Umm odp, i am confused....

Why are you scheduling events during the select season? Are you expecting people to miss season games?Why are practices scheduled during major tournaments? Seems out of whack to me...

Is the 2013 practice schedule out?

What events have been scheduled during the select season? Why would any coach let their kids go play ODP and miss a Classic League Game?

Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

I agree pg, my son missed 2 out of 4 and now they have an event on Feb 15-17 which we would like to go to but can't because it conflicts with select.

PG-Boy wrote:Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

With many clubs and coaches it would not matter what was done to accommodate them. Why? because it is all about their club and wins, wins and wins. They do not want them playing high school, indoor, pick up games or ODP. The 4 majors with pre-academy and academy do not even recognize in any way shape or manner the players that make the State or even the Regional Teams.
Smaller club coaches many times are fine with missing club games for important ODP events ( games, not practices) because the coach stresses development of the player and see ODP events the equivilent of being called up. The team supports the player by stepping up in his absence.

soccerisgood123 wrote:I agree pg, my son missed 2 out of 4 and now they have an event on Feb 15-17 which we would like to go to but can't because it conflicts with select.

Initially they said it would happen in January. My boy has been able to attend all of the sessions. I really dont think NTX will have a large turnout of players that will go to College station for this tournament.

My2cents, you are off the mark I think. ODP is seen as a side show not a main event and club soccer as the real deal. I can't blame them really because I see theirpoint of view.

my2cents wrote:

PG-Boy wrote:Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

With many clubs and coaches it would not matter what was done to accommodate them. Why? because it is all about their club and wins, wins and wins. They do not want them playing high school, indoor, pick up games or ODP. The 4 majors with pre-academy and academy do not even recognize in any way shape or manner the players that make the State or even the Regional Teams.
Smaller club coaches many times are fine with missing club games for important ODP events ( games, not practices) because the coach stresses development of the player and see ODP events the equivilent of being called up. The team supports the player by stepping up in his absence.

You may be right, but the big four clubs control soccer in NTX. As it stands right now, the big four do not seem to give ODP credence anymore and I have even heard of coaches telling players ODP is a waste of time now. Unfortunately for the smaller clubs, ODP will not be an honor or carrot for players anymore as no one will really care.

I would bet very few kids in the current age would miss a Classic League game for the current ODP system.

SOME parent peer pressure tells me ODP is no longer relevant anymore. Some are more vocal than others.

I disagree and believe ODP remains a viable option that runs parallel to Pre-Academy and Classic League.

But shucks, ODP isn't making it easy for me to keep defending the program. Not with my kid and his club teammates not able to participate even at 30% of the events. Missing College Station stinks because its a regional event for the boys. Assuming he was picked, I would've loved for my bb to participate. But conflict with Classic League prevents him from consideration.

Gatorz wrote:

my2cents wrote:

PG-Boy wrote:Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

With many clubs and coaches it would not matter what was done to accommodate them. Why? because it is all about their club and wins, wins and wins. They do not want them playing high school, indoor, pick up games or ODP. The 4 majors with pre-academy and academy do not even recognize in any way shape or manner the players that make the State or even the Regional Teams.
Smaller club coaches many times are fine with missing club games for important ODP events ( games, not practices) because the coach stresses development of the player and see ODP events the equivilent of being called up. The team supports the player by stepping up in his absence.

You may be right, but the big four clubs control soccer in NTX. As it stands right now, the big four do not seem to give ODP credence anymore and I have even heard of coaches telling players ODP is a waste of time now. Unfortunately for the smaller clubs, ODP will not be an honor or carrot for players anymore as no one will really care. I would bet very few kids in the current age would miss a Classic League game for the current ODP system.

Probably true but only in Academy areas and a result of the efforts of said clubs to kill it for their own gain. That is why they got killed in NC. It is still viable in other states.

I will tell you this; my son got twice as many calls/email from college coaches from the ODP Interregional than he did from the CASL Showcase in NC which is one of the bigger quality showcases out there.

Happy New Year Everyone!

My BB actually did receive the 'congratulations you've been selected' email. As you can imagine, he is super stoked about his selection. The email asks us once again to verify that we will be able to attend.

We anticipate a Classic League game that weekend as well, but try explaining that to an 11 year old who is super happy with his accomplishment.

I know it says Club first, but I say Child first. Either way, the right thing to do is visit with the coach. You know, the same coach that encouraged him to tryout in the first place. I did, I called him and we visited on this for a few minutes and both agree that we will let the boy decide what is more important to him. Maybe we are fortunate to have a coach who 'gets it'. Either way, I am thankful.

So, the question is: would you rather play in a Classic League game that may or may not matter towards the final outcome of the season, or travel to College Station and play four games against kids from south Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana?

The BB's answer? "Dad, they'll be plenty more Classic League games, right?"

Honestly, what do you say to that? Seems like his perspective on the situation is very grounded. He is right you know, there will be years and years of going to Richland College for games. Fortunately we are not in a promotion situation nor are we in a relegation zone with his league team. If we were, it may be a different tune that I'm singing.

Madcap wrote:Happy New Year Everyone!

My BB actually did receive the 'congratulations you've been selected' email. As you can imagine, he is super stoked about his selection. The email asks us once again to verify that we will be able to attend.

We anticipate a Classic League game that weekend as well, but try explaining that to an 11 year old who is super happy with his accomplishment.

I know it says Club first, but I say Child first. Either way, the right thing to do is visit with the coach. You know, the same coach that encouraged him to tryout in the first place. I did, I called him and we visited on this for a few minutes and both agree that we will let the boy decide what is more important to him. Maybe we are fortunate to have a coach who 'gets it'. Either way, I am thankful.

So, the question is: would you rather play in a Classic League game that may or may not matter towards the final outcome of the season, or travel to College Station and play four games against kids from south Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana?

The BB's answer? "Dad, they'll be plenty more Classic League games, right?"

Honestly, what do you say to that? Seems like his perspective on the situation is very grounded. He is right you know, there will be years and years of going to Richland College for games. Fortunately we are not in a promotion situation nor are we in a relegation zone with his league team. If we were, it may be a different tune that I'm singing.

i can understand your point. i just feel differently. club is the meat and potatoes of my kids soccer life. odp is a side dish. if we can go without foregoing his commitment to his team and coach we will if not odp loses, every time. i also noticed that odp does not have the cream of the crop players there. I saw many kids who frankly looked like they didn't belong. i think they took too many kids and watered down the idea. My son even said something to that effect like "dad how did those kids make it"? 5 teams is way too much. imo

soccerisgood123 wrote:

Madcap wrote:Happy New Year Everyone!

My BB actually did receive the 'congratulations you've been selected' email. As you can imagine, he is super stoked about his selection. The email asks us once again to verify that we will be able to attend.

We anticipate a Classic League game that weekend as well, but try explaining that to an 11 year old who is super happy with his accomplishment.

I know it says Club first, but I say Child first. Either way, the right thing to do is visit with the coach. You know, the same coach that encouraged him to tryout in the first place. I did, I called him and we visited on this for a few minutes and both agree that we will let the boy decide what is more important to him. Maybe we are fortunate to have a coach who 'gets it'. Either way, I am thankful.

So, the question is: would you rather play in a Classic League game that may or may not matter towards the final outcome of the season, or travel to College Station and play four games against kids from south Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana?

The BB's answer? "Dad, they'll be plenty more Classic League games, right?"

Honestly, what do you say to that? Seems like his perspective on the situation is very grounded. He is right you know, there will be years and years of going to Richland College for games. Fortunately we are not in a promotion situation nor are we in a relegation zone with his league team. If we were, it may be a different tune that I'm singing.

i can understand your point. i just feel differently. club is the meat and potatoes of my kids soccer life. odp is a side dish. if we can go without foregoing his commitment to his team and coach we will if not odp loses, every time. i also noticed that odp does not have the cream of the crop players there. I saw many kids who frankly looked like they didn't belong. i think they took too many kids and watered down the idea. My son even said something to that effect like "dad how did those kids make it"? 5 teams is way too much. imo

But if your kid drops to the end of the bench and a stud comes along where will the coach and team's commitment to you be? If you were to have financial woes will they be committed to your son? 5 teams is crazy but it will quickly go to 3 then 2 then 1. The pace and intensity of the games at the Regional trials is nothing like a league game. Staying in the dorms with top players from all over is also unique. It is also a chance to be seen, coached and evaluated by someone who is not being paid by you and does not have a vested interest in telling you how great your son is developing. Instilling a sense of commitment in your son is good of course but do not look away from other opportunities to be blindly committed to a club that is committed to you only as long as you are a top player and able to pay.

my2cents wrote:

PG-Boy wrote:Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

With many clubs and coaches it would not matter what was done to accommodate them. Why? because it is all about their club and wins, wins and wins. They do not want them playing high school, indoor, pick up games or ODP. The 4 majors with pre-academy and academy do not even recognize in any way shape or manner the players that make the State or even the Regional Teams.
Smaller club coaches many times are fine with missing club games for important ODP events ( games, not practices) because the coach stresses development of the player and see ODP events the equivilent of being called up. The team supports the player by stepping up in his absence.

Well put. personally, I'm not as big on ODP as many are. I think it (at best) is no better or no worse than any other venue. Be it premier league, DA or high end showcase events.

Ideally, I would think that a player is best served by being observed/scouted with his club team than the occasional 'all star' event. Admittedly it doesn't always work out that way.

That said, ODP can still be a valuable tool for players in smaller states without access to regionally ranked club teams or DA clubs.

Laimport wrote:

my2cents wrote:

PG-Boy wrote:Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

With many clubs and coaches it would not matter what was done to accommodate them. Why? because it is all about their club and wins, wins and wins. They do not want them playing high school, indoor, pick up games or ODP. The 4 majors with pre-academy and academy do not even recognize in any way shape or manner the players that make the State or even the Regional Teams.
Smaller club coaches many times are fine with missing club games for important ODP events ( games, not practices) because the coach stresses development of the player and see ODP events the equivilent of being called up. The team supports the player by stepping up in his absence.

Well put. personally, I'm not as big on ODP as many are. I think it (at best) is no better or no worse than any other venue. Be it premier league, DA or high end showcase events.

Ideally, I would think that a player is best served by being observed/scouted with his club team than the occasional 'all star' event. Admittedly it doesn't always work out that way.

That said, ODP can still be a valuable tool for players in smaller states without access to regionally ranked club teams or DA clubs.

so that being said NTX is bigger than most smaller states

PG-Boy wrote:SOME parent peer pressure tells me ODP is no longer relevant anymore. Some are more vocal than others.

But shucks, ODP isn't making it easy for me to keep defending the program. .

99 and 00 coaches for odp are a joke. they do a very poor job of selecting kids. many of the very talented kids that decide not play pa or da are being overlooked and you can't defend that type of a program.

everyone complains about the big 4 and how they conduct their business, but odp does the same or worse. if those hs coaches were good you could make a case for missing club games or practices, but you don't get anything from those guys.

there is enough talent not playing pa or da to put competitive odp teams on the field to compete with the big odp states, but it won't happen until they get better coaches and administration of the program to avoid conflicts with the clubs as much as possible.

omega striker wrote:

Laimport wrote:

my2cents wrote:

PG-Boy wrote:Avoiding conflicts with tournaments is not easy. It can be done, but it would take someone to really research upcoming tournament dates, etc. The major tournaments are easy to track. It's the secondary and tertiary level tournaments that will take someone keenly interested in being aware of the dates.

Creating conflicts with the Classic League schedule is much easier to avoid. This one I don't understand how it can be missed.

All I know is my '01 D1 bb will have missed 3 of 4 ODP events because of conflicts with his club team. Whenever such a conflict exists, the club team is primary.

The ODP coaches may not remember him after he's gone from ODP events for such a long duration. Sure, they can review notes from the sessions he attended. But it's not the same as regular observation/impressions, etc.

I read on another thread that NTX teams struggled at the recent ODP NC Regional. My guess, is NTX ODP is likely not retaining enough of the best players due to several possibilities; (1) Pre-Academy, (2) Perception it's not what it used to be (i.e. player quality), and (3) the training sessions are hit-or-miss in terms of quality. I'd add a new one, (4) too many schedule conflicts with club league games and tournaments. After awhile, some parents/kids may just give up.

I would think NTX ODP would be bending-over-backwards to ensure they recruit and retain the BEST players in NTX. There are entire club teams that don't send a single player to ODP. I'd guess a very large percentage of '01 D1 players aren't participating in ODP at all.

With many clubs and coaches it would not matter what was done to accommodate them. Why? because it is all about their club and wins, wins and wins. They do not want them playing high school, indoor, pick up games or ODP. The 4 majors with pre-academy and academy do not even recognize in any way shape or manner the players that make the State or even the Regional Teams.
Smaller club coaches many times are fine with missing club games for important ODP events ( games, not practices) because the coach stresses development of the player and see ODP events the equivilent of being called up. The team supports the player by stepping up in his absence.

Well put. personally, I'm not as big on ODP as many are. I think it (at best) is no better or no worse than any other venue. Be it premier league, DA or high end showcase events.

Ideally, I would think that a player is best served by being observed/scouted with his club team than the occasional 'all star' event. Admittedly it doesn't always work out that way.

That said, ODP can still be a valuable tool for players in smaller states without access to regionally ranked club teams or DA clubs.

so that being said NTX is bigger than most smaller states

So i can only conclude that NTX, by virtue of its size has no excuses?...LOL!

ODP=POLITICS=WASTE OF TIME=WASTE OF MONEY

ODP= 1 week trip to Mexico at the University of Gaudalahara, games against 5 clubs, day in Gaudalahara, events hosted by said clubs, one pro game= great life experience.

Cost $1000= a great value

my2cents wrote:ODP= 1 week trip to Mexico at the University of Gaudalahara, games against 5 clubs, day in Gaudalahara, events hosted by said clubs, one pro game= great life experience.

Cost $1000= a great value

I whole heartedly agree!!

I had several conversations with parents from one of the big 4 and from what I can tell from a "bang for your buck" it is much more economical to keep my boy in a non-big 4 team, ODP, and playing for his high school system. EXCEPT in the case of FC Dallas where the Academy team is free. But for the other 3, when you factor in playing 27 Academy games and the travel expenses for the out of town games theres no comparison. As far as quality of coaching, my son will have the benefit of a fantastic Club coach that has a proven track record of developing the player, then the ODP coaches on the local, regional, and national level if he makes those pools, then his high school coach. Finally, I like the fact that my son is forced to learn how to play with a variety of players. It strengthens his own abilities while forcing him to step up early in his communication with his teammates.

From a completely selfish standpoint I also like the diversity of parents that I get to spend time with. I broaden my network of soccer parents and thereby broaden my information base and possible opportunity base. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the parents in NC and as I said got an awful lot of information on Pre-Academy and Academy.

I don't need the "prestige" of a big 4 lable for my son. I just need to make sure my son is developed to his potential and given several chances to show that development to recruiters.

Se_la_perdio! wrote:

99 and 00 coaches for odp are a joke. they do a very poor job of selecting kids. many of the very talented kids that decide not play pa or da are being overlooked and you can't defend that type of a program.

everyone complains about the big 4 and how they conduct their business, but odp does the same or worse. if those hs coaches were good you could make a case for missing club games or practices, but you don't get anything from those guys.

there is enough talent not playing pa or da to put competitive odp teams on the field to compete with the big odp states, but it won't happen until they get better coaches and administration of the program to avoid conflicts with the clubs as much as possible.

I totally agree. They did a pretty good job a couple of seasons ago. Last year was terrible. Not sure what was worse the selecting of teams or the scheduling.

peregrino wrote:ODP=POLITICS=WASTE OF TIME=WASTE OF MONEY

My BB's first year in ODP was great. Since then I would have to agree.

I think not being happy with ODP can come from an unrealistic expectation of ODP. It is cheap extra touches and an opportunity to play with different kids. BB has fun at ODP and when he has some friends that go to the games he has had a great time at those. Decided not to attend NC because his friends were not going. We will see on the turnout for S. Texas. But ODP does not mean you are a good player and it does not necessarily provide any opportunities. As of late even the Texas players being invited to the national team pool have not been ODP players they have been from Pre A and academy.

go99 wrote:I think not being happy with ODP can come from an unrealistic expectation of ODP. It is cheap extra touches and an opportunity to play with different kids. BB has fun at ODP and when he has some friends that go to the games he has had a great time at those. Decided not to attend NC because his friends were not going. We will see on the turnout for S. Texas. But ODP does not mean you are a good player and it does not necessarily provide any opportunities. As of late even the Texas players being invited to the national team pool have not been ODP players they have been from Pre A and academy.

Great point. ODP is not a direct path to the national teams that it once was. Although regional trials does present an opportunity for direct contact with college coaches.