01 ECNL September Review

September was a good month for North Texas 01 ECNL teams as four of the top five are based out of the metroplex.

Some early observations are as follows:

-  Consistent officiating (overall...it's been fair and balanced)
-  Physical play is less than what I was expecting.  All teams are coming out to play vs. the "kill the man with the ball" strategy
-  No one is playing the "long ball" strategy as there seems to be a mixture of strategies with some teams
-  Substitutions and rotations are significantly more critical at this level
-  Winning the ball in the air has become a must for any team wanting to beat the top 5
-  You blink or have a bad day.....you just may tie or lose!  Every team in this conference can upset another team on any given day.
-  Set plays and free kicks can change the game for some teams
-  Coaching will make the difference in close "apples-to-apples" matchups
-  Fans have been courteous, respectful and professional

Feel free to share your observations/thoughts.

Good luck to all in October!

Agree with observations. NTx depth, preparation and coaching clearly been the difference against the south and Ok. Physical and tough but pretty fair for the most part with a good intensity. Thoughts on teams:

- Solar remains the class act and probably the best coached
- Solar, FCDallas, Sting and Texans are the top 4
- Lonestar, Rush, Albion and D'Feeters are next group and as they say any given Sunday one could beat the other
- TFC competitive but a step behind
- Challenge out of their depth and could not beat top 4 on any given day, may be a chance on a very good day against the rest

Major difference between top 4 and next group is they are better coached and maintain offensive pressure and finish via their midfield and forward combination. Sides like Rush and Albion have strong defenses but find it hard to match midfield control and the opportunities the likes of Solar and Sting can create.

If the Texans don't get some Kicks girls recruited, they may not excel to the level that others are at. The level of Ref consistency may be that in Dallas, but not in Houston, Austin or Tulsa from many's perspective. Its early, but some teams have had more to this transition than others. The teams with less change have moved forward in this ECNL transition better than the teams that have. Pretty expected normal stuff as one or three players don't make it work at this level. This year, next year...Its ECNL and any team can win with the exception of some, on any given day. If they are not "playing to win" as a previous poster pointed out, I think you should quit. Im still not sure i understand that post but the running backwards quickly kind of help explain that random point of view. Congrats Solar, you are moving the ball and working as a team, better than anyone out there right now but your not that far ahead of others. Others....keep working as the next 2 years will define what you are or can be. The field is still open so this story is not written yet. Gotta love U14 N Texas ECNL soccer and Texas Conference of the ECNL. Its tough and earned privilege to play at this level for every girl out there.

thebox wrote:Its tough and EARNED privilege to play at this level for EVERY girl out there.

Oh man..........................I just laughed so hard I wet my pants!  And my DD is a starting ECNL player!  I'm going to have to start wearing a diaper when I read this forum.

Big Poppy wrote:September was a good month for North Texas 01 ECNL teams as four of the top five are based out of the metroplex.

Some early observations are as follows:

-  Consistent officiating (overall...it's been fair and balanced)
-  Physical play is less than what I was expecting.  All teams are coming out to play vs. the "kill the man with the ball" strategy
-  No one is playing the "long ball" strategy as there seems to be a mixture of strategies with some teams
-  Substitutions and rotations are significantly more critical at this level
-  Winning the ball in the air has become a must for any team wanting to beat the top 5
-  You blink or have a bad day.....you just may tie or lose!  Every team in this conference can upset another team on any given day.
-  Set plays and free kicks can change the game for some teams
-  Coaching will make the difference in close "apples-to-apples" matchups
-  Fans have been courteous, respectful and professional

Feel free to share your observations/thoughts.

Good luck to all in October!

What a bunch of non sensical trivial BS.
Set plays can change a game...  Winning the ball in the sir. ...Blah blah

Play ever did you?