Achilles Does It Again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just looked online and Achilles in league play is...
U13 13th of 17
U14 16th of 17
U15 15th of 16
U16 14th of 15
U17 11th of 15
U19 11th of 15

Now do how many Achilles FC players are presently playing in Europe. Now tell us how your club is doing?

Oh Pleeze with the propaganda 🙄

Every MLS Next and ECNL club in the DMV have a couple players good enough to go to different level academies in Europe.
It's all about passports and whether a family wants to do it or not.

How much was Achilles paid by European clubs for transfers?

I want to make sure I've got your point correct. You're saying that Achilles does not have a higher number of players with the ability to play in European academies than other (much larger) clubs. You're saying they just happen to have a larger number of parents who WANT their sons to play on Europe. What would you say about Achilles attracts parents and players with foreign passports?

This is the DMV
Kids with dual passports are a dime a dozen at every club

The thing is, families who relocate to Europe with their kid who joins a European club don't usually have the club plastering propaganda marketing all over social media saying that they're responsible

The worst team in MLS Next has all the best developed players? 😆

You guys have been busy. No, they don’t have all of the best players. I believe they develop their kids closest to their maximum potential more than most in this area. In my age group, they have two of the top 20 kids in the DMV but we beat them because we have more in the top 100. We will beat them but that is not a reflection on the coaching. I wish my club coached like them and I would not have the problem I have. If we stay with our coaching style, my kid will max out at D1. That is not my kids goal so I am exploring the landscape.

I don’t think most people have done what myself and others parents I know from Achilles have done. We have visited practices around town. Watched teams play while at the same tournaments. Travel overseas. Listened to what matters from people who know more about development than us in the US. We, the US, don’t have one single top 100 player in the world. Based on the numbers of kids in the system, I think it is not crazy to look inward at what we are doing wrong.

There are more than enough clubs available in this area if you want to be good enough to make it to D1-D3. I think there are only a few paths to Europe and they are one. It is not about the recruiting. I already have the same German contact that led GB to Germany. That part is my job as a parent. I pay the club to teach my kid the nuanced details of playing.

I am not Sal’s wife. I am just a parent who thinks my kid has a shot at his dream and I understand it is a long journey to get there, not a dopamine laced “we won a nattie” culture so prevalent in the DMV. It was cheesy marketing that reignited this thread. It’s not an incorrect statement though that kids are moving there and we may or may not be one of them. Either way, I hope we elevate our conversation about development beyond standings and Taka highlights.

What metric are you using to say they have 2 of the best players in the DMV for an age group?

I have no opinions abt this team but apart from team rankings, I wasn’t aware that players are ranked. Is that done through Taka?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just looked online and Achilles in league play is...
U13 13th of 17
U14 16th of 17
U15 15th of 16
U16 14th of 15
U17 11th of 15
U19 11th of 15

Now do how many Achilles FC players are presently playing in Europe. Now tell us how your club is doing?

Oh Pleeze with the propaganda 🙄

Every MLS Next and ECNL club in the DMV have a couple players good enough to go to different level academies in Europe.
It's all about passports and whether a family wants to do it or not.

How much was Achilles paid by European clubs for transfers?

I want to make sure I've got your point correct. You're saying that Achilles does not have a higher number of players with the ability to play in European academies than other (much larger) clubs. You're saying they just happen to have a larger number of parents who WANT their sons to play on Europe. What would you say about Achilles attracts parents and players with foreign passports?

This is the DMV
Kids with dual passports are a dime a dozen at every club

The thing is, families who relocate to Europe with their kid who joins a European club don't usually have the club plastering propaganda marketing all over social media saying that they're responsible

The worst team in MLS Next has all the best developed players? 😆

You guys have been busy. No, they don’t have all of the best players. I believe they develop their kids closest to their maximum potential more than most in this area. In my age group, they have two of the top 20 kids in the DMV but we beat them because we have more in the top 100. We will beat them but that is not a reflection on the coaching. I wish my club coached like them and I would not have the problem I have. If we stay with our coaching style, my kid will max out at D1. That is not my kids goal so I am exploring the landscape.

I don’t think most people have done what myself and others parents I know from Achilles have done. We have visited practices around town. Watched teams play while at the same tournaments. Travel overseas. Listened to what matters from people who know more about development than us in the US. We, the US, don’t have one single top 100 player in the world. Based on the numbers of kids in the system, I think it is not crazy to look inward at what we are doing wrong.

There are more than enough clubs available in this area if you want to be good enough to make it to D1-D3. I think there are only a few paths to Europe and they are one. It is not about the recruiting. I already have the same German contact that led GB to Germany. That part is my job as a parent. I pay the club to teach my kid the nuanced details of playing.

I am not Sal’s wife. I am just a parent who thinks my kid has a shot at his dream and I understand it is a long journey to get there, not a dopamine laced “we won a nattie” culture so prevalent in the DMV. It was cheesy marketing that reignited this thread. It’s not an incorrect statement though that kids are moving there and we may or may not be one of them. Either way, I hope we elevate our conversation about development beyond standings and Taka highlights.

Any coach yelling and screaming and berating and cursing at Youth players is not a good coach and wouldn't be tolerated at any decent youth organization in the same Europe you love to reference.

If he was a good youth coach and teaching them well in training, the constant screaming, cursing and joysticking wouldn't be needed at games

You think because you have a contact in Germany through Sal that elevates you to soccer royalty?
Almost every significant club in the DMV has a coach or coaches with contacts overseas.
Many of these so-called contacts are low level btw, not Directors at Real Madrid

This stuff about Achilles being a special secret sauce environment is propaganda.
Bethesda or VDA or Alexandria or SYC or Annapolis can have kids go from them to Europe if a family chooses to go.

It's not a transfer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just looked online and Achilles in league play is...
U13 13th of 17
U14 16th of 17
U15 15th of 16
U16 14th of 15
U17 11th of 15
U19 11th of 15

Now do how many Achilles FC players are presently playing in Europe. Now tell us how your club is doing?

Oh Pleeze with the propaganda 🙄

Every MLS Next and ECNL club in the DMV have a couple players good enough to go to different level academies in Europe.
It's all about passports and whether a family wants to do it or not.

How much was Achilles paid by European clubs for transfers?

I want to make sure I've got your point correct. You're saying that Achilles does not have a higher number of players with the ability to play in European academies than other (much larger) clubs. You're saying they just happen to have a larger number of parents who WANT their sons to play on Europe. What would you say about Achilles attracts parents and players with foreign passports?

This is the DMV
Kids with dual passports are a dime a dozen at every club

The thing is, families who relocate to Europe with their kid who joins a European club don't usually have the club plastering propaganda marketing all over social media saying that they're responsible

The worst team in MLS Next has all the best developed players? 😆

You guys have been busy. No, they don’t have all of the best players. I believe they develop their kids closest to their maximum potential more than most in this area. In my age group, they have two of the top 20 kids in the DMV but we beat them because we have more in the top 100. We will beat them but that is not a reflection on the coaching. I wish my club coached like them and I would not have the problem I have. If we stay with our coaching style, my kid will max out at D1. That is not my kids goal so I am exploring the landscape.

I don’t think most people have done what myself and others parents I know from Achilles have done. We have visited practices around town. Watched teams play while at the same tournaments. Travel overseas. Listened to what matters from people who know more about development than us in the US. We, the US, don’t have one single top 100 player in the world. Based on the numbers of kids in the system, I think it is not crazy to look inward at what we are doing wrong.

There are more than enough clubs available in this area if you want to be good enough to make it to D1-D3. I think there are only a few paths to Europe and they are one. It is not about the recruiting. I already have the same German contact that led GB to Germany. That part is my job as a parent. I pay the club to teach my kid the nuanced details of playing.

I am not Sal’s wife. I am just a parent who thinks my kid has a shot at his dream and I understand it is a long journey to get there, not a dopamine laced “we won a nattie” culture so prevalent in the DMV. It was cheesy marketing that reignited this thread. It’s not an incorrect statement though that kids are moving there and we may or may not be one of them. Either way, I hope we elevate our conversation about development beyond standings and Taka highlights.

What metric are you using to say they have 2 of the best players in the DMV for an age group?

I have no opinions abt this team but apart from team rankings, I wasn’t aware that players are ranked. Is that done through Taka?

There are no official rankings. This is my pure judgment. My kid plays with alot of the top kids in the age group through futsal, organized small-sided games, group training, club games, etc. The metrics I use are more technical:

1) Ability to beat defenders 1v1
2) Ability take their first touch into space
3) Technique in receiving on the proper foot with an open body shape
4) Turns and scanning

At my kids age, this is all that matters to me. You may also get actually feedback from international scouts like https://thescoutinggame.co.uk. There are several other sources that will review your film as well. We have a local coach who taught it to me and my son. Once you learn how many gaps are on the pitch in soccer and how many attacking opportunities are wasted because a kid does not scan and does not know how to get the ball under control and escape pressure with their first and second touch, you will not look at the game the same or evaluate players the same. Scanning, controlling your first touch and turning in the midfield is the difference between being dispossessed and leading to a goal or creating a 2v1 or 3v2 situation and pushing ahead to possibility create a goal.

Ironically, I was told yesterday that Achilles is best for the young ages and then move at 16. I don't know whether valid or not but the person stating it went through BSC so I know there will invariably be some bias. No need to attack my opinions. I have no idea whether I am right or wrong. I am just a parent going through this process like everyone else trying my best to help my child and sharing the information I have. It is simply that Achilles are one of the few clubs I have seen focus on the skills that international football people tell me to focus on and I would like to see other clubs and parents put the focus on these elements versus wins and losses which we already know does not produce top football talent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just looked online and Achilles in league play is...
U13 13th of 17
U14 16th of 17
U15 15th of 16
U16 14th of 15
U17 11th of 15
U19 11th of 15

Now do how many Achilles FC players are presently playing in Europe. Now tell us how your club is doing?

Oh Pleeze with the propaganda 🙄

Every MLS Next and ECNL club in the DMV have a couple players good enough to go to different level academies in Europe.
It's all about passports and whether a family wants to do it or not.

How much was Achilles paid by European clubs for transfers?

I want to make sure I've got your point correct. You're saying that Achilles does not have a higher number of players with the ability to play in European academies than other (much larger) clubs. You're saying they just happen to have a larger number of parents who WANT their sons to play on Europe. What would you say about Achilles attracts parents and players with foreign passports?

This is the DMV
Kids with dual passports are a dime a dozen at every club

The thing is, families who relocate to Europe with their kid who joins a European club don't usually have the club plastering propaganda marketing all over social media saying that they're responsible

The worst team in MLS Next has all the best developed players? 😆

You guys have been busy. No, they don’t have all of the best players. I believe they develop their kids closest to their maximum potential more than most in this area. In my age group, they have two of the top 20 kids in the DMV but we beat them because we have more in the top 100. We will beat them but that is not a reflection on the coaching. I wish my club coached like them and I would not have the problem I have. If we stay with our coaching style, my kid will max out at D1. That is not my kids goal so I am exploring the landscape.

I don’t think most people have done what myself and others parents I know from Achilles have done. We have visited practices around town. Watched teams play while at the same tournaments. Travel overseas. Listened to what matters from people who know more about development than us in the US. We, the US, don’t have one single top 100 player in the world. Based on the numbers of kids in the system, I think it is not crazy to look inward at what we are doing wrong.

There are more than enough clubs available in this area if you want to be good enough to make it to D1-D3. I think there are only a few paths to Europe and they are one. It is not about the recruiting. I already have the same German contact that led GB to Germany. That part is my job as a parent. I pay the club to teach my kid the nuanced details of playing.

I am not Sal’s wife. I am just a parent who thinks my kid has a shot at his dream and I understand it is a long journey to get there, not a dopamine laced “we won a nattie” culture so prevalent in the DMV. It was cheesy marketing that reignited this thread. It’s not an incorrect statement though that kids are moving there and we may or may not be one of them. Either way, I hope we elevate our conversation about development beyond standings and Taka highlights.

What metric are you using to say they have 2 of the best players in the DMV for an age group?

I have no opinions abt this team but apart from team rankings, I wasn’t aware that players are ranked. Is that done through Taka?

There are no official rankings. This is my pure judgment. My kid plays with alot of the top kids in the age group through futsal, organized small-sided games, group training, club games, etc. The metrics I use are more technical:

1) Ability to beat defenders 1v1
2) Ability take their first touch into space
3) Technique in receiving on the proper foot with an open body shape
4) Turns and scanning

At my kids age, this is all that matters to me. You may also get actually feedback from international scouts like https://thescoutinggame.co.uk. There are several other sources that will review your film as well. We have a local coach who taught it to me and my son. Once you learn how many gaps are on the pitch in soccer and how many attacking opportunities are wasted because a kid does not scan and does not know how to get the ball under control and escape pressure with their first and second touch, you will not look at the game the same or evaluate players the same. Scanning, controlling your first touch and turning in the midfield is the difference between being dispossessed and leading to a goal or creating a 2v1 or 3v2 situation and pushing ahead to possibility create a goal.

Ironically, I was told yesterday that Achilles is best for the young ages and then move at 16. I don't know whether valid or not but the person stating it went through BSC so I know there will invariably be some bias. No need to attack my opinions. I have no idea whether I am right or wrong. I am just a parent going through this process like everyone else trying my best to help my child and sharing the information I have. It is simply that Achilles are one of the few clubs I have seen focus on the skills that international football people tell me to focus on and I would like to see other clubs and parents put the focus on these elements versus wins and losses which we already know does not produce top football talent.

*whispering

your kid's team can be learning the necessary development fundamentals, both technical and mental, without getting blown out every game

Your judgment and opinion is just that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just looked online and Achilles in league play is...
U13 13th of 17
U14 16th of 17
U15 15th of 16
U16 14th of 15
U17 11th of 15
U19 11th of 15

Now do how many Achilles FC players are presently playing in Europe. Now tell us how your club is doing?

Oh Pleeze with the propaganda 🙄

Every MLS Next and ECNL club in the DMV have a couple players good enough to go to different level academies in Europe.
It's all about passports and whether a family wants to do it or not.

How much was Achilles paid by European clubs for transfers?

I want to make sure I've got your point correct. You're saying that Achilles does not have a higher number of players with the ability to play in European academies than other (much larger) clubs. You're saying they just happen to have a larger number of parents who WANT their sons to play on Europe. What would you say about Achilles attracts parents and players with foreign passports?

This is the DMV
Kids with dual passports are a dime a dozen at every club

The thing is, families who relocate to Europe with their kid who joins a European club don't usually have the club plastering propaganda marketing all over social media saying that they're responsible

The worst team in MLS Next has all the best developed players? 😆

You guys have been busy. No, they don’t have all of the best players. I believe they develop their kids closest to their maximum potential more than most in this area. In my age group, they have two of the top 20 kids in the DMV but we beat them because we have more in the top 100. We will beat them but that is not a reflection on the coaching. I wish my club coached like them and I would not have the problem I have. If we stay with our coaching style, my kid will max out at D1. That is not my kids goal so I am exploring the landscape.

I don’t think most people have done what myself and others parents I know from Achilles have done. We have visited practices around town. Watched teams play while at the same tournaments. Travel overseas. Listened to what matters from people who know more about development than us in the US. We, the US, don’t have one single top 100 player in the world. Based on the numbers of kids in the system, I think it is not crazy to look inward at what we are doing wrong.

There are more than enough clubs available in this area if you want to be good enough to make it to D1-D3. I think there are only a few paths to Europe and they are one. It is not about the recruiting. I already have the same German contact that led GB to Germany. That part is my job as a parent. I pay the club to teach my kid the nuanced details of playing.

I am not Sal’s wife. I am just a parent who thinks my kid has a shot at his dream and I understand it is a long journey to get there, not a dopamine laced “we won a nattie” culture so prevalent in the DMV. It was cheesy marketing that reignited this thread. It’s not an incorrect statement though that kids are moving there and we may or may not be one of them. Either way, I hope we elevate our conversation about development beyond standings and Taka highlights.

What metric are you using to say they have 2 of the best players in the DMV for an age group?

I have no opinions abt this team but apart from team rankings, I wasn’t aware that players are ranked. Is that done through Taka?

There are no official rankings. This is my pure judgment. My kid plays with alot of the top kids in the age group through futsal, organized small-sided games, group training, club games, etc. The metrics I use are more technical:

1) Ability to beat defenders 1v1
2) Ability take their first touch into space
3) Technique in receiving on the proper foot with an open body shape
4) Turns and scanning

At my kids age, this is all that matters to me. You may also get actually feedback from international scouts like https://thescoutinggame.co.uk. There are several other sources that will review your film as well. We have a local coach who taught it to me and my son. Once you learn how many gaps are on the pitch in soccer and how many attacking opportunities are wasted because a kid does not scan and does not know how to get the ball under control and escape pressure with their first and second touch, you will not look at the game the same or evaluate players the same. Scanning, controlling your first touch and turning in the midfield is the difference between being dispossessed and leading to a goal or creating a 2v1 or 3v2 situation and pushing ahead to possibility create a goal.

Ironically, I was told yesterday that Achilles is best for the young ages and then move at 16. I don't know whether valid or not but the person stating it went through BSC so I know there will invariably be some bias. No need to attack my opinions. I have no idea whether I am right or wrong. I am just a parent going through this process like everyone else trying my best to help my child and sharing the information I have. It is simply that Achilles are one of the few clubs I have seen focus on the skills that international football people tell me to focus on and I would like to see other clubs and parents put the focus on these elements versus wins and losses which we already know does not produce top football talent.

I believe the USYNT looks for those elements that you are describing (see last page of https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyf3dba6/production/58b65421fade1a17b29d2f63bf6dfe323cd9cccf.pdf)

[Anonymous]

I took my kid to a tryout with them a few months ago and here are my observations from the standpoint of a u12 boy:

Good:

1)Overall technical ability of the kids was very high.
2)Drills were high pace and fun.
3)Coach active feedback while in training was effective.

Bad:
1)On the opposite side of the field, they had some u9s training separately. During warmups, coach asked everyone to juggle. One of the u9s struggled doing that. As a result, the coach stopped everyone, ridiculed the player and told the rest to make fun of him. I didn't see this happen, my boy told me.

We decided it was not for us. Having said that, the technical development at Achilles is real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took my kid to a tryout with them a few months ago and here are my observations from the standpoint of a u12 boy:

Good:

1)Overall technical ability of the kids was very high.
2)Drills were high pace and fun.
3)Coach active feedback while in training was effective.

Bad:
1)On the opposite side of the field, they had some u9s training separately. During warmups, coach asked everyone to juggle. One of the u9s struggled doing that. As a result, the coach stopped everyone, ridiculed the player and told the rest to make fun of him. I didn't see this happen, my boy told me.

We decided it was not for us. Having said that, the technical development at Achilles is real.

You sure this is how it went down and what your conscious wants to put on the internet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took my kid to a tryout with them a few months ago and here are my observations from the standpoint of a u12 boy:

Good:

1)Overall technical ability of the kids was very high.
2)Drills were high pace and fun.
3)Coach active feedback while in training was effective.

Bad:
1)On the opposite side of the field, they had some u9s training separately. During warmups, coach asked everyone to juggle. One of the u9s struggled doing that. As a result, the coach stopped everyone, ridiculed the player and told the rest to make fun of him. I didn't see this happen, my boy told me.

We decided it was not for us. Having said that, the technical development at Achilles is real.

You sure this is how it went down and what your conscious wants to put on the internet?

We've all seen the videos and witnessed first hand on sidelines the toxic coaching methodology at Achilles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took my kid to a tryout with them a few months ago and here are my observations from the standpoint of a u12 boy:

Good:

1)Overall technical ability of the kids was very high.
2)Drills were high pace and fun.
3)Coach active feedback while in training was effective.

Bad:
1)On the opposite side of the field, they had some u9s training separately. During warmups, coach asked everyone to juggle. One of the u9s struggled doing that. As a result, the coach stopped everyone, ridiculed the player and told the rest to make fun of him. I didn't see this happen, my boy told me.

We decided it was not for us. Having said that, the technical development at Achilles is real.

You sure this is how it went down and what your conscious wants to put on the internet?

We've all seen the videos and witnessed first hand on sidelines the toxic coaching methodology at Achilles

That is a new and clever apocryphal but that one line took it over the top. Yes, they yell. Yes, they are demanding.

Their behavior in probably equivalent to Bethesda on the girls side. I am cool if it’s not for you. It may attract me because I found so many parents in the DMV soft and too protective for real development.

I would throw hands with them if they did that to my child, not complain about it. It does not track even in the slightest and I don’t think they are choir boys.

Let the market determine their fate. Don’t stoop to this level though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took my kid to a tryout with them a few months ago and here are my observations from the standpoint of a u12 boy:

Good:

1)Overall technical ability of the kids was very high.
2)Drills were high pace and fun.
3)Coach active feedback while in training was effective.

Bad:
1)On the opposite side of the field, they had some u9s training separately. During warmups, coach asked everyone to juggle. One of the u9s struggled doing that. As a result, the coach stopped everyone, ridiculed the player and told the rest to make fun of him. I didn't see this happen, my boy told me.

We decided it was not for us. Having said that, the technical development at Achilles is real.

You sure this is how it went down and what your conscious wants to put on the internet?

We've all seen the videos and witnessed first hand on sidelines the toxic coaching methodology at Achilles

+1

[Anonymous]

After doing some light research, I noticed that Achilles appears to have lost every game in MLS NEXT and is near the bottom of the standings across almost every age group. How are they not relegated to the AD division?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After doing some light research, I noticed that Achilles appears to have lost every game in MLS NEXT and is near the bottom of the standings across almost every age group. How are they not relegated to the AD division?

You know there's no such thing as relegation in MLS Next

Yet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After doing some light research, I noticed that Achilles appears to have lost every game in MLS NEXT and is near the bottom of the standings across almost every age group. How are they not relegated to the AD division?

Now do the heavy research. Find the kids playing professionally, in European academies or USYNT callups. Look for who they played for in their developmental years.

You should be asking the question, what are they doing that MLS trusts them with a HG badge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After doing some light research, I noticed that Achilles appears to have lost every game in MLS NEXT and is near the bottom of the standings across almost every age group. How are they not relegated to the AD division?

Now do the heavy research. Find the kids playing professionally, in European academies or USYNT callups. Look for who they played for in their developmental years.

You should be asking the question, what are they doing that MLS trusts them with a HG badge?

Achilles was grandfathered into MLS Next because they were in the DA program before covid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After doing some light research, I noticed that Achilles appears to have lost every game in MLS NEXT and is near the bottom of the standings across almost every age group. How are they not relegated to the AD division?

Now do the heavy research. Find the kids playing professionally, in European academies or USYNT callups. Look for who they played for in their developmental years.

You should be asking the question, what are they doing that MLS trusts them with a HG badge?

Achilles was grandfathered into MLS Next because they were in the DA program before covid

This is simply not true. Bethesda and Armour were the only DA clubs in the area.