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Makes some of the so-called "soccer experts," who sit in the stands and on message boards under made up names, realize there are a lot of other teams out there that can hang with the so-called elite group in girls soccer.
From U-High, H-F and Maine South to St. Ignatius, Hersey and others, this year and the postseason showed the gap is narrowing. Now why that is - that's for a different discussion. I really just shake my head when people go out and watch or play the same team year after year after year after year after year. As I said the other day, Monday was the first time I appeared at New Trier stadium in two years. New Trier was a great team, but it wasn't the only team around the past five years.
We cover hundreds of soccer teams, and I'll be the first to admit that I get tired of watching the same teams play year after year after year after year. I really wish some people (coaches or athletic directors) would take an extra second or two and try to add a new team or two to their schedule. Yes, there are rival games and things like that to keep - I understand that.
But admit it, in girls soccer more than any other sport, there is an elite bunch of teams that believes they are just too good to play anyone outside of their click. I have no reason not to believe that when some teams play the exact same schedule year after year after year after year.
- Joe Trost
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Joe:
Interesting commentary. But nothing much matters untill you see how people play after tomorrow ( Friday the 30th) . Yes, I think some team need to get a broader perspective. But it won't happen untill they don't get to the final 8 for a few years. A lot of folks need to realize that girls soccer is big, REALLY BIG. In some ways as big a boys football.
See you in Naperville.
Let's see where it goes.
Joe:
Its not all about the elite teams playing each other - lets face it, some coaches just use the regular season as a tune up for a run at the state title - knowing that they can beat the regional teams in their IHSA playoff regional/sectional brackets,as they are the same teams they see during their 'regular' schedule ( For example Carmel, Rockford - neither has much competition in their respective conferences). In recent years,neither has fared well beyond the sectional/super sectional - in part because they have a harder time adjusting to the size, speed, power of the "elites".