NTFC 06 top bracket prediction

What I find most troubling is the frequency in what I consider a small time frame, 3 months. Most DD's will never get a red, or even a yellow, especially at the U9 age group. Anyone can teach the girls to shove, elbow, grab, kick or hit when they are trying to defend another girl. That's easy. Using a girls skill and with smart defending is most definitely harder, the way it's supposed to be. Teach soccer, not rugby. Teach safe and smart play with an aggressive edge, not hostility. Especially parents, which can be more damaging than on the field with parental influence. Let's not let this ever happen. Listen to the part about "kids dread".

http://media.newyork.cbslocal.com/CBSNY_2208201317350468230AA.mp4

Borussia wrote:

1 yellow at Plano Labor Day
3 official yellows on record with CFBAL during fall league play.
3 yellows issued and 1 red issued just this past weekend alone.

Wow.   That is just unheard of at any age!
And in NTX no less, where refs don't hand out cards, especially at this age. Makes you wonder how many others weren't handed out.
How can any coach or parent defend this?
Don't know the player in question, but not sure how Sting as an organization doesn't step in in this situation, especially in regards to the coach that allows this to continue.
And I'll bet the player is a CPP.

Finish Strong wrote:What I find most troubling is the frequency in what I consider a small time frame, 3 months. Most DD's will never get a red, or even a yellow, especially at the U9 age group. Anyone can teach the girls to shove, elbow, grab, kick or hit when they are trying to defend another girl. That's easy. Using a girls skill and with smart defending is most definitely harder, the way it's supposed to be. Teach soccer, not rugby. Teach safe and smart play with an aggressive edge, not hostility. Especially parents, which can be more damaging than on the field with parental influence. Let's not let this ever happen. Listen to the part about "kids dread".

http://media.newyork.cbslocal.com/CBSNY_2208201317350468230AA.mp4

Just a matter of time before this happens in NTX.....again.

Borussia wrote:Let's make this official.

3 official yellows on record with CFBAL during fall league play.
3 yellows issued and 1 red issued just this past weekend alone.

Defend those cards, please.

3 yellows issued and 1 red in one tournament???
Unbelievable, she got one yellow in each game and one red in last game???

I thought consecutive yellows equaled a red. Then again I'm still amazed she was given 4 cards. I've literally seen 1 in almost 4 yrs.

The_Dude wrote:I thought  consecutive  yellows equaled a red.  Then again I'm still amazed she was given 4 cards.  I've literally seen 1 in almost 4 yrs.

They said it was a straight Red.

I read that.. yellows in game 1 & game 2 usually means you can't play in game 3. Either she missed a game or the organizers weren't keeping track.

The_Dude wrote:I read that.. yellows in game 1 & game 2 usually  means you can't play in game 3.  Either she missed a game or the organizers weren't  keeping track.

There were no yellow cards issued in match #1 between Scarfone and Angell. The straight red was apparently issued in match #3 between Scarfone and Solar Mays. If the player in question earned 3 yellows, it must have been in match #2, semis, and finals. I thought straight red meant she would be ineligible for the following match (semis).

Fellow Posters,

I have followed this thread all day and, I have tried to stay out of it b/c it is not my business.  I was not at the game, its not my team, its not my coach, and its not my dd, etc.  However, I will say that I feel it is important to NOT forget we are talking about an 8 year old CHILD.
It is painful to read comments about how many yellow cards a child has.  Talking about the coach, the parent, etc. IMO is fine and sounds like it might be warranted. But, when the threads focuses on the child, I honestly think it is time stop before the comments get out of hand.  

I understand this is a public forum and freedom of speech is allowed, but I still believe it is wrong to single out an 8 or 9 year old child.  We are adults and I think we have to show discretion.

SkeetsG06 wrote:Fellow Posters,

I have followed this thread all day and, I have tried to stay out of it b/c it is not my business.  I was not at the game, its not my team, its not my coach, and its not my dd, etc.  However, I will say that I feel it is important to NOT forget we are talking about an 8 year old CHILD.
It is painful to read comments about how many yellow cards a child has.  Talking about the coach, the parent, etc. IMO is fine and sounds like it maybe warranted. But, when the threads focus on the child, I honestly think is worthy of a red card.  

I understand this is a public forum and freedom of speech is allowed, but I still believe it wrong to single out an 8 or 9 year old child.  We are adults and I think we have to show discretion.

I don't know the team, coach or any of the players involved either...nor do I have an 06...but I agree with Skeets. Let the discipline process take care of itself...coaches who encourage this stuff are fair game...but lord knows the chaos we'd have if every kid who got a card was publicly called out in this manner. We asked for more cards...now that we're getting it, people are losing their minds.

I'm going to say KUDOS to NTFC and whoever was the TD and referee assigner. I wimped out and watched from the car, but every game i saw, boys and girls, was VERY well officiated with what appeared to be clear standards of calling fouls and issuing cards where appropriate. I saw the first red I've ever seen given in a girls club game in NTX...it was u15...perfect decision and kept the clamps on a game that had no reason to be allowed to spiral. That kind of consistency across age groups doesn't happen by accident, so hats off to them.

With all respect 4-3-3... The issue at hand is there is literally no discipline oversight on the academy side. None. One hand doesn't talk to the other.

How many players do you know with that many cards issued to them over the course of their career, let alone one fall season.

Because there had been no discipline it continues.

Borussia wrote:

Tulsakicker wrote:TSC played Sting Black for Finals. TSC led late in the game and Sting put in a goal with about 3 minutes to go.  Went to PK's and Tulsa won 5-3.  Overall a good tournament.  I was told that the COPA tournament was better than the NTFC?  Very cold weekend.

Interesting take on things...

NTFC had 29 teams...
Copa had 4 teams....

It was a 2 team tournament at Copa... I guess you have to justify what you spent right.

From what I saw the NTFC Gold division only had 5 teams anyway so it is not that different with the exception of not having to play a team like Oakwood which was in over their heads. Bellatores doesn't look like that bad of a team to us. They are better than they were last May when we first played them and certainly they seem to play well against us.

At the time when the decision was made to travel down for Copa ESPN our coach's boys team was coming down too. We usually decide on travel tournaments together and try to do the same ones and the boys really wanted Copa ESPN. Then all of a sudden they could not make it because of injuries and some other conflicts. At the time, the Copa Tournament Director really believed they were going to get 6 teams which was more than NTFC had for the Gold division and we were happy to see Sting Black in the accepted list he sent me. So we stuck with our plans and commitment to play the tournament. I am glad we did. The schedule fit inside of two days for us, 3 out the 4 games were competitive, and we left as champions. How can we be unhappy about that?

I am sure NTFC would have been great for us as well, but there is no reason to have any of our parents believing we made a bad choice. We don't have the luxury of registering at the last minute like local teams do and then having to cancel and rebook hotel reservations for so many people the week before a tournament. If you are upset about not getting to play us, we would love to have Kicks at the TSC hosted Lexus Tulsa Cup in April.

Congrats TSC winning Copa! I missed all of the games due to an ECNL event in Phoenix. However, I remember TSC parents from Labor Day tourney...Classy group. Much respect!

From what I hear from various people and from what I know of the teams in NTFC, I think NTFC was by far the better tournament based on the fact that all 5 of the teams were CFBAL Platinum level teams. Only 2-3 of the Copa teams were Platinum level. For Sting Black, we were hoping to play different teams given the NTFC list was published in advance and Copa was not (which is BS). When we found out the Copa list on Wed before a Friday start), we were going to switch to NTFC, but Copa tourney director pleaded for us to not switch b/c it would have left only three teams in Copa with one of those team traveling from out of town. So, we decided to stay. No good deed goes unpunished. LOL

I will say despite the loss, I think Copa was worth it as we got to play two new teams (I really like the Bella team -excellent potential) and the girls got exposed to how to play against a team that stacks the box. In CFBAL, teams play straight up.

In the end, I applaud the girls in both tourneys for braving such horrible weather conditions!

trev06 wrote:

Borussia wrote:

Tulsakicker wrote:TSC played Sting Black for Finals. TSC led late in the game and Sting put in a goal with about 3 minutes to go.  Went to PK's and Tulsa won 5-3.  Overall a good tournament.  I was told that the COPA tournament was better than the NTFC?  Very cold weekend.

Interesting take on things...

NTFC had 29 teams...
Copa had 4 teams....

It was a 2 team tournament at Copa... I guess you have to justify what you spent right.

From what I saw the NTFC Gold division only had 5 teams anyway so it is not that different with the exception of not having to play a team like Oakwood which was in over their heads. Bellatores doesn't look like that bad of a team to us. They are better than they were last May when we first played them and certainly they seem to play well against us.

At the time when the decision was made to travel down for Copa ESPN our coach's boys team was coming down too. We usually decide on travel tournaments together and try to do the same ones and the boys really wanted Copa ESPN. Then all of a sudden they could not make it because of injuries and some other conflicts. At the time, the Copa Tournament Director really believed they were going to get 6 teams which was more than NTFC had for the Gold division and we were happy to see Sting Black in the accepted list he sent me. So we stuck with our plans and commitment to play the tournament. I am glad we did. The schedule fit inside of two days for us, 3 out the 4 games were competitive, and we left as champions. How can we be unhappy about that?

I am sure NTFC would have been great for us as well, but there is no reason to have any of our parents believing we made a bad choice. We don't have the luxury of registering at the last minute like local teams do and then having to cancel and rebook hotel reservations for so many people the week before a tournament. If you are upset about not getting to play us, we would love to have Kicks at the TSC hosted Lexus Tulsa Cup in April.

Appears even Sting felt NTFC was the better of the two. As far as upset about Kicks not playing y'all. Couldnt care less. My kid isn't there and hasn't been for a while now so has no bearing on me.

Best part of the weekend was watching UT over OSU 28-7... Bowl eligible baby! Lol

Tulsa, congrats on your tournament win in less than favorable weather conditions.
Kicks traveling to Tulsa to play against 1 top level team would be equivalent to... well...Tulsa traveling to NTX to play 1 platinum level team.
If you guys can get other top teams there, JM doesn't shy away from competition,  so we should be able to talk him into it.

I agree with Swingit, Tulsa could get several NTX teams to travel there if the level of competition is higher. I am assuming from my 3v3 experience that TSC is the strongest team in the state by a wide margin. No offense intended, but TSC would not be considered a Top Team in NTX. To avoid igniting an emotional response from others, the facts to support my point are TSC has played Solar McDaniels, Solar Red, Kicks JM, & Sting Black (3x) for combined record of 2 wins 3 losses 1 tie, with 7 GF & 14 GA. I know they beat Sting Black in Copa Final but, I think the TSC parents would agree, TSC is not really on the same level. After 3 games against Sting Black, TSC has scored only 1 goal off PK and allowed 6 goals, and won in PKs. From what I heard, TSC did not have any shots on goal in the two games against Sting Black this weekend. So, my point is Kicks Selecao is the top team in NTx. I respect TSC's no fear approach in their desire to play the best teams. However, a lot would have to change to make it worth while for Kicks and/or Sting Black to travel to Tulsa for an 06 tourney...maybe 05.

Man Skeets... Nailed it.

I could see TSCs forward becoming a part of a NTX ECNL roster down the road. Haha

Funny how tournaments are always good for a 4+ page thread, especially ones in November.  



I don't blame Tulsa nor any other team for making an early decision on a tourney and sticking with it.  Sure we would have loved to see them (& the other Copa teams) in the NTFC, but as wiser man once said.. "Life is like a box of choc-o-lits.  You never know what you're gonna get".  I think the same can be said for tourneys in NTX.  

As far as the weekend went.. I was very pleased with quality of teams my DD played against.  The parents I spoke with were all very complimentary of the opposing teams and the competition was great in every game.  Despite playing in arguably the worst soccer weather I can recall, we gotta give credit to our DD's for toughing it out & playing hard despite old man winter.

Congrats again to Kicks North for taking the gold division and to Solar Pulp-Castro for playing a great game.  When these two teams are on the pitch, it's always a close/entertaining game and Sunday was no exception.

Well you know what they say, hindsight is 20/20. I trust your guys word on the teams that played NTFC. As I said, we stuck with the plan because it would have been difficult to change travel arrangements and it worked out well enough. We went with teams that we knew would be a challenge vs. the unknown.

Thank you to Sting Black for staying in Copa, that decision did make it worthwhile for us. Your girls are all such great players, very athletic, and fun to watch.

I agree that most of the time Sting Black is going to beat us. We have athletes, but we don't have the same level and number of athletes. We did get a couple of shots that I remember, one that went just over the crossbar but I agree we did not get many. And I felt we did a much better job than in Plano of not letting your girls get as many shots either, but still they had probably 3x what our girls had. In the first game both coaches felt the ref did not allow a TSC goal because he said it did not cross the line all the way, but the Sting Black player who cleared it out was obviously all the way in the goal when she kicked it out. So that game could have easily been a tie.

We do believe our training allows us to play against superior athletes regardless and we don't go to Texas to trophy hunt. When we play in the Lexus Tulsa Cup, the top 06 team plays against 05 competition and if any top 06 teams from NTX came that is likely where they get bracketed. It is only in North Texas where we typically play the 06 age group.

There are a lot of other variables involved in our performances in Texas, like guest players who have a different club coach and different guest goalies. Watching our season though, we are playing so much better now than we did in Plano Labor Day and our conditioning was not near as good back in August either. This Copa tournament was 100% our coach's players.

We are, I think, just one level below a Sting Black. I certainly would not say we are comparable to the very top NTX teams.
So where would we rank among the NTX teams anyway?

Between 5 and 12 on any given Sunday.

I think 5 -12 on any given Sunday is about right.
Behind the following teams(in no other particular order):
Kicks S
Sting B
Solar P
Kicks N

TSC would be very close with Solar Red,Triumph Aguero, Solar Abbott, Kicks JM and Texas Moreno.

SRSA would be in the first set of teams.

This thread has gone everywhere. I'll get in on the human rankings:

Selecao

Sting Black

Solar Red, Kicks N, Solar Castro

Tulsa, Triumph

Abbott, JM, DTS, Moreno, Scarfone, Bellatores, Solar Black

I was TD for the NTFC Fall Challenge.  I was told that Sting Black registered for both tournaments.  I don't know if it was on accident or on purpose.  At the time, I had 6 teams in the Gold division of NTFC and my good friends running the Copa ESPN needed Sting Black to round out their division... problem solved.  

I did not object to Sting Black pulling out of NTFC, but that decision bit me in the butt when Sting Scarfone Blue called and asked to move from Gold to Silver.  They claimed it was a mix of their Blue and White teams and not a true representation of their Blue team.   Figuring I could find a team to replace them in Gold, I moved Sting Scarfone Blue to Silver.  Unfortunately, I could not find a team to replace them... lesson learned.

I am glad TSC had success at Copa ESPN.  The more Oklahoma teams that come down to NTX for tournaments, the better.  Next time, I hope they choose my tournament (NTFC Summer Classic or one of my PrimeTime Sports tournaments), but I always believe that coaches have to choose leagues and tournaments that are the best fit for their teams.  I wish so many teams wouldn't wait until the last 3 days before the deadline to make their decision, but that is a different topic.

On a side note, I witnessed the birth of the Copa ESPN from the inside as part of my short time with U90C before Copa ESPN and U90C parted ways.  I like the Copa ESPN model and glad their tournament was successful.  I hope their national championship at Disney turns out to be a big deal.  I have freely given advice to the guys running Copa ESPN and know that they want to put on quality events.  I do not begrudge any team from choosing Copa ESPN over NTFC.  I had enough fields to handle our 425 teams.  There are enough teams in NTX, OK, and STX for BOTH tournaments to grow, next year.

I wanna play.

Selecao
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Sting Black, Kicks N
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Pulp, Solar Red, Tulsa, Triumph, Moreno
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Abbott, Kicks JM, Texans South, Scarfone