States best player ever ?

[MoonDogRex]

That's great and all, but my original point still stands. As a U-14, she has already been called up for U-15 USGNT training. Do you really think the advice she is going to get there is to keep playing high school soccer in Tennessee, or to stay with a club that can't even gain admission to ECNL?

 

This is a 1 in 10,000 player we are talking about. If USWNT is her goal, it would be crazy to keep playing soccer in Tennessee. She will not face the day-in, day-out competition other girls are facing.

 

(And please provide a link to results that show her club team is destroying ECNL teams. Tennessee SC 16 is not even ranked among the top 25 teams in the country in its age group.)

 

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer/club-soccer-team-rankings/women/u16/4/310

 

[ChattanoogaCannon]

If she is truly a potential USWNT player, and sounds like she is, then she should not be playing high school soccer in Tennessee. My minority opinion is that even kids with D1 college potential should strongly consider only playing club ball.  I am not disparaging high school soccer. I spend a lot of my time in the sport and cannot wait until every high school in TN has a team. For the vast majority of players, HS soccer will be the last time they ever play for an organized team. It is a great game. But the risk of injury, suspect training, lack of competition, et al, should lead a USWNT potential somewhere else.

[Impactdad22]

Ch Cannon, you are absolutely correct for most kids who play high school soccer in Tennessee!  In Middle Tennessee, we are lucky to have a few schools with coaches that are actually pretty good who also coach travel in the offseason.  My daughters love the small 3 month "break" away from travel ball and getting to play against their travel teammates on other high school teams.  The "injury" fear is always there but I guess it is just as likely when they are playing travel ball!! Oh well, we love it all (travel and high school) and look forward to each season as it comes!

[DeKalbsCoachK]

I'm sure this girl is excellent, based on everything you have said about her, and I would love to see her play someday.  However, the title of the post is "States best player ever" and Tim Howard live in Memphis.... I think I'd have to give him the "best player ever title"

[MoonDogRex]

I'm sure this girl is excellent, based on everything you have said about her, and I would love to see her play someday.  However, the title of the post is "States best player ever" and Tim Howard live in Memphis.... I think I'd have to give him the "best player ever title"

Agreed. Tim Howard wins that title hands-down.

[ChattanoogaCannon]

Ch Cannon, you are absolutely correct for most kids who play high school soccer in Tennessee!  In Middle Tennessee, we are lucky to have a few schools with coaches that are actually pretty good who also coach travel in the offseason.  My daughters love the small 3 month "break" away from travel ball and getting to play against their travel teammates on other high school teams.  The "injury" fear is always there but I guess it is just as likely when they are playing travel ball!! Oh well, we love it all (travel and high school) and look forward to each season as it comes!

 

I argue that the injury fear is greater in high school soccer because of the general lack of tackling skills and the talent gap between teams. This is more true on the boys side, but also a factor on the girls side too.

[SoccerInTennessee]

Really interesting reading some of these posts, but just wanted to add a few things.  As someone who played high school soccer and Division 1 college soccer, I believe high school can be helpful to a player's development.  Now is it for everyone? No.  Can it be helpful? Certainly.  High school soccer is the first time many players have the opportunity to play in front of their peers.  How players handle the ups and downs of this can really help them.  Scoring a goal against your rival high school in front of a thousand people, and the next morning getting high fives up and down the hallway sounds pretty cool.  The same goes for making the mistake that cost you that game, dealing with it, hearing heckling from other fans.  It is all part of the game that you will experience at a higher level that you don't get with club and really can be unprepared for at the next level.  It is also the first time you play with players 2 and 3 years older than you are, which happens in college.  This presents different challenges.  

 

With that being said, it is 4 months or so a year break from training at a higher level.  If my kid was going to be a professional or had a chance to play on a national team, I would really think about it.  Over the course of 4 years, you are looking at almost 2 years of training at a decreased level.  Club coaches always tell you about how bad high school is but no one ever talks about the benefit of high school, to which there really is.  

 

I dont know how far back records date, but to say that is the best team in the state of Tennessee is probably a stretch.  The playing field is not the same, so just because they reached a national final doesn't make them the best.  There are academies which put a damper on club soccer.  There was a men's team from Memphis that I believe had Ross Paule, Richard Mulrooney, Carey Talley all of whom played MLS and had a few NT call ups and I believe reached a national final as well although I am not positive.  Hard to believe her team is better than that team, although things are still to be written.  Maybe women's, but I am unfamiliar with Parlow's club team.  I have seen her (the girl from Ravenwood) play and she is very, very good, but these comparisons are better made further down the path of her soccer career, not a semester out of middle school.  

[Playerscoach]

My original post only addressed female players. Regardless, her NT play, club team record in the NC tourney, wins in showcase tournaments against ECNL teams really provide a sound argument for her.

 

As far as ECNL comment ( "cant make it") there is no travel partner for that club and geographics are a negative. In the Spring they will win over half the state championships and have possibly two teams go to the national tournament. ECNL and pre ECNL teams in the southern region lose consistently to the u16's and U13's.

 

Obviously, this kid has a long way to go but as of right now she clearly is a special player.

[SoccerInTennessee]

My comment was made simply to say that you can't compare teams now and then because the playing field has changed. Not to mention talent levels are never the same. Typically, region 3's powerhouse states are Florida, Georgia, Texas, and NC. Those states all have multiple academy teams now, meaning they are not sending the best team in the state to a regional tournament. The same goes for a national tournament. Across the country, ECNL weakens typical club soccer. If you go through the best in every state and lose in the semis or finals, that may be just as good or better a team that plays and wins a weaker tournament. Obviously it is still a great success. I know they go and play teams from the southeast in friendlies and beat them but it's not the same as winning a tournament featuring the best team from every state.

 

Great player and certainly very successful team that both represent TN well!

[somewhereinmemphis]

Interesting on many fronts.....so many topics to choose from!

 

I dont know anything about the player but hope she continues to improve and get further opportunities.  i appreciate the heads up as it will be fun to keep tabs as time goes on.  We need some in-state talent to succeed at the Parlow level! 

 

I also dont know anything about the team so i went to the usual sites to "explore".  For non-ECNL teams, GotSoccer seems to be a good source for game/tournament results as most non-ECNL teams and tournaments post there in an effort to increase their ranking.  That game has not changed.  As U-15's, the team certainly had a lot of success and presented some great opportunities for the players.  the merger that took place in Nashville has benefitted the players in that regard.  I only noticed one ECNL opponent (from Atlanta) which they appeared to beat handily 3-0.  So they certainly have talent and can compete with some of those teams.  I also noticed that several of their games were lopsided.  Certainly happens at all levels but i wonder if a good team has trouble consistantly finding good events since the start of the ECNL. 

 

As a parent, i have some experience with the first two years of the ECNL and noticed the changes to the competive level at the Region 3 tournament - attended both Baton rouge and Greenville, SC.  The overall change was significant.  When you remove ten clubs from Texas alone and eleven additional clubs between Alabama, georgia, florida and north/south Carolina, the region 3 tournament level has to change.  Ask any college coach that question.  Ask them how important the tournament is today for recruiting.  It doesn't hold the same weight.  The same thing has happened to WAGS - the tournament is a shadow of it's former self.  So in my mind it's simply hard to guage a u-15 team's success relative to the pre-ECNL days.  Nice question - just unanswerable!!  Overall, it's unfortunate that no Tennessee team can join the ECNL.  But until that time, i hope our teams continue to excel at regionals and the USYSA events.  There are no negatives with that kind of success!

 

The only thing that i know for sure is that there will be player movement.  Team success will draw new players and others will leave for various reasons including injury, playing time, boyfriends.......and yes some will leave for a better team and a more competive schedule.  Timing often plays into that decision.  Most players invited to national team events commit during their sophmore year or the first few months of their junior year.  At that point, their future coaches carry a lot of influence and might very well encourage them to find the best competition they can.  A starting position your freshman year might very well depend on it.  Being the best player on a team while playing up will bring several challenges in high school.  what is that player supposed to do their junior and senior years??  As a junior, her teamates will be done with high school soccer in the fall and have "senioritis" in the spring.  Then as a senior there will be no team.  Knowing that is coming down the road, players in this position may very well explore options a year or two earlier.  It's nobody's fault - just timing.

 

The good news is that most families will make the right decision for THEIR daughter and they deserve to be supported even if that means changes to the status quo.  Some adults will be supportive and some will not.  That's when the fun begins!

[chances R]

Best team, best player?  There have been several teams, but the 92 FC Alliance team had 5 state championships and regional appearences.  All of those girls had college offers.  The surprising thing is how quickly priorities change and players simply make other choices, academics, etc.  Also Kat Nigro played on National teams.  From Livingston, played for Brentwood.  Now plays with UNC.  Lot of good soccer players every year throughout the state, but TN is NOT the hotbed for recruiting.  IF the goal of a player is to play at the highest level, then exposure is everything.  It that case, it would make sense to move to one of the 'spot-light' soccer hotbeds.  OTOH, if playing in college is the goal, along with getting an education, there are plenty of opportunites for that in TN.  Generally after 4 or 5 years of collegiate soccer, most will be ex-soccer players making a living at something else.

[Playerscoach]

Kat Negro while a great HS player was not recognized regionally or nationally at this girls age. Great player but clearly was not held in the same regard.

 

Once again my OP only discussed female players.

 

The Spring training has started so we will see what movement is made with players. My daughters team already has two players guest playing for preECNL teams and others being asked to attend a tourney in Chicago. Two others are playing for a region powerhouse in FL.