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Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss
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Anonymous
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Speaking of moving up in a club, what's up with PWSI moving it's acadamy to VDAP. Heard they invited a select few to tryout. Isn't the USDA supposed to pit club vs. club. Will there be more competition now because the total available players for a team is from a larger region. Trying to see the impact of this change a few years ahead. Got a 2006 player right now in Prince William.
http://www.vdasoccer.org/default.aspx |
Anonymous
| Yes, now there will be a larger player pool they are tracking as they get to Academy age, so there will be more competition for those spots |
Anonymous
It will vary significantly from club to club and coach to coach. Based on my observations of a couple of high level teams that my kids played on t was U13 or U14 when some kids on the team saw a significant reduction in their playing time (to well below half a game). |
Anonymous
In high school -- U15 -- some kids on our team started having limited playing time because they just weren't as good as the other players and typically didn't work as hard. Seemed fair. |
Anonymous
As said above, it will vary by coach and club, but even then it will depend on the game being played. If it's a State Cup or critical tournament game, most coaches will play their top players more until the game is decided, and it will become more pronounced as your child reaches U12/U13. From what I've seen, the more competitive the team is, the earlier you'll have games when subs play noticeably less. For games where there are unlimited substitutions, it's rare, but not unheard of, for players to get no playing team - except for backup goalies. |
Anonymous
I'm not sure what you mean by USDA pitting club v. club? In general, I think US Soccer encourages club mergers and collaborations at the Academy level, so I think they likely were very supportive of PWSI partnering with the other two clubs for DA. Competition for DA roster spots at the older age groups will be high, but not due to the merger alone. Because the DA offers excellent college recruitment showcases during the high school years, as well as high level training and competition, kids will come from all over to try to make the teams. In the time my son has played for Bethesda-Olney, there have been kids on the DA teams from as far away as Stafford and Delaware. DC United's academy has had players from West Virginia and Richmond. My guess is that at the U12 age group, most of the kids will still come from within PWSI, with a few from the two other partner clubs. |
Anonymous
| Will it be likely that the VDA will have the girls program in 2017? |
Anonymous
no |
Anonymous
I don't think anyone can say at this point. I'm guessing that clubs that currently have both a boys DA and ECNL would be strong contenders if they apply, but who knows beyond that. |
Anonymous
Playing time at older ages ends up unequal for a variety of reasons. But -- start with the basic premises that every kid needs to get a substantive amount of playing time in every game. If a club/coach does not want to follow that basic requirement look elsewhere. The reality is that the club/coach has the simple absolute authority NOT to take a kid at tryouts and put them on the team. Once they take a kid they have to play them. Why is playing time not equal? The primary reason is that different positions require different output of energy from the kids playing those positions. A center defender playing in a game where their team is better than the opposition and is controlling possession may have a very easy time of it on the field and never even work up a sweat. On the other hand, on a hot day against a team who is spending a lot of time in their offensive third may mean that the same player needs to come off for a break. (It is not uncommon for center defenders to be a position where a kid might play the entire game). On the other hand, a wing midfielder playing in a 4-3-3 may be sprinting up and down the field pretty regularly. A kid can end up playing half the game and be spent at the end. Substitution rules can also affect playing time. Really for that though you are talking higher levels (academy program) and college. Most youth leagues will play with unlimited substitutions. Team make up also plays a big role. This is one of those things that, as a parent, you have to start looking into as your kid plays at older and more competitive levels. An easy example is the keeper position. By about 15/16 the best keepers are spread out among the top teams. You typically will not see a team outside of an academy program with two top level keepers. If a kid gets hurt or goes away on vacation or is sick -- the team will pull a keeper from another team in the same club. Less obvious though are positions like striker. Kids should be able to play a variety of positions (what a field player plays in club likely will not be what they play in college (different team make up and needs)). Your kid needs to find a couple of positions and settle in to them. Finally -- be realistic. If your the coach thinks your kid is in the bottom 25% of the team's roster in terms of ability then look elsewhere where the coach thinks they are a better fit. Your kid will have a lot more fun playing than not playing. "His friends are on team X." So what? He will keep those friends and make some new ones too. What could be better? My son who is a junior in high school this year has been in 3 different clubs over the last 6 years. He and his friends get a kick out of knowing kids on other school and club teams. |
Anonymous
Question: who is doing the player evaluations for the Academy teams? Are these the same travel coaches--or, for instance, will coaches/evaluators from DC United be at the ID sessions? |
Anonymous
Good question. Kids don't have to 'tryout' at our club after their U-9 designation. If they made the top team at 8--they are there ad infinitum and the only ones ever looked at for special teams. Kids on the lower teams aren't even seen by the head coaches again. It would make no sense to even show up on a pre-seeded tryout field. I would go to a different club's academy ID session. |
Anonymous
I think this is just a general truth at larger clubs and in regards to DA it is certainly a good suggestion. That said, even the A team coaches know the A team kids that stand out at other clubs and these are the kids that get approached and encouraged to tryout. |
Anonymous
Yep. It's a shame and a big problem with player pools in the US. As a player that was plucked off the field of a 'lower team' by a Scout and went on to have a very distinguished soccer career, it's tragic that clubs focuses only on recruiting from A teams. It's a known fact that the best players don't always come from the top teams--especially in the younger ages. |
Anonymous
It depends on who is really running the show for each Academy, which is different for each one. For Bethesda-Olney, the Olney leadership weren't as interested in the program after the first couple of years when they donated a lot of players. Now I think they nominate a few players to join each year, but the Bethesda leadership and Academy coaches run tryouts and make the decisions. I think they sometimes consult with coaches of other clubs who have players that want to join, and they will keep an open mind if an unknown player contacts them and wants to try out. For DC United, in the past they have had a lot of turnover in the coaching ranks most years, so I'm not sure who ultimately has made the decisions. I would expect that for the U12-U14 groups, with the new association, Arlington and Loudoun will both be very involved in nominating players and evaluating kids at the talent centers to determine who should be on the young DC United Academy teams. I would guess that PWSI will be in charge of most of the decision making for the VDA academy teams, unless the other two clubs are contributing coaches for an Academy age group. For those who feel that that their talented child has been overlooked in his current club, these mergers and ID sessions offer a good opportunity for kids to get a fresh look--the Academy programs all want good players. |