Spring Travel Soccer Tryouts 2018

[Anonymous]

Here is what happens with multiple teams from U10 to U11. The A team gets stability, the B team has to rebuild 50% of the team and gets the short end of the stick, and the C team has no stick left.

Roster size increase from U10 to U11, 12 to 16 players - this is what happens:

Example:
3 teams: A, B, C each team has 12 players

U9/U10

A: 12
B: 12
C: 12

U11/U12:

A: 12 original A's + top 4 original B's

B: bottom 8 original B's + top 8 original C's

C: 4 bottom original C's + 12 players pulled up from house/rec

Some clubs fold the C team because it's non-competitive.
This does not factor in players coming into the club from outside, or players who are "playing up" a year coming back down to their age group.

So if you were originally a "B" player for U9/U10 but do not make the A team at U11, beware.

You have the same B team as U10 (minus the 4 best players, which makes a big difference) plus 8 more "C" team players, which greatly lowers the level of the team.

The coach is also an important factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is what happens with multiple teams from U10 to U11. The A team gets stability, the B team has to rebuild 50% of the team and gets the short end of the stick, and the C team has no stick left.

Roster size increase from U10 to U11, 12 to 16 players - this is what happens:

Example:
3 teams: A, B, C each team has 12 players

U9/U10

A: 12
B: 12
C: 12

U11/U12:

A: 12 original A's + top 4 original B's

B: bottom 8 original B's + top 8 original C's

C: 4 bottom original C's + 12 players pulled up from house/rec

Some clubs fold the C team because it's non-competitive.
This does not factor in players coming into the club from outside, or players who are "playing up" a year coming back down to their age group.

So if you were originally a "B" player for U9/U10 but do not make the A team at U11, beware.

You have the same B team as U10 (minus the 4 best players, which makes a big difference) plus 8 more "C" team players, which greatly lowers the level of the team.

The coach is also an important factor.

If you have significant kids coming in from other clubs - that changes the equation Some clubs attract more as kids get older but that is usually known. I.e. It happens on a regular basis - year after year - at certain age groups

[Anonymous]

Anyone know how GF/Reston travel will work with the merger? We are a rising u9 family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with 11:39 - I notice it a lot that the second or third kid in the family who plays soccer is often better than the first kid because they have had so much exposure to the game. They have been at practices and games for a couple years, and likely kicking the ball around with the older siblings and the parents. Plus the parents have already been around the block and know about all the various levels of play and training, so they can sign up kid #2 for stuff after kid #1 did it.

Nothing sinister here. A kid who plays up for U9 and then drops back to his/her real level for U10 has a serious edge on the other players.


My daughter has a late year birthday, so she is old for her rec team and young for travel, and her year in travel had her playing a 7x7 format and positions a year earlier than the kids on her rec team. So when the rec league moved from 4x4 to 7x7 and positions(+goalie) the following year, she already had a year of experience with that. It worked in her favor.

That edge I've noticed only lasts for so long, I feel like by u10 it's mostly gone. When those kids who played up dropped back to the age group, I was hoping for some serious advantage that didn't come to be.

This is standard practice for Arlington, having 2-3 play up and start early. Doesn't matter if skill doesn't last, it gives the wins for the U9 year. It's all about winning

Not really true on girls. They need around 66 to make 6 teams and barely get 70 the past couple years. So lots of old kindergartner?s and young 1st graders can easily come out and make teams. They used to get 100-120 on girls, but since birth year move, there are not enough bodies. Any girl that wants to play-up or play travel can do so now. Some really lackluster girls make teams, and the ones cut are truly the ones that are not even decent rec players. The focus is on finding the top 20 anyway.

[Anonymous]

^ yes and instead of doing what other Clubs do—-form less teams when the quality isn’t there. They just take all girls because they get more $.

[Anonymous]

Travel soccer stopped being SELECTIVE years ago. All clubs are pay to play, even the older girls who can now make a myriad of Ecnl or Dev. Acad. teams if they can pay. Arlington is doing nothing different then most by just filling up the ranks of the infrastructure that it offers. Casting a big net is what it is about, not being selective. For girls, travel soccer on the lower 4 teams is really a sort of advanced rec. The red/white are the select teams where quality is an issue.

Don't blame Arlington for supporting 6 teams. Blame parents who will pay the same small fortune to have their daughter be on one of those lower teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Travel soccer stopped being SELECTIVE years ago. All clubs are pay to play, even the older girls who can now make a myriad of Ecnl or Dev. Acad. teams if they can pay. Arlington is doing nothing different then most by just filling up the ranks of the infrastructure that it offers. Casting a big net is what it is about, not being selective. For girls, travel soccer on the lower 4 teams is really a sort of advanced rec. The red/white are the select teams where quality is an issue.

Don't blame Arlington for supporting 6 teams. Blame parents who will pay the same small fortune to have their daughter be on one of those lower teams.

Who cares? Really it does not matter. The only thing that drives me crazy is the parents who can not see the difference in play between teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is what happens with multiple teams from U10 to U11. The A team gets stability, the B team has to rebuild 50% of the team and gets the short end of the stick, and the C team has no stick left.

Roster size increase from U10 to U11, 12 to 16 players - this is what happens:

Example:
3 teams: A, B, C each team has 12 players

U9/U10

A: 12
B: 12
C: 12

U11/U12:

A: 12 original A's + top 4 original B's

B: bottom 8 original B's + top 8 original C's

C: 4 bottom original C's + 12 players pulled up from house/rec

Some clubs fold the C team because it's non-competitive.
This does not factor in players coming into the club from outside, or players who are "playing up" a year coming back down to their age group.

So if you were originally a "B" player for U9/U10 but do not make the A team at U11, beware.

You have the same B team as U10 (minus the 4 best players, which makes a big difference) plus 8 more "C" team players, which greatly lowers the level of the team.

The coach is also an important factor.

This was true for us at the U14 level and it just gets worse. Players start leaving for other clubs and we would be short players at games. We got the inexperienced coaches. No sense of a team anymore because the players keep changing. Definitely find out where the other players are from and consider other options if you are offered a spot on the lower level team and your son is U12 or above.

[Anonymous]

I have not seen anything about BRYC tryouts? Curious how many kids the lower groups are getting since they don’t have league play and how the ECNL teams are going?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have not seen anything about BRYC tryouts? Curious how many kids the lower groups are getting since they don’t have league play and how the ECNL teams are going?

For girls or boys? The links to tryout information are on the home page www.brycsoccer.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is what happens with multiple teams from U10 to U11. The A team gets stability, the B team has to rebuild 50% of the team and gets the short end of the stick, and the C team has no stick left.

Roster size increase from U10 to U11, 12 to 16 players - this is what happens:

Example:
3 teams: A, B, C each team has 12 players

U9/U10

A: 12
B: 12
C: 12

U11/U12:

A: 12 original A's + top 4 original B's

B: bottom 8 original B's + top 8 original C's

C: 4 bottom original C's + 12 players pulled up from house/rec

Some clubs fold the C team because it's non-competitive.
This does not factor in players coming into the club from outside, or players who are "playing up" a year coming back down to their age group.

So if you were originally a "B" player for U9/U10 but do not make the A team at U11, beware.

You have the same B team as U10 (minus the 4 best players, which makes a big difference) plus 8 more "C" team players, which greatly lowers the level of the team.

The coach is also an important factor.

Great write up. We will be a rising U11 team next year. Curious if you see players leave all together at this age group? Could that factor into how teams are built? Also for any existing u11 parents are 16 player rosters common? Seems like allot to have a 7 player bench no? I just assumed it would be a 14 player roster.

[Anonymous]

Excluding goalie:

7v7:
12 players, 6 field players (excluding goalie):
for exactly equal playing time in a 1 hour game, everyone plays 30 minutes

9v9:
16 players, 8 field players (excluding goalie):
for exactly equal playing time in a 1 hour game, everyone plays 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is what happens with multiple teams from U10 to U11. The A team gets stability, the B team has to rebuild 50% of the team and gets the short end of the stick, and the C team has no stick left.

Roster size increase from U10 to U11, 12 to 16 players - this is what happens:

Example:
3 teams: A, B, C each team has 12 players

U9/U10

A: 12
B: 12
C: 12

U11/U12:

A: 12 original A's + top 4 original B's

B: bottom 8 original B's + top 8 original C's

C: 4 bottom original C's + 12 players pulled up from house/rec

Some clubs fold the C team because it's non-competitive.
This does not factor in players coming into the club from outside, or players who are "playing up" a year coming back down to their age group.

So if you were originally a "B" player for U9/U10 but do not make the A team at U11, beware.

You have the same B team as U10 (minus the 4 best players, which makes a big difference) plus 8 more "C" team players, which greatly lowers the level of the team.

The coach is also an important factor.

Great write up. We will be a rising U11 team next year. Curious if you see players leave all together at this age group? Could that factor into how teams are built? Also for any existing u11 parents are 16 player rosters common? Seems like allot to have a 7 player bench no? I just assumed it would be a 14 player roster.

Don’t know how common, but it’s too much in my opinion. At that age my son’s team had 12. Now, playing full field they have 16.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excluding goalie:

7v7:
12 players, 6 field players (excluding goalie):
for exactly equal playing time in a 1 hour game, everyone plays 30 minutes

9v9:
16 players, 8 field players (excluding goalie):
for exactly equal playing time in a 1 hour game, everyone plays 30 minutes.

I like smaller rosters. Kids get better by playing 45 min vs only 30.

Some of our teams have purposely kept small rosters for this reason. Yea—very occasionally we will have no subs on the bench, but the kids LOVE it.

My kid’s U10 team currently has a full team on the bench and just isn’t enough playing time for everyone. These 8/9 year olds could run all day and never get tired.

[Anonymous]

CFC--Cap Hill tryouts the week of May 12th.