Youth soccer club

[TU_BLA]

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.

But by getting ECNL he stands to make a lot more money. And some in the community think because he makes that "high level" soccer accessible to kids from lower income families, he is a philanthropist. Now herein lies the problem as I am aware...WSA for years has enticed kids from other clubs, especially kids from Hispanic families, to come to WSA and play on the top competitive teams and they won't pay any club fees, just tournament and travel fees. And some don't even pay that. At least TSC has been somewhat real with scholarships available and a limited amount at that and a process to get approved. It's probably still a train wreck process but at least it's something. Now, I don't know about any back room deals Barry and Eric might make with kids on ECNL to keep them there but I know of several players who left to go to the other clubs when they were late with their scholarship applications and TSC said "Sorry, it's late and we've handed all of our $ out for the year"...some of these were ECNL level players.

And I'm not sure why you're hellbent on destroying Blitz

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

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.

From what I have seen of the top sides, I don't believe that is the case. You should have seen soccer when I was growing up when everything was playing balls over the top and running onto it

 

[lawpoke87]

From what I have seen of the top sides, I don't believe that is the case. You should have seen soccer when I was growing up when everything was playing balls over the top and running onto it

My daughter has played for the 08, 09 and 10 TSC ECNL squads over the past 18 months and the style of play on those teams were vastly different. She hasn’t played there in ten months and the coaching staff at TSC has improved imo so maybe there is now a more cohesive uniform style of play. There’s always the debate among coaches…do you play to a specific club style or do you play to the current strengths of your players or do you incorporate a combination of the two. The argument against playing to the current strengths of the players is they will never develop those other areas of the game unless forced.

 

[HuffyCane]

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.

Sounds like you are talking about US Soccer.

The pay structure and club organization does not incentivize individual growth or team identity. Its all win and win now. Otherwise Molly wont get a scholarship to Notre Dame or I will be stuck coaching U14s at $25,000 a year for the rest of my life.

Tab had pay structure incentives for his assistants based on documented skill development of key players. Its starting to show on the field and youth clubs should be taking notes.

 

[HuffyCane]

My daughter has played for the 08, 09 and 10 ECNL squads over the past 18 months and the style of play on those teams were vastly different. She hasn’t played there in ten months and the coaching staff at TSC has improved imo so maybe there is now a more cohesive uniform style of play. There’s always the debate among coaches…do you play to a specific club style or do you play to the current strengths of your players or do you incorporate a combination of the two. The argument against playing to the current strengths of the players is they will never develop those other areas of the game unless forced.

Its almost as if players aren't placed on teams based on the ability of the organization and coaches to meet their growth needs and its based on geography, jealousy, greed, and ambition by a variety of different actors.

The Germans do a really good job of figuring out physical potential and things like vision and reaction times that wont improve substantially as a player matures. And they direct players appropriately.

In America, the entire team changes tactics and skill development because one player is really fast, her Dad is rich, and the rest of the girls grew up with her. Its a colossal waste of resources.

 

[lawpoke87]

Its almost as if players aren't placed on teams based on the ability of the organization and coaches to meet their growth needs and its based on geography, jealousy, greed, and ambition by a variety of different actors.

The Germans do a really good job of figuring out physical potential and things like vision and reaction times that wont improve substantially as a player matures. And they direct players appropriately.

In America, the entire team changes tactics and skill development because one player is really fast, her Dad is rich, and the rest of the girls grew up with her. Its a colossal waste of resources.

It’s a difficult decision for coaches when they have a few elite players. The 2010 Albion girls team is a perfect example. They are a top 15 national team. They have two high D1 girls at the forward position. Decent talent everywhere else. Do they play possession soccer and try to work the ball up to the strikers or do they send long balls over the top and rely on those two girls beating the other teams back line. Give you one guess what they do. Does it aid in developing the girls long term….of course not. Will they be playing at Nationals in Seattle this summer….yup.

I will give a shout out to some of the college ID Camps. Most of the invites have come with a code which waives all cost of attendance. Nice to see as the common opinion is most are nothing but money grabs

 

[HuffyCane]

Yeah but you can defend in offensive possession once you are up on the scoreboard allow the other girls to develop skills, then pick your long ball to give the strikers the 1 v 1s.

And with that level of striker talent, you should be up by two goals quickly in most local games.

The bone to pick is when it is 4-0 and they are still long balling in the second half.

But I hear you.

 

[lawpoke87]

Yeah but you can defend in offensive possession once you are up on the scoreboard allow the other girls to develop skills, then pick your long ball to give the strikers the 1 v 1s.

And with that level of striker talent, you should be up by two goals quickly in most local games.

The bone to pick is when it is 4-0 and they are still long balling in the second half.

Hopefully I will never know the answer to that question .

 

[TU_BLA]

Yeah but you can defend in offensive possession once you are up on the scoreboard allow the other girls to develop skills, then pick your long ball to give the strikers the 1 v 1s.

And with that level of striker talent, you should be up by two goals quickly in most local games.

The bone to pick is when it is 4-0 and they are still long balling in the second half.

But I hear you.

It's also easy to defend if you have competent defenders. Not even great, just competent. Edmond North tried to play this way when Dike was there and he could beat any defender in OK HS soccer 1 v 1. Union bracketed him with 2 the entire game in the state playoffs, and he got off 1 shot. EN was so hell bent on defending Union they left 9 on their defensive half of midfield the entire game and only played the long balls in to Dike. And there's so much film out there now, coaches should be game planning to take away what they want to do. My son's coach had scouted a team in a tournament, told the boys before the game this is what they're going to try and do and this is what we're going to do to counter it, and my good, when the players listen to the coach, there's a good chance you're going to be successful. Too many coaches in youth soccer are too stubborn to change things just a bit.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

Yeah but you can defend in offensive possession once you are up on the scoreboard allow the other girls to develop skills, then pick your long ball to give the strikers the 1 v 1s.

And with that level of striker talent, you should be up by two goals quickly in most local games.

The bone to pick is when it is 4-0 and they are still long balling in the second half.

But I hear you.

Sounds like you are talking about US Soccer.

The pay structure and club organization does not incentivize individual growth or team identity. Its all win and win now. Otherwise Molly wont get a scholarship to Notre Dame or I will be stuck coaching U14s at $25,000 a year for the rest of my life.

Tab had pay structure incentives for his assistants based on documented skill development of key players. Its starting to show on the field and youth clubs should be taking notes.

Parents must believe their technical skills are developing even if the wins are not initially there. That is a tough pill to swallow if you are paying and you don't know the game.

Only one club here consistently puts girls in Division 1 schools. The rest just don't.

I am sure many believe that Roger Bush's satellites and charity will eventually start farting out Division 1 offers, but that hasn't been the case yet. I don't know why. Maybe it is because it is just so well run.

Blitz seems to be falling into the Sally Sue category. I don't know why they think a third club will run there. I am sure Wilbert Maximore is just doing this for the kids and not for his pocketbook, right? Why expand the offering? You can charge more and get more players, right? Checks, baby checks 1,2,3. But they're a non-profit! But Barry! Jim Tindell was a non-profit to the tune of 1.6M !

 

[lawpoke87]

Parents must believe their technical skills are developing even if the wins are not initially there. That is a tough pill to swallow if you are paying and you don't know the game.

Only one club here consistently puts girls in Division 1 schools. The rest just don't.

I am sure many believe that Roger Bush's satellites and charity will eventually start farting out Division 1 offers, but that hasn't been the case yet. I don't know why. Maybe it is because it is just so well run.

Blitz seems to be falling into the Sally Sue category. I don't know why they think a third club will run there. I am sure Wilbert Maximore is just doing this for the kids and not for his pocketbook, right? Why expand the offering? You can charge more and get more players, right? Checks, baby checks 1,2,3. But they're a non-profit! But Barry! Jim Tindell was a non-profit to the tune of 1.6M !

Very difficult for a girl playing ECRL or DPL to get a D1 offer.

 

[TU_BLA]

Very difficult for a girl playing ECRL or DPL to get a D1 offer.

I think it becomes even harder when you see the number of international players schools are bringing in both for the men and women.

Speaking of recruiting, my son went to the Soccer Masters camp in Naples, FL over the weekend. Sadly it was not as warm as I would have hoped for being in south Florida. This camp was run specifically for kids wanting to go to highly selective schools. Coaches from Duke, Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, Yale, MIT, Tufts, Bowdoin College, and Connecticut College were all there. My son made some nice connections with coaches and the MIT coach actually remembered him and basically told him if he gets admitted, he will have a spot on the team as he would like another GK or two. He worked a lot with the Georgetown HC who was working with GKs. He and my son had a nice long conversation on Sunday. And the coaches remember kids. The Duke coach found him between games on Sunday and talked with him for a bit. And my son made sure to speak with the Cornell, Tufts and Columbia coaches as he mentioned he had applied to those schools. He had also sent them an email early last week with some info and that he looked forward to meeting them at camp. And my son performed at a pretty elevated level most of the weekend. He made one save during a 7v7 game that drew a "Great save keep" from the Yale coach. There were 9 GKs there, 1 for each of the 8 groups and 1 group had a 2nd. My son got 100% of the PT for his group and even some for another group when that keeper broke his finger in their last 11v11 game.

Here's the catch...almost all of them have filled out their classes but these coaches were also honest with the kids/parents during that portion of the camp. They can't get your kid into school...the kid has to do that themselves and essentially they don't have any pull with the admissions team to get marginal kids in. Funny thing was, almost every parent I talked to said their son/daughter was more interested in the right fit for a school than going to a school for soccer only.

And in seeing this, I realized we did not help him much and we should have pushed him a little earlier on his college thoughts and choices and doing camps like this last year or even the summer after his sophomore year. If your child has a specific set of schools they want to attend and they would like to pursue soccer at one of them, find camps where the coaches will be, attend one of the coaches school specific ID camps, etc. As the coaches mentioned, they go to some ECNL events and other showcases but they usually only notice 1 or 2 players at those events, the rest are kids who come to camps that the coach is at. At the camps they can see how the players respond to coaching, how they participate in drills and their work ethic in a practice setting. And one mom asked the question about whether it was more important to play club or high school (and I think she said her son was only focusing on high school soccer right now)...and it was the Bowdoin coach who said, club soccer and the showcase events as college coaches may only attend 1-2 HS games a season and usually during playoffs. If they attend other HS games it's because they targeted a kid in a club game/showcase/camp.

And in watching this camp and the 11v11 scrimmages each day, I saw maybe 1 kid who was a D1 player. Reminded me of Ryan Pore. 6'1", about 200 lbs, deceptively fast off the ball and seemed even faster with the ball at his feet and he always found space in the box like all good strikers seemed to do. My son had a couple of pretty good CBs in his group and they could not mark this kid at all.

 

[lawpoke87]

Do you have a general date when he has to make a final decision on which school to attend?

TU women held their college ID camp this last Saturday btw

 

[TU_BLA]

Do you have a general date when he has to make a final decision on which school to attend?

TU women held their college ID camp this last Saturday btw

Most schools want your deposit and acceptance of scholarships/aid by May 1st. Some will want it sooner. Georgia Tech and NC State acceptances come out this week. He expects to get into both. NC State shouldn't be an issue at all, and he's done some research and his academic qualifications are above 90% of the out of state applicants there.

And that sucks that TU ad their ID camp this last weekend. My wife said the weather was horrible here. She said she and my daughter showed up to the pool at 6:30am on Saturday for a meet and had to wait outside for a few minutes...it was -3 at the time.

 

[lawpoke87]

Most schools want your deposit and acceptance of scholarships/aid by May 1st. Some will want it sooner. Georgia Tech and NC State acceptances come out this week. He expects to get into both. NC State shouldn't be an issue at all, and he's done some research and his academic qualifications are above 90% of the out of state applicants there.

And that sucks that TU ad their ID camp this last weekend. My wife said the weather was horrible here. She said she and my daughter showed up to the pool at 6:30am on Saturday for a meet and had to wait outside for a few minutes...it was -3 at the time.

Weather hasn’t been good here in Tulsa for several weeks. Heard TU moved the camp inside. My daughter didn’t attend so I have no idea about attendance. Dissappointed TU didn’t send out invites to the instate ECNL girls or the girls who were invited to the southwest U.S. Soccer ID camp. Lazy recruiting on TU’s part imo.

 

[TU_BLA]

Weather hasn’t been good here in Tulsa for several weeks. Heard TU moved the camp inside. My daughter didn’t attend so I have no idea about attendance. Dissappointed TU didn’t send out invites to the instate ECNL girls or the girls who were invited to the southwest U.S. Soccer ID camp. Lazy recruiting on TU’s part imo.

I spoke with a lady whose daughter plays ECNL in Florida. She's a 5'11" GK. Mom thinks she is more likely going to go D3 because of what type of school she wants to go to and the degree she is seeking but she has had contact with Wake Forest and Vanderbilt and a couple of Ivys. Where is TU recruiting? Right now TU has a 5'7" GK starting. I understand she has been quite good and does some really good stuff in terms of controlling and owning her box but TU could upgrade their GK position. And TU sounds like a place this student would really like because of the majors and eventually wanting to go to law school. I watched her play just a little the other day...she's pretty good and probably could come in to TU and be 2nd on the depth chart right away (from what I've seen at TU). Were there other coaches involved with the TU camp...these things usually have reps from a mixture of schools, some other D1s and some lower levels. I know Tom always has the guy from Richland CC in TX come up and work with GKs and Richland has been a nice pipeline of older transfers for TU the last few years. Isn't that where Fazio came from? Does Rhein have any connection like that in recruiting? And there are some really good JUCO players out there. Rhein should take some cues from Tom on how to do things...it would help him a great deal. I know we get the invite to Tom's camps every year.

Have you gone on and submitted a recruiting profile for your daughter on the girls' page? They might be sending invites out from that list plus individuals who previously attended a TU camp. If she's done either or both of those then Jim is missing the boat on a lot of things in terms of recruiting and why he's watching all the talent in this area going elsewhere

 

[lawpoke87]

I spoke with a lady whose daughter plays ECNL in Florida. She's a 5'11" GK. Mom thinks she is more likely going to go D3 because of what type of school she wants to go to and the degree she is seeking but she has had contact with Wake Forest and Vanderbilt and a couple of Ivys. Where is TU recruiting? Right now TU has a 5'7" GK starting. I understand she has been quite good and does some really good stuff in terms of controlling and owning her box but TU could upgrade their GK position. And TU sounds like a place this student would really like because of the majors and eventually wanting to go to law school. I watched her play just a little the other day...she's pretty good and probably could come in to TU and be 2nd on the depth chart right away (from what I've seen at TU). Were there other coaches involved with the TU camp...these things usually have reps from a mixture of schools, some other D1s and some lower levels. I know Tom always has the guy from Richland CC in TX come up and work with GKs and Richland has been a nice pipeline of older transfers for TU the last few years. Isn't that where Fazio came from? Does Rhein have any connection like that in recruiting? And there are some really good JUCO players out there. Rhein should take some cues from Tom on how to do things...it would help him a great deal. I know we get the invite to Tom's camps every year.

Have you gone on and submitted a recruiting profile for your daughter on the girls' page? They might be sending invites out from that list plus individuals who previously attended a TU camp. If she's done either or both of those then Jim is missing the boat on a lot of things in terms of recruiting and why he's watching all the talent in this area going elsewhere

No. We haven’t submitted a recruiting profile yet as it seems a little early as she’s a 2010. We will submit one this summer and get that ball rolling. I brought up the idea of inviting the best instate girls to TU’s camp because other schools are sending out individual invites. My daughter has received 20 or so invites over the past few months. Schools like UCLA, Virginia, Rutgers, etc…. They all waive the camp fee if you attend. Assume they sent out invites to US Soccer Camp invitees. Anyway, just seems like TU is missing a good opportunity to get the best players in the state and region on campus. 🤷‍♂️. Players that might not originally be interested in TU and thus wouldn’t fill out a recruiting profile with the school.

 

[TU_BLA]

No. We haven’t submitted a recruiting profile yet as it seems a little early as she’s a 2010. We will submit one this summer and get that ball rolling. I brought up the idea of inviting the best instate girls to TU’s camp because other schools are sending out individual invites. My daughter has received 20 or so invites over the past few months. Schools like UCLA, Virginia, Rutgers, etc…. They all waive the camp fee if you attend. Assume they sent out invites to US Soccer Camp invitees. Anyway, just seems like TU is missing a good opportunity to get the best players in the state and region on campus. 🤷‍♂️. Players that might not originally be interested in TU and thus wouldn’t fill out a recruiting profile with the school.

This seems like a Monty recruiting tactic. Let's not recruit the best players in the area simply because I don't want to be told no if the player chooses to go elsewhere. It's dumb on Rhein's part.

 

[HuffyCane]

Can you picture Todd Graham recruiting for women’s soccer. Guaran dam tee he would be great at it.

 

[lawpoke87]

Can you picture Todd Graham recruiting for women’s soccer. Guaran dam tee he would be great at it.

There are literally hundreds of “Todd Grahams” out there coaching soccer at the club level. Some of the Europe transplants would even make Graham look mild. Most those guys are missing the “American” filter.

 

[TU_BLA]

Weather hasn’t been good here in Tulsa for several weeks. Heard TU moved the camp inside. My daughter didn’t attend so I have no idea about attendance. Dissappointed TU didn’t send out invites to the instate ECNL girls or the girls who were invited to the southwest U.S. Soccer ID camp. Lazy recruiting on TU’s part imo.

Was TU part of the TSC ID camp this past weekend too? That was outdoors at Jenks SC. Coaches looked ****ing miserable in the pictures I saw. Why? Why put kids through that why put the coaches through that? And seriously, if you think any kid is going to perform optimally under those conditions, you're crazy. And no college soccer team is ever training in that weather, especially around here because they don't get this weather even in the start of December.

 

[lawpoke87]

Was TU part of the TSC ID camp this past weekend too? That was outdoors at Jenks SC. Coaches looked ****ing miserable in the pictures I saw. Why? Why put kids through that why put the coaches through that? And seriously, if you think any kid is going to perform optimally under those conditions, you're crazy. And no college soccer team is ever training in that weather, especially around here because they don't get this weather even in the start of December.

Yes. Turnout from players wasnt bad from what is was told. Jo Johnson was there from TU. Most of the colleges who committed to attend showed up to their credit.

 

[tudirk]

it was 24 degrees with a wind chill of 11......... Like 30 coaches and 65 players.

 

[TU_BLA]

it was 24 degrees with a wind chill of 11......... Like 30 coaches and 65 players.

Getting 30 coaches out there is amazing in that weather. The 65 players who showed up, that's a phenomenal day for them despite the weather.

 

[tudirk]

Coaches couldn't tell anything about talent in that weather. Girls were bundled up like they we hitting the slopes. Great turnout though.

 

[lawpoke87]

it was 24 degrees with a wind chill of 11......... Like 30 coaches and 65 players.

Kudos to all who showed up. Great turnout. TSC needed an indoor option.

 

[HuffyCane]

How you know camps are a cash grab for coaches and not about the players. Renting an indoor option would have cut down the profits and not really added to the bottom line for coaches: one on one contact.

 

[lawpoke87]

How you know camps are a cash grab for coaches and not about the players. Renting an indoor option would have cut down the profits and not really added to the bottom line for coaches: one on one contact.

To TSC credit the cost of the camp for TSC girls was only $25. Out of club cost was $150. Still plenty of revenue to rent a field. However, I assume Soccer City was booked and there ain’t no way FC Tulsa is renting Barry Titan Main indoor .

On the girls side, D1 recruiting to the 2007 class is mostly over. Lower divisions are very active trying to fill spots. The instate 2008 class is very weak. Very few D1 prospects. I would anticipate TU and others to start focusing on the 2009 instate girls starting this August. 2009 isn’t a great class instate but still much better than the 2008s.

 

[TU_BLA]

Coaches couldn't tell anything about talent in that weather. Girls were bundled up like they we hitting the slopes. Great turnout though.

Agreed. They certainly would have not been able to demonstrate full speed or touch/technical skill. Hard to feel the ball if you can't feel your feet. My point was you essentially had 1 college coach for every 2 players which was as good a ration at a camp that I can recall. In comparison, there were about 120 players this past weekend at the camp my son went to. 10-12 college coaches. Broken into 8 groups/teams. Best part is my son didn't have to share time in goal and the coaches were split up 5 on 1 field, 6 on another and only working with 4 groups per day (one day my son's group worked with the 5 coaches, and the other 6 the next day). One coach (Georgetown HC) spent his time going between fields as well as taking 4 GKs at a time to work with them in sessions. 2 groups at a time would train on each of the two fields (4 total) while the other 4 had a break....GKs never got breaks. They'd work with their team groups and during the break period they would train with the other GKs. GKs never got breaks during this camp except during the 11 v 11 sessions and their teams were not on the field. My son said he was pretty sore on Sunday afternoon.

I can't stress enough the importance of players going and introducing themselves to coaches...but even moreso, if they know they're going to a camp with coaches from schools they want to attend and possibly play soccer at, send an email of introduction, some highlights or a link to highlights (i.e. HUDL), maybe some VEO clips if you have some. And then following that up at the camp with an in person introduction. So all these things are way outside my son's own personal comfort zone as he is the type to wait for someone else to come start the conversation. But he did these things and it seems like he made an impression just with that.

With that...see if you can watch highlights or full games maybe streamed. My son was able to specifically reference some MIT games with the coach and that he felt he could contribute to the program.

Kids have to be their own biggest cheerleaders and salesman to coaches. There are too many players out there to hope a coach happens to catch a glimpse of your kid during a special moment they have on the pitch. The coaches also said, players get on the radar through that initial contact but also attending a camp and drawing the coach's attention that they will be there and look forward to meeting them. I was shocked at how many coaches remember my son simply because he sent them an email and then made it a point to introduce himself to put a face/player with the name. And all the coaches will tell you...the kid needs to make that impression/contact, not the parent. There was one dad, always standing right by the goal and talking to his son during the mini games and scrimmages and drills about what he needed to do or what he was doing wrong. I'm not sure but I'd think if some of the college coaches noticed this that kid's name has a RED FLAG drawn next to it. Unless your kid is the next big thing with surefire pro coming after college, I'm not sure college coaches want to deal with that headache...they're not playing the same game as clubs who just want to make sure your kid stays because that's extra $. College coaches don't care. Their #1 goal is winning. They want players who can help with that and they don't want/need the headaches of over controlling parents. When coaches have those parent sessions where questions can be asked...do more listening to what the coaches are saying. I didn't ask any questions...just listened to the parents who did...and the kids. The kids ask way more thoughtful questions and you know where they are. Many of the questions the kids asked this weekend were about transitioning to college from HS and how players dealt with that; some asked questions about summer internships and how that might affect playing time, and some asked about study abroad opportunities and how that might affect things. The D3 coaches were all about the players doing what they needed to do to make the most of their college experience and their end goal, which for most D3 players is a good paying job in the field they want to work in. The D1 coaches were more about making sure the player understood that amount of time away from S&C and training in the Spring or summer would have an impact on their development in relation to their teammates that stuck around.

 

[TU_BLA]

To TSC credit the cost of the camp for TSC girls was only $25. Out of club cost was $150. Still plenty of revenue to rent a field. However, I assume Soccer City was booked and there ain’t no way FC Tulsa is renting Barry Titan Main indoo

Tulsa needs a facility with at least 1 full size indoor field. Enid of all places has one and I don't think they even have a competitive level club. You see pictures of full size indoor facilities all over Texas. We need one, maybe 2 in Tulsa and between the 3 large competitive clubs in town, I'm pretty sure they could keep it booked full time.

 

[lawpoke87]

Tulsa needs a facility with at least 1 full size indoor field. Enid of all places has one and I don't think they even have a competitive level club. You see pictures of full size indoor facilities all over Texas. We need one, maybe 2 in Tulsa and between the 3 large competitive clubs in town, I'm pretty sure they could keep it booked full time.

Here’s FCD facility. I would have rather seen 1 full size field with a curtain so it could be divided into two side. FCD has a curtain to divide the two fields but they aren’t the width of a full side field. The best indoor facility I’ve seen is in Wichita of all places. Go figure

FC Dallas Youth Launches the FC Dallas Performance Center | FC Dallas

FC Dallas Youth Launches the FC Dallas Performance Center

www.fcdallas.com

 

[TU_BLA]

Here’s FCD facility. I would have rather seen 1 full size field with a curtain so it could be divided into two side. FCD has a curtain to divide the two fields but they aren’t the width of a full side field. The best indoor facility I’ve seen is in Wichita of all places. Go figure

FC Dallas Youth Launches the FC Dallas Performance Center | FC Dallas

FC Dallas Youth Launches the FC Dallas Performance Center

www.fcdallas.com

Well, FC Tulsa could do this if they reconfigured the building and tore out the basketball courts to build a full sized indoor field. I'm sure there are plenty of times they'd rather train indoors like that and not on an indoor soccer field with hockey boards.

I don't see FC Tulsa doing that because that facility makes a killing for the basketball and volleyball court rentals for the large tournaments that come there. Then they gouge people for admission...thankfully none of the local soccer tournaments have started charging for entry into the events yet...although the parking fee they add on is essentially that.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

They would be idiots to tear out those courts. They have indoor fields to get a level of training in.

There was only one such place in Denver. It is publically funded via property taxes in Jefferson County. It was fun because the adult league games never ended, and there were legit games during the winter months.

They had a decent amount of practices for lacrosse and flag football, besides soccer, before the adult league games would get going later, kind of like soccer city here. Titan has lots of lacrosse and flag football on it.

Here, the adult leagues are a joke because the Hispanics decided they were too cool for NEOASA. Up there, while Hispanic leagues existed, the best teams played in one league, with white, African, and Hispanic teams rocking out. Here it is a disaster train.

 

[lawpoke87]

TU BLA…I see where Jack Franklin from Blitz was just named by TopDrawer as one of the top 20 high school players to watch. Is he a keeper ?

 

[TU_BLA]

TU BLA…I see where Jack Franklin from Blitz was just named by TopDrawer as one of the top 20 high school players to watch. Is he a keeper ?

He is. He's the starting GK at Jenks. He also kicked for the football team this season. He is in the same age group as my son and just moved to Blitz from TSC. He's big, 6'2, a good 230 lbs. He's a strong kid too. Honestly, can't say he's a much better shot stopper than my son. He's OK with the ball at his feet, and he can punt the ball a country mile but when he does it usually ends up being a turnover because he "outkicks his coverage". He's inconsistent with distribution IMO.

I saw the Top Drawer thing and I'm not 100% sure why. He's good but certainly not a top 20 kid in the nation by any stretch. Heck, he just committed to play at Univ of Missouri-St. Louis, a D2 school, and their soccer program is meh at best. I've said it many times, the GK position and what coaches want is changing a lot. They want an Alex Lopez and if they can get him in a Manuel Neuer body even better. I think it's why my son has gotten some attention from some coaches who see his feet and ability to play out of the back confidently and consistently.

And then the kid at Bixby plays behind Jack at Blitz RL right now. If you get a chance, go to a Bixby game and let me know what you think. Everyone's first reaction is "he's big". I think Will is 6'4" maybe pushing 6'5". He's a decent shot stopper. But make no mistake, he's no Casey Copenhaver who was as good with his feet as any GK in this area that I've seen in a long time. Knowing who Bixby has slated to play this season, they're going to struggle. Troy Nguyen is their best player and then probably the kid named Johan. I think they're really going to struggle in the back though and their depth, unless they add a great FR class to the varsity mix this season, is going to be lacking. Their JV squads last year were not very good at all.

I will give my rundown of HS soccer in the other thread soon.

 

[lawpoke87]

He is. He's the starting GK at Jenks. He also kicked for the football team this season. He is in the same age group as my son and just moved to Blitz from TSC. He's big, 6'2, a good 230 lbs. He's a strong kid too. Honestly, can't say he's a much better shot stopper than my son. He's OK with the ball at his feet, and he can punt the ball a country mile but when he does it usually ends up being a turnover because he "outkicks his coverage". He's inconsistent with distribution IMO.

I saw the Top Drawer thing and I'm not 100% sure why. He's good but certainly not a top 20 kid in the nation by any stretch. Heck, he just committed to play at Univ of Missouri-St. Louis, a D2 school, and their soccer program is meh at best. I've said it many times, the GK position and what coaches want is changing a lot. They want an Alex Lopez and if they can get him in a Manuel Neuer body even better. I think it's why my son has gotten some attention from some coaches who see his feet and ability to play out of the back confidently and consistently.

And then the kid at Bixby plays behind Jack at Blitz RL right now. If you get a chance, go to a Bixby game and let me know what you think. Everyone's first reaction is "he's big". I think Will is 6'4" maybe pushing 6'5". He's a decent shot stopper. But make no mistake, he's no Casey Copenhaver who was as good with his feet as any GK in this area that I've seen in a long time. Knowing who Bixby has slated to play this season, they're going to struggle. Troy Nguyen is their best player and then probably the kid named Johan. I think they're really going to struggle in the back though and their depth, unless they add a great FR class to the varsity mix this season, is going to be lacking. Their JV squads last year were not very good at all.

I will give my rundown of HS soccer in the other thread soon.

My kid fights the size thing as well. She’s between 5’5” and 5’6”. Hoping she has another inch or two to grow. A scout or another coach looks out on the field and sees a 5’9” CB that player is automatically going to catch his attention. Just is what it is. I do think the women’s game is changing due to teams like Spain who value skill over size but the American style especially in college still values size. If she can get to 5’7” it won’t matter. At 5’5” it does.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

My kid fights the size thing as well. She’s between 5’5” and 5’6”. Hoping she has another inch or two to grow. A scout or another coach looks out on the field and sees a 5’9” CB that player is automatically going to catch his attention. Just is what it is. I do think the women’s game is changing due to teams like Spain who value skill over size but the American style especially in college still values size. If she can get to 5’7” it won’t matter. At 5’5” it does.

CB will be hard at the small size unless she has unreal leaping ability. Coaches are tall people there who can dominate the air, even if their distribution and ball-winning are amazing. It is their bias. They always want people to dominate the air. Given her quality, she will probably have her choice of programs at the outside back.

What grade is she now?

 

[TU_BLA]

CB will be hard at the small size unless she has unreal leaping ability. Coaches are tall people there who can dominate the air, even if their distribution and ball-winning are amazing. It is their bias. They always want people to dominate the air. Given her quality, she will probably have her choice of programs at the outside back.

What grade is she now?

I was thinking more the 6 role as it sounds like she has good technical skill, good field vision, and high soccer IQ.

 

[lawpoke87]

CB will be hard at the small size unless she has unreal leaping ability. Coaches are tall people there who can dominate the air, even if their distribution and ball-winning are amazing. It is their bias. They always want people to dominate the air. Given her quality, she will probably have her choice of programs at the outside back.

What grade is she now?

8th. Her natural position given her skill set would be the 6. She is exceptionally technical having trained under JM for the past 4 years. She’s also really good in the air. She did play the 6 this past weekend in Austin. She quickly discovered your fitness is much more of an issue at the 6 compared to CB.

Every coach or trainer who has seen her in the past few years says she’s a 6. The problem has always been that she is the best CB on whatever team she is on and coaches seem to value that position so she has always ends up at CB. She’s fast and physical as well as a very good on ball defender. Her current coach told us last week that she’s the best 2010 CB in Texas (he obviously has some bias) but you see the dilemma regarding her positioning. It’s difficult for a coach to give up their security blanket in the back even if a move might be in the players longterm best interest.

 

[TulsaRulzOSUdrools]

TU BLA…I see where Jack Franklin from Blitz was just named by TopDrawer as one of the top 20 high school players to watch. Is he a keeper ?

High school rankings are such a joke. They are almost impossible to compare.

He punts the ball really far and is super intense, but he would not have even been among the top 6 or 7 players on the TSC NL team if he had stayed in terms of talent. Then you look at an OFC team in third place in their league. The Dallas Texans Academy has NINE kids going to Division 1 at the top of the league, with their top kid going to North Carolina. That kid is not on the list and is easily the best player in the Texas League.