Lost in US Soccer - can you advise?

[Anonymous]

Sorry! They are called the foxes. You need to be a part of their language school on Saturday mornings.

https://german-foxes.org/

[Anonymous]

People seem to have missed the part where OP said was not interested in travel.

The idea that any avid soccer player from Europe would just dominate is ludicrous. I had a kid from Europe. Was OK, above average for a rec team, and that's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have just moved to the DC area from Europe, and have an avid 9 year old soccer player at home. I would like to enroll him into soccer practice, but browsing the different options has gotten me completely confused. Can you help me find a club where:
- he can practice twice a week
- he can both improve his skills and play games, while having fun (we are not interested in competitive/travel programs)
- we don't need to commute too far from our neighborhood (NIH/Suburban hospital)
- enrolments are still open for individual players

Thanks a lot!!

You live near me in Bethesda! We are with BSC (Bethesda soccer club) and the practices are convenient for us. The cost can range from $2400-2900 for the year. There are SIX teams for that U10 age group ranging from awesome to okay (rec level).

https://www.bethesdasoccer.org/

If you are not interested in that level or cost, check out MSI Classic which is a medium league for MSI between recreation and travel. It is very well run, one of the largest groups in Montgomery county and affordable. There are professional coached which are a little money than parent coached which is around $200 per semester. Below is the link to U10 boys and I'm sure one of the coaches will need more players even though I think official tryouts may be over- they are always looking to add someone. I would email them all but ask where they practice- most say bethesda and potomac . Rockville can be very close as upper georgetown rd is considered rockville. The ones that say Gaithersburg or north potomoc will likely be too far from you.

https://www.msisoccer.org/Default.aspx?tabid=505429

OP. This post. The second part. MSI Classic. You said rec, so this is your choice. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Strongly encourage you to take a look at MSI academy. It is two levels above recreational, and one level above select. Will play in "local" travel leagues but less globo-gym feel than BSC for example. Practice 2-3x/wk on good fields with professional coaches. Contact Manny Woldamanuel at Top Rank Soccer for details and to arrange a tryout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strongly encourage you to take a look at MSI academy. It is two levels above recreational, and one level above select. Will play in "local" travel leagues but less globo-gym feel than BSC for example. Practice 2-3x/wk on good fields with professional coaches. Contact Manny Woldamanuel at Top Rank Soccer for details and to arrange a tryout.

Sorry - meant "It is two levels above recreational, and one level above classic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strongly encourage you to take a look at MSI academy. It is two levels above recreational, and one level above select. Will play in "local" travel leagues but less globo-gym feel than BSC for example. Practice 2-3x/wk on good fields with professional coaches. Contact Manny Woldamanuel at Top Rank Soccer for details and to arrange a tryout.

If all of your games are in MoCo. Thats not travel soccer. Its label that to make parents and kids feel like the are getting the travel experience.This is another way to create a fantasy for lower level kids. This tells them your playing travel soccer. When in reality its just a juiced up Rec league.

[Anonymous]

OP, what’s your hesitation about travel soccer? Cost or Travel Distance?

If it’s Travel Distance, there are teams that plays in the NCSL league that has away games they are typically only 30 minutes driving distance with maybe 1-2 away games that are 45 minutes away but half of your games are at home. MSI Academy, as the PP suggested, might be a good option. MSI Classic is a hit or miss based upon the quality of coach and players. (The same can be said about travel too but the likelihood of a bad coach is lower.)

[Anonymous]

Thanks much everyone, this has been very useful!! Lots of ideas and also helped me better understand how it works here. Certainly different from where we come from
Again, huge thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry! They are called the foxes. You need to be a part of their language school on Saturday mornings.

https://german-foxes.org/

What a great idea! Wow, all sorts of language schools should do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strongly encourage you to take a look at MSI academy. It is two levels above recreational, and one level above select. Will play in "local" travel leagues but less globo-gym feel than BSC for example. Practice 2-3x/wk on good fields with professional coaches. Contact Manny Woldamanuel at Top Rank Soccer for details and to arrange a tryout.

MSI Academy is a TRAVEL league. OP did not want travel

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People seem to have missed the part where OP said was not interested in travel.

The idea that any avid soccer player from Europe would just dominate is ludicrous. I had a kid from Europe. Was OK, above average for a rec team, and that's all.

Think it depends on what the OP meant by "avid soccer player". My DS came here from Europe at age 9. In Europe he was a good player - but not in any sense outstanding. He was probably the best in his year at school, but it was a small village school. He played on the team at the next village over (slightly larger village) and was definitely one of the better players, but by no means clearly the best.

We came here and played half a season of rec - and "dominant" does not come close to describing the situation. He joined a team which had not won a single game the previous season and they won every single game often by double digit goals. DS was usually told to stop scoring after about fifteen minutes. In several cases opposing parents complained loudly from the sideline that it wasn't fair, and that my DS shouldn't be playing rec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strongly encourage you to take a look at MSI academy. It is two levels above recreational, and one level above select. Will play in "local" travel leagues but less globo-gym feel than BSC for example. Practice 2-3x/wk on good fields with professional coaches. Contact Manny Woldamanuel at Top Rank Soccer for details and to arrange a tryout.

MSI Academy is a TRAVEL league. OP did not want travel

It's "travel" without some the negative connotations that go with travel soccer businesses in this area (too many kids/teams per club, perception:reality mismatches, badly behaved coaches who desperately want to win but don't know the game, parents often with their own baggage).

We are what many travel parents would describe as downgrading from a top team in a well known travel program to MSI academy because we want high quality coaching on good quality local fields - with local games a level higher than MSI classic. I also want him to have fun and enjoy the sport for rest of his life - not be burnt out by 14 like so many are here because they are done with coaches foaming at mouth and screaming at whole team from sidelines because their business depends on a 9 year old scoring a goal...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strongly encourage you to take a look at MSI academy. It is two levels above recreational, and one level above select. Will play in "local" travel leagues but less globo-gym feel than BSC for example. Practice 2-3x/wk on good fields with professional coaches. Contact Manny Woldamanuel at Top Rank Soccer for details and to arrange a tryout.

MSI Academy is a TRAVEL league. OP did not want travel

It's "travel" without some the negative connotations that go with travel soccer businesses in this area (too many kids/teams per club, perception:reality mismatches, badly behaved coaches who desperately want to win but don't know the game, parents often with their own baggage).

We are what many travel parents would describe as downgrading from a top team in a well known travel program to MSI academy because we want high quality coaching on good quality local fields - with local games a level higher than MSI classic. I also want him to have fun and enjoy the sport for rest of his life - not be burnt out by 14 like so many are here because they are done with coaches foaming at mouth and screaming at whole team from sidelines because their business depends on a 9 year old scoring a goal...

In my experience foaming and screaming occurs at all levels in approximately equal amounts. There are plenty of top teams with sane coaches and plenty of weaker teams with insane coaches. And there are nutjob dads who coach rec teams too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have just moved to the DC area from Europe, and have an avid 9 year old soccer player at home. I would like to enroll him into soccer practice, but browsing the different options has gotten me completely confused. Can you help me find a club where:
- he can practice twice a week
- he can both improve his skills and play games, while having fun (we are not interested in competitive/travel programs)
- we don't need to commute too far from our neighborhood (NIH/Suburban hospital)
- enrolments are still open for individual players

Thanks a lot!!

I am a coach in the area, a former player in the area and work with a lot of the players in the area with ball skills, strength, and conditioning. I would recommend to you that you look into Lions Soccer or Bethesda soccer. If you really want your child to develop I would go to Lions soccer and work with Emile. He is a former professional and played in 2 world cups with Cameroon. He will have a lot of fun with that club.

[Anonymous]

Lions Soccer? LOL