Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting news here: Lee-Mount Vernon is taking Annandale's place in the Club Champions League --

http://www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs/youth-boys/lee-mount-vernon-sc-joins-club-champions-league/?loc=psw

I'm a little surprised. Lee-Mount Vernon is a nice club that does a lot of things the right way. Interesting to see their ambitions changing.

Why did Annandale leave, anyone know? I'm still not sure what I think about CCL or whether it offers anything better than WAGS/NCSL plus regional leagues at the older ages would. Same for ASL--it's all so confusing trying to keep track of the various leagues nowadays.

I definitely think that at the younger ages a lot of the strongest teams are not in CCL.

But then the CCL clubs just recruit players (or entire teams) from the other clubs by the time they're U14s. Because that's how you develop players within your own club, or something.

[Anonymous]

Loudoun expanding into Sterling, names coach to lead effort:

http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/loudoun-soccer-adds-lucas-cook-to-coaching-staff-to-oversee-sterling-expansion/

Also today, VYS named a partner with Washington Spirit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loudoun expanding into Sterling, names coach to lead effort:

http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/loudoun-soccer-adds-lucas-cook-to-coaching-staff-to-oversee-sterling-expansion/

Also today, VYS named a partner with Washington Spirit.

If Loudoun is serious, that may spell the end of SYSA. It may also adversely impact Herndon.

For the Washington Spirit partnership, isn't that available to any club willing to make the required donation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loudoun expanding into Sterling, names coach to lead effort:

http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/loudoun-soccer-adds-lucas-cook-to-coaching-staff-to-oversee-sterling-expansion/

Also today, VYS named a partner with Washington Spirit.

If Loudoun is serious, that may spell the end of SYSA. It may also adversely impact Herndon.

For the Washington Spirit partnership, isn't that available to any club willing to make the required donation?

On the latter, not sure. Just glad to see more clubs partnering with the pros. I still can't believe the local youth soccer community couldn't come up with anyone to buy the Washington Freedom and keep that team here. Myopia to the extreme.

On the former -- yeah, and Loudoun's already HUGE. Maybe one day we'll just have Bethesda/Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington/Alexandria and PWSI.

[Anonymous]

I was peeking at ODSL today, and I was a little surprised that Reston and FPYC don't have many teams entered. Why is that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was peeking at ODSL today, and I was a little surprised that Reston and FPYC don't have many teams entered. Why is that?

I think they just don't have many travel teams.

[Anonymous]

Good travel players in Reston play for MCLean and good travel players in FPYC's "area" play for BRYC. Which explains why you would not see many Reston or FPYC teams in higher divisions of WAGS or NCSL. Not sure why those areas could not field ODSL level teams however. Rec all-star teams would do very well in top ODSL divisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good travel players in Reston play for MCLean and good travel players in FPYC's "area" play for BRYC. Which explains why you would not see many Reston or FPYC teams in higher divisions of WAGS or NCSL. Not sure why those areas could not field ODSL level teams however. Rec all-star teams would do very well in top ODSL divisions.

Exactly. Do they not have enough players? They could surely make some teams out of all the players who don't make the cut at the larger clubs that have 80-some people trying out for four travel teams. They wouldn't be great teams, but they wouldn't be any worse than some of the existing ODSL teams.

[Anonymous]

Both of those clubs send their rec teams to SFL at u11. I checked the SFL team listings for boys and Reston only has 1 or 2 teams at each age group. So Reston would probably not have enough soccer players to create an ODSL team at most age groups for boys. FPYC on the other hand has 3-5 teams per age group in boys SFL which is more than enough players to form a competent ODSL team if 12-15 parents in an age group are willing to take on the slightly higher cost, travel and commitment of travel soccer. If you were thinking about girls rather than boys you can do the same exercise based on the list of girls SFL teams in each age group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good travel players in Reston play for MCLean and good travel players in FPYC's "area" play for BRYC. Which explains why you would not see many Reston or FPYC teams in higher divisions of WAGS or NCSL. Not sure why those areas could not field ODSL level teams however. Rec all-star teams would do very well in top ODSL divisions.

At younger ages, this is not true with regard to FPYC and BRYC. The top travel squads at FPYC in U9-U12 are better than BRYC's Elite squads. FPYC has a smaller travel program and all travel squads (2 each at U9 and 10) play in NCSL. I think FPYC could field ODSL teams but chooses to run a small, competitive travel program (more than half the kids who tried out for U9 last year didn't make it). Maybe some of FPYC kids go to the BRYC Elite Academy, though, because many of those kids didnt come up through BRYC rec. Most of the best kids coming up through BRYC's Rex program are currently playing on the ODSL teams run through BRYC's Rec arm, for some reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's funny when you're called out for posting anonymously by someone who's doing the same.

But to give one example without naming names, Eddie actually questioned the placement of one parent's child at a board meeting when the parent started asking questions. If you know people active in the club, you should be able to find out to whom I'm referencing, And if you don't know anyone active in the club, that would explain a lot about why you think Eddie is so great.

In the travel program, there are numerous other examples of players being placed on teams either above or below where they should have been based on the parent's relationship with Eddie and the other professional staff. You can tell if an AGC had a good relationship with Eddie by seeing if their child is playing on a team above their level.

Gosh, where to start. I don't think it is worth trying to round up all of the relevant quotes, so I just grabbed this one, since it is pretty recent.

With respect to Eddie, my son had contact with him through the VA ODP state pool, where he was one of the staff coaches.

Eddie was one of the better ones, and was less political than most, meaning that he didn't favor players from the big clubs as much as some did.

I only saw what he did at VYS from a distance, even though my daughter plays there. Which makes sense of course, since the proper role of a technical director is to set the tone/course for the overall program.
It seems to me that he was implementing a lot of the right things to encourage player development.

I don't know the details of why he is moving on, but it is unfortunate that it has been so acrimonious. I hope Eddie finds a new position that suits him, and that VYS finds a replacement that continues to build on what Eddie started.

Next up—parent volunteers. If you think that travel soccer is expensive, which it is, think about how much it would cost if parents did NOT volunteer.

For three years, I was the team manager (meaning I handled all administrative duties), team treasurer, equipment manager, and certified referee. Another parent was assistant coach. We had a paid coach/trainer. I probably averaged six hours per week spent on team-related duties, and we played and practiced year around. The assistant coach put in an equal amount of time. Now, what was the chance that our sons would not make the team when we had tryouts? That's right—zero. But neither of us really asked for our roles—we just agreed to take on what needed to be done so that the team could carry on. And when I left, someone else stepped in to keep things going.
And that is what is going on with 90%+ of the parent volunteers out there. They are doing what needs to be done to improve the experience for the kids. And yes, there is a little bit of self interest involved as a trade-off for a lot of free labor.

If you want to volunteer to help your kid's chances of making a team, staying on a team, or whatever, then by all means do so—I very much doubt you will be turned down. I am not asking for kudos for having volunteered, I am just pointing out that volunteers are needed, and that the opportunity is there for all parents to get involved.

Also, if your kid doesn't make the team of your choice, that is not in fact the end of the world.

My son did not get selected for travel the first time he tried out. And he didn't make ODP the first time he tried out. And the first time he went to open tryouts for a USDA team, he got three successive callbacks, but was not offered a slot.

Somehow, though, he survived these experiences—his future was not "ruined". And he did eventually make a travel team, the both northern district and state ODP pools, and he now plays in a USDA program. But even if he was still playing NCSL D4, that would be OK too. He is the one who chose soccer as "his" sport, not me, and he chose to get deadly serious about it. He is chasing his dream, not mine.

With regard to picking a team, every program has its flaws. Big clubs have more resources and a larger player pool to draw from. Smaller clubs usually give their teams more freedom which means more parent influence and involvement. Both can be political. Kids can get lost in big programs. Kids might not get the challenge they need in small programs.

But guess what? If you don't like the one you are in, chances are there are several others close by, and you can try them. Or you can get involved to try and make a difference in a program. Or if your kid is happy where they are, you can just enjoy the journey, whether that is just travel soccer, or high school soccer, or D1 or D3 college soccer.

Ultimately, the ceiling for your kid's ability is determined more by the work they put in on their own, along with their natural talent, than what travel team they played on at U9.

My son played house/rec league through U11, then jumped to a travel team that was mostly NCSL D3 and D4 for the next several years. As I said earlier, he is now in a USDA program. Yes, it would have been easier for him if he started being more serious about soccer a little earlier, but kids can still become good players even they are not practicing four times per week at U7.

Another kid that was in the same program as my son at U8 "chased the carrot" by switching teams regularly (at least four different clubs over eight years). And guess what? He is a very good player too, and will likely play D1 college soccer.
There is no single path to success, at least not in terms of club selection. Hint—lots of hard work coupled with a love of the game is the best place to start.

Last thought—most D1 college programs offer more half and quarter scholarships than full ones. If soccer for your kid is all about a college scholarship, you are far better off having them play house/rec, focus on academics, and save the money you would have spent on travel in a college plan / 529 of your choice.

So shop around for a program that meets the needs of your kid, enjoy the experience, and remember that soccer is game, and it is supposed to be fun. If neither you nor your kid is having fun, try another program, or another sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's funny when you're called out for posting anonymously by someone who's doing the same.

But to give one example without naming names, Eddie actually questioned the placement of one parent's child at a board meeting when the parent started asking questions. If you know people active in the club, you should be able to find out to whom I'm referencing, And if you don't know anyone active in the club, that would explain a lot about why you think Eddie is so great.

In the travel program, there are numerous other examples of players being placed on teams either above or below where they should have been based on the parent's relationship with Eddie and the other professional staff. You can tell if an AGC had a good relationship with Eddie by seeing if their child is playing on a team above their level.

Gosh, where to start. I don't think it is worth trying to round up all of the relevant quotes, so I just grabbed this one, since it is pretty recent.

With respect to Eddie, my son had contact with him through the VA ODP state pool, where he was one of the staff coaches.

Eddie was one of the better ones, and was less political than most, meaning that he didn't favor players from the big clubs as much as some did.

I only saw what he did at VYS from a distance, even though my daughter plays there. Which makes sense of course, since the proper role of a technical director is to set the tone/course for the overall program.
It seems to me that he was implementing a lot of the right things to encourage player development.

I don't know the details of why he is moving on, but it is unfortunate that it has been so acrimonious. I hope Eddie finds a new position that suits him, and that VYS finds a replacement that continues to build on what Eddie started.

Next up—parent volunteers. If you think that travel soccer is expensive, which it is, think about how much it would cost if parents did NOT volunteer.

For three years, I was the team manager (meaning I handled all administrative duties), team treasurer, equipment manager, and certified referee. Another parent was assistant coach. We had a paid coach/trainer. I probably averaged six hours per week spent on team-related duties, and we played and practiced year around. The assistant coach put in an equal amount of time. Now, what was the chance that our sons would not make the team when we had tryouts? That's right—zero. But neither of us really asked for our roles—we just agreed to take on what needed to be done so that the team could carry on. And when I left, someone else stepped in to keep things going.
And that is what is going on with 90%+ of the parent volunteers out there. They are doing what needs to be done to improve the experience for the kids. And yes, there is a little bit of self interest involved as a trade-off for a lot of free labor.

If you want to volunteer to help your kid's chances of making a team, staying on a team, or whatever, then by all means do so—I very much doubt you will be turned down. I am not asking for kudos for having volunteered, I am just pointing out that volunteers are needed, and that the opportunity is there for all parents to get involved.

Also, if your kid doesn't make the team of your choice, that is not in fact the end of the world.

My son did not get selected for travel the first time he tried out. And he didn't make ODP the first time he tried out. And the first time he went to open tryouts for a USDA team, he got three successive callbacks, but was not offered a slot.

Somehow, though, he survived these experiences—his future was not "ruined". And he did eventually make a travel team, the both northern district and state ODP pools, and he now plays in a USDA program. But even if he was still playing NCSL D4, that would be OK too. He is the one who chose soccer as "his" sport, not me, and he chose to get deadly serious about it. He is chasing his dream, not mine.

With regard to picking a team, every program has its flaws. Big clubs have more resources and a larger player pool to draw from. Smaller clubs usually give their teams more freedom which means more parent influence and involvement. Both can be political. Kids can get lost in big programs. Kids might not get the challenge they need in small programs.

But guess what? If you don't like the one you are in, chances are there are several others close by, and you can try them. Or you can get involved to try and make a difference in a program. Or if your kid is happy where they are, you can just enjoy the journey, whether that is just travel soccer, or high school soccer, or D1 or D3 college soccer.

Ultimately, the ceiling for your kid's ability is determined more by the work they put in on their own, along with their natural talent, than what travel team they played on at U9.

My son played house/rec league through U11, then jumped to a travel team that was mostly NCSL D3 and D4 for the next several years. As I said earlier, he is now in a USDA program. Yes, it would have been easier for him if he started being more serious about soccer a little earlier, but kids can still become good players even they are not practicing four times per week at U7.

Another kid that was in the same program as my son at U8 "chased the carrot" by switching teams regularly (at least four different clubs over eight years). And guess what? He is a very good player too, and will likely play D1 college soccer.
There is no single path to success, at least not in terms of club selection. Hint—lots of hard work coupled with a love of the game is the best place to start.

Last thought—most D1 college programs offer more half and quarter scholarships than full ones. If soccer for your kid is all about a college scholarship, you are far better off having them play house/rec, focus on academics, and save the money you would have spent on travel in a college plan / 529 of your choice.

So shop around for a program that meets the needs of your kid, enjoy the experience, and remember that soccer is game, and it is supposed to be fun. If neither you nor your kid is having fun, try another program, or another sport.

Your comments are entirely too rational for this discussion. Please leave.

(For the record -- Eddie's departure isn't acrimonious among the people who are actually responsible. Just out in Anonyland.)

[Anonymous]

And congrats to your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good travel players in Reston play for MCLean and good travel players in FPYC's "area" play for BRYC. Which explains why you would not see many Reston or FPYC teams in higher divisions of WAGS or NCSL. Not sure why those areas could not field ODSL level teams however. Rec all-star teams would do very well in top ODSL divisions.

At younger ages, this is not true with regard to FPYC and BRYC. The top travel squads at FPYC in U9-U12 are better than BRYC's Elite squads. FPYC has a smaller travel program and all travel squads (2 each at U9 and 10) play in NCSL. I think FPYC could field ODSL teams but chooses to run a small, competitive travel program (more than half the kids who tried out for U9 last year didn't make it). Maybe some of FPYC kids go to the BRYC Elite Academy, though, because many of those kids didnt come up through BRYC rec. Most of the best kids coming up through BRYC's Rex program are currently playing on the ODSL teams run through BRYC's Rec arm, for some reason.

My son does not play for any of the clubs mentioned (FPYC/BRYC/Reston/Mclean) so I am not trying to boost or denigrate any club, and my comments about good travel players in Reston and FPYC areas moving to other nearby clubs was directed more at mid/older travel ages, rather than the younger ages. Quite honestly, it is entirely irrelevant at U9-U12 which club's top travel team is "better" as they are playing 7v7 and 8v8 at those ages on half a soccer field. I suspect that there are rec all-star teams and neighborhood teams in some parts of NoVA that could beat both FPYC's and BRYC's top U9 and U10 teams. For that reason, any parent of a motivated 9-11 year old who is choosing a club based on which club currently has the "better" small-sided team is crazy, as those teams are going to add 4-5 new players at U12 or U13 in order to play 11v11.

In my experience with travel soccer (both coaching and parenting) the "good" soccer players and teams at U9/U10/U11 often bear only passing resemblance to the good players and teams at U14, U15, U16. My own child played on the "B" travel team (in ODSL) of a tiny local club until U-11. Fast forward a few years and he is now playing on a state cup finalist team. The younger kids should just enjoy playing soccer while receiving some decent technical training, and parents should not not worry about which clubs' top U9 or U10 team is "better."
If you have a child at U11 or U12 who is seriously committed to soccer and wants to play at the highest levels, then the parents have to look at which clubs have a track record of developing very good players and very good teams at the older ages. That is pretty easy to figure out. One can look on the VYSA website and see that BRYC had 7 teams make the state cup finals in the last year at U13-U18 (boys and girls) and McLean had two teams. FPYC and Reston had none. With those facts in hand, I would understand why parents/players in Reston and Fairfax might move/go to clubs like BRYC and McLean (or other similar clubs), at least at the mid/older travel soccer ages.

Also, while I have no idea whether FPYC's top U9-U11 teams are "better than" BRYC's top teams (NCSL does not use merit based divisions until U12), I have to respectfully disagree when it comes to the U12 teams. Just glancing at the NCSL and CCL websites I see that last season FPYC's U12 team was 4-4-1 in NCSL Div 2 and finished in 6th place (of 10 teams) behind Mountain Road, Ft Washington, Bays, LMVS and Olney. BRYC's top U12 team finished 6-2 and in fourth place in CCL (of 16 teams) behind only Richmond, Arlington and McLean (three of the largest/best clubs in the state). I don't know either team personally and don't know if they have played each other in the last few months, but an objective person looking at that data would not conclude that FPYC's top U12 team is "better than" BRYC's top team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good travel players in Reston play for MCLean and good travel players in FPYC's "area" play for BRYC. Which explains why you would not see many Reston or FPYC teams in higher divisions of WAGS or NCSL. Not sure why those areas could not field ODSL level teams however. Rec all-star teams would do very well in top ODSL divisions.

At younger ages, this is not true with regard to FPYC and BRYC. The top travel squads at FPYC in U9-U12 are better than BRYC's Elite squads. FPYC has a smaller travel program and all travel squads (2 each at U9 and 10) play in NCSL. I think FPYC could field ODSL teams but chooses to run a small, competitive travel program (more than half the kids who tried out for U9 last year didn't make it). Maybe some of FPYC kids go to the BRYC Elite Academy, though, because many of those kids didnt come up through BRYC rec. Most of the best kids coming up through BRYC's Rex program are currently playing on the ODSL teams run through BRYC's Rec arm, for some reason.

My son does not play for any of the clubs mentioned (FPYC/BRYC/Reston/Mclean) so I am not trying to boost or denigrate any club, and my comments about good travel players in Reston and FPYC areas moving to other nearby clubs was directed more at mid/older travel ages, rather than the younger ages. Quite honestly, it is entirely irrelevant at U9-U12 which club's top travel team is "better" as they are playing 7v7 and 8v8 at those ages on half a soccer field. I suspect that there are rec all-star teams and neighborhood teams in some parts of NoVA that could beat both FPYC's and BRYC's top U9 and U10 teams. For that reason, any parent of a motivated 9-11 year old who is choosing a club based on which club currently has the "better" small-sided team is crazy, as those teams are going to add 4-5 new players at U12 or U13 in order to play 11v11.

In my experience with travel soccer (both coaching and parenting) the "good" soccer players and teams at U9/U10/U11 often bear only passing resemblance to the good players and teams at U14, U15, U16. My own child played on the "B" travel team (in ODSL) of a tiny local club until U-11. Fast forward a few years and he is now playing on a state cup finalist team. The younger kids should just enjoy playing soccer while receiving some decent technical training, and parents should not not worry about which clubs' top U9 or U10 team is "better."
If you have a child at U11 or U12 who is seriously committed to soccer and wants to play at the highest levels, then the parents have to look at which clubs have a track record of developing very good players and very good teams at the older ages. That is pretty easy to figure out. One can look on the VYSA website and see that BRYC had 7 teams make the state cup finals in the last year at U13-U18 (boys and girls) and McLean had two teams. FPYC and Reston had none. With those facts in hand, I would understand why parents/players in Reston and Fairfax might move/go to clubs like BRYC and McLean (or other similar clubs), at least at the mid/older travel soccer ages.

Also, while I have no idea whether FPYC's top U9-U11 teams are "better than" BRYC's top teams (NCSL does not use merit based divisions until U12), I have to respectfully disagree when it comes to the U12 teams. Just glancing at the NCSL and CCL websites I see that last season FPYC's U12 team was 4-4-1 in NCSL Div 2 and finished in 6th place (of 10 teams) behind Mountain Road, Ft Washington, Bays, LMVS and Olney. BRYC's top U12 team finished 6-2 and in fourth place in CCL (of 16 teams) behind only Richmond, Arlington and McLean (three of the largest/best clubs in the state). I don't know either team personally and don't know if they have played each other in the last few months, but an objective person looking at that data would not conclude that FPYC's top U12 team is "better than" BRYC's top team.

I appreciate your input with respect to the older age groups. My kid is younger and my personal knowledge is limited to that realm.