Bethesda SC girls program
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Anonymous
For the OP, the above post is a great example of a "negative agenda" post that was mentioned earlier in this thread. Most people know and understand that Got Soccer rankings are not the most accurate way to rank teams, since, among other reasons, (a) Got Soccer awards a huge number of points for State Cup results, and all DA and nearly all ECNL teams do not participate in the State Cups, and (b) Got Soccer awards points for some team's standings in their league (e.g., EDP), but does not award points to DA and ECNL teams based on their standings in the DA and ECNL leagues. As a result, non-DA and ECNL teams have opportunities to be awarded significantly more "Got Soccer points" than ECNL and DA teams, and the rankings get skewed. I think most people agree that youthsoccerrankings.com does the best job of ranking youth teams. The rankings from that site would show a completely different picture of BSC's girls program, compared to the Got Soccer rankings. A different thread already covered the rankings of the top VA and MD teams, so I am just copying below that prior post with its rankings results. Lastly, as was also posted on that different thread, BSC has historically had double-digit college commitments in each age group. For example, BSC just touted in its Jan. 2019 newsletter that 19 girls committed to college soccer programs, including (a) top 10 programs UNC, UVa and WVa, (b) a couple other girls going to programs in the top 25, and (c) several other girls going to very good academic schools to play soccer (e.g., 2 girls committing to Princeton, which was ranked #27 in the country at the end of the season by the NCAA's RPI soccer rankings; 1 girl committing to Notre Dame; etc.). It has also been mentioned in other threads that BSC has had the most college commitments of any of the area clubs, including McLean, FCV, Arlington, MD United, etc. Maybe that changes as the years go by, as a result of the general talent dilution caused by the new DA teams in the DMV area and the new teams recently given ECNL status, like Loudoun. Regardless, if college soccer is the end game for your daughter, then BSC is certainly a good platform for her. Is it the only platform or the "best" (whatever the hell that means) platform? Of course not. But to argue that BSC is not one of the top girls programs in the DMV is to ignore facts. From other thread: "With the usual caveats that there is no good way to rank area teams, I think most people agree that youthsoccerrankings.com does the best job. According to that site, here are the top MD and VA teams for the ECNL/DA age groups (by their ranking in Region 1, which includes VA, WV, MD, DE, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH and ME). Note that I only included teams in MD and VA that were in the top 40 in Region 1. If an area team is not listed in an age group, then it is not ranked in the top 40 in that age group. 2000 2 BSC 13 FCV 16 Arlington 20 MD United 26 Pipeline 37 SAC 2001 1 McLean 4 BSC 9 Premier Navy 10 FCV 12 FC Frederick 13 BRYC 16 Richmond 18 Washington Spirit VA 23 Beach FC 32 SOCA 2002 2 McLean 5 MD United 17 Calvert 20 BRYC 30 Beach FC 37 Loudoun 2003 2 BRYC 6 MD United 10 McLean 15 BSC 25 Richmond 27 Arlington 28 Hurricanes 40 Seacoast United 2004 4 Richmond 6 FCV 9 MD United 17 Wa. Spirit MD 22 McLean 26 Arlington 27 Beach FC 31 VDA 34 Baltimore Union 2005 7 Pipeline 11 BSC 13 VDA 19 Rush 27 Baltimore Celtic 28 Wa Spirit MD 33 Richmond 2006 14 Rush 15 VDA 18 Loudoun 36 Baltimore Union 39 BSC Lastly, to be fair to Loudoun, this was the first year that they had ECNL status. As a result, most of the girls who would have played ECNL or DA left for other clubs in the DMV area (usually FCV or McLean). As a result, their rankings are lower than they likely will be in future years beginning with the 2007s." |
Anonymous
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I agree that GotSoccer is not accurate. YouthSoccerRanking is much more accurate.
But I find it interesting that lots of tournaments require teams to register with GotSoccer. Do they have some sort of business relations? |
Anonymous
Oh really a negative agenda? Looking over what you have posted shows BSC had two teams that could be considered elite not two elite teams in each age group from 14 up. Those are also u18 and u19 teams. How many of those girls were developed at BSC? What are you trying to gaslight everyone? Seriously the ‘00 and ‘01 are the exception and not the norm for BSC and they do not go two teams deep. |
Anonymous
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Maybe I missed your point but it is clear that BSC has a strong girls soccer program. I don't know of another local club that has 2+ teams in each age group.
Also, BSC is not the dominant elite club. McLean and FCV are stronger. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
See the other post. Nobody is saying that BSC is the dominant elite club. I think people could have a legitimate debate about whether McLean and FCV are stronger, but that is arguing around the edges. I think everyone would agree that those 3 clubs are among the top girls programs in the DMV. All 3 clubs are excellent platforms for the girls on their respective top teams. All 3 of those clubs have their own pros and their own cons, as has been extensively documented in thousands of positive and negative posts on this site. No club is perfect. At the end of the day, every parent has to make a decision that makes the most sense for their daughter and their family, and not every club is the right fit. |
Anonymous
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Agreed! I think the issue is a pp questioned the size of Bethesda's girls program and I pushed back by saying that Bethesda usually has two teams in each age group ranked in the top 25 in MD with one team playing ECNL and the other playing EDP National League. No other club has two strong teams playing in two competitive conferences.
I don't believe that Bethesda is the most competitive club or has the best coaches/training but it is a strong platform for players looking to play at an elite level. I personally would avoid the program at u13 and younger -- There are other teams that do a better job of training. If my kid was a star at u12 or u13 and wanted to play at the highest level, I would consider Bethesda among McLean ECNL, FCV, or WS but if my kid were u10 and looking to play at a competitive level while also getting personalized development, I would look at other options. Bethesd is a good club bu t there are better options if you are looking to develop. |
Anonymous
I appreciate your points and that you may have had a different experience with the club. I'd agree that there are a variety of approaches to soccer development for young kids, and there is no one way of doing it that is right. Whether talking about soccer or teaching anything else in life to a kid, we all know as parents that what works for one kid, may not work best for another. We each have to find what's best for our kids. FWIW, our daughters had a different experience. We thought Bethesda did a very good job developing them and their teammates over the years, from U8s on up through ECNL. We'd agree with the earlier post highlighting the success Bethesda had in developing their 2005 and 2006 birth years, as those girls were developed during the pre-ECNL years into good teams now that they are in ECNL. Also, the college commitments recently highlighted by Bethesda would seem to indicate positive development of girls in their ECNL program into college commitments. But like you said, there are other good clubs in the area, and people should do what works best for their kids. |
Anonymous
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To the original poster:
Our experience with Bethesda was that it is a solid big club. A big club comes with pros and cons. A couple of the pros are that it draws the most talent in the area and relatively good organization/communication. However, with the size of the club, it also, limits the consistency with coaching and development. From year to year coaches change. While there is a "development plan" for each age group, it is not consistently implemented and limits true development over the years. They build good teams over the years, but the players are not not necessarily developed by the BSC. Being affiliated to ECNL, allows them to recruit the best talent in the older age groups and have some successful teams. They have some good coaches, but without consistency, players don't all develop all the fundamental skills throughout the years. Also, Bethesda places a premium on athleticism and speed early in development. If your child is an early bloomer in that regard, they get more attention and opportunities. I've seen that with hard work and good coaching, players who aren't the fastest and most athletic at U10-U12, can really change. But, I think BSC doesn't nurture that. On the other hand, FC Bordeaux, a much smaller club, prides itself on its developmental program. It's run by 3 coaches with a European background who run the club as their full-time jobs. They are completely invested in the program and are truly concerned about development from the beginning and do not worry about wins early. They may not have as successful teams at the ECNL level as Bethesda as the advantage of drawing talent. They practice 3 days per week at the younger ages in Bethesda and Germantown/Rockville and 4 days per week in the older ages. If you are looking for real development, I'd suggest Bordeaux for the early years. Then, if you feel your child needs exposure to competition or college coaches that Bordeaux can't provide in the later years, you can always switch. |
Anonymous
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I am one of the PPs. The above is spot on and I would also argue that as FC Bordeaux attracts better talent, it will send girls to better college programs and let's not ignore the professional opportunities through its relationship with the French Ligue 1 club that has a strong women's team. The U19 from last year placed more than ten girls in DI programs and was consistently ranked as top ten team nationally and placed in the top bracket at the most competitive tournaments.
There are also other programs around that do a better job of developing than Bethesda. I would visit the practices of 5 or 6 clubs and then decide. |
Anonymous
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Interesting pro-Bordeaux poster on this thread.
We had a very different experience with BSC. The criticisms about its failure to generally develop players is not based in fact, as has been pointed out earlier. No need to repeat the facts again. BSC does a very good job developing its players. That does not mean that the pro-Bordeaux poster is not correct in her daughter's experience at BSC. It may not have been the best fit for her. If that was the case, then I hope she has found a club that fits her best. There are a lot of clubs out there. Definitely check several out. Don't believe everything you read on the clubs' sites or some anonymous message boards. See for yourself by attending some practices and talking to some parents and coaches. More importantly, see what your daughter likes best. |
Anonymous
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I think that was the message. Not knocking BSC as much as saying that as large and successful as BSC is, there are other clubs out there that might do a better job for your DD. Visit several teams and go from there.
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Anonymous
Do you have specific recommendations for clubs close to Bethesda that would be better for U13? Someone suggested FC Bordeaux. Others? (What about Potomac?) |
Anonymous
It depends on where you live, whether your willing to fight traffic over the bridge to VA, how far you are willing to drive for practices, and what you are looking for in a club. For example, if you live in Olney and are looking only for DA/ECNL and are unwilling to drive over the bridge, then your options are quite limited, with Spirit Baltimore and Maryland United out towards Annapolis your only options. Rush has a very, very good team at U13, but they are not DA/ECNL and their head coach makes BSC's U13 head coach look like a church mouse in terms of the Rush coach's communication style with his players. Please don't interpret that as criticism of either coach. It is just a comment on the Rush coach's coaching style. It is not for everyone, but that could be said for nearly every coach out there at any club. |
Anonymous
| The U13 Potomac team will most likely get one of the Good Counsel coaches. Bruno has the older teams (U17/U18) and Jesse has the U16 team this year. Bruno could cycle back down to the U13 team or stay with the older teams and Jesse pickup the U13 team. Bruno normally has 1 or 2 assistant coaches helping and is pretty demanding. Jesse won East Boys COY this year and his girls team is pretty good too. |