Weekly Predictions D1

If you're a fan of competitive games that can go either way, this week is heaven to you..lol
Let's get the predictions & fun started:
Solar Castro vs Solar Sawyer..Castro (3-1)...Castro just has Sawyers number
Solar Stricker vs Ayses...SR (1-0)...1st time around the score didn't reflect how close this was & with some key additions the Ayses are a better team than before.  They beat FCDP for 75 mins last week but couldn't finish them off.  SR cruised last week but this won't be so easy.
FCDP vs LP Rush...FCDP (6-0)...LP Rush isn't a bad team but they just don't have enough horses this year.
DTS vs Solar Sawyer...DTS (2-1)...DTS has lost 2 heart breakers in a row, this is a pivotal point for them.  Sawyer always plays them tough.  DTS has to find a way to win in the midfield & match the speed of Sawyer's forwards but I think they'll do it.  
Solar Castro vs Odyssey...ODY (1-0)...ODY snaps out of their slump but it won't be easy.  If you like possession soccer then you'll love this 1.
Cruz Azul vs FCDH...CA (you call it)...battle at the bottom.  CA is the only team FCDH has beaten but that was back in week 2 & CA is playing much better.  3 goals in 11 games, FCDH is better than that.  They have size & speed but lose their players around the goal too easily.  Attacking 3rd is a problem too.  They moved the ball well last week vs Stricker but they stopped their runs a lot of times & constantly dribbled into pressure instead of making the simple pass to a wide open player.  If they get that together this could be a 4-0 win.

Sir, please allow the All-Knowing-All-Seeing, Señor ConCarne to take a whack at this Prediction thing:

FC Dallas Premier 8 –Liverpool 2

Ody continues winning, but stunning Castro 3-1

DT South ties Sawyer 2-2 after Sawyer is awarded and scores on a PK with 2 ½ minutes remaining in the game.

Cruz Azul dominates FC Dallas Hedges 5-0.

And you know damn well that Stricker’s going to win by more than 1 goal vs Ayses (4-1)! No shutout, though.

BONUS PREDICTION: The cowboys (sans Baby Big Head, Zeke) loses 34-17 vs the Chiefs.

Castro 1 - Sawyer 1

Caught the game last night. Castro scored in the 41st minute just before half.  Sawyer scored early to open the second half.

My thoughts - Castro plays incredible soccer, possession and off the ball movement is the best I have seen in a long time. They like to post up, recieve and drop the ball to on-running teammates, they build the length of the pitch.  From this standpoint they were the better team on the field (and maybe overall in Classic league). Sawyer is strong, physical, full throttle speed, wears you down and makes you pay for mistakes.  

While Castro was the overall better team technical team, they were dang lucky to tie last night. Sawyer had more chances and several shots just wide throughout the second half.  Beyond the beautiful play of Castro (and a couple of first half chances, when they had the wind) they were limited on goal scoring opportunities.  The second half for them I am not sure they got off more than 2 shots.  

I know there were doubters when I said it a few weeks back, but Sawyer maybe the surprise team that ends up with 10 wins this years. (Along with Castro, Stricker and FCDP).

Forthegame4 wrote:Castro 1 - Sawyer 1

Caught the game last night. Castro scored in the 41st minute just before half.  Sawyer scored early to open the second half.

My thoughts - Castro plays incredible soccer, possession and off the ball movement is the best I have seen in a long time. They like to post up, recieve and drop the ball to on-running teammates, they build the length of the pitch.  From this standpoint they were the better team on the field (and maybe overall in Classic league). Sawyer is strong, physical, full throttle speed, wears you down and makes you pay for mistakes.  

While Castro was the overall better team technical team, they were dang lucky to tie last night. Sawyer had more chances and several shots just wide throughout the second half.  Beyond the beautiful play of Castro (and a couple of first half chances, when they had the wind) they were limited on goal scoring opportunities.  The second half for them I am not sure they got off more than 2 shots.  

I know there were doubters when I said it a few weeks back, but Sawyer maybe the surprise team that ends up with 10 wins this years. (Along with Castro, Stricker and FCDP).

This reminds me of one of my favorite videos of Jose Mourinho....

https://youtu.be/5Xa4zsabmj4

It’s a simple game, score more goals than the opposition, and concede less in the back. Play great in the middle is of course great to watch, but if the end result does not come, it has been wasted possession....

scottallison1 wrote:

Forthegame4 wrote:Castro 1 - Sawyer 1

Caught the game last night. Castro scored in the 41st minute just before half.  Sawyer scored early to open the second half.

My thoughts - Castro plays incredible soccer, possession and off the ball movement is the best I have seen in a long time. They like to post up, recieve and drop the ball to on-running teammates, they build the length of the pitch.  From this standpoint they were the better team on the field (and maybe overall in Classic league). Sawyer is strong, physical, full throttle speed, wears you down and makes you pay for mistakes.  

While Castro was the overall better team technical team, they were dang lucky to tie last night. Sawyer had more chances and several shots just wide throughout the second half.  Beyond the beautiful play of Castro (and a couple of first half chances, when they had the wind) they were limited on goal scoring opportunities.  The second half for them I am not sure they got off more than 2 shots.  

I know there were doubters when I said it a few weeks back, but Sawyer maybe the surprise team that ends up with 10 wins this years. (Along with Castro, Stricker and FCDP).

This reminds me of one of my favorite videos of Jose Mourinho....

https://youtu.be/5Xa4zsabmj4

It’s a simple game, score more goals than the opposition, and concede less in the back.  Play great in the middle is of course great to watch, but if the end result does not come, it has been wasted possession....

I would say that is true for a pro premiere  league team, but on the heels of the US not qualifying for the World Cup development and style of play is more important at the younger ages ( this age).  Everyone says winning is not important and the style of play is paramount, well it looks like Castro has that figured out.  Good for them.

Good assessment of the game by FTG4 above. A classic clash of styles.

Sawyer started hyper aggressive in the first half but couldn't maintain that intensity for the whole game. Castro passed it around well and created a number of good chances and goal mouth scrambles but only put one away. Second half Castro controlled possession but was too sloppy and made way too many mistakes. Created very few good chances in the second half. Sawyer plan was simple. As soon as they got the ball they booted it long in the direction of a speedy forward. It resulted in several opportunities for Sawyer and they put one away.

Sawyer team are definitely executing their strategy better than early in the season. Personally I am not a fan of that style though. We have all discussed it at length on here for youth development and what is wrong with pay to play win at all costs. It get results but are our young players really learning skills that will be useful in the long run.

Side note: The finicky ref (who blew his whistle 789 times) introduced us to some new rules he made up.

1) A freekick taken by GK inside the 18 yd area must exit the box before the defender touches it.

2) A freekick taken by a defender cannot be played back to the GK's feet. It must be played forward.

davito wrote:Good assessment of the game by FTG4 above. A classic clash of styles.

Sawyer started hyper aggressive in the first half but couldn't maintain that intensity for the whole game.  Castro passed it around well and created a number of good chances and goal mouth scrambles but only put one away. Second half Castro controlled possession but was too sloppy and made way too many mistakes. Created very few good chances in the second half. Sawyer plan was simple. As soon as they got the ball they booted it long in the direction of a speedy forward. It resulted in several opportunities for Sawyer and they put one away.

Sawyer team are definitely executing their strategy better than early in the season. Personally I am not a fan of that style though. We have all discussed it at length on here for youth development and what is wrong with pay to play win at all costs. It get results but are our young players really learning skills that will be useful in the long run.

Yes, I totally agree. This style can get results and often does, however, it does not teach the kids how to play the game that will translate to a higher level. This is the result of the pay to play and win at all cost strategy.

davito wrote:Side note: The finicky ref (who blew his whistle 789 times) introduced us to some new rules he made up.

1) A freekick taken by GK inside the 18 yd area must exit the box before the defender touches it.

2) A freekick taken by a defender cannot be played back to the GK's feet. It must be played forward.

#1 is accurate - saw it called in an Academy match recently and looked it up.  Had no idea this was true other than on goal kicks.
#2 I guess could be true if taken from inside the box (i.e., pursuant to #1), but otherwise agree it's a head scratcher.

I stand corrected on #1. Thought I used to see GKs pass freekicks to defenders in the box in the 80s but maybe my memory is bad or they modified that.

#2 May have been in the box. I didn't think so but I couldn't say for sure.

longview wrote:

davito wrote:Side note: The finicky ref (who blew his whistle 789 times) introduced us to some new rules he made up.

1) A freekick taken by GK inside the 18 yd area must exit the box before the defender touches it.

2) A freekick taken by a defender cannot be played back to the GK's feet. It must be played forward.

#1 is accurate - saw it called in an Academy match recently and looked it up.  Had no idea this was true other than on goal kicks.
#2 I guess could be true if taken from inside the box (i.e., pursuant to #1), but otherwise agree it's a head scratcher.

#1 free kick taken from inside team's own penalty area (and a goal kick) must leave the area before the ball is in play (no second touch until it leaves the area)

#2 free kicks, except for a penalty kick, can be in ANY direction, subject to #1 above.
a free kick by a defender taken outside of the penalty area can be played to a teammate in the box

davito, I think what you were recalling is while ball in play, GK putting ball on ground and playing it to a teammate in the box, who would pass it back to the keeper who would pick it up and repeat... tactic to kill the game that led to the GK no longer being able to handle a ball passed to him by teammate.

Sprint wrote:

scottallison1 wrote:

Forthegame4 wrote:Castro 1 - Sawyer 1

Caught the game last night. Castro scored in the 41st minute just before half.  Sawyer scored early to open the second half.

My thoughts - Castro plays incredible soccer, possession and off the ball movement is the best I have seen in a long time. They like to post up, recieve and drop the ball to on-running teammates, they build the length of the pitch.  From this standpoint they were the better team on the field (and maybe overall in Classic league). Sawyer is strong, physical, full throttle speed, wears you down and makes you pay for mistakes.  

While Castro was the overall better team technical team, they were dang lucky to tie last night. Sawyer had more chances and several shots just wide throughout the second half.  Beyond the beautiful play of Castro (and a couple of first half chances, when they had the wind) they were limited on goal scoring opportunities.  The second half for them I am not sure they got off more than 2 shots.  

I know there were doubters when I said it a few weeks back, but Sawyer maybe the surprise team that ends up with 10 wins this years. (Along with Castro, Stricker and FCDP).

This reminds me of one of my favorite videos of Jose Mourinho....

https://youtu.be/5Xa4zsabmj4

It’s a simple game, score more goals than the opposition, and concede less in the back.  Play great in the middle is of course great to watch, but if the end result does not come, it has been wasted possession....

I would say that is true for a pro premiere  league team, but on the heels of the US not qualifying for the World Cup development and style of play is more important at the younger ages ( this age).  Everyone says winning is not important and the style of play is paramount, well it looks like Castro has that figured out.  Good for them.

My point is more that possession play is important and definitely more touches on the ball is good for player development. I wholeheartedly agree with you there. I also actually think good teams need to be able to mix possession with direct play. However the point of the sport is to put the ball in the net. Making 25 nice passes around the box is great, but shouldn’t you take a shot now and again? Isn’t that also part of the game and education for the kids?

I agree possession has to have a purpose. It got a bit silly with Barcelona and Spain at one point. I too like the idea that teams can mix it up. Man City are a great example of that right now. They possess the ball brilliantly but they are also not afraid to play the ball over the top so they keep you guessing and covering all bases.

Possession is particularly important for youth development though. Take a look at your team and count how many consecutive passes they string together. If they don't get past 3 or 4 most of the time or score a goal after more than 4 passes aren't they missing out on vital lessons of passing, movement, spacial awareness, decision making, making runs in tight spaces around the box instead of from halfway line and so on?

I always laugh at the “possession” vs. win at all cost comparisons. How come no one comments on the multiple styles of play beyond possession and boot and run (which on this forum is every other type of play except possession....lol)

What happened to teach the players as many styles as possible and build your team around those styles based on the team make up. I prefer the coaches that use tournaments to experiment with new styles and formations. I can’t stand to watch a team and coach commit to one style that cost them games on a regular bases.

Let’s be honest, as we watch pro sports on the weekend we love Monday mornings to talk about how the coach and our pro teams failed to make adjustments and that cost them the game. Yet for some reason we can’t use this same logic with our young soccer players? Lose/tie a game and we start barking “boot and run” “win at all cost” “not developing players” “some ambiguous comparison to the national team not performing” blah, blah, blah.

Here’s what I saw Weds night - Castro dominate in the first half, missing several chances (almost 3 identical plays), Sawyer with adjustments in the second half, pressed and out ran Castro to tie it. There is a video of the game out there, check it out. Sawyer had a flat four and then he subbed two additional “regular” defenders to play defensive center mid and presto, no more Castro attack up the middle. Sure Castro had possession and the bulk of it, but his team could not adjust to respond to Sawyers flat four and two defenders at defensive center mid. It was comical watching them over and over again try the same process always ending in the same outcome. Once Sawyer collected the ball it was off to the races.....adjustment.....

So who is not developing here? The team that failed to adjust? Or the team that made adjustments, changed their style of play, their formation and pulled off a tie no one expected (and as I stated before Castro was lucky not to lose).

But please let the “possession style is best and win at all cost and not developing the players” complainers respond to these thoughts. What I really hear you saying is “you adjusted and bested my kid, I don’t like it, if you played my way we would beat you every time. And if you don’t play my way you are the reason why our national team is so bad.......”.

Go ahead, respond. lol.

There are two threads to the discussion here.

I have no complaints about the result of the Wednesday game. The Sawyer team played their game well, created chances and earned the draw.

But the discussion here has moved on to the favorite board topic of youth development. It comes down to what players and coaches are motivated by and trying to achieve. There is a reason that so many professional clubs' academies play a possession style and there is a reason so many Select coaches play direct.

In my opinion most of our kids are not getting taught enough for the $3000 per year that we shell out.

davito wrote:There are two threads to the discussion here.

I have no complaints about the result of the Wednesday game. The Sawyer team played their game well, created chances and earned the draw.

But the discussion here has moved on to the favorite board topic of youth development. It comes down to what players and coaches are motivated by and trying to achieve. There is a reason that so many professional clubs' academies play a possession style and there is a reason so many Select coaches play direct.

In my opinion most of our kids are not getting taught enough for the $3000 per year that we shell out.

$3,000 per year.....?!?!?
Oh damn!
Y’all must be up North, with your pretty, soft little manicured fingers.

Anyway, how and why did my post mutate into a discussion about possession vs winning?

They all mutate into possession vs winning.....keep up....

Players who are not capable of playing both styles at U-16 are getting robbed of good $, plain and simple - and YES, all topics do mutate into this everlasting debate!!!  The truth is: Even though we ALL want our teams to play beautiful possession, we also can't stand to see the instant gratification occasionally go to the athletic "kickbal team" that will most likely send fewer players climbing towards success at the next level...  Short term vs. long term...  Funny stuff; the game has evolved, and anyone teaching one style exclusively is not worth paying anyhow (especially since a lack of plasticity is the main problem with US Soccer IMO)...  Carry on...