Trying to understand the basics of travel soccer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The OP is in for big surprises based on this thread, and her reactions to it. I think some of the information comes from parents hoping she makes the same choice they did. Travel is a year long committment that disrupts your family. It may be worth it to that child, but unless you find a low level NCSL team, it doesn't sound like a good choice for you if she has any talent. It is a family decision, and the costs are 3K a year easy. We pay over 7K now for DD (not DA or ECNL). Good luck, we used to play MSI classic. We miss those days, but it was the choice we all made because DD wanted the highest level.

If you are paying 3k a year and it's not DA or NCSl, you are getting ripped off. Must be Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The OP is in for big surprises based on this thread, and her reactions to it. I think some of the information comes from parents hoping she makes the same choice they did. Travel is a year long committment that disrupts your family. It may be worth it to that child, but unless you find a low level NCSL team, it doesn't sound like a good choice for you if she has any talent. It is a family decision, and the costs are 3K a year easy. We pay over 7K now for DD (not DA or ECNL). Good luck, we used to play MSI classic. We miss those days, but it was the choice we all made because DD wanted the highest level.

Is $7K inclusive of all travel costs?

[Anonymous]

MSI crowd far different then a top team and what her peers will be doing, even Non-DA/ECNL. $7K is what we pay for a year's worth of all the soccer stuff she does, the team, winter trainings, summer league, travel (car only right now) and hotels for the mandatory tournaments/games (Jeff Cup, etc), and all the rest. MSI was around 1K a year for professional coach, maybe 1 Tournament max.

Yes, some of it at this level is technically optional, but not really. If you don't have the $$ nor time, pray DD makes the bottom team in a travel-lite league and plays in only 3-4 local tourneys. Maybe 3K or 3.5K max a year there.

Still far different time and $$ committment that OP doesn't seem to appreciate coming from MSI. I will add that at the bottom level of travel soccer, it is not better then the top of MSI. Not even close.

Multiple kids who have played in many different clubs/leagues, so I know.

[Anonymous]

By the way, there is no DA for girls at $3K a year.

You have to budget 8-10K a year for girls DA when you get to that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By the way, there is no DA for girls at $3K a year.

You have to budget 8-10K a year for girls DA when you get to that level.

based on our experience with all travel 10-11K a year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MSI crowd far different then a top team and what her peers will be doing, even Non-DA/ECNL. $7K is what we pay for a year's worth of all the soccer stuff she does, the team, winter trainings, summer league, travel (car only right now) and hotels for the mandatory tournaments/games (Jeff Cup, etc), and all the rest. MSI was around 1K a year for professional coach, maybe 1 Tournament max.

Yes, some of it at this level is technically optional, but not really. If you don't have the $$ nor time, pray DD makes the bottom team in a travel-lite league and plays in only 3-4 local tourneys. Maybe 3K or 3.5K max a year there.

Still far different time and $$ committment that OP doesn't seem to appreciate coming from MSI. I will add that at the bottom level of travel soccer, it is not better then the top of MSI. Not even close.

Multiple kids who have played in many different clubs/leagues, so I know.

When you say “MSI” are you referring to MSI Classic or MSI Academy?

MSI Classic is not travel soccer. They play exclusively with other MSI Classic teams. It’s a MSI in-house league. Hence, the cost is much lower compared to MSI Academy. Academy plays in NCSL and they also play in 2 tournaments per season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, there is no DA for girls at $3K a year.

You have to budget 8-10K a year for girls DA when you get to that level.

based on our experience with all travel 10-11K a year

I agree with you, I was just being conservative not to scare OP. If DD is good an makes a top team, she will beg you and want to do it and play U11 with its costs, which could be U13 in no time at 10-11K a year. Agree.

Maybe if DD tries out and makes a bottom travel team, then stick with MSI but make sure to play on one of the best teams in Div 1. Some teams have athletes and players who don't want soccer 24/7, but some teams have kids who should have stayed in rec to be honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, there is no DA for girls at $3K a year.

You have to budget 8-10K a year for girls DA when you get to that level.

based on our experience with all travel 10-11K a year

I agree with you, I was just being conservative not to scare OP. If DD is good an makes a top team, she will beg you and want to do it and play U11 with its costs, which could be U13 in no time at 10-11K a year. Agree.

Maybe if DD tries out and makes a bottom travel team, then stick with MSI but make sure to play on one of the best teams in Div 1. Some teams have athletes and players who don't want soccer 24/7, but some teams have kids who should have stayed in rec to be honest.

Unlike Potomac and Bethesda, MSI Academy teams at U10 & U11 do not select their best players to be on one team. Hence, their U11G teams are comprised of good and average players spread in their multiple teams. This might change at U12 so they can compete against other top level teams. Where as Potomac and Bethesda Blue teams are selected based upon their skills & physical size otherwise they are placed on a lower level team (White, Green, etc.).

[Anonymous]

MSI are long-ball merchants LOL. Throwing money at your kid won’t make them a better player

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MSI are long-ball merchants LOL. Throwing money at your kid won’t make them a better player

Isn’t this true with almost every travel soccer team that everyone bitterly complains about and that we should copy the European/South American model?

[Anonymous]

OP here. This is what I've gleaned from this thread, supplemented by some others in this forum. FYI that we currently have a coach we like, 2 practices/week fall/winter/spring (winter is indoors). There was summer training but it wasn't taken very seriously (lots of kids on vacation), so that would be different with travel.

At U10, the training is probably on par with at least the lower travel teams-- in terms of practice time and in terms of quality of coach (clearly subjective). Competition is weaker than with top travel teams but maybe not weaker than lower travel teams at this age.

By U11, we may be falling behind in terms of practice time (it sounds like some U11s to go 3 practices/week). Depending on the MSI division (they only have one division at U10 but two in U11), the competition may remain on par with the lower travel teams but will be significantly lower than top travel teams.

By U12 there is a real difference. Practices go to more like 4 practices/week (?) and level of competition goes up again. So if you're going to do travel, you probably need to enter that track by U12.

Generally speaking, the top travel teams are traveling significant distances (requiring several nights of hotel stays per year) by U12. Lower travel teams are traveling an hour or two for normal games and a couple/few overnight hotel stays per year. But this seems to vary a lot based on club and level of the team.

If you're a good player on a lower level travel teams you will probably become good enough to make a high school team (depending on school), but these players won't be competitive for a D1 or D2 college team.

Does that sound about right?

[Anonymous]

Sounds about right

If your DD wants to play travel, go for it. The training is often better and will focus on technical skills, it also becomes harder each year to break into a travel team without some of that foundation. But, if yours is a great athlete and works hard then it is certainly possible.

But beware there are absolutely more costs and time commmitments required.

I’ve gone through OBSL, NCSL, CCL and they each have diff levels of travel. Older/higher level team means more travel. But unless on the top team you aren’t likely to go too far out of the metro DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This is what I've gleaned from this thread, supplemented by some others in this forum. FYI that we currently have a coach we like, 2 practices/week fall/winter/spring (winter is indoors). There was summer training but it wasn't taken very seriously (lots of kids on vacation), so that would be different with travel.

At U10, the training is probably on par with at least the lower travel teams-- in terms of practice time and in terms of quality of coach (clearly subjective). Competition is weaker than with top travel teams but maybe not weaker than lower travel teams at this age.

By U11, we may be falling behind in terms of practice time (it sounds like some U11s to go 3 practices/week). Depending on the MSI division (they only have one division at U10 but two in U11), the competition may remain on par with the lower travel teams but will be significantly lower than top travel teams.

By U12 there is a real difference. Practices go to more like 4 practices/week (?) and level of competition goes up again. So if you're going to do travel, you probably need to enter that track by U12.

Generally speaking, the top travel teams are traveling significant distances (requiring several nights of hotel stays per year) by U12. Lower travel teams are traveling an hour or two for normal games and a couple/few overnight hotel stays per year. But this seems to vary a lot based on club and level of the team.

If you're a good player on a lower level travel teams you will probably become good enough to make a high school team (depending on school), but these players won't be competitive for a D1 or D2 college team.

Does that sound about right?

So u9-u12ish training should concentrate individuals skills and technique. All the players should rotate through the different positions during game and get the same amount of playing time. Training this way the team will lose games because you really do not care about results, only individual development. It’s easy to game the age group and win game but not develop players. Does your current team or club train this way?

The big difference in travel vs non travel is the practice and the other girls she practices against. The u10’s travel club’s practices(like BSC) will be 45 minutes of individual skill work and drills, 15 minutes of other work(maybe speed of play) and 15 minutes of scrimmaging. The girls are competitive and will push each other. By u12, it is hard for a non travel girl to catch up to the top team girls. I know there are a few on this board who say this is not true and anyone can join the top teams at u12 after only playing rec. In my experience this is not true. The only girls I have seen do this are the extreme fast(as in easily out run everyone on the top team at u12), athletic and big girls. Is this your DD?

Just take your DD to a few practices and see how she likes it. Many girls find it hard to keep up in the drills and get intimidated. She may not want to do it after going to a practice or two. As for the weekends, it is what it is. I really have not had a free week since my kids are born and I am fine with it. It stopped being about what I wanted to do and is more about what they are doing.

[Anonymous]

It has been our experience that a high level MSI Classic Team (Division 1 - top 2 teams) has a better level of play than a NCSL Division 2 team (Boys) . However, the fields played on are turf and much nicer than any field we played on in MSI classic. Think High School football fields. Price is more for NCSL but not much. Furtherest we have traveled is an hour away for a games. The refs have been better in NCSL, and so far there has been less aggressive behavior on the field - it was getting out of hand in MSI and the refs never called dangerous plays on the players. Right now I think the level of play was higher in MSI Classic, but I like the schedule, fields and coaches better in NCSL.

[Anonymous]

From experience in all age groups in NCSL, and every division along the way, on the boys side, I’d say that MSI has had some of the worst style of play I’ve seen amongst the clubs I’ve seen. Not THE worst, but certainly down there. Of course, that could just be down to the coaching, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the players were not talented.