSF will have its own expenses to run the program and they pay all the costs to run national events, including field rentals and refs. There's also a $2500 "performance bond" paid by each club to USSF which I assume is refundable at some point.

Net/net not much money in it for USSF, which leaves power. Personally I think if they really only cared about the NT they'd do something vastly different then start another big league - either a residency program or something on a very small scale for the top 1-5% of players. Someone suggested they may be doing this because they new the discrimination suit was coming, which could be valid. In October 2014 they determined they didn't need GDA. Now they do?

[Unregistered]

It's all down to coaching. We have poor coaches in OR. Here are the reasons for that:
1. We do not have DOC's (or OYSA) that are good teachers.
2. Because of the above, we do not have coaches that embrace learning.
3. Clubs inherit coaching staff who think they know it all and do it their own way. When you have 15 - 20 coaches doing it their own way, you end up with what we have.
4. Our coaches do not inspire the players.
5. No OR club has a development plan for players or coaching staff.

We are a shambles and it just keeps getting worse.

Ah, another believer in creating elite or even better... a prodigy by coaching and money alone. I am jealous of your optimism.

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Ah, another believer in creating elite or even better... a prodigy by coaching and money alone. I am jealous of your optimism.

Exactly. The never ending search for magic bullet coaching that will allow the kids to overcome genetic and work ethic shortcomings.

Grab an 8 pack of cones and find a wall for your kids to kick against. This is the more sure fire method to maximize their talent than thinking world class training will.

The secret to those high level European academy's isn't world class coaching talent. It's the expectation the players grind out every last bit of talent their bodies will allow through massive amounts of individual practice time with a ball.