D2 end of the fall season thoughts?

The fall season is finally done, felt like a long one to us. There was so much chatter for so long and then at the end, nothing.

I think that in the end we have ended up with the top 2 teams who will battle it out all spring. Followed by 3 more that will be knocking on the door of the top 2, then the rest who will try to upset.

Mustangs- Finished on top for now. I think they have proved to be the most consistent team. I still believe the game against Sting Central was an anomaly for them and expect them to give Sting a much better game in the spring.

Sting Central-A high quality team that plays good soccer, but inconsistent. The 3 ties showed they are vulnerable. How often will their ECNL player/players show up in the spring? Certainly at least for the Bussey game.

Solar Gold-A solid team, but not quite there with the top 2. I think they will be better in the spring. They need to find the back of the net more often to make a run at the top.

D'feeters- Showed some vulnerability in the back during the last half of the season. Will they get their defense together in the spring? I seem to recall their defense struggled in D2 in the past. If they can make the proper adjustments they could make a run at the top teams. Overall a good team that always plays hard.

FC Dallas East- Another inconsistent team. Seems some games they are on fire, others they struggle. Finished a bit higher then I thought they would. Knocking on the door of the top 4.

The rest of the teams will do their best to be spoilers for the top teams in the spring. I think that FCD Premier, Sting F, and Texans North can all bring a good game on any given day. Texans FW held tight all fall, plays a very defensive game making it tough to get around 8 in the box and score, but it is working for them. Mustangs Spence is struggling, but I think they will get a win or two in the spring. Their tie against SG proved they can do it.

Ok beast I will chime in, and provide some clarity for all the uninformed and inconsistent evaluators:

Mustangs: BY FAR the most consistent of the top 2. Not sure the "best" (yet) but definitely the most consistent, the most deserved of the #1 spot, and sometimes that's what it takes. After watching the fall scores and seeing some matches, the loss to Sting Central was not an accident. Sting was the only team all season to manage the Mustangs primary threat up top and Mustangs had no answer defensively. Don't think spring brings another 3-0 defeat by any means. But IMO, Sting was the only team that was smart enough to handle the attacking threat. I don't see MB slipping in the spring; too consistent. Also have heard a rumor circulating that a Mustang parent called the league and complained about their loss. Sure hope not.

Sting Central: someone called them Jekyll and Hyde; great description. Not vulnerable as Beast suggests because they've only conceded 2 goals. The correct word would be inconsistent. I saw 4 of their games this fall and they dominated every game but FCD East. And to educate Mr. Beast and others, they have 1 dual rostered player out of 18. That player played in 2 of the ties and in the Mustang game. She's a defender, not an attacking player so their GF has nothing to do with that. Bottom line: they are 2nd because they are inconsistent. They play with a high amount of pressure but if you weather their storm, you can tie them as 3 have shown. If they get going, look out. From what I've seen, this team rises and falls to the level of competition.

Solar: best surprise IMO. Not a powerhouse offensively but very good defensively. Coach S. has done a terrific job adjusting to the D2 pace and level of play. Because they don't find the net as readily as 1&2, they will most likely finish where they stand. Good job by this group.

Feet: very athletic and can score against the teams they should. Susceptible on defense. Definitely a solid team but missing a few components. I expect them to finish 4th. They are are year or two away from pushing through.

FCDE: a smattering of talent, take advantage of the teams they should. Just not deep enough. That team is another Jekyll and Hyde type but the turmoil inside their camp will ultimately be their u doing.

FCD Premier: I thought this team would stumble more than they have. Coach R. has done excellent with this group considering the changes they had. They could maybe sneak into the 3-4 spot but not sure. Well coached team IMO.

I'll stop with the first 6 for now.

Best to all during the season break. Spring should be exciting.

backofthenet wrote:Ok beast I will chime in, and provide some clarity for all the uninformed and inconsistent evaluators:

Mustangs: BY FAR the most consistent of the top 2. Not sure the "best" (yet) but definitely the most consistent, the most deserved of the #1 spot, and sometimes that's what it takes. After watching the fall scores and seeing some matches, the loss to Sting Central was not an accident. Sting was the only team all season to manage the Mustangs primary threat up top and Mustangs had no answer defensively. Don't think spring brings another 3-0 defeat by any means. But IMO, Sting was the only team that was smart enough to handle the attacking threat. I don't see MB slipping in the spring; too consistent. Also have heard a rumor circulating that a Mustang parent called the league and complained about their loss. Sure hope not.

Sting Central: someone called them Jekyll and Hyde; great description. Not vulnerable as Beast suggests because they've only conceded 2 goals. The correct word would be inconsistent. I saw 4 of their games this fall and they dominated every game but FCD East. And to educate Mr. Beast and others, they have 1 dual rostered player out of 18. That player played in 2 of the ties and in the Mustang game. She's a defender, not an attacking player so their GF has nothing to do with that.  Bottom line: they are 2nd because they are inconsistent. They play with a high amount of pressure but if you weather their storm, you can tie them as 3 have shown. If they get going, look out. From what I've seen, this team rises and falls to the level of competition.

Solar: best surprise IMO. Not a powerhouse offensively but very good defensively. Coach S. has done a terrific job adjusting to the D2 pace and level of play. Because they don't find the net as readily as 1&2, they will most likely finish where they stand. Good job by this group.

Feet: very athletic and can score against the teams they should. Susceptible on defense. Definitely a solid team but missing a few components. I expect them to finish 4th. They are are year or two away from pushing through.

FCDE: a smattering of talent, take advantage of the teams they should. Just not deep enough. That team is another Jekyll and Hyde type but the turmoil inside their camp will ultimately be their u doing.

FCD Premier: I thought this team would stumble more than they have. Coach R. has done excellent with this group considering the changes they had. They could maybe sneak into the 3-4 spot but not sure. Well coached team IMO.

I'll stop with the first 6 for now.

Best to all during the season break. Spring should be exciting.

I agree, poor choice of words on my part, they are inconsistent not vulnerable.

Why would a Mustang parent complain? It is in the rules and whether or not one agrees with it, it is legal. I really don't know if there are 1 or 2 players, I have heard both here and in person, but I will go with your 1 ECNL player. I would guess since she is a defender she did play a role in shutting down Bussey's forward. The spring game between these two teams should be fun.

Spring will be here before we know it. Looking forward to it.

Not sure why one would complain, but it's circulating.

And yes, just one because i know the family and the team almost better than my own.


Regardless. Fun fall had by all I hope!

I think both of you have struck upon the reason that this forum has been so quiet since about halfway...

Everyone pretty much sees the same thing, so until there is an injury or something, I think you will get pretty much what you have seen...

No real surprises to me in the standings...a couple of points here or there, but mostly about what I expected. I didn't think there would be as much difference in the table as there is. I thought teams would be separated by fewer points overall-more ties etc.

I agree that Bussey has been the most consistent, and that Sting CP probably had the best "team" overall that I saw play, but if you can weather the early storm, it may be enough to stay with them. I wasn't surprised to see SG or Feet in the 3-4 slots, and I thought that the rest would be pretty close to where they are.

I didn't expect Spence to struggle as much as they have. I thought they would be in the 6-7 hole perhaps. Makes me wonder if they had some injuries or lost a couple of key players and didn't quite gel. I expect Ferretti and DT to pull more points out of games in the spring, and I think that teams will figure out how to play against some of the others as we go, but barring a rash of significant injuries or signings, it seems about what I thought.

As I have stated here before. The level of play is pretty nice, and the games are a lot more enjoyable than they were when the kids were 10. I like watching good soccer, and while I prefer to win, if you win at this level it is rarely a fluke...you may be kicking yourself for giving up the chance or squandering opportunities, but you are what you are.

Well stated Do3

Have a safe break, all.

beast wrote:I think that in the end we have ended up with the top 2 teams who will battle it out all spring. Followed by 3 more that will be knocking on the door of the top 2, then the rest who will try to upset.

Beast, I agree-Mustangs and SCP are definitely the top teams-- honestly, any criticism of these 2 team is nit-picking...

I am not convinced of our top 4 or its order. Middle school sports, inactivity,  etc, - teams do come back different in the Spring. Either better or worse, usually not the same... and that everyone has played each other, I expect much tighter games in Spring. No rankings yet- just commentary.

beast wrote:
Mustangs- Finished on top for now.  I think they have proved to be the most consistent team.  I still believe the game against Sting Central was an anomaly for them and expect them to give Sting a much better game in the spring.

8-0-1. GF-21, GA-6. I agree Mustang-B are the top, dominate team; their one imperfection was from a team with a comparable talent level. Yes SCP handled them handily (sting scored 3 of 6 GA), but everyone has an off game. If they continue beating-up the other 8 teams in Spring, they won't need to beat Sting to move up to D1.

beast wrote:
Sting Central-A high quality team that plays good soccer, but inconsistent.  The 3 ties showed they are vulnerable.  How often will their ECNL player/players show up in the spring? Certainly at least for the Bussey game.

6-3-0. GF-20, GA-2.
Another adjective comes to mind: Undefeated. I'm not sure if 2 goals in 10 games implies imminent implosion, but I doubt any of those teams, who tied SCP, were disgusted with themselves for the outcome.  With 18 players on their SCP roster, not sure how many boogeyman ECNL players can participate in LH league play, but it does prove how the loss of a player or two or three can affect any team.

beast wrote:
Solar Gold-A solid team, but not quite there with the top 2.  I think they will be better in the spring. They need to find the back of the net more often to make a run at the top.

5-2-2. GF-11, GA-8.
Agreed- SG has to play better & score more to stay competitive. Coming out 2nd in D3 last year (GF-31, GA-7), they are still adjusting to the higher level defenses. A little perspective, they have scored 11 goals- 4th best in the D2.

beast wrote:
D'feeters- Showed some vulnerability in the back during the last half of the season.  Will they get their defense together in the spring?   I seem to recall their defense struggled in D2 in the past. If they can make the proper adjustments they could make a run at the top teams.  Overall a good team that always plays hard.

4-3-2. GF-18, GA-10.
Feet won D3 last year (GF-37, GA-7... Not sure of past defensive problems), and have held their own this year, while learning to play with each other. Considering that they lost key players last year and added several this year, and they still scored 18, I would say they have "upside". Since defense is easier or fix than offense,  I suspect their coach will get that defense fixed by the Spring... The word that comes to mind is "Crap", as in, "Crap, I wish we would have beaten them in the Fall."

#5 thru #9: Point Range is 7-13. Two wins and two losses can change this whole dynamic. So many teams, for whatever reason, some teams play better soccer in the spring than they do in the Fall. The fact that these teams have played each other once, middle school sports injuries, and some teams will stay busy (some won't) during the break will ensure more competitive games and changes is the standing.