| Which one of these teams will be best one in the immediate DC metro next year for 8th grade? Not including Next Level in this question since 2026 is their weakest team by far. |
| your kid will be on the bench either way, so I'd suggest DCE because it will be cheaper for you than lining Cabell's pockets |
| VLC |
Why are you all so mean
|
| Only the Hawks will be the best. |
Tryout for both and see which team makes him an offer. |
| Go where you can play. Simple answer. |
If you're using this forum to gather educational or fact based data to make decisions for your child, you are stupid. |
| Take your kids to the tryouts but don't fall into the game of which team is going to be better. Look at the organization and coaching styles. All of the teams (MadLax, VLC, Next Level, DC Express) all have their good sides and bad and all have good teams and not so good teams (I won't say bad). Have your son tryout but I will caution you with this. I am NOT a Madlax basher but they typically carry 2 teams (Capital and DMV) at each age group. They signup every kid under the sun and promise them Capital but only take so many to tournaments as capital. Even then the capital bench is usually large and kids that would get quality playing time and improve at other clubs sit the bench. For reference, my son was with ML when he was younger. He was on Capital and got plenty of playing time. I just saw the program for what it was and it wasn't my style. A lot of bitter parents around the bait and switch. My son went to another team and he's been very happy there. There was NOTHING wrong with the coaching or program at Madlax, it just wasn't for me or my son. |
| I’m not a Madlax basher either, but because Madlax has a National Team many times their Capital kids are substituted for kids who play out of state. We’ve had friends who have played for them for years and sit the bench if Tommy from TX flies in. I also know of at lease 4 boys on the 2026 team who are 2025 hold backs. |
ONLY two.. try again... |
You need to figure out what is a good fit for your kid. Also, if your kid is not the next rock star then my guess your kid will need to see where he falls in the depth chart for example if he will be #6 attack, #5/6 pole or 3rd line middie then you are going to see very little to zero playing time. So if your kid is confident he can beat out the kids in front of him at try outs go for it they will take you. Which one is better? ML is a few kids away and DCE is a lot of kids away. |
| If organization, planning and player development are what you are looking for Madlax is a better choice. As a program, DCE is pretty unorganized for being one of the better club teams in the area. |
Hawks aren’t in the DC metro area. Know it’s a great team. |
A few kids away from what? Are you saying neither team will be very good? |