DA vs ECNL vs everything else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sucks that there seems to be no interest in discussing the older age groups. Is it because there’s not as much money to be made?

Older age groups are set and done.

Or busy with things like college ID camps and next level thinking. In fact, the older the player gets, they either pick up the pace compared to the ulittles or flame out and decide to take a step back. Until maybe U19, when a player knows which one he or she is, it's never done. And even then, if they are going on to college, then there's more.

That must be a ulittle dad again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Older age groups are set and done? Andddd there’s the mindset at the core of why we didn’t make the World Cup and our domestic league can’t compete with other major leagues. Honestly, what a dumb, cynical answer.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since McLean is a big topic, I heard they had low turnout for their 2004 girls regular try-out (after ECNL try-outs were over). Did they come up with a decent team? I know a few girls left for Vienna. [/quote

How would anyone know about the team at this point? Looked like quite a few girls to me.. 30-35 maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anybody know anything about the WS - MD - 06 team. My DD went to the iD session but we can’t get much info on the roster. We heard players whom didn’t make the 06 MD United ECNL team are making the WS - MD - 06 team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCV pickups from the Mclean 04 team are not better than the kids they cut. Take that to the bank....and no, I'm not the parent or even a friend.

Political appointees

Ha! Sure you're not a bitter parent.

Actually the OP is correct. FCV is a washing machine in the way it’s just the rotates players on and off its rosters.

And I think the responding poster is correct too...this is a bitter parent talking.

Actually, I'm not. However, you defiantly took offense to it. So, who is bitter?

Don’t try to deflect now. You’re bitter and your DD likely didn’t make the FCV squad you’re referring to or was cut from
It at some point recently. Try to let it go. It will be ok.

Why am I bitter? I'm telling you the truth. I know both sets. The set let go better than the set coming in. Take it how you want it. You sound real defensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Loudoun: what is going to happen to their DA on the boy side now that DCU is moving there?

The boys DA at Loudoun will get pummeled by DCU being next door.

And you know this how? Do you have a son that plays for either DA? Are you saying they will loose talent to DCU or will be pummeled on the pitch come game day?

They will lose talent to DCU. DCU is a full DA that is a pro academy as well. Everything is designed to funnel the local talent to DCU as is. Being next door to Loudoun will decimate their talent.

As a crow flies, DCU is less than 10-15 miles from Bethesda DA now and they seem to be doing just fine. I do not think that DCU moving next door will decimate Loudoun's talent, you do not try out for DCU, they come to you if they are interested. As such, they would do that regardless of geographic location, so the fact that DCU has not plucked any players from Loudoun in the last two years I do not think that simply being next door to them is going is all the sudden going to "decimate" their talent. As for being a pro academy, I would not put that much weight in that. If we were talking the Union or Red Bulls or LA Galaxy sure, but DCU has a reputation for being the worst pro club DA and one of only a small handful that actually charge for their DA.

This isn't as a crow flies away from Loudoun. This is literally Bolen park. The programs will be divided by a fence.

My son had played Bethesda DA for many years, and our main practice field is Richard Montgomery HS, while DC mostly practices near RFK. That's around a 30 mile difference, and is definitely part of why we haven't considered DC United more seriously. I don't underestimate how far people are willing to travel for DA as we have friends who have moved from Bethesda to DC United to Baltimore Armour, but we weren't willing to have our son lose so much time to the commute.

I do think DC United has improved its DA program quite a bit over the last couple of years, as they finally have had some coaching stability and a committed Academy director. If the stability lasts, I think they will be much more of a draw for a lot of families. It would be great if the DC United owners could invest more in both the pro team and the Academy.

This is interesting to hear as we are in similar circumstance. We have heard about many and varied negative experiences from DCU Academy parents over the years, but come to think of it, the negativity has quieted in the last couple of years and apparently they have improved on the problems presented by over-sized rosters, chaotic practice schedules, etc.

I would love to hear from anyone with recent or current experience at DCU Academy in the upper ages. Also, will DCU Academy practice in Loudoun next year (Fall 2018-Spring 19)?

I'm the PP you are responding to, and I think you might need to start a new thread to have any hope of getting DCU Academy specific information. As you can see, almost all of the posts on this one are about girls' soccer. I've only ever come across a handful of other boys' DA parents on DCUM.

On the question of the Loudoun move, no confirmation yet, but I've heard guesses that it would not happen until Fall 2019.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ECNL may become second tier 05 and younger; that will depend on what the upcoming years look like. In the end, the GDA will take over the top talent, but for existing teams - 04 and up - there hasn't been consistent player movement demonstrating that ECNL is now de facto second tier.

There have been ECNL girls 04 and up offered DA and declined, as well as DA girls who could have stayed DA and left for the ECNL.

I cannot agree on the 04 age group at all. ECNL is VDA, MCLEAN, BRYC and Loudoun. GDA is WS, FCV and Arlington. In the 04 age group, FCV and Arlington are clearly stronger than all the ECNL teams right now and they are both adding strong players. WS is adding A LOT of players and we will have to see what happens there. But all 4 ECNL teams have net losses at the top of the starting lineups. I just don't see how in the 04 age group the ECNL is at par with GDA in this area. 03 and older is a different story but I suspect GDA will continue to strengthen while ECNL weakens. And don't forget we now have a third national footprint option - EDP's move to USYS. This affects ECNL more than GDA.

FCV is by far the strongest at the 04 age group in VA, and adding two of the stronger McLean 04 ECNL players is only going to make them stronger. Aside from that, I think the jury is out on the rest of the GDA/ECNL teams in VA. ARL 04 Red is strong, and presumably that will make up the lion share of their U15 GDA team in the fall, although rumor has it that several of the players on the current 04 team were not offered spots on GDA and as a result several that were are opting to stay with their Red team mates. They are loosing a GK to Loudoun, so not sure where their strong additions are coming from? WS has lost 4 players that had DA offers but opted for various ECNL clubs in VA, so they will need to more than make up for those loses, not sure adding an 07, various 05s and NPL players from FCV are going to make them that much stronger, but again time will tell. As for the ECNL clubs, McLean will definitely suffer from their two loses, BRYC lost one that I know of to WS and Loudoun has picked up 3 WS players along with 4 FCV (I know what everyone will say - they were cut from FCV, but if we all agree that FCV is by far the strongest then even their cast offs are better than some at WS, BRYC and McLean).

There were also WS 04s who had offers from ECNL teams and chose to stay. Seems like everyone’s mileage may vary depending on what the DD is enjoying or not enjoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please keep up.

Player transfer from Loudoun to FCV happens at the older ages. Stop with the 07 stuff. I know Loudoun 07 dad likes beating his chest on here...but it's little kid soccer.

Loudoun 04 and 05 were destroyed by the loss of talent. Get a grip. The truth is in front of you but your blind club loyalty won't allow you to comprehend.

I hope the club is as loyal to you as you are to it. Time will tell. Tick tick.

I believe what Loudoun Dad is saying is that the current mindset is that ECNL will offer enough of a carrot to retain most of their players going forward.

But, lets also not act as though Loudoun was the only place where FCV brought kids in from. Over the years kids have come from BRYC, McLean, SYA and other places. The difference now is there are several DAs as well as ECNL clubs that are competing with FCV for talent. Loudoun having ECNL will result in player retention. The scale of that retention is anyone's guess, but if Loudoun dad is to be believed it may be significantly higher with the 07 and possibly 08 age groups going forward. These are vulnerable age groups for FCV currently.

And, if Loudoun Dad is to be believed when he says that 104 kids went to Loudoun tryouts then clearly Loudoun + ECNL = Trouble for FCV. Folks will look up Gotsoccer rankings for the 07 and 08 teams between the clubs and most parents will gravitate towards the winner.

Loudoun Soccer will keep most of the talent because of ECNL. FCV will struggle as you alluded to above with more DA's and ECNL teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because FCV promises things like college scholarships and impressionable players and parents jump at the prospect.

BS alert. We were at FCV for many years and I never heard promises of scholarships at any level.

Why Loudoun players leave for FCV is a good question though because it gets to the heart of why there is player movement between any set of clubs. I think there are three reasons why players move. Level of play, record, and training environment. FCV's GDA entry virtually guarantees the best available level of competitive opponents, and by virtue of their previous ECNL history and player pool, and fortunate geographic circumstances they have been able to maintain, and in some cases improve the level of play within the club. Secondly, because of this, they have an pretty impressive record in their division, and we will see how that translates at the national level shortly. The competitive aspect draws in the parents more than the kids I think, but since they pay the bills, this contributes to movement. Finally, they do have a great head coach in Puppione, and a supporting cast. From the outside, unless you really do your research, it is hard to see anything but the first two factors, level of play and record. It is the training environment and relationship issues that only become evident after you get involved for a while.

IMO, FCV suffers most from poor parent relationships, a lack of integrity, and a fairly high level of arrogance (staff, players, and parents all). This forum is littered with examples). Their coaching depth is not great, and is subject to a revolving door, but this is common among many clubs. There are also fundamental issues with field access. Additionally, there is some backlash due to the fact that their talent level is relatively high, so lots of promising players get turned away, or relegated to the NPL level (or now EDP for some ages). They cater pretty well if you are on the starting 11, but their interest in players drops off pretty quickly beyond that. Lots of folks leave the club and bash the club here due to this.

I agree with most of this post except when you say their talent level is relatively high. I think this varies greatly by age. At the older ages yes, they have a couple of National level talent. The younger teams are not nearly as talented. They traditionally relied on recruiting from Loudoun because they were the only ECNL program in the area. Terry Foley had a good reputation and was well connected. Until now, that story was more or less the same because they were the only option at the highest level in the immediate area. If you have a strong player at Loudoun for example, what are going to do? Go to ECNL. For 2017-18 - same deal because Loudoun had nothing past U12. WS just getting started, so top DA program was FCV.

For 2018-19 - everything changes. Loudoun now has ECNL. I am Loudoun 07 parent and it's a huge factor in the club. You do not have to believe me, I do not care - because I know the deal. I talk to the parents everyday on the top teams.

Now WS has hired some great coaches and they are a factor for the future. They are getting better. They have NWSL benefits that FCV cannot offer.

Now FCV must stand on their reputation and how they treat players and parents. Not a strong suit when you have a fairly high level of arrogance.

PP here, you are correct, I was referring to the older ages 03 and above. I have very little insight to the early DA and pre-DA age groups. I am curious to hear how the Loudoun families regard the ECNL option there, since it will affect the ability of FCV to draw those top players away. It sounds like the 05 situation had some other factors, but I will be interested to hear about the 06 group. Do Loudoun familes at 06 and 07 believe they have a top quality coaching program to rival what they might see at FCV or WS GDA programs?

PP Loudoun 07 parent here. Yes. No question coaching at Loudoun is top quality. Starting at the top with TD Mark Ryan - Youth Soccer National Coach of the Year in 2015. From him down, it's top quality coaching.

I will say something which is has not been discussed. Coaches seem to love working at Loudoun. Why wouldn't they? The facilities are incredible, the program is super well organized and the organization supports them. They reward coaches by giving them higher teams and more responsibility over time if a coach does well. As club policy they do not allow parents to coach from the sideline and act like asses. It is just not tolerated. So they quickly fill coaching vacancies and can choose the best.

If you play at Loudoun your DD will get time with many quality coaches on a weekly basis and play on great fields both turf and grass. I feel like development has been great. Are there downsides to a big program, sure but they are minor compared to the benefits IMHO.

Loudoun > FCV

[Anonymous]

Come one. Come all.

Parents over there with the Loudoun 07 dad. He's here to school us on the ways of elite soccer.

Kids over there with the 07 WS player. She's here to school the kids on technique.

The rest of you, off to FCV to get cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCV pickups from the Mclean 04 team are not better than the kids they cut. Take that to the bank....and no, I'm not the parent or even a friend.

Political appointees

Ha! Sure you're not a bitter parent.

Actually the OP is correct. FCV is a washing machine in the way it’s just the rotates players on and off its rosters.

And I think the responding poster is correct too...this is a bitter parent talking.

Actually, I'm not. However, you defiantly took offense to it. So, who is bitter?

Don’t try to deflect now. You’re bitter and your DD likely didn’t make the FCV squad you’re referring to or was cut from
It at some point recently. Try to let it go. It will be ok.

Why am I bitter? I'm telling you the truth. I know both sets. The set let go better than the set coming in. Take it how you want it. You sound real defensive.

I wasn't 'the original responder. I don't care where anyone else's child plays. I am comfortable with my family's decisions. I don't worry about other people's kids. Try it sometime. Less stressful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Come one. Come all.

Parents over there with the Loudoun 07 dad. He's here to school us on the ways of elite soccer.

Kids over there with the 07 WS player. She's here to school the kids on technique.

The rest of you, off to FCV to get cut.

From my vantage FCV is not cutting anyone.

If you are 07 you have a spot at FCV. Almost anyone can make the player pool. Heck the Elite team will take you if you on the top 2 teams anywhere.

If you are 08 they need you so they have a bench at least. No backups for 7v7 games currently.

If you are 09, sorry FCV does not have an 09 team like other programs. Loudoun has 80 girls at 09 and FCV has zero. What does that tell you?

[Anonymous]

FCV has always had a U9 and U10 team until this year. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come one. Come all.

Parents over there with the Loudoun 07 dad. He's here to school us on the ways of elite soccer.

Kids over there with the 07 WS player. She's here to school the kids on technique.

The rest of you, off to FCV to get cut.

From my vantage FCV is not cutting anyone.

If you are 07 you have a spot at FCV. Almost anyone can make the player pool. Heck the Elite team will take you if you on the top 2 teams anywhere.

If you are 08 they need you so they have a bench at least. No backups for 7v7 games currently.

If you are 09, sorry FCV does not have an 09 team like other programs. Loudoun has 80 girls at 09 and FCV has zero. What does that tell you?

That little kid soccer sucks and no one cares about it but the parents...?,... I dunno. What?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come one. Come all.

Parents over there with the Loudoun 07 dad. He's here to school us on the ways of elite soccer.

Kids over there with the 07 WS player. She's here to school the kids on technique.

The rest of you, off to FCV to get cut.

From my vantage FCV is not cutting anyone.

If you are 07 you have a spot at FCV. Almost anyone can make the player pool. Heck the Elite team will take you if you on the top 2 teams anywhere.

If you are 08 they need you so they have a bench at least. No backups for 7v7 games currently.

If you are 09, sorry FCV does not have an 09 team like other programs. Loudoun has 80 girls at 09 and FCV has zero. What does that tell you?

That little kid soccer sucks and no one cares about it but the parents...?,... I dunno. What?

I see. Your kid started playing soccer at U13 and made DA at U14.

Or your kid’s club did not develop her. They recruited her. Which is it?

Either way your club sucks.