I've heard there is a new youth soccer league being formed for next year - CCL - that will have a bunch of clubs leaving NCSL/ODSL/WAGS, but it's only the top 10 clubs in the area. Anyone have any idea what happens if you are in a smaller club? Will the current leagues still exist next year?

CCL is really VCCL but the V is dropped because there are teams from maryland. wags and ncsl will still exist but wont be competitive....good luck

If you want your child to play varsity in high school, or have a chance at a soccer scholarship in college, you need to enroll them in a CCL club at the earliest possible age. It's expensive, but worth every penny, as it is very difficult to join one of these clubs once they become 12 or older.

WAGS, NCSL, and ODSL aren't going to fold, CCL is just an existing league ("VCCL") that lost several clubs and renamed itself. Only 7 clubs from northern Virginia are involved in CCL (assuming you count Fredericksburg as "northern Virginia"), and they all had already pulled their top team in each age group out of WAGS and NCSL two years ago when they formed "VCCL-North". And they all will continue to send their "B" teams (and "C" teams, if they have one) to WAGS, NCSL, and ODSL, because the CCL model only allows one team per age group per club. It's not true to say that the only way for a player to succeed is to switch to a CCL club. There are some good teams in CCL, but it's not like those clubs had a stranglehold on Division 1 of WAGS and NCSL before they left two years ago.

It's important to realize that joining a CCL club does not mean your player will ever play on the club's CCL team. They could end up on their B team or C team, playing in NCSL or WAGS or ODSL.

The magic of CCL is that since there are so few teams in each age group, there's no division structure. So you can lose all your games by ten goals every season, and you still can say that you're on a "Champions League" team. And there are indeed teams in VCCL-North that lose all their games. In NCSL or WAGS or ODSL, losing all your games gets you relegated to a lower division, and in WAGS or NCSL, you could end up relegated out of the league if you're not competitive in the bottom division.

The real minus for CCL teams is that since there's no division structure, a good number of the games are blowouts. That does no good for either team involved. Having a big league with a division structure based on results is a much better approach to keeping the games reasonably competitive. But, if you're a jet-setting team that mostly wants to travel the country entering tournaments, being in CCL gives you a token league affiliation and lets your club schedule the league play around your travels.

Here's more detail for anyone who's interested: VCCL started out in 1997 because places like Roanoke didn't have enough quality soccer clubs to have a top level league. So a small number of clubs from across the state (from Roanoke to Richmond to Virginia Beach) formed VCCL. They each entered their top team from each age group in VCCL, and would schedule the games in blocks (as in, all the teams from the Roanoke club would go play all the Richmond Strikers teams on the same day). They eventually ended up with 8 clubs in the league, but stayed out of northern Virginia.

Starting in the fall of 2011, "VCCL-North" started up as a separate division of VCCL, with 7 northern Virginia clubs participating (counting Fredericksburg as "northern Virginia"). They added 3 Maryland clubs and one DC club last fall. Evidently something didn't work out as planned, because VCCL and VCCL-North are merging and downsizing. Starting this fall, there will be "CCL" with 7 northern Virginia clubs, 5 clubs from other parts of Virginia, one from DC, and two from Maryland. Five other clubs, including some of the original VCCL clubs, are forming the "VA Premier League" (none of them are in northern Virginia). And Bethesda is leaving CCL entirely. I'm not sure whether they intend to have teams from northern Virginia routinely go to places like Richmond, Roanoke, and Williamburg for games, or if they'll mostly play the DC-area teams and just do a couple far-away games.

Here's the press release that Arlington Soccer Association put out about the whole situation:

http://arlingtonsoccer.com/posts/news/vccl-folds-is-replaced-by-new-ccl-resulting-in-better-experience-for-participating-teams/

My impression is that the split is because the USDA teams could not play so teams were playing up. So the play was getting more watered down, particularly for the better clubs. To me the major negative is the absolute control coaches have.

Unlike WAGS and NCSL is it good to keep playing that limited pool of teams each season with some crossover?

I am curious about what the REA, reasons are.

Let's be honest.... if your son/daughter wants to succeed in soccer down the road, they have to play on the very top clubs/teams. Why? Because they have the top coaches, training, players, and competition. Whether Mom and Dad want to admit it or not, there is a hierachy of competition in Virginia.

1. USDA and ECNL
2. CCL
3. NCSL/WAGS
4. ODSL
5. House

Your child, by about U-14, must play in either the first two, or maybe, be Div 1 of the third. Why? Because that is where all vast majority of the talent is, so those are who all the college coachs will go watch play. They usually do not go to league games, per se, but those teams are the one's that play at the highest levels. They go to showcase tournaments. They go to top level regional tournaments. College coaches DO NOT go to mid-level tournaments. They generally DO NOT go to high school games except sometimes late in the playoffs. They DO NOT waste their time with the vast majority of teams, i.e div 2 or lower NCSL/WAGS, or god forbid, someone thinks ODSL is a path to greatness. Ugh. There are parents out there who think that! Just because your club or trainer tells you that your team is "good" does not make it so. Go to your State Cup results and see who are the good teams. They are pretty much the same every year, and they are pretty much playing CCL Something like 80% of the VA State Cup final four in each age/sex was CCL! (Academy and ECNL teams do not play State Cup, btw) Are there good teams in NCSL and WAGS? Sure, but only a handful. So if you are married to those leagues, make sure you choose the team very wisely. Otherwise go to tryouts for the top teams come June. Good Luck, because as the kids get older, the competition is getting more and more fierce as more and more talented, athletic kids are trying to do exactly what I have just laid out for you... succeed at the top of the soccer food chain.

I will see if my kid is interested. I dont want the coach throwing balls at him and calling him a faggot.

No one is saying there isn't a hierarchy of competition. The thing is, most people realize that unless their kid is a phenom, they aren't going to get a full athletic scholarship to a Division 1 school, or play for the national team, or play professionally. So while the soccer-industrial complex keeps dreaming up new elite leagues and finding more ways to separate parents from their cash, the end result is just like dance competitions. You get your ribbons and trophies, and then you move on and figure out what you're going to do with your life. Really, the more I see of both scenes, the more it seems like youth soccer is modeling itself after the dance competition circuit. "You'll never land that job dancing aboard a Carnival cruise ship unless you join the 'right' dance academy and get exposure at the big competitions."

It is funny, too, how much these "top teams" rely on importing players from other clubs. The theory that superior coaching and training makes the top teams better than everyone else doesn't explain why they appear to need to import players that other people have developed instead of developing their own players. You can win a state cup by building yourself an all-star team of players from various places, but what have you as a coach and trainer really accomplished in doing so? If you think I'm exaggerating, take a look at this quote from the Roanoke CCL club's press release about the formation of CCL: "Roanoke Star is eagerly anticipating an influx of new players eager to participate in the even higher levels of play now on offer." Which basically tells their current players that the club's goal is to replace them, not develop them. That attitude is sadly common.

Long Time Travel Coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's be honest.... if your son/daughter wants to
> succeed in soccer down the road, they have to play
> on the very top clubs/teams. Why? Because they
> have the top coaches, training, players, and
> competition. Whether Mom and Dad want to admit it
> or not, there is a hierachy of competition in
> Virginia.
>
> 1. USDA and ECNL
> 2. CCL
> 3. NCSL/WAGS
> 4. ODSL
> 5. House
>
> Your child, by about U-14, must play in either the
> first two, or maybe, be Div 1 of the third. Why?
> Because that is where all vast majority of the
> talent is, so those are who all the college coachs
> will go watch play. They usually do not go to
> league games, per se, but those teams are the
> one's that play at the highest levels. They go to
> showcase tournaments. They go to top level
> regional tournaments. College coaches DO NOT go to
> mid-level tournaments. They generally DO NOT go to
> high school games except sometimes late in the
> playoffs. They DO NOT waste their time with the
> vast majority of teams, i.e div 2 or lower
> NCSL/WAGS, or god forbid, someone thinks ODSL is a
> path to greatness. Ugh. There are parents out
> there who think that! Just because your club or
> trainer tells you that your team is "good" does
> not make it so. Go to your State Cup results and
> see who are the good teams. They are pretty much
> the same every year, and they are pretty much
> playing CCL Something like 80% of the VA State Cup
> final four in each age/sex was CCL! (Academy and
> ECNL teams do not play State Cup, btw) Are there
> good teams in NCSL and WAGS? Sure, but only a
> handful. So if you are married to those leagues,
> make sure you choose the team very wisely.
> Otherwise go to tryouts for the top teams come
> June. Good Luck, because as the kids get older,
> the competition is getting more and more fierce as
> more and more talented, athletic kids are trying
> to do exactly what I have just laid out for you...
> succeed at the top of the soccer food chain.

What a fricken joke soccer dad, you are just buying into the whole youth soccer money pit thing….give it a break
Let’s remember that soccer is the only sport that gets away with paid coaching at the u9 and below level. The travel system is so watered down its pathetic, every white kid in the suburbs plays travel. If you want your kid to play any sport in high school they need to be athletic and have a passion for the sport. Just because little suzy get on the wags team at the U9 level and never gets bumped because most travel teams have an unspoken legacy system in place and don’t have true open tryouts. They only hold tryout for open positions and for those who jumped to other teams. Speed and athleticism gets your scholarships. Save your money and put in a 529 fund, let me tell you a little secret….if you were not a good athlete chances are your kid is not gonna be that good either….put the paid coaches will never tell you that a long as you keep paying…

What happened to playing for the love of the game and keeping fit?


Soccer Dad wrote:

If you want your child to play varsity in high school, or have a chance at a soccer scholarship in college, you need to enroll them in a CCL club at the earliest possible age. It's expensive, but worth every penny, as it is very difficult to join one of these clubs once they become 12 or older.

Let’s not forget, it’s a dead end sport once you get out of college, especially for women, unless you are one of the 25 once every 4 year to play on the Olympic team. All of the money is at the base of the mountain in coaches fees. But like that donkey above said. It doesn’t make sense ”unless you play for the love on the game” ..it is a great sport you can continue to play recreationally well into your 40’s

Athletic Dad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Let’s remember that soccer is the only sport
> that gets away with paid coaching at the u9 and
> below level.

With the exception of a couple clubs that have U8 academies (McLean, Loudoun), there is are very few paid coaches in club soccer below U9.

What's up with the academy clubs? I've heard that Potomac lost theirs or it was transferred to Bethesda/OBGC.

Interestingly enough, the hierarchy mentioned above doesn't truly exist between VCCL and NCSL in the DMV region. For boys, at least. It is true that ODSL is not as competitive a league as NCSL or VCCL. With some of the best clubs from the area continuing to keep thier top talent out of VCCL, it will never truly be an "elite" league. Bethesda SC is a prime example of a club within the DMV that kept it's premier teams out of VCCL. VCCL failed to capture the attention of the Baltimore Bays, as well (Who is also affiliated with NCSL).

There is no doubt, and the results have spoken as recently as March in the Jefferson Cup, that NCSL teams are very bit if not more competititive than any VCCL team. The post by travel parent who said that the lack of a division structure and relegation based on a positive winning record results in a watered down pool of teams, is correct. There is no consitency of talent in VCCL-North. Going forward with CCL, there still won't be.

The best idea is to play your child wherever they will best develop, and learn the game at a level that is challenging, but fun for them. There are a lot of great clubs in the area that will provide that combination. Don't make the mistake of moving to a club because they claim they are "elite" and can offer some sort of status. And if you do feel that the status is necessary, don't be sold by the coach. Look at the record of the team in regular league play, and in tournaments. It's all available online. Look it all up for yourself. Its all out there.

Soccer Guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The best idea is to play your child wherever they
> will best develop, and learn the game at a level
> that is challenging, but fun for them. There are a
> lot of great clubs in the area that will provide
> that combination. Don't make the mistake of moving
> to a club because they claim they are "elite" and
> can offer some sort of status. And if you do feel
> that the status is necessary, don't be sold by the
> coach. Look at the record of the team in regular
> league play, and in tournaments. It's all
> available online. Look it all up for yourself. Its
> all out there.

That is right. I also like travel parent's mention of the "soccer-industrial complex." That is so true. Our kid is playing soccer in college now, although not at a top program. She enjoys college soccer far more than youth soccer. We fell into the trap of thinking that she had to do ODP and Super Y league. That was such a waste of time.

Don't buy the line that the player has to be in WAGS Division 1 or better to play in college. A kid who played on a Division 2 WAGS team (Herndon Sting) was recruited by an SEC team (Kentucky). She did leave Herndon to go to McLean at U17, so she did not literally commit until she was at McLean, but she was recruited while playing Division 2 WAGS.

Also be careful if you go to McLean just so your kid can play for Clyde Watson. Clyde may walk on water, but he can still only be in one place at a time. That means that you will often have one of his assistants coaching your kid's games. They are competent but tend to be insecure for obvious reasons. German Peri is known for yelling "You're making me look bad."

An article written in 2008 by Dr. Jay Martin, Head Coach of the Ohio Wesleyan men’s soccer team, and Editor of the NSCAA publication, Soccer Journal addresses the statistical likelihood of receiving a soccer scholarship. The fact is that 96.6% of female high school soccer players will be offered $0.00 to play in college.

But don't worry, I heard all of the gilrs in the 3.4% group are all from The Land of the Entitled (NOVA) and were noticed at indoor fairfax sports plex games.

Shut up and go enjoy your daughters running around outside and having fun with the friends.

Calm the fuck down Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> An article written in 2008 by Dr. Jay Martin, Head
> Coach of the Ohio Wesleyan men’s soccer team,
> and Editor of the NSCAA publication, Soccer
> Journal addresses the statistical likelihood of
> receiving a soccer scholarship. The fact is that
> 96.6% of female high school soccer players will be
> offered $0.00 to play in college.
>
> But don't worry, I heard all of the gilrs in the
> 3.4% group are all from The Land of the Entitled
> (NOVA) and were noticed at indoor fairfax sports
> plex games.
>
> Shut up and go enjoy your daughters running around
> outside and having fun with the friends.

Yes, not many get money, and connections do matter. (Having Clyde Watson on your side is a huge help.) But there is one thing you left out. Many of those players who do not get money get into schools like UVa or VA Tech that they would not have gotten into otherwise. For many of them, it is about getting into a better school. Forget the money. Many of the soccer parents we encountered could pay for UVa or VA Tech out of petty cash.

Play a real sport. Soccer is for prissy Europeans and impoverished third world nations. Kids that are tough play baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse and a list that goes on and on. Hell, basket weaving is tougher than soccer.

@Jose said "not many get money, and connections do matter. (Having Clyde Watson on your side is a huge help.) But there is one thing you left out. Many of those players who do not get money get into schools like UVa or VA Tech that they would not have gotten into otherwise. For many of them, it is about getting into a better school. Forget the money. Many of the soccer parents we encountered could pay for UVa or VA Tech out of petty cash."

FALSE. This does not help them get into the schools like UVA, etc. The first things those coaches do when they are interested in a player is ask for their grades/SATs. They want to make sure the athlete will be accepted in the school before they spend more time recruiting them.

Coaches want to look at grades/SATs to know whether admissions is willing to hold its nose and let the kid in. There will always be some players with high enough SATs and grades that they would have gotten in without the coach's help, but that is not the norm. The standards are lower for athletes (and they are way lower for out-of-state athletes compared to out-of-state applicants non-athletes). Soccer helps many players get into schools like UVa.

soccer sucks ass wrote:
*******************************************************

Play a real sport. Soccer is for prissy Europeans and impoverished third world nations. Kids that are tough play baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse and a list that goes on and on. Hell, basket weaving is tougher than soccer.


*******************************************************

Thanks big guy! What you sayGood thing that matters here. Good job on offering absolutely nothing of value to the discussion, and making us all dumber for having read your garbage. Way to be the cool guy who's has something to say and who's clearly never played the sport before! Yay for you! Troll.

________________________________________________________

Look. We all know that even if we have kids that are talented, it's a crap shoot on whether they are going to make it into a college with any scholarship, and even smaller probability that they will play beyond that level. Chances are they are not. But in the meantime, it doesn't make sense to not give them all the opportunity in the world to succeed.

Since you pulled statistics in, the likelihood that a child will even ATTEND college skyrockets with the affluence of the region and family that a child comes from. Because of that, coupled with the fact that most colleges and universities have a scouting request on their athletics website, it makes sense that kids who want to go to a specific college are going to look to be scouted by those colleges, as well as apply normally. Yes showcase tournaments and whatever can get you seen, but it's more likely that you'll do your own legwork to get any scholarship or college acceptance. So part of the statitic that you quoted boils down to the fact that, in general, most people won't do the work necessary to get a scholarship because they arent just thrown out there, and will instead sit around and wait for someone to swoon over them. Which isnt likely going to happen.

Back to the original topic, play you child where they fit best. If they are a NCSL Dvision 1 player, good for them. If they are a Division 5 player, that's OK too. If they are an ODSL player, that's great! VCCL is going away, CCL is taking it's place and it will be formed by the same teams currently in VCCL. Some are better than others. NCSL, ODSL, WAGS, ECNL, USDA are all going to still be there. It's still a game. The beautiful game! Please help your players become smart, confident, and creative players. Don't get caught up in what league is what. Do your homework on where you're player is going, and know what kind of environment you are getting your player into. Is the club a good fit? Is the coach a good fit? I'll watch the thread if anyone has any questions that aren't centered around why soccer is inferior to LAX/Basketball/Football/Whatever.

WHo are the best coaches then...besides Clyde

travel mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Jose said "not many get money, and connections do
> matter. (Having Clyde Watson on your side is a
> huge help.) But there is one thing you left out.
> Many of those players who do not get money get
> into schools like UVa or VA Tech that they would
> not have gotten into otherwise. For many of them,
> it is about getting into a better school. Forget
> the money. Many of the soccer parents we
> encountered could pay for UVa or VA Tech out of
> petty cash."
>
> FALSE. This does not help them get into the
> schools like UVA, etc. The first things those
> coaches do when they are interested in a player is
> ask for their grades/SATs. They want to make sure
> the athlete will be accepted in the school before
> they spend more time recruiting them.

Even the Ivy League lowers admissions standards for athletes. They actually agreed on a set of standards in order to keep schools from bringing in great athletes who were weak students. Basically, the average "Academic Index" score for athletes must be no more than one standard deviation below the overall student body score. With the average student at the 50th percentile, the average athlete is below the 35th percentile. They like to bring in kids with high scores to be benchwarmers so that they can bring in excellent players with lower scores.

Every club has good coaches. You have to choose a coach that will work well with your player. I suggest you do a few things things:

When your player is trying out, look at how the coach interacts with the team and individual players.
+ Are they always yelling? Are they correcting but supporting the team with guidence?
+ Are they positive or negative? Are they firm, but fair, or just firm? Do they praise?
+ Do they tell each player what they do right AND wrong?

How do they conduct thier practice?
+ Do they do organized warmups?
+ Do the players all seem engaged or are players standing around bored?
+ Do the players listen to the coach?
+ Does the coach focus on all 4 pillars of soccer (Technique, Tactics, Fitness, Psychology)? Or just 1 or 2. Remember the goal is to create a complete player.

Is the coach Licensed?
+USSF licensed coaches have to take classes in how to coach. They are tought different methods, and how to apply concepts at different ages. "A" is the highest and hardest USSF license to obtain. There are other licensures (NSCAA National Diploma) that are also recognized. I would say look at that, but don't make it a deciding factor

Look up the coaches for the teams in the age groups of the club your interested in. They are usually all listed on the club websites.

I'm not sure where you live or how old your player is, but if you give me an area I can suggest some clubs to look into.

Soccer Guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Every club has good coaches. You have to choose a
> coach that will work well with your player. I
> suggest you do a few things things:
>
> When your player is trying out, look at how the
> coach interacts with the team and individual
> players.
> + Are they always yelling? Are they correcting but
> supporting the team with guidence?
> + Are they positive or negative? Are they firm,
> but fair, or just firm? Do they praise?
> + Do they tell each player what they do right AND
> wrong?
>
> How do they conduct thier practice?
> + Do they do organized warmups?
> + Do the players all seem engaged or are players
> standing around bored?
> + Do the players listen to the coach?
> + Does the coach focus on all 4 pillars of soccer
> (Technique, Tactics, Fitness, Psychology)? Or just
> 1 or 2. Remember the goal is to create a complete
> player.
>
> Is the coach Licensed?
> +USSF licensed coaches have to take classes in how
> to coach. They are tought different methods, and
> how to apply concepts at different ages. "A" is
> the highest and hardest USSF license to obtain.
> There are other licensures (NSCAA National
> Diploma) that are also recognized. I would say
> look at that, but don't make it a deciding factor
>
> Look up the coaches for the teams in the age
> groups of the club your interested in. They are
> usually all listed on the club websites.
>
> I'm not sure where you live or how old your player
> is, but if you give me an area I can suggest some
> clubs to look into.


Hey thanks! We are new to the area. We have an eleven year old girl who is pretty talented and a 9 year old boy who the jury is out on. Our daughter played for a top Texas program (D'Feeters) , and our son messed around with their young players' program. We live in Vienna, but our daughter really loves to play so we would be willing to travel to meet her needs. That said, we don't care too much about how good the team is, we just want a healthy environment where the quality of instruction is high and the environment is fun. We have seen one team from around here play, and they were excellent, but we overheard the coach at halftime and decided noooo way. I don't want to badmouth the club/coach specifically, so I will just weigh the options that you present. Thanks so much for the help

Jose Mourinho Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Also be careful if you go to McLean just so your
> kid can play for Clyde Watson. Clyde may walk on
> water, but he can still only be in one place at a
> time. That means that you will often have one of
> his assistants coaching your kid's games. They
> are competent but tend to be insecure for obvious
> reasons. German Peri is known for yelling "You're
> making me look bad."

German left McLean for Arlington. McLean boys program in the process of collapsing due to significant coach exodus. The boys and Academy programs in McLean are a distant second priority to the girls program, so be careful about joining a club for the reputation of one coach or one part of the program, as other coaches and parts of the program can be vastly different.

Basically, you are joining a coach and team and the competition level that team plays at - everything else after that if of much lesser importance.

Well, Mclean is certainly close enough if the girls' side is reasonably strong. However, Loudoun and Vienna are also quite nearby, and we could go elsewhere too. Thanks for all of you rinput. An exodus on the boys' side does make me wonder about the overall stability. I really appreciate the info

Newbie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Hey thanks! We are new to the area. We have an
> eleven year old girl who is pretty talented and a
> 9 year old boy who the jury is out on. Our
> daughter played for a top Texas program
> (D'Feeters) , and our son messed around with their
> young players' program. We live in Vienna, but our
> daughter really loves to play so we would be
> willing to travel to meet her needs. That said, we
> don't care too much about how good the team is, we
> just want a healthy environment where the quality
> of instruction is high and the environment is fun.
> We have seen one team from around here play, and
> they were excellent, but we overheard the coach at
> halftime and decided noooo way. I don't want to
> badmouth the club/coach specifically, so I will
> just weigh the options that you present. Thanks so
> much for the help


No problem! There are several good programs around that area. You have SYA, which is a larger club, and has several U11 girls teams that compete in VCCL, WAGS and ODSL. Of course you have Vienna whos' top team competes in WAGS and second team in ODSL, south of Vienna you have FPYC with a WAGS team, and BRYC with VCCL and WAGS teams.

There are a ton of clubs. If your daughter is competitive and is a strong player at a high level, I would suggest BRYC or SYA. They both have very good U11g programs. Those are both big clubs though. It's easy to get disenchanted quickly there. Same with Loudon. Thats a huge club that has several teams, some that are more competitive than others. But it's a good club.

If your looking for a great club, but one that might be a little smaller, that has an excellent coaching staff, and good competitive teams try CYA in Chantilly. Thier girls program is very good, the first team plays in WAGS. They have a good team community, and are building a great program. They just partnered with Nike to become a Nike premier club, so they will have some good support going forward. This might also be a great place for your son. They have several U9 boys teams, one will definitely fit his ability.

A little farther away is PWSI. They have a great program for both boys and girls. There's no doubt that PWSI is one of the stronger clubs in the area, but be ready to make the time commitment to get there and back.

I think overall, I would look at 4 clubs for various reasons (for both kids):

1. BRYC
2. CYA
3. SYA
4. PWSI

Keep in mind, these are ranked in no particular order or greatness. So anyone else reading this, please don't think I'm saying CYA is better than PWSI.

THose are 4 good clubs, all have great coaches for thier TOP girls teams. So depending on what level she is, keep that in mind. I hope you find this helpful!

> No problem! There are several good programs around
> that area. You have SYA, which is a larger club,
> and has several U11 girls teams that compete in
> VCCL, WAGS and ODSL. Of course you have Vienna
> whos' top team competes in WAGS and second team in
> ODSL, south of Vienna you have FPYC with a WAGS
> team, and BRYC with VCCL and WAGS teams.
>
> There are a ton of clubs. If your daughter is
> competitive and is a strong player at a high
> level, I would suggest BRYC or SYA. They both have
> very good U11g programs. Those are both big clubs
> though. It's easy to get disenchanted quickly
> there. Same with Loudon. Thats a huge club that
> has several teams, some that are more competitive
> than others. But it's a good club.
>
> If your looking for a great club, but one that
> might be a little smaller, that has an excellent
> coaching staff, and good competitive teams try CYA
> in Chantilly. Thier girls program is very good,
> the first team plays in WAGS. They have a good
> team community, and are building a great program.
> They just partnered with Nike to become a Nike
> premier club, so they will have some good support
> going forward. This might also be a great place
> for your son. They have several U9 boys teams, one
> will definitely fit his ability.
>
> A little farther away is PWSI. They have a great
> program for both boys and girls. There's no doubt
> that PWSI is one of the stronger clubs in the
> area, but be ready to make the time commitment to
> get there and back.
>
> I think overall, I would look at 4 clubs for
> various reasons (for both kids):
>
> 1. BRYC
> 2. CYA
> 3. SYA
> 4. PWSI
>
> Keep in mind, these are ranked in no particular
> order or greatness. So anyone else reading this,
> please don't think I'm saying CYA is better than
> PWSI.
>
> THose are 4 good clubs, all have great coaches for
> thier TOP girls teams. So depending on what level
> she is, keep that in mind. I hope you find this
> helpful!

One good thing about BRYC is Hugo Phan's footskills training. He has clinics year round and you don't need to play for BRYC to attend his summer clinics. Some people think his focus on footskills is extreme, but your kid will definitely become more comfortable with the ball at her feet. One of his former players started as a freshman for NC State in 2012. You could see the impact of his training in her ability to get shots off quickly.

Some other clubs have a bit too much focus on tactical training at young ages for my liking.

@Jose

I agree, Hugo Phan does great skills training. He holds sessions at the nZone in Chantilly. It's fun to watch the training.

Footskills is probably the most important thing any club can ingrain into a player. It's usually one of the only transferrable skills a player can take with them anywhere. Learning the positioning, and how to play a corner kick only matters for whatever team theam are on. Knowing how to move with the ball, without having to think about the touches they are taking is a fundamental necessity.

@Newbie. In addition to all the other factors recommended by others, you need to carefully consider how far you are able and willing to commute to practice and games 2-4x/week. Really. If you spend more than 30 min each way, it starts to get really hard especially as their homework demands increase. When they get older you might choose to do the crazy things other parents do and drive over an hour for a specific team/coach. There is NO way I would drive young kids from Vienna to points west (Loudon, PWSI, VSA) with rush hour traffic even though they are good clubs. I would never have my kids play for McLean (for many reasons).

Depends on the age of ur kid. Both McLean and SYA have VCCL on the girls side, but if you look at the results are awful compared to the rest of the country. PWSI have the best girls program outside of that, just look at how many teams they had in state cup finals in the fall, same will happen in the Spring. Loudon have a solid boys program as do Annadale and alrington, even though Arlington is the worst club in the vccl results wise. It comes down to how gold your kid is and how much of your time you are willing to give up to drive them all over northern VA. You are all insane.

club commute Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Newbie. In addition to all the other factors
> recommended by others, you need to carefully
> consider how far you are able and willing to
> commute to practice and games 2-4x/week. Really.
> If you spend more than 30 min each way, it starts
> to get really hard especially as their homework
> demands increase. When they get older you might
> choose to do the crazy things other parents do and
> drive over an hour for a specific team/coach.
> There is NO way I would drive young kids from
> Vienna to points west (Loudon, PWSI, VSA) with
> rush hour traffic even though they are good clubs.
> I would never have my kids play for McLean (for
> many reasons).

Yes, the commmute should never be overlooked. There were lots of families that travelled from VA to MD or vice versa for soccer practices. It never made sense.

Cost is also a factor. And sometimes families spend more than just the list price. McLean had a rule that a coach could not offer private training to players on his team. He could charge for additional training, but it had to be open to everyone on the team. But there was no rule against hiring the coach. One parent, who owned a business, hired his kid's coaches to work 9-5 for him. Do you think she got a lot of playing time?

To address Newbie's question about where an 11 yo should play, as a newcomer to the area I would suggest looking first to a local team convenient to you, especially if any of her classmates might be on her team. You mentioned both Loudoun and Vienna as being close and both of their top U11 teams are competitive. For example, Loudoun was undefeated at Jefferson Cup and Vienna beat SYA in futsal this winter and tied BRYC in their first real game as an A team this fall. Loudoun's top team plays CCL, with their B and C team in WAGS; Vienna's top three teams are in WAGS.

If you really think your daughter should/can play for a top team SYA followed by BRYC and PWSI are the best teams in NoVa right now, but I would not have my daughter play for two of those coaches.

To briefly address some other points, I cannot imagine why someone would recommend CYA (CSC has a better U11 team), Hugo Phan has footskills clinics all year round (google HP Elite), Arlington was far from the worse (or the best) U11G club in VCCL last season, McLean plays in WAGS and ODSL, not CCL, and McLean's U11 head coach seems nice to me.

Thanks so much for all of the great info. As I looked through some of the other posts on this board, I saw a lot of sarcastic and/or rude responses, so I wasn't sure what I would get (and, I may have just invited some). Probably, because of proximity, we will check out Vienna and Mclean first, even though it appears that neither of them is in the CCL. The guy from Mclean is pretty universally loved there according to the people we have spoken to, and he also coaches the Mclean hs girls per our understanding. He actually had great things to say about the Vienna program too, which was kind of refreshing. I guess Vienna only recently put together their "A" team so that's interesting though their field space is rather limited. If those don't work out we will certainly look into any and all other possibilities. I can't thank you all enough for your responses...now if we just can manage NOT to get transfered!

youth coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Depends on the age of ur kid. Both McLean and SYA
> have VCCL on the girls side

Incorrect. McLean is ECNL - no VCCL (girls or boys). They applied to VCCL and were rejected.

> German left McLean for Arlington. McLean boys
> program in the process of collapsing due to
> significant coach exodus. The boys and Academy
> programs in McLean are a distant second priority
> to the girls program, so be careful about joining
> a club for the reputation of one coach or one part
> of the program, as other coaches and parts of the
> program can be vastly different.
>
> Basically, you are joining a coach and team and
> the competition level that team plays at -
> everything else after that if of much lesser
> importance.

German is still listed on the McLean web site, but I did hear he had taken the position with Arlington. It was never a good fit anyway. Clyde loves to see 20 short passes that result in a volley for a goal. German prefers a 60 yard boot by the outside defender that the wing runs onto and then crosses to a forward who executes a bullet header. When they coached the same team, GP used to complain that CW never went over the top enough, so it is best that he moved on.

Another Soccer Parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
I cannot
> imagine why someone would recommend CYA (CSC has a
> better U11 team),

Because CSC is less a club a more a confederation of individually managed teams. I reccomended CYA for te club atmosphere, not because they have the best teams in the area. I still stand byt the fact that the league isnt as important, as finding a good fit for the player.

anyone know which league Bethesda girls will play in other than ECNL since they are leaving CCL?

bracketology Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> anyone know which league Bethesda girls will play
> in other than ECNL since they are leaving CCL?


Bethesda is joining CCL, not leaving.

http://www.brycsoccer.com/docs/CCL%20Announcement%20-%20March%2023,%202013.pdf

I do not see Bethesda listed for CCL

Bethesda briefly joined VCCL-North in the fall but will not be continuing in CCL. My guess is their non-ECNL teams in the older age groups will rejoining WAGS. They don't have many other options for high level competition>>>

i wish someone would start a new forum about youth soccer in the dc/md/va area. i hate that potomac wire dropped their forum. it had good info and it was fun to read about people complaining :)

McLean made it official yesterday - US Soccer Development Academy status has been revoked.

Here's a news article about McLean losing its place in the development academy. The McLean person who was willing to talk to the reporter blamed it on fields and the quality of their player pool. The commenters blame the people running the club.

http://www.soccerwire.com/news/mclean-youth-soccer-kicked-out-of-development-academy/

The article says the Potomac soccer club in Maryland also got their membership revoked. But Bethesda get accepted into the academy program, according to another article on the same website. They partnered with Olney to put together a big enough program to qualify.

travel parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's a news article about McLean losing its
> place in the development academy. The McLean
> person who was willing to talk to the reporter
> blamed it on fields and the quality of their
> player pool. The commenters blame the people
> running the club.
>
> http://www.soccerwire.com/news/mclean-youth-soccer
> -kicked-out-of-development-academy/
>
> The article says the Potomac soccer club in
> Maryland also got their membership revoked. But
> Bethesda get accepted into the academy program,
> according to another article on the same website.
> They partnered with Olney to put together a big
> enough program to qualify.

Blame the players...classy.

> Blame the players...classy.

McLean has not supported the boys side as it has the girls side. They put German Peri in charge and then Jamil Faryadi when German bolted. McLean blows for boys soccer, and the problem is the people in charge, not the players. The comments on soccerwire.com are on point. McLean is an incestuous, nepotistic organization run for the benefit of the few in power.

Alex Ferguson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Blame the players...classy.
>
> McLean has not supported the boys side as it has
> the girls side. They put German Peri in charge
> and then Jamil Faryadi when German bolted. McLean
> blows for boys soccer, and the problem is the
> people in charge, not the players. The comments
> on soccerwire.com are on point. McLean is an
> incestuous, nepotistic organization run for the
> benefit of the few in power.


Yeah - horrible leadership here. Horrible. If you have seen these coaches' antics and tantrums on the sidelines, you would know it is best for all concerned that this mess just fold so that these boys can find some good coaches.

Bethesda U13 boys and girls teams will be going to the academy league, since they are now a USSF academy program. All of the teams in VA that left VCCL (ie. Bethesda, Richmond Kickers, Richomond Strickers,etc.) all have academy programs. VCCL and, in turn, CCL, wants clubs to have it's top teams in thier league. The clubs that have academies would never put those teams in that league, therefore the top teams from those clubs would not be in the league. So they left (or were asked to leave).

McLean and Potomac both lost thier academy licenses. It was mainly due to inadequate facilities, and an insufficient player pool. Bethesda did partner with Olney to create a larger pool. But that makes sense anyway since the clubs are goegraphically colocated, and already partner in OBSL anyway.

Also, McLean has some very competitive teams. They certainly don't "blow for boys soccer". They main issues organizationally revolve around how the leadership and parents dictate the program. But that challenge is seen in several clubs in the area (McLean, Arlington, SYA, ABGC to name a few).

Soccer Guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> McLean and Potomac both lost thier academy
> licenses. It was mainly due to inadequate
> facilities, and an insufficient player pool.
> Bethesda did partner with Olney to create a larger
> pool. But that makes sense anyway since the clubs
> are goegraphically colocated, and already partner
> in OBSL anyway.

Not sure I agree with the facilities and player pool story that McLean has been pushing as the reason for losing the Academy.

On player pool, if you ever went to one of their tryouts, they are overrun. 100+ kids tryout for the two U9 teams at the start of travel, and even at U13 they are still getting 80+ kids at tryouts. The pool that shows up is fine - it's the player selection, driven by club politics, that results in poorly performing teams. There is a very strong bias against players from outside Mclean. When there is a strong coach who just picks the best players and ignores the noise from the parents and Board, the teams do well.

On facilities, that's the one thing that Mclean does well, since building fields is about money and local politics. They have two new lighted fields going in this summer - Mclean Soccer actually paid off the legal bills of a local HOA that had sued them, just to clear the way to build the new lighted fields. The problem was the Boys Academy was getting 9:00PM practice slots - there were earlier slots available, but they were going to other teams, which demonstrates a lack of commitment to the DA. US Soccer was looking for a demonstration of commitment from the club to the Academy program, and it just wasn't there.

i thought the academy is just boys?..Bethesda girls will play academy too?

Bethesda girls will play ECNL, which is the girls equivalent of USSF DA. The reason Bethesda is not moving to CCL is that they would not commit their top teams. Their 2nd teams will continue in WAGS/NCSL.
I coach a team in VCCL, I will not tell you which age group or club, but I felt a coaches perspective may be helpful to round out the original thread about CCL. For the u-14 an below ages VCCL worked really well from a structural stand point. Games were played at good facilities and the schedules were worked club to club to handle coaching conflicts. The competition was good, but there are peaks and valleys as with any league. For the older age groups, the league was less succesful in my opinion. The big issue was difficulty scheduling games between Virginia and Maryland clubs due to HS soccer. In the fall the VA clubs could schedule eachother no problem, and vice virsa for MD clubs in the spring. The hard part was finding dates to play the cross state games. Initially all the clubs agreed to play some crossover games durring the HS season to make sure all the games got played. The problem was the VCCL leadership could not get all the clubs to live up to the agreement. So some clubs eneded up only playing a handfull of games, while other were able to get a full slate.
It was left to each club to enter their top team in each age group, and for the most part each did, with the exception of clubs with girls ECNL teams in the older ages. Those clubs, like Bethesda and Freestate, put in their second teams at the ECNL age groups. Some of those second teams are quite good, others not as much. Some clubs 1st teams are not near as good as some of the 2nd teams. I would not say the inclusion of these 2nd teams is not the cause of the so called watering down of competition. Is has to do more with that for some of the clubs at some age groups the teams just are not very good. Without the threat of relegation this is not a major issue from the league leaderships end, in fact they protect the teams by not publishing scores (although it is not to hard to track down scores) It is really left up to the clubs and coaches to produce good players and teams, even without relegation. If a given team in an age group loses every game 5-0 they may lose their better players, and strugle to attract better players. Honestly, this is what the clubs in VCCL or CCL want. They want control. Control to set schedules and control to deal with only the clubs they want to deal with. Also the control to set league rules and guiedlines that benefit the clubs involved, like club carding and flexible rosters. I will note that there are many teams in VCCL that also play in another league, whether it is NCSL/WAGS or region 1 prem or Colonial league. So those teams still have to deal with traditional league standads and scheduling. Trust me WAGS/NCSL/ODSL are not going away anytime soon, and if they are open to some changes they could win back some of the teams that left, especially if CCL cannot provide a consistent/balanced schedule for the u-15 and above teams. That is one of the biggest challanges for the CCL leadership moving forward.

As far as the high school age groups go, there was an issue with the scheduling this year. Historically, VCCL was all Virginia Clubs (the portion known as VCCL South now) so playing the high school teams in the fall was no problem. When VCCL North began last year, it was just U9-U14, so high school was not an issue. This year it opened to the older ages and to Maryland clubs, and its true that some clubs got a lot of games, and some did not. My children have played some HS age group games this spring to fill the requirement, and it has been fine even with high school games going on as well. Sure, they had some kids out injured, but that happpens in October too. The teams have enjoyed seeing each other. These are somewhat meaningful games for them as they prepare for the Memorial Day tournaments too.
Next year though the U15 and above will play a ten-month schedule and face all the clubs in the league (the current North as well as the South). These will be scheduled by the clubs and can be played at whatever point in the year. I suppose many will happen in the winter when neither the MD nor the VA teams are in high school. My perspective is that its been fine for HS kids though. They are playing an abundance of top tournaments at these ages and at the level at which they compete. Playing a fall schedule almost every weekend (with state cup in Virginia), then a relatively steady schedule through the beginning of March and a few games afterward has worked nicely. Both of my kids have had good experiences so far. This league is player oriented. Coaches' schedules are arranged so they make all of their teams' games. If a specific club's team can't play on a given day, the reason is passed to the opponent and the game is rescheduled. Teams stop and watch and cheer for each other. The environment is very nice.
If you are interested in learning more about (V)CCL, I would say to go to a practice for a club nearby and ask the people there about their experiences rather than reading about it on Fairfax Underground. I'll bet you will hear mostly positive things. I don't know of anyone who has decided to leave a VCCL team because they want to return to WAGS or NCSL. I know plenty of players who are looking at leaving their current teams to play in VCCL though. It was expected that people would wait and see what happened for a couple of years. I think the movement is now going to begin. McLean's Academy kids may be more likely to consider VCCL teams if they don't make other Academies. The U14B NVSC team just left for Arlington to be VCCL next year. Their U14G WAGS team moved to a VCCL club as well. Ashburn girls moved to Annandale for VCCL. Vienna's U17B moved to SYA. These are whole teams making the move in order to play with the majority of the top teams in their age groups. Not all teams from any club are super teams, but overall the scores are in line with scores in any NCSL or WAGS division- mostly close with the odd blow out here or there.

Someone mentioned that you can find scores even if they are not published (for example, U11 and under scores are not available online. How can I see them so that I get some idea of how teams are doing?

Travel Parent & Others:
US Soccer has very strict guidelines for how players are to be developed. They have to teach a certain style of play for the development of the US National team. Mclean's end of the year evaluations were in line with other clubs that do not have MLS teams. Mclean’s evaluations were even in line with most areas when compared to the Richmond Kickers. But the Kickers received higher evaluations since their Development Academy is free to those players at US Soccer’s request. As many of us know, land / field cost in Mclean is much higher than land/ field cost in the Richmond area. Add to the fact that Fairfax County does give McLean ANY MONEY for fields, thanks to our county representative.
Bethesda-Olney is now facing similar issues to that which Mclean faced as it moves forward with integrating its system. Teams get broken up as players age and move from an age group of Aug 1 - July 30 to a calendar birth year (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000). Winning teams are destroyed. Some parent’s get mad when their child is not selected to the team, so they leave for other clubs. This erodes the clubs’ financial base. Perhaps being a large combined club will help Bethesda-Olney here. They are certainly trying to learn from Mclean’s & Potomac’s mistakes. Another US Soccer evaluation scoring point is whether the club can allow the Development Academy Players to play for free. The club does not have to do this, but not doing it gives them a low score. In other words, if your club has an Academy and you contribute financially toward fields, coaches, and travel of those Academy Players, in additional to your own players. This is easier for the MLS run Development Academies since they have more revenue sources.
As we all know, soccer gets expensive and many of the Mclean players come from well-educated families. US Soccer does not care about collegiate soccer. Where in basketball most players first turn to university or college, doing this in soccer could work against your long term soccer career. The fact that Mclean was putting player in high level soccer, even ivy league schools, actually worked against them when they were evaluated. US Soccer only cares about US Soccer. It’s not a perfect system. Many of the best soccer players are good because they play a lot of soccer, not because they attend school. Soccer players should be willing to drive 1 – 2 hours each way for a practice if you are serious.
Andy Najar stopped going to school after 6th grade in his home country (typical in Hondoras). He worked at a time when US boys are in 7th grade and played soccer with his uncle in his free time. According to the Washington Post, His uncle played professionally. Andy moved to the US and started to attend school again here. So, when the DC United Academy guys were in summer school because of their bad grades, DC United needed to recruit other players to play in some upcoming matches. The Thomas A. Edison High School coach referred him as a stand out. Andy is considered a success and he did not go through the US Soccer Development Academy System; he was taught how to play by a family member.
Another non-traditional soccer path is Collin Martin. He attended Brad Friedel’s Premier Soccer Academies until it went bankrupt in 2009. Now, he is choosing to attend college rather than play professionally.
Be careful of what you wish for! There are other leagues that put kids in college, if that is what you really want, such as the National Premier League. With US SOCCER forcing kids to skip their high school years, US Soccer may have just gone a little too far.

As one European-born US Parent, who came here during his high school years, stated, “There is nothing like playing for your school. It is such a great experience.” He is a successful high-level executive with no regrets.

+1 Wow just when I thought their were so sane parents left in FFX county!


Athletic Dad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What a fricken joke soccer dad, you are just
> buying into the whole youth soccer money pit
> thing….give it a break
> Let’s remember that soccer is the only sport
> that gets away with paid coaching at the u9 and
> below level. The travel system is so watered down
> its pathetic, every white kid in the suburbs plays
> travel. If you want your kid to play any sport in
> high school they need to be athletic and have a
> passion for the sport. Just because little suzy
> get on the wags team at the U9 level and never
> gets bumped because most travel teams have an
> unspoken legacy system in place and don’t have
> true open tryouts. They only hold tryout for open
> positions and for those who jumped to other teams.
> Speed and athleticism gets your scholarships.
> Save your money and put in a 529 fund, let me tell
> you a little secret….if you were not a good
> athlete chances are your kid is not gonna be that
> good either….put the paid coaches will never
> tell you that a long as you keep paying…
>
> What happened to playing for the love of the game
> and keeping fit?
>
>
> Soccer Dad wrote:
>
> If you want your child to play varsity in high
> school, or have a chance at a soccer scholarship
> in college, you need to enroll them in a CCL club
> at the earliest possible age. It's expensive, but
> worth every penny, as it is very difficult to join
> one of these clubs once they become 12 or older.

495 soccer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Travel Parent & Others:
> US Soccer has very strict guidelines for how
> players are to be developed. They have to teach
> a certain style of play for the development of the
> US National team. Mclean's end of the year
> evaluations were in line with other clubs that do
> not have MLS teams. Mclean’s evaluations were
> even in line with most areas when compared to the
> Richmond Kickers. But the Kickers received higher
> evaluations since their Development Academy is
> free to those players at US Soccer’s request.
> As many of us know, land / field cost in Mclean is
> much higher than land/ field cost in the Richmond
> area. Add to the fact that Fairfax County does
> give McLean ANY MONEY for fields, thanks to our
> county representative.
> Bethesda-Olney is now facing similar issues to
> that which Mclean faced as it moves forward with
> integrating its system. Teams get broken up as
> players age and move from an age group of Aug 1 -
> July 30 to a calendar birth year (1997, 1998,
> 1999, 2000). Winning teams are destroyed. Some
> parent’s get mad when their child is not
> selected to the team, so they leave for other
> clubs. This erodes the clubs’ financial base.
> Perhaps being a large combined club will help
> Bethesda-Olney here. They are certainly trying to
> learn from Mclean’s & Potomac’s mistakes.
> Another US Soccer evaluation scoring point is
> whether the club can allow the Development Academy
> Players to play for free. The club does not have
> to do this, but not doing it gives them a low
> score. In other words, if your club has an
> Academy and you contribute financially toward
> fields, coaches, and travel of those Academy
> Players, in additional to your own players. This
> is easier for the MLS run Development Academies
> since they have more revenue sources.
> As we all know, soccer gets expensive and many of
> the Mclean players come from well-educated
> families. US Soccer does not care about
> collegiate soccer. Where in basketball most
> players first turn to university or college, doing
> this in soccer could work against your long term
> soccer career. The fact that Mclean was putting
> player in high level soccer, even ivy league
> schools, actually worked against them when they
> were evaluated. US Soccer only cares about US
> Soccer. It’s not a perfect system. Many of the
> best soccer players are good because they play a
> lot of soccer, not because they attend school.
> Soccer players should be willing to drive 1 – 2
> hours each way for a practice if you are serious.
>
> Andy Najar stopped going to school after 6th grade
> in his home country (typical in Hondoras). He
> worked at a time when US boys are in 7th grade and
> played soccer with his uncle in his free time.
> According to the Washington Post, His uncle played
> professionally. Andy moved to the US and started
> to attend school again here. So, when the DC
> United Academy guys were in summer school because
> of their bad grades, DC United needed to recruit
> other players to play in some upcoming matches.
> The Thomas A. Edison High School coach referred
> him as a stand out. Andy is considered a success
> and he did not go through the US Soccer
> Development Academy System; he was taught how to
> play by a family member.
> Another non-traditional soccer path is Collin
> Martin. He attended Brad Friedel’s Premier
> Soccer Academies until it went bankrupt in 2009.
> Now, he is choosing to attend college rather than
> play professionally.
> Be careful of what you wish for! There are other
> leagues that put kids in college, if that is what
> you really want, such as the National Premier
> League. With US SOCCER forcing kids to skip their
> high school years, US Soccer may have just gone a
> little too far.
>
> As one European-born US Parent, who came here
> during his high school years, stated, “There is
> nothing like playing for your school. It is such
> a great experience.” He is a successful
> high-level executive with no regrets.

Sounds like a massive rationalization of why the losing the Academy at Mclean was actually a good thing, which seems now to be the party line from Mclean coaches and staff.

This has to be the most boring thread over. You are all delusional if you think your little brats are going pro if you hand over enough money.

@Soccer Guy, your reference to the Baltimore Bays being affiliated with NCSL is a bit misleading. The Bays only have 2 teams out of the entire club in the NCSL. See the attached link: http://ncsl-soccer.com/divstruct/index_E.html

The biggest issue I have with the state of soccer in the DC Maryland Virginia metro area is the fact that a handful of coaches with only a couple more years experience than some of the regular high school and middle school coaches try to manipulate families into coming to their clubs with the understanding that the kid is getting so much more. Bethesda is truly an example of a club that is notorious for recruiting players to come in and not developing them in house.

Any of you guys know the new CCL web address? Also, I read that Annandale is now known as Annandale United FC (A new DC United affiliate). Anyone familiar with the boy's U12-U15 coaches?

katiesmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This has to be the most boring thread over. You
> are all delusional if you think your little brats
> are going pro if you hand over enough money.


For most parents, the question is not whether the kid will go pro but whether soccer can help the kid get into a better college. For the latter question, the answer is a resounding "Yes." All else equal, being an athlete is worth the same as getting an additional 200 points on the SAT (out of 1600). See http://www.princeton.edu/~tje/files/webAdmission%20Preferences%20Espenshade%20Chung%20Walling%20Dec%202004.pdf

katiesmith pwned by Jose

Hey, I have some questions for you guys:

How do I register my child for soccer?

What is the cost?

What is the soccer season?

What does the U in U-6 mean?

How many practices are there per week?

What equipment do I need?

How long does practice last?

What does my child need to bring to practice?

Do I need soccer shoes or will tennis shoes be okay?

What size ball do you use?

My child has a disability. Is there a place for her?

Can I wear a cast (or earings, religious medals, eyeglasses)?

Why can't players wear helmets?

Are mouth guards needed?

How many players are on a team?

How big is the field?

Where does the league post standings?

How do I get information about coaching license courses?

What is the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP)?

Do you know of any summer camps to which I can send my son/daughter?

Can you recommend a tournament or tour operator?

Thanks for your help guys!

I could be wrong but I'm right 99% of the time

Observer is right. 495 soccer's spin is bs. (Is it you, Juan?)

One Example from 495 soccer: "As many of us know, land / field cost in Mclean is much higher than land/ field cost in the Richmond area. Add to the fact that Fairfax County does give McLean ANY MONEY for fields, thanks to our county representative."

MYS does not own any soccer fields in McLean, although we often act as though we do. The county and therefore the taxpayers have purchased and own the property. MYS has paid for some improvements due to the desire for million dollar turf + lighted fields. And should Joe taxpayer really fund these?

Fairfax County, through its taxpayers has kicked in big bucks for these fields, through matching grants. $100,000 and up per field. Fairfax County also funds the maintenance on these fields and lights (considerable despite what is advertised), pays for the electricity for the lights, field repairs, the park infrastucture needed to support these fields and so on.

One of MYS's problems over the years has been misrepresenting facts to parents, players and the community. Let's stop perpetuating that.

Ex-Academy Parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Observer is right. 495 soccer's spin is bs. (Is it
> you, Juan?)
>
> One Example from 495 soccer: "As many of us know,
> land / field cost in Mclean is much higher than
> land/ field cost in the Richmond area. Add to the
> fact that Fairfax County does give McLean ANY
> MONEY for fields, thanks to our county
> representative."
>
> MYS does not own any soccer fields in McLean,
> although we often act as though we do. The county
> and therefore the taxpayers have purchased and own
> the property. MYS has paid for some improvements
> due to the desire for million dollar turf +
> lighted fields. And should Joe taxpayer really
> fund these?
>
> Fairfax County, through its taxpayers has kicked
> in big bucks for these fields, through matching
> grants. $100,000 and up per field. Fairfax County
> also funds the maintenance on these fields and
> lights (considerable despite what is advertised),
> pays for the electricity for the lights, field
> repairs, the park infrastucture needed to support
> these fields and so on.
>
> One of MYS's problems over the years has been
> misrepresenting facts to parents, players and the
> community. Let's stop perpetuating that.

So I as a taxpayer in FFX County pay for YOUR kid to play soccer. Doesn't seem quite fair.

Unfair, I actually agree with you.

Athletes Dad,

I coach U12b in the VCCL. I don't know the Annandale coach personally but as a coach he speaks to his players respectfully and does not yell onto the field. His team plays well organized soccer and have good skills. Unfortunately his team does not have the quality athletes to compete in the VCCL.

Others,

I agree with those who say go watch the coach, have the kid practice with the team, see if it is a good fit. All clubs have good and bad coaches.

Life in the VCCL. Player passes work well. You can work on something without worrying about losing your spot. If you have more than one child playing the club travels together. We generally play very good competition. 3 of the final 4 in the state cup. Some teams in some age groups get stuck in a rut and loose all the time. Long travel times. Time commitments are large. It costs too much. Overall I have not seen a lot of change from playing NCSL to VCCL.

About the influx of players VS. development

Our team next year, moving from 10 to 16 players, will be made up of:
5 players from our original U9 A team.
13 players that have been with our program since u10.
10 players from this years team.
3 players that played for us for several years and played U12 at another club and came back.
2 players moving up from the B team. 1 of which moved in from overseas last season.
1 new player from a much smaller club.

Look at the individual coaches and ask questions they should be able to tell you things like this.

Ex-Academy Parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Observer is right. 495 soccer's spin is bs. (Is it
> you, Juan?)
>
> One Example from 495 soccer: "As many of us know,
> land / field cost in Mclean is much higher than
> land/ field cost in the Richmond area. Add to the
> fact that Fairfax County does give McLean ANY
> MONEY for fields, thanks to our county
> representative."
>
> MYS does not own any soccer fields in McLean,
> although we often act as though we do. The county
> and therefore the taxpayers have purchased and own
> the property. MYS has paid for some improvements
> due to the desire for million dollar turf +
> lighted fields. And should Joe taxpayer really
> fund these?
>
> Fairfax County, through its taxpayers has kicked
> in big bucks for these fields, through matching
> grants. $100,000 and up per field. Fairfax County
> also funds the maintenance on these fields and
> lights (considerable despite what is advertised),
> pays for the electricity for the lights, field
> repairs, the park infrastucture needed to support
> these fields and so on.
>
> One of MYS's problems over the years has been
> misrepresenting facts to parents, players and the
> community. Let's stop perpetuating that.

The system is imperfect - ideally the clubs would own and manage their own fields. Some do - Loudoun built its own fields on its land (actually all donated by some wealthy families).

For spending about 750K/field, MYS gets 65% of the time scheduled on the field. Other than that, it's a public resource. That doesn't seem like a bad deal for either MYS or FFX citizens in general, unless you are completely against public facilities of any kind.

I love listening to all the coaches talk about the programs and the parents paying more and more to the big clubs. I laugh all the time when my sons Vista team beats the top clubs or plays them close. We pay 50% less, go to the same tournaments, and get great coaching. Yes we don't get the top kids coming in but who really thinks they are going to get a scholarship. If your a u14 stop wasting your money and checkout Blackwatch. And if we did have the same player pool lookout!

Hello all. I have been reviewing u11 boy travel teams throughout virginia. My son currently plays for a ccl team. The best team I have seen so far, u11, is the richmond strikers arsenal. They play very well. I have not seen the kickers elite team. I have seen fc magic and was considerably more impressed with the arsenal strikers I would say. I have not seen the Arlington ccl team play which is currently tied at top of ccl standings with fc magic. Does anyone have any info about the kickers or Arlington squads u11 boys, in comparison with the strikers for example. I am looking to move my son to one of those teams.
Thanks!

What do you guys think about the team America travel teams?

Mat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What do you guys think about the team America
> travel teams?

Only one D1 team in NCSL. I'd give them credit for keeping 3 lower division teams together through U14 and U15 - that's hard to do. Kids must like it, but it doesn't look like a very competitive club.


U11 Division 10 N04102 TAFC 03 All Stars (NEW)
U11 Division 4 N0489 TAFC 03 Bata
U11 Division 5 N04100 TAFC 03 White Spartans
U12 Division 5 N0337 TAFC Team America 02 Red Spartans
U12 Division 8 N0336 TAFC Team America 02 Blue
U13 Division 8 N0299 TAFC Team America 01 Spartans
U14 Division 8 N01116 TAFC 00 Arsenal (NEW)
U14 Division 4 N0149 TAFC 00 Spartans
U14 Division 5 N0195 TAFC Team America 00 United
U15 Division 7 N0096 TAFC Team America 99 Eagles
U15 Division 6 N00107 TAFC Team America 99 Red
U15 Division 4 N0044 TAFC Team America 99 White
U16 Division 6 N99111 TAFC 98 Eagles (NEW)
U19 Division 1 N9760 TAFC Team America 96

I don't like soccer

Anything lower than Division 3 in WAGS or NCSL is no more competitive than the recreational leagues, meaning a big waste of time and money.

Team America is predominantly an Hispanic club. You can find some really good raw talent there, but the club doesn't have the organization to hone and develop the talent beyond just giving the kids an outlet to play.

Depending on the team, the coaching can be decent and the cost is certainly cheaper than the larger clubs - especially considering they are paying tens of thousands to multiple layers of coaches and directors. That said, some decent players have come through there and have moved onto larger clubs or to DC United's Academy program.

I think their teams tend to be in the lower ncsl / wags devisions because they don't have the strength as a club to lobby to get them placed higher when they start.

If Team American is still operating in the same manner as when my son played for them (about 6 years ago), it totally depends on the team/coach. Mostly Hispanic boys who were generally good players but completely unreliable, showing up late or not all all for a game, wrong uniform, etc etc. Got kind of tiring. And if there were good players on the team, they'd almost immediately get pulled to the higher division team in the same age bracket.

Thucydides Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I think their teams tend to be in the lower ncsl /
> wags devisions because they don't have the
> strength as a club to lobby to get them placed
> higher when they start.


Placement in divisions is based on performance and promotion/relegation. There is some element of lobbying, but no club can lobby to get a D-5 team placed in d1 or d2. And if they did, they'd end up relegated anyway.

Yes, promotion and relegation once the teams start competing and scores are kept, but at the younger ages, the teams are generally seeded according to the relative strength of a club. Hence Arl or McLean or Loudoun's top team gets seeded into d-1 when the age group seeds initially start.

Clubs like Team America don't have much influence at the NCSL / Wags level to advocate for their team to get initially seeded at a higher level.

The Vienna teams are all sponsored by various matteress outlet stores. Each player is issued a very handy portable matteress so they can sleep on the road.

eat some worms Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Vienna teams are all sponsored by various
> matteress outlet stores. Each player is issued a
> very handy portable matteress so they can sleep on
> the road.

That is a great idea. Teams often play two games in a day during tournaments. Having personal mattresses would allow them to get some rest between games.

Thucydides Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, promotion and relegation once the teams start
> competing and scores are kept, but at the younger
> ages, the teams are generally seeded according to
> the relative strength of a club. Hence Arl or
> McLean or Loudoun's top team gets seeded into d-1
> when the age group seeds initially start.
>
> Clubs like Team America don't have much influence
> at the NCSL / Wags level to advocate for their
> team to get initially seeded at a higher level.

That would be 100% incorrect, and it does not appear you have bothered to educate yourself on how this works. NCSL U9 - Fall U11 is fairly random groupings for divisions. Some attention paid to geography, but not much. Fall of U11 scores are kept but not posted. At the end of Fall U11 season, teams are seeded into D1 through whatever - 10 teams per division. D1 is teams with Zero losses in Fall U11, D2 those with one loss, and so on.

Some consideration is given to club requests - an undefeated team in what is a very weak fall U11 division may ask for D2, clubs may ask that two of their teams not be in the same division, etc. Any "mistakes" in this process are self corrected via promotion/relegation. Later years have some room for dodgy decisins as teams implodes, exit for fall/spring due to high school, the U13 jump to 11v11, etc.

As an example, take Team America's two current U11 Teams:

U11 Division 4 N0489 TAFC 03 Bata - Fall U11 5-3-1 Record - 3 losses, D4 placement for Spring 2015

U11 Division 5 N04100 TAFC 03 White Spartans 4-4-1 Record, 4 losses, D5 placement for Spring 2015

Looking at the spring 2015 D1 teams, every single team that won its division in Fall U11 and is now D1 in the spring went 9-0 except two. One won it's division 7-1-1, and one seems to have disappeared, opening up space for another team in D1.

It's not politics, it's results.

My dear Soccerdad -

If only you paid as much attention to me as you do to the intricacies of Nin Cumpoop Soccer League, I wouldn't have to be posting pics my girls on DCUM and hooking up with Soccerkid's teammate's dad while you watch and critique every little thing at practice.

Yours truly,

Soccermom

It's called reading comprehension - you should try it some time. Maybe that level of understanding would be a stretch for you and would require some serious study time - not so much for me.

Just wondering - are your lips moving as you read this?

bracketology Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i wish someone would start a new forum about youth
> soccer in the dc/md/va area. i hate that potomac
> wire dropped their forum. it had good info and it
> was fun to read about people complaining :)

www.talking-soccer.com
there's a page for Virginia

Volleyball, field hockey, and soccer are for one group of kids, baseball, football, basketball, and hockey are for another.

Why did you bump this thread?

Alex Ferguson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Blame the players...classy.
>
> McLean has not supported the boys side as it has
> the girls side. They put German Peri in charge
> and then Jamil Faryadi when German bolted. McLean
> blows for boys soccer, and the problem is the
> people in charge, not the players. The comments
> on soccerwire.com are on point. McLean is an
> incestuous, nepotistic organization run for the
> benefit of the few in power.

Two years later and nothing's changed. Revolving door of coaches and TD's. Krieger was hated by everyone in power in McLean - but somehow was good enough to coach DCU U16 academy. Says a lot about the judgement of McLean. Faryadi is pretty good at checking for shin guards though.

Youth soccer causes autism. Spread the word.

CCL2 = The end of competitive soccer in WAGS and NCSL. They had a good run.

Two years later Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Two years later and nothing's changed. Revolving
> door of coaches and TD's. Krieger was hated by
> everyone in power in McLean - but somehow was good
> enough to coach DCU U16 academy. Says a lot about
> the judgement of McLean. Faryadi is pretty good
> at checking for shin guards though.

Jamil does have the advantage of being pretty close to the ground.

Ex-Academy Parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of MYS's problems over the years has been
> misrepresenting facts to parents, players and the
> community. Let's stop perpetuating that.


This should be inscribed on a plaque and placed at Lewinsville Park.

haha dumb americano