D1 CL 03B

Track has already made an impact on my household as well... As for ball distribution: Paddy does a good job teaching our boys EXACTLY what he wants in every situation... They work very hard, and the results speak for themselves... I brought my 2 boys to the team in July and it was a great move for us... Super group of parents and players, family like atmosphere... I have one player scoring goals and the other minding the net, so I am watching opposite ends of the pitch the entire match... Odyssey has been our best experience ever as a soccer family...

I was watching a game on another field but caught part of the Odyssey vs. Solar game out of the corner of my eye, and I was actually surprised that Odyssey didn't score more goals. They looked like they had some strong chances, and Solar's defense and goalkeeper looked like they weren't entirely in sync. I'm surprised Castro didn't yank them all and replace them! I agree with everyone else on the forum that spring is going to be very interesting! Good luck!

Midweek games prediction

FCDP VS SOLAR CASTRO
Castro
SOLAR RED VS LP HUNT
Easy game for Solar red
ODYSSEY VS LP RUSH
Odyssey all the way, even if Rush brings guest players.

Should be some interesting soccer for sure... Pino vs Castro should be a good match, and although Stricker is surging and Hunt is sliding, I think that matchup may be closer than advertised (unless Hunt forgets that Solar usually scores on through balls and 1v1s vs the keeper)... Hunt can defend with the entire squad well vs a possession team, so let's see how they do vs Stricker 's speed and long passes... Lots on the line Wednesday night for all the teams involved... This is where we see what they're made of!

Any color commentary from last night's D1 games? Did Trevino bring guests? FCD Premier still battling injuries?

Pino got steamrolled by Castro and needs to regroup and figure out how to get a win or at least contain the score against the top teams.

Paddy dominated Trevino and since they meet in other leagues I imagine that Odyssey is starting to figure this team out a bit.

Stricker wanted and tried to win, but Wilco gave Stricker's scoring machine a double dose of defenders and leveled it up.

donovansucks wrote:Any color commentary from last night's D1 games?  Did Trevino bring guests?  FCD Premier still battling injuries?

Trevino had 3 club pass players. Ody got ahead with the very strong wind in competitive 1st half, Trevino played a man down most of 2nd half which largely negated wind advantage. Castro had a handful of injured kids who were replaced by club pass PA players. Which probably helped. I don't know all of the kids, but FCD seemed to have most of their team out there, maybe fighting through injuries. Was told GK playing injured. They have a lot of very good players they just looked a little dispirited after they got behind on set play goals.

Lets face it, soccer around these parts is all about winning, end of story.  Has nothing to do with development of players.  If FCD, Solar, or the Texans want to win, and Liverpool to a lower level and extent, they player pass.  All so they can stay in or win D1, and thus help their recruiting efforts for the following year.  It is unfortunate, but the vast majority of coaches around here can't get past their past and their egos will not allow them to play to develop.  Thus we have a system that's broken and produces what really?  Not much different at the higher ranks really.

Kudos to Odyssey for doing the best they can with what they have and remaining on top.

I don't know about other ages.   I don't think Texans does anything at this age but play their roster.   FCD doesn't either, they just happen to have PA players on their CL roster.   They have kept their strongest age-eligible kids PA-only all year.   LP and Solar Gold have been increasingly aggressive with player pass.   Wednesday nights are the Wild Wild West.    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74BzSTQCl_c

But yeah in the end, everything everywhere is all about winning.  For most folks.  Us, yeah, hell...push come to shove we want to win.   I know BB does.  A lot.  So, I get it.  I don't think he would want to kick his friends off the team for a night to replace them with bigger kids though.  But it's not an option for our team, so easy to say.

Number13 wrote:I don't know about other ages.   I don't think Texans does anything at this age but play their roster.   FCD doesn't either, they just happen to have PA players on their CL roster.   They have kept their strongest age-eligible kids PA-only all year.   LP and Solar Gold have been increasingly aggressive with player pass.   Wednesday nights are the Wild Wild West.    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74BzSTQCl

But yeah in the end, everything everywhere is all about winning.  For most folks.  Us, yeah, hell...push come to shove we want to win.   I know BB does.  A lot.  So, I get it.  I don't think he would want to kick his friends off the team for a night to replace them with bigger kids though.  But it's not an option for our team, so easy to say.

Any  resemblance with reality is a coincidence....

I think D1 is about winning and trying to find the best style that suits your team's abilities.

I think we have a good group of teams at the top who are trying to play possession or direct style and then we have teams who just boot the ball because they are intimidated at the thought of relegation and don't have the ability to compete at this level.

I like D1 and I am encouraged by the quality we have at the top and hope that more player consolidation will occur at some point from the D2 and D3 CL teams.

Anyone know the score of Adames vs Stricker??? Looks like Castro pulled off a nail biter......................................................

Stricker team is headed in the wrong direction, DTS seems to be moving on up. Second half is typically a good indication of what coaches are trying to apply and whether it's working or not. Did I hear correctly that Trevino lost today??? PLF say it isn't so? You have to wonder about Liverpool, a very large pool of players and number of teams, yet they're arrow always seem to point down when it comes down to it. It's not like they're playing pretty soccer, so do the math. I've said it before, if those two poor Texan teams were not in D1 (and they are by no fault of theirs), the fight for relegation would be fun to watch.

I think that the bottom two Texan teams have relegation locked up so all the pressure is off.

I would say that there is a fight for the #5 position in the table and it's going to be interesting to see who takes that spot.

In all fairness the 1 and 2 spots are already decided and unless something catastrophic happens FCD Premier will be 3rd or 4th so that still leaves us with enough incentive to watch 4 teams go at it with all they've got for a top 5 finish.

Now it shoud get interesting because the 4 teams I am thinking of all want a top 5 finish and on any given day can win.

Did not hear anything on Trevino game, but the Saturday games they don't have their SRPL roster in play, so they are not as potent... FCD vs Odyssey was not a disappointing match for those who were fortunate enough to attend... Two sides playing possession soccer to a 0-0 tie with a ref who seemed to find his whistle the one time Ody committed a foul in the box... Other than the one PK, the match was allowed to escalate a little more than one would like to see 2 weeks before the Dallas Cup, and both sides were fortunate to walk off the pitch with just bruises... Odyssey was a bit flat, and FCD looked better than I have ever seen them play (night and day compared to the team that Castro thumped)... It was a very entertaining matchup for all 70 minutes... Seems to me like track season is taxing these 13 yr olds a bit, and the rest of March looks ripe with opportunity and dramatic finishes... If FCD played the entire season the way they played yesterday, the race for the top would look a bit different; I thought they looked better (yesterday) than Solar Gold + their 4 PA players...

Top 5 is really what it should be about as the goal, while getting better. Other than the top spot during the 1st half of the season which comes with DC benefits, it really doesn't matter where the team finishes as long as they are improving along the way. Not in agreement with Solar Gold bringing down players because that seems to be about Castro's ego more than anything. But FCD is not really much different though they at least did it in a much better way by keeping the roster smaller and having the PA kids dual rostered. And both Castro and Trevino made chicken s* moves during the season by bringing PA or inter club guest players to play and beat inter-club squads. Again all about coach egos and nothing more.

I agree that "ALL" of the player pass roster changes were based on winning, but I would also say that they had the unintended consequence (or benefit depending on how you look at it) of exposing the quality CL players of those teams and their ability to snap in a PA player on demand.

If I was Castro or Trevino I would be concerned that everyone now knows that their CL teams have classy players who can bolster other club rosters in CL, TEPAL,  SCPL, and SRPL.

If I was the dark lord I would put on my wax @$$ kissing lips and get to work on their parents ASAP.

If I was a parent I would fully vet my options for next season and make sure that Odyssey was one of the stops on my list.

Cruz Azul doesn't get much press, but there are few BB's over there that deserve mention also and I hope to see one or two of the Cruz Azul players at DC.

hanallalone wrote: Other than the one PK, the match was allowed to escalate a little more than one would like to see 2 weeks before the Dallas Cup, and both sides were fortunate to walk off the pitch with just bruises...

I can't believe you downplayed the PK...that was an amazing save against an Amazing player who can place the ball hard enough to push the GK into the net. Glad to hear FCD getting back to form and appreciate the kind words you said about the team.

You have to give props to those teams that believe in their rostered kids and play game after game with the same roster.

Trevino has no choice but to win his ego comes before development. Sadly, some kids had to pay for his choices and rode the bench when guest players were invited. Rush will play Hunt again will Trevino flex his muscles again and bring in guest players?? If they play with their own roster then my money is on Hunt beating Trevino.

I won't be surprised if next season the Dark knight changes his mind about duel roster. Now that his 04 team will take the PA/DA spot he will need to fill that bye with another group of kids. If he duel roster then he won't have the bottom 3 spots be filled with Texans.

PremierLeagueFan wrote:

hanallalone wrote: Other than the one PK, the match was allowed to escalate a little more than one would like to see 2 weeks before the Dallas Cup, and both sides were fortunate to walk off the pitch with just bruises...

I can't believe you downplayed the PK...that was an amazing save against an Amazing player who can place the ball hard enough to push the GK into the net. Glad to hear FCD getting back to form and appreciate the kind words you said about the team.

FCD Premier played to their name 100%...Without a doubt they displayed why the word Premier is attached to the team... Great approach to the match, and some quality soccer for 70 mins... Gotta love games like that!

Soccer27 wrote: Rush will play Hunt again will Trevino flex his muscles again and bring in guest players?? If they play with their own roster then my money is on Hunt beating Trevino.

I definitely want to see that rematch and look forward to seeing Man Child attack the goal. Wilco defense is good and will be challenged,  but has the ability to stop the Trevino attack so it will be a fun game to watch no matter what happens.

PremierLeagueFan wrote:

hanallalone wrote: Other than the one PK, the match was allowed to escalate a little more than one would like to see 2 weeks before the Dallas Cup, and both sides were fortunate to walk off the pitch with just bruises...

I can't believe you downplayed the PK...that was an amazing save against an Amazing player who can place the ball hard enough to push the GK into the net. Glad to hear FCD getting back to form and appreciate the kind words you said about the team.

I watched that game before our '02 game.
That Odyssey GK made an amazing save.
FCD was already celebrating after the ref call the penalty in the box.

It was definitely exciting... Those are the moments you train for in hopes that you get a chance to make a difference...

Ody got worked over by FCD.  Wasn't real pretty.   I guess those will happen, but that hasn't happened in a long while.   Ody almost never had the ball after the first 15 mins, looked like zombies, and just relied on a couple defensive kids to make plays.  Out motivated and way way outsized.   Still, not many chances for goals from open play in that game.

CL just forgot to put in the Misconduct reports from last Wed.   And still hasn't.   So some chance you were supposed to be suspended Sat and played.   Or some chance you didn't come, and it turned out you could have played.    Ha.  At least CL is real efficient on the color of your shin guard holders.

Was very unusual to see Odyssey outworked, but it sure seemed to be the case... It was 10 degrees warmer than expected and the wind was nonexistent, so that may factor in somehow, who knows... FCD sure seemed motivated despite the heat... Outplayed, outworked, and generally beat across the board was the way it felt... We were fortunate to have drawn that match, so if we needed a push to get motivated, we just received a slap in the face... Thank you FCD!

A few D1 CL teams will be representing NTX in the Dallas Cup... A link to the brackets is below, and good luck to all those participating!

http://events.gotsport.com/events/results.aspx?EventID=46207&Gender=Boys&Age=13