2007 ODP List out
- Thread starter BFrank
- Start date
Congrats to all the girls!
BeepBeep Boop
SILVER ELITE
1. Congratulations to those selected.
2. As the parent of an 06 who made the final team last year, be sure to ask "Are they going to have a 2007 division at ODP championships?" There was no 2006 division last year and they gave our girls "the opportunity" to try out for the traveling 2005 team. I was very salty about how the whole thing went down. I'm not advising you to not participate, but if I knew the team was basically just for bragging rights (except for the 4 2006s that made the 2005 team) I would have approached it differently. If you're interested there's a thread about it on the 2006 board.
3. Final thing, my daughter had fun trying out in the spring, fun attending summer camp, and approached this season focused and confident. If your daughter tries out and didn't make it, don't sweat it. ODP scouts and coaches miss plenty of good players and have a bias towards big, strong and fast players. Good luck!
2. As the parent of an 06 who made the final team last year, be sure to ask "Are they going to have a 2007 division at ODP championships?" There was no 2006 division last year and they gave our girls "the opportunity" to try out for the traveling 2005 team. I was very salty about how the whole thing went down. I'm not advising you to not participate, but if I knew the team was basically just for bragging rights (except for the 4 2006s that made the 2005 team) I would have approached it differently. If you're interested there's a thread about it on the 2006 board.
3. Final thing, my daughter had fun trying out in the spring, fun attending summer camp, and approached this season focused and confident. If your daughter tries out and didn't make it, don't sweat it. ODP scouts and coaches miss plenty of good players and have a bias towards big, strong and fast players. Good luck!
MakeAPlay
DA
Salty about getting extra training for your player? Sounds like you are looking at the short game not the long game. Your player is 11 or 12 years old (a ULittle). You have so much further to go. The players that make the cut at 11/12 don't necessarily turn into the best players in college. There were even players that made the first Region IV team the first year that aren't even playing soccer anymore. Extra training with other good players IMHO never hurts.
BeepBeep Boop
SILVER ELITE
Salty because:
- I wanted to see our 2006 team compete as a team
- Dealing with Cal South was frustrating and to make myself feel better about it I told myself, "it'll be worth it because wwe'l go to the tourney and kick butt".
- Having the feeling of being played for a sucker because I actually believed the team would be playing.
- I try to stay grounded about this whole thing. Personally I never got past high school athletics because I started believing people when they said I was soooo good. I teach that to my daughter and I don't want to her or myself to fall into the trap of believing her "headlines".
The process used to select the ODP crop seems flawed. Not sure how watching one or two games at State Cup is enough to determine the top 100 players. Perhaps there is also feedback gathered from coaches. If a coach is also an ODP scout, is that a conflict of interest where he/she may selfishly recommend players from his/her club? Obviously, I don't know the complete process and I don't know if I can come up with a better one.
BananaKick
SILVER ELITE
I believe they also look at National & CRL. I too would like to know more about the complete process.
Interesting perspective, can you elaborate more on your thoughts?
met61
GOLD
How would you interpret: no coach and/or club director input; no season or top tournaments scouting; all state cup teams with near equal number of player representation; scouts observed watching half of game at best?
It was a non serious and lazy selection effort. Not sure what Cal South intended to achieve...but a "best of the best" list it is not.
I agree with you regarding the scouting, I’m sure it’s difficult to get around to each and every club team throughout southern CA so they probably settle on heading to the top level at State Cup or National Cup and make decisions based on what they see. I am sure many kids were missed that are well deserving to be on the list. I do think your opinion on the “list” is pretty ridiculous. Do you know all the girls on that list? Are you The expert that could have chosen a better group of kids? Disagree all you want, be upset if there are girls missing from the list that you expected to be on it but stop discrediting the young ladies that obviously impressed someone and that deserve to have this opportunity. You sound petty and bitter.
met61
GOLD
You start by making my point...then disappointingly stoop to going personal, which directly speaks to you.
Actually, Cal South claims to be the experts. I suggest reading their charter, then decide for yourself. Hint: There's a reason DA players don't participate.
met61
GOLD
Sure, to be paid for by the many not-so-much others on a road to nowhere...funny how that works. Also, legit ballers are DA.
Due to travel and cost issues, not all "legit ballers" will be able to play DA.
met61
GOLD
...and for the same reason not all will be able to play club soccer, what's your point?
Is there some place in Southern California where a player cannot find a close-by, affordable club? My point is that ODP is structured (allegedly) to find players wherever they may be, with the travel problem reduced by holding only a few events and practices, and costs to the players' families near to zero. To play on a DA team, not only does a player have to pass the audition, they have to be at practices and games several times a week, and most of them are not free.
How is there no coach or club director input? It's on the cal south website for anyone with a computer to access.
http://media.calsouth.com/data/Downloads/ProPlus/Pro_Recommendation_Form.pdf?rev=130F
I don't know that their process is great, but it seems more like lazy research of the process on your behalf, or you have a lazy coach or director who didn't take the time to recommend players. Maybe take up your gripe with them.
met61
GOLD
Your propensity to go personal speaks much more of you than I, which is unfortunate. However, this is not about me or my kid, she's on the list. Rather, my opinions and points are directed at the lack of effort, process and relevance of Cal South and this program to the national youth soccer strategy. I have seen all the teams represented on the ODP List play many times and I don't know about you, but I clearly did not observe 3-5 elite or "Pro+" players on each team. Generally speaking, as the saying goes: 'If everyone is elite/"Pro+", then no one is.'
I refuse to kid myself about what this really is and where it leads, but rather I'm calling Cal South what it is...a road to nowhere. US Soccer is the path and future of actual elite youth soccer.