Families with experience in multiple clubs. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

You had me until "NCSL". NCSL is glorified rec

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

You had me until "NCSL". NCSL is glorified rec

You again? The top division of NCSL is quite good.

[Anonymous]

Thousands of kids in MoCo play MSI Classic and Sam Select which are "in-house leagues." These teams practice 2-3 times per week and many pay professional coaches. The best teams in these leagues are absolutely on par with 3rd and 4th teams in "travel soccer".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

You had me until "NCSL". NCSL is glorified rec

You again? The top division of NCSL is quite good.

Didn't NCSL just merge with a rec league?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nearly all of the Mclean coaches are verbally abusive, and lie to kids and parents.

Mclean does not develop talent. They steal it from other clubs.

I had two kids grow up in Northern Virginia soccer. I wish we had never been involved with MPS.

Not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

You had me until "NCSL". NCSL is glorified rec

You again? The top division of NCSL is quite good.

Didn't NCSL just merge with a rec league?

No, stop pretending to be ignorant.

[Anonymous]

The club doesn't matter before u13, the coach does. If your kid is on top team but the coach sucks you'll be paying out the nose for supplemental and private lessons to compete going into high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

You had me until "NCSL". NCSL is glorified rec

You again? The top division of NCSL is quite good.

Not really. A team we played in mid-EDP levels now plays at the top division of NCSL. They didn’t do well in the mid-EDP levels but do great at the NCSL higher levels

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

You had me until "NCSL". NCSL is glorified rec

You again? The top division of NCSL is quite good.

Didn't NCSL just merge with a rec league?

No, stop pretending to be ignorant.

It did.there was a thread here about it.

[Anonymous]

I have kids in all ranges of soccer. Top team at a big club down to rec. I can tell you that NCSL lower divisions is the same as a good rec team. I agree with the PP that people just want to say their kid plays travel and have zero idea what they are paying for. Outside the top two teams at the big clubs, I would absolutely go to a small club.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone can just go to different clubs. With traffic around here it's not possible to travel 40 minutes one way to a practice field. If you live in McLean it's a 40 minute drive one way during rush hour to get to the Arlington practice turf. Same from McLean to Great Falls/Reston.

In general since practices are during rush hour it's most ideal to join a club near you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

Huh?? I see this all the time. Maybe you’re talking about older kids (like high school?), which I would know less about. In our case, our kid went from bottom to top to top to second to…well we’re hoping top again, we’ll soon find out lol. And our kid is definitely not alone. We are at a large club though.

[Anonymous]

There is no floor for minimum skill level to field teams. As long as there are parents ready to shell out $3k for the good fields (ha!), teams 3-6 will happen.

Why do people on the internet always talk like opinions are facts? This is basically saying anyone who tries out for a travel team at a large club is guaranteed a spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There is no floor for minimum skill level to field teams. As long as there are parents ready to shell out $3k for the good fields (ha!), teams 3-6 will happen.

Why do people on the internet always talk like opinions are facts? This is basically saying anyone who tries out for a travel team at a large club is guaranteed a spot.

They are. No club will turn a kid away, they must create a new team.

[Anonymous]

We've seen it go both ways. Top kids move down and second and third team being promoted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

Huh?? I see this all the time. Maybe you’re talking about older kids (like high school?), which I would know less about. In our case, our kid went from bottom to top to top to second to…well we’re hoping top again, we’ll soon find out lol. And our kid is definitely not alone. We are at a large club though.