DI .vs. DII playing time ??

Marcio used to say, "Never be on the bottom third of a team." Now, clearly there will be a bottom third of everything, but his point was a good one because he, in particular, hates playing his bench, so in effect these kids get little to no playing time. Their training is great for the most part, when the lectures were over, but their self-esteem and love of the game definitely suffer with this method. He definitely believes just practicing with a D1 team is better than actually PLAYING with a D2 team. Seems like it could be true, except most coaches don't care about developing a player at practice who is not going to help them win games. I have come to believe in the first point, just not the second.


This is so self serving and endemic of what is wrong in youth soccer that it is breath taking.

He will take their money but not play them. He will play his top kids so HE can look good by winning. He admits that he cant turn a bench warmer into a starter because he hates playing his bench.He thinks his practices are so great that they are better than playing the game and getting game time touches on the ball. Not often that you have one person crystalize the problems in soccer.

soccerisgood123 wrote:Marcio used to say, "Never be on the bottom third of a team." Now, clearly there will be a bottom third of everything, but his point was a good one because he, in particular, hates playing his bench, so in effect these kids get little to no playing time. Their training is great for the most part, when the lectures were over, but their self-esteem and love of the game definitely suffer with this method. He definitely believes just practicing with a D1 team is better than actually PLAYING with a D2 team. Seems like it could be true, except most coaches don't care about developing a player at practice who is not going to help them win games. I have come to believe in the first point, just not the second.


This is so self serving and endemic of what is wrong in youth soccer that it is breath taking.

He will take their money but not play them. He will play his top kids so HE can look good by winning. He admits that he cant turn a bench warmer into a starter because he hates playing his bench.He thinks his practices are so great that they are better than playing the game and getting game time touches on the ball. Not often that you have one person crystalize the problems in soccer.

Good point. If nothing else, the guy is good for showing us what NOT to do. But still, this IS NTX. If your kid is bottom third and you want him to play, don't assume that coach is going to "develop" your BB into a top third starter and give him playing time. Find a team, wherever that may be, and get him playing time and confidence.

bunited wrote:

soccerisgood123 wrote:Marcio used to say, "Never be on the bottom third of a team." Now, clearly there will be a bottom third of everything, but his point was a good one because he, in particular, hates playing his bench, so in effect these kids get little to no playing time. Their training is great for the most part, when the lectures were over, but their self-esteem and love of the game definitely suffer with this method. He definitely believes just practicing with a D1 team is better than actually PLAYING with a D2 team. Seems like it could be true, except most coaches don't care about developing a player at practice who is not going to help them win games. I have come to believe in the first point, just not the second.


This is so self serving and endemic of what is wrong in youth soccer that it is breath taking.

He will take their money but not play them. He will play his top kids so HE can look good by winning. He admits that he cant turn a bench warmer into a starter because he hates playing his bench.He thinks his practices are so great that they are better than playing the game and getting game time touches on the ball. Not often that you have one person crystalize the problems in soccer.

Good point. If nothing else, the guy is good for showing us what NOT to do. But still, this IS NTX. If your kid is bottom third and you want him to play, don't assume that coach is going to "develop" your BB into a top third starter and give him playing time. Find a team, wherever that may be, and get him playing time and confidence.

I completely agree

So look around and see that a lot of teams now are carry 18 or 20 kids. I do not think that it will change for a while and that will make D2 a little distance to D1. We will see what the season holds and see how the bench plays it role. The good teams will have success, but where does that leave the 17th player on the bench, hoping he gets a chance to make an impact or cheering his team on.

Hopefully in the end, a player develops skills that may lead to a more opportunities...... college..... career choices....success.

Im not completely against this, but i feel this is an unfair debate with only one side. It does seem like it would be smarter to play on a D2 team to play more then sit on a D1 bench. BUT playing in D2 does have drawbacks, especilly when it comes to college. The tournaments D1 teams play in over D2 teams can make a difference. Disney, Dallas cup (yes i know they only feild 18 players) etc. Major showcases for players that they may never get to participate in. College coaches wont be super excited to go watch a D2 game rather than D1. Plus, alot of coaches (atleaast in this age group) will give more fair playing time during these tournaments.
Its honestly harder to be seen playing D2 compared to D1.

Other than that, I enjoyed playing D2 much more than D1.

Iplaysoccer wrote:Im not completely against this, but i feel this is an unfair debate with only one side. It does seem like it would be smarter to play on a D2 team to play more then sit on a D1 bench. BUT playing in D2 does have drawbacks, especilly when it comes to college. The tournaments D1 teams play in over D2 teams can make a difference. Disney, Dallas cup (yes i know they only feild 18 players) etc. Major showcases for players that they may never get to participate in. College coaches wont be super excited to go watch a D2 game rather than D1. Plus, alot of coaches (atleaast in this age group) will give more fair playing time during these tournaments.
Its honestly harder to be seen playing D2 compared to D1.

Other than that, I enjoyed playing D2 much more than D1.

This is not altogether true. When college coaches attend these showcases, they are many times there at the behest of the player and his/her coach. In other words, they are scouting the player, not the team. They are looking for something in particular, not whether or not the team is D1 or D2. If you aren't counting on Duke or UCLA, a player can definitely get $$ playing in D2. I have seen it happen many, many times. This requires a coach who is involved and committed to helping his players attain this goal. You may be surprised at how many D1 coaches won't do very much toward this end.

All that aside, a player does have to be on a team willing to do showcases; some D2 team are and some are not. These are expensive tournaments and usually involve travel, so this is another consideration.