Youth Soccer in DC area - a primer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

We are moving to DC from overseas and are really confused about the structure and setup of youth soccer in the USA. I hear various terms like "Development Academy" and "Travel" and some other terms, but I haven't really been able to find a good primer on the structure of youth soccer and where we should be aiming to place our boys once we move to Washington DC.

Does anyone have a list, from top to bottom, of how the leagues are setup and some of the teams in the DC area we should be contacting? We don't arrive until the late Summer so not sure how we will squeeze into a team, but at this point I don't even know who to start talking to.

Try these guys:

http://www.dcyouthfutbolclub.org

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

We are moving to DC from overseas and are really confused about the structure and setup of youth soccer in the USA. I hear various terms like "Development Academy" and "Travel" and some other terms, but I haven't really been able to find a good primer on the structure of youth soccer and where we should be aiming to place our boys once we move to Washington DC.

Does anyone have a list, from top to bottom, of how the leagues are setup and some of the teams in the DC area we should be contacting? We don't arrive until the late Summer so not sure how we will squeeze into a team, but at this point I don't even know who to start talking to.

Try these guys:

http://www.dcyouthfutbolclub.org

Has anyone left a major club and tried these guys? I heard it is run by a really great guy but don't know much more. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

We are moving to DC from overseas and are really confused about the structure and setup of youth soccer in the USA. I hear various terms like "Development Academy" and "Travel" and some other terms, but I haven't really been able to find a good primer on the structure of youth soccer and where we should be aiming to place our boys once we move to Washington DC.

Does anyone have a list, from top to bottom, of how the leagues are setup and some of the teams in the DC area we should be contacting? We don't arrive until the late Summer so not sure how we will squeeze into a team, but at this point I don't even know who to start talking to.

Try these guys:

http://www.dcyouthfutbolclub.org

Has anyone left a major club and tried these guys? I heard it is run by a really great guy but don't know much more. Thanks.

Coach Mitch is a good guy with a good idea. Depends what you're looking for, but he's offering good soccer and making it relatively affordable, which says a lot compared to the other clubs in DC. Not the top competition for the top players and thus won't be beating the top teams at the top clubs, but a respectable level and a great option for many players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the location you're looking, you're probably closest to Bethesda Soccer Club for the quality you're looking for...no offense to Stoddard.

Yes try Bethesda. They have a lot of teams which gives them a lot of flexibility. I know some kids who are on a lower team roster but practice with a higher team because they joined mid season. You can come out for a visit and attend a few practices. The coach will usually let you know what they think.

http://www.bethesdasoccer.org

Another competitive but very small club in the area you’re looking is Achilles. www.salsoccer.com There are a good number of players there who weren’t happy at the biggest clubs. They don’t even do tryouts like most clubs, but they’re always open to good players. The whole club is different, but the training is excellent.

Where do they practice? Do you have an example of the Leagues they put their teams in? There is not much on the website.

Achilles mostly practices at St. Johns College High School in NW DC in fall, spring and summer; then Sidwell or Wilson HS for indoor. Depending on the team they play at the MD Soccerplex (mid level) or EDP (high level) and at the main tournaments based on the team's ability.

For Achilles, you really need to contact the main coach Sal, he'd tell you how/if your sons would fit in and how he runs things in your sons' age groups. Achilles is very different from the big clubs because it's small but still really good soccer and lots of he families are soccer people. The small size means that every coach knows all the kids and that most of the families know one another too, even across ages. The size and quality of coaching is the reason a number of kids have moved from the best known clubs in the area to Achilles. But the size makes it different with a decent amount of playing up, and not many teams at an age, which might be what you want.

We're very happy with Achilles. But I'd recommend that you contact all the teams within a certain commute. Then visit the ones that sound most promising with your kids and when you get there- especially if they can practice or play with the teams, you'll know which is the right fit.

These guys are getting really good. Not a big club, but the coaching is serious and top notch and the teams have gotten a lot better in just a year and a half. It's getting harder for Sal to take on new kids now as he finds the group he likes while still keeping numbers low, but he's building something special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

We are moving to DC from overseas and are really confused about the structure and setup of youth soccer in the USA. I hear various terms like "Development Academy" and "Travel" and some other terms, but I haven't really been able to find a good primer on the structure of youth soccer and where we should be aiming to place our boys once we move to Washington DC.

Does anyone have a list, from top to bottom, of how the leagues are setup and some of the teams in the DC area we should be contacting? We don't arrive until the late Summer so not sure how we will squeeze into a team, but at this point I don't even know who to start talking to.

Try these guys:

http://www.dcyouthfutbolclub.org

Has anyone left a major club and tried these guys? I heard it is run by a really great guy but don't know much more. Thanks.

Coach Mitch is a good guy with a good idea. Depends what you're looking for, but he's offering good soccer and making it relatively affordable, which says a lot compared to the other clubs in DC. Not the top competition for the top players and thus won't be beating the top teams at the top clubs, but a respectable level and a great option for many players.

+1 Agree. $550 a season and he gets rid of the 3rd session a week that the kids had to do at our prior club. Was dreadful for them.

Most do the 2 team practices and then work out on their own.

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:I realize this is spam-ish, but I have literally just written something on this very topic, and unlike other work I'm doing, it's free.

I've made a guide that explains the local leagues. It's candid, maybe even a little opinionated, but I've made an effort to be fair and to explain what you'll get out of each league.

(Of course, your happiness in travel soccer is determined more by the coaches and other kids than it is by the league. But it's impossible to review every coach in the area, let alone every kid. This gives you just a bit of information -- and might help you figure out if your coach is selling your a bridge to nowhere.)

If you have to remove it because it's advertising, I understand, but again -- it's LITERALLY what the OP was asking for:

https://rantingsoccerdad.com/youth-soccer-area-guide-the-dmv-washington-d-c-plus-suburbs-and-exurbs/

This is really useful! A couple of thoughts if you are open to suggestions:

Not sure I would group CCL, VPL and EDP as "elite" leagues, though I know that CCL (falsely, in my view) and probably the other two refer to themselves that way. It would be more accurate to describe them as "local/regional" and talk about their geographic reach. I assume that USYSA still offers the "Region 1" league (whatever it's now called), yes? If so, it would be listed with these other ones, though it's a true regional league.

I'd add an elite/national league section and include DA, ECNL (with a caveat re the newness of the girls DA and boys ECNL) and the National League.

The rec league section should definitely mention MSI and Stoddert rec. maybe OBSL as well.

Not sure where you'd stick ODP, but a lot of people ask about it.

[Anonymous]

^^^. Also, add the SAM league at the SoccerPlex.

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:I realize this is spam-ish, but I have literally just written something on this very topic, and unlike other work I'm doing, it's free.

I've made a guide that explains the local leagues. It's candid, maybe even a little opinionated, but I've made an effort to be fair and to explain what you'll get out of each league.

(Of course, your happiness in travel soccer is determined more by the coaches and other kids than it is by the league. But it's impossible to review every coach in the area, let alone every kid. This gives you just a bit of information -- and might help you figure out if your coach is selling your a bridge to nowhere.)

If you have to remove it because it's advertising, I understand, but again -- it's LITERALLY what the OP was asking for:

https://rantingsoccerdad.com/youth-soccer-area-guide-the-dmv-washington-d-c-plus-suburbs-and-exurbs/

This is really useful! A couple of thoughts if you are open to suggestions:

Not sure I would group CCL, VPL and EDP as "elite" leagues, though I know that CCL (falsely, in my view) and probably the other two refer to themselves that way. It would be more accurate to describe them as "local/regional" and talk about their geographic reach. I assume that USYSA still offers the "Region 1" league (whatever it's now called), yes? If so, it would be listed with these other ones, though it's a true regional league.

I'd add an elite/national league section and include DA, ECNL (with a caveat re the newness of the girls DA and boys ECNL) and the National League.

The rec league section should definitely mention MSI and Stoddert rec. maybe OBSL as well.

Not sure where you'd stick ODP, but a lot of people ask about it.

Thanks! I do have a separate guide for national leagues, but I should link to that from the DC metro guide.

For rec leagues, I've steered clear of mentioning every club's House league, but I wonder if MSI should be an exception because it offers the "Classic" level between rec and travel. So does Arlington, for that matter.

I should add OBSL/CMSSA. I'll do that now.

I just checked out the Ranting website and it’s a great look at high level soccer in the region and a great resource that I’d encourage every soccer parent in the region to look at. It would be great if every parent and older kid knew where they are in this DMV morass of team’s and leagues (knowing won’t fix it, but is an important step and every family shoul at least understand the landscape). Good call on adding the mid-level MSI, Soccerplex leagues, and probably a mention of Stoddert travel or PPA. I live in DC and it’s clear that many kids at high level clubs came from lesser known house leagues but there’s still a paucity of information on how, when or why to make the jump and what stages are along the way.

[Blutarski]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:Added ADP, PPA, SAM, MSI and OSBL/CMSSL.

Thanks for the feedback. This is terrific.

Now if you know people in other areas who want to sound off on soccer in their region, please put them in touch!

Awesome! Thanks RSD. Finally there is someone even more nuts than me about this stuff.

[Blutarski]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:I realize this is spam-ish, but I have literally just written something on this very topic, and unlike other work I'm doing, it's free.

I've made a guide that explains the local leagues. It's candid, maybe even a little opinionated, but I've made an effort to be fair and to explain what you'll get out of each league.

(Of course, your happiness in travel soccer is determined more by the coaches and other kids than it is by the league. But it's impossible to review every coach in the area, let alone every kid. This gives you just a bit of information -- and might help you figure out if your coach is selling your a bridge to nowhere.)

If you have to remove it because it's advertising, I understand, but again -- it's LITERALLY what the OP was asking for:

https://rantingsoccerdad.com/youth-soccer-area-guide-the-dmv-washington-d-c-plus-suburbs-and-exurbs/

One suggestion... an important league in the picture is NPL which is a league of leagues, of which VPL is just one. Although the level of play in VPL is spotty and has not produced many state cup champions, the format of the league does offer a pathway to a national championship. Sort of an ECNL 'lite'.

[Anonymous]

DC Soccer Club has teams in NW and NE DC in the Brookland/Petworth neighborhood, both recreation and travel/competitive level options https://www.dcsoccerclub.org/

[Anonymous]

Really digging deep here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really digging deep here.

Ha. Just a wee bit self-promotional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really digging deep here.

Ha. Just a wee bit self-promotional.

Lol