soccerstud
SILVER
Thank you Kante we really appreciate the heads-up, I'll look into it, you never know where that opportunity is lurking...
2003/2004 Boys. Standings, games of the week etc...
- Thread starter R2564952
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Thank you Kante we really appreciate the heads-up, I'll look into it, you never know where that opportunity is lurking...
I'm no expert, but the more time I spend in this world, the less I believe in the magical effects of training on an individual. The primary factor in soccer success is going to be genetics. I suspect that if your son were at LAFC all this time, he'd be exactly as good as he is now.
Kante
PREMIER
Np. ...the very best way to try-out is to be a key part of beating the other team... best of luck!
soccerstud
SILVER
That's a thought, and I agree to some extent, however, I do believe that genetics without hard work and training will not get you very far. So many wasted talents because of poor discipline and not enough hard work but plenty of natural talent (genetics). If i have to pick between a player that works hard or is just born with talent, I will always pick hard work. Not everyone can be Messi, but many can be those hard working guys that every team needs but do not get much credit. Players like Gennaro Gattuso in Milan, wow what a beast worked hard and has the heart of a lion, but not very talented.
CR7 good talent but great baller because of his hard work.
Maradona, great talent, didnt come from soccer genes, his son didnt do much
Ronaldo "el fenomeno", don't know of any in his family made it pro and he was a beast
Just look at player stories, which happens to be a hobbie of mine.
In any event, my son has cousins in Mexico that made it to second division, and one cousin somewhat recently (2005-2016) that played first division with Chivas de Guadalajara, Edgar "El Tepa" Solis. There's been so many in both my wife's family and mine that didn't make it professional mainly because of lack of hard work. and not necessarily because they didn't want to do it, but more because of poverty levels that had to work 80 hrs a week min wage to help family out, and some due to horrible injuries in their late teenage years playing in mexican leagues hoping to be "discovered" cause they couldn't afford club, there were no academy back then.
In the end, whats going to happen is going to happen, but I applaud my son not leaving anything to chance, work hard and hope for the best!
cheerio
Kante
PREMIER
here's predicts for this weekend (3/7). home team is listed first.
San Diego Surf 1 - LAFC 3
Real Salt Lake 2 - Strikers 1 - match to watch (RSL is .05 points behind RSC, which is newly atop the table)
Nomads 1 - Real SoCal 2 - match to watch
note: RSC is sitting in the #1 spot in the West Conference just .05 points ahead of RSL. Have been watching RSC u17 for a bit and they seem to be the real deal. Looking at the numbers, following a 0-5 loss to Barca at the end of October, RSC looks like they started to run things around and it's been up and to the right since.
Here's the RSC overall goal differential % over time chart
Defensively, RSC has seen significant improvement since that Barca match, and the improvement seems to be accelerating with RSC putting up four shutouts in their last six matches. here's the defensive chart:
Offensively, the improvement looks like it's been going on since the beginning of the year.
Net net, good on RSC for competing and prevailing against SoCal competition. To be fair, scheduling looks like it has helped RSC a bit, but The Algo normalizes for that. RSC, keep it up. Nice to see a non-MLS club atop the table.
Pateadores 2 - Albion 1
Arsenal 1 - Barca 4
San Diego Surf 1 - LAFC 3
Real Salt Lake 2 - Strikers 1 - match to watch (RSL is .05 points behind RSC, which is newly atop the table)
Nomads 1 - Real SoCal 2 - match to watch
note: RSC is sitting in the #1 spot in the West Conference just .05 points ahead of RSL. Have been watching RSC u17 for a bit and they seem to be the real deal. Looking at the numbers, following a 0-5 loss to Barca at the end of October, RSC looks like they started to run things around and it's been up and to the right since.
Here's the RSC overall goal differential % over time chart
Defensively, RSC has seen significant improvement since that Barca match, and the improvement seems to be accelerating with RSC putting up four shutouts in their last six matches. here's the defensive chart:
Offensively, the improvement looks like it's been going on since the beginning of the year.
Net net, good on RSC for competing and prevailing against SoCal competition. To be fair, scheduling looks like it has helped RSC a bit, but The Algo normalizes for that. RSC, keep it up. Nice to see a non-MLS club atop the table.
Pateadores 2 - Albion 1
Arsenal 1 - Barca 4
Kante
PREMIER
Coming back to to the RSL - LAFC match for a minute.
Recap:
LAFC had a good 3-2 win over a tough RSL team the weekend of 3/1.
Saldana, the LAFC TD, tweeted out congrats (fair)but then went on to write "I’ve given them (ed note: LAFC u17) the task of being the youngest team (by a large margin) in every game & always up for the challenge..never used as an excuse."
The Issue:
LAFC seems to have recruited a disproportionate number of Jan/Feb DOB players for while now across all their teams. For example, almost 60%of LAFC's u15 team was born in Jan/Feb (fyi, most of this data is from old rosters when USSDA used to list DOBs on the team roster which they stopped doing in Nov-ish 2018-19). The next oldest u15 SoCal team is RSL with 34% of the team roster being born in Jan/Feb. LAG is 22%.
One of the impacts of LAFC doing this is that, in SoCal, in order to compete w/ LAFC, other clubs, anecdotally, seem to be more actively recruiting older/early developer DOB players to a greater degree than before LAFC emerged as a force in 2017-18. (This is possible to check but haven't checked yet.)
So, for late in the year SoCal DOB/late developers, who already had it pretty tough breaking into DA teams, LAFC made it tougher.
Ok, life is not fair. Fine.
But to then have LAFC's TD - who is very aware of the relative DOBs for his teams vs other teams and the benefit of having older players in the u12 thru u17 DA age groups - go into passive/aggressive "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"-esque mode to say, rephrased, "no excuses but ... our team is the youngest 'by a large margin' in every game.." Yeah, no.
The RSL - LAFC Match
Doing a weighted average of player DOB x % minutes of played, LAFC's average player age on the field for the match against RSL was March 24, 2004. Running the same numbers for RSl, their weighted average age on the field for the match was August 14, 2003. So LAFC was about, on average, about eight months younger than RSL. So, good for the LAFC players for the win.
What's the Impact of Younger vs Older Players in u17?
When LAG played the Pats two weeks in a row, in the first match, LAG played a youngers line-up (LAG has 33 players on their team roster and it's split almost 505/50 03s and 04s) with average age of Feb 3, 2004. The Pats, who's team roster is mostly 03s, had an average age of Sept 7, 2003 (which is relatively young for DA). Netted out, LAG was five months younger than the Pats and the score was 4-0 Pats.
The next weekend LAG and Pats played again. This time the LAG average age was October 29, 2003 (still pretty young for u17), and the Pats average age was Sept 16, 2003. So pretty even age wise. Result was a 1-1 tie.
Obviously, only one example, but a pretty striking example.
_______
So, give credit to the LAFC players for their result, but Mr. Saldana, please simmer down w/ this "youngest team by a wide margin" stuff. Have heard this repeatedly from the LAFC DA talking about their u17 team this year. It actually is an excuse, and not a good look.
Hopefully, LAFC will start looking longer term than just building their academy brand by getting wins this year in DA to actual player production, which would mean bringing in and developing players who are going to the best players at age 17, 18 and 19, and these players are not necessarily the player who matches at u13, u14 and u15.
Older should not confused with better. And way too often, right now, in the US, particularly, it is.
But maybe things will start changing. Here's a quote on this subject from a Soccer America interview w/ the new u15 US Soccer Head Coach:
www.socceramerica.com
Many of these high potential players will be Jan/Feb DOBs, but odds are that there's a lot other players out there - up to 25% of the potential player pool - not getting a shot.
And it's not just the right thing to do, it's also good business. Running the numbers, mining Q4 DOBs for players is a huge arbitrage oppty right now that's being missed across the US. But, like all arbitrage opportunities, it won't last forever, because someone at some point will figure it out. (The guys in Carson seem to be on this track though ...)
In a short time, LAFC has built up a significant influence on the SoCal - and the national - youth soccer environment.
If LAFC leads, others will follow. Mr. Saldana, your thoughts?
Recap:
LAFC had a good 3-2 win over a tough RSL team the weekend of 3/1.
Saldana, the LAFC TD, tweeted out congrats (fair)but then went on to write "I’ve given them (ed note: LAFC u17) the task of being the youngest team (by a large margin) in every game & always up for the challenge..never used as an excuse."
The Issue:
LAFC seems to have recruited a disproportionate number of Jan/Feb DOB players for while now across all their teams. For example, almost 60%of LAFC's u15 team was born in Jan/Feb (fyi, most of this data is from old rosters when USSDA used to list DOBs on the team roster which they stopped doing in Nov-ish 2018-19). The next oldest u15 SoCal team is RSL with 34% of the team roster being born in Jan/Feb. LAG is 22%.
One of the impacts of LAFC doing this is that, in SoCal, in order to compete w/ LAFC, other clubs, anecdotally, seem to be more actively recruiting older/early developer DOB players to a greater degree than before LAFC emerged as a force in 2017-18. (This is possible to check but haven't checked yet.)
So, for late in the year SoCal DOB/late developers, who already had it pretty tough breaking into DA teams, LAFC made it tougher.
Ok, life is not fair. Fine.
But to then have LAFC's TD - who is very aware of the relative DOBs for his teams vs other teams and the benefit of having older players in the u12 thru u17 DA age groups - go into passive/aggressive "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"-esque mode to say, rephrased, "no excuses but ... our team is the youngest 'by a large margin' in every game.." Yeah, no.
The RSL - LAFC Match
Doing a weighted average of player DOB x % minutes of played, LAFC's average player age on the field for the match against RSL was March 24, 2004. Running the same numbers for RSl, their weighted average age on the field for the match was August 14, 2003. So LAFC was about, on average, about eight months younger than RSL. So, good for the LAFC players for the win.
What's the Impact of Younger vs Older Players in u17?
When LAG played the Pats two weeks in a row, in the first match, LAG played a youngers line-up (LAG has 33 players on their team roster and it's split almost 505/50 03s and 04s) with average age of Feb 3, 2004. The Pats, who's team roster is mostly 03s, had an average age of Sept 7, 2003 (which is relatively young for DA). Netted out, LAG was five months younger than the Pats and the score was 4-0 Pats.
The next weekend LAG and Pats played again. This time the LAG average age was October 29, 2003 (still pretty young for u17), and the Pats average age was Sept 16, 2003. So pretty even age wise. Result was a 1-1 tie.
Obviously, only one example, but a pretty striking example.
_______
So, give credit to the LAFC players for their result, but Mr. Saldana, please simmer down w/ this "youngest team by a wide margin" stuff. Have heard this repeatedly from the LAFC DA talking about their u17 team this year. It actually is an excuse, and not a good look.
Hopefully, LAFC will start looking longer term than just building their academy brand by getting wins this year in DA to actual player production, which would mean bringing in and developing players who are going to the best players at age 17, 18 and 19, and these players are not necessarily the player who matches at u13, u14 and u15.
Older should not confused with better. And way too often, right now, in the US, particularly, it is.
But maybe things will start changing. Here's a quote on this subject from a Soccer America interview w/ the new u15 US Soccer Head Coach:
"They might be the same age, but physically one can seem two years older than another. Some are over-developed physically and some under-developed. A player might not be physically ready right now, but one in two or three years when the physical aspect evens, he might be one of the top players. At FC United, a lot of our teams at the younger ages are under-sized. Because we're judging them as soccer players, knowing that at some point they're going to grow. My staff and I and our scouts recognize that there's so much physical change to come..."
New U.S. U-15 boss Gonzalo Segares on his path from Costa Rica to the USA, and shifting from pro player to youth coach
U.S. U-15 boys national team head coach Gonzalo Segares played more than 200 MLS games for the Chicago Fire.
www.socceramerica.com
Many of these high potential players will be Jan/Feb DOBs, but odds are that there's a lot other players out there - up to 25% of the potential player pool - not getting a shot.
And it's not just the right thing to do, it's also good business. Running the numbers, mining Q4 DOBs for players is a huge arbitrage oppty right now that's being missed across the US. But, like all arbitrage opportunities, it won't last forever, because someone at some point will figure it out. (The guys in Carson seem to be on this track though ...)
In a short time, LAFC has built up a significant influence on the SoCal - and the national - youth soccer environment.
If LAFC leads, others will follow. Mr. Saldana, your thoughts?
Hard work, sure, but would he be working harder if he were at LAFC? It's the training that I question. What is LAFC showing their kids that your kid isn't getting? I suspect, not much.
soccerstud
SILVER
My point is, there is a hierarchy when it comes to schools of soccer, you have Europe academy training, south american (brazil and Argentina) and then you have Mexico and US...it would be naive of anyone to ignore the difference between your son training at XYZ FC in southern cali, vs Ajax (for example), only ones right now in so cal are Galaxy and LAFC...from the money they are pumping into their trainers and training there is a huge difference from the rest, so yes, I really think with my sons talent and work ethic he would benefit huge from going to Europe or South America, since thats not an opportunity thats opened up yet, he has Galaxy or LAFC...if youre trying to stir the pot, not gonna bite. I respect your opinion, but you have to understand there is a huge reason players migrate to the bigger and better teams for development. Galaxy and LAFC, like it or not, are the best in so cal right now. Ive seen their training sessions
Not trying to stir the pot. I honestly believe that the reason European academies are better is that they get better kids. The entire hierarchy is due to recruiting, not development. My son plays with a European academy in the summers and if you have a beer or two with the coaches, they'll admit that the reason they have the best academy in the country is that they get the best kids from the entire country (even after, famously, cutting Robert Lewandowski). If you read the Relative Age Effect thread, it links to an article describing that the top sales from European academies are not of kids that were there long - some just a year or two right before they go pro. See: Relative Age. They don't develop most of the kids themselves.
I'm not saying that someone shouldn't try to go to Europe or LAFC. If you have that opportunity, you should take it, and if you make it, it's a huge accomplishment. But that's what it is, an accomplishment. It's not going to make you much better, if at all. It's an acknowledgement of where you are now, not where you're going. The main benefit of those academies is access to the pro circuit. They're essentially showcases or marketplaces.
If your son works as hard as you say and wins the "puberty lottery" (as another coach puts it), he'll be great no matter where he plays.
Kante
PREMIER
here's predicts vs actuals for this last weekend (3/7). home team is listed first.
predict: San Diego Surf 1 - LAFC 3 actuals: San Diego Surf 3 - LAFC 1
note: so The Algo had the score right, but the winners wrong. Happens...
predict: Real Salt Lake 2 - Strikers 1 actuals: pending - does anyone have the score here?
predict: Nomads 1 - Real SoCal 2 actuals: Nomads 3 - Real SoCal 2
note: RSC's D couldn't hold it, and RSC's brief reign atop the table is over for now...
predict: Pateadores 2 - Albion 1 actuals: Pateadores 1 - Albion 1
predict: Arsenal 1 - Barca 4 actuals: pending - does anyone have the score here?
predict: San Diego Surf 1 - LAFC 3 actuals: San Diego Surf 3 - LAFC 1
note: so The Algo had the score right, but the winners wrong. Happens...
predict: Real Salt Lake 2 - Strikers 1 actuals: pending - does anyone have the score here?
predict: Nomads 1 - Real SoCal 2 actuals: Nomads 3 - Real SoCal 2
note: RSC's D couldn't hold it, and RSC's brief reign atop the table is over for now...
predict: Pateadores 2 - Albion 1 actuals: Pateadores 1 - Albion 1
predict: Arsenal 1 - Barca 4 actuals: pending - does anyone have the score here?
DosEquisGuy
BRONZE
"
predict: Real Salt Lake 2 - Strikers 1 actuals: pending - does anyone have the score here?"
RSL2, Strikers 0
predict: Real Salt Lake 2 - Strikers 1 actuals: pending - does anyone have the score here?"
RSL2, Strikers 0
Kante
PREMIER
Thx!
Fishme1
GOLD
Don’t Wait to see what happens at RSL.You should be reaching out to other clubs too. If the clubs are interested they will schedule a tryout the week of or at least the week after. You are in a hurry to have your son play at the top level. Yes he’s a hard worker, has the IQ and all. But all that doesn’t matter at the top level. You need to start networking with people that are heavily involved with soccer. That should be your biggest worry.
Kante
PREMIER
Been a bit. Hope everyone is doing well. Interesting times... In other news, came across this write-up. Be interesting to hear folks' thoughts on this guy's take, and any players in SoCal he may have not mentioned.
chasingacup.com
A breakdown of the 2003 age group
In the last two segments of this series we took at look at the 2001 and 2002 age groups. Today we are going to take a look at the 2003 age group. This age group will comprise the core of the 2023 u20 World Cup cycle where they will be looking to not only make […]
chasingacup.com