U14 National Team

sprint wrote:Some stats stood out to me most:

1. National team players come from two parent families
2. National team players normally have an older sibling
3. National team players have well educated parents
4.  National team players have a history of playing against boys.  
5. National team players have a history of playing up an age group.  

Is this a Bernie sanders commercial for all that's wrong with America?
Kind of points out the problem with a pay to play model.

I think in a Bernie Sanders world, all the top players would be forced to play on rec teams with untrained parent coaches. A few select players with little proven skill or desire would be given spots on ECNL or DA squads. That way everyone could have equal access to the poverty that government doled out "equality" brings.

RightWingDad wrote:I think in a Bernie Sanders world, all the top players would be forced to play on rec teams with untrained parent coaches. A few select players with little proven skill or desire would be given spots on ECNL or DA squads. That way everyone could have equal access to the poverty that government doled out "equality" brings.

Fyi...I hate both parties equally. My point was...you don't really have the best possible athletes because of this model. Just because mommy and daddy have the time and money to over invest in their Dds soccer career does not make an average athlete a superstar. Just stating the obvious.

I can see both points. Unfortunately any truly amateur sport almost by it's nature excludes people who can't afford to participate in it. The money to pay for professional coaching and excellent facilities has to come from somewhere. If it doesn't come from Sponsors it has to come from parents or the State. If it comes from the Sate it's coming from people who don't necessarily value that Sport or benefit from it. High schools could spend 40% of the Football and Basketball budget (including Stadium money) on Girls Soccer but the earth would have to stop spinning first.

Part of why Texas is producing elite athletes in Women's soccer is the huge amount of money being spent by parents on it. Eventually that investment has an outcome. The best and possibly only way to include more folks is if Women's professional soccer takes off and clubs start their own farm teams or more Soccer moms run for School Boards...

Or maybe when corporate or Euro club partnerships start subsidizing the player fees....but as you said, the earth would have to stop spinning first.

sprint wrote:Some stats stood out to me most:

1. National team players come from two parent families

I didn't want to be the one to bring it up first. I have noticed that the marriage rate is higher on the sideline that it is in my Church.

It also said that single Dads outnumbered single moms; that doesn't surprise me either from my limited sample.

FC Barcelona is opening an Academy branch here in Dallas, announced last week. Dallas and a few other cities. Interesting to see how they run it. They surely can afford to subsidize it.

Would US Soccer give FC Barcelona a DA spot?

[quote="AtThePitch"]FC Barcelona is opening an Academy branch here in Dallas, announced last week. Dallas and a few other cities. Interesting to see how they run it. They surely can afford to subsidize it.

Would US Soccer give FC Barcelona a DA spot?[/quote]

FC Barcelona has one of these schools in Florida already and it seems many think it is a money grab to capitalize on the US Fans of Barcelona. They sell you a kit, claim to teach you the Barcelona way and send some Spanish coaches to teach your kids.

Heard the cost was over 5K for the one in Florida but that could be wrong. Almost certain it is another form of Pay to Play...

Pitch, saw they have a camp coming to Dallas (UTD) but no mention of any other academy outside Florida.

Camps are camps, usually glorified babysitting for a few hundred dollars. Our experience anyway, can say that for those we've not been to. Heard A&M was a good one, SMU is up/down.

sprint wrote:

AtThePitch wrote:FC Barcelona is opening an Academy branch here in Dallas, announced last week. Dallas and a few other cities. Interesting to see how they run it. They surely can afford to subsidize it.

Would US Soccer give FC Barcelona a DA spot?

FC Barcelona has one of these schools in Florida already and it seems many think it is a money grab to capitalize on the US Fans of Barcelona.  They sell you a kit, claim to teach you the Barcelona way and send  some Spanish coaches to teach your kids.  

Heard the cost was over 5K for the one in Florida but that could be wrong.  Almost certain it is another form of Pay to Play...

Odds are you are EXACTLY right.

sprint wrote:

AtThePitch wrote:FC Barcelona is opening an Academy branch here in Dallas, announced last week. Dallas and a few other cities. Interesting to see how they run it. They surely can afford to subsidize it.

Would US Soccer give FC Barcelona a DA spot?

FC Barcelona has one of these schools in Florida already and it seems many think it is a money grab to capitalize on the US Fans of Barcelona.  They sell you a kit, claim to teach you the Barcelona way and send  some Spanish coaches to teach your kids.  

Heard the cost was over 5K for the one in Florida but that could be wrong.  Almost certain it is another form of Pay to Play...

Probably still better coaching than 90% of what's in NTX right now.

Had to dig up the article...

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2624837-barcelona-to-open-multiple-schools-in-bid-to-find-american-lionel-messi

Fcb escola Florida is 2250 for the year. For the competitive side. Scratch that subsidize program.

AtThePitch wrote:Had to dig up the article...

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2624837-barcelona-to-open-multiple-schools-in-bid-to-find-american-lionel-messi

My first thought was that the American Lionel Messi that they are trying to find...will probably realize somewhere in his high school years that there is tons of money to be made in American football, baseball or basketball and he'll switch sports.

Thus, we'll never have an American Messi. Now maybe we can find someone who bites players? That we might could do ;-)

How in the world was the National Team ever able to figure out which girls were U14 when we didn't have Age Pure?

It sure is a good thing we have leadership that is making sure all of our 1,000s of older girls are going through this transition so the National Team is not inconvenienced in some unexplained way.

I predict that due to this certainly wonderful and timely change, the USA might even become competitive in women's world soccer someday. Yay for NTSSA and yay for USA soccer.

You guys are cracking me up. Love it. And some good sociology points.

SantaFe wrote:How in the world was the National Team ever able to figure out which girls were U14 when we didn't have Age Pure?

It sure is a good thing we have leadership that is making sure all of our 1,000s of older girls are going through this transition so the National Team is not inconvenienced in some unexplained way.

I predict that due to this certainly wonderful and timely change, the USA might even become competitive in women's world soccer someday. Yay for NTSSA and yay for USA soccer.

Is there a like button for this post. Kudos for hitting the nail on the head and max comedy (sarcasm). Small sided is smart. Age pure is beyond stupid. It's selfish and destructive. As you've mentioned, they decided to fix something that wasn't broken.

Is there a like button for this post. Kudos for hitting the nail on the head and max comedy (sarcasm). Small sided is smart. Age pure is beyond stupid. It's selfish and destructive. As you've mentioned, they decided to fix something that wasn't broken. wrote:

I'd actually go a step further and say they BROKE something that wasn't broken.

The fact that NTSSA wouldn't or couldn't press to grandfather in the older girls leads me to this conclusion:

a) they are completely weak or lack fortitude
b) there's something in it for them ($)
c) having the actual players/families best interest is not of prime importance

Some or all...

SantaFe wrote:

I'd actually go a step further and say they BROKE something that wasn't broken.

The fact that NTSSA wouldn't or couldn't press to grandfather in the older girls leads me to this conclusion:

a) they are completely weak or lack fortitude
b) there's something in it for them ($)
c) having the actual players/families best interest is not of prime importance

Some or all...

The directives came down from US Soccer.  What makes you think NTSSA had an option to "press to grandfather in the older girls?"  And just for the sake of argument, what makes you think they didn't try and just weren't successful?

I, for one, do believe that's the way it should have been handled, but it seems to me that it's quite a leap from the end result to your conclusions.

^Hey, you can pretty much use that statement for anything wrong with this country. Certainly no need to question and evaluate things.

Cut and paste it to your clipboard, you'll be needing it.

soccerjack wrote:

sprint wrote:Some stats stood out to me most:

1. National team players come from two parent families
2. National team players normally have an older sibling
3. National team players have well educated parents
4.  National team players have a history of playing against boys.  
5. National team players have a history of playing up an age group.  

Is this a Bernie sanders commercial for all that's wrong with America?
Kind of points out the problem with a pay to play model.

Yes, wasn't #6: vote Bernie.