Are you serious? Define success at U12!
To put it into other terms.... if you paid for your daughter to go to a school that promised A+ grades at the U11 and U12 but you was uncertain of her development / progression / retention rate when it came to the college age, you would enroll your daughter into that program? I agree that results are rightly a priority in youth sports but they should NEVER compromise the development or process at this age!
If you believe that results outway development or process before U16+ then perhaps you should stop reading this forum and listening to uneducated opinions and start to listen to US Soccer, FIFA, the English FA, Spanish FA, German FA and any US or European Academy programs who have studied this sport alongside youth education.
I'm always so surprised and shocked by the time invested by parents into this sport and support they offer for their children, it's honestly truly remarkable!! Yet I'm more surprised at the lack of time that is spent educating and researching themselves on what is best for their children. None of us are experts in this sport or child education so why not read some articles, talk professionally to your coaches and educate yourselves further?
But then again, I guess a few of us did play the sport at college level, watch it on TV all the time, and almost went professional if it wasn't for that injury. So those guys obviously already know everything and therefore it's okay not to be open to education and other opinions.
Rant over....
Where do I start?
I personally never heard a coach say they will win Nat/State/Pres cup. Thats not in their pitch while recruiting. So if that coach has won 3 in a row i'm sure he can drop that on them. If he does say that to a potential player, at that point he isn't recruiting a tier 2 player he is going right into another clubs yard and trying to rip the best player he wants. As they say, to the victor go the spoils.
Who says they aren't developing? you? So Slammers must have got lucky playing and winning against all the developed clubs? Nobody is lucky that many times in one tournament. And coaches don't get lucky winning 3 out of 4 finals. So maybe there is something there.
So in your expert decision which team is developed then? All CB/AW teams are well coached. I haven't heard anyone say other wise. But in the end its about talent and getting that talent out of them. Sorry your kids team lost but her team needs to work harder. Learning how to win is developing too. When all things are equal its guts and grit.
Who are you to suggest that I do not read and do whats in the best interest of my kids? I don't talk to coaches. I pay coaches because they are good coaches. If i don't think they are doing a good job at making my DD a better player, developing and learning how to play then i'll move along. And don't act holier than thou either you participate in the same thing we all do or else you just come on here because you have nothing else to do. US soccer is thick in the middle of all of it.
And just so you know many of the parents here that you seem to think you have an edge on about how to raise their kids, they send their girls to college. You don't get them in college without preparing them to get into college. If you don't want to invest time into what your kid does thats on you. I spend just as much time with my other daughter who has zero LAX skills as i do my DD that plays soccer at a decent level. My advice to you from having older kids is to wake up. This ride stops real quick.
did you really play in college?
I don't care if it is a rec league flag football team for fat 50 year old. If you win then be happy.
Results are how you measure yourself. Everyone around the world in every sport keeps score. That part of playing sports. You learn how to win and figure out that losing sucks and you better work harder. Should parents lose their F ing minds at u8/10/12 14/16/18/ college? no thats stupid. Competitive kids know the score even at scrimmages. Show me a kid that doesn't keep score at practice scrimmages ill show you someone not long for completive sports.
So give Slammers their due.
You seem to be bothered by the forum so maybe its time to quit. You shouldn't have to subject yourself to former college players, soccer couch potato or hear about his war stories about his injury.