Here is an unbiased recap of some of the action we watched this weekend. We watched a lot of games (as there was nothing else to do) and my daughter wants to try out for a higher level team. We figured before the tryouts, this was a great place to watch a lot of the teams and see if she has a chance.
YJ. Clearly the top team this weekend. Watched 2.5 of their games. Ball movement was incredible. Physical. Goalie is an absolute beast. She clears 50-60 yards with a flick of the wrist. Coaching is a different level. Constant subbing. Fresh legs. And they come in waves. When one gets a bit winded, someone just as fast switches out. I am not sure anyone can score more than 5 on these girls. If they are not at least in the finals of LFTC, I would be surprised.
Heros. Other than the loss to YJ, I thought they looked second best. Watched almost 3 games. Middies are fast. Big defenders. Ball movement is sharp. Saw them backdoor M&D with the same play multiple times. Do a great job subbing out. Liked the way they communicate on the field. Draw girl was great. I can see a YJ / Heros rematch in finals at LFTC.
FLG. Saw 2.5 games. For a team that had only 2 or 3 reserves, they play hard. When I saw that M&D was up 4 or 5, I figured it was over. Then 10 minutes later they were only down 1. They just don't give up. Goalie was solid. Coach is very vocal (which I like). Little bit of trouble clearing the ball from defensive side. Was pleasantly surprised at their ability to keep scores close and low scoring.
M&D. Saw 3 games. 3rd best team we saw. We expected more based on the #1 ranking last 2 years. Ball movement is not very sharp. Their top middie line was really good. Then it goes really flat. And I am not sure how many girls they have (looks like about 25) but they never sub except for mid line. In 3 games, we didn't see one sub at attack or defense other than at halftime. Sunday afternoon some of their kids looked gassed chasing YJ around. Against Hero's they must have had 15 turnovers. They still have lots of talent, but based on this weekend, It would be surprising to see them make it to finals at LFTC.
BLC. We are not sure what we saw. Watched 2 games. Looks like a lot of talent. Especially at attack. Goalie was strong. But she was under fire constantly. We knew this would be a tough weekend. But did not see 0-4. Something is clearly missing there. Not a lot of enthusiasm. Their season usually ends sooner than other clubs. Maybe they can find a spark next weekend. But it looks like they are paired with Aces and M&D. Could be a tough draw.
SW. Watched 2 games. Looks like they are improving. Although I believe they were in a lower competition bracket. Watched them barely beat a bad NEMS team and squeak by Liberty. Defenders are big and tough. Looks like a tough schedule as well for them next weekend against Aces and M&D.
MDU. They were fun to watch. Well coached. Defense is tough. Goalie was strong. Really good ball movement. Not sure they are at the same level as the top bracket we saw. But I wouldn't want to face them in a 20 minute game
Jesters. Physical team. Offense is a bit pedestrian. But their defense keeps things really close. Again, another team I would not want to play in a playoff game. Draw girl was solid. Kids just seem to be tough from L.I.
I will also add we were checking out parents to see if there were any issues of behavior. I have to say I thought everyone was very respectful. I didn't witness any arguments. Might be a little more vocal next week....as there is a championship at stake.
I did not want to denigrate any teams. They are certainly stronger than my daughters team. Just giving my 2 cents.
No parent issues at all for the entire weekend which was awesome to see! Next weekend will be fun even though New Egypt isn't exactly a destination location and fields are meh especially at the Allentown location.
My biggest takeaway from LLL was there is a HUGE gap between top 5-8 teams in the country and everyone else.
For example, Skywalkers who has struggled off and on for a long time played tied against Steps (11) and won against Primetime (13) but will be in a world of hurt next weekend in the top bracket.
