A significant difference and somewhat based on market size is inner club competition.
Let’s break competitive players down into 3 categories:
Elite = US Soccer ID pool, top 250 national, high D1
High Level = lower D1 or high D2
Good = lower D2 or other small college player
In markets like Tulsa, girls in the first two categories are guaranteed NL positions and most girls in the third category are playing NL as well. There’s very little risk for current Tulsa NL players of losing their position on the top team due to the lack of high level players on other teams or clubs. This tends to build complacency among our players.
Now contrast to a market like Dallas. Even some elite players feel pressure to keep their starting NL position. Almost every high level player feels pressure if they made an NL roster. Why…because the depth of the talent pool. There is always other elite or high level players looking for greener pastures at another club. Just the nature of club soccer. Why is this important….because it pushes those players to outside trainings. It pushes those players to watch nutrition. To work on speed and strength. Which results in improving soccer players.
One advantage Energy has received over the past years is Tulsa area soccer players not only increasing their talent pool but pushing the current players there to get better. You become complacent at Energy and a Tulsa player very well might come in and take your place in the starting 11. Fear and competition can do wonders when it comes to pushing an athlete to be their best.
I bring this up because for Tulsa to be successful their kids need to train like their counterparts in other markets. I’ve seen far too many Tulsa area NL players do nothing outside of their 2 or 3 weekly team trainings because their role with team isn’t at risk. I truly believe most local parents (and even coaches) don’t realize the training and emphasis on things like nutrition the players in the bigger markets are doing. We need coaches who push their players to be great and tell them what it takes to get there. Unfortunately, those coaches can at times be somewhat abrasive and run parents the wrong way. Something which doesn’t always go over well in Tulsa.
Keeping the best girls at home in Tulsa would also greatly help as well.
Ok…off my soap box. Good luck to all those kids going through tryouts even though we all know tryouts at the competitive level are a farce