Comments on: Second Opinion: Revisiting the U20s http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/ The Independent FC Dallas News Source Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:10:00 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Sam http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23452 Sam Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:35:04 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23452 Dave Dir is spot on. The MLS needs a reserve league in one way, shape, or form. Almost every league in the world has one, and all of the top leagues have reserve leagues as well as numerous tiers not just three like the US. If the MLS or US soccer in general wants to be taken seriously and make progress we need these leagues, and not take steps backwards by removing the reserve divisions. The reason England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, etc. field such great national teams and exposure is because of how deep their soccer system is and the amount of experience players can get at any age group. Right now as you will see with our own FCD, we have Generation Adidas players who are not getting time and experience because of the lack of a reserve league and cut down rosters. They are not quite ready to make the jump to the first 11, but are expected to improve without getting any game exposure. It is a difficult to be put in these kinds of situations, because the player wants to play at the highest level and is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. And the PDL is not the solution. PDL is semi professional and quite simply is just not at a level high enough for these U20 players to be playing at. These generation adidas and U20 pool players need better competition than PDL in order to improve. Dave Dir is spot on. The MLS needs a reserve league in one way, shape, or form. Almost every league in the world has one, and all of the top leagues have reserve leagues as well as numerous tiers not just three like the US. If the MLS or US soccer in general wants to be taken seriously and make progress we need these leagues, and not take steps backwards by removing the reserve divisions. The reason England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, etc. field such great national teams and exposure is because of how deep their soccer system is and the amount of experience players can get at any age group. Right now as you will see with our own FCD, we have Generation Adidas players who are not getting time and experience because of the lack of a reserve league and cut down rosters. They are not quite ready to make the jump to the first 11, but are expected to improve without getting any game exposure. It is a difficult to be put in these kinds of situations, because the player wants to play at the highest level and is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. And the PDL is not the solution. PDL is semi professional and quite simply is just not at a level high enough for these U20 players to be playing at. These generation adidas and U20 pool players need better competition than PDL in order to improve.

]]> By: jonesing http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23442 jonesing Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:12:59 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23442 I agree, thanks for taking the time to write here Dave. Your insight is much appreciated. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the need to find a system that allows our younger talent to get game time in. Perhaps each MLS team needs a PDL team that plays regional games against other PDL teams.. I agree, thanks for taking the time to write here Dave. Your insight is much appreciated.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on the need to find a system that allows our younger talent to get game time in. Perhaps each MLS team needs a PDL team that plays regional games against other PDL teams..

]]> By: giggshasscored http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23439 giggshasscored Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:26:21 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23439 I agree with saban. We are lucky to have Dave Dir write these columns for us. And its fine to disagree with him... just post how your opinion differs and why... but that is no need to call him out. I agree with saban. We are lucky to have Dave Dir write these columns for us. And its fine to disagree with him… just post how your opinion differs and why… but that is no need to call him out.

]]> By: ConorB http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23438 ConorB Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:56:41 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23438 I thought it was very interesting to read the opinions from a member of the U20 staff. Usually anything we hear from any coach is mixed in with journalist's opinions. Dir speaks from his experience, and people can write it off as n excuse, but hopefully US soccer takes a serious look at Dave's opinions- I'm sure he and others have voiced this before this- and see if a change in US player development is needed, or if this is a situation that will work out naturally over time. I thought it was very interesting to read the opinions from a member of the U20 staff. Usually anything we hear from any coach is mixed in with journalist’s opinions.
Dir speaks from his experience, and people can write it off as n excuse, but hopefully US soccer takes a serious look at Dave’s opinions- I’m sure he and others have voiced this before this- and see if a change in US player development is needed, or if this is a situation that will work out naturally over time.

]]> By: saban http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23437 saban Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:22:29 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23437 1) Dave Dir doesn't have to write these pieces. I suggest you don't drive him away with inane vitriol, just to make yourselves feel better. 2) Dave says above: "I admit in writing this that it will be impossible to not be biased, sound defensive, or possibly read like I am giving excuses for not going farther. I thought seriously about not writing on this subject, but in the end I thought I could approach it with a degree of knowledge and discuss some things that affected this team, which I felt many of you would find interesting and did not have insight into. These factors, while not earth shattering, I believe will have a serious effect on how we move forward with player development in this country." So, he admits that it will probably be biased and sound like he's making excuses but that he wanted us to be better informed. Yet he is attacked as being hypocritical!? Come on. You can disagree with him and offer insights if you have any, but please be reasonable and "PROFESSIONAL" as 'hypocrisy at its best' would say. (What do you think he was going for with the handle?) 1) Dave Dir doesn’t have to write these pieces. I suggest you don’t drive him away with inane vitriol, just to make yourselves feel better.

2) Dave says above: “I admit in writing this that it will be impossible to not be biased, sound defensive, or possibly read like I am giving excuses for not going farther.

I thought seriously about not writing on this subject, but in the end I thought I could approach it with a degree of knowledge and discuss some things that affected this team, which I felt many of you would find interesting and did not have insight into. These factors, while not earth shattering, I believe will have a serious effect on how we move forward with player development in this country.”

So, he admits that it will probably be biased and sound like he’s making excuses but that he wanted us to be better informed. Yet he is attacked as being hypocritical!? Come on. You can disagree with him and offer insights if you have any, but please be reasonable and “PROFESSIONAL” as ‘hypocrisy at its best’ would say. (What do you think he was going for with the handle?)

]]> By: Teddy http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23435 Teddy Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:42:57 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23435 I don't see anything especially abusive in the above posts. Kudos to those who call out people (even almighty youth coaches) for being hypocritical. So many people have loved blaming SH when the team was performing poorly. Despite this criticism and second guessing, a team as been purged & forged by the fire of SH and is getting good results. Yet, many of these blamers remain too small to give SH any credit. It's time to be happy. See you at PHP! I don’t see anything especially abusive in the above posts. Kudos to those who call out people (even almighty youth coaches) for being hypocritical. So many people have loved blaming SH when the team was performing poorly. Despite this criticism and second guessing, a team as been purged & forged by the fire of SH and is getting good results. Yet, many of these blamers remain too small to give SH any credit. It’s time to be happy. See you at PHP!

]]> By: saban http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23434 saban Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:24:30 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23434 Less vitriol please. Less vitriol please.

]]> By: hypocrisy at its best http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23432 hypocrisy at its best Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:05:36 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23432 Sounds like a whole bunch of excuses to me. Aren't all GOOD coaches supposed to take the blame for a loss and give the team credit when things go well? No one has been more critical of SH than Dave Dir, and Dir even joked about taking all of SH's players with him to the U20's and how FCD was going to be in a tough jam and have no depth because of all of the PROFESSIONAL players he was taking with him. Well guess what Dave? FCD won in September and October which is much more than we can say for you. Those who live in glass houses... Sounds like a whole bunch of excuses to me. Aren’t all GOOD coaches supposed to take the blame for a loss and give the team credit when things go well? No one has been more critical of SH than Dave Dir, and Dir even joked about taking all of SH’s players with him to the U20’s and how FCD was going to be in a tough jam and have no depth because of all of the PROFESSIONAL players he was taking with him. Well guess what Dave? FCD won in September and October which is much more than we can say for you. Those who live in glass houses…

]]> By: boneall http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23427 boneall Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:04:09 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23427 Thanks for writing that up, it was a very interesting read especially coming from someone on the U20 staff. Thanks for writing that up, it was a very interesting read especially coming from someone on the U20 staff.

]]> By: pony2 http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/10/13/second-opinion-revisiting-the-u20s/comment-page-1/#comment-23409 pony2 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:09:39 +0000 http://www.3rddegree.net/?p=6443#comment-23409 Just for grins I googled the fifa site. Korea tied Germany 1-1, beat Paraguay 3-0 in the 2nd round, and played finalist ghana (winner?) 2-3 in the qtrs. A review of their roster shows #10 played 2 games in the Bejing olympics, 7 starters are pros (not sure how much they play), but surely more than our mls'ers? Thats a decent squad. Developing the US players is not currently the mls's or the NCAA's concern, so I guess I have no argument with Dir's observations that for success (if it's important) US soccer needs to look at another option. BTW looks like England went 0-3! I wondered how mexico's team did but they are not in the tournament. Just for grins I googled the fifa site. Korea tied Germany 1-1, beat Paraguay 3-0 in the 2nd round, and played finalist ghana (winner?) 2-3 in the qtrs. A review of their roster shows #10 played 2 games in the Bejing olympics, 7 starters are pros (not sure how much they play), but surely more than our mls’ers? Thats a decent squad. Developing the US players is not currently the mls’s or the NCAA’s concern, so I guess I have no argument with Dir’s observations that for success (if it’s important) US soccer needs to look at another option. BTW looks like England went 0-3! I wondered how mexico’s team did but they are not in the tournament.

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