Valor

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for the boys side, but the lowest teams on the girls side are usually painfully weak. Rec level or worse b/c rec teams usually have at least a few talented athletes. So Valor gives them terrible coaches. If they get someone halfway decent, its a Valor miracle.

Maybe it's the players and not the coaches. Chicken salad made from chicken crap is still made of crap.

Yeah, but I'm talking really basic coaching expectations, like showing up on time, or showing up at all, not being crazy, etc.

Valor should seriously look at cutting the 3rd team program all together. Bad coaches, bad players... nothing more than a fundraiser

Their 3rd-5th teams are their moneymakers. They play in cheaper leagues, cheaper and fewer tournaments, have cheaper inexperienced coaches, but everyone pays the same fees. Basically their worse teams subsidize their first teams.

Insane how these entitled parents are okay with their kids being nothing more than monetary support for kids with actual talent.

if a kid wants to start playing soccer but more competitive than rec leagues. They get placed in 3rd or lower team. The parent agrees. This makes the parents "entitled" for agreeing to pay and give their child a starting point?

Entitled in general, not specifically in the soccer realm. This is NOVA, remember? Everyone's kid is better and deserves more than everyone else's.

Just funny how many people complain about the quality of coaches on 3-5 teams, when they players are terrible as well. As we both know, it's nothing more than a fundraiser for the kids with actual talent. Just hard to believe NOVA parents are okay with that, but then again, they all believe their kid is going to go from 5 to 1 and play for the USNT one day.

There is plenty to complain about regarding the coaches of certain first and second teams as well. No one wants to out themselves, so they aren't going to necessarily identify team/age group/coach.

Anyone who feels 3rd or lower teams should not exist are the ones who feel “entitled” that only higher level teams should exist. Some kids just want to play travel soccer even if they aren’t that good. Why are you so sold on this? You think denying kids a starting point or an opportunity to play , even at the lower levels, is how things should be? If so, you are the one with entitlement issues.

Ahhh the "everyone should be able to participate" mindset. How 2025 liberal of you!

If anything, you're arguing that lesser talented kids should be entitled to a team to play on...

I think we should teach kids to find something they're actually good at and be honest with them that some things just aren't for them.

This isn’t some taxpayer funded program.

If there are enough parents willing to pay for their kids to play travel sports, why would you try to deny them that?

Would keep a lot of parents from complaining about poor coaching haha

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for the boys side, but the lowest teams on the girls side are usually painfully weak. Rec level or worse b/c rec teams usually have at least a few talented athletes. So Valor gives them terrible coaches. If they get someone halfway decent, its a Valor miracle.

Maybe it's the players and not the coaches. Chicken salad made from chicken crap is still made of crap.

Yeah, but I'm talking really basic coaching expectations, like showing up on time, or showing up at all, not being crazy, etc.

Valor should seriously look at cutting the 3rd team program all together. Bad coaches, bad players... nothing more than a fundraiser

Their 3rd-5th teams are their moneymakers. They play in cheaper leagues, cheaper and fewer tournaments, have cheaper inexperienced coaches, but everyone pays the same fees. Basically their worse teams subsidize their first teams.

Insane how these entitled parents are okay with their kids being nothing more than monetary support for kids with actual talent.

if a kid wants to start playing soccer but more competitive than rec leagues. They get placed in 3rd or lower team. The parent agrees. This makes the parents "entitled" for agreeing to pay and give their child a starting point?

Entitled in general, not specifically in the soccer realm. This is NOVA, remember? Everyone's kid is better and deserves more than everyone else's.

Just funny how many people complain about the quality of coaches on 3-5 teams, when they players are terrible as well. As we both know, it's nothing more than a fundraiser for the kids with actual talent. Just hard to believe NOVA parents are okay with that, but then again, they all believe their kid is going to go from 5 to 1 and play for the USNT one day.

There is plenty to complain about regarding the coaches of certain first and second teams as well. No one wants to out themselves, so they aren't going to necessarily identify team/age group/coach.

Anyone who feels 3rd or lower teams should not exist are the ones who feel “entitled” that only higher level teams should exist. Some kids just want to play travel soccer even if they aren’t that good. Why are you so sold on this? You think denying kids a starting point or an opportunity to play , even at the lower levels, is how things should be? If so, you are the one with entitlement issues.

Ahhh the "everyone should be able to participate" mindset. How 2025 liberal of you!

If anything, you're arguing that lesser talented kids should be entitled to a team to play on...

I think we should teach kids to find something they're actually good at and be honest with them that some things just aren't for them.

This isn’t some taxpayer funded program.

If there are enough parents willing to pay for their kids to play travel sports, why would you try to deny them that?

Would keep a lot of parents from complaining about poor coaching haha

Op
You got me on that one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether FCPS HS soccer is "good" or not is irrelevant to the fact that it is very hard to make the boys' teams at large publics.

The best boy players in FCPS don't even play for their HS bc the play is so poor. It's an extremely prevalent issue at a lot of FCPS schools.

Its still really hard to make the teams, even if MLSNext Marlo is too elite for his own HS team.

[Anonymous]

Making up a story about a 9th grader making a HS Varsity team and starting after playing one season of Valor ECNL-RL on a forum full of parents whose kids play on local HS teams and know all the players is breathtakingly stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Making up a story about a 9th grader making a HS Varsity team and starting after playing one season of Valor ECNL-RL on a forum full of parents whose kids play on local HS teams and know all the players is breathtakingly stupid.

Like, its dumb even for Valor.

Now the "parent" will come back and say, oh, its a private school ackshually!

Then we will say, which private school? Because they all play in the fall. And small private school teams are walk-on.

And then there will be no more replies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's a "Cosby team"?

Cosby is a Richmond area school. Similar demographics to many of the western Fairfax schools. Income average is probably a bit lower due to it being in Chesterfield Co but very similar to .many Nova area schools . I have relatives that graduated from there a couple of years back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether FCPS HS soccer is "good" or not is irrelevant to the fact that it is very hard to make the boys' teams at large publics.

The best boy players in FCPS don't even play for their HS bc the play is so poor. It's an extremely prevalent issue at a lot of FCPS schools.

My son talks about this frequently. The overall talent is so low due to gifted players playing for MLS developmental teams or leaving their school all together to play for international clubs. While it may be difficult to make boys varsity teams in the area, it's largely due to the majority of the kids are all at the same low talent level. Hard to choose 20ish players from a pool of a 100 kids at the same relative skill level. And because of this we see very little skill differentiation taking place among players in FCPS high school soccer. When was the last time FCPS had a stand out soccer star who was noticed from their play in FCPS soccer matches?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether FCPS HS soccer is "good" or not is irrelevant to the fact that it is very hard to make the boys' teams at large publics.

The best boy players in FCPS don't even play for their HS bc the play is so poor. It's an extremely prevalent issue at a lot of FCPS schools.

Its still really hard to make the teams, even if MLSNext Marlo is too elite for his own HS team.

Right.
The difficulty of making the team competing against 150 boys is a conpletely separate issue from the coaching/style of play.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It sucks for the players in an age grouo when the top team coach is the same for 3, 4 years. They deserve a coach with a fresh outlook. The top coaches get set views on kids and won't move up 2nd team kids over taking outsiders. The top team coach will have favorites.

According to a parent- 2014 girls top team is made up of only a handful of previous year top team players. The other half are made up of previous year second and third team, one from other Loudoun, and one who never played soccer before but is now the main striker.
If true this should dispel the myth that players never move up. But this begs the question of whether the team is so bad that a kid who never played soccer before is their main striker and half were players moved up from second and third team

Is this the team composition right now, or for next year? If for next year then it sounds like some are leaving.

If it’s for this year, you can look up their record. I don’t think they are that bad… middle of the pack maybe? I mean I guess if think your DD is good enough for one of the top ranked teams go ahead and move there. Everyone should find the team that is the right fit for them.

I don’t work for Valor, nor do I have any reason to stick up for them. Just seems a little over the top to say that team is “so bad” when objectively that doesn’t seem to be the case at least this year. It is all relative and depends on your kid’s ability and goals.

Rumor spreader was talking about 24-25 season. But was off in his/her details.

Yup. Some facts right, others not.

The Valor 24-25 14G top team has 12 players. 5 were on the top team for all of 23-24. 1 moved up from third team to top team during last season. 2 moved up from second team, 1 moved up from third team (and is probably who PP was thinking of when they said “star striker”). 3 came from outside valor - 2 from other clubs, 1 who had played rec.

Besides the 5/6 from last years top team on this years top team, 2 from last years top team moved down to this years second team, and 3 left valor for other clubs (SYC top team, LS top team, LS second team).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for the boys side, but the lowest teams on the girls side are usually painfully weak. Rec level or worse b/c rec teams usually have at least a few talented athletes. So Valor gives them terrible coaches. If they get someone halfway decent, its a Valor miracle.

Maybe it's the players and not the coaches. Chicken salad made from chicken crap is still made of crap.

Yeah, but I'm talking really basic coaching expectations, like showing up on time, or showing up at all, not being crazy, etc.

Valor should seriously look at cutting the 3rd team program all together. Bad coaches, bad players... nothing more than a fundraiser

Their 3rd-5th teams are their moneymakers. They play in cheaper leagues, cheaper and fewer tournaments, have cheaper inexperienced coaches, but everyone pays the same fees. Basically their worse teams subsidize their first teams.

Insane how these entitled parents are okay with their kids being nothing more than monetary support for kids with actual talent.

if a kid wants to start playing soccer but more competitive than rec leagues. They get placed in 3rd or lower team. The parent agrees. This makes the parents "entitled" for agreeing to pay and give their child a starting point?

Entitled in general, not specifically in the soccer realm. This is NOVA, remember? Everyone's kid is better and deserves more than everyone else's.

Just funny how many people complain about the quality of coaches on 3-5 teams, when they players are terrible as well. As we both know, it's nothing more than a fundraiser for the kids with actual talent. Just hard to believe NOVA parents are okay with that, but then again, they all believe their kid is going to go from 5 to 1 and play for the USNT one day.

There is plenty to complain about regarding the coaches of certain first and second teams as well. No one wants to out themselves, so they aren't going to necessarily identify team/age group/coach.

Anyone who feels 3rd or lower teams should not exist are the ones who feel “entitled” that only higher level teams should exist. Some kids just want to play travel soccer even if they aren’t that good. Why are you so sold on this? You think denying kids a starting point or an opportunity to play , even at the lower levels, is how things should be? If so, you are the one with entitlement issues.

+1 there is a market for players that today are not at the top. There are reasons to play competitive sports and it's not just to become a pro as an adult. Perhaps there are so many complaints for this specific club because of the price structure. One set of parents are paying the exact same as others for a very different quality of product.

Exactly.
Just accepted our offer. Returning to the same team (top of age group) with same coach. Do I LOVE Valor - no. Do I hate it? Also no. It's fine. My kid has enjoyed it and the coach.
I started this thread a year plus ago as I was wondering really about outside perception. Like, if my kid said he played for Valor, would HS coaches turn up their nose and assume he was not good enough.
I worried for not. The coaches looked at my kid, his skills, and his attitude on and off the field. He made Varisty as a Freshman with stiff competition for his position.

And he's started, and he seems to be doing a fine job. Was it Valor training? Is it despite Valor training that he's performing? Who knows. But as the PP stated, there are more reasons to play organized sports than going pro (or even playing in college). We are lucky that we can "write the check" and it won't limit or negatively impact our daily or future life. The cost is what it is.

Thanks to those who have commented and since I know that a lot of the negative and obnoxious comments are from his current or former teammates' Dads (maybe moms??) perhaps didn't get the breadth of response I was looking for, but certainly did get enough!

High School soccer in NOVA is some of the worst in the country. Half the schools can barely field a Varsity and JV team.

Not sure where you live but FCPS publics
have 100-200 boys try out for soccer.
Soccer and basketball teams can be nearly impossible to make for boys.
No clue for girls side.

100-200 is a gross over exaggeration. You do realize that there are 28 high schools, right? That means 2800-5600 kids are trying out for boys soccer? I can assure you, that is not the case throughout the vast majority of high schools in the county. Get out of your bubble.

Soccer is the one sport where even poor kids try out.

Which high school doesn't have at least 100 boys trying out for soccer?

There are literally programs without a JV team...

Which FCPS publics don't have a boys JV team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether FCPS HS soccer is "good" or not is irrelevant to the fact that it is very hard to make the boys' teams at large publics.

The best boy players in FCPS don't even play for their HS bc the play is so poor. It's an extremely prevalent issue at a lot of FCPS schools.

Its still really hard to make the teams, even if MLSNext Marlo is too elite for his own HS team.

It's because all the kids trying out are terrible. High school coaches could pick their teams blindfolded and the teams overall talent would be the same as they are now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether FCPS HS soccer is "good" or not is irrelevant to the fact that it is very hard to make the boys' teams at large publics.

The best boy players in FCPS don't even play for their HS bc the play is so poor. It's an extremely prevalent issue at a lot of FCPS schools.

My son talks about this frequently. The overall talent is so low due to gifted players playing for MLS developmental teams or leaving their school all together to play for international clubs. While it may be difficult to make boys varsity teams in the area, it's largely due to the majority of the kids are all at the same low talent level. Hard to choose 20ish players from a pool of a 100 kids at the same relative skill level. And because of this we see very little skill differentiation taking place among players in FCPS high school soccer. When was the last time FCPS had a stand out soccer star who was noticed from their play in FCPS soccer matches?

I mean, how many amazing players per high school are doing MLSNext or International academies? It can't be more than 1 or 2 per school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether FCPS HS soccer is "good" or not is irrelevant to the fact that it is very hard to make the boys' teams at large publics.

The best boy players in FCPS don't even play for their HS bc the play is so poor. It's an extremely prevalent issue at a lot of FCPS schools.

Its still really hard to make the teams, even if MLSNext Marlo is too elite for his own HS team.

It's because all the kids trying out are terrible. High school coaches could pick their teams blindfolded and the teams overall talent would be the same as they are now.

Even if this is accurate, its still hard to make the teams. I think you have a warped view of what high school sports should look like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Making up a story about a 9th grader making a HS Varsity team and starting after playing one season of Valor ECNL-RL on a forum full of parents whose kids play on local HS teams and know all the players is breathtakingly stupid.

Yep.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for the boys side, but the lowest teams on the girls side are usually painfully weak. Rec level or worse b/c rec teams usually have at least a few talented athletes. So Valor gives them terrible coaches. If they get someone halfway decent, its a Valor miracle.

Maybe it's the players and not the coaches. Chicken salad made from chicken crap is still made of crap.

Yeah, but I'm talking really basic coaching expectations, like showing up on time, or showing up at all, not being crazy, etc.

Valor should seriously look at cutting the 3rd team program all together. Bad coaches, bad players... nothing more than a fundraiser

Their 3rd-5th teams are their moneymakers. They play in cheaper leagues, cheaper and fewer tournaments, have cheaper inexperienced coaches, but everyone pays the same fees. Basically their worse teams subsidize their first teams.

Insane how these entitled parents are okay with their kids being nothing more than monetary support for kids with actual talent.

if a kid wants to start playing soccer but more competitive than rec leagues. They get placed in 3rd or lower team. The parent agrees. This makes the parents "entitled" for agreeing to pay and give their child a starting point?

Entitled in general, not specifically in the soccer realm. This is NOVA, remember? Everyone's kid is better and deserves more than everyone else's.

Just funny how many people complain about the quality of coaches on 3-5 teams, when they players are terrible as well. As we both know, it's nothing more than a fundraiser for the kids with actual talent. Just hard to believe NOVA parents are okay with that, but then again, they all believe their kid is going to go from 5 to 1 and play for the USNT one day.

There is plenty to complain about regarding the coaches of certain first and second teams as well. No one wants to out themselves, so they aren't going to necessarily identify team/age group/coach.

Anyone who feels 3rd or lower teams should not exist are the ones who feel “entitled” that only higher level teams should exist. Some kids just want to play travel soccer even if they aren’t that good. Why are you so sold on this? You think denying kids a starting point or an opportunity to play , even at the lower levels, is how things should be? If so, you are the one with entitlement issues.

+1 there is a market for players that today are not at the top. There are reasons to play competitive sports and it's not just to become a pro as an adult. Perhaps there are so many complaints for this specific club because of the price structure. One set of parents are paying the exact same as others for a very different quality of product.

Exactly.
Just accepted our offer. Returning to the same team (top of age group) with same coach. Do I LOVE Valor - no. Do I hate it? Also no. It's fine. My kid has enjoyed it and the coach.
I started this thread a year plus ago as I was wondering really about outside perception. Like, if my kid said he played for Valor, would HS coaches turn up their nose and assume he was not good enough.
I worried for not. The coaches looked at my kid, his skills, and his attitude on and off the field. He made Varisty as a Freshman with stiff competition for his position.

And he's started, and he seems to be doing a fine job. Was it Valor training? Is it despite Valor training that he's performing? Who knows. But as the PP stated, there are more reasons to play organized sports than going pro (or even playing in college). We are lucky that we can "write the check" and it won't limit or negatively impact our daily or future life. The cost is what it is.

Thanks to those who have commented and since I know that a lot of the negative and obnoxious comments are from his current or former teammates' Dads (maybe moms??) perhaps didn't get the breadth of response I was looking for, but certainly did get enough!

High School soccer in NOVA is some of the worst in the country. Half the schools can barely field a Varsity and JV team.

Not sure where you live but FCPS publics
have 100-200 boys try out for soccer.
Soccer and basketball teams can be nearly impossible to make for boys.
No clue for girls side.

100-200 is a gross over exaggeration. You do realize that there are 28 high schools, right? That means 2800-5600 kids are trying out for boys soccer? I can assure you, that is not the case throughout the vast majority of high schools in the county. Get out of your bubble.

Soccer is the one sport where even poor kids try out.

Which high school doesn't have at least 100 boys trying out for soccer?

There are literally programs without a JV team...

Which FCPS publics don't have a boys JV team?

The internet, which you're currently using, shows you possess the ability to answer this question on your own. Let's hope you're teaching your children to be more self-sufficient than this.