You and about 10,000 other Dad’s…..Get her in a domestic league where she can showcase and the rest should fall into place.
Surf ENCL vs. Slammers Koge
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MacDre
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I get that there are other players with similar or maybe more talent. My point is that if you are the Dad of 1 of those 10,000 kids you should be thinking critically regarding if the current environments offered are stunting your players development or helping them maximize their potential; I think it’s the latter.
I think the USL thinks it’s the latter too because they plan on starting a division 2 women’s soccer in 2023. I’m scared to let my kid play in a letter league. The games that I have observed are violent and bad soccer. Maybe I can find a boys team that she can play with for a year and then transition to a USL division 2 team in 2023.
Why do you think she is not being given equal opportunity is what everyone here asking! That's what I want to know and every time someone mentions that you have not had her in the right in environment, you get defensive. That is why everyone is frustrated with your replies.
On the "Two-touch" tangent, I guess I will never understand that type of play or development. It does teach players to be creative but more like robots. I'd much rather the highly skilled creative player with an extremely strong soccer IQ than a two touch robot. Understanding open space with and without the ball has never been taught correctly as far as I can tell. Who cares if you can two touch if you don't know what to do with open space. Heck, other than Pulisic and Tobin Heath, who was the last creative American you have seen? Maybe Clint Dempsey? But he did not have near the creativity as other international players. The Women players are kind of joke if you ask me. The Old Guard is on it's way out and other Country's like Spain have now developed creative players while others are not far behind. Remember, this is just my opinion though.
MacDre
PREMIER
I don’t want to be repetitive. I have already explained.
Funny you say that. Let me introduce you to Mia Gyau. Her father, Phillip, is the Head Coach at Howard Universty Mens' Team. He also was a former US Team member. We are fortunate that he trains our DD when we can afford it. Mia is active with the US pool. Here is her bio below and a great example of how a girl grew up playing with top level boys teams.
Mia Gyau - 2020 - Women's Soccer - Duke University
Mia Gyau (20) Midfielder/Defender - Awards/Honors: ACC Honor Roll (2017, 2018) National Team Experience: Trained with the U-14, U-15 and U-17 teams … Member
goduke.com
Should also mention her brother currently plays in MLS.
Joe Gyau - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
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whatithink
GOLD
I'm not sure what games you watched, but I did get to watch some of a SW ECNL 07G games this weekend (Royals vs Legends) and there was nothing violent about it. They are both good teams who looked to and played the ball on the floor, competing vigorously (not violently), and in fact the Legends team looked smaller on avg than the Royals team. They will both likely be top half of SW ECNL 07G this year, in contention for playoffs.
A good boys U15 team would be a stretch for a top end girl. They are bigger, stronger, faster and they can play. The physical attrition, to your player, of playing against that level of boys alone should be an enormous concern. She would be far better off in a good club playing up a level or 2, if she can make those rosters.
I see kids killing it at their level and struggling badly when playing up at the next. I've seen kids played up to satisfy a Dad's desire to challenge them, end up leaving the game because of injuries, caused IMV in no small part by the size differential.
If your kid is good enough, clubs will play her up. Every club loves a poster child player.
The only issue I see with your thought process is that tou don’t know the landscape and have limited experience around the game. There are Coaches out there in these leagues that understand and can develop kids.
Working the Boys team route is a great idea. Even if she plays with a Girls team, train with the boys at least once a week. It dramatically improved my DD’s game.
MacDre
PREMIER
Consider this. We are talking about coaches not miracle workers. What a coach can achieve is limited by the players they have. There are too many elite teams and everything is diluted. Reference timbucks post or whatithink; I agree with both of them that the entire team needs to know how to attack and defend together. I think most coaches are making lemonade out of lemons because only 3-4 players on the team are ballers and the rest “pay like they weigh”.
I’m sure your player improved in a letter league. But, my question is do you think your players development has been maximized in a letter league?
If so, please explain how maximization of development was achieved without a team and bench full of ballers?
In simple terms….scouts recruit players not teams. Good Coaches will move players into environments that they are challenged and he’ll them develop.
You are looking for an Encyclopedia answer to a question that is subjective in nature.
To answer your first question, NO. Because leagues don’t develop players. However, the Club and Coaching Staff has given my DD every opportunity to maximize her development. My DD has taken it upon herself to work outside of the Club to maximize herself and proven that on the field.
My DD’s teams have never won a Nat’l Championship, yet her game is recognized at the highest level. Why is that?
MacDre
PREMIER
Dude, stop playing! It’s because she’s a BOSS.
let me try this another way. What do you think could have been improved in regards to your players developmental process?
futboldad1
PREMIER
you may dislike letter leagues but having your DD play in the ECNL where 95%+ of the top female players play will help development and exposure relative to any other youth league in the US....nowhere to hide in the league.....you also need a good coach, natural talent and a strong work ethic....that is your formula imo.....I say this humbly as a parent of one of the "lucky" ones who has opportunities and is doing ok with them......just my 0.02
MacDre
PREMIER
I think my point is “over your head like a shower nozzle.”
Specifically, the 2005 player that is the subject of my complaint is maximizing her development because she has tons of potential but is currently the worst player on the roster. Everyday at practice she is pushed to improve by players that are currently better but more than likely have a lower development ceiling than her.
On the other hand, your very talented daughter is in an environment that will improve her but will not maximize her development potential. I respectfully submit that if your very talented players continues in her current environment she will suffer irreparable harm to her development. She will also not be able to compete with players that had an environment to maximize their development similar to how US male college players can’t compete with European academy graduates. Respectfully.
Pulisic's family had to move to Germany to get him the proper training. They didn't sue US soccer because he wasn't getting NT minutes. He also attended trials with professional clubs as a teen.
SoccerSanDiego
BRONZE
MacDre
PREMIER
I’m suing USSF because they lied to me. I contacted them when my player was 11 and they told to wait until she was 14 because they did not consider 11 years old for YNT.
I subsequently discovered an 11 year old was playing up on the YNT. So, I’m seeking clarification.
Kind words, thank you.
The one thing I would have liked to see is her playing up in age more (she played up all they her youth and moved to her age group when it switched to Birth Year). However, it seemed to motivate her to work harder both on and off the field. So in hindsight maybe that was one of those things that made her who she is today rather than holding her back from what we thought she could have been.
Guess we’ll never know.
Way too many generalizations in that statement to even try to break down. There is NO possible way to know if the environment your kid is in is going to maximize their potential, there are way too many factors to consider. The best environment is different for each kid, you might think putting them on the same team as that 05 player will maximize your kids potential, but what if she doesn't like the coach and doesn't give the coach everything, or the she doesnt like the other girls on the team so the is thinking about that the entire session, or you have to drive an hour to practice and she is so tired when she gets there she can't give it everything and her game suffers. There is no magic pill or team, each kid has their own path and what works for one doesn't always work for another.
All you can do is put them in the environment you feel will help them the most and go from there, but who really knows if that is the best decision. If your kid is getting better, they continue to work hard, they have intrinsic motivation, and they are enjoying the game, that is when you know you made the right decision.
MacDre
PREMIER
Funny. I got these ideas by looking at the evolution of the mens side and what’s done throughout professional soccer.
What are your thoughts as to why the mens side uses funded youth academies throughout the world to maximize development?
Also, why don’t you think funded youth academies would maximize development on the female side the same way as the mens?
futboldad1
PREMIER
Here's the thing......Pulisic left as boys's soccer in the US is very weak.....but girl's soccer in the US is very strong.....we can argue the details but those two factors are undeniable and make it asinine to compare male and female paths.......
Short answer...money and politics. But that topic doesn't interest me as much as how I can help my kid develop and grow a sense of appreciation for the game. I'll let you try go down that rabbit hole.