Spring Tryouts for Fall 2019

Comparing Achilles to Bethesda is like comparing American University to the University of Maryland. Both are solid programs where your kid can play good, competitive soccer, however Bethesda is huge and he/she can get lost in the shuffle and languish on one of the lower teams. Like going to U of M, Bethesda is what you and your kid make of it. If he is able to stand out in some way (size or speed or technical skills) then Bethesda will be a great place. However, if he needs some time and guidance to develop a field presence or soccer "personality", I would suggest a smaller club. Not much time is given to developing the kid at BSC because there are many other kids to take his place and plenty of spots needed on the lower teams.

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04/22/2019 06:58

Subject: Spring Tryouts for Fall 2019

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you compare Achilles to Bethesda?

Comparing Achilles to Bethesda is like comparing American University to the University of Maryland. Both are solid programs where your kid can play good, competitive soccer, however Bethesda is huge and he/she can get lost in the shuffle and languish on one of the lower teams. Like going to U of M, Bethesda is what you and your kid make of it. If he is able to stand out in some way (size or speed or technical skills) then Bethesda will be a great place. However, if he needs some time and guidance to develop a field presence or soccer "personality", I would suggest a smaller club. Not much time is given to developing the kid at BSC because there are many other kids to take his place and plenty of spots needed on the lower teams.

I would agree with this take. BSC draws the better players so the need to develop is less as the kids need to push themselves through the competition. The smaller and mid level clubs do more development only to see their players then leave for bigger clubs. It’s too bad but that is part of the soccer environment.

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05/09/2019 00:52

Subject: Re:Spring Tryouts for Fall 2019

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:My son is a 2010 boy on Achilles. The vibe is definitely intense, but I don't think my son has ever felt slighted for not being one of the very best players. In fact, I get the sense that the coaches love his tenacity and how much he's improved under their guidance. They all know him well and encourage what has been impressive progress. So if your kid really loves the game and is a hard worker, I think Achilles can be a good fit, even if he's not among the best players. At age 8, there's a lot of time for development, so potential and hard work will be acknowledged just as much as pure skill.

Achilles practices in NW at St John's High School, by the way.

That’s what it may seem like but it’s just not reality. Favorites are decided early on and despite good training, opportunities to move up are very limited, especially at the older ages. Even in the younger groups on the top teams, there are kids that sit the bench for entire games despite working hard at practice and showing up, whereas kids that don’t do this or even that play for other clubs, are brought in and get to play for an entire match.