Youth soccer club

[TU_BLA]

3rd game vs Sporting OK today. 1-0 win so my son and his defense didn't allow a goal all weekend. Today's game was definitely the toughest. Both teams played pretty well and had some good opportunities. Lone goal came off a nice build up and then a cross that found the head of the striker who knocked it in far post. A lot of this game was played in the MF as both teams were patient on defense and in choosing their spots to attack. My son's team probably should have found at least 1 more goal as they had some really good chances on the break and just couldn't find the goal. Sporting team had some nice build up but their attack would break down trying to find the last pass. The saves my son had were from distance and nothing too stressful for him. He did have a nice save off a thru ball that found the striker who then tried to take a shot. Shot got deflected a bit and my son dove to smother it and take control.

3 games, no goals allowed this weekend. Minus the game last Sunday, in the last 10 games this team has played, they've allowed 4 goals and 1 of those was an own goal. And there have been 6 clean sheets.

 

[lawpoke87]

Congrats on the hardware. Always a good feeling to leave a tourney as champs. Sad my kid doesn’t get to experience tourneys and hardware anymore outside of nationals at year end.

Pretty good weekend for the FC Dallas girls. We played Real Colorado who finished 3rd in the country last year and hadn’t lost or tied a game since nationals. They are big, fast, skilled…just elite girls all over the field. We fought them to a 2-2 draw on Saturday. We were up the entire game but couldn’t hold on for the win. Real Colorado girl hit an absolute rocket from 30 yards out into the upper 90 with 4 minutes left to tie the game at 2. Not something you see everyday from 13 year old girls.

My kid had a really nice game in the back. Fun to watch her compete against athletes like RC puts on the field. She read a pass just outside the 18, intercepted it, chested it down, took a touch and served the ball over the RC CBs to our 9 for our second goal. Had a similar assist today in our 6-1 win but with her left foot. Serving the ball to our forwards from her CB position is probably her most improved skill this year.

ECNL schedule is weird. We don’t play another league game until the last week of April and have only four left. Very light spring schedule. Looks like we will need 6 points from our final 4 games to guarantee a spot at nationals. Team is 7-2-2.

 

[TU_BLA]

Congrats on the hardware. Always a good feeling to leave a tourney as champs. Sad my kid doesn’t get to experience tourneys and hardware anymore outside of nationals at year end.

Pretty good weekend for the FC Dallas girls. We played Real Colorado who finished 3rd in the country last year and hadn’t lost or tied a game since nationals. They are big, fast, skilled…just elite girls all over the field. We fought them to a 2-2 draw on Saturday. We were up the entire game but couldn’t hold on for the win. Real Colorado girl hit an absolute rocket from 30 yards out into the upper 90 with 4 minutes left to tie the game at 2. Not something you see everyday from 13 year old girls.

My kid had a really nice game in the back. Fun to watch her compete against athletes like RC puts on the field. She read a pass just outside the 18, intercepted it, chested it down, took a touch and served the ball over the RC CBs to our 9 for our second goal. Had a similar assist today in our 6-1 win but with her left foot. Serving the ball to our forwards from her CB position is probably her most improved skill this year.

ECNL schedule is weird. We don’t play another league game until the last week of April and have only four left. Very light spring schedule. Looks like we will need 6 points from our final 4 games to guarantee a spot at nationals. Team is 7-2-2.

Alas, no hardware as this was just a showcase. There were actual college coaches at the games though which is a refreshing change because the # of times we've gone to a showcase with a list of "confirmed" college coaches, the only place I've seen coaches there was in the hospitality tent. That being said, my son isn't interested in any of the schools represented mostly because they do not have the type or level of engineering program he is looking for. Which is fine.

So Spring is weird in the soccer community. From what I can tell, you've got about 20 or so states that play Winter (FL & CA) and Spring seasons and my guess is with the FL and CA teams starting in November and ending late March/early April, and TX which plays January -April, you've got 3 of the biggest states with a slew of ECNL programs to manage schedules around.

And I always love watching defenders who keep their head up and picking out passes into space to launch immediate counter attacks. My son's team has a defender who has a big leg and he delivers some great high quality diagonal long balls for the forwards. It's a game changer if you've got quality forwards who can bring the ball down and keep moving towards goal.

 

[lawpoke87]

Alas, no hardware as this was just a showcase. There were actual college coaches at the games though which is a refreshing change because the # of times we've gone to a showcase with a list of "confirmed" college coaches, the only place I've seen coaches there was in the hospitality tent. That being said, my son isn't interested in any of the schools represented mostly because they do not have the type or level of engineering program he is looking for. Which is fine.

So Spring is weird in the soccer community. From what I can tell, you've got about 20 or so states that play Winter (FL & CA) and Spring seasons and my guess is with the FL and CA teams starting in November and ending late March/early April, and TX which plays January -April, you've got 3 of the biggest states with a slew of ECNL programs to manage schedules around.

And I always love watching defenders who keep their head up and picking out passes into space to launch immediate counter attacks. My son's team has a defender who has a big leg and he delivers some great high quality diagonal long balls for the forwards. It's a game changer if you've got quality forwards who can bring the ball down and keep moving towards goal.

Happy they actually got some college coaches there AND they actually watched the games. One of my pet peeves are “showcases” or “tournaments” which entice clubs to sign up and play with the promise of college coaches attending only to have very few show up or those that do show up doing so as a favor to the host club and spend the entire tournament doing everything but watching the kids.

I know my daughter’s ability to accurately serve long balls to forwards has really helped out scoring. She had two of our five assists this weekend. Not bad for a CB.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

@lawpoke87, you have mentioned here several times that the landscape among the local clubs will change dramatically over the next year. Why have you said that?

What do you think the shakeout of this current lawsuit will be?

 

[TU_BLA]

@lawpoke87, you have mentioned here several times that the landscape among the local clubs will change dramatically over the next year. Why have you said that?

What do you think the shakeout of this current lawsuit will be?

I'll be honest, I don't think the lawsuit will result in much. My understanding is it's mostly a dispute between the former owners of TSC (McIntosh and Tindell) and the current ownership "group" led by Barry Williams. Barry thinks the balance has been paid off and the previous owners don't agree. It doesn't have much to do with soccer at all.

As for the landscape, it's always changing. Local clubs are always looking for the best competitive platform they can offer and then go and poach kids who want to play at the highest level platform they are given an opportunity to play. Essentially TSC was told this year that ECNL told them they didn't think they could competitively support both an ECNL and ECNL-RL side. Not enough good players. WSA is always trying to get its top teams into ECNL and have been blocked by TSC over territory a few times. Not sure WSA as a whole can support every 11v11 age group in ECNL, maybe 1 or 2 teams but not all and that goes for both boys and girls sides. And once the 05s age out this year, the 06/07 group at WSA won't even be close.

TSC is likely going to get their boys side ECNL-RL sides busted down to the more local regional levels like the girls. We'll see if any of the clubs can play nice and play each other. There is a guy on FB called "TulsaSoccerGuy" who has some pretty candid criticism of the local clubs and they're trying to do everything possible to not play one another. It's just stupid. The guy is an interesting follow.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Hmmm, boys' teams in the ECNL division are quite competitive on the NL side. It's interesting. They have teams

I have watched many RLs, which are not the same level in either age group. It isn't in the same stratosphere of talent.

Blitz's opening debut in the RL against AR, MS smells has been total diaherria. Every team is last or second last except one. That is no bueno. I think we know who needs to be tossed. TSC is way more competitive in the Texas league than Blitz is against AR and MS. AR and MS are dook. I think we know who needs to be tossed.

 

[tudirk]

So WSA's best girls playing top RL division are middle of the pack and down. If you move those teams to NL they are all in last place and then have no RL team. TSC has decent NL teams but not deep enough for top RL as well. Blitz just has their own niche. Barry thinks Tindell broke his non-compete with FC Tulsa trying to start a youth club and is probably right. Discovery in this case would be fun. Lawyers will be the only winners!!!!

 

[TU_BLA]

So WSA's best girls playing top RL division are middle of the pack and down. If you move those teams to NL they are all in last place and then have no RL team. TSC has decent NL teams but not deep enough for top RL as well. Blitz just has their own niche. Barry thinks Tindell broke his non-compete with FC Tulsa trying to start a youth club and is probably right. Discovery in this case would be fun. Lawyers will be the only winners!!!!

Interesting. The non-compete is something I wasn't aware of. And Tindell is an a$$ if I am being honest. I always dealt with Mark when I had an issue when he was running TSC. I'm sure most of the time he just turned it over to Jim, but at least with Mark I felt like he was listening. Jim always seemed like he had something better to do than to listen to the concerns of a parent paying for his kid to play at TSC. I can at least give Barry that. He always listened, always said hi when we saw each other at tournaments, called me if I said I had something to run by him.

And for the guy slamming Blitz, they're in the RL league they should be in. And you're right, they weren't quite prepared for the jump this season. I think only the 07s are having a decent year. The 05/06 group was a disaster and mostly because the coach was stubborn and ran most of the 05s off the team and there were some good players in that group. The 08s and 09s struggled as well.

 

[lawpoke87]

The non-compete thing is interesting. To my knowledge FC Tulsa is actually more like a training center rather than a competitive youth academy. The players they train aren’t prohibited from playing for any club including TSC. On the other hand, Barry has told TSC players they can’t train with FCT. Some are training there anyway. Now does this type of operation validate the non-compete clause ? Can’t wait for discovery.

Mark and Tindell knew how to operate a soccer club imo. Things haven’t gone well since the sale. Numbers and revenue are significantly down. Team performance are down as well. WSA acquiring ECRL was a huge blow to TSC. Losing ECRL on the girls side was another blow. The revolving door of coaches was but one more.

I did predict a shakeup in the local club scene this year. Might have been wrong. I thought businessmen would act in a reasonable manner. I’m beginning to doubt that assumption.

 

[tudirk]

FC Tulsa tried to buy both WSA and Blitz with Tindell leading that. FC Tulsa wants a club but starting from scratch is extremely difficult. Jenks Sports Complex saved TSC. Barry isn’t as bad as people make him out but he doesn’t care about the areas old soccer guard. And his love of Brazilian coaches. WSA needs to give up on the “$30 million Field of Dreams” and get better facilities.

 

[lawpoke87]

FC Tulsa tried to buy both WSA and Blitz with Tindell leading that. FC Tulsa wants a club but starting from scratch is extremely difficult. Jenks Sports Complex saved TSC. Barry isn’t as bad as people make him out but he doesn’t care about the areas old soccer guard. And his love of Brazilian coaches. WSA needs to give up on the “$30 million Field of Dreams” and get better facilities.

Central and South American coaches are cheap and easy to control as they’re here on work visas. 100% correct on FC Tulsa acquiring an existing club. That was one of the changes I figured would occur. Looking forward to the discovery on the lawsuit.

 

[TU_BLA]

FC Tulsa tried to buy both WSA and Blitz with Tindell leading that. FC Tulsa wants a club but starting from scratch is extremely difficult. Jenks Sports Complex saved TSC. Barry isn’t as bad as people make him out but he doesn’t care about the areas old soccer guard. And his love of Brazilian coaches. WSA needs to give up on the “$30 million Field of Dreams” and get better facilities.

WSA's "Field of Dreams" will likely cost a lot more than that if you're talking about the West Bank complex. I think that price tag is just for the land improvements and the turf as my understanding is they want all the fields to be turf...which is nice. What I don't think the price tag will include, and maybe because WSA either doesn't want to think about it or Holly Frontier has offered to pay for it, is the remediation of the ground there. My wife has been in a couple of meetings with WSA and Holly as her company does almost all of the ground sampling in and around Holly's 2 refineries along the Arkansas. They know there is waste from the refinery contaminating the soil down x number of feet in certain places around the west bank complex currently. Which would also likely mean digging several feet down and removing the contaminated layer of soil, but also needing to truck in clean top soil to create a base to then prep and lay the turf fields on.

Seeing as how WSA is always out there begging the Tulsa community to fund their latest trip anywhere, getting the Tulsa community to fund this as well seems like a long shot. It still is shocking to me that Tulsa, with a couple BILLION dollar corporations HQ'd here, can't find a couple of them in partnership with the city, to fund something like this. I mean, you don't want the city managing it...Mohawk has been a qualified disaster because of the way it's run, not the actual fields or complex. And that complex was rushed too...

 

[lawpoke87]

QT would seem to be a perfect company to sponsor an athletic complex in the Tulsa area. No clue why they haven’t. I’m dissappointed in with the City of Tulsa in regards to Mohawk. Years ago those fields were well above average. Neglect has taken their toll out there. Wasn’t a surprise when the City asked for lease bids out there last year that they wanted to transfer maintenance to the lessee.

Curious to see what the soccer landscape looks like in Tulsa ten years from now. WSA is the best run club imo. They have a vision and have worked toward those goals. If they can ever wrestle ECNL away from TSC they will immediately become the top club in the City.

 

[TU_BLA]

Central and South American coaches are cheap and easy to control as they’re here on work visas. 100% correct on FC Tulsa acquiring an existing club. That was one of the changes I figured would occur. Looking forward to the discovery on the lawsuit.

Yeah, so the weird thing is FC Tulsa's best bet with a local club is going after Tulsa Nationals/Union Soccer Club and rebooting it with a refresh of the Boevers' fields etc. Wilber isn't giving up control of Blitz, the Bush Brothers are not giving up control of WSA, and I don't think Tindell and Barry want anything to do with each other any more. The only other natural thing for FC Tulsa would be to pair up with either Broken Arrow Soccer Club and take over the competitive side there OR Metro Tulsa and work towards a competitive set of teams there. Both have plenty of decent fields and complexes to work with plus Titan.

Something happened between Jim and Barry. For a while, TSC and FC Tulsa were working on a competitive youth partnership. TSC touted this as a "path to pro" for TSC players.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

I think it would make sense to have a complex by some level of hotels and food. West Bank is definitely not that. I feel like I am getting unhealthier every time I am there.

the last three times I have been at Mohawk the fields have been in great shape. It could definitely be run better and there is nothing around there.

And let's face it. Who in the hell wants to go to broken arrow?

 

[TU_BLA]

I think it would make sense to have a complex by some level of hotels and food. West Bank is definitely not that. I feel like I am getting unhealthier every time I am there.

the last three times I have been at Mohawk the fields have been in great shape. It could definitely be run better and there is nothing around there.

And let's face it. Who in the hell wants to go to broken arrow?

Indian Springs is far and away the best soccer complex in the state. I say that from the standpoint of field conditions, ease of getting to it, etc. Every complex has parking issues so everyone can stop there. The BASC early November tournament was one of the best run that I have been a part of (as a ref). Big compliments on the organization, flow, set-up, amenities, scheduling, etc. Mohawk is fine but there's nothing out there and the lack of actual non-portajohn facilities on the east side is detrimental. And it's still better than River City/Case Park at WSA, better than Jenks Sports Complex (don't let the 3 turf fields fool you. I ref'd several games on the turf fields and like most things at that complex, they were rushed and not done correctly. There are slight upslopes at the end of the turf causing water to come back towards the playing field. The markings are slightly off on the fields too. Again, in a rush to get them ready for play and so they could charge TSC for use, they weren't completely done. And the turf itself is wonky and doesn't seem right to me).

Disclaimer: The new complex in Enid is very nice and includes an indoor field complex. The parking is still wonky and it wasn't quite finished in terms of the edges of the fields and landscaping, etc. but it's a nice complex. But no one is going to Enid. I'm not even sure they have a club in Enid. Edmond Soccer Club is making a lot of facility improvements associated with infrastructure but nothing to the actual fields, which are a bit rough and have some weird slopes to them. But their outbuildings, concessions, referee rooms, etc. should all be top notch once they are finished.

 

[lawpoke87]

Indian Springs is far and away the best soccer complex in the state. I say that from the standpoint of field conditions, ease of getting to it, etc. Every complex has parking issues so everyone can stop there. The BASC early November tournament was one of the best run that I have been a part of (as a ref). Big compliments on the organization, flow, set-up, amenities, scheduling, etc. Mohawk is fine but there's nothing out there and the lack of actual non-portajohn facilities on the east side is detrimental. And it's still better than River City/Case Park at WSA, better than Jenks Sports Complex (don't let the 3 turf fields fool you. I ref'd several games on the turf fields and like most things at that complex, they were rushed and not done correctly. There are slight upslopes at the end of the turf causing water to come back towards the playing field. The markings are slightly off on the fields too. Again, in a rush to get them ready for play and so they could charge TSC for use, they weren't completely done. And the turf itself is wonky and doesn't seem right to me).

Disclaimer: The new complex in Enid is very nice and includes an indoor field complex. The parking is still wonky and it wasn't quite finished in terms of the edges of the fields and landscaping, etc. but it's a nice complex. But no one is going to Enid. I'm not even sure they have a club in Enid. Edmond Soccer Club is making a lot of facility improvements associated with infrastructure but nothing to the actual fields, which are a bit rough and have some weird slopes to them. But their outbuildings, concessions, referee rooms, etc. should all be top notch once they are finished.

Agree with Indian Springs. Last time I was at Mohawk there were bare spots in several of the fields likely due to lack of water over the summer. The Celtic complex in Norman is underrated imo.

 

[TU_BLA]

Agree with Indian Springs. Last time I was at Mohawk there were bare spots in several of the fields likely due to lack of water over the summer. The Celtic complex in Norman is underrated imo.

It has been a really long time since I've been at Celtic since they don't seem to belong to any of the same leagues anyone else is in these days. Last time I was there the ball would still roll 150 yards away over 2-3 fields down their terraced slopes. Since this is my son's last Spring of club ball, I don't see myself getting back there anytime soon. And if I recall, their parking situation was atrocious on busy weekends. I remember parking in some cow pasture west of the complex on a couple of occasions.

 

[lawpoke87]

It has been a really long time since I've been at Celtic since they don't seem to belong to any of the same leagues anyone else is in these days. Last time I was there the ball would still roll 150 yards away over 2-3 fields down their terraced slopes. Since this is my son's last Spring of club ball, I don't see myself getting back there anytime soon. And if I recall, their parking situation was atrocious on busy weekends. I remember parking in some cow pasture west of the complex on a couple of occasions.

Parking isn’t great and there are fields where the ball will roll a distance if you’re playing on an elevated field. However, the turf is among the best in the state. At least it was last time I was out there. Pitch quality is my #1 criteria when ranking complexes.

 

[tudirk]

Indian Springs is far and away the best soccer complex in the state. I say that from the standpoint of field conditions, ease of getting to it, etc. Every complex has parking issues so everyone can stop there. The BASC early November tournament was one of the best run that I have been a part of (as a ref). Big compliments on the organization, flow, set-up, amenities, scheduling, etc. Mohawk is fine but there's nothing out there and the lack of actual non-portajohn facilities on the east side is detrimental. And it's still better than River City/Case Park at WSA, better than Jenks Sports Complex (don't let the 3 turf fields fool you. I ref'd several games on the turf fields and like most things at that complex, they were rushed and not done correctly. There are slight upslopes at the end of the turf causing water to come back towards the playing field. The markings are slightly off on the fields too. Again, in a rush to get them ready for play and so they could charge TSC for use, they weren't completely done. And the turf itself is wonky and doesn't seem right to me).

Disclaimer: The new complex in Enid is very nice and includes an indoor field complex. The parking is still wonky and it wasn't quite finished in terms of the edges of the fields and landscaping, etc. but it's a nice complex. But no one is going to Enid. I'm not even sure they have a club in Enid. Edmond Soccer Club is making a lot of facility improvements associated with infrastructure but nothing to the actual fields, which are a bit rough and have some weird slopes to them. But their outbuildings, concessions, referee rooms, etc. should all be top notch once they are finished.

I am anti TSC as well even though I have a kid that plays there. You are probably one of the ref’s that don’t mind taking a check from them and screwing them over. I prefer WSA as a club. JSC took over middle of June and have done an incredible job. Let’s see what a full growing season looks like. The turf playing surface is really nice with premium turf (uses less tire) the run offs on the edgers do slip to drains not to the field of play. Indian Springs facility is the nicest thanks to tax payers, including no property tax. Yet they still charge more than anyone?? Titan and JSC both pay huge property tax bills. Why do WSA and Blitz practice fields suck when they get them for free???

 

[lawpoke87]

I am anti TSC as well even though I have a kid that plays there. You are probably one of the ref’s that don’t mind taking a check from them and screwing them over. I prefer WSA as a club. JSC took over middle of June and have done an incredible job. Let’s see what a full growing season looks like. The turf playing surface is really nice with premium turf (uses less tire) the run offs on the edgers do slip to drains not to the field of play. Indian Springs facility is the nicest thanks to tax payers, including no property tax. Yet they still charge more than anyone?? Titan and JSC both pay huge property tax bills. Why do WSA and Blitz practice fields suck when they get them for free???

Because Alsuma (Blitz) is a drainage area with no irrigation?

My daughter absolutely hates turf soccer fields btw. Heat in the summer and turf burns year round. Per her “soccer is meant to play on grass”. That said….i do understand why complexes are going to turf.

 

[tudirk]

Because Alsuma (Blitz) is a drainage area with no irrigation?

My daughter absolutely hates turf soccer fields btw. Heat in the summer and turf burns year round. Per her “soccer is meant to play on grass”. That said….i do understand why complexes are going to turf.

I agree grass is the best. But turf is a necessity evil

 

[lawpoke87]

I agree grass is the best. But turf is a necessity evil

Fun or not so fun fact. Female soccer players have a significantly higher risk of ACL injuries playing on AT compared to grass. Male soccer players do not have a significantly higher risk. Assume this is due to anatomical differences and the fact that female players are at a greater risk in general for ACL injuries.

 

[TU_BLA]

Fun or not so fun fact. Female soccer players have a significantly higher risk of ACL injuries playing on AT compared to grass. Male soccer players do not have a significantly higher risk. Assume this is due to anatomical differences and the fact that female players are at a greater risk in general for ACL injuries.

The anatomical differences being the wider lower hip base and the angle it creates with the femur affects a harsher angle for the ACL connecting between the femur and tibia.

 

[lawpoke87]

The anatomical differences being the wider lower hip base and the angle it creates with the femur affects a harsher angle for the ACL connecting between the femur and tibia.

Yup. I love the game but seeing all the girls on the sideline in leg braces is tough. As a parent of a girl you just hold your breath everytime they make a sharp cut.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Yup. I love the game but seeing all the girls on the sideline in leg braces is tough. As a parent of a girl you just hold your breath everytime they make a sharp cut.

Has there been any discussion of Adidas vs Nike and acl tears ?

 

[lawpoke87]

Has there been any discussion of Adidas vs Nike and acl tears ?

Yes. Nike came out with a cleat specifically designed to help reduce ACL injuries in women this fall. The Nike Phantom Luna. My daughter wears them. The stud design is round in the toe allowing the knee to pivot and not stick in the turf. Remains to be seen how much this helps.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

It is just incredible how many girls have ACL tears vs guys.

I was in Denver with my wife and one of her high school teammaters from Edmond North. Her teammate played in college too and had 3 ACL tears and 3 MCL tears. I have known a handful of guys who have torn their ACL in soccer.

 

[lawpoke87]

It is just incredible how many girls have ACL tears vs guys.

I was in Denver with my wife and one of her high school teammaters from Edmond North. Her teammate played in college too and had 3 ACL tears and 3 MCL tears. I have known a handful of guys who have torn their ACL in soccer.

Seems to hit girls the hardest between 14-17. The changes in the female body as they go through puberty seems to be a significant factor.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

I am anti TSC as well even though I have a kid that plays there. You are probably one of the ref’s that don’t mind taking a check from them and screwing them over. I prefer WSA as a club. JSC took over middle of June and have done an incredible job. Let’s see what a full growing season looks like. The turf playing surface is really nice with premium turf (uses less tire) the run offs on the edgers do slip to drains not to the field of play. Indian Springs facility is the nicest thanks to tax payers, including no property tax. Yet they still charge more than anyone?? Titan and JSC both pay huge property tax bills. Why do WSA and Blitz practice fields suck when they get them for free???

The reason is Roger Bush is pocketing the money.

It's hilarious to me that the TSC homey is some kind of Scrooge Mcduck while the homey at WSA is sitting around creating all of these satellite programs and we are supposed to believe it is a charitable program. GTFO.

 

[TU_BLA]

The reason is Roger Bush is pocketing the money.

It's hilarious to me that the TSC homey is some kind of Scrooge Mcduck while the homey at WSA is sitting around creating all of these satellite programs and we are supposed to believe it is a charitable program. GTFO.

So WSA is grabbing up all these small, rural clubs in hopes that it makes its ECNL profile look better. If you can say WSA has 6000 kids in the program and reaches the entire state of Oklahoma, vs 1000 kids only in Tulsa, which looks better to ECNL? I think it also helps the smaller clubs b/c the affiliation fees for leagues and orgs can be too cost prohibitive to some of those rural clubs and without an actual club affiliation it is near impossible to get in any respectable league outside of your state league. There's a reason why Mickey Eklund's groups are under Blitz right now.

 

[TU_BLA]

I am anti TSC as well even though I have a kid that plays there. You are probably one of the ref’s that don’t mind taking a check from them and screwing them over. I prefer WSA as a club. JSC took over middle of June and have done an incredible job. Let’s see what a full growing season looks like. The turf playing surface is really nice with premium turf (uses less tire) the run offs on the edgers do slip to drains not to the field of play. Indian Springs facility is the nicest thanks to tax payers, including no property tax. Yet they still charge more than anyone?? Titan and JSC both pay huge property tax bills. Why do WSA and Blitz practice fields suck when they get them for free???

I have no idea what you're talking about in terms of "screwing over TSC" as a ref. I still don't get why parents think the refs are targeting their teams, etc. I could care less who wins games.

Biggest complaint about parents....their constant bitching a hypocrisy they exhibit. Their kid shoulders someone down, "Great challenge" their kid gets shouldered down, "Ref you might as well put helmets and pads on them if you're gonna let that go". Girl parents are the worst (sorry Lawpoke).

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

So WSA is grabbing up all these small, rural clubs in hopes that it makes its ECNL profile look better. If you can say WSA has 6000 kids in the program and reaches the entire state of Oklahoma, vs 1000 kids only in Tulsa, which looks better to ECNL? I think it also helps the smaller clubs b/c the affiliation fees for leagues and orgs can be too cost prohibitive to some of those rural clubs and without an actual club affiliation it is near impossible to get in any respectable league outside of your state league. There's a reason why Mickey Eklund's groups are under Blitz right now.

Oh yes, because DKSC, RISE, Longhorns and Albion are dogdook because they don't do satellites.

Hilarious.

The one thing I have noticed more than anything after having my child in academy even at the lowest level is the endless gossip and speculation. They don't know dook. They have never played, seen the development over the years or understand clubs.

You seem to believe Elkund would be the savior of blitz soccer and he is purposely holding back his talent to combine teams. Really? Like really?

Blitz needs to end the vanity project. Truth hurts. They weren't ready. They never will be. they can't even hang with AR and MS. Hell Memphis is not even great either. Nashville is where it is at. I have seen average Oklahoma teams beat TN state champs ass. Go back to the OPL where you belong and quit lying to parents.

 

[TU_BLA]

Oh yes, because DKSC, RISE, Longhorns and Albion are dogdook because they don't do satellites.

Hilarious.

The one thing I have noticed more than anything after having my child in academy even at the lowest level is the endless gossip and speculation. They don't know dook. They have never played, seen the development over the years or understand clubs.

You seem to believe Elkund would be the savior of blitz soccer and he is purposely holding back his talent to combine teams. Really? Like really?

Blitz needs to end the vanity project. Truth hurts. They weren't ready. They never will be. they can't even hang with AR and MS. Hell Memphis is not even great either. Nashville is where it is at. I have seen average Oklahoma teams beat TN state champs ass. Go back to the OPL where you belong and quit lying to parents.

I didn't say Mickey was the savior of Blitz soccer. Matter of fact, Blitz is doing Mickey a favor, not the other way around. As for Blitz not being ready for the ECNL-RL stuff, of course they weren't. It's called growing pains. It'll take a couple of years before they start seeing the results. Hopefully the coaches and directors implement some new training requirements and techniques. I do think some coaches need to move on and they need to let Derek Larkin dictate the boys side. He's an excellent coach IMO. They shouldn't be blasted for moving from EA to ECNL-RL for their top groups.

As for Albion, they have satellites across the country. Same with Rise and Rush and a bunch of others. But those clubs built a product that was known as quality and then sold the product to clubs to be affiliates. WSA is trying to manufacture that product by having more kids to choose from...problem is a kid at WSA West (OKC/Edmond) likely isn't driving to Tulsa 4+ times a week to train and play. I know kids who didn't like their situation with Energy and were making that drive to TSC. A kid in Arkansas did the same (actually the 2nd year his parents rented an apt. here to stay in during the week). The problem with WSA is they don't have a singular coaching philosophy about style of play and the balance between technical and tactical training. Neither does TSC or Blitz. I know Blitz doesn't because the way the 1st team plays vs the way the 2nd team plays is very different and they even differ a little bit from Eklund's side. at U18/U19 if you can't emphasize possession and playing out of the back, you're doing a disservice to the players.

At TSC, Barry wanted the individual age groups/coaches to work together, train together, etc. so that there would be a cohesive style at least within the age group. This and the fact that Barry wanted certain things done a certain way is why a bunch of the coaches on the girls' side left 4-5 years ago. They had always done their own thing and when Barry wanted to add layers of accountability in, they left (I got this info from a coach who was also an age group director.) I don't agree with everything Barry has done but trying to crack the good 'ol boys club and what it did to tryouts/team formation was not a bad thing.

 

[lawpoke87]

I didn't say Mickey was the savior of Blitz soccer. Matter of fact, Blitz is doing Mickey a favor, not the other way around. As for Blitz not being ready for the ECNL-RL stuff, of course they weren't. It's called growing pains. It'll take a couple of years before they start seeing the results. Hopefully the coaches and directors implement some new training requirements and techniques. I do think some coaches need to move on and they need to let Derek Larkin dictate the boys side. He's an excellent coach IMO. They shouldn't be blasted for moving from EA to ECNL-RL for their top groups.

As for Albion, they have satellites across the country. Same with Rise and Rush and a bunch of others. But those clubs built a product that was known as quality and then sold the product to clubs to be affiliates. WSA is trying to manufacture that product by having more kids to choose from...problem is a kid at WSA West (OKC/Edmond) likely isn't driving to Tulsa 4+ times a week to train and play. I know kids who didn't like their situation with Energy and were making that drive to TSC. A kid in Arkansas did the same (actually the 2nd year his parents rented an apt. here to stay in during the week). The problem with WSA is they don't have a singular coaching philosophy about style of play and the balance between technical and tactical training. Neither does TSC or Blitz. I know Blitz doesn't because the way the 1st team plays vs the way the 2nd team plays is very different and they even differ a little bit from Eklund's side. at U18/U19 if you can't emphasize possession and playing out of the back, you're doing a disservice to the players.

At TSC, Barry wanted the individual age groups/coaches to work together, train together, etc. so that there would be a cohesive style at least within the age group. This and the fact that Barry wanted certain things done a certain way is why a bunch of the coaches on the girls' side left 4-5 years ago. They had always done their own thing and when Barry wanted to add layers of accountability in, they left (I got this info from a coach who was also an age group director.) I don't agree with everything Barry has done but trying to crack the good 'ol boys club and what it did to tryouts/team formation was not a bad thing.

I can only speak for the girls side but at TSC there is no cohesive style of play being coached. Girls go from a coach playing kick it and run one year to a possession based play out of the back style the next. Zero continuity. TSC comes up with these grand plans regarding club wide style of play and training and those plans quickly go out the window due to the coaches ignoring the same as there are no consequences. A training outline was distributed to the coaches every week to begin last year along with a club philosophy. Most coaches threw it in the trash on the way out the door. One of the problems is the lack of patience (coaches and parents) to develop possession based soccer. If a coach can win more games this year playing kick it and run most will play kick it and run. The leadership and communication is lacking all of which is compounded by the revolving door of coaches.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Rush was the best team in CO for ages. It isn't now because they focused on their satellites to make cash.

I was a referee on Rush 16/17s very last game in the Development academy against Sporting Kansas City. It was ugly. Going into the game they had 3 goals for and 63 against. The other games they picked up multiple red cards in the 15s and 18/19s.


Roger Bush isn't doing this to improve his standing with the ECNL. He is doing it to make money. There isn't a WSA playing style way. There is no need for WSA in OKC. That is a joke. Why he is viewed is a philanthropist is beyond my comprehension.

TSC probably has 1-3 girls in every age group that travel from Arkansas and OKC . There are Boys that come up from OKC and AR.

I don't know why the blitz boys aren't leaving for AR. It would only make sense now.

 

[lawpoke87]

Rush was the best team in CO for ages. It isn't now because they focused on their satellites to make cash.

I was a referee on Rush 16/17s very last game in the Development academy against Sporting Kansas City. It was ugly. Going into the game they had 3 goals for and 63 against. The other games they picked up multiple red cards in the 15s and 18/19s.


Roger Bush isn't doing this to improve his standing with the ECNL. He is doing it to make money. There isn't a WSA playing style way. There is no need for WSA in OKC. That is a joke. Why he is viewed is a philanthropist is beyond my comprehension.

TSC probably has 1-3 girls in every age group that travel from Arkansas and OKC . There are Boys that come up from OKC and AR.

I don't know why the blitz boys aren't leaving for AR. It would only make sense now.

I think your number of girls (1-3) traveling from Arkansas and OKC to TSC is overstated. Since TSC lost ECRL there is absolutely zero reason for girls to travel other than to play on the ECNL team. I can tell you there isn’t anywhere close to an average of 2 girls on those ECNL teams traveling from those areas.

 

[TU_BLA]

I can only speak for the girls side but at TSC there is no cohesive style of play being coached. Girls go from a coach playing kick it and run one year to a possession based play out of the back style the next. Zero continuity. TSC comes up with these grand plans regarding club wide style of play and training and those plans quickly go out the window due to the coaches ignoring the same as there are no consequences. A training outline was distributed to the coaches every week to begin last year along with a club philosophy. Most coaches threw it in the trash on the way out the door. One of the problems is the lack of patience (coaches and parents) to develop possession based soccer. If a coach can win more games this year playing kick it and run most will play kick it and run. The leadership and communication is lacking all of which is compounded by the revolving door of coaches.

I knew that the plan was there but it was rarely followed through on. We were promised that the 06 age group would train as a whole 1x per week. We trained with the RL team maybe1x a month and that was usually when either the RL coach or my son's coach couldn't make practice so the other coach took them. Because I was the manager, I would hear from parents who weren't happy that promise wasn't being fulfilled.

 

[lawpoke87]

I knew that the plan was there but it was rarely followed through on. We were promised that the 06 age group would train as a whole 1x per week. We trained with the RL team maybe1x a month and that was usually when either the RL coach or my son's coach couldn't make practice so the other coach took them. Because I was the manager, I would hear from parents who weren't happy that promise wasn't being fulfilled.

The club came out with a new Mission Statement which was distributed to all the coaches. Style of play, training requirements and expectations, etc. would have been a huge step for the club. I believe I still have it. I would get the weekly training guidelines probably because this coach knew it would annoy my it wasn’t being followed. He was correct.