Youth soccer club

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

It was an odd situation.

I blame the complex. It just seems too odd that they kept Mohawk open and Jenks closed down.

TSC should have absolutely refunded those teams' money. They have every right to be furious over that. Regardless if it is your "right," it is poor form and a short-sighted decision.

 

[lawpoke87]

2013

Really like both Leo and Vuko. Enjoy the journey with your kid. Soccer gets serious far too fast. Is your son at Vuko and JM’s camp this week at the armory ?

 

[tudirk]

It was an odd situation.

I blame the complex. It just seems too odd that they kept Mohawk open and Jenks closed down.

TSC should have absolutely refunded those teams' money. They have every right to be furious over that. Regardless if it is your "right," it is poor form and a short-sighted decision.

Do you think TSC cares about the fields at Mohawk? ESM just took it over and TSC will only use if 100% necessary. It's easy to put the blame on the complex because the Parents aren't the Complex's customers. The organizations are the complex's customers. So, your dumb ass can blame them that was TSC's whole point. Barry didn't want to tear up his practice fields. The complex gets paid every month for the next 10 years no matter the condition of the fields.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Well, my son plays for the same one as yours does. He is much, much younger.

I guess there was a joint decision. We don't know who had the ultimate say. It was a bad one. It seems like the complex did because they own it, and it only makes TSC look horrible. They played at Mohawk.

The complex has a vested interest in keeping the fields looking good. TSC is a user. The complex is the maintainer and owner. Who is the one that will look bad when the fields start to suck?

 

[TU_BLA]

Do you think TSC cares about the fields at Mohawk? ESM just took it over and TSC will only use if 100% necessary. It's easy to put the blame on the complex because the Parents aren't the Complex's customers. The organizations are the complex's customers. So, your dumb ass can blame them that was TSC's whole point. Barry didn't want to tear up his practice fields. The complex gets paid every month for the next 10 years no matter the condition of the fields.

Who is ESM?

 

[TU_BLA]

Well, my son plays for the same one as yours does. He is much, much younger.

I guess there was a joint decision. We don't know who had the ultimate say. It was a bad one. It seems like the complex did because they own it, and it only makes TSC look horrible. They played at Mohawk.

The complex has a vested interest in keeping the fields looking good. TSC is a user. The complex is the maintainer and owner. Who is the one that will look bad when the fields start to suck?

So the grass fields are only marginally better now than when my son left TSC and moved to Blitz. They still have too many pockets of gravel. And the only way that's ever going to change is with an actual irrigation/watering system in place, some proper top soil and some good sod (not the stuff you'd place on the side of the highway after construction). I do like the lights on the smaller fields but on the larger 11v11 fields that aren't turf, there are an awful lot of blind spots where the lights don't reach. Are they improved? Sure. But the complex was rushed to get back to playability and as far as I can tell, corers were cut yet again.

It will be interesting to see what FC Tulsa does with Titan. I know they've already put in a "premium grass field" with irrigation and quality sod. Wonder if they'll be redoing the remainder of the fields and will they be closed off for their youth academy sides only?

 

[lawpoke87]

So the grass fields are only marginally better now than when my son left TSC and moved to Blitz. They still have too many pockets of gravel. And the only way that's ever going to change is with an actual irrigation/watering system in place, some proper top soil and some good sod (not the stuff you'd place on the side of the highway after construction). I do like the lights on the smaller fields but on the larger 11v11 fields that aren't turf, there are an awful lot of blind spots where the lights don't reach. Are they improved? Sure. But the complex was rushed to get back to playability and as far as I can tell, corers were cut yet again.

It will be interesting to see what FC Tulsa does with Titan. I know they've already put in a "premium grass field" with irrigation and quality sod. Wonder if they'll be redoing the remainder of the fields and will they be closed off for their youth academy sides only?

I will second this regarding the turf. Why does every Oklahoma complex use the ordinary “cheaper” bermuda while the better complexes in Dallas use the type of grass you would see on a golf course fairway? It’s cut very low and gives a true roll. Our fields in Oklahoma resemble your typical residential sod.

Did they not install underground irrigation on the grass fields?

 

[Gmoney4WW]

I will second this regarding the turf. Why does every Oklahoma complex use the ordinary “cheaper” bermuda while the better complexes in Dallas use the type of grass you would see on a golf course fairway? It’s cut very low and gives a true roll. Our fields in Oklahoma resemble your typical residential sod.

Did they not install underground irrigation on the grass fields?

Bent grass

Strengths: Shade tolerance, cold tolerance, traffic tolerance, and good recuperative potential due to its stoloniferous growth habit. It can also tolerate extremely low mowing heights.

Weaknesses: Disease incidence, poor heat and drought tolerance, and requires intensive management.

Time and money it takes to keep it in decent shape in the summer I imagine. They don't want to spend the money and/or can afford it.

 

[lawpoke87]

Bent grass

Strengths: Shade tolerance, cold tolerance, traffic tolerance, and good recuperative potential due to its stoloniferous growth habit. It can also tolerate extremely low mowing heights.

Weaknesses: Disease incidence, poor heat and drought tolerance, and requires intensive management.

Time and money it takes to keep it in decent shape in the summer I imagine. They don't want to spend the money and/or can afford it.

Thank u for the grass education. Don’t know much about turf but I do know bent grass provides a far superior playing surface compared to ordinary Bermuda. Keas out in Bixby had some bent grass fields back in the day. No idea what that complex looks like now.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Thank u for the grass education. Don’t know much about turf but I do know bent grass provides a far superior playing surface compared to ordinary Bermuda. Keas out in Bixby had some bent grass fields back in the day. No idea what that complex looks like now.

I imagine there is more money behind keeping the grass fields in Dallas in shape. Probably takes a primo irrigation and drainage system, aside from the time & cost spent keeping it in shape every year.

 

[lawpoke87]

Made the news

Tulsa soccer tournament controversy frustrates participants

Frustration looms over the Tulsa soccer community as a weekend tournament hosted by the Tulsa Soccer Club faced cancellations, leaving families and team manager

ktul.com

 

[TU_BLA]

Thank u for the grass education. Don’t know much about turf but I do know bent grass provides a far superior playing surface compared to ordinary Bermuda. Keas out in Bixby had some bent grass fields back in the day. No idea what that complex looks like now.

So field 14, the one on the west side, has the nice Bermuda surface. Probably one of the best fields this side of the state. TU has the best pitch in the state and they used a Bermuda hybrid that is the same as the fairways at some of the top country clubs in the state (Southern Hills). I don't know what FC Tulsa just put in at the old Titan, but I'm hoping it's this same TIF hybrid. The fields at Mohawk are garbage because you're at the mercy of the city and whether or not they can be bothered with proper maintenance. Indian Springs is better maintained but still at the mercy of the city of BA, but the BASC guys who do a lot of the work do their best and the grass fields are really in nice shape for a Rec facility and b/c BA does some actual weed control on the fields, they are really even. The new complex in Enid is nice but those are mostly turf but they do have a couple of grass fields with great surfaces (right now. We'll see after they get more play).

I don't think JSC is irrigated. Running around I haven't noticed any sprinkler heads. I've noticed them at some other complexes and in some cases needed some repairs as the sprinkler heads can drag the turf down into a depression.

 

[lawpoke87]

So field 14, the one on the west side, has the nice Bermuda surface. Probably one of the best fields this side of the state. TU has the best pitch in the state and they used a Bermuda hybrid that is the same as the fairways at some of the top country clubs in the state (Southern Hills). I don't know what FC Tulsa just put in at the old Titan, but I'm hoping it's this same TIF hybrid. The fields at Mohawk are garbage because you're at the mercy of the city and whether or not they can be bothered with proper maintenance. Indian Springs is better maintained but still at the mercy of the city of BA, but the BASC guys who do a lot of the work do their best and the grass fields are really in nice shape for a Rec facility and b/c BA does some actual weed control on the fields, they are really even. The new complex in Enid is nice but those are mostly turf but they do have a couple of grass fields with great surfaces (right now. We'll see after they get more play).

I don't think JSC is irrigated. Running around I haven't noticed any sprinkler heads. I've noticed them at some other complexes and in some cases needed some repairs as the sprinkler heads can drag the turf down into a depression.

Why would anyone spend the money to build a soccer complex in Oklahoma and not put in some pvc pipe and sprinkler heads ?

 

[TU_BLA]

Why would anyone spend the money to build a soccer complex in Oklahoma and not put in some pvc pipe and sprinkler heads ?

That was the question for the original Titan group. They sold this as the premier complex in OK and I basically went off on TSC for amplifying this message when the drainage ditch fields at 169 and 41st St are way better fields. Metro's fields at better, BASCs fields are better, even Mohawk is better. There are still issues with JSC, that another $1M would fix. But at that point is the investment worth enough to make them more $ because no one is sinking that amount of $ in if they can't recoup it. Obviously the fields are kind of open to the other clubs to rent but I feel that is limited to certain days/times b/c my son had to play an FCL game at Haikey Creek (which probably shouldn't be used b/c those fields are not maintained at all). I'm pretty sure the day of the game, nothing else was happening at JSC.

 

[TU_BLA]

My son played in the Challenger Series Showcase in Overland Park this weekend. Recommendation for anyone with kids playing soccer or wanting to play soccer....never go to KC for a tournament style weekend in December. The weather just sucked. Cold, drizzly, just miserable. I had to bust out my wife's soccer mom pod.

All 3 games my son played were against KC area teams. First game was a 1-1 draw. It was a weird game because the opponent was clearly the better technical team and really dominated possession for the most part. But my son's team scored first off a bad clearance on a corner and the striker picked it up at the top of the box and fired one home. About 2 minutes later, son's team gets called for a handball in the box for a PK. Handball was unnecessary because the MF was clearing the ball out of his own box and hit his own hand. My son made the save on the PK on a well placed shot but it wasn't hit full power. You could tell the player was more interested in the positioning of the ball versus just hammering it. Still 1-0 Blitz. Stayed that way until about 15 minutes left. Big bruising striker from the opponent (this kid could play LB at most HS). Found himself matched 1 v 1 with an outside winger who had tracked back on defense and he was able to turn and find the net just inside the post. My son made about 3 outstanding saves in this one. My favorite was a shot from just inside the top of the 18, line drive and my son at full stretch snagged the ball out of the air and held it. My son also sent his team away on a couple of breaks with his distribution. One came off a poor cross that he snagged, ran to the top of the box and hammered a 70 yard punt onto his streaking striker. Striker hit a nice shot but credit to the opposing GK who made a really nice save. That would have made it 2-0 just before half.

2nd game, 7pm Saturday. 36 degrees, drizzling. The kind of weather parents hate being out there for and also wondering if their son is crazy with the short sleeves and no undergarments. This team was very skilled individually 1 v1 and very quick. They didn't quite have the connection in to goal so their scary chances were limited. Blitz's game plan in this one turned quickly to defend and counter. This team pressed and pushed very high. This ended up with my son sending his teammates away on quick counters several times. My son made one really outstanding save on a nice hard, low shot to the far post....the rebound he left was a sitter though. Luckily the kid who jumped on it was flagged for being offside. And the AR was immediate with the flag. Blitz scored first off a set piece after a foul. Probably 10 yards outside the right corner of the area, high cross to the back post and the defender just outjumped everyone and hit a header back across to inside the far post. This was with about 2 minutes left. Other team gets a last attack and a nice low hard cross through the area at the top of the 6 and my son read it well enough he was able to lay out and corral it before it reached the winger making the run. 1-0 at half.

At halftime, Blitz coach told the boys to keep the ball and he was thinking that the kids pressing the whole first half might not have the same energy in the 2nd half. Sure enough, Blitz played better with the ball and started finding some more possession and chances in the attacking half. About 10 minutes in, Blitz gets another set piece in almost the same relative place as the one they scored on in the 1st half. Same exact play and result, same player getting the header and goal. My son had to make some saves in the 2nd half but most were routine. He was a little upset he didn't pick up an assist in either the 1st or 2nd games because he did send probably 4-5 chances on quick counters which saw his teammate(s) with 1 v 1 situations on the opposing GK. Blitz added a 3rd goal on a nice connection at MF with the 9 who got sent in 1 v 1. He beat the defender easily, juked the GK out of his shoes and then found the now empty goal. Opponent scored with about 5 minutes left. Nice shot that took a deflection off a defender and out of my son's reach. The ball hit the wheel inside the post, ricocheted, off the crossbar and my son jumped on it. Ref signaled the goal and my son's team was pretty incredulous about it. My son was pretty sure it hit the wheel on the inside but was also sure the ball could not have completely crossed the goal line because of the wheel's position. He was pretty disappointed to not get a clean sheet out of one of the first 2 games. Final 3-1 Blitz.

Sunday's game...well let's just say it was like Bruno from Encanto. And we don't talk about Bruno. Played a very good Sporting KC team. Down a player due to injury, and my son's team has never played well early AM, bad bad game. My son let in a goal he was frustrated about. Other team scored on a PK although my son was right there. This shot was just inside the post and struck with power. Another goal came off a corner where the Blitz defender ducked under the ball instead of heading it away and it fell to an attacker on the doorstep. Last goal was a Ronaldo cracker from 25 yds. Curled in and away from my son, struck the inside of the post about a foot under the crossbar. My son said after the game he could have been 6'6" and he wasn't coming close to getting near it. His team only had 2-3 good chances on goal. Opposing GK made an outstanding save on a 1 v 1 break but that was easily the best chance to find a goal.

I will say....KC refereeing is terrible. Inconsistent, many seemed biased towards the KC area teams, etc. One of our defenders got a yellow card for dissent for saying, and I quote as I was close enough to hear it "How is that a corner when he poked the ball through my legs and out?" If a referee is considering that dissent he's got other issues.

 

[lawpoke87]

I recall a wise poster commenting on the prospect of playing games in KC during December last month .

My daughter plays who I believe is the best U14 team in the country (Real Colorado) this Saturday. They out 4 up on Solar last time out. I would expect a number of scouts at that game. Hopefully she plays well.

What does high school soccer look like this spring for both Union and your son?

 

[TU_BLA]

I recall a wise poster commenting on the prospect of playing games in KC during December last month .

My daughter plays who I believe is the best U14 team in the country (Real Colorado) this Saturday. They out 4 up on Solar last time out. I would expect a number of scouts at that game. Hopefully she plays well.

What does high school soccer look like this spring for both Union and your son?

I don't know yet. I think Union is going to struggle this season...enough so that they might not even make the playoffs. The strength has always been a really solid back line but they graduated 6 kids and he GK so everyone playing in the back is brand new and only 1 or 2 guys who are truly varsity quality IMO. This is going off of what I know. BA will be very good. Jenks will be good but I'd be shocked if they can replicate what they had last year. They lost some quality players and they didn't use a lot of the bench last season. I know you're from Bixby but I think they're going to be pretty bad. They lost a lot of solid players off a team that wasn't very good to begin with and I know the depth in the program isn't at the same level as those players. Yeah they're gonna have a 6'5" GK who can't take his own GK and his distribution is poor. And he doesn't read plays well (I've seen him play a lot). Johan at the 10 is a really good player and I think Troy Nguyen is still there and he's a good player but the loss of the Copenhaver twins with no one close to their talent or athleticism coming in behind them is going to be a struggle.

Union's saving grace might be their district doesn't appear to be as strong as last year. Mustang is always good so that will be a test, they also play at NW Classen, but they also get Owasso, Southmoore, and Bishop Kelley. I know BK is usually solid but the jump to 6A for them is going to be a struggle. And then there's Sand Springs. Last game of the year is Jenks.

As for my son and what his prospects are, I don't know to be honest. Union changed coaches and I don't know what Jason Rogers looks for or wants in a GK. My son is probably the best of the GKs in terms of soccer IQ, instincts, decision making, & distribution. There's another senior who might be a little better with his feet (this kid plays at TSC but is a field player in club ball) but it's not much. And my son is not flashy at playing the position. He does what is necessary to stop shots and make plays but he's not the cricket jumping all over the place to make what should have been a routine save whereas some of the others look crazy when they play. He is the tallest of the GKs right now too by 2-3"...I don't know how that would play into. With the old coach I think there was almost a certainty that he'd be the starting GK or at least split time with the other senior. And he was the favorite of one of the top assistants mainly because of his IQ (soccer and in general). If he sticks around that may carry some weight but the rumor was he was leaving at semester with the coaching change. This assistant has tried on several occasions to sub my son in when there was a PK awarded to the other team and he has put my son in a couple of times for PK shootouts in festival tournaments when the other GK played that entire game (my son usually played the 1st game of the tournament and the other kid got the 2nd). Personally I think they're going to split games from game to game but I don't think it will be 1 plays the 1st half and the other plays the 2nd half...and I think that is bad strategy to be honest.

 

[lawpoke87]

Hate the uncertainty for your son especially for his senior year. Hoping it all works out for the best.

I know next to nothing about boys high school soccer so thanks for the update. On the girls side I expect Jenks to be very good again along with a few westside schools. Bixby is probably two years away as their best classes are 2009 and 2010 girls.

 

[TU_BLA]

Hate the uncertainty for your son especially for his senior year. Hoping it all works out for the best.

I know next to nothing about boys high school soccer so thanks for the update. On the girls side I expect Jenks to be very good again along with a few westside schools. Bixby is probably two years away as their best classes are 2009 and 2010 girls.

Jenks should easily win the title this year on the girls side. Union's girls are going to be terrible. Bad coach and the good players don't want to play for her so they quit and just focus on club soccer. There are a good number of girls in the program who don't play any type of club soccer and make the HS program but will never be good enough to play varsity. They will probably start a girl in goal who has only been playing GK for 2 years and hasn't done any private GK training.

I don't know much about the west side in girls soccer. I would expect Norman North will be very good as usual. The Edmond schools are usually solid but not good enough to really challenge for a state title. BA will probably be good and Owasso is usually pretty solid.

I just got an advance look at the unreleased schedule. I know the boys' coaches are wanting to do Senior night on the next to last home game vs Bishop Kelley b/c the last home game is vs Jenks. So it tells you all you need to know that they don't think they can beat Jenks by giving the seniors all the playing time as has been the tradition. I'm not sure how many seniors we have but not all of them will be varsity this season. So after looking at the schedule and knowing who's on it, I think Union will likely finish 2nd in district barring a catastrophe. My prediction will be Jenks, Union, NW Classen, Bixby, Bishop Kelley, Bartlesville, Sand Springs, Southmoore.

You could probably flip flop any of the last 4. Like I said in previous post, I think Bixby is going to struggle, but I think they will still be better than the bottom 4. BA's district is weak. After BA, probably looking at Enid and Stillwater and Norman North. I think Owasso finishes out of the playoffs and the last 3 (Yukon, Ponca, PC North) will be whipped up on. In District 2, Deer Creek and Edmond Memorial are going to easily outpace everyone else. Probably the weakest of the 6A districts (others in there are Lawton Eisenhower, Moore, Piedmont, Westmore, US Grant, and Putnam City). I'll guess Putnam City makes the playoffs in this district, and maybe Westmoore. District 1 hs a strong top 4: Bishop McGuiness, Edmond North, Mustang, and Edmond Santa Fe. Putnam City West and Capitol Hill will get run over. I'm not sure about Lawton and Norman, although I suspect the majority of soccer talent in Norman goes to NN.

And if you want to go further, 5A should end up being an east side track meet. Districts 3 & 4 are stacked. I expect Will Rogers to be very good again along with East Central. Edison will be interesting because they have been very good and they got rid of having to deal with Bishop kelley who was sort of their kryptonite. But they also are breaking in a new coach. I know a lot of players at Memorial but I don't know if they have the depth around them to have a complete 11. BTW moves down to 5A this year. Holland Hall and Metro Christian are both moving up to 5A in soccer this season. Metro has a solid squad but I fully expect them to get run over in that Tulsa district.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Metro and Holland Hall will get smoked playing The T, Rogers, East Central, Edison, even Memorial, and the rest of the real schools. I watched Holland Hall play Cascia Hall in a playoff game two years ago. It was a joke.

 

[TU_BLA]

Metro and Holland Hall will get smoked playing The T, Rogers, East Central, Edison, even Memorial, and the rest of the real schools. I watched Holland Hall play Cascia Hall in a playoff game two years ago. It was a joke.

One of my son's club teammates was on that Cascia Hall team. I believe they lost to Holland Hall. One of his old club teammates plays for Holland Hall. I will say, I really like Simba and even tried to gauge his interest in perhaps becoming the Union coach this year when they let Coach Wilson go.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

One of my son's club teammates was on that Cascia Hall team. I believe they lost to Holland Hall. One of his old club teammates plays for Holland Hall. I will say, I really like Simba and even tried to gauge his interest in perhaps becoming the Union coach this year when they let Coach Wilson go.

They suck. Sorry dude.

One of my son's club teammates was on that Cascia Hall team. I believe they lost to Holland Hall. One of his old club teammates plays for Holland Hall. I will say, I really like Simba and even tried to gauge his interest in perhaps becoming the Union coach this year when they let Coach Wilson go.

I watched the game. Not one player stood out to me. I was pretty disappointed at the effort by both teams. I think there was only one yellow. I expected so much more. I predict they are going to get smashed.

 

[TU_BLA]

They suck. Sorry dude.

I watched the game. Not one player stood out to me. I was pretty disappointed at the effort by both teams. I think there was only one yellow. I expected so much more. I predict they are going to get smashed.

I'm not saying they're great and they will probably struggle at the higher classifications for sure. I just remember watching that game on a YouTube feed mostly because my son's teammate(s) were playing in the game and I was interested and hoping they would play well. But yeah, they didn't have the quality some other schools have and having to play up in class due to the OSSAA rules is going to hurt the private schools in a lot of sports in terms of being able to be competitive.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Jenks should easily win the title this year on the girls side. Union's girls are going to be terrible. Bad coach and the good players don't want to play for her so they quit and just focus on club soccer. There are a good number of girls in the program who don't play any type of club soccer and make the HS program but will never be good enough to play varsity. They will probably start a girl in goal who has only been playing GK for 2 years and hasn't done any private GK training.

I don't know much about the west side in girls soccer. I would expect Norman North will be very good as usual. The Edmond schools are usually solid but not good enough to really challenge for a state title. BA will probably be good and Owasso is usually pretty solid.

I just got an advance look at the unreleased schedule. I know the boys' coaches are wanting to do Senior night on the next to last home game vs Bishop Kelley b/c the last home game is vs Jenks. So it tells you all you need to know that they don't think they can beat Jenks by giving the seniors all the playing time as has been the tradition. I'm not sure how many seniors we have but not all of them will be varsity this season. So after looking at the schedule and knowing who's on it, I think Union will likely finish 2nd in district barring a catastrophe. My prediction will be Jenks, Union, NW Classen, Bixby, Bishop Kelley, Bartlesville, Sand Springs, Southmoore.

You could probably flip flop any of the last 4. Like I said in previous post, I think Bixby is going to struggle, but I think they will still be better than the bottom 4. BA's district is weak. After BA, probably looking at Enid and Stillwater and Norman North. I think Owasso finishes out of the playoffs and the last 3 (Yukon, Ponca, PC North) will be whipped up on. In District 2, Deer Creek and Edmond Memorial are going to easily outpace everyone else. Probably the weakest of the 6A districts (others in there are Lawton Eisenhower, Moore, Piedmont, Westmore, US Grant, and Putnam City). I'll guess Putnam City makes the playoffs in this district, and maybe Westmoore. District 1 hs a strong top 4: Bishop McGuiness, Edmond North, Mustang, and Edmond Santa Fe. Putnam City West and Capitol Hill will get run over. I'm not sure about Lawton and Norman, although I suspect the majority of soccer talent in Norman goes to NN.

And if you want to go further, 5A should end up being an east side track meet. Districts 3 & 4 are stacked. I expect Will Rogers to be very good again along with East Central. Edison will be interesting because they have been very good and they got rid of having to deal with Bishop kelley who was sort of their kryptonite. But they also are breaking in a new coach. I know a lot of players at Memorial but I don't know if they have the depth around them to have a complete 11. BTW moves down to 5A this year. Holland Hall and Metro Christian are both moving up to 5A in soccer this season. Metro has a solid squad but I fully expect them to get run over in that Tulsa district.

Correct me if I am wrong, BA barely beat Edmond North 2-1, and Deer Creek was in the Semis. It's wild to read some of the stuff you write on here. OFC is consistently better than Tulsa teams despite being consistently disorganized. That talent is centered around Edmond. They have four high schools in Edmond if you include Deer Creek. The Edmondites are smart enough not to have high schools over 4 - 5k because it is ridiculous. If they had schools the size of BA. They would obliterate the Tulsa schools.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

I'm not saying they're great and they will probably struggle at the higher classifications for sure. I just remember watching that game on a YouTube feed mostly because my son's teammate(s) were playing in the game and I was interested and hoping they would play well. But yeah, they didn't have the quality some other schools have and having to play up in class due to the OSSAA rules is going to hurt the private schools in a lot of sports in terms of being able to be competitive.

I think they will be fine in some sports. Others are going to struggle big time. They will have to compete rather than wipe teams out like BK girls in soccer. BK volleyball does well in 6A. BK girl's soccer has gone down. They will never win the state in 6A, though. I predict the girls will lose 5 to nil to Jenks, possibly more. They just aren't there anymore. The boys will be down unless they have some freshmen coming in. They will get worked.

There is a serious movement to move all the private schools into an entirely separate division, which is outrageous. The small towns get mad playing the Metros and Holland Halls and think it is a recruitment thing in sports. They fail to understand it is an urban vs rural divide. They don't understand that academy soccer starts in pre-k now. Holland Hall may have 4 or 5 lower-tier competitive players and one ECNL dude, but the urban school probably has a natural coach. The rural guys have no players and no coaching. It just doesn't compute.

 

[lawpoke87]

Correct me if I am wrong, BA barely beat Edmond North 2-1, and Deer Creek was in the Semis. It's wild to read some of the stuff you write on here. OFC is consistently better than Tulsa teams despite being consistently disorganized. That talent is centered around Edmond. They have four high schools in Edmond if you include Deer Creek. The Edmondites are smart enough not to have high schools over 4 - 5k because it is ridiculous. If they had schools the size of BA. They would obliterate the Tulsa schools.

Going to disagree. In the oldest four ecnl age groups, Energy is ahead of TSC in two age groups while TSC leads Energy in two. Talent is fairly even between the two metros on the boys side.

 

[lawpoke87]

I think they will be fine in some sports. Others are going to struggle big time. They will have to compete rather than wipe teams out like BK girls in soccer. BK volleyball does well in 6A. BK girl's soccer has gone down. They will never win the state in 6A, though. I predict the girls will lose 5 to nil to Jenks, possibly more. They just aren't there anymore. The boys will be down unless they have some freshmen coming in. They will get worked.

There is a serious movement to move all the private schools into an entirely separate division, which is outrageous. The small towns get mad playing the Metros and Holland Halls and think it is a recruitment thing in sports. They fail to understand it is an urban vs rural divide. They don't understand that academy soccer starts in pre-k now. Holland Hall may have 4 or 5 lower-tier competitive players and one ECNL dude, but the urban school probably has a natural coach. The rural guys have no players and no coaching. It just doesn't compute.

I have a friend who coached girls at a Tulsa area private school. Like you stated he is a legitimate soccer coach. He usually has 1-2 ECNL girls, 2-4 RL girls, 4 or so rec-plus and a handful of either rec or girls who haven’t played soccer before. Those rural teams simply don’t have the numbers playing NL or RL or a coach who’s coached at that level. Soccer wise it’s not a level playing field on the girls side.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Going to disagree. In the oldest four ecnl age groups, Energy is ahead of TSC in two age groups while TSC leads Energy in two. Talent is fairly even between the two metros on the boys side.

Fair. The boys seem to have their stuff together a little more right now regarding competitiveness. But their teams are almost always competitive. Maybe one age group might suck, but that is rare. If Tulsa teams are mid to upper-tier, that is solid in my opinion. Some may not think that, but we face a significant population disadvantage, and some other clubs take a few other players away. That could make a big difference.

I have two close friends in various age groups who went on a tirade about how disorganized OFC is on the ECNL side, from referees showing up to how they manage game days to the effort from the club in Edmond. They say it is appalling. I have been in OKC for nine years, so I can't speak firsthand, but these are two highly involved people. Their sons both grew up in OFC, played for their entire careers on OFC's top team the whole time, and coached and refereed at high levels. They are not hyperbolic drama queens.

My son is just getting started in his soccer journey in academy soccer. He is the youngest age and plays a year up in the 2017s. The amount of week-to-week gossip and vanity is unreal. So many parents have no idea what kids need at the younger levels. It's just amazing. I played competitively growing up. The landscape is vastly different 28 years from when it began. The Academy did not start at age 4. Everyone jumped in 5th grade. I have friends at different levels here, in OKC, CO, of different ages and gender levels who play ECNL, MLS Next, college, etc... It's just hilarious to see who gets all bent out of shape and who doesn't. Some of it seems to be how they grew up and played. They have all been spanked at times, but they understand the development process. Others don't seem to. His development in one year has been tremendous. I try not to care if we lose to a particular club 5-0 in one week at age 5. Half of his team is playing up a year on the top team. None of them had ever played organized soccer before this season. The gap between the other teams has closed. There are dumb, dumb mistakes that won't happen a year from now when they are probably playing in their age group. I have to force myself to breathe a little. These problems can easily be fixed. It doesn't matter in a couple of years when we change coaches. All that matters is technical work. It is about having fun and technically improving. Some of the teams are not as technical.

They can't lose their love for the game at the youngest ages. I think the parents and specific coaches can ruin that for them. I don't want to be that parent. We just have to go mess about at the house, watch the Premier League, say how awesome Saka is, take him to George's with the other Arsenal idiots, buy him jerseys, play with his other five-year-old soccer bros who are obsessed, play in good games, learn from their mistakes, improve and get better and have fun.

I worry so much that this stuff might be too early. They are training a lot at the younger ages and aren't scoring a million goals in rec like we did. Playing in random rec games, they score a million goals and run teams off the field. The other parents get pissed that they are slide-tackling and celebrating like Ronaldo after goals. They have been called dicks (not joking). It's wild.

I digress....For the record, I like reading your posts, TUbla and Lawpoke. We all have different perspectives. Lawpoke's daughter is crushing it, and she puts in unreal amounts of work and time.

 

[lawpoke87]

Fair. The boys seem to have their stuff together a little more right now regarding competitiveness. But their teams are almost always competitive. Maybe one age group might suck, but that is rare. If Tulsa teams are mid to upper-tier, that is solid in my opinion. Some may not think that, but we face a significant population disadvantage, and some other clubs take a few other players away. That could make a big difference.

I have two close friends in various age groups who went on a tirade about how disorganized OFC is on the ECNL side, from referees showing up to how they manage game days to the effort from the club in Edmond. They say it is appalling. I have been in OKC for nine years, so I can't speak firsthand, but these are two highly involved people. Their sons both grew up in OFC, played for their entire careers on OFC's top team the whole time, and coached and refereed at high levels. They are not hyperbolic drama queens.

My son is just getting started in his soccer journey in academy soccer. He is the youngest age and plays a year up in the 2017s. The amount of week-to-week gossip and vanity is unreal. So many parents have no idea what kids need at the younger levels. It's just amazing. I played competitively growing up. The landscape is vastly different 28 years from when it began. The Academy did not start at age 4. Everyone jumped in 5th grade. I have friends at different levels here, in OKC, CO, of different ages and gender levels who play ECNL, MLS Next, college, etc... It's just hilarious to see who gets all bent out of shape and who doesn't. Some of it seems to be how they grew up and played. They have all been spanked at times, but they understand the development process. Others don't seem to. His development in one year has been tremendous. I try not to care if we lose to a particular club 5-0 in one week at age 5. Half of his team is playing up a year on the top team. None of them had ever played organized soccer before this season. The gap between the other teams has closed. There are dumb, dumb mistakes that won't happen a year from now when they are probably playing in their age group. I have to force myself to breathe a little. These problems can easily be fixed. It doesn't matter in a couple of years when we change coaches. All that matters is technical work. It is about having fun and technically improving. Some of the teams are not as technical.

They can't lose their love for the game at the youngest ages. I think the parents and specific coaches can ruin that for them. I don't want to be that parent. We just have to go mess about at the house, watch the Premier League, say how awesome Saka is, take him to George's with the other Arsenal idiots, buy him jerseys, play with his other five-year-old soccer bros who are obsessed, play in good games, learn from their mistakes, improve and get better and have fun.

I worry so much that this stuff might be too early. They are training a lot at the younger ages and aren't scoring a million goals in rec like we did. Playing in random rec games, they score a million goals and run teams off the field. The other parents get pissed that they are slide-tackling and celebrating like Ronaldo after goals. They have been called dicks (not joking). It's wild.

I digress....For the record, I like reading your posts, TUbla and Lawpoke. We all have different perspectives. Lawpoke's daughter is crushing it, and she puts in unreal amounts of work and time.

That’s a fantastic perspective. Coaches and especially parents care far too much at the academy level about winning and not near enough about development imo. It takes a very confident coach and supportive club to teach kids proper tactics and technique when playing the “right” way means less wins at the early ages. Most parents want to win now and fail to see the end benefit in things such as playing out of the back and through the midfield. Parents scream to play 7v7, 9v9 and then 11v11 before the appropriate age imo. The fail to realize the fewer kids on the field the more touches available. Development, development, development. Worry about wins beginning at U13. I’ll get off my soapbox now .

Energy is currently the best club in Oklahoma imo. Energy has the most resources and best coaches across the board. My daughter has trained with many of those coaches and we have always came away impressed. MLS Next is a different animal due to the level of play, coaching and contracts the kids sign. The girls side is much easier as there’s just ECNL and GA as the top levels.

Enjoy the process with your kiddo. Soccer gets serious far too fast. My fondest memories is watching my kid as a little when having fun playing this beautiful game when winning wasn’t the end objective.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

That’s a fantastic perspective. Coaches and especially parents care far too much at the academy level about winning and not near enough about development imo. It takes a very confident coach and supportive club to teach kids proper tactics and technique when playing the “right” way means less wins at the early ages. Most parents want to win now and fail to see the end benefit in things such as playing out of the back and through the midfield. Parents scream to play 7v7, 9v9 and then 11v11 before the appropriate age imo. The fail to realize the fewer kids on the field the more touches available. Development, development, development. Worry about wins beginning at U13. I’ll get off my soapbox now .

Energy is currently the best club in Oklahoma imo. Energy has the most resources and best coaches across the board. My daughter has trained with many of those coaches and we have always came away impressed. MLS Next is a different animal due to the level of play, coaching and contracts the kids sign. The girls side is much easier as there’s just ECNL and GA as the top levels.

Enjoy the process with your kiddo. Soccer gets serious far too fast. My fondest memories is watching my kid as a little when having fun playing this beautiful game when winning was the end objective.

There is a parent couple on my team that is constant drama. There is continuous improvement, and the boys are having fun. Could the tactical team coaching be better? Undoubtedly. Is the skills coaching probably better than other teams? Yup. Does the last matter most at 5? Yup. Calm down, sugarbear.

 

[lawpoke87]

There is a parent couple on my team that is constant drama. There is continuous improvement, and the boys are having fun. Could the tactical team coaching be better? Undoubtedly. Is the skills coaching probably better than other teams? Yup. Does the last matter most at 5? Yup. Calm down, sugarbear.

Usually that means this is their oldest child or they didn’t play competitive sports growing up. Are the kids learning the game and being taught proper technique and skills should be the questions asked. Such a long road ahead for those parents and kids. Chill out. They are FIVE. The hard truth is if you want your kid to be elite (and he/she isn’t an athletic freak) then they are going to need to find a trainer outside of the team practices are work. Not necessarily at 5 but eventually.

 

[TU_BLA]

Fair. The boys seem to have their stuff together a little more right now regarding competitiveness. But their teams are almost always competitive. Maybe one age group might suck, but that is rare. If Tulsa teams are mid to upper-tier, that is solid in my opinion. Some may not think that, but we face a significant population disadvantage, and some other clubs take a few other players away. That could make a big difference.

I have two close friends in various age groups who went on a tirade about how disorganized OFC is on the ECNL side, from referees showing up to how they manage game days to the effort from the club in Edmond. They say it is appalling. I have been in OKC for nine years, so I can't speak firsthand, but these are two highly involved people. Their sons both grew up in OFC, played for their entire careers on OFC's top team the whole time, and coached and refereed at high levels. They are not hyperbolic drama queens.

My son is just getting started in his soccer journey in academy soccer. He is the youngest age and plays a year up in the 2017s. The amount of week-to-week gossip and vanity is unreal. So many parents have no idea what kids need at the younger levels. It's just amazing. I played competitively growing up. The landscape is vastly different 28 years from when it began. The Academy did not start at age 4. Everyone jumped in 5th grade. I have friends at different levels here, in OKC, CO, of different ages and gender levels who play ECNL, MLS Next, college, etc... It's just hilarious to see who gets all bent out of shape and who doesn't. Some of it seems to be how they grew up and played. They have all been spanked at times, but they understand the development process. Others don't seem to. His development in one year has been tremendous. I try not to care if we lose to a particular club 5-0 in one week at age 5. Half of his team is playing up a year on the top team. None of them had ever played organized soccer before this season. The gap between the other teams has closed. There are dumb, dumb mistakes that won't happen a year from now when they are probably playing in their age group. I have to force myself to breathe a little. These problems can easily be fixed. It doesn't matter in a couple of years when we change coaches. All that matters is technical work. It is about having fun and technically improving. Some of the teams are not as technical.

They can't lose their love for the game at the youngest ages. I think the parents and specific coaches can ruin that for them. I don't want to be that parent. We just have to go mess about at the house, watch the Premier League, say how awesome Saka is, take him to George's with the other Arsenal idiots, buy him jerseys, play with his other five-year-old soccer bros who are obsessed, play in good games, learn from their mistakes, improve and get better and have fun.

I worry so much that this stuff might be too early. They are training a lot at the younger ages and aren't scoring a million goals in rec like we did. Playing in random rec games, they score a million goals and run teams off the field. The other parents get pissed that they are slide-tackling and celebrating like Ronaldo after goals. They have been called dicks (not joking). It's wild.

I digress....For the record, I like reading your posts, TUbla and Lawpoke. We all have different perspectives. Lawpoke's daughter is crushing it, and she puts in unreal amounts of work and time.

When my son was 11, Donovan Ricketts was his team's coach. Donovan Ricketts of the Jamaican National team that played in the World Cup (Ricketts was the starting GK). Donovan Ricketts, 3x MLS GK of the year for LA Galaxy. He had just come to Tulsa to be on the coaching staff of the Roughnecks. He had taken on the role as ECNL GK coach at TSC and when the coach my son was going to play for had to relocate to OKC because his wife got a promotion, Donovan stepped in to be the coach of my son's team. He told parents he didn't care if the boys won a single game that the most important thing about that season was that they improved individually and as a team and that they understood how the game should be played a little better. Everything was so basic that season. How to pass and receive passes correctly, keeping your head up, finding shape in the back, playing out of the back and using the GK as an outlet. As the parent of a GK I was excited that my son would get free GK tips from one of the best to play the position. Donovan taught my son how to see the field and read it and make decisions. This was TSC's 3rd team in the age group at the time. By the end of the season it would have beaten the top 2 easily. This group only conceded 3 or more goals 1x the entire season and that was in October. This team won State Cup beating the top teams from Norman (Celtic), Edmond (Energy), and South Lakes Cosmos en route. The most incredible thing though is they had lost to those teams at various points throughout the year...but while my son's team improved every time out and you could see it, the other teams didn't. They all remained the same teams with the same tactics and same level of execution. Each of them had 1 great player they tried to isolate up top and play long balls. Well the kids in the back for my son's team eventually went on to be the starting CB at BK this year, starting 9 for BA this year. Other kids on that team were the starting 10 at Bixby this year, a starting left FB for Jenks, a kid who played basketball for Jenks. The 6 is a staring PG at Riverfield Country Day and is a starting CB for the '07 TSC ECNL team (not sure Riverfield has enough kids to play soccer). TSC (and specifically Donny Carreno) overlooked these kids because they weren't recruited to TSC specifically by Donny.

Point is....winning typically doesn't matter except for the kids' (and mostly the parents' ) egos. Find yourself a good coach and stick with him/her for as long as you can. There have been years where my son has had a coach and I didn't see any improvement in his game or most of the other kids. There have been some years where I saw a crap ton of improvement out of the team and most of the players but that didn't always result in wins or trophies. The last 2 years my son has bounced between the top Blitz team and the 2nd team. It's always nice to say you're on the top team but to be honest, that side has shown little improvement from last year to this year and the focus from the coach is on wins and making his favorites happy. He'll play GKs and CBs who are very 1 dimensional and actually hurt the team's over all play. The 2nd team is a bunch of kids who work hard, lack some technical skill, but take coaching very well. I've noticed a lot of improvement from last year to this year in the overall quality of play. It's fun to watch them because they're a hard nosed group. You can always tell how well a team is coached by how well they communicate with one another on the pitch. And this team does that. Find yourself a coach that this is an emphasis.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

A lot of this depends on what you want out of this journey at the lower levels.

Soccer has such a huge chasm between technical ability between those in rec and others. That technical ability is only getting wider now with kids starting at such younger ages. I was only really, really good teams both in high school and rec. we were all very good with the ball. We had six players on my high school team play d1, more that decided not to and others that decided to play at lesser schools. Competitive teams won state and would go down to Dallas and take on solar and win. None of those teams are as technical as the kids are now. The girls game has really, really come a long way too in terms of skill. That has to come with patience at the youth level.

 

[TU_BLA]

A lot of this depends on what you want out of this journey at the lower levels.

Soccer has such a huge chasm between technical ability between those in rec and others. That technical ability is only getting wider now with kids starting at such younger ages. I was only really, really good teams both in high school and rec. we were all very good with the ball. We had six players on my high school team play d1, more that decided not to and others that decided to play at lesser schools. Competitive teams won state and would go down to Dallas and take on solar and win. None of those teams are as technical as the kids are now. The girls game has really, really come a long way too in terms of skill. That has to come with patience at the youth level.

Part of the girls game is understanding there are a whole lot more opportunities to play the game beyond HS. There are something like 2.5x more college women's soccer teams than men's. Also the opportunities at the pro-level for women are rapidly expanding and the fact that the women's world cup is wall to wall covered now vs just the US games is more exposure to the game.

And honestly, soccer is an easy sport to get a kid involved in. Shoes, shin guards, and a ball. And you can train in your yard. There aren't many team sports you can work on individually in your own yard without specialized equipment.

 

[lawpoke87]

Part of the girls game is understanding there are a whole lot more opportunities to play the game beyond HS. There are something like 2.5x more college women's soccer teams than men's. Also the opportunities at the pro-level for women are rapidly expanding and the fact that the women's world cup is wall to wall covered now vs just the US games is more exposure to the game.

And honestly, soccer is an easy sport to get a kid involved in. Shoes, shin guards, and a ball. And you can train in your yard. There aren't many team sports you can work on individually in your own yard without specialized equipment.

I have pics from ECNL girls nationals last year where there were 50 college coaches lined up on the sideline watching various games. They all have laminated color sheets for each team with the players pic, number, position and brief bio. Really a neat event and atmosphere.

High level girls train soccer year round now. Most also train speed, strength and agility. Almost all girls train both soccer and speed outside of club in addition to their club trainings. It’s a very competitive environment. The days of training boys and girls differently is largely over. Especially at the upper levels.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

I will never forget reffing at the Development Academy Girls event in Colorado in 2017. There was a game with Stanford, North Carolina, UCLA, Florida State, and whatever school you want to name watching the game I was on.

The tournament was held at the beginning of April and snowed out after two days. I think that is the last time Denver ever holds an event like that. Hell, one of the best powder days I ever had was on Memorial Day weekend at A-basin.

 

[lawpoke87]

I will never forget reffing at the Development Academy Girls event in Colorado in 2017. There was a game with Stanford, North Carolina, UCLA, Florida State, and whatever school you want to name watching the game I was on.

The tournament was held at the beginning of April and snowed out after two days. I think that is the last time Denver ever holds an event like that. Hell, one of the best powder days I ever had was on Memorial Day weekend at A-basin.

Really hated to see DA fold on the girls side. OKC and Tulsa had a combined team. Once DA folded, ECNL stepped in and picked off most of the stronger clubs. The remainder went to GA but it’s a shadow of DA imo.

ECNL has a showcase in Dallas February 17-19. There’s no telling what type of weather they will get in Dallas in February. Not the location or time I would have chosen but we will see….

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Really hated to see DA fold on the girls side. OKC and Tulsa had a combined team. Once DA folded, ECNL stepped in and picked off most of the stronger clubs. The remainder went to GA but it’s a shadow of DA imo.

ECNL has a showcase in Dallas February 17-19. There’s no telling what type of weather they will get in Dallas in February. Not the location or time I would have chosen but we will see….

Half the ECNL clubs didn't go. I know the CO clubs thought it sucked. The players didn't like them demanding you can't play high school and combination age groups with the 18/19s, 16/17s. The subbing rules were even more constricting. They viewed it as a money grab. The women are winning world cups, and the NWSL is doing alright. I think most people didn't think a big change was needed.

 

[lawpoke87]

Half the ECNL clubs didn't go. I know the CO clubs thought it sucked. The players didn't like them demanding you can't play high school and combination age groups with the 18/19s, 16/17s. The subbing rules were even more constricting. They viewed it as a money grab. The women are winning world cups, and the NWSL is doing alright. I think most people didn't think a big change was needed.

DA was attractive to some due to its affiliation with US Soccer. I am encouraged by the relationship between US Soccer and ECNL. US Soccer people talk with ECNL clubs and coaches. They attend games as well as trainings. Europe is finally devoting time and resources into the women’s game. Winning will only become more difficult.

 

[TU_BLA]

1st 2 games of the OK Winter Championship & Showcase in the books. Not much to say about it so far. Son has 2 clean sheets but he hasn't had to work particularly hard. He is 1-0 vs PKs so far. 1st game wasn't really competitive vs a team from Choctaw (3-0, probably could have and should have been 5 or 6). My son had zero saves in this match. His toughest chance was trying to dive and save a ball from going out for a corner after a defender deflected a shot. My son did send a teammate in on goal after a punt of about 70 yds and he spotted the space in behind the defender. GK made a nice save on the shot. My son was so bored in the 2nd half of this game, we had conversations.

2nd game vs WSA 05/06 west. Ok team. Big and athletic and decent technical skill. The two teams were evenly matched. The referee in this one was dreadful and was probably too tire and too cold and just seemed to be in a bad mood from the start. He called for PK on a throw in after a defender marking a man stood his ground and the ball went over and scooped up by my son. Ref blows the whistle and everyone was like "2whats the call". And he pointed to the spot and no one knows what the call was or who it was on even. Kid skies the PK over the bar by about 20 feet and a parent yells "Ball don't lie". Game goes on. My son made one save in this one. Blitz picks up their play and really plays well for the last 20 of the first half and then the part of the 2nd half that gets played and generates a few good chances on but can't find the back of the net. About 15 left to play, WSA player whistled for a foul about 45 yds from goal. WSA coach starts yelling about it. Ref shows him yellow. Goes back to mark off the 10 yds and coach is still going on about the call. Ref shows him 2nd yellow and then red. Coach decides to slow play his exit and ref blows the whistle to abandon the match. Players and ARs convince him to continue once the coach left. Play about another 5 minutes, ref whistles a handball on WSA. No one really knows what he was calling, players question it and one of the WSA parents started cursing at him about "not having a ****ing clue", he then whistles to end the match and it is abandoned. WSA player then runs up to confront him. TBH, this should have been a red card despite the match being over. It was such a cluster. My son after the game said he couldn't understand why the ref even showed the 1st yellow but definitely the 2nd on the coach was not warranted. He was disappointed to not have the game finish out b/c he said it was a good game, the WSA kids weren't trash talkers or cheap players and the game was actually fun to be a part of. Most of the time if a match is abandoned due to the behavior of a team or its parents, the other team is awarded a 3-0 win. But this one stayed a 0-0 tie. IF this were a tournament with placements, it should have been entered that way and I would have been pissed if they recorded as a tie with time left b/c Blitz was asking a lot of questions on the attack in the 2nd half. I believe a goal was coming.

Last game upcoming. It's freezing here in Edmond. I needed warmer socks and boots last night. They delayed the start of today's games because of the temps. Playing a Sporting OK team that Blitz beat 1-0 a few weeks back.