Any coach who is qualified and understands the principles of developing kids would not care who wins a U11 tournament. Spend more time developing kids the correct way and you will have huge success at the older age groups! It's really very simple but parents and coaches egos get in the way of this! Such a shame...it's the kids that will suffer in the long term.

SHA probably has 4 of the top 10 girls in the age group. It is ignorant to say they only have 2 good players, but slightly less ignorant than saying they only have one.

If you say there are 4 ok by me but two have really cause us problems during games. Same can be said about a couple of kids from DH, KP, Mass and NHP and I guess that rounds out the top ten. The kids would have a blast if they all played together as they know each other pretty well but adult egos know better.

I never quite got this line of thinking. What exactly is the point in creating a GU-11 superteam that will be up 5-0 at halftime every game? It's not fun for the losing team and it's not even all that much fun for the winning team.

That is the point.Too many parents these days forget it's supposed to be a game they're playing with their friends. It was organized to ensure the safety of the children and to schedule the competition; not to create soccer training moguls and insane parental behavior. But alas parents will continue to drink the kool aid and defend their right to drag their child "who loves soccer" all over for countless days/hours for the bigger, better scenario. I wonder if they'll consider moving to a "better" HS...oh wait HS ball doesn't count, I forgot. And there's always private school anyway. Ten years from now when your daughter is (hopefully) graduating college how much of this will have really mattered? Enjoy watching them play it's a priceless gift. One injury and it can all be over. Then what will you obsess about?

S1 Week 1
Crimson Tide 2 vs. 1 Pride
White 5 vs. 0 Explosion
Xplosion 2 vs. 1 X-treme
Fury 1 vs. 3 Mia 2000 Intense
Firecats 0 vs. 3 Kickers

S1 Season
White, Kickers (1 and 2)
Mia, Tide (3 and 4)
Pride, Fury, Firecats (5, 6, and 7)
Xplosion, Explosion, X-treme (8, 9, and 10)

Welcome to S1 Xplosion and Explosion.

That is as true a statement as you can make at this age, in fact, from U-8 thru U-13, a coach looking at the long term should be able to say to the parents "let me develop the girls and teach them the skills and technique necessary to win beyond U-13. Unfortunately there is no loyalty or patience on Long Island you have too many parents who want results from U-9. Look at all the forums from U9 and up parents talk about there kids and teams as if they are super stars. The truth is they are good athletes with very little skill or soccer technique that play each game going long with big kicks and out running their opponent. Too bad the parents can not see beyond the trees in the forest.

The situation is not dire on the girl’s side as they are playing 3-5 days a week and the top teams have soccer players along with some athletes. The tier below is predominately athletes who use their speed and strength but there are certainly exceptions.

The problem is how does a non-expert parent pick the right club/team/coach/trainer for their child and give them 3-4 years of development time? A “win” is an easy metric to gauge success but procession soccer or kick and run are subjective and you will know in four years whether you made the right choice early on. Picking a team with an eye to the future is difficult but making sure our kids are “happy” to be there is a good guide.

Who is saying that SHA has 4 of the top 10 in the age group? That just may be the funniest thing I have ever heard in reference to SHA! You just know that is just one parent on that team trying to build up what just isn't there anymore. Reality is that team isn't the same anymore since fall. Good luck SHA and post on U12. Good luck everyone else.

Best wishes for a fun, warm, injury free soccer day tomorrow!

You go girls!!