97 D-2 Predictions

Boys U14 D2
Game Time Home Team Away Team Location
#586 12:30 PM DALLAS TEXANS SC 97B WHITE WEST (CONNELL) DALLAS TIGRES ACADEMY 97B (SANTIBANEZ) PH 12
#587 12:30 PM DFW TEJANOS PREMIER 97B (BARROW) IRVING ELITE FC 97B (GONZALEZ) Richland #01
#588 12:30 PM TFC 97B ROYAL (PELAEZ) ASG FC 97B GOLD WEST (KUNITZ) Richland #07
#589 12:30 PM HURST UNITED 97B BLACK (ZIMMERLE) DALLAS TIGRES ACADEMY 97B GOLD (ALVAREZ) Richland #06
#590 12:30 PM FC DALLAS YOUTH 97B CENTRAL (ARIAS) TFC 97B (PUSKARICH) Pizza Hut Park #11



Since I don't really know much about many of the teams here, I will leave the predictions up to the experts of this division... Bb suits up for T W West this Saturday, So I hope we come out of there with a win..

I will say the game of the week imo is Irving vs Tejanos.... Look for Irving to try and redeem themselves after being eliminated from the 2010 cowtown by the Tejanos....

It would be interesting to see what everybody else has to say about these teams.... Good luck to all veterans and newcomers alike....

#586 DALLAS TX-0 TIGRES-1
#587 DFW TEJANOS-1 IRVIN ELITE-3
#588 TFC ROYAL-3 ASG -0
#589 HURST UNITED-0 TIGRES GOLD-5
#590 FCDALLAS-0 TFC-1

I won't do one for the games but I will do this one for the season:

Top 3 (not in order of finish):

Irving Elite (Gonzalez)
TFC Royal (Pelaez)
Hurst United (Zimmerle)

Middle 4 (not in order of finish):

Tigres Gold (Alvarez)
Texans White West (Connell)
DFW Tejanos (Barrow)
TFC (Puskarich)

Bottom 3 (not in order of finish):

FC Dallas Central (Arias)
ASG Gold (Kunitz)
Tigres (Santibanez) (I may have my Tigres' wrong, I am picking the one that finished second in D3 last year to struggle more this year)

FYI - I have no dog in this hunt, this is merely a humble prediction as my son is sitting out the fall to concentrate on playing QB at the middle school

#586 DALLAS TX-1 TIGRES-2
#587 DFW TEJANOS-0 IRVIN ELITE-2
#588 TFC ROYAL-2 ASG -0
#589 HURST UNITED-1 TIGRES GOLD-3
#590 FCDALLAS-0 TFC-2

mspan02 wrote:I won't do one for the games but I will do this one for the season:

Top 3 (not in order of finish):

Irving Elite (Gonzalez)
TFC Royal (Pelaez)
Hurst United (Zimmerle)

Middle 4 (not in order of finish):

Tigres Gold (Alvarez)
Texans White West (Connell)
DFW Tejanos (Barrow)
TFC (Puskarich)

Bottom 3 (not in order of finish):

FC Dallas Central (Arias)
ASG Gold (Kunitz)
Tigres (Santibanez) (I may have my Tigres' wrong, I am picking the one that finished second in D3 last year to struggle more this year)

FYI - I have no dog in this hunt, this is merely a humble prediction as my son is sitting out the fall to concentrate on playing QB at the middle school

First and last seem (in my opinion) easy to pick with the rest of the division really tough. I have to agree mspan02 for the most part; I like Irving Elite for 1st place. They are playing like they should be in D1 and are solid all the way around, watching them in Plano Labor day against 2 D1 teams makes them an easy lock. On the opposite end of the division, even though I am rooting for them, FCD Central I believe is a pretty sure bet to be in the bottom of the group after their Plano Labor Day showing. I hope they do better than last but I cannot see them having enough to get past the rest of the division but may do well if they can put up some ties since they do have an excellent keeper between the posts for them.

I do believe that TFC Royal, and Tigres will be battling for the 2nd place finish maybe with the Tejanos added in. ASG Gold I do not believe is a bottom 3 so switch it with TFC (by a hair). Never know who or which adults will be on the roster for the either of the Tigres so picking against them is hard. When U14's drive to the games with their wife and kids, they should probably not be on the roster...

Will be a good year with all the teams from 2-9 looking to be pretty even like it was last year.

randee42 i will make it official and say Iriving Elite I do see finishing first and FCD Central 10th like you do and i agree w/the tigres statements
Every win will be gold in this division
Teams that play for draws will be flirting w/relegation in the spring I believe
Let the games begin

Now I will in order of finish just for fun

Irving Elite I will go ahead and predict 5th next year in d1
TFC Royal almost did it last year
Hurst United close again
Tigres Gold couple of age spot checks will hurt
TFC coaching change on horizon as current focuses on older team? (just going by what i hear, not in any loop so could be dead wrong and not trying to start anything)
DFW Tejanos could be a little higher
Texans White West bout right
Tigres will win a couple of surprise games
ASG Gold this division is loaded, must get wins, draws will be death
FC Dallas Central, have good keeper and two players and not much else

I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

soccerboy9 wrote:I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

Ok, I was teasing a bit about the Tigres and their man-child players. True, I think some of the boys grow faster than others and the Tigres have cornered the market on some of those. That being said, my son is a big mexican but some of those boys make him look like he is in 4th grade. My rule of thumb, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, well then it is not a chicken.

I do think part of it is cultural, some of the hispanic boys are born with a soccer ball on their foot; where as in the states, not so much. I know soccer was not the sport my BB was involved in nor did we ever think his chunky little body would ever play select. Passion is bred into from the family and soccer is def the "it" sport in latin american so their is much more passion involved into it.

That being said, I do have a bit of a negative feeling about the 97 Tigres, they play dirty and have a bad rep. Bad rep may be just to the 97's but I have personally witnessed the dirty play. Additionally, I know enough Spanish to know they are not telling my son "good job" in Spanish when they are yelling at him... Irving Elite is big but I would not say abnormally large. I like IE, they play fair, tough and have a great coach that will ensure his team wins with respect. My son's old team played IE several times and they played a bit aggressive but I would never say they played dirty. Not sure about the Monterrey team, I was them play a bit in Plano and did not think they were any different from any other team.

randee42 wrote:

soccerboy9 wrote:I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

Ok, I was teasing a bit about the Tigres and their man-child players. True, I think some of the boys grow faster than others and the Tigres have cornered the market on some of those. That being said, my son is a big mexican but some of those boys make him look like he is in 4th grade. My rule of thumb, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, well then it is not a chicken.

I do think part of it is cultural, some of the hispanic boys are born with a soccer ball on their foot; where as in the states, not so much. I know soccer was not the sport my BB was involved in nor did we ever think his chunky little body would ever play select. Passion is bred into from the family and soccer is def the "it" sport in latin american so their is much more passion involved into it.

That being said, I do have a bit of a negative feeling about the 97 Tigres, they play dirty and have a bad rep. Bad rep may be just to the 97's but I have personally witnessed the dirty play. Additionally, I know enough Spanish to know they are not telling my son "good job" in Spanish when they are yelling at him... Irving Elite is big but I would not say abnormally large. I like IE, they play fair, tough and have a great coach that will ensure his team wins with respect. My son's old team played IE several times and they played a bit aggressive but I would never say they played dirty. Not sure about the Monterrey team, I was them play a bit in Plano and did not think they were any different from any other team.

That Tigres team and coach has been earning their reputation since they were Boca Jr.s back in Academy.

rdg wrote:

randee42 wrote:

soccerboy9 wrote:I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

Ok, I was teasing a bit about the Tigres and their man-child players. True, I think some of the boys grow faster than others and the Tigres have cornered the market on some of those. That being said, my son is a big mexican but some of those boys make him look like he is in 4th grade. My rule of thumb, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, well then it is not a chicken.

I do think part of it is cultural, some of the hispanic boys are born with a soccer ball on their foot; where as in the states, not so much. I know soccer was not the sport my BB was involved in nor did we ever think his chunky little body would ever play select. Passion is bred into from the family and soccer is def the "it" sport in latin american so their is much more passion involved into it.

That being said, I do have a bit of a negative feeling about the 97 Tigres, they play dirty and have a bad rep. Bad rep may be just to the 97's but I have personally witnessed the dirty play. Additionally, I know enough Spanish to know they are not telling my son "good job" in Spanish when they are yelling at him... Irving Elite is big but I would not say abnormally large. I like IE, they play fair, tough and have a great coach that will ensure his team wins with respect. My son's old team played IE several times and they played a bit aggressive but I would never say they played dirty. Not sure about the Monterrey team, I was them play a bit in Plano and did not think they were any different from any other team.

That Tigres team and coach has been earning their reputation since they were Boca Jr.s back in Academy.

The coach is gone and so are a lot of the players.

DALLAS TX 1 - TIGRES 1
DFW TEJANOS 0 - IRVIN ELITE 4
TFC ROYAL 2 - ASG 0
HURST UNITED 1 - TIGRES GOLD 4
FC DALLAS 1 - TFC 3

The German wrote:

rdg wrote:

randee42 wrote:

soccerboy9 wrote:I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

Ok, I was teasing a bit about the Tigres and their man-child players. True, I think some of the boys grow faster than others and the Tigres have cornered the market on some of those. That being said, my son is a big mexican but some of those boys make him look like he is in 4th grade. My rule of thumb, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, well then it is not a chicken.

I do think part of it is cultural, some of the hispanic boys are born with a soccer ball on their foot; where as in the states, not so much. I know soccer was not the sport my BB was involved in nor did we ever think his chunky little body would ever play select. Passion is bred into from the family and soccer is def the "it" sport in latin american so their is much more passion involved into it.

That being said, I do have a bit of a negative feeling about the 97 Tigres, they play dirty and have a bad rep. Bad rep may be just to the 97's but I have personally witnessed the dirty play. Additionally, I know enough Spanish to know they are not telling my son "good job" in Spanish when they are yelling at him... Irving Elite is big but I would not say abnormally large. I like IE, they play fair, tough and have a great coach that will ensure his team wins with respect. My son's old team played IE several times and they played a bit aggressive but I would never say they played dirty. Not sure about the Monterrey team, I was them play a bit in Plano and did not think they were any different from any other team.

That Tigres team and coach has been earning their reputation since they were Boca Jr.s back in Academy.

The coach is gone and so are a lot of the players.

Is this new? I saw the coach get ejected from a game, just last season.

randee42 wrote:

soccerboy9 wrote:I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

Ok, I was teasing a bit about the Tigres and their man-child players. True, I think some of the boys grow faster than others and the Tigres have cornered the market on some of those. That being said, my son is a big mexican but some of those boys make him look like he is in 4th grade. My rule of thumb, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, well then it is not a chicken.

I do think part of it is cultural, some of the hispanic boys are born with a soccer ball on their foot; where as in the states, not so much. I know soccer was not the sport my BB was involved in nor did we ever think his chunky little body would ever play select. Passion is bred into from the family and soccer is def the "it" sport in latin american so their is much more passion involved into it.

That being said, I do have a bit of a negative feeling about the 97 Tigres, they play dirty and have a bad rep. Bad rep may be just to the 97's but I have personally witnessed the dirty play. Additionally, I know enough Spanish to know they are not telling my son "good job" in Spanish when they are yelling at him... Irving Elite is big but I would not say abnormally large. I like IE, they play fair, tough and have a great coach that will ensure his team wins with respect. My son's old team played IE several times and they played a bit aggressive but I would never say they played dirty. Not sure about the Monterrey team, I was them play a bit in Plano and did not think they were any different from any other team.

I've been thinking a bit about these post'.... IMO I think that maybe these 13-14 year old Mexican boys on these said teams look older than they are is because they are older....Not by age, but mentally that is. Here is my theory.. I think a-lot of these boys are asked to do a lot more than just go to school, get good grades, and play soccer.

Many if these kids are helping around the house with siblings, serious household duties, and some of these young men are probably already working with dad, or relatives on their free time. Many are having to be the liaison between their parents, and the English speaking world.

We are products of our environment.Our culture calls for us to be men way before it is our natural time. These man-childs as many of you call them is what they are. I know because I was one. As a 14 year old I was one of the oldest looking kids in my class, I had a mustache and a part time job washing dishes on the weekends.... On top of anything else that was being asked from me at home... My parents are a lot like the parents I see out there with these boys in question.... My folks needed my help.

This is why I think some of these kids look older than what they are. They are being asked to do way more than most of the other kids, their bodies adjust to their mindset pretty quick...

I know what you are saying randee42, I've seen your son when both our kids were training with the same team earlier this summer. Yes he is big, but not a manchild by any means. He like my son still have that kid look to them. That is because I think we are raising them a little different than the way we were. My sons' only 3 jobs are school, household chores i.e. throwing out trash, cleaning around the house... And soccer... That's it... I look at my son and think, there us no way this 13 yr old kid could do what I was doing at 13.

That is because unlike my parents, I don't need my son to translate for me when we are out and about, I don't need him to watch his siblings while I am at work, he doesn't need to know how to have dinner ready for his mom and I when we get home from work. And the list goes on and on... He is growing up an all American boy.... Enjoying his childhood... It is still very hard for me to justify to myself the amount of money I am paying for both my kids to play select soccer this year... But it is something that my folks could not do for me, and I am glad that my wife and I can give this to our kids.

My point is there is a pretty good gap in the income on these teams in question compared to lets say some of the 4 big names out there... All these teams have big kids on them, but they still look like kids... IMO it's because most of their parents are better off financially than parents on teams in question... They are growing up "All American Boys" I don't think it's got anything to do with having a ball at your feet since birth...

These are just the cards we are dealt in life. We can choose to repeat the cycle or change it for the better.. Bb played against the Tigres today, I did see some boys that looked a little older than our boys. I don't think they were though. They are probably just being asked to do more than get good grades and go to soccer practice during the week. But hey guess what? We don't grow much after this... lol... I never grew another inch after the 8th grade... Go figure right... So this time next year most of those said teams will be looking over at the predominantly and I quote "USA" Teams and say to themselves " Those are some big a$$ kids"....

The difference in sizes will level off sooner rather than later.... The man-childs of today will be the short guys of tomorrow, with a few exceptions here and there...

My bb does not play in Classic but we do have a so called man child on our team and there are two sides to this coin. As was quoted before they reach "peak" growing age early, as ours has done. He is done growing but to have a 182 lb 13/14 year old is quite scary unless you know him. But the down side to all of this is that he is constantly getting his ankles hacked, and taken out from behind by the smaller players and no calls are given to him because of his size. Our player has a heart of gold but there is only so much hacking a player can take before they want to dish it back. So please occasionally flip that coin for the benefit of the kids. Because no matter how fast their bodies grow the minds do not! He is still a 13/14 year old boy.

After I read all what mspan02 & randee42 wrote, I came to the conclusion that they have a personal problem with Tigres, or are just jealous because they are on the right track.

Your right the big ones now may become the smaller ones at U17 and U19. Players mature at different rates and paces and the mental and physical ability of a player may change dramatically as the age. Look at players like Michael Jordan who got cut from his High School team. Probually the most zealous parent on his High School team that year with the best player thought their son had more potential and that it was good Michael got cut.

About what trmntr1 I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU by next season I will try to get a spot in tigres gold I have heard that they don't just teach them soccer but also dicipline,responsibilities, etc. did you know that they have a good forwarder that played last season in Barcelona I havent seen him play but they say he is good at making goals. On the plano labor day tournament when tigres gold vs tfc (pelaez) this kid was on the bench for lack of dicipline I heard that the team and the parents of the team at first didn't understand the coaches descision because they think that if the kid had played the results would've been different but the coach said "yes I would've won the game but I would've lost a good player" if this is true I respect this coach

Anyone who has had a 97 boy playing select soccer for any period of time is perfectly aware of the Tigres (Boca) and all of their on-field antics. Dramatic dives that delay the game but instant revival with coach's "magic water", pushing and shoving on the field, aggressive actions towards other players (picking fights), blatant fouls (heard one story of a kid who punched an opposing keeper in the face) and of course the non stop horrid comments and swearing in espanol directed to the other team and the other team's parents and thinking no one understands it. The list is endless. This is not "jealousy", this is the plain and simple truth. It was that way when they were U10s and it is that way now that they are U14s, and I don't expect it will change anytime soon.

rdg wrote:

The German wrote:

rdg wrote:

randee42 wrote:

soccerboy9 wrote:I think you must accept that the Mexican boys or hispanic boys definitly are better than us,they play with the heart and they feel the game, our son's maybe have more $$ but no more talent, and personality I see USA boys look bigger on teams like FCD,Andromeda,Hurst United etc. and nobody says anything!, in the other hand the NTSA have the birth certificate,those boys are in 8th grade so I feel emberassed when Tigres,Irvin Elite, Rayados Monterrey win and we say its because they are older than our son's!!!!!!!!!That is not right. Please we need to win them on the field with no excuses!! with all do respect that is what I think.

Ok, I was teasing a bit about the Tigres and their man-child players. True, I think some of the boys grow faster than others and the Tigres have cornered the market on some of those. That being said, my son is a big mexican but some of those boys make him look like he is in 4th grade. My rule of thumb, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, well then it is not a chicken.

I do think part of it is cultural, some of the hispanic boys are born with a soccer ball on their foot; where as in the states, not so much. I know soccer was not the sport my BB was involved in nor did we ever think his chunky little body would ever play select. Passion is bred into from the family and soccer is def the "it" sport in latin american so their is much more passion involved into it.

That being said, I do have a bit of a negative feeling about the 97 Tigres, they play dirty and have a bad rep. Bad rep may be just to the 97's but I have personally witnessed the dirty play. Additionally, I know enough Spanish to know they are not telling my son "good job" in Spanish when they are yelling at him... Irving Elite is big but I would not say abnormally large. I like IE, they play fair, tough and have a great coach that will ensure his team wins with respect. My son's old team played IE several times and they played a bit aggressive but I would never say they played dirty. Not sure about the Monterrey team, I was them play a bit in Plano and did not think they were any different from any other team.

That Tigres team and coach has been earning their reputation since they were Boca Jr.s back in Academy.

The coach is gone and so are a lot of the players.

Is this new? I saw the coach get ejected from a game, just last season.

Alvarez left in the spring. I know they got 3 new players that have not shown any of the described behaviour before they joined the team.

You are probably one of the teams that tigres beat so good luck nxt time or maybe the next or the next or well never mind you guys are over with them

soccerboy9 wrote:You are probably one of the teams that tigres beat so good luck nxt time or maybe the next or the next or well never mind you guys are over with them

BB has been on several teams that have played against them many times since u-10. BB has beaten them prob. 90% of the time. (so it is not jealousy) Just not a fan of the players, coach, or parents' antics whether they are winning, or especially loosing.