Boys 05

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The only thing that has gotten stronger in OR Youth soccer this year is parental delusion

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If the discussion is DA, stop comparing Oregon clubs to each other. The metric should be: how many teams can you field of players who would be competitive - or have the potential to someday be competitive - with Washington and California DAs? The rest is just shuffling kids who are not at that level around. It's pointless, and isn't what the program is for.

And don't try to turn this into a slight of OYSA: if DAs were paired down to just kids with elite potential, OYSA would be an even more competitive and enjoyable competition.

[Unregistered]

If the discussion is DA, stop comparing Oregon clubs to each other. The metric should be: how many teams can you field of players who would be competitive - or have the potential to someday be competitive - with Washington and California DAs? The rest is just shuffling kids who are not at that level around. It's pointless, and isn't what the program is for.

And don't try to turn this into a slight of OYSA: if DAs were paired down to just kids with elite potential, OYSA would be an even more competitive and enjoyable competition.

Agree 100 percent. Why we have EIGHT of these DA teams at the 05 age group in Oregon is a bloody mystery. Someone should write US Soccer and ask!!

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Agree 100 percent. Why we have EIGHT of these DA teams at the 05 age group in Oregon is a bloody mystery. Someone should write US Soccer and ask!!

There's two aspects to DA that are frequently confused:

1) The notion that it is, or should represent, "elite" level competition. By Oregon standards, our local DA teams are FTMP elite. By the standards of other soccer communities in USYSA Region IV, they are not.

2) The technical aspects of the program: A-licensed coaches, limited travel, avoiding two-a-days, playing time guarantees, a focus on training over matches.

If "elite" is to have any meaning, it has to refer to some small top percentile of the overall population. Lake Wobegon, where all kids are above average, cannot exist (unless the term "average" refers to some larger region presumably including dysfunctional communities). Not every soccer program in Oregon can be elite. And this is doubly true when we are grouped in with Washington or California. An All-Star team of the best talents in the city is expected to have trouble in the Washington DA (though some of that may be due to the questionable way in which the team is formed). Having 7-8 DA clubs arguably waters the local talent down too much, if the goal is winning regional or national competitions.

OTOH, most of player development doesn't happen in competitive matches, it happens in training--if your coach says you need to play lots of tournaments (particularly out-of-state) for "development", and your kid spends weekends in the minivan only to get waxed 6-0 by Crossfire Premier, there might be something wrong with that coach. Getting your ass kicked is instructive, but proper training (including scrimmaging against slightly older kids, to simulate speed of play) is more instructive. And there is no reason to limit many of the DA's technical attributes to elite kids.

Actually, there is one resource that is a bit limited--top-drawer coaches. There aren't too many folks in town with an A license (I will acknowledge but ignore, for now, the argument that licenses are useless), and clubs tend to deploy them on the top teams first; with B and C teams getting less-knowledgeable coaches. If all of Oregon youth soccer adopted DA standards (or at least had them available at a greater skill range--some kids just want to play games and don't care about advanced training, and should still have that option), even if somewhat relaxed (the discussed DA-2), that wouldn't be a bad thing.

But--and I've said this before--improving youth soccer in Oregon doesn't involve the shape of the top of the pyramid. Whether it is skinny and pointy (one elite All-Star team that spends lots of time travelling, as they have no effective local competition) or rounded off (a top league of eight or so mostly equal teams that are competitive with each other, but get flattened whenever they travel) or somewhere in between, doesn't matter. We need to grow the base, and get more kids and families involved with youth soccer, both organized and otherwise. Grow the base, and you'll grow the top.

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Grow the base, and you'll grow the top.

Nope. Developing elite players is not a numbers game. That type of thinking can actually be quite dangerous, particularly for a state with a population as small as Oregon's.

Thankfully, growing the base of the pyramid and sharpening the top of it are not mutually exclusive activities. In fact they're quite disparate and don't need to compete compete for the same resources or talents.

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The teams are definitely not better. The training program is supposedly more intensive. A ten month program, more practice time and less game time. The pool is watered down. Too many "little DAs".

Here's how since you seem to be very slow on the uptake: 6 of the 7 teams (excluding eastside) that have da this year were the top teams from last year (this age group) and add ADF to that bunch. However ADF and other teams were gutted by timbers da and unnoticed bsc had several ex ADF kids. Neither ifc team did squat in state cup and neither did bend or Eugene so why would you think they are so good now. It has nothing to do with slide shows or smoke and mirrors it is simply the majority of the best players migrated into the DA system. Before you jump and throw a hissy fit I realize there is still some very talented kids on some oysa rosters, but the TEAMS Cannot compete across the board

[Unregistered]

If the discussion is DA, stop comparing Oregon clubs to each other. The metric should be: how many teams can you field of players who would be competitive - or have the potential to someday be competitive - with Washington and California DAs? The rest is just shuffling kids who are not at that level around. It's pointless, and isn't what the program is for.

And don't try to turn this into a slight of OYSA: if DAs were paired down to just kids with elite potential, OYSA would be an even more competitive and enjoyable competition.

100% agree but that does not change the fact that the DA teams at this age are more talented across the board than the ones who are still in oysa. I wish the timbers could get out of their own way and have a truly dedicated and unfettered selection process so our youth players that are really at the top level had a place to go and compete on a national level. Before we go back to the selection process being subjective let me remind you of what daddy and politics have done to the roster this year...if USA soccer is really committed to this program maybe they should have feet on the ground at these tryouts for the elite teams across the country and put an end to the billups like fiasco's that are occurring across the country

[Unregistered]

If the discussion is DA, stop comparing Oregon clubs to each other. The metric should be: how many teams can you field of players who would be competitive - or have the potential to someday be competitive - with Washington and California DAs? The rest is just shuffling kids who are not at that level around. It's pointless, and isn't what the program is for.

And don't try to turn this into a slight of OYSA: if DAs were paired down to just kids with elite potential, OYSA would be an even more competitive and enjoyable competition.

Did I miss something? Doesn't this just support the fact that most of the talent in our market is in the da even though you were trying to make a point to the contrary????

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Here's how since you seem to be very slow on the uptake: 6 of the 7 teams (excluding eastside) that have da this year were the top teams from last year (this age group) and add ADF to that bunch. However ADF and other teams were gutted by timbers da and unnoticed bsc had several ex ADF kids. Neither ifc team did squat in state cup and neither did bend or Eugene so why would you think they are so good now. It has nothing to do with slide shows or smoke and mirrors it is simply the majority of the best players migrated into the DA system. Before you jump and throw a hissy fit I realize there is still some very talented kids on some oysa rosters, but the TEAMS Cannot compete across the board

Here's how they stacked up last spring in standings:

FCP #1
Westside T#2
WA Timbers #5
Crossfire #8
CFC #9

BSC wasn't even in a top division and landed in 3rd place in the division they were in.
They had a decent showing in State Cup against Copa after bringing down players from their 04 pool. They will have a decent 05 team this year because it's a group that's been together a long time. They only coach team development there, not individual development, so it will interesting to see what this group will look like in a year.
Eastside also placed 3rd in a lower division.
ADF lost nearly all of it's starters to DA. Only one of those went to BSC. Two to Westside Timbers and the rest to Timbers Academy.
Did IFC/GPS lose any players to DA? If not my guess is they will be top dog in OYSA with Cuervos running a close second.

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Wouldn't surprise me if there aren't OYSA teams who can knock off DA teams, even if the DA team would be the favorite in most such matches.

Totally agree and I have a son on a DA team.

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ADF lost nearly all of it's starters to DA. Only one of those went to BSC. Two to Westside Timbers and the rest to Timbers Academy.
Did IFC/GPS lose any players to DA? If not my guess is they will be top dog in OYSA with Cuervos running a close second.

ADF is stronger than their Clash showing indicated. They'll be right there with GPS & Cuervos (who will be without the services of their best player over the summer, ADF's old #10 who is on TA). 4H is the real wildcard

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ADF is stronger than their Clash showing indicated. They'll be right there with GPS & Cuervos (who will be without the services of their best player over the summer, ADF's old #10 who is on TA). 4H is the real wildcard

There may be more than one GPS program at 05. HSC showed up at various summer tourneys wearing Bayern Munich journeys, and IFC appears affiliated with them as well.

But ADF did well in Seattle last weekend.

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ADF is stronger than their Clash showing indicated. They'll be right there with GPS & Cuervos (who will be without the services of their best player over the summer, ADF's old #10 who is on TA). 4H is the real wildcard

Isn't GPS a Hillsboro program?

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There may be more than one GPS program at 05. HSC showed up at various summer tourneys wearing Bayern Munich journeys, and IFC appears affiliated with them as well.

But ADF did well in Seattle last weekend.

their premier squad is the IFC Eagles from last year.

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their premier squad is the IFC Eagles from last year.

They being GPS, or HSC?

Is IFC hosting the GPS A team, and HSC hosting the B team? Both teams are entered in OYSA Premier, so I'm rather confused.