2014 Boys - PAC, Villarreal, ADP? Others?

[soccermom316]

I have a 2014 boy who loves soccer and is ready to move on from Rec, but we unfortunately missed the tryouts for several teams due to extenuating circumstances.

He has offers from PAC and Villarreal and is signed up for ADP tryouts. We're in the Falls Church area and have two working parents, so commuting to practices is a large consideration in where we've looked for teams. He said he had a better time at Villarreal tryouts than PAC, but they both felt really disorganized for his age group.

Should we just do ADP and tryout for Arlington next year? I'm loathe to spend $2K a year on travel if it's more of a money-grab at this level. If he does ADP, can he still do Arlington Rec with his current team?

Thanks for any advice!

[Jungas]

Unless your kid is a real standout, the chances of making an Arlington Travel team in future seasons are pretty low. That age group has huge numbers - more than 100 boys showed up to try out this year for the few spots that are open on the current teams, and only about 15-20 actually got a look from the coaches (they were known to the coaches before the tryouts).

Unfortunately, this age group and club are a prime example of the craziness around youth sports in general. If your boy didn't try out the first year tryouts were held (which I think was last year for this age), he's essentially boxed out, unless lots of kids already in the program drop the sport.

That said, if the goal is Arlington and Arlington only, ADP is probably your best shot. At least he'd be getting a few looks from ASA coaches through the season. Among the others, we've heard good things about PAC, though it's clearly a step down from ASA, intensity-wise, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective.

[BunchlineDC]

I would take the travel spot on the team you like the best. You can also call Arlington and Alexandria and ask if they would take a look at him now. If he's a good player, they may find a spot for him on one of their 1294 teams for the age group.

[goaliemomnova]

Interesting on Arlington. My youngest son was not invited back for an extra look but did receive an offer for the gold team. Ironically, he has not yet received offers from Alexandria or SYC -- am I crazy to turn down the opportunity to get into Arlington as we got a coveted spot and he is a strong player and most likely would move up within?

Arlington is a challenge as we are Alexandria based and my oldest is most likely moving from Alexandria to another club this year. Any idea what fields U10 Arlington typically practice on and timing as that changes what I can and can't do?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[ellep98]

Jungas wrote:Unless your kid is a real standout, the chances of making an Arlington Travel team in future seasons are pretty low. That age group has huge numbers - more than 100 boys showed up to try out this year for the few spots that are open on the current teams, and only about 15-20 actually got a look from the coaches (they were known to the coaches before the tryouts).

Unfortunately, this age group and club are a prime example of the craziness around youth sports in general. If your boy didn't try out the first year tryouts were held (which I think was last year for this age), he's essentially boxed out, unless lots of kids already in the program drop the sport.

That said, if the goal is Arlington and Arlington only, ADP is probably your best shot. At least he'd be getting a few looks from ASA coaches through the season. Among the others, we've heard good things about PAC, though it's clearly a step down from ASA, intensity-wise, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective.

It is interesting to hear this as it seems to be the case across many clubs for 2014 boys. I wonder why this age group is so large? It seems like 2013 and 2015 are not quite as big. I am glad we had our son try out for travel last year and at least get into the system (not in Arlington). I assume numbers will get smaller over time as kids drop out?

[BunchlineDC]

goaliemomnova wrote:Interesting on Arlington. My youngest son was not invited back for an extra look but did receive an offer for the gold team. Ironically, he has not yet received offers from Alexandria or SYC -- am I crazy to turn down the opportunity to get into Arlington as we got a coveted spot and he is a strong player and most likely would move up within?

Arlington is a challenge as we are Alexandria based and my oldest is most likely moving from Alexandria to another club this year. Any idea what fields U10 Arlington typically practice on and timing as that changes what I can and can't do?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I would not make yourself insane going to Arlington if Alexandria is easier and closer. Where is your oldest going?

[goaliemomnova]

My oldest is most likely going to Villareal or Lee Mount Vernon -- he is struggling mentally and a change of environment is what he needs.

My youngest is finishing out his season with FCV but with them moving practice out of the STJ to George Mason University -- remaining with them is no longer an option.

Without an Alexandria offer, is why I'm also considering accepting the Arlington spot as I know it would be quality coaching. We also know both of the coaches for his team and believe he would thrive under them.

[soccermom316]

OP. This was super depressing to read! Lol. So my 8 year old is already out of luck for a "good" team? That is insane. I did ask Arlington if they would do any other tryout dates (only offered one date), and they said no more for this year and encouraged us to do the ADP tryout. DS is legitimately a good player with a lot of drive and is easy to coach because he wants to get better, but he's also...8.

[BunchlineDC]

soccermom316 wrote:OP. This was super depressing to read! Lol. So my 8 year old is already out of luck for a "good" team? That is insane. I did ask Arlington if they would do any other tryout dates (only offered one date), and they said no more for this year and encouraged us to do the ADP tryout. DS is legitimately a good player with a lot of drive and is easy to coach because he wants to get better, but he's also...8.

It depends what you consider to be a "good" team. If you are trying to get him to MLS Next, then ADP probably isn't your best bet. But if your goal is to have him learn skills, play with friends, and have a great experience, then it doesn't matter. As you said, he's only 8. Have him do ADP and see how he likes it - it sounds like the right fit. There are a million great soccer programs around here-- but on these threads, you tend to get people saying anything other than ECNL/MLS is rec. ( )

[Nova2Euro]

Please don't think that your son can't be on a "good" team. There are good teams at PAC, good teams at Alexandria, etc. To repeat what others have said, this is what's important:
1) to like the coach;
2) to like his teammates;
3) to enjoy going to training and matches.

I've been doing the soccer parent thing a long time and the intensity of my emotions has sometimes shocked me. The best thing you can do for your kid is dial back or hide those intense emotions and just let them be a kid playing soccer. If they want to improve, help them set goals for juggling/keep-ups and find some youtube videos on how to kick a ball against a wall. IF they want to.

[soccermom316]

BunchlineDC wrote:

soccermom316 wrote:OP. This was super depressing to read! Lol. So my 8 year old is already out of luck for a "good" team? That is insane. I did ask Arlington if they would do any other tryout dates (only offered one date), and they said no more for this year and encouraged us to do the ADP tryout. DS is legitimately a good player with a lot of drive and is easy to coach because he wants to get better, but he's also...8.

It depends what you consider to be a "good" team. If you are trying to get him to MLS Next, then ADP probably isn't your best bet. But if your goal is to have him learn skills, play with friends, and have a great experience, then it doesn't matter. As you said, he's only 8. Have him do ADP and see how he likes it - it sounds like the right fit. There are a million great soccer programs around here-- but on these threads, you tend to get people saying anything other than ECNL/MLS is rec. ( )

This was very helpful. Thank you! I think his only "goal" (again, as a 3rd grader who is 8 years old and whose main goal each day is extra screen time and more dessert) is to play on our public HS's soccer team 5 years from now. He practices for hours alone in our yard, and I'd love for him to get more experience since he loves the game. ADP sounds perfect for this level and age! Really appreciate the gut check and sane advice.

[soccermom316]

Nova2Euro wrote:Please don't think that your son can't be on a "good" team. There are good teams at PAC, good teams at Alexandria, etc. To repeat what others have said, this is what's important:
1) to like the coach;
2) to like his teammates;
3) to enjoy going to training and matches.

I've been doing the soccer parent thing a long time and the intensity of my emotions has sometimes shocked me. The best thing you can do for your kid is dial back or hide those intense emotions and just let them be a kid playing soccer. If they want to improve, help them set goals for juggling/keep-ups and find some youtube videos on how to kick a ball against a wall. IF they want to.

Thank you! He loves soccer and this is all him asking if he can join a travel team for next year. We encouraged him to do the tryouts and then pick the team where he liked the coach and kids. He had a lot of fun at Villarreal, and I thought the coaches and kids/parents were really nice and the play/direction was appropriate for this age group. ADP sounds like good training as well. I'm trying to navigate this as a parent who is totally in the dark and doesn't want her kid to "miss out" on opportunities due to my ignorance of how the system works. Sounds like that may happen anyway, which is fine.

[Mannschaft]

Arlington is a good club that I often recommend to parents, but it is not the end all or be all of soccer by any means. I don’t strictly know this, but I would guess the 2014 SYC boys are better than 2014 Arlington.

I have a 2014 boy, and agree that is a strong birth year. Lots of good posts in this thread.

Where in Falls Church are you? North, South, East, or West? How about McLean, Vienna, or BRYC?

Generally, I like seeing the smaller clubs get players, because so many of Arlington and McLean’s players are plucked from other clubs (ie the rich get richer).

[Anonymous]

soccermom316 wrote:

Nova2Euro wrote:Please don't think that your son can't be on a "good" team. There are good teams at PAC, good teams at Alexandria, etc. To repeat what others have said, this is what's important:
1) to like the coach;
2) to like his teammates;
3) to enjoy going to training and matches.

I've been doing the soccer parent thing a long time and the intensity of my emotions has sometimes shocked me. The best thing you can do for your kid is dial back or hide those intense emotions and just let them be a kid playing soccer. If they want to improve, help them set goals for juggling/keep-ups and find some youtube videos on how to kick a ball against a wall. IF they want to.

Thank you! He loves soccer and this is all him asking if he can join a travel team for next year. We encouraged him to do the tryouts and then pick the team where he liked the coach and kids. He had a lot of fun at Villarreal, and I thought the coaches and kids/parents were really nice and the play/direction was appropriate for this age group. ADP sounds like good training as well. I'm trying to navigate this as a parent who is totally in the dark and doesn't want her kid to "miss out" on opportunities due to my ignorance of how the system works. Sounds like that may happen anyway, which is fine.

[Anonymous]

goaliemomnova wrote:My oldest is most likely going to Villareal or Lee Mount Vernon -- he is struggling mentally and a change of environment is what he needs.

My youngest is finishing out his season with FCV but with them moving practice out of the STJ to George Mason University -- remaining with them is no longer an option.

Without an Alexandria offer, is why I'm also considering accepting the Arlington spot as I know it would be quality coaching. We also know both of the coaches for his team and believe he would thrive under them.

If you are interested in Alexandria, you should follow up with the office . Everyone should have heard something after the tryout, whether it is a team invite or a an invite to their AGP program. Always possible they slipped through the cracks, or possible they aren't done filling teams yet.