SOURCE:
Russo adds: “This could be a real milestone for the world of football
because
it may help to create a legacy for the future that enables other
people to
come forward to reveal wrongdoing without fear of being
prosecuted.”
"For greater clarity" the exact targeted wording
[Hypocritical] b randing rules : " except for sponsorship branding " " sponsor may not be a soccer club, which is not recog...
Truly Elite. Future of Canadian soccer.
ReplyDeletehttps://tinyurl.com/y57emj68
Brampton: Canada's key to World Cup success | The Movement pres. by AT&T
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/08/16/brampton-canadas-key-world-cup-success-movement-pres-att?autoplay=true
“This could be a real milestone for the world of football because it may help to create a legacy for the future that enables other people to come forward to reveal wrongdoing without fear of being prosecuted.”
ReplyDelete"Ottawa Futsal FSTA LACA"
ReplyDeleteYeah. I have no idea why some teams would rather operate outside of the ERSL.....
https://ersl.e2esoccer.com/General_DivisionSummary.aspx?divID=424
DeleteStraight from the ERSL website
Who operates outside of ERSL?
ReplyDeleteFuturo U15s have outscored their opponents 44-3 in 4 games playing at their age level in a regional league. They should be playing up a year at the very least. Such disservice to some of the players on that team.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that not every player on the team would benefit from playing up. Some will struggle physically, while some might not be technically good enough to cope with bigger and stronger opponents. Some players are given the opportunity to train and play with older age groups, and they do play alot of games outside of the league, so it is possible to challenge them. Overall though, this is a symptom of the broken system we have in Ontario. ERSL doesn't help things by just allowing pretty well anyone who asks to enter the regional division though.
Delete5 games, but I see your point.
DeleteThe ERSL U13 division is a good example of why the league and clubs need to take a more objective look at the teams. I realize U13 is based solely on self-classification, but half of those teams should not be there and the clubs should have been in a position to realize that from their winter/spring friendlies. The problem going forward will be that even though U14 is supposed to be based on promotion/relegation, the ERSL will likely let any of those teams in to the regional division if they ask.
DeleteIf you ask the families on that team, pretty well every one of them will tell you that the training they're getting is the most important thing. Outside of the league games, they'll probably play at least 30-40 pretty competitive games over the course of the year, so very few families are willing to give up that level of training just because they have to play a dozen games that are a waste of time.
DeleteOPDL is the same. You got your good teams, your mediocre teams and your bad teams. Ontario Soccer should never mind about this whole private/non-private crap and make ONE provincial league with 2 tiers. The best can play each other in the top tier, and the mediocre and bad teams in the 2nd tier.
ReplyDeleteWhile I would say OPDL is more competitive than the regional leagues, it isn't that much more competitive and the level of play doesn't justify the amount of travel. As an example, I saw one of the weaker ERSL U14 teams outplay and beat an OPDL team in the spring, and that OPDL team isn't even the worst in their division, let alone the league. Players are spending a lot of time in cars and buses for games that could easily be replaced with local games - you just need to have the top 5 or 6 teams in eastern Ontario/western Quebec play each other regularly, and a couple of the OPDL clubs have to be willing to play against those teams. I know that during the time the OPDL players are sitting on a bus, my kids either have practice, train on their own, or do school work. And they're still able to arrange games against a lot of strong teams, but with much less travel.
DeleteFuturo 06s are doing uncharacteristically poorly so far.
ReplyDeleteSomething serious happened with the OCSL this week - supposedly some kind of major internal problem. Looks like WOSC/OSU will get what they have wanted this year.
ReplyDeleteCan you be more specific?
DeleteI would have to agree about the Futuro 06s. Their 06s, 07s and 08s are not as strong as their 05s, 04s etc...the coaching is very good though.
ReplyDelete06 lost many players as a result of opdp. Quite a different situation than 05 which has most of the same kids playing together since before u9. The current 06 players are great kids and progressing well. One should not put too much emphasis on league scores and standings as there is often more to the story. I have no doubt that their league results will improve over the summer.
DeleteThe 2006 age group would have been hard hit by the OPDP initiative by the other clubs, although I know that the parents who left aren't thrilled with where their kids are now, but they left on very bad terms and wouldn't be able to go back. Not sure whether the 2007, 2008 and 2009 age groups were affected by it as well. Regardless of how those teams are doing, I can guarantee that individually, those kids will develop at a much faster rate than others.
ReplyDeleteThe 2010 age group is exceptional though. From what I've seen over the years, it's probably the most talented group they've had at U9.
I have to say that it's been nice having all clubs competing against one another again. Saw OSU and Futuro play a couple of times at the U9 age group and watching those games, there's no way anyone could keep a straight face and say the OPDP idea was in the interest of player development. Very different playing styles, but both very competitive and strong teams - it would be a shame if they didn't get to play one another regularly. I understand some of the other age groups are a little unbalanced because of what happened a couple of years ago, but in the interest of the kids, I really hope that we're able to see games like this going forward.
DeleteYes I agree, it's nice to see the "El classico" of Ottawa youth soccer again.
DeleteAlthough this game can become a thug-of-war for the coaches, always eager to win and show the parents who is the best developer in Ottawa. I find that sometimes it becomes more about the coaches winning the game, than the kids actually getting something out of it. It also becomes a showcase, where the clubs are in most cases trying to show the opposing parents that their club is better, and therefore they should move and spend their money with them. It's amazing how many times I saw parents move clubs because they thought the other team played better in what is in the end, a completely insignificant game in the grand scheme of what is developing a player. Some kids do great at OSU, others do great at Futuro, the reverse is normally not true, it really depends on what kind of player it is.
But good and fierce competition is always great, the benefits largely outweigh the issues.
Futuro has a good coaching corps but boldly stating that all kids will develop faster there is a bit much. Regardless, their 04s are in the Ontario Cup, so we'll see what's what. There they will face some stiffer competition than the ERSL. The local Cap U/Cumberland team is decent as well, so it could be good. Actually, that would be a good match between the two of them.
ReplyDeleteThose two teams could play each other in the Ontario Cup if they both get through to the semi-finals. Each has a fairly strong team to get past in their groups for the tournament round though. Futuro would likely have the tougher quarterfinal game though. I think both are capable of getting that far, but like you say, the competition is stronger than here. They played against one another either last year or the year before in the Ontario Cup and Futuro beat the by a few goals though.
DeleteA number of local boys teams are in the Ontario Cup and a few could do well. Futuro and Cumberland in U15 could both do pretty well as mentioned above. In the U16 age group, Futuro has a very strong team, but got unlucky with the draw and was grouped with maybe the strongest team (curious why Cunberland's U16's didn't enter). I expect the WOS U17's and Cumberland U17's to do well also. I think the best chance of winning is probably Futuro's U14's though. OSU's U18's could also win it, but in part because the Ontario Cup is even more watered down at U18 than at the other age groups. In the end, regardless of which club you're with, we should all want these teams to do well in representing our region. Best of luck to all.
DeleteDifferent people have different ideas of what good development is. Futuro emphasizes a very technical, skill oriented game, balanced with tactics that emphasize creativity and possession. If that is what you are looking for developmentally, the kids progress very quickly if they are engaged in the process.
DeleteMany other programs either emphasize other aspects of the game, or don't have a clear learning path with players receiving different coaching biases year over year as coaches and teams change around.
So yeah, a bold statement, but not unreasonable either. This is not something that can just be measured by wins/losses.
Bad sideline coaching at the U9-U12 level by the parents. THAT is our biggest issue in this city and our country. I don't care if you played pro, shut up and let the coach do his job.
ReplyDeleteI find this a problem with my kid's team - certain parents all over their 8 year olds, constantly shouting instructions. I feel bad for the kids because they're always looking over during the game for their parents' approval. Last night one of these dads was standing on the sideline (on the field at times), following the play up and down the field and telling his son what to do non-stop. It was hilarious when a parent from the other team went and stood right next to him for a joke. But the guy is oblivious to everything and just assumed other parents are like him.
DeleteIt is important to just let the kids play. So often, what the parents are saying completely contradicts what the coaches want them to do anyway.
DeleteI think most of these parents could enjoy the game more if they sat back and relaxed and admired the good things kids do and ignore the many mistakes that are a normal part of learning. It's an incremental learning process, but kids are sponges and can figure out some pretty amazing stuff.
And yeah, the refs make lots of mistakes too, but yelling at them (especially the young ones) is completely unacceptable and isn't going to fix the situation. There is a process for coaches/managers to provide some post game feedback to the league.
I will say though that when a program emphasizes winning at a young age, and puts pressure on coaches and players, it rubs off on parents also. The kids want to win. That is enough. Better programs focus on the playing objectives and in the long term it pays off. Parents need to be patient and believe in the process. It is shocking how much u9-12 players move around between clubs these days.
The KNSA U14 team seems to have found a unique way of staying undefeated - stop entering your scores if you lose a game. Why doesn't the league fine them if they won't confirm the scores?
ReplyDeleteAnother funny thing is that their U13 team was given a draw for a game that doesn't exist? Played six games, lost six games, but have a draw and six losses in the standings?
DeleteMaybe they feel that scores and standings shouldn't be kept at U14 and this is their way of protesting? Seriously though, they should either be forced to update their scores, or removed from the league. Teams really have no idea of where they are in the standings because of them.
DeleteI would think that maintaining the scores and standings would be fairly straightforward. The ref records who scores each goal before proceeding with play, and refs have to submit game sheets iirc within 24hrs. I would think that should be all that is required to get the result into the system. The game reporting system is probably a good confirmation, but coaches, managers, and other parents often come from the same game with different ideas of the score, so a system that relies on recollection is not as good. Also, the standings *should* be auto-generated from the game result, and the result *should* be auto-generated from the list of who scored. So it is bizarre that it is possible to have a game in the standings that is not in the results, but perhaps there is something that happened in a game and someone can override (but did it wrong)?
DeleteAll that said, I think it is too easy for some people here to be too obsessed with the scores and standings. Yes, soccer is a sport and it is about winning... But I think some here try to read into it too much, as to reflect on the various programs in the region based on the standings. Especially in the u13-15 years, you have kids at various stages of physical development (size) and a game can easily be won by relying solely on that. If you feel that developing *how* the kids play matters more, then you might not be as concerned about losing a game to a big team that mostly just kicks the ball long. That won't work forever and it teaches some bad habits!
I hadn't realized that's what they were doing - I just saw the standings and wondered how the hell they're going to make up 5 games that they haven't played. But if you look at the schedules by week, you do see that scores are entered and it's them that haven't been approving them. Surprised the league allows this, because I know in my men's league, I get harassed to submit the game report before it's even late.
DeleteLooks like they're back at it again - not confirming scores days after the game has been played. It's almost as though they don't care.
DeleteST ANTHONYS-FUTURO-LACA-EAGLES-KNSA-SURAD
ReplyDeleteSay what you want, but one of the biggest issues in Ontario soccer is the silos and exclusion on the part of a number of clubs. St. Anthony has done its part to open up competition to groups that would otherwise be excluded by people with their own agendas.
DeleteOK, I will say it, envy. Get a Hummer, it will compensate for lack thereof...
DeleteSo many parents care more about winning than the actual development of their kid. It is absolutely hilarious. No wonder we suck at soccer. And trust me, we suck at soccer.
ReplyDeleteI'm very familiar with the youth systems in a number of European countries, and I can tell you that almost all have scores/standings from U8 or U9 (some start a bit later, but well before U14). Ontario's system of no scores/standings up to U12 is merely based on a theory; in reality, if you look at other countries, scores/standings at any age group have not hindered their player development.
DeleteThat said, this situation has nothing to do with player development. We are talking here about U14's, who play in a league that does in fact keep scores/standings (this isn't someone asking for scores to be kept in a league where they aren't supposed to be), where those standings impact who qualifies for the Ontario regional champions tournament. These are not U9's. This is a case of a team not following through with their administrative responsibilities.
I agree that whether one feels scores should be kept at U14 or not isn't the point of the post above - it has everything to do with team officials committing to do something at the start of the season, then choosing not to do it. If they didn't want to approve their game results, they shouldn't have entered the league.
DeleteOn a separate note, if people think we should now do away with scores/standings at U13 and U14 as well, I would urge you to look at the downward trend in registration numbers in Ontario. While it might be anecdotal, I hear more and more families leaving the sport because they find the current system to be a joke compared to other sports. I don't think it would be wise to take that chance, because it will be difficult to reverse these declining numbers as is. Remember, kids now only have 4 or 5 years where scores are kept, if they play up to U17.
I was not suggesting that there should be no scores at U13 - only that parents (especially) should place less emphasis on the score. The kids already care about the score and many will want to see standings etc. I personally feel that it would be fine to have scores at u9-u12 also, but the adults need to stop over emphasizing the scores in isolation as an insinuation that X program is better than Y. The point of no scores no standings was to get coaches to stop coaching solely to win games and focus on proper development, but even with no scores, there are still some that mostly just coach to win. This hampers kids development. If we can learn to consider scores as just one part of the puzzle - that there's more to the story of every game, then we can have scores and coach properly without fear of parents pulling their kids out so they can join some other team that wins all the time...
DeleteOne local club in particular has been known to promote themselves substantially on the basis of winning. They are the reason this exists. We had scores when I was a kid and it was fine, but the club's were not the empire builders then that we have now ($$).
Speaking of Hummers, nice 15-1 win by Futuro the other night at U15.
ReplyDelete"No...no.....it would not benefit all players to play up a year."
Those kids (Futuro U15 or U14) should be playing in an OPDL team or in OASL/SAAC. It's a disgrace that they aren't. Sometimes I don't know what the heck Sanjeev is thinking.
DeleteParents, please wake up, sticking with a program you like is great, loyalty is good, but it's not worth spending Summers winning all games 10-0 without competition. Your kid will not benefit from that. Training is not everything.
Join a league where the best players are playing. the best players in Ontario are not in ERSL regional league or in the Ontario Cup.
Those players should be playing Woodbridge, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Pro Stars, Sigma, etc, they shouldn't be playing against Internationals, Gloucester, OSU White or the Nepean Hotspurs.
Some of the best players are in ERSL, CSL, GHSL, along with OASL and OPDL. Not everyone is keen on travelling to play teams that aren't that much better than what they can play closer by. Keep in mind that the 12 - 15 ERSL games represent a small proportion of their total games. They play many games against some of the top teams in Quebec, against the Impact, as well as against out-of-town OPDL/OASL teams (a couple of the local ones are still boycotting). In the 10 hrs others spend traveling to/from a game, these kids can get extra training in, play a game closer to home, do schoolwork, etc. If you were to add it up, I'm pretty sure they play more games against strong teams than OPDL teams do (not every OPDL game is against Woodbridge; as for Pro Stars, their 04's aren't very strong) - by handpicking opponents, you're able to make sure those non-league games are worthwhile. If we had a system where the best teams played against one another and kids could stay where they feel they're getting the best training, this wouldn't be happening.
DeleteYou know what's a bigger waste of time than winning a game 15-1? Driving 10 hours and winning a game 15-1.
2001 played in saaq and won the league. What I heard is that though there were some good games, it was not worth the travel especially when school started up again in the fall.
DeleteWe really need leagues to be as local as possible with all the best programs participating. If we had 2 or 3 or 4 top level regional competitions in the province that had a championship tournament where travel happened mostly over eg a (possibly long) weekend, that would be great.
What is really sad is that Ontario no longer has such a league where the best players play each other week in week out. Regarding Futuro, most of their teams are getting challenging competition outside of their "main" league i.e. during winter, spring and fall and also by participating into good tournaments. The summer league is not great for them but there is not much they can do given the silos we have in Ontario. The closest we had of a good inclusive league was the OYSL but we phased it out in favor of OPDL which had a good concept on paper but was not successfully deployed for many bad reasons...
DeleteNobody is saying that your friendlies are unimportant or ineffective, what some of us are saying is put away your hummer and play up a year. That fact that you are at U15 is a joke and a disgrace. Many of us think there may be something else going on there. We get it though, your kid does his homework.....none of ours do.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you should be complaining to the league, since they're the ones who wouldn't allow them to play up. Sorry to burst your conspiracy theory about there being "something else going on there".
DeleteAs for homework, that's just one example of something a kid could be doing. There's also helping around the house, extra training, other activities. Yes, school work can be done even with all the travel, but something else has to give. 150 hours of travel time for those games (give or take) is a lot when ultimately, there is nothing at the end of that path. From what I've heard about the parent/player surveys that were done, this was the biggest reason for the combination of the U16/U17 age groups in OPDL - families started realizing that no one is actually watching and all that travel has been down a path to nowhere.
DeleteYou really need to break down the OPDL schedule to get a good sense of whether the travel is worthwhile, and then it's up to each family to decide if it makes sense compared to what their kids have to forego because of the extra travel. I'm familiar with a number of the teams at U14 from either playing against them, or friends/family in other parts of Ontario. The east division has two teams that would be among the weakest in the ERSL, so you get 3-4 games against those teams, as well as another 3-4 games against teams at that level - so you're likely playing 6-7 games against teams that are weaker than almost all of the ERSL teams (in ERSL U14, you might play 3-4 games against teams at that level). There are 5 or 6 (what I would consider) strong teams in the OPDL U14 age group, with none of them being in the east division - you might play 3-4 games against those teams. The rest of the games (10-12 games maybe) are against teams that would not be at the top in ERSL, but fall somewhere in the middle (some average, some above average and some below average). So if you're a strong team in ERSL, most of your games are against teams that would be comparable to most OPDL teams, you're likely playing fewer games against really, really weak teams, but you're not getting league games against very strong teams (although that will typically be less than a handful of games in the OPDL east schedule). Those few games are easily made up for through hand-picked friendly games. I'm not looking to get into an argument over whose kid does more homework or mows the lawn more often, but my kids have played against quite a few OPDL teams of different levels, and I've seen many of these teams play in other games, so I'm pretty confident in my assessment of the quality of both leagues.
DeleteIs that U16 now on the Fury really a Professional level player, or is it a PR/Marketing thingy?
ReplyDeleteMarketing. He will be a real pro one day though. They sign some local guys for PR sometimes. Dixon and Edwards were legit pros though. Both played pro before being signed to the Fury. Take it with a grain of salt. Some might say it is insulting though. I get that.
ReplyDeleteI heard from someone on the team that he's probably been their best player in training lately. And he did look quite good in the few minutes he got on the weekend. No question that they love the PR, but from everything I've been hearing, he's been doing really well.
DeleteGood luck to the local teams playing Ontario Cup quarterfinal games this coming weekend:
ReplyDeleteFuturo U14 boys
Gloucester U14 girls
WOS U17 boys
Cumberland U17 boys
Cumberland U17 girls
St. Anthony's MP
Gloucester Inter OT
Gloucester Celtic OT
How did all the local teams do this weekend?
DeleteBoth the U14 teams won their games - Gloucester U14 girls and Futuro U14 boys. Don't know about the rest - OS is horrible at updating the scores for anything if it isn't OPDL.
DeleteCumberland U17 girls won their game too.
DeleteSt. Anthony's MP won their game too.
DeleteBoth Gloucester OT teams went on and play each other in the semis.
DeleteGood luck to the local teams playing this coming weekend in the Ontario Cup semi-finals:
DeleteFuturo U14 boys
Gloucester U14 girls
Cumberland U17 girls
St. Anthony's men's
Gloucester Celtic O35
Gloucester Inter O35
Congratulations to Futuro U14 boys and Cumberland U17 girls on winning their semi-final games and moving on to the Ontario Cup finals.
DeleteCongratulations also to Gloucester Inter O35, who made it to the final today but came up just short.
Anyone know how St. Anthony's MP did in their semifinal?
St. Anthony's MP did win their semifinal game.
DeleteI expected more out of the Futuro U15s. I was told they looked incredibly average at the Ontario Cup. Shows how poor regional soccer has gotten here in Ottawa with the creation of the OPDL. They destroy the Regional U 15 teams here in Ottawa. Does anybody know why Futuro did not get a National Youth License?
ReplyDeleteApparently they didn't any subs - quite a few players away on vacation and a couple of injuries. I do think they rely heavily on a couple of those players and its a very different team when they're complete. I know that in their first game, they lost on a goal that was scored after their opponents had played with 12 players for about 20 minutes. They also had the defending champions in their group, so it was going to be tough in any case, especially with all the missing players.
ReplyDeleteAs for the national youth license, that is based on meeting opdl criteria - so nothing to do with what actual on-field qualifications or development. Some of the criteria include having a marketing plan and having teams at both genders.
WOS U17 boys and Cumberland U17 boys both lost their QF games. 6 of 8 Ottawa teams moved on to the semis though, so good results overall.
ReplyDeleteNobody should look at the Ontario Cup anymore. The top level soccer in Ontario is the OPDL, the TFC youth teams and some teams in the OASL. The Ontario Cup is nothing more than a diversion, if they were open to OPDL teams, you could take it seriously, but as it is, it's low level and it means nothing.
ReplyDeleteSure, there's good players/teams, but it won't be anywhere near the level of the mid-top teams in OPDL and it will certainly be much lower than a youth TFC team.
There are teams in the Ontario Cup that regularly beat some of the top OPDL teams, so I wouldn't say it's low level. There are low level teams in the tournament round for sure, but once you get to the semifinals/quaterfinals, you have some of the top teams in Ontario. The U14 age group at the recent OSU tournament was a good example, where the OPDL teams finished bottom. In most age groups, the top 10 - 12 teams in Ontario would be made up of a handful of OPDL teams, a handful of OASL and a handful of regional teams.
DeleteMy kid's team has beaten and outplayed a number of the top OPDL teams in their age group, and I've also seen one of the weaker teams in ERSL outplay and beat a mid-table OPDL team.
At the U17 level, the Ontario Cup is one of the best competition in the province given that the U17 OPDL league is mostly a U16 league and that Ontario no longer has a real U17 provincial league. The winners play the Nationals which is a good goal for a team.
DeleteIf I want to put my kid in a club that will develop him the most in Ottawa, which one would that be? He is 7 years old.
ReplyDeleteAt that age, developing fundamental movement skills (ABCs) and creativity is everything. Futuro is outstanding in this regard. You can search YouTube for Sanjeev's videos (Parmar Sportstraining). The kids who do this from a young age develop an amazing fluidity with the ball in 1v1 situations. I think other clubs are starting to do more development along these lines but it can be hit and miss, and getting access to the best instruction in large clubs at this age level can be spotty unless your kid is already a standout. Kevin Nelson would probably be my second choice in terms of individual player development at this age. Ultimately, a player's success will depend on their own passion and dedication, but the right training environment makes a huge difference in my experience.
DeleteI would agree with the comments above. I find that Futuro's sessions, even in ball mastery type training, lend themselves more to creativity, whereas the others my kids have been in are much more rigid in their format. Both have benefits, but ultimately lead to very different playing styles.
DeleteI would say at this age in particular, it is also important that your child work with the ball on their own (either alone, or with parents/siblings/friends). If they really love it, that will continue as they get older.
Make sure they have fun with friend while playing. Don't chose a training that require much driving. you can find more intense and specific training as you get close to U11-12. Good luck
DeleteFuturo, OSU, WOSC and OTFC would be your best choices. Your geographic location could really make your decision as well. The smaller clubs (Hornets, Hotspurs, Ottawa City etc...) are hit and miss. It would depend on the coach. Futuro are known for being a bit more "creative" in their development. They are headed by S. Parmar who is an excellent coach. WOSC, OSU and OTFC are very similar in how they develop their players more or less. The coaching is very good as well. I'd probably give a slight edge to OTFC though because they train more. You can't go wrong with any of the big four clubs. I guess there is also Escola, but I would put them more in the middle.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen games here and there over the summer and from glancing at the standings, I've had the sense that the Ottawa-based OPDL teams have generally fared quite a bit worse than in recent years, although there does seem to be the odd exception. Has anyone found the same?
ReplyDeleteI know our son's team has more or less retained the same players as in the past couple of years, but for some reason is really struggling this summer. I can't put my finger on the reason though.
Ottawa OPDL teams are doing quite well, if you just look at results. I've seen quite a number of OPDL games this season. Very impressed with OSU 06s, OTFC and WOS 05s and OSU 04s. All good teams in their own right. OTFC 05s has a kid (#3) who is dynamite! Dynamite! What class that kid has. Too bad he's in the wrong country.
ReplyDeleteOf course not all teams are doing well, OSU 05s is an example, WOS 04s as well, but that's just normal. Sometimes clubs loose the plot on some age groups: hockey and other sports, kids leave, then the team starts loosing, then more kids leave, more loosing. At the end, by the 2nd/3rd year of OPDL the team is lost and it can't be recovered.
I don't believe Ottawa teams are doing poorly.
OSU's '06 team would be one of those outliers. I haven't been very impressed in general though and you need to keep in mind who the opponent is in any given game. The east division grouping is considerably weaker than the other divisions (generally), so this masks the true level of play by many of our teams. Results/good play against other mediocre teams shouldn't be the benchmark.
ReplyDeleteThe Futuro kool aid drinkers and preachers in this forum will always put down anything they are not involved in. Truth is they have zero pathway and many kids leave their program. Much more lately as well. I have spoken to 3 sets of parents, and they told me that Futuro is good, but it is NO better than the current training program they are in now. These are also parents of 3 very good little players. I saw Futuro U10s, U11s and U12s get beat quite often this summer by clubs that are in the OPDL pathway. Very often actually. Keep in mind though that if you play with Futuro, your kid will be able to do their homework though. Ours will not be able to do their homework...
ReplyDeleteEnjoy padding up your ERSL record, Futuro. Nice pathway.
Herein lies the problem with Canadian soccer - parents basing what they perceive to be player development on the results of U10 teams. A couple of the age groups did lose players because of the rogue league that was being operated a couple of years ago, but you should be looking more at how much players are improving relative to their peers (otherwise, you aren't taking into account where those individual children were starting from).
DeleteI saw the Futuro U9 team lose on the weekend too, but their technique and comfort on the ball was far superior to their opponents. The opponent's play was simply based on exploiting the fact that these kids would not yet be learning group tactics (at this age, individual tactics would be the only focus from a tactical standpoint) - so of course a through ball on the first touch will exploit the back line. But the difference in in skill was striking to be honest - I was actually surprised it was as great as it was.
I would take with a grain of salt comments coming from parents who have moved their kids around at such young ages, if they don't have older kids who have gone through the system.
In the end, every parent has to do what they feel is best for their child's individual development. As someone who has had children in both, who have been in the system for quite a while, I can't stress enough how important their individual technical development is.
As for the "pathway" - this tern is only used in North America. Focus on your child's development instead. Remember that Futuro's 2001 team (the first cohort for the program) has 11 kids who are playing university soccer starting this fall - this is a very high number, even compared to some of the more high profile academies in the GTA.
Actually, rather than U9 - U12, if someone really wanted to see the result of a player development model,a good example would be Futuro's U14 (2005) team. I think that team would provide a good idea of the program's philosophy, because the core of the team has been together since the beginning, whereas their older teams have all had players leave and return after a while, or have had to integrate a number of new players at the same time. I would say that's the most technically gifted team I've seen locally and they seem to be very advanced tactically as well. Not sure how many games are left, but I think their Ontario Cup final would be streamed online.
DeleteIf anyone has examples of other strong teams who have been together for years, I would be interested in trying catch some of their games as well. I think if parents are trying to choose the right program for their young ones, it's teams like this that would provide the greatest insight into a program's longer-term player development.
I know OSU's U13 (2006) team is quite strong, but would have quite a few kids they picked up over the past year or two, so probably doesn't provide a lot of insight into the program's development model. I think a lot of their 2004 team has been together for a while, so maybe that's a good example?
Any of the older Cumberland and WOS teams that anyone would recommend watching?
The 06 OPDL OSU team contains 9 players who have been together since U9-u10, either on black or white teams. That's an excellent number, it's impossible to develop more than that with just players that happen to live in the area.
DeleteOf course, around U11 other players joined, but I think that's normal for an OPDL team. OPDL teams should attract the best players in the region. I think Futuro, WOS and OTFC attract alot of great talent as well, good players tend to go to the best programs.
In the end the most important thing is the kid's mentality and drive, it's not the program. You can't tell who's going to be a player and who's not before puberty. All of a sudden kids gain muscle mass, they get bigger,faster and what you knew from u9-u11 is out the window. Some start to shine and others disappear. If the kid doesn't have a great passion for the game and a great mental drive he/she will not be successful.
Parents are definitely wise and academies or clubs will stand on their own merit, not because of condescending Hummer-envy-lacking-something drivers.
ReplyDeleteTheir 2001s have not been overly impressive in the OCSL. In fact, there is one team which is a mix of 02s and 03s which are ahead of them in the standings. Plus, how many of them started at Futuro. I know at least one of them who was at OSU and Nepean during his earlier years..
ReplyDeleteTheir 03s did poorly at the Ontario Cup. Same with their 04s. Of course, they always have excuses though.
You definitely have a lot of player movement at the older age groups, so it's difficult to say who has had the most influence on players. Not sure what the story was with their '03 team in Ontario Cup, but the '04 team really was decimated by vacations and injuries. They did have one very strong team in their group as well, so they might not have gotten through anyway.
DeleteI did hear that the 2001's have 11 kids playing university soccer right now, which is impressive. Again, with all the player movement we see at the older age groups, I think many of the players have been exposed to different clubs. Still an impressive number though. Anyone know how many players from other local 2001 teams are playing post-secondary this season?
I do think that it's the individual end result (whether the goal is to play at university, pro, whatever) that is much more important than the OCSL standings. Same goes for all of those U18/U17/U16 players playing men's.
I think at least 10 players from the WOS 2001 showcase program are playing university soccer this fall.
ReplyDeleteOTFC U16s are very strong. Pretty much go toe to toe with Futuro U18s really. Half of them look like they are around 25 years of age.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, what do people think of these younger teams playing MC1 and MC2? I know of a couple of kids who physically weren't ready and are kind of stuck (either struggling physically, or playing elsewhere at too low a technical level). I'm wondering whether resurrecting the U21 division might be a good thing, so the MC underage teams could use the kids who can hang in physically, while the U21 division might be more feasible for smaller kids.
DeleteThe U16 OTFC team played above .500 at MC1, and there is nothing small about that team. The U17 WOSC team placed 2nd at MC1.
DeleteOTFC MC1 in 8th is made up of 02 and 03
DeleteWOSC made up of of 02 and 03 are in 1st
Rush, Sigma and Durham Academy have been accepted to the OPDL. Now the OPDL will start to look like a best vs best league as it should be. Game changer!
ReplyDeleteIt is good that they finally allowed some academies to participate, but they've also brought in Kingston United, which further waters down the east division schedule. Yet Oakville Blue Devils and Pro Stars weren't accepted because apparently Oakville and Mississauga are now saturated.
DeleteI also expect that having Durham will impact the Pickering/United teams as well.
Overall, good for the league, but still a lot of problems that could be solved by using a pro/rel system and having certain non-admin standards as a requirement for promotion,
Cool. When will Futuro apply?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the league options for U9-U12 this fall/winter? Or would you recommend scheduling friendlies instead?
ReplyDelete