Schedule and Scores: http://www.t7sports.com:8080/2005/B102227.htm
Play starts soon in the Regional Tournament in South Dakota. 14 MN teams will take the field to represent MN in the USYSA National Championship series. While few MN teams are expected to make the semi finals, we can all join together to support them in pursuing the dream of going to nationals.
Could this be the year that the WDB 17 girls can find the results to push through to the semis? Can the VLY 17 boys find their form and make a run? Will any of the MTA teams put the club controversy behind them and achieve what few MN teams have?
Please use this post to report scores, play and the overall excitement of the Regional Tournament. Please leave other topics in the other posts and just enjoy the reports from the tournament.
426 comments:
1 – 200 of 426 Newer› Newest»I will be surprised if at least two girls teams and possibly 3 do not advance. MTA 19's have a very easy draw and are a very good team. WDB 17's don't have it quite as easy but still no big obstacles. The fact that they are not a great team (one win at regions in 4 years) only reason to hedge a bet on them getting to semis. MTA 18's draw also not that tough. This team not as strong as they have been in the past though. From U13 to U16 the draws are also manageable, but with exception of MTA 15's it will be a new experience for these teams to play at this level. May be difficult to adapt. Let's hope all the teams can combine to keep MN in the top 4 in won-loss record for the 4'th year in a row!
I disagree about U13 and U14 girls being manageable. They Both got very hard draws.
Best wishes to all of our Minnesota teams. Some are solid favorites and some are longshots but no one goes home until you play the game!!! work hard, play hard and have fun. you will do great and most of us are pulling for you. I am!
None are solid favorites 10:44. What are you smoking?
Actually, MTA 19Gs s/b favorites to win their group.
both VLY 17 and 19 boys as well as WDB 17 girls have good chances to advance out of their groups as well, as far as winning regions I would say that everyone is a longshot at that, but if you advance out of group play anything can happen
1009, EP U13G opponents are ranked #7, #38 and unranked in the region. It will never get any easier than that. If they catch a break against Carmel they could show up in semis!
BVL U14G have #8 Eclipse, #20 Toro and an unranked Iowa team. Not overly difficult either and this is a strong team that controlled MTA at State Cup. Will be underdog against Eclipse but will compete very well with the othe teams in group.
Wow - looking at this, it appears as if some teams will have more difficult draws at US Club Regionals in Indy next weekend.
BVL Parent, get real. You will be lucky to beat Iowa, 1 and 2 at best. Wish you well but you are not going to beat quality regional opponents relying on one player to carry you.
106, have seen Carmel U13 play and they are very talented. They are better than MTA U13 Blue, so good luck with them.
112, You may have beaten MTA Blue, but from what I hear it was a game of two halves. Burnsville dictating play the first half and MTA the second. I agree with 142 that you will be lucky to go 1 and 2. MTA which I believe has a better soccer team than you would also be lucky to go 1 and 2. Having seen Eclipse, Toro, MTA and Burnsville play I feel it is safe to say that both games will be won by Toro and Eclipse. Prediction:
Burnsville 0 Toro 3
Burnsville 0 Eclipse 4
1:42 and 2:26 - thanks for the positive words of support for your home state team (basically you suck but good luck). are you the same you posted MTA 3 Burnsville 0 before the final? There is no one in the Burnsville program with a brain that expects anything more than 1-1-1. The goal is to win but no one is unrealistic. I am sure you did your homework and know this team beat the Iowa team in MRL handily and the Eclipse team lost to Eagan u15 Premier which they have scrimmaged to a close to similar result. Again, none of this means arrogance or victory but 3-0, 4-0 is a venomous post in soccer lingo. Sorry MTA didn't make it, but let's show a little more civility and support
317- do you know for sure which Eclipse team they played? They have many.
I know that any report we are going to get on a game will come from a "homer" parent, so please try to be honest and impartial. If I hear one more "they dominated but lost 3-0" or "they won 1-0 but it should have been 6-0" I think I'll hurl. Lots of new teams there this year and for many the first taste of pool play with a top level RII team or two. Hopefully things will be kept in perspective.
Good luck to all!!!!
Here, here, 9:33!
The other thing I hope we don't have to read is gloating from a parent whose kid's team didn't even make the trip about some team getting trounced.
Of course, with out those two types of posts, there really is nothing left on this site.
Anybody know if Bunbury is playing on the VAL 19 boys team?
Bunbury is playing on the Thunder's Rochester PDL team.
Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore......
Any scores yet from this mornings games?
http://www.t7sports.com:8080/2005/B102227.htm
MTA parent here:
MTA U15B win 2-1 over Chicago Fire. Great game, great efforts by both teams, and quite frankly a fun game to watch even if you weren't a fan of either team. Should be another great game tomorrow against Grand Rapids. MTA looking for redemption after their previous meeting: difference this time? Even schedule, gorgeous fields, and so far terrific reffing (it's just that good at Regionals).
Woodbury 17 Girls win 7-0. Rest of the games are against quality teams, but that doesn't take away from Woodbury's incredibly talented group, great coaching and a ton of experience on that team. They should definitely make it out of their pool.
It is hot and humid, so whomever can manage the physical issues that poses will have a great week.
On the girls side, the only possible disappointment might be the Stars playing NE to a 2-2 tie. U14's, U15's, and U19's still to play. Good luck to all!
Girls recap/thoughts
U13
Carmel United (IN) 6
Eden Prairie 1
Losing not a surprise, score a bit of a surprise
U14
Toro Bravo (NE) 3
Burnsville 1
Probably not a big shock
U15
MTA 0
CSA (OS) 0
Not sure what to say as any OS State Cup champ is undoubtedly solid
U16
Eclipse (IL) 4
Wayzata 0
Tough first game out of the chute
U17
Woodbury 7
Dynamo FC (IN) 0
Win not a surprise, hope they save a few for the next two games
U18
SSM 4
Ankeny (IA) 0
No surprise, nice draw for SSM
MTA 2
Arsenal Primo (NE) 2
Has to be a big disappointment
U19
MTA 3
SD United (SD) 2
Closer than expected, but a W's a W.
Overall 3-3-2. A good but not great first day.
Good luck to all the teams tomorrow!
I would say the 13G is about what was expected. 14G did about what was expected. WYZ 16 girls actuall a good result. It could have bee much worse. MTA 18s not a very good result. MTA 19s, got the win, but giving up 2 goals against SD is not a good sign.
MTA U15 Boys get a huge win over the Illinois champions.
When was the last time one of our Minnesota boys teams beat the Illinois champs at regionals?
Minnesota boys teams went 4-1-2 today.
Good job guys!
The important ages to look at for the boys are U13-U15. The older years have the USSF Academy impact. Please do not mistake this as trying to belittle any success - happy for every accomplishment, but it does not to be part of the equation/evaluation.
Decent results for girls, but two of the wins were against SD and IA. WDB has to be happy, any win after a 1-8-3 record in 4 previous trips to regions is welcome. MTA 18and 15 cannot be pleased, but still will advance if they can win out. Thought Burnsville 14 would do better. No surprise that EP and WYZ struggled.
317, you called my post venomous, there was no venom intended just plain opinion based on seeing all the teams play before. Good luck with Eclipse they are incredible in the air, what out for crosses and header goals. Good Luck!!!
8:02 - if 0-4 is a "good" result, I'd hate to think what a bad one is.....
U15 Boys game could have easily been 6-2, IL team had a difficult time with a very direct attacking MTA team and if they shore up the defense and not get caught by a counterattack they will surprise a lot of teams. When they listen to Alex and stay organized in the defense they are a great team to watch. State Cup final did not show the true capabilities of this team. Not an MTA parent but think Alex is a quality coach who knows how to motivate toward positive results. Great job U15 Boys keep it up.
Valley U17 Boys are the "Shock and Awe" team. Scored 25 seconds into the game and caused fits with their speed up top and organized back four. Same a State Cup final scored early and got opponent on their heels, gave up some possession but then exploited with the counter. Athletic and big against a decent WI team that was frustrated for 90 minutes. If Valley scores early they will be tough to beat, #2 surprise behind
U15s within Region.
Good win for Valley yesterday. They get the real test today vs Scott Gallagher. Good luck guys!
Kudos also to the MTA U15 Boys. It isn't often a Minnesota team beats a quality side from Illinois, Ohio or Michigan. As was posted above this is even more impressive as U15 isn't a USSF Development Academy age group so the best of the best are playing at U15.
Good luck to all the teams again today.
u14 girls played ok but were clearly overmatched. gave up 2 goals on set pieces of the 3 which cant happen against a better team. second half much better then the first half. it doesnt get easier with eclipse today. probably will improve just based on experience now. but if they can stay within a goal and finish with a win over iowa it wont be a much different result than expected. this isnt a strong age group in mn and it shows
Is Bunbury on the VLY 19? I know he is playing for Rochester, but players can participate in USL and USYSA at the same time.
What is the strong age group for girls in Minnesota that they are at regionals tearing up the other teams? Why rip on the U14s? All the teams who made it to regionals should be proud.
EP 13G have Iowa and the Wisconsin runnerup in their last two games. No reason they cannot be competitive in both those games and end up 2-1-0 or 1-1-1. No other MN U13 team would have done better.
1154, Please come back to reality.
MTA 15's tie 0-0. Need to win tomorrow and have the other pool game end in a tie to advance. Does not look good for them. WDB 17 wins 4-1 over IA, giving up a goal could be costly as they now need a win tomorrow to advance as they trail in goal differential. Both they and KS defeated IN 7-0, but KS beat Iowa 5-0. Two bad teams in that pool. MTA 19 loses to KS runnerup 2-0 and needs a huge break (SD win) tomorrow to advance.
Bunbury is NOT playing with them. VLY19's had a couple kids that did not return including the goalkeeper.
Girls split at U18. MTA (def CASA ON 2-0) needs to win against KC Metro tomorrow to advance. KC Metro is 2-0 in their pool.
SSM loses to Michigan Hawks 2-0. With undefeated MI playing Ankeny in their last game not looking good.
2:26 - you should change your name to socstrodamus......
So far, by my count...
MN teams at regions ...
10 Ws ,5 Ts, 10 Ls
Are those respectable results so far.
Anyone?
about as expected.
Any way to break it down between girls and boys? also, anyway to break down the boys U13-U15 and then U16-U19?
MTA 18 Girls and Wdby 17's could both go on. I like how both these teams get hammered on all the time yet they have put themselves in a good spot. Both need to win and the only two girls teams really with a chance to go on.
MTA 13s would have easily won the group.
EP 13's should have their way with JUSC. They were in MN last weekend at the Walmart Cup and did not look very impressive.
JUSC 2
EP 1
Is this the same JUSC team that lost last week to DREV 3-0?
3:37-You are sadly mistaken.
3:33
Could go on if they beat the #1 teams in their brackets.
Woodbury is tied for first.
Thunder are sitting in second.
It's girls soccer.
Anything can happen...
How did Drev lose to EP? Rev pounded the JUSC team last week. 3-0 was the score but the play was 75-25 at least.
Soccer, what a game.
320, I like the moniker, I think I will use it. Thanks! I am , however, sorry for being off by one goal in my predictions, I was a little under the weather and not feeling 100%. I promise to do better next time!! Socstrodamus signing out!!
BVL 14 loses 4-0 to Eclipse and are eliminated. SSM 18 loses 2-0 to Hawks and are all but eliminated. MTA 18 defeats CASA and will move on if win tomorrow. 333 why do you say MTA 18 and WDB 17 "get hammered on all the time"? MTA 18 has been the best girls team in the state for years and are generally acknowledged as such. To say they get hammered on is laughable. WDB 17's are almost as talented. Their lack of success out of state is puzzling I admit. May have something to do with the frequent coaching changes they have had to endure. Or perhaps they are not as talented as some think. Regardless, most people agree they have a fine team and among the 6-8 best teams the state has produced. I would hardly say they get hammered on. There will always be some who have an axe to grind against a particular team for some reason. Maybe this will be the year they break through.
Who built the pyramids?
Did the city of Atlantis exist?
Who killed JFK?
How did DREV lose to EP?
Some of life's great mysteries might never be answered....
U13 MTA couldn't beat a U12 team, how would they win their group?
Socmom is correct. It's girls soccerball. Anything can happen. 9:57 thinks one game of experience will make a difference. Get real. Half these girls are thinking more about their boyfriends and hairstyles than about their next game.
For WDB U17, why does giving up a goal matter if they take care of business against KS?
Because now they need to win doofus. If they were ahead in goal differential a tie would advance them. Sheesh.
If they didn't give up the goal and they tie KS it would have gone to PKs to determine who advances because max points for a game is a 4-0 win and both teams would have had the exact same goal differential.
Goals allowed is also a tie breaker.
U16's girls lose 3-1 to Kentucky.
I missed it the first time around.
U19G's have only 3 brackets.
I'm supposing this means a "wildcard" for one of the semis.
That said, the Thunder 19s could squeak into playoffs with a win and some luck.
It wouldn't be "Regions" without everyone hovering around the result's sheets at the end of bracket play waiting to see who won/lost and by how much/little.
tough day for the home teams. both boys and girls go 2 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie.
for those who don't win their pool, the ride back will go much quicker with a nice win in your last game.
Good luck to all the teams tomorrow!
The MTA 12s would have won the group as well.
MTA 12's would have been fortunate to score a goal, EP already has 2.
nice attempt at trying to stir it up a bit 7:50.
the same U12's that lost to the same Iowa team 2-0 last weekend?
Let's be honest, the two best U13 teams are MTA and DREV, but neither of them have anyone to blame but themselves or their club for not being in SD.
IMO, there is a 50-50 chance that EP may not even achieve premier status for next year.
The goal is to go into the last day of round robin play with the ability to control your own destiny.
As far as I can see, the only girls' teams who have met this goal are the Inferno, and MTA u18 Blue. On the boys' side, only the u19 Valley United team control their destiny.
All other teams need help, or are helpless.
WDB 17...Don't they control their destiny? Win and they're in.
Take care of business against KS.
9:55 - Inferno is WDB 17 that 9:48 refers to.
Wayne H is on his way to bigger and better things. EP looking for a new coaching director immediately. Top girls at the 16s already looking at other options with MTA and the new Athena FC.
Tomass should be able to confirm.
U13
Milwaukee Blue 3
EP 0
RECAP 0-3
Goals for 1
Goals against 11
Although the results weren't what they hoped for, I'm sure the experience was well worth it and will make them a better team in future years.
U16
Wayzata 4
Ohio Elite (MRL wildcard) 4
both teams ended up 0-2-1
They played hard. Have a safe trip back home and I'm sure they will build on this experience.
Top MTA coach to EP ???
MTA U18 Girls beat Kansas 2-0 to win bracket and advance to semi finals.
Congrats ladies!
is there only 1 MN team only advancing from pool play on either side (seems that way)?
WDB 17 and MTA 19 and 15 girls still have a chance.
U18Gs moving on.
U17Gs and U19Gs still have a shot.
(Bracket play ends today)
LOL
nothing is nothing until it's something
TomAss : I know you have a say in this? - why can't MN boys team advance in regionals despite what we claim the tournament is washed out with the US academy? Wake up MN and rethink your approach. I heard all the noise about the brackets being weak and stuff, now guess who is laughing - where are the VLY people? I am sure the STC people are so thrilled, they can't wait to welcome VLY back. People stick to MN league and not venture out - ever!
Greetings from Dakota. You know how they split Ohio into north and south entrants? I'm wondering if maybe they can combine North and South Dakota into one entrant. As of 4pm today, North Dakota is 0-13-0 in pool play, and South Dakota is 2-30-2 in pool play. Together, we are 2-43-2 in pool play. I feel guilty taking two spots with such a horrible record. Granted, we have low low taxes, but man, our soccer teams stink.
Dakota DOC
Yeah Dakota - you guys are not that good at hockey either.
Wow.
A voice of reason on the soccer blog?
Interesting idea DOC...
Dakota DOC, sounds like a MTA DOC to me...quit the games and tell us who you are... we know you!
Woodbury Inferno loses to Kansas 2-3 ending their hopes of advancing to semi-finals.
Valley United U19 Boys win 1-0 over Indiana to advance to semis. Good job guys!
U14 Girls
WDM (IA) 1
Burnsville 1
Both teams end up 0-2-1
Maybe 9:57 is correct if MN can't beat IA with arguably our best team. Sounds like a good argument for consolidating talent at that age if not there will be just an annually three and out at regionals.
Girls update (one U19 game still to be played)
6 wins
9 losses
5 ties
MTA U15 disappointing
The newbies all got hammered (with middle of the road draws)
Very good results from U17 on up
Looks like we've all got some work to do as this was a step backwards from the last few years.
for whatever reason MN's current U-14 teams have never been very good. MTA and Burnsville are the only teams who have done a decent job of consolidating the talented kids at this age, and Burnsville has even been forced to add a few U-13's to make up their solid roster. The current U-14 age group is exceptionally poor for whatever reason. Just look at the U-14 Premier and C1 divisions in MYSA. Few stand out and then the one who does can't compete regionally at all.
Wow, I am really surprised that MN soccer is so far behind the rest of the region. I understand the U-13 challenges with the whole controversy but 14,15,16 all have to be viewed as huge disapointments.
MTA U 18 Girls are in for sure and play a very difficult opponent in Ohio Elite.
Valley United U19 Boys are in for sure.
congrats we all want to wish you the best tomorrow
Who coaches MTA U18G?
U19 boys - other states are playing college ball - not really something to write home about...
"Wow, I am really surprised that MN soccer is so far behind the rest of the region."
------
Really?
You're surprised, even with the way things have been run for years with MYSA, MTA, infighting, everyone concerned more with their club then with the overall state of soccer in state of MN. That along with all that the childish pettiness you can find on this site everyday and you're surprised? Wow!
The rest of the country is passing you up (and have been for years) while you bitch at each other about who's taking who's players and who's infringing on who's camps and he's a better coach and she's a lousy coach and it just goes on and on.
Get over yourself MN soccer parents and coaches. Get over yourself before it to late if it's not already.
6:12,
Actually Minesota stacks up in about the middle of the region...which it should because Minnesota is right in the middle if you rank region 2 states by population.
MTA teams won 9 games/lost 7/tied 5
All others won 7 games/lost 13/tied 4
Compare our overall results with other comparable sized states, like Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky and see how many games those states won at regions. You might be surprised.
Storlien coaches U18 MTA Girls, he has taken the most teams to the semis and finals in Region II in the history of MN soccer
MTA U 18 Girls have a very tough opponent tomorrow vs Ohio Elite, good luck ladies I think you will need it.
Storlien has coached in Four Region II Finals going 2-2. He has coached in the semi final game Five times going 4-1. No other club coach from MN has coached in more than 1 Region II Final. This one is going to be tough Ohio Elite is one of the top couple team in the country.
Who coaches Valley?
Tough games for both MN teams tomorrow
Is Wayne H really leaving?
Anon 736-
Mark Obarski- U17's
Marc Sutton- U19's
Not sure who ya meant.
the over/under line is 35 minutes before someone posts a negative comment about DS (even though 7:36 sums up his accomplishments quite nicely).
Unfortunately they can be a very vocal minority (no doubt an axe to grind??).
612 MN girls rank in the upper third of the region. Behind IL and MI. Ahead of SD, ND, IA, NE, KY. In a pack with OHN, OHS, IN, MO and KS. Right where you would expect. This is an off year for them, they have been above 500 and in the top 4 for several years prior.
If MTA 13G would have gone, MN girls would have won 3 more and lost 3 less.
how can a record of -
8 wins
10 losses
6 ties
be in the upper third of the region???
How many teams have you lumped into this "upper third"?
What concerns me is that our younger teams could no beat IA, which historically has not been an issue.
Just my opinion...but why did the current U14 never draw talent to a single team? The U15's had MA - and Bangu/MTA have 3 teams at the age group. Current U13's had MA, and now have 2 plus solid teams in the age group. The U14's never had MA as a coach. If MA would have been their coach, there would have been people knocking on the door. Like him or not, MA was the draw to Bangu. Current U12's are proof as well. People are willing to pay high dollars to have MA coach their kids. There are talented girls at the age group - just look at the ODP selections. There just is not a single strong team - which is a good sign that clubs are stepping up to draw and keep talent. Suspect and hear that many girls will leave Burnsville if a suitable option is available - not all families are satisfied with the program. People will leave MTA as well - ECNL is not for all.
so where are they going to go? if you really disect ECNL, it really isn't much different than what their teams currently do. same tournaments, same leagues, the only differnce is the competition might be a bit more focused for the convenience of the college recruitng process.
"6:12,
Actually Minesota stacks up in about the middle of the region...which it should because Minnesota is right in the middle if you rank region 2 states by population.
MTA teams won 9 games/lost 7/tied 5
All others won 7 games/lost 13/tied 4
Compare our overall results with other comparable sized states, like Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky and see how many games those states won at regions. You might be surprised."
Actually, MN is #3 in the region.
Take from 2006/2007 stats.
http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/media_kit/keystatistics.asp
Region II - Midwest
Iowa – 33,699
Illinois – 87,102
Indiana – 58,003
Kansas – 31,253
Kentucky – 37,939
Michigan – 88,031
Minnesota – 76,156
Missouri – 32,478
North Dakota – 7,220
Nebraska – 22,821
Ohio North – 59,516
Ohio South – 58,017
South Dakota – 15,430
Wisconsin – 54,068
are these statistics of how many youth soccer players are in each state? if so, I would question its validity as I find it hard to believe that MN (5.2 million) has almost as many soccer players as IL (13 million) and MI (10 million). this would mean that we have twice as many kids playing youth soccer.
What happened to EP's Wayne H?
22/6/09 8:40 PM, did you check the link. I don't mean to be rude but that's a pet peeve of mine. I spent the time to give you a link to back myself up. Don't be lazy, it's right there for you to check-- A click away. ;) I will never post anything unless I have facts to back it up.
Here's another one for you to chew on. MN has the third highest amount of boys playing youth soccer in region II, 19,000. Yet, MN has the second lowest amount of boys playing division I soccer right behind North Dakota.
What's wrong with this picture?
the only D1 school that has in-state or reciprocity with MN is Wisconsin, recruiting budgets are very low and scholarships are much less for in state players in places like ohio, indiana, and illinois where there are many more D1 schools, that is not the only reason and if a player is that good they will get the scholarship, but the borderline kid is going to be an instate type of kid who is cheaper for the school
8:53 - either nothing happened or he won the lottery or possibly something in between.
I saw him pull into his drive way in a John Deer Tractor. He may have bought some acreage out in SD while he was there. ;-)
Dan Storlien is the best youth coach in Minnesota. He's very familiar with the Ohio team and I'm sure he's developed a game strategy that will bring a victory.
Prediction...MTA 2 Ohio 1
On to the finals.
Here's Anon's 8:34 list of registered players by states.
The number in ( ) represents Region 2 teams making the semis in Sioux Falls, SD.
Comparing those numbers, you’d have to give KS and MO high marks.
Meanwhile, MN would not be getting such a good grade.
Region II - Midwest
Registered Players By State
117,533 (OH-12)
88,031 (MI-07)
87,102 (IL-08)
76,156 (MN-02)
58,003 (IN-05)
54,068 (WI-02)
37,939 (KY-02)
33,699 (IA-01)
32,478 (MO-08)
31,253 (KS-09)
22,821 (NE-01)
15,430 (SD-00)
7,220 (ND-00)
Good work (22/6/09 11:01 PM)!
(22/6/09 10:23 PM), you are of course correct but it's so much more than that.
Because we have no D-1 program we have one of the strongest D-3 programs in the country. But is that all our young men are aspiring to... D3?
The truth is, we have very few high quality boys coming out of this state that can play on a top D-1 team and we all need to ask ourselves when the last time MN had a homegrown player who played in MLS, the Nat team or Europe.
We have some issues here that go deeper than having no D-1 program or the other issues you listed with other near by D-1 teams. We are not producing talent and there are reasons for that. Everyone needs to look at that. MYSA, MTA, community clubs, everyone! We need to do a better job of developing talent in this state and sadly ODP programs, community club programs and MYSA have not done that. In my opinion the jury is still out on MTA.
We have a problem here folks and we need to address it. But we first need to stop pointing fingers at each other before we can fix it and start putting our heads together and try to work on solutions.
Lets stay positive, but as they say in a famous organization, the first step is admitting there's a problem. We definitely have a problem. Now how do we go about getting every one of these organizations on the same page and develop a solution.
Quick Thoughts:
1. Cheers to both 11:01s. Spot on.
2. Anthony Sanneh, Manuel Lagos and Leo Cullen are the last homegrown MNT/MLS veterans to my knowledge. Magee, Branan, Gotsmanov got a little time.
3. Missouri (St. Louis) is the most impressive.
4. Bad weather and bad fields handicaps MN soccerball.
5. If you want solutions, follow MTA's lead.
6. MN teams would win a lot more games at regions if the talent was consolidated.
7. Not many D1 players, but a ton of D3 players in the MIAC, WIAC and elsewhere. MIAC and WIAC are two of the strongest conferences.
8. It's a shame the Gophers don't have a men's team. They could be very good.
9. Our best players are non-white because their families are into the game.
10. Our best player (Sanneh) was non-white. Our second best players (Lagos, Cullen) had father coaches
11. How many MN coaches have coached MN teams to the national tournament?
excuses my friend. everybody has problems and why are we always making excuses?
"5. If you want solutions, follow MTA's lead."
?????
1 team in the semi-finals is a solution???
23 Bangu-MTA teams winning State Cup over the last 3 years seems to show that they are on a better trajectory than any of the other clubs in the state.
The participation numbers are misleading. MYSA registers all rec players and includes them in the totals. Other states have other youth rec programs not included in USYS registration numbers.
Be careful to jump to the conclusion that MN has the 3rd most youth players participating as that just isn't the case.
this is why I don't always believe statistics....
the state of Missouri, which has always been a soccer crazy state, with the extremely large city of St. Louis, according to the numbers, has barely more than 40% of the total number of soccer players as the state of MN. I appreciate that these are "official" stats, I'm just questioning their accuracy.
12. No personal finanial investment in youth sport in MN.
We have had good coaches (good english lads) but they will tell you they are here to make money. the success of MN thunder was because Buzz invested his personal finances and resources to see that the team succeeds. Name me one english lad who has put money into the youth sports in MN? let's not kid ourselves nothing will change on the field unless dan s. or any coach has a vested financial interest in the youth sport in MN.
for now show me the money and I will show you a good coach.
when was the last time a top english coach had a son/daugther in soccer in MN?
they don';t care and never expect them to do anything for your child. they are here for the cold US dollar, cheap beer, and not soccer development in MN.
when IB, JT(2), WB, WH and all of them get a kid in the MN youth soccer, then we can see progress.
every club that is doing well at national level is not run by people with no skin in the game. I mean real blood and sweat equity. Buzz, please come out of retirement...
Number of teams in Region 2 semi finals by state:
MO-12
IL-8
MI-7
OS-7
ON-5
IN-5
KS-4
MN-2
WI-2
KY-2
NE-1
IA-1
Missouri, especially St Louis metro is and has been a "soccer crazy" area for a long time with a rich history and heritage for the game. It certainly shows in the results.
The merger of St Louis Soccer Club and Scott Gallagher is working well there. Consolidating the talent there has worked.
I suspect over time the merger of Bangu/Wings/Thunder will start showing significant improvement in overall results.
at 18 players per team, that means there are over 4,230 teams in MN. I believe 7:35's comments might have some validity to them.
In reviewing MYSA league formations, there are:
971 boys teams
1212 girls teams
These numbers include U9-U10 (rosters of 10?), U11-U12 (rosters of 12?), so they must be using rec or "house" league numbers to pump up the stats.
Based on a consistent percentage of all kids playing across all states per their population, the rankings would be:
IL
OH
MI
IN
MO
WI
MN
KY
IA
KS
NE
SD
ND
Here’s another way to look at the numbers.
States Ranked by TOTAL POPULATION and (number of region 2 semifinalists).
I’ve always preferred to compare MN with states of a similar population.
It only makes sense to me, that the larger the pool the better.
Looking at it this way, Kansas still coming up pretty big.
And MN doing as well as the two states closest to us in total population.
Wonder what they are doing….
11,485,910 (OH)(12 Semi Finalists)
10,003,422 (MI) (07)
12,901,563 (IL) (08)
6,376,792 (IN) (05)
5,911,605 (MO) (08)
5,627,967 (WI) (02)
5,220,393 (MN) (02)
4,269,245 (KY) (02)
3,002,555 (IA) (01)
2,802,134 (KS) (09)
1,783,432 (NE) (01)
804,194 (SD) (00)
641,481 (ND) (00)
could be the reason for the success of Kansas is that Kansas City is primarily in Missouri, but the teams are all based across the border in Kansas. they get the semi-finalists credited to KS, but not the population (which goes to MO).
KS and MO seem to "overachieve" but this is due to 2 primary reasons in my opinion.
1. Soccer has a strong history especially in St Louis and the competition between St Louis and Kansas City MO/KS pushed KC soccer forward quicker than most areas.
2. Both St Louis and KC teams can play soccer outdoors for about 10-11 months a year most years. The weather can be quite mild into December and the kids are outdoors most of the time by February. This is a huge advantage over the Minnesota and Wisconsin teams.
9:13,
You're exactly right. The successful KS teams are from the Kansas City suburbs on the Kansas side of the MO/KS state line. For all intents and purposes they're "Missouri" teams that benefit from competition with Kansas City, MO and St Louis, MO teams.
BTW...the merged club, Scott Gallagher/St Louis Soccer Club, sent 11 teams to Region 2 Championships.
Consolidating talent does work!
I think Brianna Scurry above sums up all the best points:
- involved, knowledgeable fathers
- bad weather
- player consolidation
- college teams
- St. Louis & MTA
- coaches that have coached MN teams to the national tournament.
7:27 said "23 Bangu-MTA teams winning State Cup over the last 3 years seems to show that they are on a better trajectory than any of the other clubs in the state."
The problem isn't that MN doesn't have enough state cup winners, if it were, I would agree that MTA was the solution.
The problem is that the state cup winners (mostly MTA) are not good enough to make an impact at regionals.
While agree that consolidating talent is part of the problem, I would not agree with the assumption that all talent should be consolidated at MTA.
In fact, it seems that over the last year MTA has overextended themselves and taken a step back on the regional scene (though not at the state level).
Talent should be consolidated at different TEAMS with different clubs at different ages/genders. IE, Woodbury for girls at u17. Wayzata or EP for girls at u16, MTA for girls at u15.
If each club as one or two "consolidated teams" they will be able to give extraordinary concern and resources to that one team.
If you have ever been to Holy Angels on a week night in winter, you know that MTA is overextended, sharing not nearly enough field space with far too many teams. Each team gets about an 1/8 of a field on some nights.
This is not the recipe for success.
MTA does NOT have the resources to properly nuture all of the consolidated teams (as well as all of their "cash cow" teams).
One thing no one is mentioning is the brutally competitive culture of the top teams in the nation -- a kid gets injured, s/he gets cut. A better kid moves in, the weakest kid gets cut. Kids play tournaments on every holiday, no other sports permitted. No high school soccer -- midwest league or Red Bull. There are few MN families interested in playing in that kind of cut throat environment. There are those who say this is unfortunate and others who think it represents some measure of sanity, but having chatted with the parents at Region II ODP Camp, I can attest to a huge difference in culture.
BTW, waiting on MTA 18 score, but they've never beaten Ohio Elite in many, many, many meetings. Hope this is the lucky game.
If only Shattuck's U18 Boys team was in regionals they would have advanced easily.
Too bad Minnesota hates Shattuck.
Don't take the bait, folks.
.....and most likely not even from a SSM person.....
How about this comparison, CO vs MN?
Both have roughly the same population base and similar weather.
(Yeah, I know Colorado is milder…)
But,Colorado does have to compete in Region 4 (West) vs CA.
It looks like R4 tourney is structured a little different with post bracket play starting at quarters.
It’s a bit like trying to compare apples / oranges.
But here’s how CO vs MN stacked up in post bracket play @ regions.
MN: 02 Teams (Semis)
CO: 10 Teams (Quarters)
CO: 03 Teams (Semis)
CO: 02 Teams (Champs)
Still a better result, right?
What’s Colorado doing?
SSM 18s would have gone 0-3
9:33,
I think the consolidation should be a one club. It will create tradition and a strong culture. Tradition and culture breeds success.
I mentioned your valid point about limited dome space: "Bad fields."
10:34 - the big flaw in your argument is that SCAL and NCAL only get to send one team each (except for a few wildcards for their version of MRL). Other than SCAL & NCAL, Washington puts out a few decent teams as does Sereno over in AZ. But that is pretty much it. Look at who made the semi's and you'll see there is almost always a team from SCAL, a team from NCAL and then mainly WA & AZ. If MN was in RIV we'd be sending quite a few teams to semi's as well.
The SCAL & NCAL "state" cups are tougher than the RIV regionals....
Colorado has done a better job of consiolidating talent in one club (Colorado Rush Nike) than most other states have done.
Missouri has also done a great job of consolidating their talent in the Scott Gallagher club.
Most of the states that are more successful at regionals than MN have more of their population in a smaller area.
11:30,
As I said above in #5 and #6 and as I've been saying for years on here.
11:35,
Our population is in the Twin Cities. Do our top teams really need players from Duluth and Moorehead? Rochester wouldn't hurt, but every state has cities like that.
MTA is our best model. It's relatively central to all. Give MTA some time and some time of not breaking rules and they should rule.
-non MTA'er
Ouch! U18 Stars lose 5-0 to Ohio Elite.
Game reports on Inferno/BVSC and Stars/Ohio? Preferrably from non-parent.
MTA could rule IF....
They got a sugar daddy (ie, Scott Galager) to invest in some fields and domes for them. Early indications were that the Thunder ownership would play a part in this, but that doesn't look like it is going to happen.
They stopped trying to be all things to all people and concentrated their efforts on the top team in each age group. They currently force their top teams to share with the wannabes.
They learn to earn to respect of the rest of the soccer community. Not demand respect, not expect respect, but earn respect. This is currently very far from the case.
In order to earn respect you can't belittle the accomplishments of others ("That tournament is for losers!", "(insert non MTA team) would have gone 0-3", "sorry your daughter didn't make the team", etc).
In order to earn respect you have to be guardians of the game, realize that the game is bigger than one person (or coach, no matter how good the coach), and the rules of the game need to be followed.
assuming the score on the region2 site is true (MN u18 lost 5-0) that is a 'thunderous' end to another regional season for MN teams. step back from last year I guess with only 2 teams getting out of pool play on either side (u19 boys) and then u18 losing that badly. lets hope the u10 vly boys come through. back to the drawing board! unfortunatley for MTA they wont have their 2 best youth coaches (Abboud and Kaasa) to restock the low end for state cup
I like it Anon 1:39.
Especially the part about one top team per age group.
What they have now is essentially 5 clubs (Plus, Academy, East, North, West).
That adds up to 3-6 teams per age group.
It wouldn’t hurt MTA for the Thunder men to become more competitive, generate a little excitement and endear themselves to the soccer community.
I don’t see that happening either…
Can anyone say Liverpool Youth Academy Director???
Wonder if they considered Mark Aboud or anyone else within the MTA organization?
Not to be concerned, they were beaten out by a better man.
There are 3 types of mathematicians.
Those who can count
and
Those who can't
;-)
tomASS?
Are you comparing Abboud and Harrison? If not please claify your post.
Seems both of them have been sanctioned by local soccer organizations in the past few years.
Harrison for coercing his club players with threats about not playing in high school and Abboud for throwing a game.
I don't know which offense I find more disturbing.
1:39: I am an MTA parent. I agree with every word you wrote. I would add, though, that there are more similarly minded people in MTA's ranks than you might guess. I also would add that the idiots who disparage others tend to be parents, not coaches, and those parents grate us just as much as they do people outside the club. The people at MTA who I know support other Minnesota teams and players, and the players at MTA who I know also have friendships and bonds that cross club lines better than what their parents are able to achieve. In fact, if you look only at the players of all clubs, I don't think you will find anything close to the level acrimony and resentment as you find among the adults. I think you would instead find that the players have it figured out.
248: doesn't sound like Liverpool has the same problem you do. Get over, it your daughter wasn't as good as you believed her to be.
1:39 you need to learn to respect those who are different from you. Your a fool if you can tell that when someone posts "(insert non MTA team) would have gone 0-3", it is a non-MTA person trying to either disparage MTA or see if they can get someone like you to react.
MTA, and previously Bangu, has earned the respect of other clubs and DOCs who really care about what any specific player chooses to do. For years Bangu/Wings/MTA have endured a number of CC who have created rules to try to stop their efforts to offer competative soccer. They have endured CC and HS coaches threatening players who think about going to a consolidated talent team. They have found a way to reach out to ethnic players to create opportunities that other clubs have not. They have had success on and off the field. What more do you want?
All clubs have pain in the ass parents...even yours! You are correct that not all of the consolidated teams need to be at MTA. But I'm guessing if they were anyplace but your club, you would object.
With out some sort of concious effort to organize a couple of top teams per age group, it would not happen. The WDB 17s are a good example of this effort outside of Bangu/Wings/MTA. I don't know if you can name another current team/club.
tomASS,
Maybe the lads at Liverpool would like to see a copy of the threatening email your boy sent to his players?
Wonder if they know about that little incident?
Tomass: Apparently only ex Bangu coaches are allowed forgiveness for their sins.
Ohio Elite completely dominated the MTA 18G. This was a sad ending for probably the best team in Minny for the last several years.
Now for some history.
Several years ago this team easily handled teams from NE and played closely contested games with Ohio Elite. In 2005 they finished third at nationals. They won the prestigious top division at the VEgas Showcase.They were ranked in the top ten nationally for a couple of years.
What happened? Some Genius at Bangu
decided to change the teams coach. Replacing the proven winner Mark Cook with the most overrated coach this side of the Mississippi Mr Dan Storlien.
That coaching change started the decline of the MTA/Stars. The decline hit bottom with the embarassing 5-0 loss to Ohio. Ohio mercifully backed off at 5-0. The Stars carried Storliens water for three years. A sad ending for a once proud team.
What next? Another genius at MTA will give their top team to none other than Storlien who again like the Stars will hit the rocks.
Sooner or later you'd think MTA would figure it out. Storlien is a poser. He could drag Brazil down.
Another poser in kind is WH. This guy has a gazillion kids playing in EP and the guy can't win. Heck,he can't even keep a team together. This guy won't be missed.
Now all that's left is to wait for the excuses that are sure to come.
3:46 - if anyone is a poser, it should be the person staring back at you in the mirror. You have no clue.
335 - please send! in fact post it here if you want. It was public way back then why not now? And please don't add any self serving prose. post it as it was written. OHHHHH so scary.
He never ran and hid from the content. He always made it very public. Some may say stupid, I say candid.
Anon 3:46...
Which "Nationals" did the Stars place third in 2005?
They didn't even get to Regions that year?
If I'm not mistaken 3:46, the U18 MTA Girls tied Ohio Elite earlier this year.
VLY 19 Boys loose 0-2. Good run boys!
Take your shots at Storlien he is still one of if not the best club coach in MN history. He has coached more teams to State Cup championships, and probably has the best record and for sure most wins at regionals. He is the only club coach to coach in more than 2 semi final games at regioanls with 6, and the most regional finals with 4 with 1 being the next closest. The team never went to USYSA Nationals, the did make it to the semis at 13. This team was much different back in the day with the most dominate 13/14 year old in KB scoring goals like crazy. The stars dominated all three teams in the group, I watched two of them. They struggle scoring goals and today with 4 starters out injured and playing a team with rest on the last two days winning on Sunday and Monday big it was a day when the Stars would not and did not have a chance. You people take your shots at Storlien, go ask his players if they learned from him, if he taught them about respect for the game, life, and how much he helped them with the college process. I know for a fact they loved playing for him and would do it all over again. You people have no idea about the class of this guy.
Go figure the person ripping on everyone has no idea. The stars went to US Club Natinonals, not even close to the same you. When you dont know what you are talking about no one will listen. Nice try.
Proven winner Cook? He has never won a game outside of group play at Regionals at 0-1 in the semi finals at regionals
storlien 4-2 in semis and 2-2 in regionals finals. no one else is close
keep shooting your mouth off
cook is a great coach but has not won as much as storlien, no one has
come close to his record at regionals, that is a fact
Results MN teams had with teams that are playing in Region Finals tomorrow. Really not bad results with the exception of 2 games.
U14 Boys(MTA)- Michigan Wolves 2-1
U16 Boys(SSM)- Campton United 3-1
U17 Boys(VLY)- Chicago Fire Jrs. 2-0
U18 Boys(MTA)- Scott Gallagher 1-0
U19 Boys(VLY)- Indy Burn 1-0, MN won
U13 Girls(EDP)- Carmel United 6-0
U14 Girls(BVL)- Eclipse Select 4-0
U15 Girls(MTA)- CSA Elite 0-0
U18 Girls(MTA)- Michigan Hawks 2-0
U19 Girls(MTA)- KCFC 2-0
correction SSM played Hawks not MTA
413 - I agree facts are facts.
So post the letter already so everybody can read it. Instead of just editorializing and whining about events from 3-4 years ago.
why don't you stop the spin. Be Fair & balanced.
You report. We decided.
Post the letter.
this whole discussion is a microcosm of what ails America today.....
If they are on "our" side then we defend them whether they've done right or wrong (or rationalize away any past discretions). If they are on the "other" side they get criticized for any "wrong - as in not what we believe" actions and anything that they do which might be construed as "good" either gets ingnored or downplayed.
813 you're right
Conservatives are correct and Liberals are wrong.
It's as easy as that.
817, tomASS for President!!
Up until the last 15 posts or so, this is one of the most positive and constructive conversations I've ever seen on this board -- EVER. My hat is off to (almost) everyone for sticking to the issues, refraining from pointing fingers. Great stuff and something to work off of for more constructive conversation in the future.
How much time should a #14,15,16,17,18 player expect at regionals?
Congrats to WH. Sounds like a win-win for everyone. Everyone except for dumASS that is.
I believe the reason DS has more appearances at regionals etc is because he's given the best team to coach every year. Other coaches could have accomplished the same given those teams. This is common knowledge.
The fact is he was significantly out coached by Ohio and this is nothing new when playing out of state against quality competition.
Make all the excuses you want but if he's the best we got then that explains why Minnesota soccer is so mediocre.
MTA can spin this year all they want but the bottom line is this year was a disaster for them.
938 that would depend on how much the player contributes. On and off the field. Also do they show up and work hard at practice every time. Too many variables to give a pat answer to the question.
Some of the Ohio Elite players were laughing at half time. Now that's real sportsmanship.
You're supposed to laugh when you play soccerball. It's a game. It's fun. Ronaldinho laughs all the time and we should all laugh at him laughing.
-Kellen Winslow Jr.
935 - your comment may be true, but this is like the 3rd or 4th go round on the board regarding the same topic - Numbers. Have at it there is no conclusion you can draw.
947 - typical, you can't debate so you name call. I was hoping for more creativity though.
9:55, MTA was no disaster for my kids, idiot. They enjoyed their soccer and coaches and teammates. As for the stuff you obsess about, they did just fine there, too, and will probably improve in the future. Suck your lemon and chew on your towel. And if you happen to have a kid on a non-MTA team, I hope your kid had an awesome season if their mom or dad was in a dark place.
9:38:
It should have been discussed before the season. Everyone has their own opinion on that and they're all correct in their own way.
- It stinks to use a lot of substitutes. It can motivate players in training to earn their spot if the team only plays 14 players.
- This is youth soccer, everyone should play. It doesn't make that much of a difference at this level. It's more fun for the team when everyone plays.
I don't think it's anything to gripe about at this point. It should have been discussed in preseason and players have had plenty of time to work to earn playing time. If they didn't play, it's a wake up call.
9:55...MTA - seven state cup titles out of the 13 age groups they entered (and lets not forget the infamous **asterisk** U13's which very well could have made eight).
If this was a disaster then what words would you describe the few clubs that won one or the vast majority of clubs that won zero? Also, please don't try to talk about the merger of two super clubs as Wings was on life support at the time. 2009 MTA was 90%-95% the Bangu of 2008 (now the merger of Scott Gallagher and St. Louis Soccer Club was the merger of two strong clubs - check out their regional success). Where there disappointments? Sure, U16 girls and maybe a bit at U14 girls, but the boys side sure stepped it up. There is a lot good soccer out there and as they say "a rising tide raises all boats". Hats off to all of MN soccer 2008-2009.
I don't believe Cook has improved the play of the U15G team Abboud formed and coached for years.
They didn't make it out of group play, and couldn't score against the two competitive teams in the group. He seems to have sucked the life and inspiration out of their play.
DS given all the best teams??? The Stars have zero kids in the National Pool while Ohio Elite have multiple players in the National Pool. This is the only team he has ever been given and the best player at u13-u15 is no longer a factor. He put together a group that went to two Natl finals and three regional finals that had zero kids on the Natl team, he put together another group with zero national team players and went to another regional final. You make no sense.
He coached the Lighting to two ties against FC Indiana which is a professional team and he has all amateur players, ask the Lightning players if he was outcoached in those games, most will tell you his game plan was the reason they even had a chance. He built multiple boys team with no national team players into top teams in the country. He is the only coach to win the MRL premier league. His HS team had never won anything and now they appear in the Dome multiple times this decade. He has the most coaching education in the state and is one of the only ones who keeps his license current. The guy I understand is one of the best teachers at his school and was given a job in adminstration before completing the qualification because of how well respected he is in Education. You people have no idea how great of a teacher of the game he is and how lucky the players are to have him as a coach.
The MTA 18's were in trouble before the game ever started. It had nothing to do with being outcoached. When four starters could not play in the game the MTA team was in trouble.
By his own definition TomASS is a liberal.
Knowing the actions of WH and MA most think both of them are sleazebags.
Both committed acts that are reprehensible.
There are far better coaches in Minnesota to emulate than these two.
anon 7:05,
I wouldn't want my daughter playing for either of them given their past transgressions.
They may know soccer but they both stinks when it comes to ethics.
623 - now that's creativity! I like it. However, it would only be correct in your opinion. If that statement is true then I must be so far right that I have ended up left.
705: judging two coaches by a few singular actions that they admit guilt to rather than looking at the individuals and all the good they have accomplished. Neither committed crimes.
The guy Eric Hawkins from ER who was convicted of sexual assault now that would be reprehensible and fall into the sleaze bag category.
Why couldn't four starters play in the game?
Two ACL's Two hurt during the first three games for the MTA 18's, they were short on players and dug their own grave by not getting big wins in the group stage to rest players. Ohio Elite had Sunday and Monday off with 10-0 wins. When they played them with a decent amount of rest and healthy they tied 1-1.
3:32,
Agreed. I played for him. He's excellent.
He also encourages players to play wherever they want and I don't think he would ever consider throwing a game because he's so darn competitive.
These are the MN results from Region 2 Semis:
U19B VALLEY UNITED (2W 1T 1L) (6GF / 4GA)
U18G MINNESOTA THUNDER (2W 1T 1L) ( 6GF / 7GA)
From a stats viewpoint, the "CC" team made a better showing than the “elite” team.
With that said, it is sad to hear ACL's mentioned.
And right as these gals are headed to college...
9:11-
Fact is you gotta win with the players you have healthy. I know of other team that had to go down to regionals and play with starters out but I haven't heard anything about them yet complaining saying if only we were healthy. MTA U18's had a good run but lets be real they were not expected to win this game. Also winning big at regionals is not an easy task not many teams do that to get that valuable rest.
10:33 You are right all teams have injuries but the facts are that if a team is short several starters they will suffer in their results. It especially messes with a teams game flow when the injuries happen right before or during a critical game.
1039-
Your right about that. It would have been nice to have them healthy and get a better result from the game. Anyone know what other injuries teams had that may have set them back?
they lost - hammer them (gee, I seem to fit right in here on this thread).......
WDB Inferno got knicked up right before regionals (ACL) and then during pool play. No excuses as it comes with the territory.
11:33 pm
When did you last see Cook's U15G team play? They didn't allow a goal at regionals, including any by the OS Elite team that made it to the finals and the top IL team. This is a team that was 1 win (or a tie) away from winning the MRL Premier League this spring. With their play and results, they have earned one of 20 spots in the new ECNL's top flight. Yup, sure sounds like he's taken this team and sucked the life out of them . . . way to go Cook.
Socmoms constant little attacks on this team are amusing. Compiling GF and GA stats between two teams and thus comparing them? Must be a slow day in Woodbury. Get a life.
9:11-
Ohio Elite was missing eight players, including a national teamer, when the Stars played them to a tie in MRL. Please try again.
12:13 - Not sure what Woodbury has to do with anything. Get a grip, the comment was comparing Valley United and with MTA.
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