The era of misinformation is over. Let’s talk real soccer

[soccer_dc]

mocosoccerparent wrote:

soccer_dc wrote:

mocosoccerparent wrote:Hi - I am hoping someone can offer a balanced perspective on how I can best help my soccer-obsessed DD reach her full (and from what I can tell, great) potential. I have not wanted to post until now because I knew I'd get a lot of responses that basically just said my kid was clearly some no-name loser playing for a no-name club. Hopefully that won't be the case now. I'll preface by saying that I was not athletic in the slightest so I have no "reliving my glory days" baggage but also no frame of reference.

DD is 13 and currently plays for a travel club that doesn't get discussed a lot on these boards. She's a leader on her team and contributes substantially. I have heard from numerous coaches that she's very talented. She lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport - when she's not practicing or playing, she's watching matches on TV or practicing on her own. She absolutely loves it and is very self-motivated. Her team plays EDP and finishes middle of the standings every season. DD is happy with her team, coach, and teammates but she wants to continue to develop as a player and continue to play all the way through college, though she recognizes that prime recruiting and scholarship opportunities are few and far between.

So my question is, given everything, should she stay with her current team/club for the foreseeable future? Try to go to a different club where she may not be on the top team or may have to travel much further for games and practices? Wait until high school and then move? I feel like the culture in this area is cutthroat and given how much she loves the sport, I'm reluctant to see her make a move to a place where the competition within the team is just as brutal as with opposing teams! Any insights are appreciated.

She seems to have the self motivation to achieve her goals. What remains is whether she has the talent. The best way to find out would be to tryout for a ECNL or GA team. Those leagues are designed for exposure to college coaches and give the best path to playing in college. 13 is a good age to start this process and now is the time of year when teams begin having ID sessions. Contact coaches and ask if she could come to some training sessions. You don't need to wait for ID sessions to be announced, contact the coaches now. At a minimum you'll get an evaluation from the coaches on where she stands talent wise. You could always go back to the current club if the travel and commitment take the fun out of it for her. But once she reaches HS it may be too late for the college path. While some EDP players do make it to college, it's an easier path playing with an ECNL club due to the exposure, coaching connections, training with better players, etc.

Thanks! I'm curious what options are worth pursuing. We're in Montgomery County so it would be difficult to drive to Baltimore or far into Virginia multiple times a week. What teams are realistic options?

Bethesda Soccer Club would be the first choice near you. Depending on where you are in Mont Co, Arlington Soccer or McLean (VA Union) might be within range.

[Mdmom22]

As the above poster said, trying out or practicing with ECNL/GA clubs might also be a good way to gauge where she is in terms of competence. Although many clubs B, C, etc teams (non-ECNL) are usually playing in EDP so you can observe and compare your daughters skills with them. What EDP level is she playing at? Are other clubs reaching out to you to recruit her on their team?

Nonetheless, regardless of skill level, she sounds motivated and a solid player but just realizes that she needs to be challenged and developed more. If she is the best or one of the best kids on her team, I’d move her now. Where she goes depends on how far you’re willing to take her as well as what kind of competition/culture you want for her or she can handle. I would also move her to somewhere she can have the most playing time of course.

Good luck!

[Godot]

soccer_dc wrote:

mocosoccerparent wrote:

soccer_dc wrote:

mocosoccerparent wrote:Hi - I am hoping someone can offer a balanced perspective on how I can best help my soccer-obsessed DD reach her full (and from what I can tell, great) potential. I have not wanted to post until now because I knew I'd get a lot of responses that basically just said my kid was clearly some no-name loser playing for a no-name club. Hopefully that won't be the case now. I'll preface by saying that I was not athletic in the slightest so I have no "reliving my glory days" baggage but also no frame of reference.

DD is 13 and currently plays for a travel club that doesn't get discussed a lot on these boards. She's a leader on her team and contributes substantially. I have heard from numerous coaches that she's very talented. She lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport - when she's not practicing or playing, she's watching matches on TV or practicing on her own. She absolutely loves it and is very self-motivated. Her team plays EDP and finishes middle of the standings every season. DD is happy with her team, coach, and teammates but she wants to continue to develop as a player and continue to play all the way through college, though she recognizes that prime recruiting and scholarship opportunities are few and far between.

So my question is, given everything, should she stay with her current team/club for the foreseeable future? Try to go to a different club where she may not be on the top team or may have to travel much further for games and practices? Wait until high school and then move? I feel like the culture in this area is cutthroat and given how much she loves the sport, I'm reluctant to see her make a move to a place where the competition within the team is just as brutal as with opposing teams! Any insights are appreciated.

She seems to have the self motivation to achieve her goals. What remains is whether she has the talent. The best way to find out would be to tryout for a ECNL or GA team. Those leagues are designed for exposure to college coaches and give the best path to playing in college. 13 is a good age to start this process and now is the time of year when teams begin having ID sessions. Contact coaches and ask if she could come to some training sessions. You don't need to wait for ID sessions to be announced, contact the coaches now. At a minimum you'll get an evaluation from the coaches on where she stands talent wise. You could always go back to the current club if the travel and commitment take the fun out of it for her. But once she reaches HS it may be too late for the college path. While some EDP players do make it to college, it's an easier path playing with an ECNL club due to the exposure, coaching connections, training with better players, etc.

Thanks! I'm curious what options are worth pursuing. We're in Montgomery County so it would be difficult to drive to Baltimore or far into Virginia multiple times a week. What teams are realistic options?

Bethesda Soccer Club would be the first choice near you. Depending on where you are in Mont Co, Arlington Soccer or McLean (VA Union) might be within range.

It’s worth having her try out with a couple of different ECNL or GA clubs. It will give you an indication of how she compares to the girls currently on the team and it is by far the easiest route to real college looks, if that’s what she’s motivated to do. It will also give you a sense of what the driving would be like and whether your family thinks it’s worth it to make that drive. And just trying out or joining a practice or two with each of the clubs mentioned might give her an idea about whether that’s a move she would want to make next year, or whether she wants to stay where she is. Girls can still play in college from EDP teams, it just takes quite a bit more energy and initiative and may not garner the type of looks she wants.

[MadridFan]

(copied and pasted from another thread)

For my player, the ODP program was a motivator and a difference maker. My DC wasn't a top team player and was always okay with just making one of the travel teams. I had encouraged my DC to go to the ODP tryouts for a couple of years, but when they finally did, something clicked.

They made the local Northern Virginia roster (which a majority of the players trying out will). This group practiced once a week, but now my DC was playing with much better and more motivated players. This drove their desire to improve.

Getting selected to the Virginia State ODP roster really drove the desire to play at a higher level. And getting invited to 2 Region 1 ODP Camps just fueled their drive.