VA MD DC Girls soccer - thoughts, opinions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What club around here actually develops its own players

No club does. The club and team are just one piece of the important puzzle. Focus on the good aspects of the club, and try to avoid the bad aspects. Don't be bitter and bail and say all clubs are evil. Don't be a lemming and do everything your club says. Lay low, don't get heavily involved with the politics. Stay on the periphery, because that is where the rest of the puzzle will come from. Training on your own, in other clubs winter programs, in a summer camp or totally unrelated environment, etc., etc. The more you focus on that part of the puzzle, the more you will see development. Even a great team or great coach (something that if you find is of course a HUGE plus) will only take your player so far. The club even less, it is just there as a necessary, sometimes fun, often unfun, pre-requisite to developing with other good players (that often are friends of your player which makes it more "fun") in a lot of cases, but not all cases. I am talking mainly about the development from U8 to maybe U13-14 here. I think other variables come into play when older. But at the younger developing age just try to get as many challenges and experiences from as many different sources as possible. No one club gives you that, and don't buy the hype from the club. It helps if someone in your family understands or played soccer. You will meet a LOT of parents though that do the Buy-In, so as I said just stay on the fringes and don't get all wrapped up with them. Less time with the club's agenda and programming means more time to train, get touches, etc.

I think you will get a lot of different opinions on this from the personalities on this board though. People tend to go to extremes on this subject.

Good post about development. You do need to look out for some of the bad aspects that will hinder development for your kid, no one else is going to do that for you. Is playing time earned from hard work in practice or do certain players get all the playing time no matter what? Our old club would heavily favor players that paid some of the club coaches for training on the side. It was easy to tell which kids were paying the coaches for extra training because they never came off the field, took every free kick, penalty, corner, guest played on older teams, etc. They would give those kids every opportunity at the expense of the rest of the team. There were other kids that did a lot of training from the periphery, and were just as good but were penalized for it. So I would agree to spend your time on the periphery but if it is impacting your kid on the field you need to move teams.

[Anonymous]

How did first weekend of spring soccer go for the girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched FCV. Wasn't impressed. They are very low nationally. None of them getting call ups.

Here are their U14s in action if anyone wants to judge for themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAfrMqUHSs

It's pretty good soccer IMO - keeping in mind the level of opposition is also high. Both teams are organized defensively, marking well and closing down quickly. There isn't a whole of time and space on the ball for anybody.

For all you haters out there - if you are going to post criticism, please also post a video of a same-aged team playing as well or better. Our recollections are often misleading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched FCV. Wasn't impressed. They are very low nationally. None of them getting call ups.

Here are their U14s in action if anyone wants to judge for themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAfrMqUHSs

It's pretty good soccer IMO - keeping in mind the level of opposition is also high. Both teams are organized defensively, marking well and closing down quickly. There isn't a whole of time and space on the ball for anybody.

For all you haters out there - if you are going to post criticism, please also post a video of a same-aged team playing as well or better. Our recollections are often misleading.

I am sure most parents would not like video of their kids posted here without consent. They are children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched FCV. Wasn't impressed. They are very low nationally. None of them getting call ups.

Here are their U14s in action if anyone wants to judge for themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAfrMqUHSs

It's pretty good soccer IMO - keeping in mind the level of opposition is also high. Both teams are organized defensively, marking well and closing down quickly. There isn't a whole of time and space on the ball for anybody.

For all you haters out there - if you are going to post criticism, please also post a video of a same-aged team playing as well or better. Our recollections are often misleading.

I am sure most parents would not like video of their kids posted here without consent. They are children.

All DA games are recorded, consent has already been granted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched FCV. Wasn't impressed. They are very low nationally. None of them getting call ups.

Here are their U14s in action if anyone wants to judge for themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAfrMqUHSs

It's pretty good soccer IMO - keeping in mind the level of opposition is also high. Both teams are organized defensively, marking well and closing down quickly. There isn't a whole of time and space on the ball for anybody.

For all you haters out there - if you are going to post criticism, please also post a video of a same-aged team playing as well or better. Our recollections are often misleading.

I am sure most parents would not like video of their kids posted here without consent. They are children.

Give me a break. The link is to the Washington Spirit Academy"s official YouTube channel.

If anyone had an issue with it, they could ask that it be taken off YouTube. But they don't. Because it's 2018.

I think video is extremely valuable because without it, all you have are opinions. "I've seen FCV play and I wasn't impressed", someone posted.

I could have responded, "Well, I've seen them play and I was impressed," but what's the value in that. The videos are already out there in the public domain. People can watch and judge for themselves.

Look, anybody can talk a good game. "We play a possession style." "We're al about development." Almost every club and coach says that now a days, but very few actually deliver. The only way to truly evaluate those claims is by looking at the product they put on the field, and that does not just mean looking at results.

I have no particular affinity for FCV. The only reason I even came across that video is because I was interested in what Spirit were doing. Having watched videos of a couple of their games however, I have to give credit where it is due. FCV seems to be doing the right things to develop technical and intelligent soccer players, and a lot of that has to do with their style of play. If other clubs in this area want to compete with that, they'd better keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Fcv develops its own players. Most of the weak spots on their DA teams come from the outside players that they took. The club is very tough evaluating their own players for sure. Then they regret it once the season starts because those players don’t play the ‘FcV way’. As a parent from the club for 7 years I’ve watched the games and within minutes been able to pick out players and ask ‘where did they come from’. It’s the decision making, holding the ball for more than 1 touch, large first touches. Things fcv players are taught from the beginning they should or shouldn’t do. Loudoun players and the style hasn’t been a great fit for them... thus Loudoun desire to do their own thing. The Loudoun style of soccer, while very successful, just isn’t the same style.

FCV?!? Prior to their taking over Ashburn soccer club, FCV did not field teams younger than the ECNL age groups.

The current 01s trace their lineage to SYA - and after a 1 year FCV / SYA teaming arrangement - FCV ripped away the players from SYA and went to Ashburn (u12 year for the 01s). I believe U12 was the first time that the current 01s played as FCV.

They may be doing a great job of developing their younger players, But for 03 and above - all the players played U9 under a different organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Fcv develops its own players. Most of the weak spots on their DA teams come from the outside players that they took. The club is very tough evaluating their own players for sure. Then they regret it once the season starts because those players don’t play the ‘FcV way’. As a parent from the club for 7 years I’ve watched the games and within minutes been able to pick out players and ask ‘where did they come from’. It’s the decision making, holding the ball for more than 1 touch, large first touches. Things fcv players are taught from the beginning they should or shouldn’t do. Loudoun players and the style hasn’t been a great fit for them... thus Loudoun desire to do their own thing. The Loudoun style of soccer, while very successful, just isn’t the same style.

FCV?!? Prior to their taking over Ashburn soccer club, FCV did not field teams younger than the ECNL age groups.

The current 01s trace their lineage to SYA - and after a 1 year FCV / SYA teaming arrangement - FCV ripped away the players from SYA and went to Ashburn (u12 year for the 01s). I believe U12 was the first time that the current 01s played as FCV.

They may be doing a great job of developing their younger players, But for 03 and above - all the players played U9 under a different organization.

Agreed 100% Weren't they part of Annandale at one point too? What happened to that?

[Anonymous]

this is true. The old 04/05 team was the first to enter FCV as a U9 group. And there are only 2 of those 04 girls and 4 of those 05 girls still with the club. The players you see in the DA have mostly come from all other places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this is true. The old 04/05 team was the first to enter FCV as a U9 group. And there are only 2 of those 04 girls and 4 of those 05 girls still with the club. The players you see in the DA have mostly come from all other places.

Agree and the poster that keeps saying the DA teams will just a rebadge of the existing teams has no clue. That’s not what happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is true. The old 04/05 team was the first to enter FCV as a U9 group. And there are only 2 of those 04 girls and 4 of those 05 girls still with the club. The players you see in the DA have mostly come from all other places.

Agree and the poster that keeps saying the DA teams will just a rebadge of the existing teams has no clue. That’s not what happens.

the current arlington parents will raise holy hell if their daughters are not placed on the new Arlington DA teams. Could be interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is true. The old 04/05 team was the first to enter FCV as a U9 group. And there are only 2 of those 04 girls and 4 of those 05 girls still with the club. The players you see in the DA have mostly come from all other places.

Agree and the poster that keeps saying the DA teams will just a rebadge of the existing teams has no clue. That’s not what happens.

the current arlington parents will raise holy hell if their daughters are not placed on the new Arlington DA teams. Could be interesting.

Please it will make it all that much more coveted...Suzy is on DA...yes the national team scout told her blah blah...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched FCV. Wasn't impressed. They are very low nationally. None of them getting call ups.

Here are their U14s in action if anyone wants to judge for themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAfrMqUHSs

It's pretty good soccer IMO - keeping in mind the level of opposition is also high. Both teams are organized defensively, marking well and closing down quickly. There isn't a whole of time and space on the ball for anybody.

For all you haters out there - if you are going to post criticism, please also post a video of a same-aged team playing as well or better. Our recollections are often misleading.

I know some of those girls! I'm not sure I would consider either team head and shoulders sbove other top U14 girls club teams. It's too bad the very best girls are so spread between so many teams.

[Anonymous]

How goes the prospective players training with your daughter’s teams? exciting or just meh so far?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How goes the prospective players training with your daughter’s teams? exciting or just meh so far?

I'm not sure what you are really asking here?