Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss Part II

[Anonymous]

How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, I myself don't like Quan, but the training is very good.

Agree with this 100%. A very good trainer....problem is, he's not a very good game coach. Parents also question his personal relationships with those who pay him for HP Elite training. The kids/parents who pad his wallet have a leg up with regards to the DA team. I've seen this play out the last several years, and that is a total conflict of interest. US Soccer DA decision makers would not be happy with this type of arrangement.

This is absolutely not true. The only reason the kids might have a leg up is because they are TRAINING. Quan does not make decisions based on personal relationships. He doesn't even poach kids who do the training not already at PWSI. You don't have to like Quan but his decisions are always soccer decisions. You don't have to like his selections but nobody is buying their way onto VDA through him.

I like and respect Quan. I think he's a good coach and has integrity. I don't think he would consciously show favoritism to a kid just because his parents pay extra for HP Elite Training.

However, ...

It is definitely a conflict of interest for a DA coach to be running a for-profit supplemental training company within the same geographic area as that coach's DA program.

The training company has a clear financial incentive for it's customers to make DA teams and do well in those teams. When the "training company" and the DA coach are in fact the same person, the conflict is inherent in the situation. I've never seen a COI policy that wouldn't be violated by that sort of relationship.

That being said, ... Ken Kreiger was doing the same thing with DCA / Arlington; Phillip Gyau does the same thing with Bethesda / PG Young Boys; James Meyers was doing the same with Bethesda / Joga/SMI. That's not intended to be a smear on any of them. I believe they are all good people, trying to do the right thing, providing good training and opportunities for players. But conflict of interest policies are designed to address the appearance of impropriety just as much as the reality of it - in part because the reality can be nearly impossible to prove (especially in a sport as subjective as soccer).

The real problem is that US Soccer does not seem to care all that much about conflict of interest policies, from the top down. Hopefully that will start to change with some new leadership after the February election.

My kids, a boy and a girl, really liked HP. We had no problems with Quan. They improved a lot.

sorry just re-read the other posts. DA coaches run their own training companies? The guy you buy the training from is the guy that selects the team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, I myself don't like Quan, but the training is very good.

Agree with this 100%. A very good trainer....problem is, he's not a very good game coach. Parents also question his personal relationships with those who pay him for HP Elite training. The kids/parents who pad his wallet have a leg up with regards to the DA team. I've seen this play out the last several years, and that is a total conflict of interest. US Soccer DA decision makers would not be happy with this type of arrangement.

This is absolutely not true. The only reason the kids might have a leg up is because they are TRAINING. Quan does not make decisions based on personal relationships. He doesn't even poach kids who do the training not already at PWSI. You don't have to like Quan but his decisions are always soccer decisions. You don't have to like his selections but nobody is buying their way onto VDA through him.

I like and respect Quan. I think he's a good coach and has integrity. I don't think he would consciously show favoritism to a kid just because his parents pay extra for HP Elite Training.

However, ...

It is definitely a conflict of interest for a DA coach to be running a for-profit supplemental training company within the same geographic area as that coach's DA program.

The training company has a clear financial incentive for it's customers to make DA teams and do well in those teams. When the "training company" and the DA coach are in fact the same person, the conflict is inherent in the situation. I've never seen a COI policy that wouldn't be violated by that sort of relationship.

That being said, ... Ken Kreiger was doing the same thing with DCA / Arlington; Phillip Gyau does the same thing with Bethesda / PG Young Boys; James Meyers was doing the same with Bethesda / Joga/SMI. That's not intended to be a smear on any of them. I believe they are all good people, trying to do the right thing, providing good training and opportunities for players. But conflict of interest policies are designed to address the appearance of impropriety just as much as the reality of it - in part because the reality can be nearly impossible to prove (especially in a sport as subjective as soccer).

The real problem is that US Soccer does not seem to care all that much about conflict of interest policies, from the top down. Hopefully that will start to change with some new leadership after the February election.

My kids, a boy and a girl, really liked HP. We had no problems with Quan. They improved a lot.

sorry just re-read the other posts. DA coaches run their own training companies? The guy you buy the training from is the guy that selects the team?

The ODP does something similar. One club in the area had almost all the trainers/coaches. Kids in that club definitely had the advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

I don't think Gunston has older age groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

I don't think Gunston has older age groups.

LMVSC is in CCL. That matters to some on the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

I don't think Gunston has older age groups.

Travel at Gunston for boys right now only goes up to 2005.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

If you are in that area, I would check out Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

I don't think Gunston has older age groups.

LMVSC is in CCL. That matters to some on the board.

What league does Gunston play in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

I don't think Gunston has older age groups.

LMVSC is in CCL. That matters to some on the board.

What league does Gunston play in?

NPL and NCSL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it better for a boy to do ODP or DA?

I was wondering this as well. When I was young there was no DA. ODP was the only option.

Pros? Cons? to either.

I am still confused by all of the changes, leagues, paths. It is mind-boggling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it better for a boy to do ODP or DA?

I was wondering this as well. When I was young there was no DA. ODP was the only option.

Pros? Cons? to either.

I am still confused by all of the changes, leagues, paths. It is mind-boggling.

And then the boys and girls are different as well. If you have one of each it's majorly confusing if you come to it as non-soccer player parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

What age group? Boy or girl?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

What age group? Boy or girl?

Boy 09

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

What age group? Boy or girl?

Boy 09

For a U9? FPYC could be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do Gunston and LMVSC compare? We are in the area and looking.

What age group? Boy or girl?

Boy 09

For a U9? FPYC could be a good fit.

where do they usually practice? thinking about rush hour commute?