Putting team results in perspective

We all love to see our offspring play hard and win. Especially given the amount of time and money we all put into select soccer.

But, in the grand scheme of things, our obsession with winning is actually counterproductive to what club soccer is supposed to be all about.

Developing players.

The first mistake we make is trying to identify the "best" players and then put them on a stacked team. Below U14 this is a crime.

Youth soccer in general is dominated by the kids that mature faster i.e. the "older" kids.

Putting kids at too young an age on a "superteam" and forcing them to play within themselves, and essentially relegating them to 'role player' status is not helping the kid.

Hard to get around this though. Especially in the DFW area. There's just so many players.

No question that preacademy has had an effect on the "big 4" clubs. And maybe a few others.

You can't totally blame the clubs and coaches. After all, this is the product that we parents DEMAND for our money.

I would focus on my own child's performance during the game. Did they control the ball well (first touch?)

Did they complete more passes? Are they making good overall decisions tactically? Are they gaining confidence in their abilities?

The two most important questions:

1. How much time are they spending with the ball outside of formal training sessions?
2. How much soccer do they watch on television? Are they a student of the game?

My guess is a lot of parents that went pre academy are going to have a serious wakeup call. Especially with the 97 birth year players that played 98 club last year.

These former 98 club 'stud' players probably aren't going to be as dominant when mixed with older 97 birth year players that played 97 club last year. It's good to 'play up' and be challenged. It's just that the time and expense may not be justified given the blow to the egos involved with writing the checks.

Look for quite a few of those players to return to CL next year. When it comes down to it, most people would rather be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

As for 98 CL results, it's obvious that the teams that retained their impact players will be in a better position to win.

Plenty of quality players (with huge potential)still in all 3 CL divisions. And probably even in Plano and Arlington.