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Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss
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Anonymous
So Loudoun girls not doing FCV DA will stay at Loudoun and not migrate to Spirit? I heard a couple different rumors suggestions otherwise. Anyone got a feel for this? |
Anonymous
The age group does make a difference, but as discussed previously in this thread there is not much of a difference in quality between DC United and the non-MLS DA teams, unlike in most other areas. You should definitely check out some games at whatever DA you are thinking about to see what you think about the style of play. You may want to think about DC United or another MLS academy (some have residential programs) for later high school years if your kid wants to go pro and has a shot of practicing with the first team, but no need to worry about that when you are starting out. In terms of your concerns about other sports, a lot of DA players continue to play rec basketball and other sports in winter throughout high school. It's harder to do in fall or spring, and you'd need to have a very flexible coach for the secondary team. Eventually it becomes too much time and wear and tear for most, but at the younger age groups it may be manageable. Other things to think/ask questions about are travel logistics. This is not a big deal for U12, as they stay pretty local. The range looks like it is from Richmond to Ellicott City. For U13 it's Richmond to NJ. I don't think there are any showcases for those ages. From U14 onward, there will be games as far as NY and two showcases (Winston Salem or Florida, plus Indiana or TX in recent years) a year, plus a tournament or two for some teams. You'll want to know if the club arranges for buses for the kids to the away games, and how much that will cost. If they don't bus, you need to think about carpools unless you are prepared for road trips. I recommend that you go to this page, and click on the club and age group you are considering: http://www.ussoccerda.com/all-clubs This will help you visualize what your kid's schedule would be like, though they don't have the end of year showcase listed yet. One other thing to think about is your child's ability to balance the time commitment with school work. The balance gets increasingly difficult in high school. Practices tend to be two hours long, four nights a week plus there's the travel time to and from home. That doesn't leave a lot of leisure time, and there will be weekends where the kids might have two away games and be gone from Friday afternoon through Sunday night. My son is up until at least 11:00 most school nights trying to get things done, and I think he's fairly efficient with his time. He's loved his DA experience overall, and it's definitely great for college recruitment, but he's had less time to hang out with non-soccer friends than he'd like. |
Anonymous
ODP is a path to exposure but only at the highest levels. The list of coaches at the Boca Raton interregional event is better than most tournaments, and with fewer games being played, players have a much better chance of being noticed. http://tournaments.usyouthsoccer.org/events/2016-ODP-Girls-Interregional/coaches/ |
Anonymous
This is where rumors are useless. If they did not already try out for Spirit then they cannot simply "decide" that that is where they will now play. They have to tryout so I'm sure if a kid wants to play in DA then then they will tryout at Spirit at the next available opportunity. If they have an offer from Spirit and they did not get one from FCV AND they really want to play in DA then off to Spirit they will go. At the end of the day, each kid has their unique circumstance and unique logistics to sort out. This is not a "Team" thing but a player and family decision. |
Anonymous
Here is a link to the college scouts at an ECNL showcase: ECNL: 404 scouts ODP: 42 scouts https://ecnl.wufoo.com/reports/college-scout-attendance-ecnl-sanford/ Not saying that ODP doesn't have its place. But you cant compare the exposure in realistic terms. Its on a different level. Plus, ECNL girls don't play ODP |
Anonymous
I wouldn't even consider a non-MLS DA prior to U14. The training is not any different (just more days) than your regular Club team. In fact, all of the coaches were regular league coaches in the area for many, many years. You should ask around. Some of these coaches have coached at many different Clubs in the DMV. Some good, some not so much with many complaints--and they moved a lot. You always hear somebody say 'oh the training will be much higher'---but that is an assumption without ever having seen it and knowing very little about the coach and their style. My concern below U14 would be that you'd have little ability to supplement the training in a way you like--individually, etc. Also, I'd be concerned about burn out for kids going into at 11 years old. Check out the practices. If it is already your home club, that's one thing. If you are going to be in traffic 4 nights a week I'd do more research. |
Anonymous
What about number of scouts at CCL Showcases? A couple have mentioned that no one cares for CCL but there must be some interest. |
Anonymous
The number of college coaches attending is not relevant to the player. What is relevant to the player is that the Coaches where the player hopes to attend college show upon the players request. Also, 42 coaches at a ODP Regional event where there are only 4 teams per age group playing is massive long form exposure. College coaches like the ODP events because they get a chance to see kids play with other high level players who are not their regular teammates and in a system that they are just learning. |
Anonymous
Ok  Everyone knows ODP is a money maker and there are better avenues.
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Anonymous
false plenty of ECNL players in ODP but they do tend to come out in smaller numbers as they get older -- they get busy or get frustrated at not making the Region 1 pool -- but that happens to non-ECNL players also and there are lots of ENCL players in ODP from other states/regions just because your ECNL team discourages ODP doesn't mean that the entire populationof ENCL does also |
Anonymous
Lol...very very small percent. |
Anonymous
Will those United players continue to stick with FCV when the Loudoun players leapfrog them into the open DA spots? |
Anonymous
Where does the state odp team play fall in this? Elite enough of a seperarion, or just another money maker not much different then the terrible district training VYSA foists on all too eager parents? i have the impression that making the Reg. 1 pool and doing those events is worth the cost, and that the exposure is as good or better then being a starter on an ECNL squad (some of course debate these two), but what about the state team? - have been told that if your journey ends in that pool, then odp not worth doing year in and year out, and better to have found an ECNL team you could start on? is there any agreement here on that? . . . |
Anonymous
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Has Spirit made any offer yet for VA?
Is the VDA (VSA/PWSI) group full yet? Is FCV done with offers? Are these rosters posted anywhere? Or will they be? |
Anonymous
Yes Yes Yes |