ESPN U12

Fctillidie wrote:Calm down pg- little boy, did you see the game? DTS played with possession and good combination attacks. They just didnt finish and gave away cheap goals. But congrats to the other team for finishing , they packed the box and then just kicked it up to the forwards to try and out race the defense. It worked, wasn't pretty but it worked. I get sick and tired of you always talking about possession soccer, like you've actually played before, and when a team that actually plays the right way and loses, you still talk about them. But you seem to just always look for times to talk bad about DTS. And yes I'm defending them cause I have good friends on the team and I think the are a good team. You really need to just worry about your sons team, heard they barely tied DTS in the last minute. But hopefully my sons team will meet y'all in the finals, and it will be the same result as usual.

My intent was simply to compliment the APL team from FW for their surprising run in group play and the big upset over a top 5 D1 team. My perspective is that compliments are not viewed as a zero-sum equation. i.e. meaning, a compliment for one side doesn't mean it's a slight for the other side. Seeing that the APL team won the group, my compliment was definitely warranted.

I did not see the game in question, just the scoreline on the tournament page. 5-2 is a big win in any league or tournament for any age. Hence, my surprise when it was the APL squad over the D1 team.

RE: whether I know what possession soccer 'looks like' or whether I even play soccer; the answer to both is, yes.


As for DTS 01, I've been consistent in my belief they have one of the better defenses in D1. If I've slighted DTS on this forum in the past, I'll need a reminder of when it happened. I agree with you, they are a good team.

Regarding DTS 02; yes it was a 1-1 scoreline, they are a very good team. Their midfield combines with short and swift passing sequences that would cause a lot of 01 teams grief. Defensively, they hold their shape and are hyperaggressive in pressing opponents. One kid took both of their shots, the only shots the team took. Both shots were breath-taking. One skimming past the far post, barely missing, after a blistering run. The other one hitting the inside of the far post for the goal and the 1-0 lead. Both shots were made while sprinting with defenders physically pressuring. The kid has a wickedly accurate shot. A 50% shooting average is excellent. Two screamers, one goal.

The FCD boys on the other hand, could't buy a goal. Taking about 25+ potshots at the goal. Hitting the crossbar, posts, defenders, and missing the goal all-together. The DTS goalkeeper is an excellent player, too. The credit goes to the DTS02 defense that compacted into the final third, then applied pressure with swarms of players. Finding space to move was at a premium. There were no pressure-free shots allowed. FCD had 80%+ possession almost all of it on the DTS defensive side. Yes, I do know what a possession game looks like. The match was kinda boring until DTS02 scored on a counter. Till then, FCD was patient, comfortable with the ball rhythmically flowing and probing for gaps on the DTS side of the field and dealing with the occasional counter-attack. Once DTS02 went ahead, FCD had to amp up the pressure. Which they did to earn the draw. The last ten minutes of the match were exciting as DTS02 continuously denied FCDs offensive barrage.

A cynic would say DTS02 parked the bus. I would say DTS02 played with specific plan in mind. The one year age difference is a big gap. DTS02, I think, recognized the challenge of dealing with an FCD team that was going to keep the ball for long series'. DTS02 adjusted very well, played smart, countered rarely, but with panache. DTS02 was within a few minutes of winning the game. That is a compliment for DTS02 that should not be construed as a slight towards FCD.

Every game stands on its own merit.

Gatorz wrote:

Majortom wrote:

Gatorz wrote:

tomuchsoccer wrote:good fun out there this weekend....DTS 02's played...hard wish we could have shown our best but where short handed this weekend....we take nothing away from any of the teams and everyone that won deserved to win....so dont take this the wrong way just wanted to state that we where missing two of our top players....one of them being the top scorer in the league....wish we could have been at full strength to see if we could have made it further but over all a fun tournament....

good luck to everyone this summer

If those players were there for your team, your team would have won first. They are the backbone of that team and it is great DTS 02 did that well without them.

The 02 teams were competitive, despite the arguments of the 01 parents. Solar finished second in its bracket and the other teams played close games against their 01 counterparts. It can not be said there is much of a difference between the 01s and the 02s. A little size and speed maybe, but we know that evens out in a few years.

Overall a great tournament.

They finished second (1 goal scored in the entire tournament) in the easiest bracket and with Solar Red 01 help.....yes, way to go.

Looking at stats and making comparisons is pretty useless. The 02 parents could also say the team that won (FCD Premiere 01) was only able to tie DTS 02, ( without their best players) and a DTS 02 team that lost to a D11 Coppell FC 01 team. What does all that mean? Nothing.... You play who is in front of you and the 02s did well this weekend, including Solar who finished second in their bracket. The team that won the bracket ( Wizards 01) scored a total of 3 goals.

The point is the 02s are a strong group and can compete with the 01s.

Some proof lies in the #’s….it was clearly demonstrated once again that the best ’02 teams (with ‘01 help) can only hang with middle of the pack ’01 teams in every bracket (1 exception)….in Solar’s case (assume it’s your team), they could not even beat the other ’02 team in their bracket….
Renner’s team may have achieved 2nd place in the most mediocre bracket with a goal differential of -1, FCD Premier did tie DTS ’02 (the exception) but FCD’s goal differential of +8 seems commanding in bracket play…I think stats could be useful to those who know how to interpret them.

Ground control to Majortom….

Wembley why this hate toward DTS 02? Who does your son play for? Where does all your jealous come from?
DTS 02- Plano Labor Day champions, U11 Classic League Grand Champions, Disney Showcase Champions, all in one year. The list is long........
What other team at any age has accomplished that?
I have one son that plays in D1 and one that plays in D2. They do not play on the top team at those ages, but that doesn't mean I have to hate or be jealous of someone else's accomplishments. Andromeda Red 00 are a great team, solar Red 01 a fantastic team, DTS 02 one of the best I've ever seen!! Lets just applaud all of these boys for their success.

Noooo, no hate at all!! Dts02 are a good team, what I meant is that their parents think they are better than what they are. My respect for the boys, but a wake up call for their parents.

My mistake! I apologize for misinterpreting the post. And I agree, I think a lot of parents could use a wake up call for a lot of teams, not just 02's!

PG-Boy please give us a review on the U12 final. Luv the detailed reviews you always give on here! How was the game?

Gatorz wrote:

Majortom wrote:

Gatorz wrote:

tomuchsoccer wrote:good fun out there this weekend....DTS 02's played...hard wish we could have shown our best but where short handed this weekend....we take nothing away from any of the teams and everyone that won deserved to win....so dont take this the wrong way just wanted to state that we where missing two of our top players....one of them being the top scorer in the league....wish we could have been at full strength to see if we could have made it further but over all a fun tournament....

good luck to everyone this summer

If those players were there for your team, your team would have won first. They are the backbone of that team and it is great DTS 02 did that well without them.

The 02 teams were competitive, despite the arguments of the 01 parents. Solar finished second in its bracket and the other teams played close games against their 01 counterparts. It can not be said there is much of a difference between the 01s and the 02s. A little size and speed maybe, but we know that evens out in a few years.

Overall a great tournament.

They finished second (1 goal scored in the entire tournament) in the easiest bracket and with Solar Red 01 help.....yes, way to go.

Looking at stats and making comparisons is pretty useless. The 02 parents could also say the team that won (FCD Premiere 01) was only able to tie DTS 02, ( without their best players) and a DTS 02 team that lost to a D11 Coppell FC 01 team. What does all that mean? Nothing.... You play who is in front of you and the 02s did well this weekend, including Solar who finished second in their bracket. The team that won the bracket ( Wizards 01) scored a total of 3 goals.

The point is the 02s are a strong group and can compete with the 01s.

The 02 teams were well represented and have some really high quality boys and teams. However, the argument that 02s can hang with 01s holds no water. A couple of statistics from this weekend:

Overall record: 1 win, 2 ties, 13 losses
Overall goal differential: -37 (over 16 games that's an average of -2.3 per game)
Overall bracket points: 14 (9 from playing other 02s) vs. 52

Next year these same type of number will be there again favoring the 02 teams vs. 03.

Remember last year? 12 teams, 3 01s / 9 00s.

Overall record for 01s: 2 wins, 7 losses. Those 2 wins were DTS01 and were only good for third place in their bracket (on goal differential).

By the time these boys are in high school, they will all be the same size and compete well with each other. But for now there's no competition - size, maturity, and an extra year of touches on the ball make all the difference in the world.

PG-Boy please give us a review on the U12 final. Luv the detailed reviews you always give on here! How was the game?

Liverpool00/02 wrote:PG-Boy please give us a review on the U12 final. Luv the detailed reviews you always give on here! How was the game?

By request; here is the game report;

It was a perfect 71 degrees at kick-off on a gorgeous Texas evening. The wind was breezy, 10mph, southeastward. The pitch ran north-south so the wind had no role in the match. The semifinals and final were 30-minute halves.

For the championship match, FCD Premier was attired in the red hoops kit with the FCD Youth boys in the white Advocare jerseys. This would be the third match of the day for the teams. Both teams have excellent fitness and would be able to play an active third match.

Earlier, FCD Youth defeated Texans FW ’01, 2-1 in a semifinal match with a 2pm kick-off. It was 1-1 at the half. FCD Youth scored early in the second half and cruised the rest of the way as the Texans rarely threatened to score afterwards.

FCD Premier dispatched Wizards 4-2 in the other semifinal at 3:15pm kick-off. FCD jumped to a 2-0 lead only to have the Wizards rumble back to tie. FCD then recomposed themselves two score two goals in the second half.

At 6:15pm, with the sun low on the horizon, the teams lined up for kick-off. “Youth” took the initiative and controlled possession with quick movements. They had the pedal to the metal. Aggressively placing “Premier” on the defensive. Youth was definitely controlling the tempo and flow. Premier was reacting. It was only a matter of time before Youth scored.

For the most part, both teams kept the ball in play and grounded. It was a fast game. The long high balls repeatedly launched by the Wizards and Texans FW was just a memory. This was a grounded match. There were no grand 50/50 brutish battles. Rather, short passing was in abundance with ample defensive pressure by both teams. Who ever took the ball, tried to keep it. They were not in a hurry to give it back to the other side.

About 10 minutes in, an almost imperceptible change occurred. Like a subtle wisp, the wind of confidence re-arranged itself. Youth slightly released the pedal. Not by much, but just enough for their possession advantage to disappear. A game that was probably 60-40 possession in their favor reverted to an even match-up.

Lightning strikes. Momentum Swings.

A pass was sent to a Premier striker. With a swivel of his head, he redirected the ball overhead to himself. A very creative move that was difficult to execute. The striker, his back to his opponent’s goal, pirouetted 180 degrees and sprinted after the ball. His defender mimicked him in perfect sync. The defender attempted to shield the ball from the striker as it speedily bounded toward the Youth goalkeeper. The Premier striker and the Youth defender both were trying to get leverage on each other. It was a shoulder-to-shoulder dance as they both descended on the onrushing Youth goalkeeper. All three were converging towards a collision.

At the last moment the Youth defender jumped out of the way to avoid impeding his goalkeeper. The goalkeeper, crouched like a baseball catcher, prepared to control a soft bouncer. The ball unluckily bobbled just enough for the Premier striker, in full stride, to poke away the loose ball.

The defender lunged to clear it. But the striker was quick as cobra. The striker slid on his left leg and swung with his right. Goal, Premier.

The Premier boys celebrated. The Youth boys contested the goal. But the referee wouldn’t hear it. 1-0, Premier.

The weather vane of momentum had changed direction. Premier went from tentative to full tilt confidence. Possession continued to be about 50/50, but the confidence meter was definitely on the Premier side.

The second goal started on the middle with several swift short passes, then a pass to the right wing. The striker galloped down the right side. He sent a cross to the middle where the Premier forward flicked the ball with his head to the left-winger. The left-winger only had to settle and blast the shot. Premier 2, Youth 0.

The third goal; after a slew of short combination passes in the midfield, a teammate sent a ground pass to a winger. He at full stride, continued his steady run for about 30 yards before accelerating past the left and central defenders. As he approached the goal he lost control of the ball. It got too far ahead. The ball continued past the goalkeeper. The Premier striker, still sprinting like a madman, hurdled the sprawled goalkeeper like an Olympian.

The right Youth defender, rushing from the opposite direction, beat the Premier striker to the ball. But his clear hit the striker or a teammate. The ball rebounded into the Youth net. 3-0, Premier.

Youth valiantly fought for control of the game. But it remained a deadlocked possession battle.

Youth scored on a sweet shot from mid-distance that dropped just under the crossbar. But it was too little, too late. The clock was unforgiving.

The waning minutes were uneventful as neither team was able to sustain control to build an offensive attack. Neither team resorted to launching high-long balls. Both remained faithful to their style of play to the end. Premier 3, Youth 1, final.

Except for a couple of unlucky bounces, the game was a draw.