The Next IE

I've seen enough. (Although I am more familiar with FC Dallas' 97PA team.)

And, from what I've seen they are head and shoulders above the majority of youth teams I've witnessed.

Now, I'm not saying the other 3 aren't trying to teach technically and tactically smart soccer.

I guess it depends on what an individual's definition of success is. (With regard to the individual player.)

The end result.

If playing in college is the endgame, then you measure results based on that. From a development/end result point of view, the da/pa might be a step in the right direction, but it is far from being as good as it should be.

I give them credit from a business point of view. The program is sanctioned by ussf...so there's automatic credibility there. Therefore, there's been a huge 'buy in'.

But when you get down to it...they are still doing things the 'old way'. In other words, it isn't a drastic change from what club soccer has always been.

Put another way, there are countries with much smaller player populations than NTX that manage to produce better players.

The true standard is global.

We tend to 'filter' players...not necessarily develop them.

Players here are largely on their own.

So you have not seen a game. You are fimiliar with FC Dallas 97 but you've never seen the 98's and your BB's a 98. Just curious why you haven't gone to watch more games to have a better understanding of how all of the teams play in PA. Since you don't mind making assumptions of who can and can't play on that level from your team. Hard to make decisions based on what you've heard.

I'm not making assumptions.

You are drawing your own conclusions. (My son is a very very late 97 birth year...a 98 club player.I've seen the fcd 98's...they aren't as far along as the 97's.) haven't been to a game? How the hell do you know?

I don't live in the DFW area...so my apologies for not purchasing Texans, Solar and Andro 'season tickets'.

For one thing, I'm not going to be drawn into disclosing everything I know regarding our players.

You can either believe me or not.

besides, I never said pa wasn't a high level. Just that they don't get ALL of the best players.

if you think Solar and Texans are so superior, that's your opinion. You are certainly entitled to it.
Just don't expect everyone else to believe it.

Why so angry? Who the hell am I? I'm just like everyone else on here. A poster on a website that doesn't use first and last names. I get to have an opinion just like everyone else. I (like so many others) will never brag of my BB's team or accomplishments but I do enjoy the humor in those who choose to share so much wisdom. I have no interest in anything you could give about your players. I don't think Solar or DT are superior. All clubs have issues. All teams have issues. Thats my opinion. And if you think yours is superior. Your opinion. I believe if your BB can play at the highest level available you make whatever sacrifice you can for your BB. If not you make excuses. I'm sure you'll give me the opportunity to laugh again soon. Good luck.

And I'm also a ref. You're team is the next IE!!!!!

Laimport wrote:that's your opinion. You are certainly entitled to it.
Just don't expect everyone else to believe it.

I've stayed out of this thread till now, being happy to just laugh everytime you post but I just couldn't take it anymore.

Please take your own advise.

Your opinion of ETXP is just that, your opinion (and evidently that of the "unbiased" CL Ref that just happened to sign up to make a post about this specific team, I hope it doesn't surprise you that many doubt his objectivity which is why so many are likely laughing everytime you bring up the "fact" that this thread wasn't started by a coach/parent/individual connected with ETXP, because most of us likely don't believe that based on what we've observed). You are certainly entitled to that opinion.

Just don't expect anyone to believe it until your team has actually proven themselves. And winning warm-up summer tournaments does not constitute "proving themselves" to most who know anything about youth soccer.

Saying it over and over again might help you believe it, but it only makes the rest of us doubt it even more because you are having to sell your point so hard. If your team was as good as you seem to think, everyone else on here would be talking about them, wondering what they are doing different, wondering why they are so strong. You wouldn't have to sell your son's team, your son's team would sell itself.

As an aside, no one on this thread or any other that I've seen on this board has stated that ALL of the top players in any age group are playing PA/DA. But it's a fact that a large majority of the top players are in PA/DA now. Are there players in CL that could play PA/DA, of course. Are there players in PA/DA that shouldn't be there, of course. Neither of those comments speaks to the level of the average player in PA/DA versus CL.

Right now, based upon having seen a large number of PA/DA games (99's, 98's, 97's, 96's, and 95's as well as the u17/18 playoffs and knowing more than a few of the coaches and having spent time talking to them about their development philosophy and how it differs between their club team and their PA/DA team), it's pretty easy to see that the average level of play in that arena is higher than it is in CL, again, ON AVERAGE, and that the development focus is different. That's based on first hand observation of portions of over 70 matches between a huge number of different teams in PA/DA in comparison to the years my oldest has spent playing select soccer in NTX (he's a 95).

It's been said before but many seem to have a mental block to accepting a clear fact. Club soccer is not about "developing" players. It's about providing a service to parents who want their child to play soccer on a team with more organization, better coaching, and at a slightly higher level of competition than Rec provides. The "academies" you speak of overseas are in the business of developing professional players. Club soccer isn't in that business, never has been, never will be. Why? Because quite frankly, most parents don't care. They care about their son/daughter playing on a team and having fun. And for some, that simply means being on a winning team. So clubs build teams to win because that attracts players. Hate it all you want, it won't change a thing.

The one thing you've said on this whole thread that is largely correct is that in the US, you are largely on your own in terms of development. The exception to that are a few of the large academy programs, primarily the one's tied to MLS programs and a few select others (and I wouldn't include Solar, Texans, or Andro in that group, though each is very good in their own right and Solar had a TON of success placing kids on D1 programs this past year).

I think this thread has digressed into an "us" vs "them" philosophical debate.

I think the whole thing got started over "predictions" on who the contenders for the Ayses tournament would be. By now, we all know the results.

So, if these 'preseason', 2nd tier (or 3rd tier to some)tournaments don't mean anything, then why all the pontificating? (I will admit in the grand scheme they probably don't.)

I mean, if "no one really cares", then why bother at all?

I never said ETP was the "next IE". Frankly, I don't know enough about that team to compare anyway.

I don't know who 'ref00' is. So, while he may or may not be 'credible' to some of you (or whether his comment was a "plant") I can assure you that I had nothing to do with it.

And our coaches have enough integrity that they wouldn't condone it nor participate in it.

After all, what is there to be gained? Recruiting? Unlikely that any would be recruits would come from DFW!Money? it's an indy team, remember?

As for the team's performance, they have a long way to go. I don't think anyone would dispute that.

What the team accomplishes in terms of results is secondary to the long term objective.

Why would anyone scoff at that?

We don't have the luxury of being able to shop clubs and teams in order to "buy a better soccer experience" for our sons.

We have to make do with the players and teams that are logistically expedient to us.

And some of us make huge sacrifices in order to make it work.

Just take a look at all the gossip and speculation during May and June.

Then all the preseason "predictions".

My feeling is that there is some regional bias at play here. (I'm sure several of you will dispute that.)

Anyone from outside the Dallas "fold" is automatically crap and therefore must be "put down".

I'm just one of the few that have the gonads to say it.

Laimport wrote:I thought PA was rather new?

I had an interesting conversation with a NTX coach. He said he recently picked up a former PA player. This PA player is "way behind technically" according to this coach. But, the kid has plenty of size and speed.

At the younger age groups (U11-14) the 'top teams' in CL mostly consist of bigger, faster, stronger players that are fortunate to be born at the front of the age group and are early developers physically. (Mostly defenders and forwards.)

We all know those teams tend to win by virtue of their size and speed. This carries over into PA.

I guess I'm missing something. There is Developmental Academy (DA) which is summed up here: http://www.ussoccer.com/Teams/Development-Academy/Academy-Overview.aspx

And I thought the PA referenced was Premier League, which has been place for some time.

Yak Attack wrote:

Laimport wrote:I thought PA was rather new?

I had an interesting conversation with a NTX coach. He said he recently picked up a former PA player. This PA player is "way behind technically" according to this coach. But, the kid has plenty of size and speed.

At the younger age groups (U11-14) the 'top teams' in CL mostly consist of bigger, faster, stronger players that are fortunate to be born at the front of the age group and are early developers physically. (Mostly defenders and forwards.)

We all know those teams tend to win by virtue of their size and speed. This carries over into PA.

I guess I'm missing something. There is Developmental Academy (DA) which is summed up here: http://www.ussoccer.com/Teams/Development-Academy/Academy-Overview.aspx

And I thought the PA referenced was Premier League, which has been place for some time.

PA is Pre-Academy. Was u13 through u15 on an age-pure basis though I believe they have either added or are in the process of adding u11 and u12 as well.

PA teams for U11 and U12 have been formed for DT as you can read on their web-site. Players are training together once a week, and then they train with their no PA team twice a week.