Will MU make it past this spring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

And MU is just filled with so many rarities? I don't know whether such comments make me want to laugh or cry. Rarities are like the 05 on the 04 team at FCV. Rarities are like the 04 on the Baltimore Armour team. That 04 on the 03 Baltimore Armour team is the top scorer. And that team in and of itself isn't that strong. One of their FT players was EDP for Spirit VA last year. Even on a weak team, she is amazing. I absolutely believe rarities exist, but they are obvious when they are seen.
. They are the best players on the field. They are game changers. And they are rare. Yet somehow MU has so many more gems than anyone else? It must, given how many more MU has. I wish MU had those players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

We had friends with a player at WS, so DD looked at MU last spring. Went to two ID sessions and then moved on because the 07 ID session seemed to have very few players that were actually 07s. A lot of GRF 08s who weren't even really trying out from what we could tell, and not very many players overall. Hopefully for the club it will be better this year. We must have been right, though, because there is no 07 team (how are they even allowed to do that, BTW?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

We had friends with a player at WS, so DD looked at MU last spring. Went to two ID sessions and then moved on because the 07 ID session seemed to have very few players that were actually 07s. A lot of GRF 08s who weren't even really trying out from what we could tell, and not very many players overall. Hopefully for the club it will be better this year. We must have been right, though, because there is no 07 team (how are they even allowed to do that, BTW?)

U13 is a pilot, non-mandatory age group. So next year they will have to the an 07 team, as that's U14. They won't have to have an 08/U13 team, though I think they will. Whether or not that will be an 08 actual 08 team of 08s remains to be seen, but from what I know, they have been working all year on that goal. I am also hopeful this spring will prove that they have crossed over that hump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

We had friends with a player at WS, so DD looked at MU last spring. Went to two ID sessions and then moved on because the 07 ID session seemed to have very few players that were actually 07s. A lot of GRF 08s who weren't even really trying out from what we could tell, and not very many players overall. Hopefully for the club it will be better this year. We must have been right, though, because there is no 07 team (how are they even allowed to do that, BTW?)

Because U13, current 07 is a pilot age group

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

Yes there’s a few. You know you just don’t want to believe it. Get in touch with reality. Total jerk- don’t know why I’m even responding to your BS
There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

And MU is just filled with so many rarities? I don't know whether such comments make me want to laugh or cry. Rarities are like the 05 on the 04 team at FCV. Rarities are like the 04 on the Baltimore Armour team. That 04 on the 03 Baltimore Armour team is the top scorer. And that team in and of itself isn't that strong. One of their FT players was EDP for Spirit VA last year. Even on a weak team, she is amazing. I absolutely believe rarities exist, but they are obvious when they are seen.
. They are the best players on the field. They are game changers. And they are rare. Yet somehow MU has so many more gems than anyone else? It must, given how many more MU has. I wish MU had those players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

And MU is just filled with so many rarities? I don't know whether such comments make me want to laugh or cry. Rarities are like the 05 on the 04 team at FCV. Rarities are like the 04 on the Baltimore Armour team. That 04 on the 03 Baltimore Armour team is the top scorer. And that team in and of itself isn't that strong. One of their FT players was EDP for Spirit VA last year. Even on a weak team, she is amazing. I absolutely believe rarities exist, but they are obvious when they are seen.
. They are the best players on the field. They are game changers. And they are rare. Yet somehow MU has so many more gems than anyone else? It must, given how many more MU has. I wish MU had those players.

MU does have exceptions you just fail to see it or don’t want to believe it. Wait some years out and you will be putting your foot in your mouth ! Your are a huge trouble maker- I don’t know why I’m even responding to your idiotic BS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

And MU is just filled with so many rarities? I don't know whether such comments make me want to laugh or cry. Rarities are like the 05 on the 04 team at FCV. Rarities are like the 04 on the Baltimore Armour team. That 04 on the 03 Baltimore Armour team is the top scorer. And that team in and of itself isn't that strong. One of their FT players was EDP for Spirit VA last year. Even on a weak team, she is amazing. I absolutely believe rarities exist, but they are obvious when they are seen.
. They are the best players on the field. They are game changers. And they are rare. Yet somehow MU has so many more gems than anyone else? It must, given how many more MU has. I wish MU had those players.

MU does have exceptions you just fail to see it or don’t want to believe it. Wait some years out and you will be putting your foot in your mouth ! Your are a huge trouble maker- I don’t know why I’m even responding to your idiotic BS

Name calling is very childish, so I don't know why you responded either. There was no substance to it. I know so many people who either left or don't take MU seriously because of this type nonsense. Keep campaigning though until MU is run in the ground by it. That's the direction it is headed in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of a DD 08 who will be looking at the various ECNL and DA teams come spring. I would only be interested in MU if the strong 08's were playing in the 08 age group. I would be very upset if I found out after we made the commitment to MU that the strongest 08's were "playing up" and the 08 team was filled with 09's who were playing up as well. It is because of this uncertainty which is why we would be wary of joining a MU team next year and will likely look at FCV or BRYC instead.

That is a valid concern, and that's been a chief complaint with this happening so chronically. It has also contributed during the Spirit days and bled into the MU club.
It has without question affected MU's success unfortunately.

I do think MU has made efforts to improve this, but it hasn't been fully successful. It's a hard culture change because Spirit became the "play up" place. I would still go to some of the training sessions so you can assess the turn out and have a chance to talk to the coaches directly. In conversations I had with them, they acknowledged the problems it was creating and sounded like they wanted to change it.

There are also rare exceptions on the coach’s evaluation of talent. If they play-up is very talented,impactful/beneficial for the team then it is what it is. Don’t go crying g because this talented younger kid is on your kids team. I do agree some should be at that level.

And MU is just filled with so many rarities? I don't know whether such comments make me want to laugh or cry. Rarities are like the 05 on the 04 team at FCV. Rarities are like the 04 on the Baltimore Armour team. That 04 on the 03 Baltimore Armour team is the top scorer. And that team in and of itself isn't that strong. One of their FT players was EDP for Spirit VA last year. Even on a weak team, she is amazing. I absolutely believe rarities exist, but they are obvious when they are seen.
. They are the best players on the field. They are game changers. And they are rare. Yet somehow MU has so many more gems than anyone else? It must, given how many more MU has. I wish MU had those players.

MU does have exceptions you just fail to see it or don’t want to believe it. Wait some years out and you will be putting your foot in your mouth ! Your are a huge trouble maker- I don’t know why I’m even responding to your idiotic BS

Name calling is very childish, so I don't know why you responded either. There was no substance to it. I know so many people who either left or don't take MU seriously because of this type nonsense. Keep campaigning though until MU is run in the ground by it. That's the direction it is headed in.

Where’s the name calling?

[Anonymous]

All this play up talk is odd. All of the older MU teams have one or less play ups per team. That is very normal for DA.

I suspect next year the 06 team will have 1 play up at most. The club seems dedicated to playing players at age except in rare cases. The one that play at age will have at least 1 year of DA 06 experience. That will help those teams.

Numbers won’t be as much of an issue next year for younger teams. The 3 partner clubs provide more of the youth feeder program the club missed having last year. There is more outside interest as well.

It’s a good program. The older teams are competitive and getting better. Even the 06 team is improving. Hope everyone finds the right club for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Showcase results not pretty. Records not pretty across all age groups -- a few bright spots here and there but nothing to write home about. Will US Soccer pull the plug, or will the remaining players who have a chance of playing elsewhere start showing up elsewhere?

What US Soccer will likely look for is improvement compared to last year and also what MU has done to improve that may not be quantifiable. It does have some work to do, but I wouldn't say it's completely without bright spots.

And yet Arlington comes in and is performing fairly well -- how long do you get a pass for "improvement"?

Arlington was an established club for years and years. MU has had to pick up the mess that Spirit created and left behind and clean it up.

There wasn’t any room for a DA in the GF & Reston area, the mess was to try do sneak one in. WS like other clubs should have started their DA in their own back yard, oh wait, can’t do that Bethesda is there, OK let’s build one in VA and Baltimore, that should be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Showcase results not pretty. Records not pretty across all age groups -- a few bright spots here and there but nothing to write home about. Will US Soccer pull the plug, or will the remaining players who have a chance of playing elsewhere start showing up elsewhere?

What US Soccer will likely look for is improvement compared to last year and also what MU has done to improve that may not be quantifiable. It does have some work to do, but I wouldn't say it's completely without bright spots.

And yet Arlington comes in and is performing fairly well -- how long do you get a pass for "improvement"?

Arlington was an established club for years and years. MU has had to pick up the mess that Spirit created and left behind and clean it up.

There wasn’t any room for a DA in the GF & Reston area, the mess was to try do sneak one in. WS like other clubs should have started their DA in their own back yard, oh wait, can’t do that Bethesda is there, OK let’s build one in VA and Baltimore, that should be fine.

If you live in Bethesda, Metro is probably the closest DA program. Looking at rosters it looks like they pull plenty from the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Showcase results not pretty. Records not pretty across all age groups -- a few bright spots here and there but nothing to write home about. Will US Soccer pull the plug, or will the remaining players who have a chance of playing elsewhere start showing up elsewhere?

What US Soccer will likely look for is improvement compared to last year and also what MU has done to improve that may not be quantifiable. It does have some work to do, but I wouldn't say it's completely without bright spots.

And yet Arlington comes in and is performing fairly well -- how long do you get a pass for "improvement"?

Arlington was an established club for years and years. MU has had to pick up the mess that Spirit created and left behind and clean it up.

There wasn’t any room for a DA in the GF & Reston area, the mess was to try do sneak one in. WS like other clubs should have started their DA in their own back yard, oh wait, can’t do that Bethesda is there, OK let’s build one in VA and Baltimore, that should be fine.

No one can say Spirit was doing it right, which is a shame. Other NWSL DA academies are, so it's just another sign of what a joke Spirit is.

However, players will travel once when they are committed enough to reach for the top level. There are so many examples, so MU doesn't have to stick to the player pool of GF and Reston. MU will be a destination for players looking for the top training environment, and a lot of players really don't care about high school soccer. They'd rather stay with their club teams.

And the DA is the top of the pyramid. A 10 month training program is better for players, and it is the only primary recruitment place of YNTs. That will draw the better players. Many of us saw that whole process unfold with the boys' DA. The CCL was formed to fight it, and it wasn't a good league in the beginning, but with the boys' DA, over time, everything changed. That is inevitable on the girls' side too. The ECNL teams will eventually become DA feeders. MU has former BRYC and McLean players, and the drive hasn't been an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Showcase results not pretty. Records not pretty across all age groups -- a few bright spots here and there but nothing to write home about. Will US Soccer pull the plug, or will the remaining players who have a chance of playing elsewhere start showing up elsewhere?

What US Soccer will likely look for is improvement compared to last year and also what MU has done to improve that may not be quantifiable. It does have some work to do, but I wouldn't say it's completely without bright spots.

And yet Arlington comes in and is performing fairly well -- how long do you get a pass for "improvement"?

Arlington was an established club for years and years. MU has had to pick up the mess that Spirit created and left behind and clean it up.

There wasn’t any room for a DA in the GF & Reston area, the mess was to try do sneak one in. WS like other clubs should have started their DA in their own back yard, oh wait, can’t do that Bethesda is there, OK let’s build one in VA and Baltimore, that should be fine.

No one can say Spirit was doing it right, which is a shame. Other NWSL DA academies are, so it's just another sign of what a joke Spirit is.

However, players will travel once when they are committed enough to reach for the top level. There are so many examples, so MU doesn't have to stick to the player pool of GF and Reston. MU will be a destination for players looking for the top training environment, and a lot of players really don't care about high school soccer. They'd rather stay with their club teams.

And the DA is the top of the pyramid. A 10 month training program is better for players, and it is the only primary recruitment place of YNTs. That will draw the better players. Many of us saw that whole process unfold with the boys' DA. The CCL was formed to fight it, and it wasn't a good league in the beginning, but with the boys' DA, over time, everything changed. That is inevitable on the girls' side too. The ECNL teams will eventually become DA feeders. MU has former BRYC and McLean players, and the drive hasn't been an issue.

Spirit is doing right now by focusing on the pro game. This past week they gathered top youth players from MU, FCV, Arlington and other programs to give them a pro level training experience. This allows them to invest in the top of the pyramid without catering to one DA club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Showcase results not pretty. Records not pretty across all age groups -- a few bright spots here and there but nothing to write home about. Will US Soccer pull the plug, or will the remaining players who have a chance of playing elsewhere start showing up elsewhere?

What US Soccer will likely look for is improvement compared to last year and also what MU has done to improve that may not be quantifiable. It does have some work to do, but I wouldn't say it's completely without bright spots.

And yet Arlington comes in and is performing fairly well -- how long do you get a pass for "improvement"?

Arlington was an established club for years and years. MU has had to pick up the mess that Spirit created and left behind and clean it up.

There wasn’t any room for a DA in the GF & Reston area, the mess was to try do sneak one in. WS like other clubs should have started their DA in their own back yard, oh wait, can’t do that Bethesda is there, OK let’s build one in VA and Baltimore, that should be fine.

No one can say Spirit was doing it right, which is a shame. Other NWSL DA academies are, so it's just another sign of what a joke Spirit is.

However, players will travel once when they are committed enough to reach for the top level. There are so many examples, so MU doesn't have to stick to the player pool of GF and Reston. MU will be a destination for players looking for the top training environment, and a lot of players really don't care about high school soccer. They'd rather stay with their club teams.

And the DA is the top of the pyramid. A 10 month training program is better for players, and it is the only primary recruitment place of YNTs. That will draw the better players. Many of us saw that whole process unfold with the boys' DA. The CCL was formed to fight it, and it wasn't a good league in the beginning, but with the boys' DA, over time, everything changed. That is inevitable on the girls' side too. The ECNL teams will eventually become DA feeders. MU has former BRYC and McLean players, and the drive hasn't been an issue.

Spirit is doing right now by focusing on the pro game. This past week they gathered top youth players from MU, FCV, Arlington and other programs to give them a pro level training experience. This allows them to invest in the top of the pyramid without catering to one DA club.

Meh, that is just a PR measure. It doesn't mean anything, and a random one off training event doesn't do much of anything for the players either.