Why does soccer suck in Southwest Florida?

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It was special but did not last

MP had a dream for great soccer development and play in Southwest Florida with a Chicago Juniors South and a Chicago Juniors North from Naples to Cape Coral. Kids were practicing from three to four days a week with real drills and playing time was based on what was shown on the field. Great players were developing and great teams were dominating. But MP could not stay and the brothers that took over made less practices greater fees and better players were not given the opportunities that lesser players that paid for private training or were related to the brothers or their cronies were given in the Fire pyramid. Then the best teams coaching got screwed and that combination dispersed all those great players to other clubs or out of soccer. One man looked at SWF and saw great soccer potential and others saw money in their pockets and a club for themselves and not for the kids of whom parents were paying for.

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No Latins

[Unregistered]

MP had a dream for great soccer development and play in Southwest Florida with a Chicago Juniors South and a Chicago Juniors North from Naples to Cape Coral. Kids were practicing from three to four days a week with real drills and playing time was based on what was shown on the field. Great players were developing and great teams were dominating. But MP could not stay and the brothers that took over made less practices greater fees and better players were not given the opportunities that lesser players that paid for private training or were related to the brothers or their cronies were given in the Fire pyramid. Then the best teams coaching got screwed and that combination dispersed all those great players to other clubs or out of soccer. One man looked at SWF and saw great soccer potential and others saw money in their pockets and a club for themselves and not for the kids of whom parents were paying for.

People in SWFL; were not and are not ready for MP. It was like you said, about effort in training and respect for the team. Not about FAIR playing time. It’s sad but true!

[Unregistered]

MP had a dream and others saw only money

People in SWFL; were not and are not ready for MP. It was like you said, about effort in training and respect for the team. Not about FAIR playing time. It’s sad but true!

The Chicago Fire Juniors lost MP and then as they became the Florida Fire you had one brother who lost his job and made it his cash cow and another brother making it his private club where cronies get to share the benefits of scraps he let them have.
Great players pushed out or just left while kids who are bench level FYSA players are sent up the prymid for it became not what you can do but who was your daddy.
That is why the club that was once fielding nationally ranked teams is not even known across the state anymore and is not even the best club in their area with JD’s club.

[Unregistered]

I think John Dina is trying to build a program with Orlando City that will give top talent a chance to develop. But they could only do that with a few teams due to so many great coaches of whom left the area for North Carolina and Philadelphia and soccer due to age. Good thing is the two bad apples are gone so no other clubs will be poisoned. A case could be made that they destroyed both the Sharks and the Fire.

[Unregistered]

I think John Dina is trying to build a program with Orlando City that will give top talent a chance to develop. But they could only do that with a few teams due to so many great coaches of whom left the area for North Carolina and Philadelphia and soccer due to age. Good thing is the two bad apples are gone so no other clubs will be poisoned. A case could be made that they destroyed both the Sharks and the Fire.

John Dina is a joke!

[Unregistered]

John Dina doesn’t even know what a soccer ball is. He has coaches in his program that wear Sambas to practice lol. What a joke he is. I will say he runs a pretty good concession stand for Optmist. Telling all the people that there kid will have a chance to play for Orlando City professional team. Guaranteed he will mess that up to. Why because he is JD.

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Yes at one time Sharks/Fire were winning major tournaments from Atlanta to Orlando to Miami and had a number one ranked team in USA. But those players were screwed as was the great team behind them and left when they saw the M&m kick out GS and made it about themselves and cronies and not about the kids. Unless it was their kids.

So I know this is somewhat pointless posting on here, but having experienced 3 of the 5 major clubs in SWFL, and both genders, I feel as though I can relate to more than most.

Naples Sharks were never winning major tournaments. They might have had a few decent teams here and there from time to time, but it was mostly girls teams. No one in the state of Florida even knew who Naples Sharks were from a competitive stand point.

Chicago Fire philosophy was a great one because they had no overhead, MP owned the club (for profit; not a non-profit), and they only took true premier teams. They were able to train in Lee and Collier, and could go after any players they wanted given it was US Club. However, thatbmodel wasn’t sustainable since they went from 10 teams to 6 teams, and then had to merge.

Everyone keeps talking about DM as if he was a cash cow. He was an admin for CFJ and FFJ making $5k/year with club soccer before he became the Director of Ops a few years into it. RM has a heart of gold, but never had any oversight to any decisions being made? This was always the BOD at FFJ as it’s a non-profit. Coaches or admin have ultimately no say.

FFJ after the merge had some really good teams with a couple special boys teams and 1 girls team. They currently still have a few good teams that are ranked pretty high in the state. It seems like a trend when FFJ teams have a good coach, they become a good team; otherwise, the club is not truly that strong or much different from Sharks back in the day.

GPS has had the most success but their ethics on how they do things isngoing to eventually ruin them. RP only cares about his success and not the kids development, and that will come back at them. If he wasn’t involved, my son would have definitely stayed there and the club would by far be the top club.

Azzuri/OC is still the same as it was with a different name. If you are commenting on this club by either seeing them from distance or being a parent from their U13 boys team, you then don’t truly know JD or the real club. They are very recreational based and do not have a premier mentality. Even the 13 boys should be pushing themselves more by playing out of area more than they do, but they clean up on Naples tournaments. I don’t see this club ever getting out of the Optimist mentality, which is fine for what it is, but then don’t make it to be something it’s not.

Sorry Cape and LCS, don’t know you guys too well except you wish GPS would just go away.

To answer the original posters question, SWFL soccer is not awful. We are just a small area to have 5 major clubs stealing talent from each other. Only good teams to ever make it out of here have been when they consolidate talent from Naples/Ft Myers/Cape. One of the clubs becoming the dominant one might help that, but right now it will stay the same. Few good teams here and there, but no club becoming a state/national threat.

[Unregistered]

Ask former board members, coaches, moms or RS.

What a pathetic attempt to change the truth or have been drinking the koolaid with eyes shut open.

Fire was not meant to make anyone money only to develop great players and teams. Six teams was enough except when MP left those you worship saw a merge as a way to kill the Sharks of whom they always hated and find a source of revenue with all the teams the Sharks had and the large amount of money in the reserve account.

Should we discuss Moms conned out of their panties and cars.
Should we discuss taking commissions from fundraising.
Should we discuss salaries.

[Unregistered]

What a pathetic attempt to change the truth or have been drinking the koolaid with eyes shut open.

Fire was not meant to make anyone money only to develop great players and teams. Six teams was enough except when MP left those you worship saw a merge as a way to kill the Sharks of whom they always hated and find a source of revenue with all the teams the Sharks had and the large amount of money in the reserve account.

Should we discuss Moms conned out of their panties and cars.
Should we discuss taking commissions from fundraising.
Should we discuss salaries.

You obviously have no clue. MP was with Fire through the merge as an ADOC training teams the first season.

[Unregistered]

So I know this is somewhat pointless posting on here, but having experienced 3 of the 5 major clubs in SWFL, and both genders, I feel as though I can relate to more than most.

Naples Sharks were never winning major tournaments. They might have had a few decent teams here and there from time to time, but it was mostly girls teams. No one in the state of Florida even knew who Naples Sharks were from a competitive stand point.

Chicago Fire philosophy was a great one because they had no overhead, MP owned the club (for profit; not a non-profit), and they only took true premier teams. They were able to train in Lee and Collier, and could go after any players they wanted given it was US Club. However, thatbmodel wasn’t sustainable since they went from 10 teams to 6 teams, and then had to merge.

Everyone keeps talking about DM as if he was a cash cow. He was an admin for CFJ and FFJ making $5k/year with club soccer before he became the Director of Ops a few years into it. RM has a heart of gold, but never had any oversight to any decisions being made? This was always the BOD at FFJ as it’s a non-profit. Coaches or admin have ultimately no say.

FFJ after the merge had some really good teams with a couple special boys teams and 1 girls team. They currently still have a few good teams that are ranked pretty high in the state. It seems like a trend when FFJ teams have a good coach, they become a good team; otherwise, the club is not truly that strong or much different from Sharks back in the day.

GPS has had the most success but their ethics on how they do things isngoing to eventually ruin them. RP only cares about his success and not the kids development, and that will come back at them. If he wasn’t involved, my son would have definitely stayed there and the club would by far be the top club.

Azzuri/OC is still the same as it was with a different name. If you are commenting on this club by either seeing them from distance or being a parent from their U13 boys team, you then don’t truly know JD or the real club. They are very recreational based and do not have a premier mentality. Even the 13 boys should be pushing themselves more by playing out of area more than they do, but they clean up on Naples tournaments. I don’t see this club ever getting out of the Optimist mentality, which is fine for what it is, but then don’t make it to be something it’s not.

Sorry Cape and LCS, don’t know you guys too well except you wish GPS would just go away.

To answer the original posters question, SWFL soccer is not awful. We are just a small area to have 5 major clubs stealing talent from each other. Only good teams to ever make it out of here have been when they consolidate talent from Naples/Ft Myers/Cape. One of the clubs becoming the dominant one might help that, but right now it will stay the same. Few good teams here and there, but no club becoming a state/national threat.

No clubs have become a state/national threat in this area besides GPS with two state titles in two years. I agree. RP is a dick. It appears as he has no interest in any of the other teams/ages besides his u12 DA boys. He plays favorites with parents and players when it comes to trips to Bayern Munich, national teams, etc. I’ve never seen him watching any other age groups in practices or games. But the fact remains that GPS has been successful so far, is a young club and is growing to bigger and better things for its players. The credit for the recent successes at GPS should be credited to a couple of very good coaches and good players. They deserve this credit. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t judge GPS’s quality of players because you don’t like RP. We know about RP but we also know the coaches are very good.

[Unregistered]

No clubs have become a state/national threat in this area besides GPS with two state titles in two years. I agree. RP is a dick. It appears as he has no interest in any of the other teams/ages besides his u12 DA boys. He plays favorites with parents and players when it comes to trips to Bayern Munich, national teams, etc. I’ve never seen him watching any other age groups in practices or games. But the fact remains that GPS has been successful so far, is a young club and is growing to bigger and better things for its players. The credit for the recent successes at GPS should be credited to a couple of very good coaches and good players. They deserve this credit. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t judge GPS’s quality of players because you don’t like RP. We know about RP but we also know the coaches are very good.

You also don’t know about other clubs and team successes. GPS won 2 state titles. Not going to take anything away from that. But to say you are going to judge everything on a state championship is a little demeaning. I think consistency and growth of players is more eveident of a successful team or coach.

GPS had a better situation with 2 teams making the final four and playing each other. The second team beat the first team and went on to lose the state championship, but that to me is saying something about the second team, the coach, and the players. A lot of those players were picked from other clubs as well I might add.

Fire had a boys team reach the state finals 2 years in a row and final four 3 times. They also had a girls team reach the final four 3 years in a row and state finals.

Again, it depends on what you determine is true success as that’s an opinionated question. The fact remains to the original question is there is talent in SWFL. It’s just very poorly managed and not taken advantage of.

[Unregistered]

There is hope

You also don’t know about other clubs and team successes. GPS won 2 state titles. Not going to take anything away from that. But to say you are going to judge everything on a state championship is a little demeaning. I think consistency and growth of players is more eveident of a successful team or coach.

GPS had a better situation with 2 teams making the final four and playing each other. The second team beat the first team and went on to lose the state championship, but that to me is saying something about the second team, the coach, and the players. A lot of those players were picked from other clubs as well I might add.

Fire had a boys team reach the state finals 2 years in a row and final four 3 times. They also had a girls team reach the final four 3 years in a row and state finals.

Again, it depends on what you determine is true success as that’s an opinionated question. The fact remains to the original question is there is talent in SWFL. It’s just very poorly managed and not taken advantage of.

That Fire team was developed by a parent and the Sharks as well as by MP. With better game coaching they probably would have won a title or two. The Fire now seems to care about numbers with a lot of clueless parents who think the pretty jerseys and fancy talk means something more then whay it really is. There was another great shark/fire team that was assembled mainly by RS and JM but they took their team to GPS where the commitment from a college coach did not transpire. However, with The candy brothers gone their is hope for something better.
GPS is by far the best program in SWFL but they can not complete against top Academy teams. FUSA is more recreational. However, if they make the commitment to five day a week practices and at least one game a week they have the coaches and the area does have the talent to be as good as anyone in the nation.

[Unregistered]

You also don’t know about other clubs and team successes. GPS won 2 state titles. Not going to take anything away from that. But to say you are going to judge everything on a state championship is a little demeaning. I think consistency and growth of players is more eveident of a successful team or coach.

GPS had a better situation with 2 teams making the final four and playing each other. The second team beat the first team and went on to lose the state championship, but that to me is saying something about the second team, the coach, and the players. A lot of those players were picked from other clubs as well I might add.

Fire had a boys team reach the state finals 2 years in a row and final four 3 times. They also had a girls team reach the final four 3 years in a row and state finals.

Again, it depends on what you determine is true success as that’s an opinionated question. The fact remains to the original question is there is talent in SWFL. It’s just very poorly managed and not taken advantage of.

The ONLY way to determine success is from an impartial source. Not idiot parents arguing who is better. The ONLY impartial judge is a college recruiter. So the ONLY way to judge a successful program is to look at a team's college commitments. Not silly state championships in CDL, or HS or whatever. A college coach will never care if you beat FC Primo 2-1.

Focus on what matters!

[Unregistered]

The ONLY way to determine success is from an impartial source. Not idiot parents arguing who is better. The ONLY impartial judge is a college recruiter. So the ONLY way to judge a successful program is to look at a team's college commitments. Not silly state championships in CDL, or HS or whatever. A college coach will never care if you beat FC Primo 2-1.

Focus on what matters!

Then look at John Robinson’s program