Re: U11 Classic D1

by DragonStryker 3/27/2018, 10:33 am

just-a-dad wrote:is the whole team removed, or does the coach keep the slot and just add players?

Club by club decision. Most likely driven, at least in part, by whether the coach keeps enough players to form a core for next season or whether most of his team leaves for DA.

by Socceroo 4/8/2018, 5:30 pm

It looks like bottom of D1 will have a fun last weekend.
If Garland Tigres beat EXT, they will stay in D1, if they lose, they will likely be relegated since Fever Moreno and FC Dallas Youth play each other. Whoever wins will stay in D1 with a Tigres tie or loss.

On the new D1 teams, congrats to:

RUSH
LEGENDS
SOLAR MARTINEZ

These 3 punched their tickets to D1 next year. One more spot left. It will likely be Rayos, but Volkan have an outside shot if Rayos were to mess up.

It looks like those 3 + Rayos will be moving up and I will pick Fever Moreno form the bottom 5 teams in D1 to stay in D1.

by Socceroo 4/8/2018, 5:36 pm

For those who were there, a few good games this weekend. FC Dallas 3 x 0 Allegiance was a great game.
Texans Salazar took McKinney down 3 x 1. Very physical game.

by DragonStryker 4/9/2018, 2:47 pm

Socceroo wrote:For those who were there, a few good games this weekend. FC Dallas 3 x 0 Allegiance was a great game.
Texans Salazar took McKinney down 3 x 1. Very physical game.

Some surprising upsets this weekend as well.

Tigres knocks of FCD Suarez 3-0 (anyone see this, how did this happen)?
Elite United manages a tie with DT Dallas 1-1
FCD ETX knocks off Solar Kennington 2-1

by 07 boys soccer 4/21/2018, 6:55 pm

4-1 Texans PST over FCD? What happened there? FCD has some strange results and then kills other teams. They lost 5-2 to Solar McKinney and 2-0 to AYSES and 8-2 to Rush and 4-1 to Texans PST, then dominated everyone else but Rebels 1-1

by longview 4/22/2018, 12:09 am

Maybe it’s 11 year olds being 11 year olds, maybe it’s coaching, maybe it’s the alignment of the planets — we’ll know in a few years.

by Socceropath 4/22/2018, 8:37 am

I don't buy the "11 year olds being 11 year olds" argument. Upsets or otherwise surprising results are the hallmark of sports at every level. That's why you play the game. I'm not sure what we'll know in a few years that we don't know now? Hopefully we all gain some wisdom, but the riddle of the '07 boys age group has yet to be solved. I go on record saying that had a couple of teams (Rush and Legends) taken care of business during QT the D1 season would have unfolded differently. And with the expansion of U12 DA next year 10 teams worth of players won't be competing in D1 next year, how are we to know any more about the '07s than we do now?

by longview 4/22/2018, 9:33 am

It seems like you just agreed with me. My points:

11 year olds being 11 year olds - inconsistency (very good performances followed by not so good performances), naïveté (“we beat these guys last time so we will win this time”), early stage development (some players who were top tier haven’t developed much this year, others who weren’t on people’s radar have)

Coaching - self explanatory. Hypothetically if I have the 3rd best talent and I constantly finish 5th, maybe i’m Not a very good tactics coach. If I have the 5th best talent and I constantly finish 3rd, maybe I am. And if I started with the 5th best talent but eyeballs tell everyone I now have the 3rd best talent, maybe I actually develop players like I say I do.

Alignment of the planets - literally everything else that could have causality that I can’t exhaustively list here. But for example, 2 very strong teams not taking care of business in the QT, right?

What will we know in a few years that we don’t know now? I guess everything that matters from a soccer perspective, right? I.e., being a great player on a great team at 11 doesn’t mean you’ll be a great player at 17.

I agree that U12 DA isn’t going to provide all the answers. It won’t be much more help than this year was.

by TX_Soccer 4/22/2018, 10:00 am

longview wrote:It seems like you just agreed with me. My points:

11 year olds being 11 year olds - inconsistency (very good performances followed by not so good performances), naïveté (“we beat these guys last time so we will win this time”), early stage development (some players who were top tier haven’t developed much this year, others who weren’t on people’s radar have)

Coaching - self explanatory. Hypothetically if I have the 3rd best talent and I constantly finish 5th, maybe i’m Not a very good tactics coach. If I have the 5th best talent and I constantly finish 3rd, maybe I am. And if I started with the 5th best talent but eyeballs tell everyone I now have the 3rd best talent, maybe I actually develop players like I say I do.

Alignment of the planets - literally everything else that could have causality that I can’t exhaustively list here. But for example, 2 very strong teams not taking care of business in the QT, right?

What will we know in a few years that we don’t know now? I guess everything that matters from a soccer perspective, right? I.e., being a great player on a great team at 11 doesn’t mean you’ll be a great player at 17.

I agree that U12 DA isn’t going to provide all the answers. It won’t be much more help than this year was.

I agree with Longview. It is, what it is.

FCD Academy - We all know how great the team is. They just didn't finish strong. There are several reasons/excuses that we can name (in speculations), but ultimately it was a disappointing end to the season for this group. I would say that that Ayses get the spoiler crown. That loss hurt them.

Rebels - They took care of business. Had some tough games, but found ways to win/draw in very tight matches. Kudos to them, they are the champs of this division (deservingly so).

Texans Salazar - This is a solid group of players. They have the potential to beat anyone, and they've beaten just about everyone at some point (except for the Rebels).

I think Classic league is going to take a huge step backwards with 120 of the top players leaving for DA. It's a safe bet that FCD Academy, Texans Salazar, and Rebels won't even be competing in Classic for U12 due to players leaving to play DA. (My speculation is that Rebels will become Texans U12 South)

At the end of the day, we all should agree that results for U11 in no way indicates what the players/coaches/teams will develop into by U15. Therefore, no need for any of us to panic. I was very pleased with how the season played out. I saw some awesome kids, playing an awesome game... that I for one hope they will continue to love for many years to come.

by Bears 4/22/2018, 10:43 am

TX_Soccer Texans PST beat Rebels in the 2017 League Challenge Cup pool play.

https://home.gotsoccer.com/rankings/event.aspx?EventID=59907&GroupID=636075

by 07 boys soccer 4/22/2018, 11:58 am

Looks like Rebels have beat PST 3-2 in league and 6-2 in a tourney and the one win you mentioned the three times they have played.

by Bears 4/22/2018, 12:11 pm

07 boys soccer wrote:Looks like Rebels have beat PST 3-2 in league and 6-2 in a tourney and the one win you mentioned the three times they have played.

I recall the tournament loss because of the board chatter after the Rebels destroyed Texans PST in the championship game of the League Challenge Cup. There was no mention that the Rebels lost to Texans PST earlier in the same tournament.

I chalked it up to board bias. There are clearly some teams and coaches who aren’t as popular on this board. FC Dallas (Gall) loses and the first comment is that they’re flukey and not that other teams simply outplayed them or that they were simply out coached.

Salazar appears to be a polarizing figure and I’m not sure why that is. His team is the only team that can say they beat every team in their division at some point.

I saw the Texans PST v FCD highlights on the North Texas v The World Facebook page. Texans PST won a very physical game. Lots of vicious tackles.

by 07 boys soccer 4/22/2018, 12:59 pm

Not sure if I would say polarizing, just different style of play. PST wins games at younger ages and then their players seem to not make the transition at older ages when DA starts, look at the 06 group, don’t think hardly any of his players are on the DA team and none are on the top team. Lots of kick and run that wins games early but then lack of posession hurts later. Just my opinion and I am sure there are other reasons.

by TX_Soccer 4/22/2018, 2:07 pm

Bears wrote:TX_Soccer Texans PST beat Rebels in the 2017 League Challenge Cup pool play.

https://home.gotsoccer.com/rankings/event.aspx?EventID=59907&GroupID=636075

Thanks Bears, I stand corrected. Says a lot about Texans Salazar as a quality opponent for any U11 team. My point stands, they've beat them all at some point. Kudos to Texans Salazar

by Socceropath 4/22/2018, 9:52 pm

Bears-
Salazar epitomizes whats wrong with NTX soccer. He plays WINNING soccer, but far from GOOD soccer. A solid majority of D1 teams attempt to play some sort of possession soccer. And all but a few resort to a more direct approach out of necessity (inability to execute) against teams at or above their level. Salazar is a lone wolf in his direct approach regardless of the opponent. To wit, the most effective weapon is a booming punt from the goalie. I don't mean nor want to take anything away from the players. They are a talented bunch, they play hard, and they execute their game plan on a consistent basis. I will congratulate them for that. But having "beat" every team in D1 is a somewhat hollow accomplishment at the expense of developing his players.

by ShastaTx 4/23/2018, 1:37 am

Most of y'all will abandon the forum after this season.... I am sure most people on this site have kids that will go to the DA. Good luck as you won't have any scores to post from the DA next season....I always find it comical at the arguments of playing direct soccer versus possession. Both styles serve a purpose. Yes, I prefer a possession type of soccer. Our team has always played that way. Sometimes a different style may be necessary. Is possession better than direct.....I do not know. Possession is much prettier. I wish you all the best of luck. My only words of advice is get on a team where you believe the coach will make your kid better and your kid has a future. The DA is a big commitment and if you cannot be at practice at least 3 times a week and be able to travel 30% of the time then the DA is not for you. Good luck!!!

by 07 boys soccer 4/23/2018, 1:36 pm

You’re right, this board will be dead in two months time is over and signing day is here. Between now and JEN it will be rumors of where everyone is landing and who’s coaching.

by Socceropath 4/23/2018, 2:26 pm

Let's go out with a BANG then...

Fact or Fiction?
Pedro will succeed in his quest to keep his top players from jumping to DA.

Solar will bring in one of the following coaches in an effort to bolster their Solar East DA roster...Voutier (Rush) or Ackerman (LP Owen).

Texans South DA will swallow up the majority of Rebel's roster.

FCD DA will get less traffic from independents due to fears that the atmosphere is too political to break in to the "A" team and the "B" team gets largely ignored.

FCD DA will nevertheless have no issue getting top talent.

Texans DA has the smallest current player pool and the largest number of spots to fill, but will end up on top.

Both Texans and FCD "B" teams will be better than Solar's "A" team.

Top 5 in Classic D1 next year (in alpha order): Allegiance, FCD Premier, Rush, Solar Kennington, TXN Salazar. (only omitted Rebels based on assumption they all go DA).

by txsoccerdad10 4/23/2018, 2:44 pm

Socceropath wrote:Let's go out with a BANG then...

Fact or Fiction?
Pedro will succeed in his quest to keep his top players from jumping to DA.

Solar will bring in one of the following coaches in an effort to bolster their Solar East DA roster...Voutier (Rush) or Ackerman (LP Owen).

Texans South DA will swallow up the majority of Rebel's roster.

FCD DA will get less traffic from independents due to fears that the atmosphere is too political to break in to the "A" team and the "B" team gets largely ignored.

FCD DA will nevertheless have no issue getting top talent.

Texans DA has the smallest current player pool and the largest number of spots to fill, but will end up on top.

Both Texans and FCD "B" teams will be better than Solar's "A" team.

Top 5 in Classic D1 next year (in alpha order): Allegiance, FCD Premier, Rush, Solar Kennington, TXN Salazar. (only omitted Rebels based on assumption they all go DA).

1. Fiction. Pedro's top boys aren't going anywhere. He may lose "fringe" players due to parents wanting more playing time, but his core and strongest players will remain.

2. Fact. I believe Solar "East" has to bring one of those coaches in order to build a competitive roster.

3. Fiction. Although the location makes sense for Rebels to become Texans South DA (they are based in Oak Cliff) I don't see those parents wanting to go from paying the minimal monthly amount that the Rebels charge, to the expensive adventure of DA.

4 and 5. Facts

6 Fact. In my opinion, Texans DA will be the best of the bunch next year.

7 Fact and Fiction. Fiction, if going back to question 2, Solar can bring in Voutier or Ackerman, fact if they can't.

8 Fiction. Kennington may not have a team and if he does, I'm sure he will lose some players to DA. I've heard Rush will be losing some players as well. I would probably throw Elite United in the top 5. Word on the street is, they may be getting their star forward back!.

by DragonStryker 4/23/2018, 3:00 pm

I doubt Allegiance loses many, if any, of their core players. They are getting equivalent training to DA presently if not better. Why leave?

Solar is going to have issues fielding 4 competitive teams. I dont see Voutier or Ackerman coming over.

FCD will have no issue fielding a top team, 2nd team may suffer.

DT will have an excellent top team, below that, who knows. Style of play and recruiting will matter. If DT Dallas is the style, the DT Red boys may likely suffer and not be nearly as competitive as they otherwise might be.

The top 5 in Classic will be handily better than both Solar West teams unless something dramatic occurs.

Kennington will need to rework his roster with the boys leaving for DA to field a top 5 team. It’ll come down to his ability to recruit players than can play his style i suspect. No word if he has a team yet but I’m betting he does.

by 07 boys soccer 4/23/2018, 9:28 pm

Allegiance is fun to watch move the ball around but they also sometimes possess the ball for the sake of posession, you have to get forward and push he ball up at some point. Their last five games of classic they scored only 3 goals and two of those were against the next to last team LP St John who gave up 59 goals against their other 18 opponents.

by TX_Soccer 4/23/2018, 9:54 pm

Below are my responses:

Socceropath wrote:Let's go out with a BANG then...

Fact or Fiction?

Pedro will succeed in his quest to keep his top players from jumping to DA.
Fact: I think Pedro loses 1-2 of his core players to DA. I just think at-least one of his top players take the leap. (the prestige of DA is just too difficult for some to resist...lol)

Solar will bring in one of the following coaches in an effort to bolster their Solar East DA roster...Voutier (Rush) or Ackerman (LP Owen).
Fiction: Solar has already announced their coach for Solar East DA, his name is Adam Wells. No need to speculate about this one, kind of old news here.

Texans South DA will swallow up the majority of Rebel's roster.
Fact: I believe that the Rebels core (7-8 players) will be playing for the Texans South DA. According to their Clubs Facebook Page, the Rebels are actually based in Grand Prairie, which definitely puts them in the Arlington area (where Texans South DA will be).

FCD DA will get less traffic from independents due to fears that the atmosphere is too political to break in to the "A" team and the "B" team gets largely ignored.
Fiction: I think FCD will plenty of traffic from independents. Let's remember, the independents will have no real idea of any "atmosphere" during the recruiting season, I'm sure the red carpet will be rolled out by FCD to land a few of the top ones... However, I think it's FACT that the "B" team gets largely ignored, but nothing new or unique really there.

FCD DA will nevertheless have no issue getting top talent.
Fact: Nothing appeals to competitive soccer parents like the Big brand of FCD. There will certainly be a wealth of top talent swarming to fill the gaps.

Texans DA has the smallest current player pool and the largest number of spots to fill, but will end up on top.
Fiction: I think Texans will produce 1 highly competitive group up north. I've gotta believe that if they land the kids from Rebels, they'll have at-least a very competitive group down south. However, the major issues they will face will be: getting enough kids to commit to the financial burden of DA (especially down south), and getting the kids to play the given Coach's style of soccer. The fact that coaches like Salazar, Stravou, (and even the Rebels) all play different styles of soccer that could potentially conflict with the DA coach's style (Stravou and Leite are likely in sync). These will be challenges that make it tough for them to finish on top, but they will certainly be competitive.

Both Texans and FCD "B" teams will be better than Solar's "A" team.
Fiction: I'm simply going to point to how the top 2 Solar groups (McKinney and Kennington) performed in Classic League Div 1. It's obvious to me that a combined pool would produce at a minimum 1 very competitive group.

Top 5 in Classic D1 next year (in alpha order): Allegiance, FCD Premier, Rush, Solar Kennington, TXN Salazar. (only omitted Rebels based on assumption they all go DA).
Fact: I'd say Top 5 in Classic D1 looks more like FCD Premier, TXN Salazar, Allegiance, Solar McKinney(back-filled with Lanier's top players), FC Legends

To add to the rumor mill: I've heard from strong sources that FCD is starting a South DA charter based in the South Dallas area. #bang

by DblDown 4/25/2018, 12:43 pm

I think Solar will do just fine putting together a competitive DA team.

In IberCup, their “top” team (Mostly McKinney with a few extras) beat DT Stavrou 2-1, and their “second” team (looked like 50/50 Volkan/Kennington plus some others) tied DT Stavrou in regulation 0-0.

How that translates to actual DA rosters is yet to be seen with the Solar split into East and West. That may dilute the player pool if they don’t add significant talent, but I think the 2 “A” teams will be OK if McKinneys core becomes the West

FCD will be fine. Too easy for them to recruit. (FREEish)

Texans will be the most interesting to me to see how (if) DT Red integrates with DA. A combination of Rebels and DT Red players could make for a very interesting team!
I agree that most of the Red players would struggle initially in the Stavrou/Leite system, but I think a couple could pull it off easily.
...The big punt is a most dangerous weapon against weaker teams that lack talent towards the back. Stronger teams can usually neutralize this attack.

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