05 - 2014 - NTFC Fall Challenge Schedule Predictions

Actually I didn't comment on ANY game this weekend. I have no clue what happened in any of these games this weekend, all I said is that I've seen games where a team that's not near as good as the team they are playing benefited from poor weather. Had nothing to do with their skill or anything, simply slipped on a wet pitch and off to the races it was. My point is still valid that wet, cold weather is a great equalizer. It makes fast teams slower and doesn't effect the slower teams as much. That's really not even an opinion, it's fact. Heck it's not even an excuse, it's just the reality of the situation. Personally I think you use whatever advantage you can get and there's no shame in that whatsoever.

My point is still the same, congratulations to the teams that made it to the finals and the teams that won but weekends like this last one don't matter much in my overall opinion of who is a better team (you are free to have your own opinion, I don't care) and who isn't. At the end of the day in Texas, qualifying is done in the lovely Texas heat so what happens on a cold wet pitch in November matters very little.

Actually they dread the weather no matter what the age, yes as they get older they have a better understanding of what the weather means but they also have a better idea of how to adjust to it. If the weather wasn't such a big deal then why do so many parents sit in cars with their other kids while watching the games. What I've generally found is that the first game is ok in cold weather and then it goes downhill from there no matter what age you are talking about. It's like one of the great minds of our times said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Mike Tyson might have been talking about boxing but it applies to cold weather as well. Everyone has a plan on how to stay warm, until the wind punches you in the face.

"ware and tear on their body's"

Thunderlipz, you are all over the place, are you referring to a 30yr old?

Uh oh... Looks like GrandTXSoccer is making a serious push to win the "SoccerTalker Memorial Grass Excuse Award", more commonly referred to as the Cushman Trophy...

LOL, it would be an excuse if I was trying to justify or defend a result, I'm not trying to justify anything for any team. Like I said, I didn't watch one of these games this weekend, don't care who won or who is #1. Simply stating the fact that cold (or hot) wet fields tend to be at the disadvantage of the faster teams because it slows them down. For all I know the teams that won were the faster, quicker teams and just the better teams. However in general wet fields tend to lessen the speed advantage some teams have.

However, if we are handing out trophies I'd be more than happy to accept one.

Hardly wrote:"ware and tear on their body's"

Thunderlipz, you are all over the place, are you referring to a 30yr old?

Yes I'm referring to You. Now that was obvious! Come on, I want to see another one of your Captioned Photos with a whole new excuse on it. PLEASE!!!

GrandTX - You probably won't win because you aren't trying to explain why your DD's team, that just won a tournament, didn't win it by larger margins, because the condition of the grass affected her team more than the other teams that played on the same fields...

Hear that all you slow girls???  You need to tell your parents to move to Seattle or Portland ASAP so you'll have a chance... (and don't forget to tell them to find a town where they let the grass grow to at least 4" on the fields)

@thunderlipz, I'm confused, but ok.

Weather is always going to be apart of outdoor sports, it affects both teams, so, therefor the game becomes fair. My argument here, is with Thunderlipz, who suggests 9 & 10yr old kids can handle extreme weather conditions better than a 17yr old. Anyone with sense, knows that suggestion is beyond ignorance.

bwgophers wrote:

Hear that all you slow girls???  You need to tell your parents to move to Seattle or Portland ASAP so you'll have a chance... (and don't forget to tell them to find a town where they let the grass grow to at least 4" on the fields)

And don't forget how much the size of the ball comes into play.

Hardly wrote:@thunderlipz, I'm confused, but ok.

Weather is always going to be apart of outdoor sports, it affects both teams, so, therefor the game becomes fair. My argument here, is with Thunderlipz, who suggests 9 & 10yr old kids can handle extreme weather conditions better than a 17yr old. Anyone with sense, knows that suggestion is beyond ignorance.

It's just my opinion Buddy. Everybody has one. Don't take it so personal. Okay, so you disagree? So what Now? Anyway you look at it your making excuses as to why your team Lost. Just take your medicine an move on.

And your opinion is WRONG, clearly. "Don't take it personal", I believe you're the one that began the name calling, real mature. This isn't about teams winning or losing, this is about your blatant ignorance.

At the end of the day, did the weather conditions play a part in the outcome of the games? Yes, they absolutely did. But regardless, I absolutely agree that teams need to be prepared to play regardless of the weather. The comments earlier by the goal keeper was right on. I don't have a dog in this fight but I watched the DTS/Rush game and DTS controlled the ball on their end for most of that game. The Rush goalie was busy the entire game but the DTS goalie maybe touched the ball 3 or 4 times the entire game. No doubt when it came to the PKs, which goalie was better prepared, but it's part of the game. Same for Pulp because they were playing one field over and I tried to keep an eye on both.

DTS and Solar Pulp lost in PKs to teams that they are much better than. It happens. No one is questioning the level of skill for DTS and Pulp as it is very clear who SHOULD have been in the championship game but they were not and kudos to the teams that made it.

It was a great tourny and congratulations to the teams that won. They were were better teams on Sunday because the weather leveled the playing field and in the end, they made more PKs than the other team. No excuses. That's just the way I see it.

SoccerFever wrote:At the end of the day, did the weather conditions play a part in the outcome of the games?  Yes, they absolutely did.  But regardless, I absolutely agree that teams need to be prepared to play regardless of the weather.  The comments earlier by the goal keeper was right on.  I don't have a dog in this fight but I watched the DTS/Rush game and DTS controlled the ball on their end for most of that game.  The Rush goalie was busy the entire game but the DTS goalie maybe touched the ball 3 or 4 times the entire game.  No doubt when it came to the PKs, which goalie was better prepared, but it's part of the game.  Same for Pulp because they were playing one field over and I tried to keep an eye on both.

DTS and Solar Pulp lost in PKs to teams that they are much better than.  It happens.  No one is questioning the level of skill for DTS and Pulp as it is very clear who SHOULD have been in the championship game but they were not and kudos to the teams that made it.  

It was a great tourny and congratulations to the teams that won.  They were were better teams on Sunday because the weather leveled the playing field and in the end, they made more PKs than the other team.  No excuses.  That's just the way I see it.

That's an interesting perspective.  From what I have heard about the Sunday games each team got a half to attack with the wind and it made all the difference.  Because the winds were between 15 and 30 mph gusts, the ball stayed on the south end of the field in each game.  In the DTS-Rush game, no goals were scored until the PKs so neither team was able to take advantage of the wind.  In the Solar-Feet game, it was 1-1 and went to PKs.  Supposedly Solar scored against the wind but could not score when they had it.  Each team in each game had their chances but it came down to PKs to decide both games.  It is really hard to say that the weather leveled the playing field when there is not doubt that a team with the wind had a huge advantage.  That was even the case on Saturday.  Luckily for you, sour grapes taste better when they are frozen.

I do agree with you that Pulp and DTS are the better teams.  But they lost.  It happens.  We have seen all season that the depth of talent in the 05s means that anybody can win or lose in a given game. That's what makes this age group great.

".....it is very clear who SHOULD have been in the championship game...." Really? Clear to who?

The two teams that SHOULD have been in the championship are the two teams that earned the right to be there. Congrats to Feet and Rush for playing like warriors this weekend.

This is a great discussion...and highly entertaining. As someone who doesn't have a dog in the top fights but did see several games this weekend, several of which matched ball control teams against boot-it teams, I'll just add my impressions.

I certainly don't want to take anything away from the teams that won. "That's why you play the games" seems a fitting description of this weekend. However, I did see a lot of girls struggling with ball contact and control in the cold...even while it was dry. When it's that cold, the ball is hard and slick...the shoes are hard and slick...and the ground is just plain hard. Teams that were trying to connect 4-6 passes while working the ball down the field struggled. It's a lot easier to be successful with that big boot. In addition, I saw a lot of balls just simply go past girls without even being touched...tight muscles and slower reactions certainly seemed to be a factor in ball control overall.

Most of the 05 girls I watched obviously didn't have the depth of experience to adjust to the challenges of the cold weather. You have to play in it to know how to play in it.

However, the teams that won are the teams that won. The games are no less valid because of the conditions.

Shall we start the guest player argument now?

Ok, Anarchy...I take the bait. Please share......

It was ether the weather or guest players that allowed rush and feet to win. Maybe both...

Hardly wrote:And your opinion is WRONG, clearly. "Don't take it personal", I believe you're the one that began the name calling, real mature. This isn't about teams winning or losing, this is about your blatant ignorance.

Coming from Someone who Insulted Forrest Whittaker with your lack of whit, That means a Lot! Thanks for the entertainment today. It was a Blast!

SoccerAdvice2Go wrote:Ok, Anarchy...I take the bait. Please share......

I don't have anything.... lol

It's what comes next after weather and field conditions though. There has to be some excuse as to why Rush won over the "better" teams

Let's take a closer look into Rush CFBAL Platinum results

Rush 0 v Diaz 3
Rush 1 v Colon 0
Rush 0 v Pulp 3
Rush 0 v Hanlon 0
Rush 4 v Farley 0
Rush 0 v Abbott 1
Rush 2 v Hyypia 2
Rush 0 v Gerrard 0

WOW, great win over Farley!!

Hardly wrote:Let's take a closer look into Rush CFBAL Platinum results

Rush 0 v Diaz 3
Rush 1 v Colon 0
Rush 0 v Pulp 3
Rush 0 v Hanlon 0
Rush 4 v Farley 0
Rush 0 v Abbott 1
Rush 2 v Hyypia 2
Rush 0 v Gerrard 0

WOW, great win over Farley!!

Nice win over feet and a really good Tie with Hyypia. I'd say they are looking like they are on the Up Swing. Especially after this weekend!

"Nice win over feet", did feet even win a game this season? I've heard mixed reviews on the tie with Hyypia.

Hardly wrote:"Nice win over feet", did feet even win a game this season? I've heard mixed reviews on the tie with Hyypia.

Someone please post each team's CFBAL record just so Hardly doesn't have to do it. He only has Solar Abotts's memorized.

Apparently, I have Rush's record memorized as well.

What's with all this hate?

Rush and Feet had great tournaments -- yes, in the cold -- and evidently surprised a few people.  Can't it be just that?

Those of us who've been watching, and know what we're looking at, knew that both teams had it in them.  Well-done, girls!

Agree with the banana person. nice job by Rush and congrats to them. They are a good group. Nicely done this weekend.

feet didn't win - not sure what all the 'congrats to Feet and Rush' stuff is about to be honest. Kinda rec yeah?