Advice - Moving to Bethesda

[Anonymous]

1. Look at winter futsal options as bsc.
2. Check out who the coaches are for your age group. Look if that coach has some camps and sign up.
3. Do a tryout practice (email the club).
4. Look for other options if not offered a place at academy I or II. As previous poster said bsc is not as committed to other teams…

[Anonymous]

Try DC Juventus academy. Not sure if they have younger girls yet but the atmosphere is amazing—kind yet firm, stretching but not abusing the kids. We switched from a bigger MD club and wished we had done it earlier.

[Anonymous]

Don't listen to anyone who says Bethesda Soccer is the best option. It is not, especially for a 9 year-old girl. Bethesda is not even the best option for an elite player, which is why most travel across the river or up I95 to play for Pipeline or MUFC.

If you want to impress friends who don't know jacksh&t about girls soccer, then encourage them to go to Bethesda. If you want your daughter to develop into an elite player, look at other options:

1. FCGB does a good jo of training their players. Anyone who has watched their practices will confirm.
2. Find a good MSI Classic coach/team for u10. Look for someone who is teaches the basics and is also competitive. No need to travel to PA and WV for travel games at nine.

I have seen more kids who come from classic or similar teams at u12 and beat out Bethesda players that have been at Bethesda from the beginning. Also, classic is a better social environment sense your kid will likely attend school with her teammates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't listen to anyone who says Bethesda Soccer is the best option. It is not, especially for a 9 year-old girl. Bethesda is not even the best option for an elite player, which is why most travel across the river or up I95 to play for Pipeline or MUFC.

If you want to impress friends who don't know jacksh&t about girls soccer, then encourage them to go to Bethesda. If you want your daughter to develop into an elite player, look at other options:

1. FCGB does a good jo of training their players. Anyone who has watched their practices will confirm.
2. Find a good MSI Classic coach/team for u10. Look for someone who is teaches the basics and is also competitive. No need to travel to PA and WV for travel games at nine.

I have seen more kids who come from classic or similar teams at u12 and beat out Bethesda players that have been at Bethesda from the beginning. Also, classic is a better social environment sense your kid will likely attend school with her teammates.

Somebody sounds a bit bitter and biased...FYI, literally the best coach in the DMV both trains and coaches at Bethesda. He is the Head Coach of the Mens' Howard Univ. Team as well as a former USMNT player. His son currently plays in the MLS. His daughter played all four four years at Duke University. However, above poster is correct that SOME players choose alternatives because the ECNL coaches are not suited for them. MOST players stay and weather the tough coaching and atmosphere. Bethesda has an excellent chance of 4 straight years to make the ECNL playoffs this year (06, 07, 08, 09) with the incoming 10s likely to add to that next year.

Most travel else where? Really? FYI, there is actually a family that does not listen to the type of crap people like you spew. Said family did the best for their DD's and chose the best club for each players need. One DD plays at Bethesda (and is part of USWNT Camp) and the other plays at Pipeline and recently received a D1 scholarship.

Please ignore posters like the above, DYOR, and find the best environment for your DD. No club is going to be perfect. No "social" group or parent are going to be perfect. In my experience that type of environment varies year by year at any club. Pending your goals over the upcoming years, you can't go wrong FCGB or Bethesda after picking your coach. Unlike the above poster, I will just plead the 5th on MSI and Potomac.

[Anonymous]

OP at the age of your DD, team placement will be based on aggression and then speed and size. If your DD is aggressive and fast or big for her age, she will make a top team.

At bigger clubs you have more kids trying out. This means they will have more aggressive, fast and big kids to choose from. So it is harder to make the top team. It is not an indicator of good coaching or development.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is getting a good feeling for how most of the soccer environment is at the big teams. Which, frankly, is why my DD chose to leave. These arguments are ridiculous; the kid is 9!!

[Anonymous]

At 9, go to the club that has the closest practice location. Nothing else matters at that age.

[Anonymous]

It depends on your dd goals. If she says she wants to be a top soccer player, professional players (we know the odds) but have those aspirations and wants to practice most days- take her to bsc. If she just wants to hang with friends and stay active on a decent team, go elsewhere like msi classic.

You can also tryout msi classic in the spring and see how it goes since they register per season, then tryout in May for a full year club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your dd goals. If she says she wants to be a top soccer player, professional players (we know the odds) but have those aspirations and wants to practice most days- take her to bsc. If she just wants to hang with friends and stay active on a decent team, go elsewhere like msi classic.

You can also tryout msi classic in the spring and see how it goes since they register per season, then tryout in May for a full year club.

You can do msi classic plus your current team for spring to check them out if the games work out okay. Current schedules are posted online.

[Anonymous]

You can also try Xeneizes MD. Newer club that practices in Rockville, really focuses on younger player development. Excellent coaches, they push the kids hard but are very supportive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't listen to anyone who says Bethesda Soccer is the best option. It is not, especially for a 9 year-old girl. Bethesda is not even the best option for an elite player, which is why most travel across the river or up I95 to play for Pipeline or MUFC.

If you want to impress friends who don't know jacksh&t about girls soccer, then encourage them to go to Bethesda. If you want your daughter to develop into an elite player, look at other options:

1. FCGB does a good jo of training their players. Anyone who has watched their practices will confirm.
2. Find a good MSI Classic coach/team for u10. Look for someone who is teaches the basics and is also competitive. No need to travel to PA and WV for travel games at nine.

I have seen more kids who come from classic or similar teams at u12 and beat out Bethesda players that have been at Bethesda from the beginning. Also, classic is a better social environment sense your kid will likely attend school with her teammates.

Somebody sounds a bit bitter and biased...FYI, literally the best coach in the DMV both trains and coaches at Bethesda. He is the Head Coach of the Mens' Howard Univ. Team as well as a former USMNT player. His son currently plays in the MLS. His daughter played all four four years at Duke University. However, above poster is correct that SOME players choose alternatives because the ECNL coaches are not suited for them. MOST players stay and weather the tough coaching and atmosphere. Bethesda has an excellent chance of 4 straight years to make the ECNL playoffs this year (06, 07, 08, 09) with the incoming 10s likely to add to that next year.

Most travel else where? Really? FYI, there is actually a family that does not listen to the type of crap people like you spew. Said family did the best for their DD's and chose the best club for each players need. One DD plays at Bethesda (and is part of USWNT Camp) and the other plays at Pipeline and recently received a D1 scholarship.

Please ignore posters like the above, DYOR, and find the best environment for your DD. No club is going to be perfect. No "social" group or parent are going to be perfect. In my experience that type of environment varies year by year at any club. Pending your goals over the upcoming years, you can't go wrong FCGB or Bethesda after picking your coach. Unlike the above poster, I will just plead the 5th on MSI and Potomac.

“Most players stay and weather the tough coaching and atmosphere”
I think you spelled “Most players stay and lose their self-worth such that they believe they are deserving of coaching abuse” wrong

[Anonymous]

And propping Philip Gyau up as your token good coach at Bethesda is offensive and disingenuous. The likelihood is OPs 2012 daughter will never train with him.

[Anonymous]

There are lots of great options at such a young age. Don’t over commit to any one club. Go where your gut feels right, and the place that your DD feels the best culture for her. The coach is everything, followed by the teammates. The rest will follow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't listen to anyone who says Bethesda Soccer is the best option. It is not, especially for a 9 year-old girl. Bethesda is not even the best option for an elite player, which is why most travel across the river or up I95 to play for Pipeline or MUFC.

If you want to impress friends who don't know jacksh&t about girls soccer, then encourage them to go to Bethesda. If you want your daughter to develop into an elite player, look at other options:

1. FCGB does a good jo of training their players. Anyone who has watched their practices will confirm.
2. Find a good MSI Classic coach/team for u10. Look for someone who is teaches the basics and is also competitive. No need to travel to PA and WV for travel games at nine.

I have seen more kids who come from classic or similar teams at u12 and beat out Bethesda players that have been at Bethesda from the beginning. Also, classic is a better social environment sense your kid will likely attend school with her teammates.

Somebody sounds a bit bitter and biased...FYI, literally the best coach in the DMV both trains and coaches at Bethesda. He is the Head Coach of the Mens' Howard Univ. Team as well as a former USMNT player. His son currently plays in the MLS. His daughter played all four four years at Duke University. However, above poster is correct that SOME players choose alternatives because the ECNL coaches are not suited for them. MOST players stay and weather the tough coaching and atmosphere. Bethesda has an excellent chance of 4 straight years to make the ECNL playoffs this year (06, 07, 08, 09) with the incoming 10s likely to add to that next year.

Most travel else where? Really? FYI, there is actually a family that does not listen to the type of crap people like you spew. Said family did the best for their DD's and chose the best club for each players need. One DD plays at Bethesda (and is part of USWNT Camp) and the other plays at Pipeline and recently received a D1 scholarship.

Please ignore posters like the above, DYOR, and find the best environment for your DD. No club is going to be perfect. No "social" group or parent are going to be perfect. In my experience that type of environment varies year by year at any club. Pending your goals over the upcoming years, you can't go wrong FCGB or Bethesda after picking your coach. Unlike the above poster, I will just plead the 5th on MSI and Potomac.

“Most players stay and weather the tough coaching and atmosphere”
I think you spelled “Most players stay and lose their self-worth such that they believe they are deserving of coaching abuse” wrong

Bethesda has become a very toxic male centric culture. Time will tell if they can build teams to consistently win, but the juice might not be worth the squeeze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And propping Philip Gyau up as your token good coach at Bethesda is offensive and disingenuous. The likelihood is OPs 2012 daughter will never train with him.

My bad, the three ECNL coaches have Three USYS National Championships, countless State Championships, over 10 State High School State Championships, a couple National Coach of the Year awards, multiple US Camp representatives and 100s of College Placements including P5 conferences between the 3 of them. Two of the three are under the age of 45.

But whatever, Potomac/Metro/Mclean parents will always make attacks and take every opportunity to put Bethesda down. You will learn that quickly once relocating. Funny thing is, most Bethesda parents just keep their mouths zipped about those other clubs no matter what they may think of them, for better or worse.