Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Nationally, 5.7% of high school players play NCAA soccer. Nearly half of those are playing Division III.

In this area, we have plenty of people playing travel who won't even make their high school teams.

So I think it's fair to say we're talking about less than 5%. And the bulk of them are going to come from just a handful of clubs.

Plenty of coaches have the contacts but don't have the players who can make the jump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

[Anonymous]

At U17 there are roughly 60-70 girls travel teams in the area excluding EDP, DA and ECNL. If 5% are D1 level players that is 63 kids out of 1260 players excluding ECNL and unknown DA. If ECNL is included that is an additional 73 kids. Many of them will play in D1 but not all do. Of the ECNL players roughly 5-10 kids per team play D1 and of those very few receive full scholarships.

The numbers just don't bare out that more than 10% of girls in the area in any given year will play soccer in college. If your kid wants to play in college it is not unobtainable but be realistic about the level whether it is DI, DII or DIII depends on ability, fit and academic intent. But players, not clubs, get recruited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

FC Dallas ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

Is there anyone on this thread who has claimed that there is a particular club guaranteed to get a kid recruited to play college soccer? I haven't seen it if so. And even the clubs with good records in that area aren't doing it "emphatically." I imagine though that there are parents who have or will have, when their kids are a bit older, questions about next steps for players who want to be recruited. If they have questions, I think this is an appropriate thread for asking them. I and others might mention our experience at specific clubs in trying to help. You'll probably want to avoid those threads.

You should probably also avoid the College and University forum, because we sometimes talk about how our kids' experiences at specific high schools affect their admissions prospects for certain colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

FC Dallas ?

Well played.

(Though a lot of their players skip college and go straight to the pros.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

Is there anyone on this thread who has claimed that there is a particular club guaranteed to get a kid recruited to play college soccer? I haven't seen it if so. And even the clubs with good records in that area aren't doing it "emphatically." I imagine though that there are parents who have or will have, when their kids are a bit older, questions about next steps for players who want to be recruited. If they have questions, I think this is an appropriate thread for asking them. I and others might mention our experience at specific clubs in trying to help. You'll probably want to avoid those threads.

You should probably also avoid the College and University forum, because we sometimes talk about how our kids' experiences at specific high schools affect their admissions prospects for certain colleges.

How about you start with naming your club and your experience at your clubs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

Is there anyone on this thread who has claimed that there is a particular club guaranteed to get a kid recruited to play college soccer? I haven't seen it if so. And even the clubs with good records in that area aren't doing it "emphatically." I imagine though that there are parents who have or will have, when their kids are a bit older, questions about next steps for players who want to be recruited. If they have questions, I think this is an appropriate thread for asking them. I and others might mention our experience at specific clubs in trying to help. You'll probably want to avoid those threads.

You should probably also avoid the College and University forum, because we sometimes talk about how our kids' experiences at specific high schools affect their admissions prospects for certain colleges.

How about you start with naming your club and your experience at your clubs?

I don't do requests, but I've talked about my club by name any number of times on this thread in response to relevant topics and will continue to do so. Let's move on from this sidebar.

[Anonymous]

Let's look at two outstanding area girls teams- Bethesda 2019 and Arlington 2019. Both are nationally ranked and about 50% home grown, meaning the girls devleoped through the club system versus moving from other clubs (which is what I see in the top area boys teams.) We are a soccer obsessed family with kids at two different clubs since the new USA rule impacted my fall birthday DD. Anyway, the coach of one of these teams expects most of the roster to play in college. Is this realistic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

FC Dallas ?

Well played.

(Though a lot of their players skip college and go straight to the pros.)

I thought "FC Dallas" was a reference to Ramiro Funes Mori who played high school soccer in the Dallas area and was signed by FC Dallas before going on to start at center back for Everton and the Argentine national team by age 20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's look at two outstanding area girls teams- Bethesda 2019 and Arlington 2019. Both are nationally ranked and about 50% home grown, meaning the girls devleoped through the club system versus moving from other clubs (which is what I see in the top area boys teams.) We are a soccer obsessed family with kids at two different clubs since the new USA rule impacted my fall birthday DD. Anyway, the coach of one of these teams expects most of the roster to play in college. Is this realistic?

Bethesda is a well-respected club with its top teams in ECNL. In Top Drawer Soccer's incomplete data, they've got six 2017 grads committed to D1 schools, and I wouldn't be surprised if that number was higher when all's said and done:

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/commitments/club/women/2017

An older page shows Bethesda sending 15-27 players to college each year -- a few to big-time programs like UVA and Duke, a few to top academic schools like Columbia (D1) and MIT (D3).

Arlington won't send quite as many.

But generally, yes, a handful of clubs will send the lion's share of players to college. The DA and ECNL clubs, of course, and then a couple more.

Sometimes, a club will have a really good team that will also get a lot of kids to college. I'd have to think a few of the players from Vienna's older girls teams will play at the next level, and then it might be a while before another player goes from VYS to NCAA. VSA has put together the occasional standout team.

Elsewhere, you may have coaches who have plenty of connections. They say they'll make sure a good player gets seen by colleges, and that's true. But they rarely have players at that level.

And I think most parents know that. If you're playing NCSL D4, you're not going to play in college. You might even struggle to make a high school team, depending on the school. The coaches or technical directors may give a sales pitch about prepping players for high school glory and college connections, but most parents can do the math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say way more than 5-10% of kids who are still playing travel soccer in HS around here will end up playing in college. I'm not clear on why discussion should be restricted to topics that pertain only to younger players who may not ever get to that level. College recruiting necessarily involves the parent (who will be paying for college), and ideally includes the coach or TD, who hopefully will be advising the player on programs that will be a good fit.

Oh stop, that discussion regarding the recruitment process exists in more soccer dedicated forums and would be best approached as a process that , again, is not unique. Many of the same issues exists for families across the nation and the only club relevant discussion is based solely on the league the team/club plays in or the showcase events that the team/club qualifies for. It isn't that hard to look up DA or ECNL clubs and then pick the ones in your area.

If neither of those are in the cards and college is an ambition you have your work cut out for you find other avenues for exposure, ODP, Super Y, College ID camps etc. Which, in that case, the coach or club will likely be of little assistance to you and again the process and shared experience of that will be more helpful than picking a club based on meticulous reading of Board meeting minutes.

So yes, all of that information can be had without bragging or ragging on any club especially considering how much can simply be accomplished by the player themselves. Record the games yourself, work on the highlight video and work with your kid on well crafted letters to coaches. All of that is what you do that makes the difference, not the club.

How about this: Those of us who think it's useful to talk about and read about specific clubs (or leagues or recruiting assistance available at specific clubs) can continue to do so, and those of you who prefer to stick to reading and posting about more general soccer related topics can follow that approach.

How about this, list the clubs that will emphatically get your kid into college then and see how it goes. 3.2.1 Go!

FC Dallas ?

Well played.

(Though a lot of their players skip college and go straight to the pros.)

I thought "FC Dallas" was a reference to Ramiro Funes Mori who played high school soccer in the Dallas area and was signed by FC Dallas before going on to start at center back for Everton and the Argentine national team by age 20.

FC Dallas has signed 15 players from its Academy in less than 10 years, most of them recently: http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/fc-dallas-signs-academy-product-paxton-pomykal-as-homegrown-player/

And a few have been taken away by other clubs:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/09/23/how-fc-dallas-became-home-best-academy-united-states

Most of the others go to college.