SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP ecnl vs. odp vs. odp vs. ecnl

With reference to comparing ODP programs across states, I can only refer to our region for the previous 3 years, ending in 2010, in a specific age group.
From what I could see, our teams were more than competitive with Oklahoma, Mississippi and (this past year anyway) Texas. We were reasonably competitive with North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. We were less than competitive with Florida and Georgia.
In my estimation, we were not particularly well-coached/trained in 2009, and poorly coached in 2010. Then again, Oklahoma's team was dismal, and the Texas teams were surprisingly bad (supposedly attributable to Academy defections).
From a purely neighborly perspective, in 3 actual matches vs. NC, we were 1-1-1. Our head coach was not at NEITHER the win nor the loss.

Again, at it's heart ODP is a player identification program (with other added values). If you begin to look at it as such, whether or not the SC team can beat the NC team becomes irrelevant. Whether or not a player identified at the state level as one of the top players at that state's evaluations can be identified at the region tryouts/evaluations as having the current tools or potential to be selected to play at that level is relevant.

Some have been waiting a long time for the changes they made at the region camps last year. The state teams played one opening game as state teams and then the players were scrambled for games and training sessions for the rest of the camp. Maybe a state only has a few players with the potential to play at the region level (that's a selection of about 25-35 players from 12 states), and the scrambling allows the region coaches the opportunity to evaluate those few mixed in with players from the other states. Given the example scwame presented, even though everyone from previous years didn't participate the last year, as long as that player goes to the region camp she will be evaluated individually for her potential to participate at the regional level taking her to the next level of evaluations at the national level.

I, personally, thought the training at Region Camp was excellent, but again I look at those sessions not so much as a part of player development but as a part of player evaluation... "we know the kid has the talent but where are the skills? Hmmm, during these sessions we see she also has the intelligence, desire and work ethic to improve dramatically if we can keep her around. She may even have the potential to become a greater prospect for the National Team than that other player over there who has plenty of skills already, but not the desire or work ethic we're looking for at the next level."

True..Whether they win or lose should not matter..But winning does makes coaches take a closer look..My dismay is what happens between January and May..Little to nothing based on who is coaching.All the coaches should be following a uniformed practice and develpoment plan..Not I'll coach them my way..There should be standards and ways of measuring the development..

Thats a good point ODP is really all aout selection at least at the 1st levels. You can not really develop players in a week or two, oh you can teach them a skill or a formation, maybe a technique that they can then take home and work on. Development takes regular practice with reenforcement of good practices and correction of bad ones. You can not get that with once a month and a week a year, well not much of it. Take the fact that most of these players are well beyond basic skills and you have the need to push tactics and conditioning which IMHO also takes consistant regular training and polishing. This is where I think that ECNL can in the long run supplant ODP.

Give a good coach 3 times a week (all year) with a group of mostly equally skilled players and development will happen. At some point a gril whp was better but only getting sparadoic ODP sessions will get past by a one weaker player who spend more time training with better players and "developing".

Lastly add in the team chemistry that is such a huge factor in soccer, maybe more so than most any other youth sport, and we will see playing style from ECNL team that cobbled together team will struggle to match. I have seen teams that were less talented (fewer star players, IMHO) beat teams with more skilled players who did not have good chemistry. When a good player knows exactly what 4-5 of her teammates will do every time and then executes you get some great play.

From a player development perspective, my dismay would be what happens between September and January in terms of training and what happens year round in the backyard in terms of practice. I can't speak for my daughters, but if I really wanted to be a part of a Region III or National Pool/Team, I'm not going to let an off year lame selection of a state level coach determine what I bring as a player to those individual tryouts/evaluations in July.

Scrambling the players at the camp means everyone gets equal game time in front of the coaches, now if a coach wants to watch some ball control wizard from Texas he also will be watching my daughter right next to her as a teammate. To get the same opportunity at the 3 ECNL games (back to ECNL vs. ODP), for 2 of the games let my daughter play with the #1 ranked ECNL team in front of many coaches rather than with the #52 ranked ECNL team in front of a few. Which will never happen, because in those games you are there to compete as a team.

When comparing the available opportunities for players to compete as part of club team for team honors as well as the available opportunities for individual evaluation and identification, in my opinion USYSA offers more as an organization than ECNL. I'm not saying the level of competition amongst ECNL teams is more or less than that found in USYSA. I'm saying that if I eventually had to make a choice between one or the other as a player I would choose USYSA. That said, however, from a club perspective I think there are other factors involved when choosing which organization may offer better opportunities to the teams as a group.

Those clubs that do participate in ECNL will also have teams participating in USYSA (you don't really think Dallas Texans are going to drop all teams except the one in ECNL do you?). What would be really nice would be if the club genuinely supports the individual player's choice as to which route (ECNL/USYSA) she wants to take... even if she is considered by the coach to be the best player he's ever had.

ODP results are in on the website. Any surprises?

I agree that results aren't wildly important. I was merely responding to an earlier question. My one exception to the "results not important" statement would be the case of clear UNDER-achievement, when it can be traced (in part) to the coach(es).