'96 TFC Tournament Results

Am I reading TFC tournament results correctly?

Texas Spirit Red North failed to advance - with losses to D3 and Plano Prem teams

Mustangs failed to advance - lost to Plano Prem team and tied bottom tier D3 team

Were these our Spirit & Mustangs D1 teams? WTH?

socrocks wrote:Am I reading TFC tournament results correctly?

Texas Spirit Red North failed to advance - with losses to D3 and Plano Prem teams

Mustangs failed to advance - lost to Plano Prem team and tied bottom tier D3 team

Were these our Spirit & Mustangs D1 teams? WTH?

They are the D1 teams.

DFW Tornados Blue, FC Dallas Blue, FW United Gold, TX Spirit are good teams with impressive results against good teams.

There are great teams in D1 that play good soccer but the bottom can be beaten any given day by any team that plays good soccer.

socrocks wrote:Am I reading TFC tournament results correctly?

Texas Spirit Red North failed to advance - with losses to D3 and Plano Prem teams

Mustangs failed to advance - lost to Plano Prem team and tied bottom tier D3 team

Were these our Spirit & Mustangs D1 teams? WTH?

Socrocks you are putting too much weight on teams from D-1. Plus you know soccer can be unfair. Why do you find it perplexing?

Any Team below 6 place in D1 is D2 or D3 anyway RIGHT?

On any given day, so they say!!! Unfortunately sometimes players, parents, even coaches look at where an opponent plays and underestimates them. Good job to all the teams that came to play and put it all out there!

I find it perplexing because teams don't earn the right to be in D1, by accident. The D1,D2, D3 divisions evolve so that the comparably matched teams end up together. It's not arrogant to suggest that D1 teams should be expected to beat D3 and Plano Premier teams. Do "freak" things happen? Sure. But in the case of the TFC tournament that would mean that "freak" things happened in 4 of the 6 D1 teams' games. That is perplexing.

Considering Spirit's situation, more closely, maybe I shouldn't be quite as surprised. They lost 2 key players after earning their promotion to D1. I knew they'd have a rough go of it in D1. But I didn't expect them to be losing to D3 and Plano Prem teams. If the appropriate place for them is D2 (as I've suggested before), it's not terribly "freakish" to periodically lose to a D3 or Plano team. But clearly they're struggling. I didn't know if maybe they had injured/missing players, etc. Maybe D2 isn't the right level for them either. Time will tell.

Absolutely, congrtulations are in order to the teams that played well enough to beat higher seeded teams. No intention of discrediting them.

As a side note, I noticed that N Texas United's '95 D1 team struggled in the TFC tourney, as well.

Maybe the end of the world is nearer than we know.

socrocks wrote:I find it perplexing because teams don't earn the right to be in D1, by accident. The D1,D2, D3 divisions evolve so that the comparably matched teams end up together. It's not arrogant to suggest that D1 teams should be expected to beat D3 and Plano Premier teams. Do "freak" things happen? Sure. But in the case of the TFC tournament that would mean that "freak" things happened in 4 of the 6 D1 teams' games. That is perplexing.

Considering Spirit's situation, more closely, maybe I shouldn't be quite as surprised. They lost 2 key players after earning their promotion to D1. I knew they'd have a rough go of it in D1. But I didn't expect them to be losing to D3 and Plano Prem teams. If the appropriate place for them is D2 (as I've suggested before), it's not terribly "freakish" to periodically lose to a D3 or Plano team. But clearly they're struggling. I didn't know if maybe they had injured/missing players, etc. Maybe D2 isn't the right level for them either. Time will tell.

Absolutely, congrtulations are in order to the teams that played well enough to beat higher seeded teams. No intention of discrediting them.

As a side note, I noticed that N Texas United's '95 D1 team struggled in the TFC tourney, as well.

Maybe the end of the world is nearer than we know.

Only if you play for the D'Feeters!

turftoe9 wrote:

socrocks wrote:I find it perplexing because teams don't earn the right to be in D1, by accident. The D1,D2, D3 divisions evolve so that the comparably matched teams end up together. It's not arrogant to suggest that D1 teams should be expected to beat D3 and Plano Premier teams. Do "freak" things happen? Sure. But in the case of the TFC tournament that would mean that "freak" things happened in 4 of the 6 D1 teams' games. That is perplexing.

Considering Spirit's situation, more closely, maybe I shouldn't be quite as surprised. They lost 2 key players after earning their promotion to D1. I knew they'd have a rough go of it in D1. But I didn't expect them to be losing to D3 and Plano Prem teams. If the appropriate place for them is D2 (as I've suggested before), it's not terribly "freakish" to periodically lose to a D3 or Plano team. But clearly they're struggling. I didn't know if maybe they had injured/missing players, etc. Maybe D2 isn't the right level for them either. Time will tell.

Absolutely, congrtulations are in order to the teams that played well enough to beat higher seeded teams. No intention of discrediting them.

As a side note, I noticed that N Texas United's '95 D1 team struggled in the TFC tourney, as well.

Maybe the end of the world is nearer than we know.

Only if you play for the D'Feeters!

Congratulations to the DFW TORNADOS 96 GIRLS BLUE, for wiinning the tourny!!!

socrocks wrote:I find it perplexing because teams don't earn the right to be in D1, by accident. The D1,D2, D3 divisions evolve so that the comparably matched teams end up together. It's not arrogant to suggest that D1 teams should be expected to beat D3 and Plano Premier teams. Do "freak" things happen? Sure. But in the case of the TFC tournament that would mean that "freak" things happened in 4 of the 6 D1 teams' games. That is perplexing.

Considering Spirit's situation, more closely, maybe I shouldn't be quite as surprised. They lost 2 key players after earning their promotion to D1. I knew they'd have a rough go of it in D1. But I didn't expect them to be losing to D3 and Plano Prem teams. If the appropriate place for them is D2 (as I've suggested before), it's not terribly "freakish" to periodically lose to a D3 or Plano team. But clearly they're struggling. I didn't know if maybe they had injured/missing players, etc. Maybe D2 isn't the right level for them either. Time will tell.

Absolutely, congrtulations are in order to the teams that played well enough to beat higher seeded teams. No intention of discrediting them.

As a side note, I noticed that N Texas United's '95 D1 team struggled in the TFC tourney, as well.

Maybe the end of the world is nearer than we know.

This is why they should have challenge games mid season. I think they should also remove D-3 to bring back some respect to LHGCL.
I also think that all of LHGCL should have to re-qualify each year. With the Top 5 in each age group having a bye back into LHGCL D-1. Hell maybe I am just flat out crazy.

#2420 wrote:

socrocks wrote:I find it perplexing because teams don't earn the right to be in D1, by accident. The D1,D2, D3 divisions evolve so that the comparably matched teams end up together. It's not arrogant to suggest that D1 teams should be expected to beat D3 and Plano Premier teams. Do "freak" things happen? Sure. But in the case of the TFC tournament that would mean that "freak" things happened in 4 of the 6 D1 teams' games. That is perplexing.

Considering Spirit's situation, more closely, maybe I shouldn't be quite as surprised. They lost 2 key players after earning their promotion to D1. I knew they'd have a rough go of it in D1. But I didn't expect them to be losing to D3 and Plano Prem teams. If the appropriate place for them is D2 (as I've suggested before), it's not terribly "freakish" to periodically lose to a D3 or Plano team. But clearly they're struggling. I didn't know if maybe they had injured/missing players, etc. Maybe D2 isn't the right level for them either. Time will tell.

Absolutely, congrtulations are in order to the teams that played well enough to beat higher seeded teams. No intention of discrediting them.

As a side note, I noticed that N Texas United's '95 D1 team struggled in the TFC tourney, as well.

Maybe the end of the world is nearer than we know.

This is why they should have challenge games mind season. I think they should also remove D-3 to bring back some respect to LHGCL.
I also think that all of LHGCL should have to re-qualify each year. With the Top 5 in each age group having a bye back into LHGCL D-1. Hell maybe I am just flat out crazy.

Maybe just the 4 teams that make Premiere league don't have to re-qualify. Just a thought.

You are being crazy thinking the divisions have no meaning. Sometimes things happen in a tournament. Look at how far the US made it on the Confederations Cup. Sometimes a low level team advances deeply into the FA cup in England.

It is simply why we play the games. Upsets happens. Sometimes when you flip a coin you get 4 tails in a row. Does that mean the odds were not 50:50 on a flip? A D-1 team is likely to win 70% of the time but 70% is not 99%.


The biggest difference between D-1 and D-3 is not skill but speed of play. The D-1 teams have the athletes that are capable of and have the desire to play at a high pace for the entire game. My hunch would be that the fields, the weather, or the refs perhaps negated some of the speed advantage.

I disagree with your assessment of the major differences between D1, D2 and D3. I would argue that it is mainly finishing ability that separates the top 6 of D1 from the bottom 3 in D1, most all of D2 and the top 6 or so of D3 (might even include the top 1 or 2 of Plano). I'm sure speed of play IS a factor, but look at this fact. Last years' top D3 teams are competing strongly in D2 (2nd and T4th). Also, 7-9 of D1 is scoring challenged against the top D1's (as D2 and D3 would very defintely be). It will be interesting to see the tourney breakdown between now and end of May between the groups I mentioned above. There is just NOT that much difference.

Have to say I agree with BroomDad96 - there is a lot of talent in D3 (and Plano).

I agree with finishing ability if by that you mean, can QUICKLY turn and make the shot.

It is a speed of play thing again. One of DD's team has a couple of highly skilled D3 players that were promoted and they suffer thinking they have time to do what they want. In D1/high D2 the time between when you receive the ball and the time to shoot, pass, make a move etc is just much shorter. Some of the D3 promoted players gather the ball try to dribble a few times before making a play and then it is too late. A defender is on them.
Another promoted player came with a very high pace of play and she fits right in.

To use an NFL analogy, why do college QB's so often struggle the first year or so in the NFL? Their arm doesn't go weak. It is the speed of the game. They have to adjust to the speed. Some do and some don't.