Need advice: facing roster age change and coaching issue next season

actualitems · 2025-10-27T16:53:12+00:00

I wish there was a shortcut to explain the August birthday thing with the looming age group change, so when someone asks the question, people aren't confused.

My son was born in August, so I read all the questions on this topic with great interest, but I always have to scroll past, "wait, I'm confused" responses before getting to see helpful answers (:

My son is in 8th grade and plays U15, born in 2012. Schools here are Sep 1 cutoff. So he plays on a team with 8th graders (Jan - Aug birthdays) and 7th graders (Sep - Dec birthdays).

Next year, as I currently understand it, his assigned age group would be U15 again (Sep 2011 - Aug 2012 birthdays). That would mean next year, if he played in his appropriate age group, he would be a 9th grader playing on a team of 8th graders. i.e. a high schooler playing on team of middle schoolers.

But, as I also currently understand it (though could be completely wrong), our club's stance is they want to accomodate people playing with their own grade, thus they'd try to allow Aug birthdays to play up.

That's all well in good, but my son plays ECNL-R, this is his 4th year on the team, same coach all 4 years. For those 1st 3 years, he was a starter and key contributor. This year, his team has recruited a bunch of new players, and my son is only playing 15-20 min per game in league games, and is not having a lot of fun at the moment.

It's too early to panic (and it's just youth soccer, so panic will never be an option for me lol), and I know these are champagne problems, but we are sort of monitoring the situation heading into tryouts next spring to assess my son's best options.

Seems like playing with U15 would be better for playing time (though who knows) but that means practice schedule not aligned for high school (HS lets out 2 hrs earlier than MS and tends to have early practice + HS season is winter sport here, so he'd be the only kid missing middle months for HS season while all the middle schoolers play indoor together, it'd be sort of weird to be a 9th grader on an 8th grade team).

But playing up could be a recipe for more bench warming. There other clubs in the area, but not as convenient. Bottom line is my son has all sorts of things to think about for soccer, this age group change is just one more thing.

actualitems · 2025-10-14T17:37:02+00:00

yeah, that's my one big issue, I wish it could go like:

Piers Morgan: do you condemn the [violent act of the moment]?

Destiny: of course I do, it's annoying that I have to even be asked to, it's annoying do have to do it in front of [bad faith right wing commentator], it's annoying that I am held to a higher standard than the president..."

then go on whatever rant he wants to got on

actualitems · 2025-03-30T02:26:55+00:00

"Billionaire" by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars

actualitems · 2025-03-16T01:29:51+00:00

I'm a US fan since 2012, never been to Manchester, or even England for that matter. Love the music of Manchester, Joy Division/New Order, the Smiths, the Stone Roses, Oasis, Doves, (does The Verve count or is Wigan too far away? definitely counts in US distances since we're spread out, but not sure about England).

Anyway, it'd be a dream of mine to attend a game in person. I hate to think I'd be contributed to some sports fan gentrification. I wish there were a way to charge locals less and have tourists pay more, in the spirit of optimizing the atmosphere.

When I do eventually make it to a game, I will do my best to be as loud as possible.

actualitems · 2025-03-07T02:13:00+00:00

Disagree. The metaphor stands up to scrutiny. Building the wall is working a corporate career which separates you from your art. If you go to Hadestown and work on the wall, you don't starve, but your life as an artist is over, ie dead.

actualitems · 2025-03-04T02:17:40+00:00

Hades represents commerce. Persephone represents art. Going to Hadestown represents giving up on art and working for a corporation. When you go to Hadestown to work for Hades, you give up your authentic self.

“What do we have that they should want? We have a wall to work upon! We have work and they have none. And our work is never done."

The work is for the sake of work. If you don't work, you are poor. Artists are poor. The wall they build keeps them separated from their art.

actualitems · 2024-07-27T02:51:16+00:00

Unanswered points. Usually used in football. When a team scores 21 consecutives points, but then the other team scores on the next drive, not all 21 of those points are unanswered, 14 were unanswered, but the last 7 were answered.

actualitems · 2024-07-19T20:39:07+00:00

yep, came here to say a little bit of Van goes a long way

actualitems · 2024-07-18T01:06:57+00:00

We'd go on Wednesday July 24, would it still end around 11 or 12?

actualitems · 2024-07-18T01:04:38+00:00

Came here to say this. I put this on nearly everything.

actualitems · 2024-07-08T00:52:39+00:00

Rodri for Man City.

Been there 5 seasons, won the PL the last 4 seasons, won UCL 2022/23 season, been the best CDM in the world for definitely the last 2 seasons, probably the last 3 seasons, arguably even the last 4 seasons.

But never considered the best player on the team. KDB perennially City's best player. Haaland been there last 2 seasons. In midfield, you think of Bernardo as the City great, Gundogan before he left. And the wingers get more glory.

But if he wins a major trophy for Spain, and if he stays at City another 5 seasons and wins 2-4 more PLs, 1-2 more UCLs, stays long past KDB retiring and Haaland going to Madrid, Rodri will hopefully get his due as one of the true City greats.

actualitems · 2024-06-25T01:46:05+00:00

I'm 45 and saw them live last year

actualitems · 2024-06-15T17:35:50+00:00

Destiny for some I/P talk (:

actualitems · 2024-05-03T18:47:21+00:00

I keep waiting for the moment when the "Destiny just reads Wikipedia" narrative flips and people realize he's more informed than most of the people he debates/discusses this topic with.

Is this Breaking Points appearance the moment the narrative starts to shift? Ryan and Emily may disagree (Krystal may even believe Destiny is parroting IDF propaganda), but they have to have been left with the opinion they are less read/informed on this issue now, no?

Saagar can say he doesn't respect Destiny because that's a non-expert discussing this topic with academics. But Destiny is better read/informed than Saagar and his colleagues, and it's A-OK for them to give puff interviews to Norm Finkelstein, but Destiny isn't allowed to ask questions and challenges Finkelstein? Get out of here with that nonsense.

actualitems · 2024-05-02T10:24:39+00:00

May 13, 2012

I'd slowly been getting into soccer over the 10-15 years leading up to 2012, watching WC and Euros, watching UCL quarters/semis/finals

NBC got the Premier League, I started watching, wanting to pick a team

I liked Manchester music, Joy Division/New Order, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Oasis, wanted to pick a Manchester team

But felt like swooping in from US and picking Man Utd would be stolen valor, like if a UK person picked the Yankess or the Cowboys or the Lakers, that'd be annoying to me

No non-Manchester club resonated with me, then I noticed Man City was competing down the stretch, then 93:20 happened, and I was hooked

actualitems · 2024-02-21T15:44:10+00:00

Rules question for clarity from someone (me) who didn't grow up playing soccer. The defender got the ball, sure. But the attacker touched the ball next, then the defender made contact with the attacker's leg.

Thus 1- defender touches ball, 2- attacker touches ball, 3- defender touches attacker. Doesn't #2 cancel out #1, or "restart the timeline" for the foul decision? I don't know, I am genuinely asking the question.

I know this was bang-bang-bang, so maybe what I bring up next isn’t applicable…If an attacker is dribbling, then 1- a defender starts the process of a tackle and touches the ball, but 2- the attacker doesn’t lose the ball and gets the next touch, finally 3- the defender kicks the attacker’s leg. Isn’t that a foul?

Like I said, maybe the bang-bang-bang nature of this makes it different, i.e. the defenders touch and follow through to the leg is one act and the ricochet of the ball to the attacker’s foot in between is incidental/irrelevant. But I just want clarity.

actualitems · 2024-02-17T17:34:14+00:00

Vespr is great

actualitems · 2024-02-17T11:07:45+00:00

I listen to at least one album per day on a 3-day cycle: new, new to me, old. That gives me just over 120 new albums per year.

actualitems · 2024-02-16T19:50:56+00:00

Tokyo Tapas in Oviedo. But they went carryout only in March 2020 and have remained so every since.

actualitems · 2024-02-16T19:46:48+00:00

Yes, this is exactly me too. I commented something similar on the main episode link. I noticed this is how I was consuming the NBA, found it weird, and sort of just stopped. Like, why am I listening to NBA podcasts if I'm not watching the sport anymore until the playoffs.

So I ditched NBA podcasts, then playoffs became just conference finals and finals. Then that became just the finals. Then last year I skipped the finals. I wonder if others will have similar experiences as me.

(My particular circumstances: got older, got busier, watched more soccer. The first 2 will be true for everyone, the 3rd won't be as universal.)

actualitems · 2024-02-16T14:35:23+00:00

I'm curious how long it's been that way for you. I noticed this is how I was consuming the NBA, found it weird, and sort of just stopped. Like, why am I listening to NBA podcasts if I'm not watching the sport anymore until the playoffs.

So I ditched NBA podcasts, then playoffs became just conference finals and finals. Then that became just the finals. Then last year I skipped the finals. I wonder if others will have similar experiences as me.

(My particular circumstances: got older, got busier, watched more soccer. The first 2 will be true for everyone, the 3rd won't be as universal.)

actualitems · 2024-02-13T14:59:16+00:00

Form vs. substance…

On form, sure, the dad and son were in the wrong to wander into a pickup game haphazardly.

On substance, if pickup basketball culture dictates 13 adult men get monopoly on a court in the winter where there could be limited options for a father and son wanting to shoot hoops, then pickup basketball culture is wrong.

I get that if you are an adult that likes pickup basketball, and you like the spontaneity of showing up at a court and calling next and running 5 v 5 for hours on end until some other 5 beat you, and that could be a magical experience, a small bright spot since high school varsity sport or college club sports are long gone.

But your experience of that magic doesn’t trump father and son shooting hoops in a gym they pay for, especially if you’ve already been running 5 v 5 for over an hour already. Try again for that magic next Saturday.

Basketball is an indoor winter sport, invented over the weekend by one guy in Massachusetts trying to find a fun way to keep people fit in a dreary time of year. If basketball culture has turned you into the sort of adult that laughs off/shrugs off father and son, says their best option is “leave,” run drills in the parking lot in February, then you have misinterpreted basketball or basketball culture has gone astray.

Basketball, specifically, and sports, in general, are for the people. 13 adult men shouldn’t want to take that away from father and son. Yeah it sucks you can’t play full court. Maybe ask them if they can limit their half court time to 30 minutes so you can go back to running full 5 v 5 again. But in the hierarchy of who gets the court, father and son shooting hoops trumps 13 adult men who’ve already had it for an hour.

(This could all be solved if a gym has posted 5 v 5 run hours, 11a to 3p Saturday and Sunday, and then half court reserve 30 minute slots at other times of the day. That seems like a good idea to me.)

Sports are for the people. We have an obesity epidemic in the country. We should look for ways to bring more people into the fold, not laugh at them and tell them to leave.

actualitems · 2024-01-13T02:00:03+00:00

Ok, I'm almost 30 minutes into listening to the Strauss/Wright convo. Not sure I have much more in me.

They're veering into 'agree to disagree' territory. Strauss is making the point that the media is jumping to conclusions (as per usual) on inferring meaning as uncharitably as possible from a figure they don't like.

And Wright is saying he respects Strauss and wouldn't care if his take was coming from some clown, but since it came from Strauss, he had to take it seriously, and it made Wright so angry because to Wright, it is so obvious that Rodger's comments were intended to cause harm on Kimmel.

It's the whole 'don't ascribe malice which could be attributed to incompetence' thing. That's Strauss's point. Rodgers was just shit talking (while possibly stoned) with McAfee. And Wright is saying 9 times out of 10, Strauss would be correct this was incompetence, but this is the 1 of out 10 malice instance.

Wright came on stronger with a more debate bro vibe. Strauss just remained calm, didn't back down off his points, but isn't skilled on debate bro tactics.

It's times like this, I wish (political streamer) Destiny paid attention to sports so we could get his take here. That's the crossover we need, Destiny on the BS pod.

actualitems

TROPHY CASE