TOP 10 2007 teams

Congrats to Allegiance on a surprising win. Solar McKinney is a top 3 team no matter how you slice it. But if you look at their history, they will have a puzzling result now and again. Regardless of how good a stud you bring in, it takes time to adjust and like @Dragonstryker said its easy to feed them the ball and just watch. No doubt they will get it figured out.

Not quite ready to invite Allegiance to the dance just yet, but you got some attention. Good on you.

BTW who the heck seeded this tourney?!? Bracket A seed 1-2-3, Bracket B 4-5-6??

Oglesby took the Silver Division...For a team aspiring to make Classic D1, would have liked to see them play Gold.

Lots of silver teams aspiring to D1 that are actively avoiding top competition in order to bolster their record and likely their seeding come qualifying.

DragonStryker wrote:Lots of silver teams aspiring to D1 that are actively avoiding top competition in order to bolster their record and likely their seeding come qualifying.  

RESET BUTTON:

I noticed on another thread that a poster ranked top 10 based on style of play vs results.  Brilliant!

Style of play is of course subjective.  I personally prefer a possession style as it is better suited to develop BB vs allowing him to rely on speed and strength.  It requires technique and soccer IQ.  So as I developed my rankings I look at the following criteria which I think is developmentally appropriate for this age group:

1.  Playing out of the back (vs clearing the ball as far as you can)
2.  Including GK in field play
3.  Playing Goal Kicks short
4.  Switching/Swinging the ball through the midfield from sideline to sideline.
5.  Creativity in the final 3rd***

***Let's be honest here, at this age group playing possession through the first 2/3rd of the field is outstanding.  Playing possession in the final 1/3 vs a defense that has "parked the bus" is unrealistic and most scoring chances are developed from a well placed through ball, a poor clearance from the box, or a set play.

My Top 10:

1.  Texans Red   - its hard not to keep FCD here but Texans arguably do more with less raw physical talent than anyone in the age group.  

2.  FCD Premier Red  - yes they are tall, strong, and fast, but they can play real soccer too.

3.  Solar McKinney   - the team was built based on size/athleticism but they are being coached up well.

4.  Rush   -This team is can build out of the back with the rest of them and love to target their Striker

4.  Solar Kennington    -Arguably the best possession team pre-AP split, still in rebuilding mode.

6.  LP Owen   -Blue collar team.  Not flashy but solid with a good foundation

7.  Elite United   -Has mastered the art of winning balls in the air at midfield and creating from there.

8.  PST   -Undisputed King of Direct attack.  

9.   FC Legends   -Built for speed, speed, and more speed.  Good individual skill but limited on passing.

10.  Solar Volkan   -Great skill up front but purposely avoids possession style in favor of developing individual 1v1 prowess.


Disclaimer-  I re-arranged my original top 10 only.

Socceropath wrote:RESET BUTTON:

I noticed on another thread that a poster ranked top 10 based on style of play vs results.  Brilliant!

Style of play is of course subjective.  I personally prefer a possession style as it is better suited to develop BB vs allowing him to rely on speed and strength.  It requires technique and soccer IQ.  So as I developed my rankings I look at the following criteria which I think is developmentally appropriate for this age group:

1.  Playing out of the back (vs clearing the ball as far as you can)
2.  Including GK in field play
3.  Playing Goal Kicks short
4.  Switching/Swinging the ball through the midfield from sideline to sideline.
5.  Creativity in the final 3rd***

***Let's be honest here, at this age group playing possession through the first 2/3rd of the field is outstanding.  Playing possession in the final 1/3 vs a defense that has "parked the bus" is unrealistic and most scoring chances are developed from a well placed through ball, a poor clearance from the box, or a set play.

My Top 10:

1.  Texans Red   - its hard not to keep FCD here but Texans arguably do more with less raw physical talent than anyone in the age group.  

2.  FCD Premier Red  - yes they are tall, strong, and fast, but they can play real soccer too.

3.  Solar McKinney   - the team was built based on size/athleticism but they are being coached up well.

4.  Rush   -This team is can build out of the back with the rest of them and love to target their Striker

4.  Solar Kennington    -Arguably the best possession team pre-AP split, still in rebuilding mode.

6.  LP Owen   -Blue collar team.  Not flashy but solid with a good foundation

7.  Elite United   -Has mastered the art of winning balls in the air at midfield and creating from there.

8.  PST   -Undisputed King of Direct attack.  

9.   FC Legends   -Built for speed, speed, and more speed.  Good individual skill but limited on passing.

10.  Solar Volkan   -Great skill up front but purposely avoids possession style in favor of developing individual 1v1 prowess.


Disclaimer-  I re-arranged my original top 10 only.

Job well done!

Thoughts on PremierCopa Brackets?

I'll go for it...

Bracket A
AC Brea (easily)

Bracket B
TFA - I don't think DT Red has enough for them

Bracket C
Solar McKinney - Might be my NTX pride working here

Bracket D
FCD Premier (as easily as AC Brea in Brkt A)

Bracket E
Silver Lake - although I could see Elite making a run in this bracket if they play well

Bracket F
PST - this is a tough one, I have heard Vardar is very good...but I think these are the closest 1 and 2 seeds in any bracket.

...I know I picked a lot of 1 seeds. I think Elite is the strongest 3 seed, has the best chance of advancing. Solar over SD Rebels may be wishful thinking. 5 of the 1 seeds are really strong! (top 10 in the country) This would be a really fun tournament to watch. Hopefully some game videos make it online.

ABCSoccer101 wrote:I received a PM invitation to go watch the final game  between Solar McKinney vs Allegiance yesterday. I'm assuming the invitation came from an Allegiance parent, since he or she sent me a link to their game highlight videos. Thanks for the invite. To answer your "top 5" claim; if your team plays every game like they played yesterday. You are a top 3 team. And after watching your videos and speaking to some coaches in attendance yesterday, it sounds like you guys are that good. Congratulations on the W, you came back from 2-0 down and completely dominated the game. But you still haven't played most of the top 10.

ABC
I applaud the masses for holding their tongue when this first came out. But I can't hold it in any longer. I'm not sure which is more ridiculous, the top 3 assertion or the transparent self marketing effort.

Kudos for playing a possession style. I'm on record for being all for it. But to think that possession dominance vs Silver level competition would easily translate to the top teams in the area was a pipe dream that exploded in your face this weekend. Welcome to the world of high pressure defense. I don't see any of the legit top 10 teams ready to give up their spot just yet. That being said keep fighting the good fight, you may get there but it will take longer than you thought.

Did anyone notice the Real GP team shoot up to the #2 spot on YSR? I don't know how you can judge a team with no common competition at all!?! I see they were playing up in the Cliff, but who knows what that means?

@socceropath

I'm assuming you're talking about Allegiance. Just to clarify, my BBs do not play for Allegiance. So I'll ignore your accusations.
I considered them a top team IIIFFF they played every game like they played against Solar. The only game I've watched them play.
Now let me give you a little tip about marketing; regardless of what you say, good or bad. You are the one doing the marketing/endorsing them by talking about them. Especially when you post a comment about it at midnight! Which tells me you were waiting for them to do something bad!

Now tell me, What happened to Allegiance???!!!

I like their possession style too. And I agree with you, you have to be very good to beat the high pressure defense. But that just a matter of consistent practice/repetition.
Look at what City did to us during the Ibercup...

TayJ6 wrote:Did anyone notice the Real GP team shoot up to the #2 spot on YSR? I don't know how you can judge a team with no common competition at all!?! I see they were playing up in the Cliff, but who knows what that means?

I ask the same question? Them and Dallas Rebels are in the top 10 list on YSR but  haven't play any of the Top Ten teams listed here.

ABCSoccer101 wrote:@socceropath

I'm assuming you're talking about Allegiance. Just to clarify, my BBs do not play for Allegiance. So I'll ignore your accusations.
I considered them a top team IIIFFF they played every game like they played against Solar. The only game I've watched them play.
Now let me give you a little tip about marketing; regardless of what you say, good or bad. You are the one doing the marketing/endorsing them by talking about them. Especially when you post a comment about it at midnight! Which tells me you were waiting for them to do something bad!

Now tell me, What happened to Allegiance???!!!

I like their possession style too.  And I agree with you, you have to be very good to beat the high pressure defense. But that just a matter of consistent practice/repetition.
Look at what City did to us during the Ibercup...

Re: Allegiance

What happened?  They played a top 10 team that didn't look past them and they got blown out by two teams this past weekend and tied a mid-level silver team.  Same thing would've happened against Solar McKinney had the team not looked past them though at this age, that's always a risk and anyone can beat anyone on the right day.  But 9 times out of 10, Solar McKinney does to Allegiance what they did back in January, a 7-1 thrashing.

As to them playing every game like they did against Solar McKinney, I'll go on record as saying that wouldn't matter.  Even if they played every game exactly like that and executed exactly as they did in that game, I still doubt they are a legit top 10 team and it's comical to assume they are top 5 or top 3.  They caught a team looking past them.  It happens.  And as I said before, it's a signature win for them and one they can and should be proud of but it's not indicative of where they rank locally at this point.

City is likely the best 07b team anyone locally has ever seen.  I've seen 2 of the top 3 teams nationally play in the last several months, City would easily beat either of them.  They are simply that far ahead at this point.  That said, it's hard to judge City or the top national teams against our local teams presently.  Why?  Because there is a vast tactical difference between playing 7v7 and 9v9.  All our top local teams have been focused on playing 9v9 for at least the past year, if not more.  City and the top team's nationally have done nothing but focus on 7v7.  That matters, it matters a lot.  Would it close the gap to play them 9v9 or if our kids had focused solely on 7v7?  Unlikely, but it would narrow it to some degree without question.

ABCSoccer101 wrote:@socceropath

I'm assuming you're talking about Allegiance. Just to clarify, my BBs do not play for Allegiance. So I'll ignore your accusations.
I considered them a top team IIIFFF they played every game like they played against Solar. The only game I've watched them play.
Now let me give you a little tip about marketing; regardless of what you say, good or bad. You are the one doing the marketing/endorsing them by talking about them. Especially when you post a comment about it at midnight! Which tells me you were waiting for them to do something bad!

Now tell me, What happened to Allegiance???!!!

I like their possession style too.  And I agree with you, you have to be very good to beat the high pressure defense. But that just a matter of consistent practice/repetition.
Look at what City did to us during the Ibercup...

ABC
No need to ignore my accusations...its all in good fun! It just seems to me a little coincidental that YOU either created a brand new id to start this thread or have never posted before...YOU arbitrarily ranked Allegiance #8 with absolutely no game history to back it up. And your very next post involves a PM invitation to go watch them play?!? I guess you had nothing better to do on a Sunday evening than head down to Moneygram to watch a game you had no vested interest in? Only to be so moved by the experience you declared to the NTX soccer world that Allegiance is top 3 team?!? I can’t decide which one of those is more pathetic!

To be clear, we’re all laughing at YOU and YOU alone. I mean no offense to Allegiance at all. Like I said they are going about it the right way and hopefully they’ll keep improving.

My midnight post(s) have much more to do with a fun filled weekend spent with family. I didn’t get a chance to check scores until late. I do commend you however on starting this thread, probably the most excitement we’ve ever had on the ’07 Board.

Dybala21 wrote:Thoughts on PremierCopa Brackets?

First they are playing 9v9 for u10, a lot of the top teams nationally are just now making the switch over from 9v9. This will make a meaningful difference.

If they were playing 7v7, AC Brea and TFA would be locks for their respective brackets and I'd easily have them in the finals. 9v9 narrows the gap to our local teams considerable and gives Liverpool Owen and DTR a reasonable fighting chance in my opinion (I've seen all 4 of these teams play). It's just going to come down to how well AC Brea and TFA transition to playing 9v9. If that goes well, they will cruise through group play.

McKinney will do well if they can figure out how to integrate their 14yr old (I kid, though he is easily the biggest new forward in u10 and the biggest kid I've seen playing u10 nationally to this point) into their line-up. They struggled with this two weeks ago and went from a solid one or two touch possession team to a play out of the back until it gets to the big forward and let him run with it kind of team. They get back to their possession roots and integrate that forward, watch for them to make a run very deep in this tournament. They won't make it out of group play and may not win a game if they don't figure this out.

FCD should cruise through their bracket and will give anyone they play a tough time but I haven't seen any of the other teams in this bracket play so this is purely based on rankings and going by rankings, FCD should walk through the group easily.

Overall, I put AC Brea and TFA in the finals and having watched AC Brea dismantle TFA once, I'd take them to win. Know it's going out on a limb picking the #1 team to win it all vs the #3 team, but they are that good.

Dybala21 wrote:

TayJ6 wrote:Did anyone notice the Real GP team shoot up to the #2 spot on YSR? I don't know how you can judge a team with no common competition at all!?! I see they were playing up in the Cliff, but who knows what that means?

I ask the same question? Them and Dallas Rebels are in the top 10 list on YSR but  haven't play any of the Top Ten teams listed here.

I believe that Real GP merged with the Rebels, so technically they are the same club now.

YSR goes off of win/losses and goal differential. Real GP/Rebels have not lost a match since September and while doing this, they have been beating down on teams 7-0, 10-1,etc... This is why I think YSR has them ranked #2.

With all this said, and not to insult any Rebel supporters on here, Real GP/Rebels have not beaten any significant teams. They play in tournaments that consist of teams from the ASA Academy, or mid to lower tier "silver" division teams. I would love to see them play against some of the top 10 teams so we can better gauge their level of play.

I too, would love to go see them play...but I can't find them in any tournaments. Nothing listed on YSR or GS for any games outside of league play for Real GP. None of the upcoming tournaments list them, yet.
My question about the #2 ranking was more the meteoric rise from 1 day to the next when no games were played. I understand how YSR works, but the numbers have so little basis when you are comparing 2 completely different pools of teams that don't intersect at all. Like how Allegiance was rated very high based on playing lower level competition, and then 1 gold tourney later they drop 10 spots.

YSR is a good comparison among teams with common opponents, but outside of that, teams within 2 points or so are a pick'em until they've played common opponents.

We may get our wish! According to the Dallas Open site, the Rebels are listed as one of the applied teams. Fingers crossed they get placed in the same division as PST, Solar Kennington or Rush.

KO, looks like you were spot on! YSR no longer lists Real GP, and under Rebels it says (Formerly Real GP, and others).
Good call!

KOSoccer92 wrote:We may get our wish!  According to the Dallas Open site, the Rebels are listed as one of the applied teams.  Fingers crossed they get placed in the same division as PST, Solar Kennington or Rush.

Dallas Open will be an interesting tournament. Either going to have an extremely small Gold bracket or some of the bubble teams are finally going to have to step up and play some top 10 teams.

DragonStryker wrote:

KOSoccer92 wrote:We may get our wish!  According to the Dallas Open site, the Rebels are listed as one of the applied teams.  Fingers crossed they get placed in the same division as PST, Solar Kennington or Rush.

Dallas Open will be an interesting tournament. Either going to have an extremely small Gold bracket or some of the bubble teams are finally going to have to step up and play some top 10 teams.

It sure will be interesting to see the brackets, so far only 3 Top teams listed PST, Kennington and Rush. Plus the NOKC Red that usually plays gold and Alligance that played gold last tournament. Really hope Rebels plays Gold and placed with one of the 3 Top ones listed.

Just saw that Liverpool Owen is playing Silver Division in their own tournament?? They played Silver at the Carey Invitational as well.

I can't tell what's going on in the LP tournament...2 flights, but not labelled gold and silver. However, looking at the rest of the teams listed it's all silver anyway! (maybe bronze) It doesn't matter where they play, they should dominate.

I'm going to try to catch a Rebels game in the Dallas Open Cup if they play a top 10 team.

I feel as if LFC Owen has been in a bit of a free fall lately. Their Prime Time season didn't go so well, plus, at the Carey Invitational they played Silver and like Dybala21 said, in the upcoming Liverpool tournament, they look to be playing Silver again. I personally would not rank them in the current top 10. A few months ago? Absolutely, but not so much currently.

I also plan on catching a Rebel's game if they play a top 10 team in the upcoming tourney.

They were always a tough game when we played them, but for no identifiable reason...I think they just worked hard. One of those teams that doesn't necessarily impress you to watch, but seems to get results against good teams. Maybe that only gets you so far.
I still think they are top 10, just maybe closer to the bottom than the top. I used to think they were a top 5-6, but I still think top 10.

The LP tournament is not broken into gold or silver. It's just multiple brackets playing round robin -- so the teams are not being placed based on gold or silver status. As far as the Carey tourney, a team dropped out, so LP took the slot last minute to get extra touches. It was 7v7.