Local HS Soccer

[TU_BLA]

From my brief observations, it appears a lot of high school teams employ the kick and chase tactic. Not sure if it’s talent (or lack thereof) of coaching. Does make for some fairly ugly games

I'm spoiled watching Union play. They definitely try to possess the ball and work it up the field...their problem continues to be too much 1 v 1 once they get into the attacking 1/3.

One thing I didn't mention in the previous post is Stillwater is also on the Jenks/Norman North/Mustang side of the bracket as well. They generate almost ZERO offense and I believe their entire game plan is to get the game to PKs because they have an absolute monster of a GK (6'4-6'5) and they absolutely have an advantage over most teams if they can get it to PKs and they know it. They are a traditional park the bus team from the opening whistle and they frustrate the crap out of teams because they'll let you shoot from outside the box because it's really hard to sneak one past the GK.

 

[TU_BLA]

And the other thing, when someone scores, how come all 50 dudes sitting on the bench have to come to the corner and celebrate and play grabass? So stupid. I reckon times have changed.

Team thing. The coaches want the teams to celebrate together to build unity

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

Team thing. The coaches want the teams to celebrate together to build unity

Rick James believed in Unity as well. Just ask Charlie Murphy.

 

[TU_BLA]

Union lost to BA 1-0 despite having a 65-35 advantage in possession and owning most of the attack. Lone goal came from 25 yds out after a weak clearance of an over the top ball. BA had only one more testing shot that the Union GK made a great save on. Union created a lot of dangerous chances but only a couple of shots that made the BA GK sweat. Same issue all season...not finding a finish. My son texted me during the game and told me what BA was doing on defense and how Union should counter....Union didn't do those things and I think he was right.
Jenks beat Bixby 1-0. That wasn't a surprise.
The most surprising results though were Mustang and Norman North both losing their 1st round games opening up Jenks' half of the bracket for them. BA will play Edmond North in their next game.

 

[lawpoke87]

Tough evening for Union all the way around as the girls went down 3-0 at Owasso. Bixby girls beat Enid 4-0. Road gets a lot tougher for the lady Spartans from here on out. Jenks girls beat BA 1-0 in a matchup of two very good sides.

 

[TU_BLA]

Tough evening for Union all the way around as the girls went down 3-0 at Owasso. Bixby girls beat Enid 4-0. Road gets a lot tougher for the lady Spartans from here on out. Jenks girls beat BA 1-0 in a matchup of two very good sides.

Union girls haven't been the same since Danae Hobson got injured. She was a legit threat to stretch the field and she created a lot of scoring chances. Teams usually had to commit 2 defenders, a primary 1 v 1 defender and a 2nd "emergency" defender when she usually beat the primary defender. That left a lot of space in the box for Union's 9 and opposite side attacker to slide into. Part of the problem for Union after her injury is the coach (Jamie Rozell) never adjusted their style of play to the players they were able to put on the field. No concerted effort to possess the ball and pass, just continue playing long ball after long ball over the top except now they didn't have the speed or skill to win those. She's a bad coach IMO. Matt Howe is an assistant and really needs to be the one in charge. Earlier this season Union beat Owasso 2-0...they had their full complement of players in that one and the speed difference up top for Union was easy to observe. W/o Hobson that advantage dissipated.

Bixby girls beating Enid is not surprising. Enid is not a good team at all. Saw them earlier this season against Union and things got bad quickly. Poor GK in that one. She was under fire all night.

As for Jenks, they are very good. Good technically, good tactically. Everything runs through #10 ('07 who plays at TSC ECNL). I find it funny that in HS she plays the 10 and in club ball she is usually playing the 4. Jenks might be a real threat to win both the boys and girls state championships with how things played out last night. Stillwater boys won their first round matchup and believe they get Jenks next. That might be an interesting matchup as Stillwater is excellent defensively and have a wall of a GK. They do not have the speed to keep up with Jenks so I expect a park the bus performance and try to get the game to OT. I probably would have bet $20 on Stillwater not making the OSSAA playoffs this year after their preseason match I saw in BA. They were just terrible...so bad in fact that I thought Union's JV1 side would have beaten them if they had played.

 

[lawpoke87]

Union girls haven't been the same since Danae Hobson got injured. She was a legit threat to stretch the field and she created a lot of scoring chances. Teams usually had to commit 2 defenders, a primary 1 v 1 defender and a 2nd "emergency" defender when she usually beat the primary defender. That left a lot of space in the box for Union's 9 and opposite side attacker to slide into. Part of the problem for Union after her injury is the coach (Jamie Rozell) never adjusted their style of play to the players they were able to put on the field. No concerted effort to possess the ball and pass, just continue playing long ball after long ball over the top except now they didn't have the speed or skill to win those. She's a bad coach IMO. Matt Howe is an assistant and really needs to be the one in charge. Earlier this season Union beat Owasso 2-0...they had their full complement of players in that one and the speed difference up top for Union was easy to observe. W/o Hobson that advantage dissipated.

Bixby girls beating Enid is not surprising. Enid is not a good team at all. Saw them earlier this season against Union and things got bad quickly. Poor GK in that one. She was under fire all night.

As for Jenks, they are very good. Good technically, good tactically. Everything runs through #10 ('07 who plays at TSC ECNL). I find it funny that in HS she plays the 10 and in club ball she is usually playing the 4. Jenks might be a real threat to win both the boys and girls state championships with how things played out last night. Stillwater boys won their first round matchup and believe they get Jenks next. That might be an interesting matchup as Stillwater is excellent defensively and have a wall of a GK. They do not have the speed to keep up with Jenks so I expect a park the bus performance and try to get the game to OT. I probably would have bet $20 on Stillwater not making the OSSAA playoffs this year after their preseason match I saw in BA. They were just terrible...so bad in fact that I thought Union's JV1 side would have beaten them if they had played.

The Jenks girls is an absolute beast and a high D1 player. Her younger sister (2010 but plays with 2009s) plays the 10 and is every bit as good. Jenks girls should be in good shape for the foreseeable future. Bixby is loaded with ecnl players (girls side) in the 2009 and 2010 years. There are going to be some great Jenks - Bixby matchups in a few years.

 

[lawpoke87]

Went to the BA - Edmond North boys game last night. I’m friends with the parents of Edmond North’s striker. Really well played game. BA wins 2-1 in a couple of balls which weren’t effectively cleared from the box.

Jenks girls beat Bixby 2-1 last night as well. The Fieker girls for Jenks are a handful.

 

[TU_BLA]

Went to the BA - Edmond North boys game last night. I’m friends with the parents of Edmond North’s striker. Really well played game. BA wins 2-1 in a couple of balls which weren’t effectively cleared from the box.

Jenks girls beat Bixby 2-1 last night as well. The Fieker girls for Jenks are a handful.

The Edmond North striker is a beast. He's not as big or strong as Dike but he's faster and strong enough that it is extremely difficult to knock him off the ball or even slow him down when he's got the ball at his feet. We watched part of the game and I was a little surprised to see BA go with their #2 GK in this one and he tried several times to give EN a couple more goals with poor distribution or just not seeing the field that well.

Surprisingly enough, I watched a handful of MLS matches this weekend and at least 2 of them had goals similar to the one EN scored against BA. Defender gets his pocket picked and a goal comes immediately after.

Jenks also beat Stillwater 1-0. I believe they got NW Classen who had their 2nd straight upset win.

In 5A, East Central beat Bishop Kelly in PKs. Apparently BK's super star (Will Applegate who'll be at TU next year), got stoned in the shootout, and 2 of his teammates missed the net altogether. And Edison upset Rogers, 2-1.

 

[lawpoke87]

Congrats to Jenks for sweeping both boys and girls 6A state championships.

 

[TU_BLA]

Weird to be resurrecting this thread with HA soccer season still 6 months away. Union had a change in head coach. Mike Wilson has moved on and Union has hired former Edison HA coach and current Tulsa Athletic coach Jason Rogers. Rogers led the Athletic to the 3rd round of US Open Cup and the NPSL Championship this past season. Everything I know about him says this is a solid hire but these boys have been in the same system with the same accountability and expectations for the last 3 seasons so this will be an adjustment. My son said the entire senior class went to the AD to request they retain Wilson so a new coach might be met with some resentment since it's not what the players wanted.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Weird to be resurrecting this thread with HA soccer season still 6 months away. Union had a change in head coach. Mike Wilson has moved on and Union has hired former Edison HA coach and current Tulsa Athletic coach Jason Rogers. Rogers led the Athletic to the 3rd round of US Open Cup and the NPSL Championship this past season. Everything I know about him says this is a solid hire but these boys have been in the same system with the same accountability and expectations for the last 3 seasons so this will be an adjustment. My son said the entire senior class went to the AD to request they retain Wilson so a new coach might be met with some resentment since it's not what the players wanted.

He moved on because he got 'let' go? If so, did they let him go because they wanted Rogers, or because they were dissatisfied with his services?

 

[TU_BLA]

He moved on because he got 'let' go? If so, did they let him go because they wanted Rogers, or because they were dissatisfied with his services?

It's a very complicated matter. He was on leave for most of last year dealing with a legal matter that was bogus. It finally got dismissed b/c there was no evidence supporting the claim against him...but then it's being appealed to MCN Supreme Court and Union wasn't willing to continue with an interim while they waited for this to play out over another season. So basically Union didn't renew the contract for this school year.

I don't think Rogers was the first choice b/c Union's AD had someone in mind and thought she could get them hired before school started (this would have been a 5 day process from when I heard Wilson wasn't returning). That obviously didn't happen. Rogers is supposed to be introduced on Monday.

 

[TU_BLA]

So a quick HS preview headed into the new season. Most teams are playing some preseason games the next week or so as the regular season and games that count doesn't start until March 1st. Last Thursday Bixby beat down 4A Wagoner 9-0. BK beat BTW on Friday. I have nothing about Jenks or BA yet. Yesterday my son played in a JV tournament in BA as the Union coaches try to figure out their GKs. Since there is no GK coach at Union, you've got a bunch of clueless guys evaluating GKs. My son conceded 1 goal in 3 games and had some really nice saves against Owasso. In his first game against Jenks, he didn't face a single shot as Union figured out how to possess the ball and build a nice attack. That game ended 1-1 as the goal in the 1st half went against the other GK who made a horrible error in distribution and gave the ball straight to Jenks. Son got the start vs Owasso and made 3-4 saves as well as making a key intervention on a cross. Last game vs BA ended 2-1 vs BA. None of the goals in that game came in the run of play. 1st BA goal vs my son came off a well placed free kick into the upper 90. Union's goal was on a PK. 2nd BA goal in the 2nd half came in the last 30 seconds off a PK (vs the other GK).

As for varsity previews, BA will be good but not as good as the last couple of years. They lost some quality talent last year. Look for Ben Osborne to be an all state candidate. Bad liability will be their back line if the guys who I think will start, start. GK will be an issue as well. The kid has all the tools and is pretty athletic but he's about an inch shorter than my son and he has had issues with decision making and distribution in the past.

Jenks- will be decent. Goals will be difficult to come by for them. They do have a good GK but he is limited by his feet. Can make every save but playing through him regularly is courting danger.

Bixby- will struggle to make playoffs. They do have an all state candidate in Troy Nguyen. But they will be extremely young.

Owasso- won't be any good. GK will be a big issue for them. And I'm not a fan of their coach who uses the belittling tactic to get more out of his players.

Bishop Kelley- moves to 6A this season. Going to be a struggle for them. GK is an issue. They will have an extremely strong pair of CBs. I think one was still tied up with basketball so he didn't play in their scrimmage against BTW on Friday.

Union- lots of talented forwards. Defense is going to be a struggle. And team cohesion and leadership is pretty much non-existent and the new set of coaches don't seem bothered by this. This team will probably squeak into the playoffs but I don't exact much unfortunately. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't make the playoffs though as I expect some key players to miss games due to academics at some point.

I don't know anything about the west side of the state but Edmond North, Deer Creek, and Mustang will probably be strong as usual.

Union plays scrimmages vs BTW and Fayetteville (AR) on Tuesday at Union.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

The NW Ark teams should leave AR and join 6A schools, send PC O, US grant, Ponca, and Stillwater down to 5A, and add Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale to 6A. It would be fun for football, too. PC O doesn't even make it to half-time for girls' games, and I am sure US Grant is even worse.

It would would be way better for all parties. It's funny how many 6A schools are on the West side now because the East Side districts refuse to break up the high schools because they worship the football gods. 8 of 32 teams in 6A are outside of the Tulsa area. BA should be 2 and planning on a third 3 high school, Union 2, and Jenks, probably 1-2. I am sure this is a very controversial comment, though. Owasso should plan on a second high school. I am sure this is a very controversial comment, though. But certain BA parents are worried about having their kids go with the ghetto parts of BA.

Union has taken a very, very interesting turn for socio-economic diversity. I am sure many white parents would be worried about hooking up with an overtly Latino group, but Union is primarily Latino now.

 

[TU_BLA]

The NW Ark teams should leave AR and join 6A schools, send PC O, US grant, Ponca, and Stillwater down to 5A, and add Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale to 6A. It would be fun for football, too. PC O doesn't even make it to half-time for girls' games, and I am sure US Grant is even worse.

It would would be way better for all parties. It's funny how many 6A schools are on the West side now because the East Side districts refuse to break up the high schools because they worship the football gods. 8 of 32 teams in 6A are outside of the Tulsa area. BA should be 2 and planning on a third 3 high school, Union 2, and Jenks, probably 1-2. I am sure this is a very controversial comment, though. Owasso should plan on a second high school. I am sure this is a very controversial comment, though. But certain BA parents are worried about having their kids go with the ghetto parts of BA.

Union has taken a very, very interesting turn for socio-economic diversity. I am sure many white parents would be worried about hooking up with an overtly Latino group, but Union is primarily Latino now.

Interesting on bringing in the NW Arkansas schools. Would definitely make for some fun football. Union is playing almost all NW Arkansas schools in their pre-district games. Only 1 game vs an OK school and that's Mustang.

As for splitting schools up? Why? To say you added another school? Splitting schools up would also split available resources and actually make it harder for kids to do the things they want, access and get the academic support they need, etc. I know this to be especially true at Union. My kids have so many different opportunities at Union in the current configuration. At one point we were considering an option of moving to Bishop Kelley because they needed a GK. We looked at the available list of AP courses for my son and he would not have had the same opportunities. The same with dual credit and taking TCC classes...you can do it at BK but it's not quite the same. And we know exactly where the dividing line for a Union North HS and a Union South HS would be. It would be 61st St. And Union has a different circumstance than those other districts you mentioned. BA is still growing, Jenks is still growing, Bixby and Owasso are still growing and adding housing. Union is very confined and limited. Growth in Union is because people move into existing housing in the district. There aren't many open parcels of land to build new subdivisions or even apartments in Union right now. I don't think it's the size of the schools themselves is the driver to this. It should be what are the resources the district can allocate to the current students vs what would be lost if the school split?

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Interesting on bringing in the NW Arkansas schools. Would definitely make for some fun football. Union is playing almost all NW Arkansas schools in their pre-district games. Only 1 game vs an OK school and that's Mustang.

As for splitting schools up? Why? To say you added another school? Splitting schools up would also split available resources and actually make it harder for kids to do the things they want, access and get the academic support they need, etc. I know this to be especially true at Union. My kids have so many different opportunities at Union in the current configuration. At one point we were considering an option of moving to Bishop Kelley because they needed a GK. We looked at the available list of AP courses for my son and he would not have had the same opportunities. The same with dual credit and taking TCC classes...you can do it at BK but it's not quite the same. And we know exactly where the dividing line for a Union North HS and a Union South HS would be. It would be 61st St. And Union has a different circumstance than those other districts you mentioned. BA is still growing, Jenks is still growing, Bixby and Owasso are still growing and adding housing. Union is very confined and limited. Growth in Union is because people move into existing housing in the district. There aren't many open parcels of land to build new subdivisions or even apartments in Union right now. I don't think it's the size of the schools themselves is the driver to this. It should be what are the resources the district can allocate to the current students vs what would be lost if the school split?

Come man, you can't be serious. What do you think the average ACT/SAT score is at Union vs BK? The schools are too big. It is why the Edmond schools keep their schools in the 2500 range. They are going to add another one beyond North. Tulsa worships the football and sports gods. It isn't about AP opportunities. GTFOH.

 

[lawpoke87]

Come man, you can't be serious. What do you think the average ACT/SAT score is at Union vs BK? The schools are too big. It is why the Edmond schools keep their schools in the 2500 range. They are going to add another one beyond North. Tulsa worships the football and sports gods. It isn't about AP opportunities. GTFOH.

Average ACT score are BA is 21.52. Union is 21.37. Both rank near the top of public schools in Oklahoma. Not sure what your point is here ?

 

[TU_BLA]

Come man, you can't be serious. What do you think the average ACT/SAT score is at Union vs BK? The schools are too big. It is why the Edmond schools keep their schools in the 2500 range. They are going to add another one beyond North. Tulsa worships the football and sports gods. It isn't about AP opportunities. GTFOH.

You need to lay off Union for sure. If you don't have a kid in that district then you don't know about the opportunities available. Maybe splitting the school is the right move in some districts, I really don't think it is for Union, at least not right now. And I could care less about HS football to be honest. I just know the other things my kids get to enjoy in terms of support for academics, extra curriculars, college and career readiness, etc. that would be diminished greatly for all kids in the HS if it were to be split up to meet some artificial size metric.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

You need to lay off Union for sure. If you don't have a kid in that district then you don't know about the opportunities available. Maybe splitting the school is the right move in some districts, I really don't think it is for Union, at least not right now. And I could care less about HS football to be honest. I just know the other things my kids get to enjoy in terms of support for academics, extra curriculars, college and career readiness, etc. that would be diminished greatly for all kids in the HS if it were to be split up to meet some artificial size metric.

So your argument is that those things would not be available in a high school of 2500? Should they just expand to like 10k? Would that be best?

 

[TU_BLA]

So your argument is that those things would not be available in a high school of 2500? Should they just expand to like 10k? Would that be best?

Not in the amount or the quality they have now. You split schools, you split funds and moreso the personnel resources.

 

[TU_BLA]

Back to actual soccer discussion. Union played two games today. 1st vs Fayetteville was a 2-0 win for Union. Goals came early on. Fayetteville was a hot mess. Union looked out of shape and a little lost at times. I didn't see any real threats on goal.

2nd game vs BTW was also a 2-0 win. My son played the 2nd half of that game and made several nice saves including a 1v1 break.

 

[TU_BLA]

Union beat Springdale Har-Ber 2-1 on Friday. And it wasn't that close to be honest. Union jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st half and they generated a lot more chances. 2nd half much the same. Union started playing back-ups for some extensive minutes (and Union was still without their 2 best offensive players due to academics) . A mistake from a backup to a backup CB on a lazy pass that got intercepted, drew another CB over and then the ball slipped through to the 9 who ran in all alone and beat the GK (not my son) 1 v 1. Now, knowing how my son approaches 1 v 1 situations, I actually think he would have stopped this one as he is a bit more aggressive in coming out and closing down the attacker. My son came into the game right after this moment and took over at GK. Didn't concede anything and had a couple nice interventions late as Har-Ber tried to spring their 9 over the top a couple of times.

Next games are Friday at BA (JV) when I expect my son to get a 1/2 and then on Saturday varsity plays vs Rogers (AR) Mounties. I expect my son will get some time in that one.

So far Union has looked good in possession and pretty steady in the back with their starters. There are a couple kids who come off the bench who are good players that really help (actually both goals came off of set-ups from a backup who most thought was going to be at the end of the bench and play mostly JV this year as a sophomore. This kid is easily one of the highest IQ players on the team and has exceptional feet. He is called "the bad white boy" by his teammates because he makes opponents look silly and he delivers some pro-level crosses and corners, and he is able to do it equally well with either foot, which is rare for kids this age these days.

I think we're getting a better picture of things at least in 6A in the area. Bixby lost to BA in a festival game on Saturday 1-0, tied Jenks 1-1, and beat BTW 2-1. Union hasn't lost, BA hasn't lost that I am aware of. Games count starting Friday. I think all of these schools will have the same issue and it's finding the back of the net. They can all create as well as anyone out there. Jenks is having trouble scoring from what I've seen. If Union can get their 2 senior leaders back then they might be a load to handle. I'm still worried about their MF though. Too many mistakes and giveaways in really bad spots

 

[lawpoke87]

There’s been a steady flow of TSC 08 and 09 boys to Sporting KC MLS Next (4-5) over the past several months. Not sure if these boys were slated to play high school ball but if so it will definitely weaken the East side of the state.

 

[TU_BLA]

There’s been a steady flow of TSC 08 and 09 boys to Sporting KC MLS Next (4-5) over the past several months. Not sure if these boys were slated to play high school ball but if so it will definitely weaken the East side of the state.

Not sure. I don't think any of them were slated to be at Union. Jenks and Bixby might feel that one more. And it's weird. Not sure how MLS Next works, if it's a pay to play program as well. I know one of John Michael's 08s was recruited and signed to Sporting KC's youth academy about 4 years ago along with 2 other kids from that group. I know that one is still in their academy for that group and is playing quite well for them. He's small and needs a growth spurt. But if parents are moving kids to that program thinking it gets them closer to a pro contract, they're insane. There is a kid who plays at BA that is part of the TSC 06 ECNL group. To me he looked like a D1 player. Big, fast, strong, technical. I think right now he's down to a D2 school and some JUCOs in deciding where to play next. That's how hard it is. And my son scrimmaged against the TSC 08 ECNL team last August. I didn't see a single kid in that group who looked like a high level college prospect yet let alone an MLS prospect. One of those kids plays at Union and he was clearly the best player on the field for that team that day. He's still at Union so I'm assuming he is not one of the players chasing things.

And I am actually shocked Sporting KC has not sponsored a club in Tulsa yet. I know they have branches in Wichita, OKC, and NW Arkansas. And there's plenty of talent in Tulsa to support teams in the different age groups here. Maybe they're afraid WSA would try to acquire the groups and call them WSA-ProPath or something stupid like that.

BTW, I ref'd games for the WSA showcase this past weekend and had 3 different WSA teams in my 3 games, none of which were actually from Tulsa (1 Ft. Gibson, 1 Claremore, and 1 from some unknown region of Oklahoma). They were pretty bad. Only 1 won their game and they were playing a rec team from Tahlequah who was playing up an age group. The other got smoked by a Union FC (Tulsa) team and an Amarillo Rush team (BTW, this Amarillo Rush club is solid in many of the boys age groups from what I saw).

 

[lawpoke87]

It’s difficult for the Sporting affiliates to compete with clubs like Celtic, Energy, Wsa, TSC and even Blitz due to the lack of a competitive platform (no ECNL/RL). I keep expecting to see some consolidation in the state clubs but instead see new clubs being formed.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Not sure. I don't think any of them were slated to be at Union. Jenks and Bixby might feel that one more. And it's weird. Not sure how MLS Next works, if it's a pay to play program as well. I know one of John Michael's 08s was recruited and signed to Sporting KC's youth academy about 4 years ago along with 2 other kids from that group. I know that one is still in their academy for that group and is playing quite well for them. He's small and needs a growth spurt. But if parents are moving kids to that program thinking it gets them closer to a pro contract, they're insane. There is a kid who plays at BA that is part of the TSC 06 ECNL group. To me he looked like a D1 player. Big, fast, strong, technical. I think right now he's down to a D2 school and some JUCOs in deciding where to play next. That's how hard it is. And my son scrimmaged against the TSC 08 ECNL team last August. I didn't see a single kid in that group who looked like a high level college prospect yet let alone an MLS prospect. One of those kids plays at Union and he was clearly the best player on the field for that team that day. He's still at Union so I'm assuming he is not one of the players chasing things.

And I am actually shocked Sporting KC has not sponsored a club in Tulsa yet. I know they have branches in Wichita, OKC, and NW Arkansas. And there's plenty of talent in Tulsa to support teams in the different age groups here. Maybe they're afraid WSA would try to acquire the groups and call them WSA-ProPath or something stupid like that.

BTW, I ref'd games for the WSA showcase this past weekend and had 3 different WSA teams in my 3 games, none of which were actually from Tulsa (1 Ft. Gibson, 1 Claremore, and 1 from some unknown region of Oklahoma). They were pretty bad. Only 1 won their game and they were playing a rec team from Tahlequah who was playing up an age group. The other got smoked by a Union FC (Tulsa) team and an Amarillo Rush team (BTW, this Amarillo Rush club is solid in many of the boys age groups from what I saw).

I am not shocked. Many Tulsans of my soccer generation and above would be skeptical unless the MLS team came here and dropped substantial cash on facilities, coaching, and integration.

Sporting is generally considered the fourth academy team down in OKC behind NOKC, Edmond, and Norman. Celtic's ECNL-RL teams seem to be doing well per the standings.

 

[lawpoke87]

I am not shocked. Many Tulsans of my soccer generation and above would be skeptical unless the MLS team came here and dropped substantial cash on facilities, coaching, and integration.

Sporting is generally considered the fourth academy team down in OKC behind NOKC, Edmond, and Norman. Celtic's ECNL-RL teams seem to be doing well per the standings.

Celtic has a nice niche. Norman is a good soccer town and Energy is based out of Edmond so it’s quite a drive for those wanting to play there. Celtic has nice facilities and good coaches. Not surprised their teams are competitive in ECRL.

 

[tudirk]

Wonder what clubs would combine in Tulsa? TSC and Blitz makes the most sense but would probably require Barry to sell TSC first. Blitz needs facilities. WSA is already too big to service its club. BA is growing nicely. NEOFC can't get there.

 

[lawpoke87]

Wonder what clubs would combine in Tulsa? TSC and Blitz makes the most sense but would probably require Barry to sell TSC first. Blitz needs facilities. WSA is already too big to service its club. BA is growing nicely. NEOFC can't get there.

TSC being for profit creates some merger difficulties since Blitz and WSA are both nonprofit. My guess would be that FC Tulsa merges/acquires one of the local clubs. Makes too much sense for that not to occur

 

[TU_BLA]

TSC being for profit creates some merger difficulties since Blitz and WSA are both nonprofit. My guess would be that FC Tulsa merges/acquires one of the local clubs. Makes too much sense for that not to occur

Thank God I am done with club soccer in a couple months. I always hated the politics in clubs and the pettiness between clubs and the BS that each club spouts about the others.

My only need to deal with them will be as a referee. They better not piss me off 😂

 

[lawpoke87]

Thank God I am done with club soccer in a couple months. I always hated the politics in clubs and the pettiness between clubs and the BS that each club spouts about the others.

My only need to deal with them will be as a referee. They better not piss me off 😂

I’ve found Dallas to be very different in that regarded. Clubs readily scrimmage one another. Top teams v top teams. They will even put together round robins with 3 to 5 teams. They generally all work together. Very little politics in player decisions as coaches get fired if they don’t produce. There are always a few exceptions as far as individual coaches but for the most part the best kids play top team and the best kids on that team play the most minutes.

I was asked the other day to explain the difference. My response…in Tulsa the priority is

1). Club
2). Team
3). Kid.

In Dallas it’s

1). Kid
2). Team
3). Club

There are obviously different dynamics at play which lead to these differences and it might not be the same at every club. When you’re constantly forced to compete for top players between 5 or 6 clubs you’re forced to put the kids first as you’re always selling them on your team and club. Basically….here is what I can do for you.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

There’s been a steady flow of TSC 08 and 09 boys to Sporting KC MLS Next (4-5) over the past several months. Not sure if these boys were slated to play high school ball but if so it will definitely weaken the East side of the state.

I’ve found Dallas to be very different in that regarded. Clubs readily scrimmage one another. Top teams v top teams. They will even put together round robins with 3 to 5 teams. They generally all work together. Very little politics in player decisions as coaches get fired if they don’t produce. There are always a few exceptions as far as individual coaches but for the most part the best kids play top team and the best kids on that team play the most minutes.

I was asked the other day to explain the difference. My response…in Tulsa the priority is

1). Club
2). Team
3). Kid.

In Dallas it’s

1). Kid
2). Team
3). Club

There are obviously different dynamics at play which lead to these differences and it might not be the same at every club. When you’re constantly forced to compete for top players between 5 or 6 clubs you’re forced to put the kids first as you’re always selling them on your team and club. Basically….here is what I can do for you.

More people and more platforms.

At 8.4M people, the Dallas Metroplex is behind Switzerland and ahead of Serbia in population. It allows you to do some things.

Talking about Youth soccer almost seems like who you catch on the week and their mood. I am just getting going on the journey now. Competitive soccer didn't start until 10-11 years old and was only competitive (one team at each club, too) vs. recreational. Now, there are a lot of different levels, and you have to decide whether you want to see this thing out. How far do we want to go with this? Is the drama worth it? If you don't play decent-level club ball, you probably aren't playing at a big high school.

Now, they are starting so much younger. I think it is about the kids, but I also think it is about cashing checks. The clubs are providing what the parents want. It is complicated to train at that age, though.

So many of these places portray themselves as BS non-profits. Jamie Peterson at NEOFC is not running that place to expand soccer in Owasso. Owasso soccer club was already there. He is there to cash checks. The dude never played one game of soccer before getting out of his basketball playing, but he now found himself coaching some soccer at an NAIA school. The Colorado Rapids Youth Academy is listed as a 501(c)(3). This is their farm system. It is friggin outrageous they get to run their development system as such a tax right off. It's almost comical to read some of the 990s. When the director of coaching is clearing 150k plus, you are no longer a non-profit, bruh.

 

[TU_BLA]

So many of these places portray themselves as BS non-profits. Jamie Peterson at NEOFC is not running that place to expand soccer in Owasso. Owasso soccer club was already there. He is there to cash checks. The dude never played one game of soccer before getting out of his basketball playing, but he now found himself coaching some soccer at an NAIA school. The Colorado Rapids Youth Academy is listed as a 501(c)(3). This is their farm system. It is friggin outrageous they get to run their development system as such a tax right off. It's almost comical to read some of the 990s. When the director of coaching is clearing 150k plus, you are no longer a non-profit, bruh.

PREACH!!!! I honestly think, of all the Tulsa clubs, Blitz was founded and run in the manner most people would hope clubs like that would be run. Is it perfect? No. Is there still politics involved on the individual team level. 100%. Blitz has terrible facilities and that hurts their program. Losing the drainage ditch access on 41st hurt a lot (a move done after MTSC and Tulsa United rec programs were convinced to merge into a single club and then affiliate with TSC). Does it have the BS that's at TSC where everyone is sold a soccer Utopia and they end up with a gravel pit in a flood plain (literally and figuratively). WSA likes to sell they're a non-profit and they give away scholarships that aren't backed by $ to lure kids away from the other clubs...all the while Roger is over there trying his damndest to get ECNL to take a higher salary for himself. Their facilities suck as well and they have a pipe dream of turning the River Bank complex into an all turf complex like Scheel's...except there you get the added bonus of petroleum fumes and toxic waste in the soil.

BA Express-founded to try and keep the kids who progressed through the rec program in BA (one of the better ones) and wanted to play competitive soccer but didn't necessarily want to pay TSC, Blitz, or WSA dues. It's a cheaper alternative and they can actually sell to those kids that they'll play and practice at the best complex in the state. But they get what they pay for. The coaches aren't great and the kids play with a chip on their shoulders knowing they're not TSC or Blitz and it usually comes out in their games against those clubs.

If you want to gauge the real state competitive soccer in Tulsa...just look to see how many different platforms those clubs play in just so they don't have to play each other.

 

[lawpoke87]

The fact that TSC, WSA and Blitz will all now play on the same platform is a step in the right direction imo.

 

[TU_BLA]

The fact that TSC, WSA and Blitz will all now play on the same platform is a step in the right direction imo.

Which platform? And I'm sure they'll somehow manage to not play one another

 

[lawpoke87]

Which platform? And I'm sure they'll somehow manage to not play one another

Ecnl Platform and you’re likely correct. I realize they play a variety of levels and leagues

 

[TU_BLA]

Ecnl Platform and you’re likely correct. I realize they play a variety of levels and leagues

So WSA had 1 team in the same leagues as Blitz and they usually put their lower age group team playing up a year. My son's team never played the WSA 05/06 ECNL-RL team. And TSC was still playing in some ridiculous Texas version of ECNL-RL and the boys weren't doing that great. And it certainly didn't work for Blitz because the 05/06 team got pretty much stomped almost every time out. Only really competitive with a Cosmos team and one of the Arkansas sides that bit off a little more than they could chew.

 

[lawpoke87]

So WSA had 1 team in the same leagues as Blitz and they usually put their lower age group team playing up a year. My son's team never played the WSA 05/06 ECNL-RL team. And TSC was still playing in some ridiculous Texas version of ECNL-RL and the boys weren't doing that great. And it certainly didn't work for Blitz because the 05/06 team got pretty much stomped almost every time out. Only really competitive with a Cosmos team and one of the Arkansas sides that bit off a little more than they could chew.

I don’t believe the area clubs have much say in which level or league of ecnl they play in. Ecnl has been in expansion mode over the past 5 years or so. (They are out to eliminate GA on the girls side). My hope is they now consolidate and place the Tulsa area teams in the same conference and level. They certainly do this in Dallas for those clubs. All that said…is there enough talent in the Tulsa area to field an ECNL team and three ECRL teams….probably not. TSC was moved down from ECRL to a regional league last season. There’s zero reason why WSA, Blitz and TSC shouldn’t all have teams in the same regional league. But that is an ecnl decision.

 

[TU_BLA]

I haven't mentioned this, but on the girls side of HS soccer, I think Jenks is easily the team to beat in OK this season. I am surprised at how strong Union has looked in the early going. So far in their preseason matches, they've beaten Booker T 3-0, Fayetteville 3-0, and Deer Creek 3-1. Don't quote me but I believe Shea Seals' daughter is going to be the starting GK for Union. She's a FR and just finished up her 9th grade basketball season. Union's D is actually a lot stronger than what I initially thought they would be and they're actually without one of their top D as she had a concussion and hasn't been cleared yet. Union is a fairly young team...only a couple of seniors actually on the varsity team. Union's biggest weakness is their head coach. Last year they played like a U12 team that knew they had the fastest and most skilled on the field on their side. Everything was over the top and no play out of the back and this backfired when the fastest player got injured. Union found it hard to find goals. I haven't seen them play just yet so I don't know if their style has adapted to this new set of players...knowing the coach, I would guess it hasn't.