Silly silly R1 Wildcards

[Unregistered]

Big News, at U13 Vermont has "earned" the girls wildcard. Obviously it is done by random draw but how sad that a state with probably less than 6 teams registered for their state cup will get two spots in W Virginia. Is it time for the R1 organization to stop catering to little states like Vermont, Maine and West Virginia?

[R1 reject]

Big News, at U13 Vermont has "earned" the girls wildcard. Obviously it is done by random draw but how sad that a state with probably less than 6 teams registered for their state cup will get two spots in W Virginia. Is it time for the R1 organization to stop catering to little states like Vermont, Maine and West Virginia?

How would you fix it? Big states get more tickets in the draw?

[Unregistered]

How would you fix it? Big states get more tickets in the draw?

at U13 I would rotate the wildcard between NJ, ENY and Virginia. You can always be sure that the runner-up from those states will be a quality side. At all ages I would include the top 4 rom the Premier league and then have Vermont, Maine, RI and West Virginia all play for a single spot in the filed of 16. I would also seed the 16 qualifiers and get rid of the random draw for groups.

[Unregistered]

it's suppose to be like the world cup or the fa cup where smaller countries or clubs get the opportunity to prove themselves. on occasion, some actually do.

[Unregistered]

then have Vermont, Maine, RI and West Virginia all play for a single spot in the filed of 16.

No, by right each state gets a spot. That should never change. Wildcard procedure, maybe

[Unregistered]

Get over it. Your team didn't win, and you want to the glory.

There is nothing more fair an equitable thana random draw. Everyone has an equal chance.

[Unregistered]

Get over it. Your team didn't win, and you want to the glory.

There is nothing more fair an equitable thana random draw. Everyone has an equal chance.

Unless its Mass State Cup

[Unregistered]

RI WIldcard

Last year the wildcard was given to RI. The RI champ lost to Masspequa (R1 champs) in quarters 1 - nil while wildcard lost in Semis. So whoses to say big states like NY, NJ, and Virgina should get more bids than anyone else. Last years finalists in RI ended up in same side of draw. One is going to be eliminated in Semis thats the breaks.

[Unregistered]

There are soccer purists (some would say elitists) who believe strongly that the regional tournament is intended to guaranty that the "best" team from R1 carries the honor and responsibility of representing the region at the national championships. Of course the realists understand that the tournament is about much more. It is a reward to the SC champions and big business for the host area. Ultimately it is a chance for the Regional hierarchy to showcase the wonders of youth soccer. However, the dilema is that the tournament as know devised, with 16 separate moving and vastly different and unequal parts does little to guaranty that the "best" representative is selected. Thanks for the great info about little Rhody, however, here is a news flash -- after U14 you have almost no chance of seeing a team from our neighbors to the south winning the tournament. That doesn't mean that they should be excluded from the process, but to treat their representative (after winning a SC with 5 or 6 entrants) the same as one from NJ or ENY is silly. Worse yet you exclude 5 or 6 teams with a legitimate chance to proove their mettle because they had the misfortune of coming from a big state. In fact, I would bet that if you made the representatives from Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont and West Virginia (a soccer population still less than Virginia, ENY or NJ) conduct a play-in RR you would see that teams from Rhode Island end up being most successful and earn a spot at the regionals. Look at the U16 division, over the last two years just about everybody would admit that the four best teams were Montclair, PDA, Stars and Scorps, but the rules mean that no more than three can ever attend the regional championships. Yet you had teams in Portland that would struggle to make the RR in Massachusetts. Frankly it is not going to change and the isues of the blind draw (which is the only way that teams from the smallest states ever get to the semis) and the fact that they continue to select the region's most inconvenient locations for the tournament are more pressing concerns.

[Unregistered]

There are soccer purists (some would say elitists) who believe strongly that the regional tournament is intended to guaranty that the "best" team from R1 carries the honor and responsibility of representing the region at the national championships. Of course the realists understand that the tournament is about much more. It is a reward to the SC champions and big business for the host area. Ultimately it is a chance for the Regional hierarchy to showcase the wonders of youth soccer. However, the dilema is that the tournament as know devised, with 16 separate moving and vastly different and unequal parts does little to guaranty that the "best" representative is selected. Thanks for the great info about little Rhody, however, here is a news flash -- after U14 you have almost no chance of seeing a team from our neighbors to the south winning the tournament. That doesn't mean that they should be excluded from the process, but to treat their representative (after winning a SC with 5 or 6 entrants) the same as one from NJ or ENY is silly. Worse yet you exclude 5 or 6 teams with a legitimate chance to proove their mettle because they had the misfortune of coming from a big state. In fact, I would bet that if you made the representatives from Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont and West Virginia (a soccer population still less than Virginia, ENY or NJ) conduct a play-in RR you would see that teams from Rhode Island end up being most successful and earn a spot at the regionals. Look at the U16 division, over the last two years just about everybody would admit that the four best teams were Montclair, PDA, Stars and Scorps, but the rules mean that no more than three can ever attend the regional championships. Yet you had teams in Portland that would struggle to make the RR in Massachusetts. Frankly it is not going to change and the isues of the blind draw (which is the only way that teams from the smallest states ever get to the semis) and the fact that they continue to select the region's most inconvenient locations for the tournament are more pressing concerns.

It wasn't that long ago that Massachusetts was viewed in a similiar light. Just 5 years ago Mass tied with Delaware for a 9th place ranking of the 15 R1 states. So things do change with time and effort.