Long Time North Texas Soccer family who moved out west

This isn't a rant, but more and affirmation of alot of comments parents have been asking...

I have lived in North Texas and had 3 DD's(and yes I was blessed with 4 daughters if you ask) go through soccer In North Texas.. Oldest did club Soccer when it was hard to find a place to practice and a field for games.. (the early years of Club) I have seen Club Soccer grow in North Texas fr the best of the girls (Goal to get your DD into college,,, right...) first DD did get noticed Second did and so forth..

I have noticed that over the last several years with my last two this one who was a 96 and my current 98 that the Teams and girls became larger, and more aggressive. to the point that injuries are common place and you can tell that the girls are being coached to beat another girl with brute force. and skill is going to the way side.

anyways.. we moved as the Job relocated us. now out Way West. Youngest 98 is still in ECNL (was In North Texas Too) and other 96 finished out in classic league.

we noticed before the move that yes we were seeing College coaches at the games and tournaments.. What I found IS we weren't getting the quality of offers that were available to my oldest two DD"s. why this was I had no clue. but I put it off to the growth of Girls soccer across the USA.

My 96 before our move had a couple of soft offers I will call them, but nothing to much more. and our 98 had looks as all girls get at her age.

Now fast forward to this season and a year away. My 96 ended up with a 3/4 ride to Oklahoma State to be on the cowgirls Squad.  My 98 has had Several more soft touches.

we started talking to the Coaches from other teams, and one of them I asked We saw you at a couple North Texas Events why didn't you make this offer while we were there.

Ok time to ruffle some feathers. out of 9 coaches or scouts we talked to... 8 said the play has become far to Physical, there are some diamonds in the ruff. But few and far in between the tactics and skills we are looking for are not there.

I was shocked after all the time we spent there... Now I know I will be bashed by this post. But Take a Look when you are at the Pitch next time and take a look at the amount of Fouls that are committed (The ref may or may not call) I am betting on the later event from the refs, North Texas is starting to get a bad rap. ECNL, lake Highlands, Premiere it doesn't matter the league.

I am A Proud Texan but after a year here I am amazed the difference, and find it funny to listen to the parents cringe when they here we have to play a North Texas team. Not due to winning or losing, but who Will get hurt and what the injury will be.

Wake up North Texas..... (I hate to say that to my roots)

Great post!! Thank you. I have no basis for comparison but I do not doubt you.

Thanks for posting this. Hopefully it will be well received by those who can make a difference.

And there you have your answer as to why NTX has less players in the older age national pools than places with far smaller soccer populations.

In an organization, the CEO or top decision-maker sets the tone for every body else. Has NTX soccer always been like this or has it changed over time? And if it has, then leadership issues exist? What is the answer? Who are these leagues accountable too? Is a new elite league needed that adheres to a more skilled and tactical game and punishes overt physical play?

My dd plays on an older age-group North Texas ECNL team.  By far the most physical team we've played this year was from New Jersey.  They were also the best team we've played in a long time; they put a beating on us, and not just on the scoreboard.

A number of our players have committed to D-1 universities.  There are typically dozens of college coaches scouting our games.  If NT soccer is so inadequate, why do they keep wasting their time?

I am not bashing North Texas Soccer. Like I said I have lived that life for a very very long time.
What I am saying is I received and affirmation that My thoughts were right that North Texas Soccer Is becoming a physical game.

And no I am not saying it is perfect by any means out here. But I do know that my 98 took a little while to adjust to play and how the refs call the game. She was in a relearning to reuse her skills she had over using her body to make the play... yes she was called for a lot of fouls (In my eyes I didn't see them as fouls darling DD plays fair) and two yellow cards to which she had never received a yellow in North Texas. Her play would have been considered normal.

I have lived and Breathed North Texas Soccer for so long I hate to hear it get a bad rap. My 96 had many soft offers, not scholarships but offers to come play while in North Texas. (She never was a physical player,, more on foot skills, thus didn't get much playing time when the game was on the line) She started her senior year out here on a Classic team and she shined. second tournament she received her offer from The Cowgirls

look at the amounts you are receiving in scholarships that will in the truth tell you what Coaches are thinking of the game. yes there will be Players taken form North Texas to play. There are some quality Players. mine is just an observation that from what I see out here as to what I know at-least two different Clubs parents and a few College coaches/scouts think when they play against My home turf (I still am and always will be TEXAN) .

(BTW the parents here are just as unruly as y'all)

Interesting that there were only two 2014 players listed as signing for OSU, and neither were from CA. Not saying you aren't telling the truth, but it is unusual.

http://m.okstate.com/m/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/020514aaa.html

Thanks for your blog!

When we started an independent team (Liberty FC G99) after experiencing exactly what you have described, I did some research on this issue. I found this article. I understood it then and you are another confirmation of its reality now. Our independent team has tried to do our part. We started with mostly rec players at 11-12, not the fastest nor the biggest players, but we focused on developing skills and our players' character. We started at the bottom of Plano D100 and finished Fall 2013 as Champions in D1.  Yes, I know its not the top of the heap, but its a good start, as we are experiencing our lack of size and strength in comparison to other teams is beginning to diminish and our attempts to focus on skill mastery and and intellectual comprehension of the game has become more prominent! So here is the Article, enjoy:


Win at all costs!! The costs of winning!!
The cost of winning today, versus being the best tomorrow
By Jim Eamma
“Hey, if you ain’t first, you’re last” (Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, 2006). Who doesn’t love that movie? Well, from what I have heard, you either love Will Ferrell or you hate him, but this now famous line is a prevalent belief among Americans. There is so much emphasis on winning that I don’t think many people in the female soccer community have really thought about whether our tunnel vision and our obsession with winning have led to a developmental deficit in youth players. Don’t get me wrong. Winning is great!! We all agree on that, but at what costs are we willing to win?
I have played soccer at every level with the exception of the Olympic and World stages and I have been coaching girl’s competitive soccer in Dallas for nearly 13 years. My wife and I watch nearly every USA Women’s national team game, and we have been observing and following this country’s success in women’s soccer ever since they won the first Women’s World Cup in 1991. However, the USA women’s success in the sport they utterly dominated 19 years ago has slowly and painfully diminished. They barely qualified for the upcoming 2011 Women’s World Cup. They had to get past a weak Italian team just to qualify and they squeaked by to do that. Recently, we just lost 2-1 to an England side we beat by more than 5 goals 5 years ago. So what happened? Why has their (our) dominance declined?
For too long a time, USA and competitive soccer systems/leagues have placed too much emphasis and focus on winning in the present and NOT the future, and unfortunately, the world has caught up with us because they were thinking the exact opposite.
Obviously, we have many flaws in our system but I would like to focus on one flaw that I find very signficant and it ALL starts at the youth level. In Dallas, competitive girl’s soccer starts at the age of 10 years old, and the paradigm or formula for winning between the ages of 10-13 is quite elementary: it’s all about genetics or a physiological advantage. As a coach, if you want to have a dominant soccer team, recruit the biggest, fastest, strongest kids around, and I can guarantee you that if you do so, you will be playing in the highest, most competitive and most prestigious leagues. However, whether you will remain there over the years, with the same set of girls, is questionable.
In Dallas, all the best teams play in the Girls Lake Highlands Classic league while the remaining teams are placed in the Plano premier league made up of three divisions. The current select year is 2000, meaning if you were born between August 1st of 1999 and July 31st of 2000, you would be deemed a competitive player in the 2000 age group. Below is the average age difference between a top Lake Highland (LH) girl’s team, a top Plano I premier girl’s team and a lower level Plano III premier girl’s team:
LH Division I/II
Plano I
Plano III
0
167 days
229 days
On average, the top Lake Highlands I/II teams are 6-8 months older than both the Plano I and III teams, with the Plano III team being by far having the youngest team. This trend can be seen across the entire system. Does six months really make that much of a difference? For girls between the ages of 10 and 12, it makes a huge difference.
When we are born, we have a primary growth spurt that lasts from 0-2 years of age. We grow rapidly during this time, and then our growth rate slowly starts to decline. Next we experience what is called the secondary growth spurt or secondary maxima. Girls experience it between the ages of 11-12 years old, where boys experience it at 13-14 years old (“Patterns of Human Growth;” Barry Bogin; 1999). I am sure this makes complete sense to all of those parents experiencing girls’ competitive soccer between the ages of 10 and 12. At these age groups, the size variability is astounding. According to the National Center for Health Statistics in collaboration with the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2000), the average height and weight difference between a 10 year old girl and a 12 year old girl is nearly 5 inches and 10-15 pounds. In just two years, a 10 year old girl weighing 50 pounds is going increase her body weight by nearly 20-30%.
Based on this information, think about the age these young girls begin select soccer. They become select soccer players right as they are ready to hit their secondary growth spurt, and within this 2000 age group, those that are nearly 11 when others just turned 10 have an enormous physiological advantage. On average these girls can be 2-4 inches taller and 10-20 lbs heavier than their opponents within the same age group. Thus, the physiological variability between the ages of girls 10-13 is so great that it is the dominating factor that significantly impacts the results of a soccer game. The older teams, in most cases, are going to be the bigger, stronger, faster teams, and they are going to win nine times out of ten.
For most parents and coaches alike, winning is important NOW, not in two weeks, not in two years—now. We want immediate results. Unfortunately, that way of thinking is highly detrimental to our youth soccer players. I see so many teams play “kick and run” or linear soccer in the 10 to 13 age bracket. For every position on the field, as soon as that player receives the ball, she simply blasts it straight up the field. Coaches and parents alike reinforce these actions with cheers and praise. I have even seen good coaches who run strong practice sessions get too caught up in the desire and need to win. Some coaches spend hours on passing, receiving, first touch, combination play, possession, etc., but once the game starts, all you hear is “kick it,” “send it,” or “play it!!” They fall into the trap of coaching the speed, size, and strength, but forget to encourage, implement, and applaud skill, technique, and creativity.
As I stated, this “kick and run” is extremely successful at first, but only temporary. The reason this system or formula only experiences short term success is because, in mathematical terms, soccer from age 10-18 contains a constant.
So why do players who are physically superior have such an advantage over those who are more physically challenged at such a young age? Why does that advantage eventually subside? It is because of soccer’s constant: The size of the field never changes.
According to the dictionary, a constant is defined as a “symbol representing an unspecified number that remains invariable throughout a particular series of time.” From ages 10-18, the size of the soccer field is the same for every age group. Eleven year olds play on the same fields as 16 year olds. Spatial availability for an under 11 game is entirely different than spatial availability for a U16 game. Why? Because the players the players have grown in size, but the field has not. I call this the “compensatory effect.”
The compensatory effect: When space is abundant, physical superiority and advantage will compensate for a lack of technical/tactical skill and will determine outcome. When space is limited, technical/tactical skill will compensate for a lack of physical superiority and will determine outcome.
Given the fact that field size remains constant through 10-18 year old age groups, physiological advantages will compensate for any lack of technical and tactical ability and be the primary component in determining the result of a game for the 10-13 year old age groups. Young players who are faster, quicker, and stronger than others will be much more successful because the
abundant amount of space made available to them. However, as all players get older, physiological variability and spatial availability are in short supply thereby negating physical strength, size, and speed as primary components in determining the result of game. Instead, those players/teams that have developed appropriately over time will be able to compensate for lack of physical advantage/ability with advanced technical and tactical skill because the existence of a lack of space actually benefits the more technically and tactically advanced players.
Now, let’s go back to the math and science. By the time these girls have hit 15, their secondary growth spurt has nearly ended, and the average physiological differences are virtually nonexistent. So what variable separates the good player from the great player? You should know the answer by now. Around the third year of competitive soccer (age 13), right around the time where secondary growth spurts have peaked and/or begun to decline, technical and tactical knowledge start to compensate as the primary dynamic that determines outcomes/results of games. In other words, all girls are starting to “catch up with one another” in terms of physical size, speed, and strength. Therefore, the significant physiological gap that one observes between ages 10 and 12 begins to subtly close, and the physiological advantage one player has over another begins to have less and less of an effect on game results. By the fifth year, genetics has little to do with outcome and technical/tactical skill has everything to do with it.
As Americans, we don’t see this. We don’t realize or understand this compensatory effect. All we want to do is win and this mentality is costing us dearly. Because the focus is the score line at the end of the game, we are sacrificing the individual technical and tactical development as well as individual conceptualization, improvisation, and creativity of not just all players, but of our most talented and physically gifted players.
As a coach, I have seen too many great athletes end up being only mediocre soccer players. Because of the size and/or speed advantage these athletes had over their peers early in their competitive careers, they excelled in the vast space that was available to them. Coaches and parents alike encouraged the use of their physiological advantages and NEVER (1) developed their technical/tactical ability appropriately or (2) held them accountable for implementing the skills they were taught. Hence, all these types of genetically gifted players developed a very false sense of security surrounding their capabilities only to find that later on they lacked the necessary weapons, technique (skill) and tactics (knowledge), to be successful at the game they love.
Look at some of the world’s best players:
1.
Mia Hamm – 5’5”
2.
Landon Donavon – 5’8”
3.
Lionel Messi – 5’7” (Currently known as the best player in the world)
4.
Other great players under 5’9” include: Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Villa, Kurkic, Pedro, etc
This begs the question: Why are we so focused on size, strength and speed? We focus on it because that is what wins at the very beginning. This is why the American women’s team has slowly started to struggle and will continue to struggle on the international stage. Back in 1999, they got stuck on being bigger, faster, and stronger and forgot to get BETTER.
If America wants to regain its indisputable reputation as world #1 in Women's soccer, our issues at the youth level must be addressed and corrected. Soccer parents, advocates and enthusiasts must take action and turn our backs to those systems that preach the utilization of an individual’s physiological advantage to achieve an immediate result. The methodology of this coaching style yields only transient results and is detrimental to a player’s growth and long term success. Instead, we must embrace, support, and invest in those leagues and/or coaches who promote technical and tactical development so that consistent long-term results can be achieved. We must ask ourselves, do we want to be successful temporarily or do we want to be successful permanently? If the answer is the latter, America must focus on developing great players and less time trying to develop winning records.

Ok, another hijacked thread. A discussion about the physical play in North Texas turned into an assessment of US soccer about winning and size of players?

"Look at some of the world’s best players:
1.
Mia Hamm – 5’5”"

5'5" is above average height for a woman.

So OP played us like a fiddle. LOL. I guess it's easy if you want to believe the point someone is making.

My family moved from north Texas to Houston area last year. Alot of you know who I am and who my DD is...

after a year of watching her play (my darling DD that is).... I have noticed two things.

1. the parents here are just as bad as those in North Texas We all know the ones. crazy overboard.
2. the style of play, is more based on skills here. (yes you have games get ruff when doesn't that happen) but you can see in the play that the game is taught more on the Skills aspect and not the brute force I am going to beat you till your afraid of the ball... that we had become used to in North Texas.

some other observations are:.....

1. I have heard the parents from our team say the same thing as was posted on  98G's post... that they worry who is going to get hurt when they play a team from out of North Texas.
2. Funny thing here, the news media Actually covers the games and places them in the papers not all of them but games of importance yes they do for league play.. My DD has received some good press.
3. High school sports here receive GREAT PRESS.. Heck My DD received a full half a page article in 3 newspapers.. (I can post article links if you like... for any doubters)

Now what I am getting at is... She is in a new role as Keeper,(she has played Keeper In North Texas as well) for Her High School team and for Club she usually plays mid field and defense..... as she did with North Texas teams. due to her size. at 6 ft 1"  

With the News press she has received she hasn't had to market herself and in her first year down here Several College (15) coaches have approached us and her coaches about her... We never received that Kind of attention while playing in North Texas..They were even at the High School soccer games. coaches we saw at divisional playoff games were from.... (Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Rice, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, LSU, Baylor, UTD, Remington College, Richland and several other smaller schools.....)

So we to asked the coaches why we didn't garner the attention form them in North Texas....Coaches (I will quote one coach) answer was "If you are looking for a stone wall for your Defense, you Go to the Dallas Area. if you want skills and tactics (non Brute force) you go the rest of the USA... the hard part is to UN-teach a Bad trait in play.."

there are great players to be found in North Texas and a couple coaches say this
"Yes we scout there but honestly unless you are offered a 50% scholarship don't expect you DD to play on the field In College she may be brought up as a trainer for the practice squads."

I have to say After making our Move our DD has come back to finding the love in Soccer again.... (which makes her excel in it) Sorry North Texas But I think the Word is getting out...

Just curious...is your DD getting the interest primarily as a keep or as a field player?

STX can play just as rough at times.  Though they seem to play the ball and play it much quicker with fewer touches while NTX tends to play the player, and grind on the player more.

Very interesting to read while I am drinking the coffee...don't agree or disagree ...things that make you go hmmmm...

She is receiving both interests,, What I heard from the coaches, was to her all around ability to play where needed on the field....

My 93 bb played in numerous Dallas Cups - which meant I had manditory volunteer time to do.. (manditory volunteer? oxymoron, I know..but you know what i mean)
Anyway, for 3 of those years, I did my time driving the referee shuttle, which meant I was driving the FIFA referees from their hotels to the games. I had very good conversations with them along the way.
What I heard from EVERY referee was that they actually liked North Texas soccer's physicality. FIFA states that soccer is a physical sport, where shoulder barges, slide tackles and fighting for space is expected. The referees stated that they hated doing games in the northeast, because the parents are the worst about wanting every little thing called as a foul. They stated that NTX was actually closer to FIFA's ideal physical level than anywhere else in the country.
Do I agree? not really...I think they are kids, and we need to protect them a bit. Just like fighting in hockey at the pro level gets you a penalty, fighting in youth hockey gets you a suspension. I personally think it should be toned down a bit in favor of the safety factor. These kids are not professionals - but if by chance they end up there, they should be ready.
So...in my mind its a balance...and very difficult to achieve.

tallsoccerdad wrote:My family moved from north Texas to Houston area last year. Alot of you know who I am and who my DD is...

after a year of watching her play (my darling DD that is).... I have noticed two things.

1. the parents here are just as bad as those in North Texas We all know the ones. crazy overboard.
2. the style of play, is more based on skills here. (yes you have games get ruff when doesn't that happen) but you can see in the play that the game is taught more on the Skills aspect and not the brute force I am going to beat you till your afraid of the ball... that we had become used to in North Texas.

some other observations are:.....

1. I have heard the parents from our team say the same thing as was posted on  98G's post... that they worry who is going to get hurt when they play a team from out of North Texas.
2. Funny thing here, the news media Actually covers the games and places them in the papers not all of them but games of importance yes they do for league play.. My DD has received some good press.
3. High school sports here receive GREAT PRESS.. Heck My DD received a full half a page article in 3 newspapers.. (I can post article links if you like... for any doubters)

Now what I am getting at is... She is in a new role as Keeper,(she has played Keeper In North Texas as well) for Her High School team and for Club she usually plays mid field and defense..... as she did with North Texas teams. due to her size. at 6 ft 1"  

With the News press she has received she hasn't had to market herself and in her first year down here Several College (15) coaches have approached us and her coaches about her... We never received that Kind of attention while playing in North Texas..They were even at the High School soccer games. coaches we saw at divisional playoff games were from.... (Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Rice, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, LSU, Baylor, UTD, Remington College, Richland and several other smaller schools.....)

So we to asked the coaches why we didn't garner the attention form them in North Texas....Coaches (I will quote one coach) answer was "If you are looking for a stone wall for your Defense, you Go to the Dallas Area. if you want skills and tactics (non Brute force) you go the rest of the USA... the hard part is to UN-teach a Bad trait in play.."

there are great players to be found in North Texas and a couple coaches say this
"Yes we scout there but honestly unless you are offered a 50% scholarship don't expect you DD to play on the field In College she may be brought up as a trainer for the practice squads."

I have to say After making our Move our DD has come back to finding the love in Soccer again.... (which makes her excel in it) Sorry North Texas But I think the Word is getting out...

Sorry to fact check you but:

For the Thread starter - Texas only 2nd to Cali for Class of 2014 Commits

For the new South Texas resident - Dallas way over Houston and that is not even counting the 17 from Ft. Worth

*** Includes class of 2014 players who have been officially announced by Division I schools       .         .  State/Country # Players   Metropolitan Area # Players . 1 California 220  1 Chicago, IL 66 . 2 Texas 138  2 Dallas, TX 52 . 3 Ohio 107  3 Atlanta, GA 49 . 4 Illinois 79  4 Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV 46 . 5 Florida 70  5 Orange County, CA 44 . 6 New Jersey 61  6 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 38 . 7 New York 59  7 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI 36 . 8 Georgia 57  8 St. Louis, MO-IL 34 . 9 Michigan 52  9 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 31 . 10 Virginia 50  9 Houston, TX 31

And here is the link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AriynKqmGsRwdGUyR1ZrSFFUbHFZblNCMnBNZnNqc1E&output=html&gid=10

soccersounder wrote:And here is the link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AriynKqmGsRwdGUyR1ZrSFFUbHFZblNCMnBNZnNqc1E&output=html&gid=10

And here is the Okie State info from the same site:

OKLAHOMA STATE       . 2014       . Beffer, Anna F Tulsa, OK Hurricane FC 2010 Region III ODP 2011 February ODP National Camp 2011 Region III ODP 2012 Region III Europe Trip   . Rivers, Allie D Trophy Club, TX D'Feeters   . Smith, Beryl M The Woodlands, TX Challenge SC 2010 Region III ODP 2010 ODP Thanksgiving Interregional 2011 February ECNL/id2 National Camp 2011 Region III Europe Trip 2011 Region III ODP 2012 February ODP National Camp 2012 Region III ODP   . 2015       . Campbell-Phipps, Taylor M The Woodlands, TX Challenge SC 2012 ECNL San Antonio All-Event Team 2012 Region III ODP   . Wagner, Tatum F Tulsa, OK Hurricane FC 2011 Region III ODP 2012 Region III ODP 2012 ODP Thanksgiving Interregional 2013 August ECNL/id2 National Camp   . Zoller, Marlo F Jenks, OK Hurricane FC 2011 Region III ODP 2012 Region III ODP 2012 ODP Thanksgiving Interregional 2013 Region III Europe Trip   . 2016       . Greenlee, Danielle GK Rockwall, TX Solar Chelsea SC 2013 U-15 NT Player Pool   . Lenhardt, Julia M Frisco, TX Sting Dallas   . Morgan, Charme' D Frisco, TX Dallas Texans   . Pope, Lakyn F Plano, TX Sting Dallas   . Siragusa, Kirsten D Rowlett, TX Sting Dallas 2013 U-15 NT Player Pool   . OLD DOMINION

All of you are missing the point!  THIS is what we've been training our DD's for here in NTX!  Zorb World Cup Dominance, here we come!!!!!

http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=7&from=en-us_msnhp#/video/932bde77-c648-ca74-5554-371c63c76ccb


(Sorry if you clicked on the first link I posted and got stuck watching the mermaid video     )

Having recently moved from NTX to STX, I find it amusing that parents here complain NTX clubs develop winning teams but not players and in STX they complain about clubs developing individual players but not teams.

What's more important in your opinion?