Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is CCL not good at U13 and above? Either multiple people or same person multiple times has mentioned this over the past 10 pages. Both on the boys and girls side?

The person is a TROLL that is looking for people like you to take the bait. Doesn't matter which side you take, it has wasted mutliple pages on this board. Most posters here resist posting and just let it die out. But the TROLL will post multiple times pretnedijg to be on both sides. The smart posters ignore and know the debate is meaningless. Eventually the TROLL gets bored and goes back in his hole. In the meantime, it is always a sideshow to enjoy how long the troll will argue back and forth with himself . . .

not baiting anyone just a serious question. I didn't ask why CCL is not the best, I said good. Just trying to understand if competition level is good at that age. It sounds like that it would still be a level above NCSL if my kids are not on an ECNL or DA team. It sounds like it can still get kids exposure. Trying to determine if best for kids to play on top NCSL team or CCL. How about NCSL vs CCLII. Just trying to understand options for my kid. Dang so defensive.

Your question is fair, and I'd ignore the people trying to call out trolls. I personally think a lot of the posters who talk about CCL and NCSL are sincere. You can usually tell by whether the comments at issue seem thoughtful vs. just provocative.

I am not the source of any of the recent comments saying CCL is not good at U13 and above, but I think people say this because it's not going to be your top option if you want your child to have the best shot at being recruited for college. Regardless of the precise order of the leagues, it is generally true that under the current set-up (changing for next year), your child will get a lot of exposure on a boys DA, girls ECNL, National league team, or regional/national ODP team. If you can't make one of those, you want to be on a team that is good enough to place in the upper brackets of top tournaments. There are several teams that play Region 1 and EDP that are in this category (though several of those teams also play National league).

Someone more knowledgeable than I about current CCL and NCSL teams can weigh in on this, but I do not believe there are many (any?) local CCL or NCSL high school age teams playing in top tournament brackets that do not also play in one of the higher level leagues listed above. The best kids with college ambitions tend to gravitate to the best teams they can make, which leaves fewer and fewer talented kids playing on the lower level teams exclusively playing in CCL or NCSL. None of this means your child won't have a chance at playing in college, just that he'll have to do more work on his own to be noticed. A coach isn't going to care at that point if he's on a low level CCL team or a team that plays in another league.

. . . dead horse discussion 4 trolls only

[Anonymous]

^^i think it was the time he spent training with Man U, Barcelona and Bayern that gets the credit. And,possibly, some early coaches at Richmond.

Leagues mean shit for development.

[Anonymous]

This is idiotic. It's bad enough that you think Beach is an ECNL quality level, but putting SOCA in there shows that you're either a troll or just delusional.


Other than call the poster a troll what is your basis to assume the above couldn't compete?

[Anonymous]

-- just learned online that the Southwestern conference is setting up a DA II league between its member DA clubs

* Practice 3x a week, less cost, still national exposure, may allow HS soccer

* Tryouts begin in March out there

-- so far behind in the mid-atlantic -- going to take years to fix and come close to that -- ecnl girls actually have it pretty easy as far as choices and can stay put -- current U-Littles will have the harder choice in several years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your right, Beach and SOCA could easily compete in ECNL or DA. If CCL gets anymore watered down they should leave as well.

This is idiotic. It's bad enough that you think Beach is an ECNL quality level, but putting SOCA in there shows that you're either a troll or just delusional.

Are you the Trump press secretary in real life ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:-- just learned online that the Southwestern conference is setting up a DA II league between its member DA clubs

* Practice 3x a week, less cost, still national exposure, may allow HS soccer

* Tryouts begin in March out there

-- so far behind in the mid-atlantic -- going to take years to fix and come close to that -- ecnl girls actually have it pretty easy as far as choices and can stay put -- current U-Littles will have the harder choice in several years

Interesting. Do you know if this would be a USSF sponsored league like regular DA? Assume the plan is to undercut ECNL if so. For years a lot of DA clubs participated in a pre-academy league that was sponsored by US Club, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:-- just learned online that the Southwestern conference is setting up a DA II league between its member DA clubs

* Practice 3x a week, less cost, still national exposure, may allow HS soccer

* Tryouts begin in March out there

-- so far behind in the mid-atlantic -- going to take years to fix and come close to that -- ecnl girls actually have it pretty easy as far as choices and can stay put -- current U-Littles will have the harder choice in several years

Interesting. Do you know if this would be a USSF sponsored league like regular DA? Assume the plan is to undercut ECNL if so. For years a lot of DA clubs participated in a pre-academy league that was sponsored by US Club, though.

-- understanding is it is a reserve team league,, DA clubs are putting together on their own for the girls on the fringe of DA

(don't think it is happening on the boys side), so it does give a complete package for a girl leaving the success of ECNL for a new venture

-- southwest DAs have it humming and have staffs, money, + outreach -- the big NWSL club here sold koolaid hand shakes and stretched it self too thin with outfits on both sides of the potomac -- it will get fixed probably but be painful -- doubt DAII will have a role here though

-- DAII

[Anonymous]

CCL guy here.

Through U12 CCL is a very good league. Good clubs, good competition. The league is well structured and organized. But, at these younger ages it is best to simply find the right coach and environment for your kid. Don't want to drive to Richmond for a U10 game then find a spot on a team in NCSL. But the point is shop the coach not the league.

At U13 and above you need to shop both coach, team and league a bit more. It depends on your kids actual playing level and their potential. Lots of things happen between 12-14 so finding the right coach is still the priority over league.

If your kid is talented and playing in college is realistic then the exposure that a team can provide via league play and showcases becomes more important. CCL does not offer the same quality of exposure as DA or ECNL.

But chest pounding over what league is what from U9-U14 is a waste of energy because it just doesn't matter, and that means you "I don't like the travel in CCL guy". Don't do it because it doesn't matter one bit in the long run. No College coach ever asked what league your kid played in when they were nine years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CCL guy here.

Through U12 CCL is a very good league. Good clubs, good competition. The league is well structured and organized. But, at these younger ages it is best to simply find the right coach and environment for your kid. Don't want to drive to Richmond for a U10 game then find a spot on a team in NCSL. But the point is shop the coach not the league.

At U13 and above you need to shop both coach, team and league a bit more. It depends on your kids actual playing level and their potential. Lots of things happen between 12-14 so finding the right coach is still the priority over league.

If your kid is talented and playing in college is realistic then the exposure that a team can provide via league play and showcases becomes more important. CCL does not offer the same quality of exposure as DA or ECNL.

But chest pounding over what league is what from U9-U14 is a waste of energy because it just doesn't matter, and that means you "I don't like the travel in CCL guy". Don't do it because it doesn't matter one bit in the long run. No College coach ever asked what league your kid played in when they were nine years old.

I agree with what you wrote. I am a big proponent of best coach/best training and Club/league is irrelevant U9-U12. In fact, we moved to a smaller Club for better training/coaching.

The only caveat is we did lose a year of time. People keep saying blah.blah.blah the birth year thing didn't matter---but it did to those of mapping out our kids' development. For my older son--he made the jump from U10 to U12 effectively wiping out a full year of youth development at a time when league/club didn't matter as much. Now- next year we are already prematurely facing the jump to 11v11 at U-13 even though he will still be 11 years old for most of Fall Season. If he hadn't had to make that jump we would be just a U12 next year without the urgency to trying to decide on league/rank, etc.

Younger son (a U9now) has a full 4-years U-9-U12 before the year U13 jump which is definitely an advantage over the 3 years his older sibling got. My gut is telling me to keep older son where he is and continue with the good training/development until U14 at the earliest. He is also only going to be in 6th grade next Fall--so while he is with most teammates in birth year he is still one of the few teammates not yet in 7th grade next year which also gives him more time until HS. Many of his friends are rushing out to try out for DA at U13 this spring--but I don't think I want that yet for him. He's happy and growing as a player but could start to use a lot more challenge that's my one issue--but that may happen by just moving within the current club.

[Anonymous]

Now that we all cut and pasted from posts 50-100 pages ago, we will all sleep better tonight knowing the full value of CCL . . . until the other guy comes out and argues that his DC has the best caoch and team in the world that his DC ever could imagine, but he is stuck (because it it his club's A team) in the crappy CCL1 league with overnight drives for a 10 year old to play a crappy team in a league game. Can't wait for him to start back up About 8 hours in a car to Roanoke . . . . can't put lipstick on a pig . . . etc.

Where is the elite soccer playing mom to explain to you two bed buddies what matters.

[Anonymous]

^^^^ ignore system coaches clubs leagues
ccl is certainly not a well-structured TRAVEL league if it puts my 6th grader in a car driving that far

skip everyone of those games and go spend time playing soccer with a friend over a tennis net or against a wall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^^ ignore system coaches clubs leagues
ccl is certainly not a well-structured TRAVEL league if it puts my 6th grader in a car driving that far

skip everyone of those games and go spend time playing soccer with a friend over a tennis net or against a wall

Again, you put your kid in the car not CCL. You placed league status above what is best for your kid and family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now that we all cut and pasted from posts 50-100 pages ago, we will all sleep better tonight knowing the full value of CCL . . . until the other guy comes out and argues that his DC has the best caoch and team in the world that his DC ever could imagine, but he is stuck (because it it his club's A team) in the crappy CCL1 league with overnight drives for a 10 year old to play a crappy team in a league game. Can't wait for him to start back up About 8 hours in a car to Roanoke . . . . can't put lipstick on a pig . . . etc.

Where is the elite soccer playing mom to explain to you two bed buddies what matters.

CCL guy again.

Do what is best for your kid and family. Do your friends care that your kid plays in CCL? Does Grammy and Gramps care? So why do YOU do it when I've said AGAIN AND AGAIN that you don't have to. CCL IS a good league but it does not have a monopoly on good players, good coaches or even good teams. But just because CCL is bad for you and your kid doesn't mean that it is bad for every kid.

Just find the best coach you can and stop believing that CCL is something that you will miss out on.

[Anonymous]

DA reserve team for a 30 plus roster at the combined age groups and a 20 plus roster at single age group?....LOL...whatever

DA Ii is a clubs attempt to not lose really good players to other clubs because they can't accommodate all the talent. (Like when 2 supers clubs merge).

[Anonymous]

Better yet...if you are the bottom 5 of a 20 man roster then you are a fringe player anyways...especually with the DA sub rules