High School Soccer is the new teen recreational soccer.

[Anonymous]

MIAA A conference boys usually has the T5, if not the number 1 boy’s team in the country. Nearly every player, including bench players, play club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High school soccer is a joke in this area. My kids play travel. One's in middle school and the other's in high school. We've seen high school soccer players and they're overweight, out of shape, and not very skilled. Now, check out the rosters for the top travel clubs for ages 14+. All the kids are in shape, fit, and have solid footwork skills.

You have to be very careful with the elite travel soccer attitude and how it effects your kid socially. High school soccer experience can be great for a kid despite the level. I've seen plenty of these over trained, obsessed parents and players rag on high school and skip the experience. Many of them never play in college anyway. They all want to go to a top school in the ACC, rarely does it work out. There are two sides to every story, so don't immediately discount it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

[Anonymous]

How can anyone realistically compare travel club soccer which practices for 4 nights a week for 10/12 months with some random group of of high school kids that practice maybe 20 times all season and play 10 games over a two month period. It’s apples and oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

Very true, especially on boys side but have seen this on the girls side too. I think MCPS says you can’t play senior year if you are 19 or something like that, so more limited going forward.

DS played with a kid who was 20 as a senior and ended up playing in college (so I guess it all worked out for him). Weird socially though.

[Anonymous]

I guess this is why all the Clubs have 19U teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Let’s not forget the parents role in this. They will lawnmower/helicopter their way onto varsity as a freshman or sophomore no matter what it takes, or what anyone tells them about potential injuries.

HS soccer is a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

Very true, especially on boys side but have seen this on the girls side too. I think MCPS says you can’t play senior year if you are 19 or something like that, so more limited going forward.

DS played with a kid who was 20 as a senior and ended up playing in college (so I guess it all worked out for him). Weird socially though.

20yr old senior in high school.

Cheating to the extreme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

Very true, especially on boys side but have seen this on the girls side too. I think MCPS says you can’t play senior year if you are 19 or something like that, so more limited going forward.

DS played with a kid who was 20 as a senior and ended up playing in college (so I guess it all worked out for him). Weird socially though.

20yr old senior in high school.

Cheating to the extreme.

Started kindergarten a year late, went to private school and it didn’t work out, so did 9th grade again at the public. I don’t think you can do that anymore in MCPS but happens literally all the time in private school. Don’t know about Virginia.

[Anonymous]

I thought MLS next couldn't play in high school soccer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

Very true, especially on boys side but have seen this on the girls side too. I think MCPS says you can’t play senior year if you are 19 or something like that, so more limited going forward.

DS played with a kid who was 20 as a senior and ended up playing in college (so I guess it all worked out for him). Weird socially though.

20yr old senior in high school.

Cheating to the extreme.

Started kindergarten a year late, went to private school and it didn’t work out, so did 9th grade again at the public. I don’t think you can do that anymore in MCPS but happens literally all the time in private school. Don’t know about Virginia.

So in theory a 20yr old HS Senior could be playing on the same Varsity team as a 14 year old Freshman?

Or more likely a Private School 20yr old HS Varsity player will be playing against 14yr old Varsity HS players on a different teams.

Such ridiculous and outright cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

Very true, especially on boys side but have seen this on the girls side too. I think MCPS says you can’t play senior year if you are 19 or something like that, so more limited going forward.

DS played with a kid who was 20 as a senior and ended up playing in college (so I guess it all worked out for him). Weird socially though.

20yr old senior in high school.

Cheating to the extreme.

Started kindergarten a year late, went to private school and it didn’t work out, so did 9th grade again at the public. I don’t think you can do that anymore in MCPS but happens literally all the time in private school. Don’t know about Virginia.

So in theory a 20yr old HS Senior could be playing on the same Varsity team as a 14 year old Freshman?

Or more likely a Private School 20yr old HS Varsity player will be playing against 14yr old Varsity HS players on a different teams.

Such ridiculous and outright cheating.

This shouldn’t be news to anyone. Take a look at football, lacrosse and baseball rosters too.

[Anonymous]

The lesson here is don't take it seriously and weigh if the risk, for your kid, is worth the reward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more I look at how high schools handle their programs, the more I feel like I’m seeing recreational soccer for teens.

What are you looking at?

I saw last night a game between Whitman and Churchill where every single player out there was playing high club soccer. MLS Next, ECNL, E64, EDP regular.

They all moved the ball around, they all had technical skills.

The entire rosters in both teams were almost all seniors and juniors.

The JVs are stacked too. If you see a varsity team with only one or no freshmen and maybe one or two sophomores - and all of those are MLS Next or ECNL (not ECNL-RL!), then you know you are facing a great team.

If varsity has like 5+ underclassman playing regular travel (Bethesda C or Potomac B or lower), they are just trying to build for next year or the year after that (or just don’t know what they are doing)

No team is winning a state championship with underclassmen. You need size, strength, and speed of seniors to win. Seen too many freshmen and sophomores getting career ending injuries playing on varsity. It’s just rough sometimes and they don’t have the size or stength.

It's way more than size.

You are clueless

Nope. Too many torn ACLs and concussions and broken bones among underclassman. They are not ready, like it or not. Strength matters in varsity. Very rough. (Unless you are watching different games then me.)

Its not about being able to "take it" this isnt rugby.

High level soccer requires skills that HS players don't have. Because they don't have the skills games turn into thunderdomes where players without skill try to injure the other teams.

And this is why club coaches don't want their players playing HS soccer.

Happens all the time, sadly, mostly to underclassman because they just get flung around. It seems like more actual broken bones for freshman or sophomores on the boys side, while the younger girls get the ACL tears or concussions, just because some kid on the other team is playing too rough or outweighs them by like 40-50 pounds. Scary.

It's not just that.

In HS soccer parents can hold their kid back in school which allows them to play with kids their grade in school who might be 1-2 years younger.

Private schools actually encourage parents to hold their kids back on school for wins.

HS soccer is like SY with no Aug 1st age cutoff.

Very true, especially on boys side but have seen this on the girls side too. I think MCPS says you can’t play senior year if you are 19 or something like that, so more limited going forward.

DS played with a kid who was 20 as a senior and ended up playing in college (so I guess it all worked out for him). Weird socially though.

20yr old senior in high school.

Cheating to the extreme.

Started kindergarten a year late, went to private school and it didn’t work out, so did 9th grade again at the public. I don’t think you can do that anymore in MCPS but happens literally all the time in private school. Don’t know about Virginia.

So in theory a 20yr old HS Senior could be playing on the same Varsity team as a 14 year old Freshman?

Or more likely a Private School 20yr old HS Varsity player will be playing against 14yr old Varsity HS players on a different teams.

Such ridiculous and outright cheating.

This is like .001% stuff. It's not happening regularly (if at all) or should be used for for any real argument.