Disappointing Results for Minnesota Soccer in USYSA Region II
Another year has come and gone with Minnesota soccer clubs again finishing poorly in the US Youth Soccer Association’s Region II Championships.
The 2010 Region II Championships saw just 2-teams move on to nationals. The first is Shattuck Academy’s U-18 Boys team who won the age group and will play in Overland Park, Kansas, July 21-23 and finals July 24-25. Congratulations to the Shattuck Academy’s U-18 Boys.
The second team to make Nationals is the U-16 Girls MN Thunder Academy 94 Blue who lost in the final 3-0. However they do go to nationals as runner-ups because the NSA Premier Fury (IL) team that defeated them in the final had a free pass to nationals because of their runner-up finish in the girls National League competition.
Also a congratulations goes out to the U-15 Boys MTA Academy 95 Blue who made it to the semifinals where they lost 3-1 and to the U-19 Girls MN Thunder Elite Academy team who also lost in a semifinal 3-2 in PK’s.
However, Minnesota clubs and MYSA needs to question what we can do to produce better players and better teams that finish higher in these difficult tournaments.
Overall the Boys records were:
Group Play Statistics
Average goal differential of +.3
Overall win loss tie: 12-wins 11-losses and 1-draw
Overall the Girls records were:
Average goal differential of -.3
Overall win loss tie: 9-wins 12-losses and 1-draw
Results for Boys Region II Minnesota Teams
U-13 Boys MTA Academy 96/97 Blue Elite
Finish 1-1-1 3rd in Group (-3 Goal Differential)
U-14 Boys MTE Academy
Finish 2-1-0 3rd in Group (+4 Goal Differential)
U-15 Boys MTA Academy 95 Blue
Finish 3-0-0 1st in Group. (+9 Goal Differential)
Lose 3-1 to (SC) Carmel United Elite 95 in semi-final. Carmel United win Region II U-15.
U-16 Boys St. Croix Rossoner
Finish 1-2-0 3rd in group. (-2 Goal Differential)
U-17 Boys Minnesota Thunder Academy Elite 93 White
Finish 0-3-0 4th in group (-10 Goal Differential)
U-17 Boys Thunder Elite 93 Blue
Finish 1-2-0 3rd in group. (-1 Goal Differential)
U-18 Boys Shattuck-St. Marys
Finish 3-0 -0 in group. (+6 Goal Differential)
Win 3-1 over KCFC Strikers 91/92 (KS) in semifinal
Win 4-2 over Javanon 92 (KY)
U-18 Region II Champions
U-19 MN Thunder Academy Blue
Finish 1-2-0 in group 3rd place (-1 Goal Differential)
Results for Girls Region II Minnesota Teams
U-13 Girls MTA Elite 97 Blue
Finish 2-1-0 2nd in group (+4 Goal Differential)
U-14 Girls Eden Prairie Terminators
Finish 0-3-0 4th in group (-12 Goal Differential)
U-15 Girls Minnesota Thunder Academy 95 Blue
Finish 0-3-0 4th in group (-7 Goal Differential)
U-16 Girls MN Thunder Academy 94 Blue
Finish 3-0-0 1st in group (+8 Goal Differential)
Win 1-0 over KCFC Heat 93/94 (KS) in OT in semifinal
Lose 3-0 to NSA Premier Fury (IL) (MRL1)
MTA moves on to Nationals because NSA Premier Fury has free-pass to nationals for runner-up finish in the girls National League competition.
U-17 Girls Eden Prairie SC United
Finish 1-2-0 3rd in group (-3 Goal Differential)
U-18 Girls Inferno
Finish 2-1-0 2nd in group (+3 Goal Differential)
U-19 Girls MN Thunder Elite Academy
Finish 2-0-1 1st in group. (+5 Goal Differential)
2-2 Tie after extra time in Semifinal. Lose in PK’s 2-3 to Ohio Elite Soccer Academy (OH-S).
Comments are closed.
They are in Kansas City July 21-25, not Phoenix. (How HOT would that be?)
That’s exactly what I thought when I looked it up and found Phoenix. Couldn’t figure out how they would do that. Funny because I just spent nearly 10 minutes looking up USYSA Nationals and it was not actually very easy to find, which is probably why I got it wrong the first time. There isn’t any big web page that is dedicated to Nationals and google searches do not bring it right up. Looks like USYSA needs a SEO person.
Thanks.
Actually, I went back to the site again and they have a really unclear website. It’s really hard to find things. Arghhh. Check this out and I think you will see why I was confused when and where the nationals are.
Look at the bottom of the page.
http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org/2010_Play_Dates_Regional_and_National_Competitions.asp?
Phoenix hosted the Snickers Cup (Nationals) in 1993 and 1994 at Cave Creek Complex now know as Rsoe Mofford Complex in North Phoenix. Three field copmplex with lights played most at dusk and night. Less age groups, but still packed. Most games kicked off at 100 degrees or so, but it was a “dry” heat.
Oh ya, that dry heat.
And they are talking about starting a D-2 Pro team there. Hot, hot hot!
The results for MTA 96/97 Elite Blue is wrong. Our record was 1-1-1. The website had it wrong.
MTA BU13′s had a tough draw, facing eventual champs Sockers FC to open group play.
MTE BU14′s were in great position to advance, but surrendered a 2-1 halftime lead in their final group game and went out on goal difference.
With the BU13 tie and their 1-1-1 finish, MN boys went 12-11-1 overall. We’re definitely not IL or MI, but I would hardly call that poor.
OK, what do you call it when 1-team out of 14 advance through the normal process. Tough draws or not, that’s 1 out of 14. What did we have last year…2 I think? The year before?
Point being, we need more kids playing at a higher level with really tough competition so they don’t surrender a 2-1 half time lead and perhaps know how to stick a knife in it when ahead or play for the draw when they need it. How many draws were there in round robin play for the boys? One. And the girls… one. Sometimes it’s the little things.
Listen, I’m not pounding on the kids here and I know there are plenty of great coaches in the state, but overall, the community club thing is great for developing younger players. I coached in community clubs myself for years. But as the kids get older there needs to be a high level of competition. It’s sometimes just those small little differences that allow some clubs to seem to do well year after year. Also, the better kids need to be playing with each other. Good players playing with other good players and top competition is the only way this is going to happen.
Next year Shattuck and MTA boys are gone to Development Academy, which is GREAT for the overall development of the best boys in the State and wherever else they are coming from for Shattuck, but what will our teams at Regionals look like then?
Paul, I received confirmation on the score error from Barry Neal, pres of MTA. Correction is now made. Thanks!
It’s basically a numbers game.
The two states with the highest population, Illinois (12.9 million) and Michigan (10 mil) combined to win 10 boys and girls titles and produce a total of 16 semifinalists. Fourth-place Missouri (6 mil) was the only other state to win more than 1 regional title, and they had 7 semifinalists, the same number as Ohio-South (5.8 mil).
Eighth-place Minnesota (5.3 mil) produced 1 champion and 4 semifinalists. Seventh-place Wisconsin (5.7 mil) had 5 semifinalists but no champions, and third-place Indiana (6.4 mil) had 4 semifinalists but no champions.
If you total each state’s boys and girls semifinalists, and give extra weight to championships, Minnesota places 7th out of 14 state associations with the 8th-highest population, assuming an even population split between Ohio-North and Ohio-South. The only state that out-performed Minnesota based on population was 11th-place Kansas (2.8 mil), which had 6 semifinalists.
I agree with MN Soccer Guy. I don’t think the results are poor at all, in fact, they seem respectable to an outsider.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was Minnesota youth soccer.
BQ, thanks for the update. Great reporting.
I do think the whole culture in soccer needs to change. We need to focus on coaching–and getting it right at the younger ages. It kills me to drive past a soccer field and see a practice going on where the kids are standing in a line or getting another lecture from the coach. It kills me even more when these are kids being coached by coaches who have been through an E Certificare or D License and have heard the “No laps, No lines, No lectures,” countless times during their coach education, yet when they get on their soccer training grounds that is the first thing they do.
I also think there needs to be a change in mentality on “having fun.” I am not an advocate for the “win at all costs” menatlity and yelling at kids, however, a part of “fun” is winning.
I think most “community clubs” fail to grasp these points, and are happy with kids going out on the pitch and basically playing kick-ball. I think some of these clubs have a lot to learn from MTA, etc.
Nobody ever trains for runner-up, right?
The MOST important thing is that the commited youth player receives top level individual training and plenty of touches on the ball. Winning is great and all, but not the most important thing right now.
With respect winning anything below 18 means very little and should be completely downplayed. Coaches and programs should be judged on where the kids are when fully matured at 22 or 23. I think our national team is an example of this, inspiring heart and grit but on average not good enough technique and touch.
Shhhhh- don’t tell the parents this site exists