Games of the week (Mar. 4 & 5)

SoccerAdvice2Go wrote:Couldn't pass up catching what was supposed to be the game of the year with DTS/Kicks but was boring "zzzzz"...It did allow me to watch a good portion of Fever/Sting Guzman playing on adjacent field.  2-0 Fever win.  But sloppy, real sloppy.  Fever barely could beat #17 ranked team.  In fact, parts of game were dominated by Sting.  I have come to conclusion Fever is very overrated at #4.   Similar observations from previous week, Midfield is big weakness for this team at a #4 ranking.  Seen better in Plano games. Based on what I saw, Gray, Solar or West, could be able to catch them.

Didn't see either game.  Very surprised DTS won so big.  Good for them!  I was definitely wrong on my 2-1 Kicks prediction!  HA!

It's hard to be overrated when the ranking is based on W-L-T.  This isn't the AP poll or anything.  Whoever is #1 earned it and whoever is #20 earned it.  So for Fever to be "overrated" at #4 is impossible.  No one is, by definition, rated at all.  If you look at the record, Fever has beaten West, Gray, and Solar. (I assume you mean Haylock cuz they are the closer of the Solars.)  I didn't watch those games either, but they won.  Are you saying that you "rate" Fever as the 7th best team?  You could make that statement because you are making the rating.  But to say they don't deserve the #4 rank in the league is silly.  They have earned it by playing on the field.  They've lost to three teams - the ones in front of them.  That's it.

 All of that being said, I have always said that if you gave Penn the talent that the big clubs draw, he would have them at the very top.  It seems you have made that argument as well.  Since their midfield sucks so badly and they don't deserve to be in 4th, I assume you mean that Kenneth Penn is a miracle worker to have them in 4th!  Oh, I also believe you said their defense struggles to clear balls.  Unless they have Alex Morgan playing striker, I suppose, the credit must go to the coach.  I'm glad to find another Kenneth Penn fan.

Your prediction is interesting.  If you take a peek at the remaining schedules, the closest team would need to make up 5pts with 3 games to play.  That's pretty unlikely.

Now, Gray is an interesting case.  They seem to be improving as the year progressed.  They may be one to watch in the future.  As mentioned, making up 5 points in the last three games is near impossible because Fever only has to tie once to put it out of reach, but anyone have insight into if anything has changed with them?  They are looking to be a contender.  I bet they beat West this coming week.

I would say the same for Solar Haylock.  Any thoughts there?

West is, of course, completely the opposite.  They have taken a nosedive.  I really do wonder what is going on there.  West is three points out of relegation to D2 and are closer to that than they are to 4th place.  They haven't won since Sting Shepard in Feb?  Tie to Sting Bean, Loss to Haylock and a loss to that pathetic bunch that doesn't deserve to be #4 at Fever?  (I don't mention their loss to Selecao and DTS...cuz you know, everyone loses to them. haha!)  So maybe the awesome midfield at West should go over to Fever and make a really good team?

How bou da?

skiberdad wrote:

SoccerAdvice2Go wrote:Couldn't pass up catching what was supposed to be the game of the year with DTS/Kicks but was boring "zzzzz"...It did allow me to watch a good portion of Fever/Sting Guzman playing on adjacent field.  2-0 Fever win.  But sloppy, real sloppy.  Fever barely could beat #17 ranked team.  In fact, parts of game were dominated by Sting.  I have come to conclusion Fever is very overrated at #4.   Similar observations from previous week, Midfield is big weakness for this team at a #4 ranking.  Seen better in Plano games. Based on what I saw, Gray, Solar or West, could be able to catch them.

Didn't see either game.  Very surprised DTS won so big.  Good for them!  I was definitely wrong on my 2-1 Kicks prediction!  HA!

It's hard to be overrated when the ranking is based on W-L-T.  This isn't the AP poll or anything.  Whoever is #1 earned it and whoever is #20 earned it.  So for Fever to be "overrated" at #4 is impossible.  No one is, by definition rated, at all.  If you look at the record, Fever has beaten West, Gray, and Solar. (I assume you mean Haylock cuz they are the closer of the Solars.)  I didn't watch those games either, but they won.  Are you saying that you "rate" Fever as the 7th best team?  You could make that statement because you are making the rating.  But to say they don't deserve the #4 rank in the league is silly.  They have earned it by playing on the field.  They've lost to three teams - the ones in front of them.  That's it.  So I suppose your rating is not based on results but your keen eye?  lol  I guess they should have given the Super Bowl to the Cowboys then.  They looked really good to me.

Your prediction is interesting.  If you take a peek at the remaining schedules, the closest team would need to make up 5pts with 3 games to play.  That's pretty unlikely.

DTS played better no doubt. Perhaps they thought they had something to prove, and wanted it more. Either way congrats to DTS.
As for Fever, they are the #4 team in LH. That will not change, I am sure they will address the midfield come signing time. Sting West has gone 1-4-1 since beginning of Spring. Will have to pick it up to finish in top 5.

No skiberdad, what I would be worried about is u12 LH D1s quality is not at the level it once was this age group for a #4 teams to not be as balanced with talent. It seems clear who is #1 (far away in another class by itself), the rest of D1 can't play with #2, and #3 seems to be pretty distant from #4-#20.  Maybe the age pure thing changed things. My DDs '04 team (Top 5) has seen similar impact when they shifted for age pure.

Finally - a well-reasoned post with a good point to be made.

I completely agree with that.  I think JDL has obviously also diluted out the pool at LHGCL.  FCD Red has a bunch of the good players as does Solar Red and Pulp.  Kicks Selecao is really the only one outside of the big 4 that has real talent.  Sting really doesn't hang with the top. LPE easily beat Higgy at Spring Roundup. LPE has some athletes but they don't play like Selecao.  DTS is a JDL team so I don't include them in this discussion.

I think if you add the two Solars, FCD Red to DTS and Selecao.  That's your real top 5 - not necessarily in that order.

That becomes pretty solid.

So really it's the JDL business that's done this to the 05 group.  Fever is at the bottom of D1 and not #4 if there was no JDL.  Though if no JDL also a lot less CPP in these pre-ECNL age groups cuz everyone has games in LHGCL can't play players in multiple games on the same day so that scrambles predictions a bit.

IMO, LPE is top 5 even if you include the JDL teams.

that's an interesting observation. Who do they knock out? Solar Colvin?

skiberdad wrote:that's an interesting observation.  Who do they knock out?  Solar Colvin?

I think they are at least as good as Colvin, and better than Pulp. Put the 2 together, then who knows.

RuReady2Rumble , it could be an age pure thing but I would put this one more on coaching. This was really sloppy play for the 16th game of season from a "Top Team". You would think the team would be more in sync and more developed at this point. This opponent was a low ranked/low performing team with two wins. Fever, a supposed Top 4 team couldn't connect passes, had constant turnovers, and was significantly outplayed parts of the game by a team destined for Plano. Skiberdad, interesting point about West midfielders, maybe some dissention will come toward the end of season and create a Fever/West powerhouse? Just saying...

I think that would be real interesting to see if that occurs. Sting West has real speed and skill in areas. If you were to replace the two central mids at Fever with them, now what do you have? Heck, replace the outside mids as well. Now what? Hmmm.....

There are parts of both teams that seem to be strong. At separate times, both teams have appeared to put it together. Unlike the very top teams, neither seems to be able to do it every time. West is in a trough right now, but Fever had a tough stretch last year (2016) in the spring - at least it looks like that if you look in their record history on gotsoccer.

Why wouldn't you take two top ten teams and put them together? They both practice and draw from the same midcities area. If their teams had any contact, I'd certainly be talking about it. Coaches and club officials can't talk to players until June, but parents certainly can. With the much lower fees at an independent, I've said it before, why wouldn't West parents look to combine with Fever, pay maybe a thousand less, and be a much stronger team together and go showcase? It's not like West is kicking down the door to JDL. Fever already has a team in SRPL, looks like this 05 team could be next. West is not in any position to come close to that. If they aren't in JDL and they aren't in SRPL, their kids get no exposure at all. Might as well join the team that will get a spot to a higher league.

SA2G - that's the smartest thing I've seen you say! =) lol j/k you have good points about the make up of the teams in question. I was just making a point above about "rank" and "rate". Though it does seem you have a disagreement with me about "the coach". But since my kid was with him for years many moons ago, I'll claim the better knowledge on that. =)

So you know anyone on the two teams?

“Though it does seem you have a disagreement with me about "the coach". But since my kid was with him for years many moons ago, I'll claim the better knowledge on that. =)”

Ok, Skiberdad, I need to call you out. For someone who always uses the allusive "purposeful" deflection of identify as “heard from a friend”, “mothers sisters cousins niece told me”, “my kid was with him for years many moons ago”, etc. you sure always know so much about Fever.

I have to ask skiberdad who are you really??? I did some investigative reporting and looked back at your post history. I have to challenge your credibility as a Fever stalker and proclaim your actual affinity to the team as a parent or coach of Fever. Just saying….

Let’s see, first, what age are your DDs really and are they/her on Fever – just saying? On you very first post, 7/20/16, you give us a distinguished view of your background. You were a previous soccer coach from the Pacific NW. You have an u12 daughter in Select, another daughter in Rec, and a son that is 15. Then on multiple different posts that seems to change…9/15/16 you post “my daughter left for ECNL years ago, but Kenneth Penn at Fever did this for my daughter for which I will be forever grateful”… WAIT I THOUGHT YOUR DAUGHTERS WERE U12 AND REC BUT NOW THEY ARE IN ECNL?????? 2/28/17 post, “If I'm a parent of a '05G, (Thank goodness I'm not. That was a preteen age I'd just as soon forget) I'd really look hard at giving Penn the chance to teach my kid. He did wonders for my '00.” WAIT ISN’T U12 05????? Again on 9/16/16, you posted on 05 games of the week blog you provided feedback on Club Fees, etc, you said “My daughter knows a girl so I chatted with her dad”…HMMM ASSUME IF YOUR DAUGHTER WAS ’05 IT WOULD MAKE SENSE SHE WOULD KNOW ’05 GIRLS. WAIT IS YOUR DAUGHTER ’05 or ECNL or ‘OO?????? On 9/26/16 post you stated, “my oldest daughter now in college...” SKIBERDAD, I AM SO CONFUSED????? On 9/26/16, you had another post and stated, “Standing with daughter waiting for game later in the day, the only game at UTD that afternoon, ironically was a ’00 LH game. But wait in your first post (less than one year ago) you had a U12 Daughter and a daughter in Rec. ARE THEY PLAYING UP FROM THEIR U12 TEAM OR REC TEAM. THAT IS AMAZING – BUT HA NOT REALLY HUH! On 8/30/05, you posted on 05 Blog regarding JDL/LH team participation, “our coach is not glad. We know their quality and it will be missed.” And just for icing on the cake, on 10/23/16, you posted to an ECNL discussion “…when my daughter went through years ago.” ALL VERY SUSPICIOUS CHANGING OF THE WHO I AM STORY. ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE BEHIND THE SCREEN AND MISLEAD READERS JUST TO DEFLECT HOW OLD YOUR DDs REALLY ARE AND WHICH TEAM THEY ARE ON? HMMM DOES SHE PLAY ON FEVER? Just saying….

So are you a Fever Stalker or Parent or Coach??? Let’s see more than 60% of your 244 posts are on 05 blogs, 35% on general soccer discussions tied to ‘05. ONE COULD CONCLUDE STALKER, PARENT, OR COACH. 10/11/16 post “Man, I should spend less time at the soccer fields watching games that have nothing to do with my kids......” STALKER FOR SURE. On 3/20 post…”LMAO... no, I don't see many 05 games anymore.” But on 2/28 post, you reference watching part of two of Fever games (Redknapp and Sting West). YOU SURE DO LIKE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ACROSS THE BOARD ON TEAMS FOR PERSON WHO DOESN’T SEE MANY ’05 GAMES ANYMORE????? AND YOU SURE DO KNOW A LOT ABOUT FEVER. PARENT/ COACH. BUT MY GUESS IS FEVER ’05 PARENT.

Ouch...you go SA2G...wonderful research. It could be best call out ever on the boards. Skiberdad?? Seems you have multiple personalities. I am buying Fever parent, trying to push club and coach as well.

Definitely Skiberdad has habit of bragging about his love for coach Penn. Agree he does seem to know quite a bit about the team/club also. Now all makes sense.

oh snap!

nice work SA2G

watch now for the new alias - maybe skibermom.  That will really throw us off!  

lol wow.

I'm glad I have struck such a nerve.  My goodness, I was just agreeing with you in a post!

And the dogpile grows as well! If every has made up their minds, then I suppose there's no reason for me to say anything else, but... I'm a glutton for punishment so here goes.

I do suppose I could be called a "stalker". I don't see many games anymore but I do go see some. I am, by good fortune, a close to retirement executive so I do get a lot of free time - as evidenced by my presence on this board during the day. If I get a chance, I do go by to check in on past loyalties. I've been very open with the fact that I am a Penn fan so if I do go out and watch kids play, why wouldn't it be his? Why would I check in others except maybe a DTS v Selecao tilt? As to why 05, it's his only good team. Why would I go watch his 04 team? Do I pull for Fever? Sure. I've always been not only a fan of his but of the independents.

As for your investigative journaling, has it occurred to you that I could have multiple daughters who have/had multiple friends who aren't necessarily their age? Further, is it not possible that the aforementioned parents of daughters friends could ALSO have daughters of different ages? Personally, my children have an age spread of almost 15 years. So could have an '00 and a '15. I don't, I'm just pointing this out. I've also been unfortunately divorced twice. So I have daughters from multiple wives. I have children in the Pacific NW where I'm from originally. I have two who play here - boy and girl. Oh and by the way one in college and one already out. Clearly, I don't need to explain to anyone here what it's like to have mixed families? Even if you don't have one, you can probably imagine. Just as clearly, I also don't have to feel the need to share my complete life story in every post, right?

I suppose I am probably wasting my time with this, but I giant rant like that shows a real desperation. I'm not sure what drove that, but probably from my criticism of some 05 team. You'll notice that I conceded that Fever midfield could use upgrade based on your observations. If I'm a parent, do I acknowledge that in forum? I guess I could as long as it wasn't my daughter in the midfield, haha! But anyway, point remains that if I'm a Fever parent, I probably don't come on here acknowledging deficiencies. No matter what I said about a team, I've never attacked you so I'm not sure what drives you to attack me. Even if I was a Fever parent, did it really require that kind of rant?

Look - if you don't want to hear me talk about the 05 group, you could just disagree with things I say. Personal attack is probably not the best way to go about it.

For the rest of the folks, I suppose believe what you want. It is a free forum, after all. I don't expect apologies, but maybe just think about what you want to pile on before you do so.

Maybe Skiberdad is just some alter-ego avatar of me. No, I do not think I would have been so nice in my response. But perhaps one day.

lol KC.

At my age, it does not pay to get pissed off. I'm already taking two blood pressure pills. Back in the day, I might have started throwing around accusations of my own because clearly this individual has a connection to some team I took a swipe at, but it's just not worth it.

Thx for the "nice" characterization. My wife would be proud of me.

Well if I got paid to get pissed off I could retire.

Sorry just not buying it skiberdad. Another attempt to deflect not working for me. I looked up one of your first posts as well….under If not LHGCL then?, 7/20/16, you state,

I coached select soccer in the Pacific NW. It's not North TX, but at least it's something.
I have a son who is in Developmental Academy right now. Pretty much the highest you can get for a 15yo boy...aside from the US team...hahaha
I have daughter who is U12 and played LHGCL for a year already
I have a daughter who plays rec.

In the post you just sent defending yourself you seem to have forgotten about you U12 daughter who is playing LHGCL. In your defensive post, you state, “So I have daughters from multiple wives. I have children in the Pacific NW where I'm from originally. I have two who play here - boy and girl. Oh and by the way one in college and one already out.”

So your latest response is multiple children from multiple wives but you incriminate yourself again saying you have a daughter that plays here. Well back in your July post you did tell us you had a daughter U12 playing in LHGCL. Hmmmm – could it be U12 Fever Team. I guess the readers need to make their own guess. Just saying…I believe the issue/attack SA2G has is about the purposeful constant deception you are trying to provide to the forum readers to sway toward the Fever club. Shame you.

Seems pretty convincing to me. Thanks SA2G! I agree Ruready2Rumble. It appears attempt to wrongly influence. It could only influence newcomers though not the crazy fools like the rest of us that have come to expect only the worse from this forum?

I've promised poobaby in another thread that I'd drop it so I will. Thanks everyone.