Arlington to McLean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent on a a mid/upper higher age girls Arl team, they definitely promote from within. Our team has had multiple players move every single year from U10 upward. Not all have stayed together and they def use merit to promote. We have friends also on top teams and say same. Both upward and downward. Arl has tons of talent in specific age groups for girls.

Boys side- they almost never cut or demote ECNL players no matter their performance.

Former boys ecnl parent: this is true. Even when it was painfully obvious the level of skills was much lower, none of the boys were ever cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Maryland resident whose kid plays in VA, seeing all this whining about commuting WITHIN ARLINGTON is hilarious

As a VA resident who works in Maryland, a reminder that we are mostly talking about commuting for *kids’ soccer practices*, not for work. And also not for an occasional cross-state game.

If you’ve voluntarily chosen to be a Maryland resident who enrolled their kid in a VA travel soccer club and therefore has a commute time similar to my NoVA to MoCo *work* commute, except you’re doing it for a 1 hour 3x weekly U12 soccer practice and *not* to get a paycheck, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your priorities.

If you meant that once a month or so you have to haul out to VA for a travel game…that’s not the topic at hand, but welcome to the club, I guess?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent on a a mid/upper higher age girls Arl team, they definitely promote from within. Our team has had multiple players move every single year from U10 upward. Not all have stayed together and they def use merit to promote. We have friends also on top teams and say same. Both upward and downward. Arl has tons of talent in specific age groups for girls.

Boys side- they almost never cut or demote ECNL players no matter their performance.

Former boys ecnl parent: this is true. Even when it was painfully obvious the level of skills was much lower, none of the boys were ever cut.

Omg! So true.

[Anonymous]

On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Maryland resident whose kid plays in VA, seeing all this whining about commuting WITHIN ARLINGTON is hilarious

As a VA resident who works in Maryland, a reminder that we are mostly talking about commuting for *kids’ soccer practices*, not for work. And also not for an occasional cross-state game.

If you’ve voluntarily chosen to be a Maryland resident who enrolled their kid in a VA travel soccer club and therefore has a commute time similar to my NoVA to MoCo *work* commute, except you’re doing it for a 1 hour 3x weekly U12 soccer practice and *not* to get a paycheck, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your priorities.

If you meant that once a month or so you have to haul out to VA for a travel game…that’s not the topic at hand, but welcome to the club, I guess?

Another MD resident with a VA club kid here... it takes us literally 30 minutes. "Re-evaluate your priorities?" Get over yourself lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Maryland resident whose kid plays in VA, seeing all this whining about commuting WITHIN ARLINGTON is hilarious

As a VA resident who works in Maryland, a reminder that we are mostly talking about commuting for *kids’ soccer practices*, not for work. And also not for an occasional cross-state game.

If you’ve voluntarily chosen to be a Maryland resident who enrolled their kid in a VA travel soccer club and therefore has a commute time similar to my NoVA to MoCo *work* commute, except you’re doing it for a 1 hour 3x weekly U12 soccer practice and *not* to get a paycheck, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your priorities.

If you meant that once a month or so you have to haul out to VA for a travel game…that’s not the topic at hand, but welcome to the club, I guess?

Another MD resident with a VA club kid here... it takes us literally 30 minutes. "Re-evaluate your priorities?" Get over yourself lol

Not everyone has time to drive 30 minutes to a practice, wait 75 minutes, then drive 25 minutes back home. And this is three times per week.

[Anonymous]

ECNL coaches IMO have an opinion that kids playing in ECNL RL or equivalent can't adjust to the speed of play in an ECNL league game. And once they are U15 - the door to ECNL is closed to outsiders. IMO!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

No idea. It makes you wonder what power some parents have. My kid is high school age and it’s crazy. Some clearly don’t belong there (ecnl team) anymore.

[Anonymous]

It’s important to get into a club with an ECNL team at a young age. My DC’s ECNL team has at least half of the team made up of the same kids from their u10 team, which was the top team at the time. They just moved up together as a block.

I have heard this is the same at most clubs these days, with only a few additions/replacements each year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: It’s important to get into a club with an ECNL team at a young age. My DC’s ECNL team has at least half of the team made up of the same kids from their u10 team, which was the top team at the time. They just moved up together as a block.

I have heard this is the same at most clubs these days, with only a few additions/replacements each year.

Think about that in a region this big...it's civil service protection which is crazy once they get past age 14.

So basically from ages 8-9 you have the same kids being passed forward even though we know development is not linear. It is all over the map. Some kids are stars at 8 and suck at 15. Some are big at 10 and tiny at 15. There are lots of ups and downs and backward movements.

I like the way our team developed (a few ended up on the national team)--there was the A team and the B team and it really was in and out, in and out over time. You weren't exiled never to be bumped up and your place was never guaranteed on the top team. You were always fighting for that spot and it was understood in the younger years--sometimes you needed to be down to develop if you were growing later, etc.--but it wasn't a closed door.

Not every club is so static. Some actually are upset because it's the opposite--clean slate every year with no opportunity to build. But when they have had U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U13---you have already had 5 full years with the same kids--once you get into the U14+--it needs to be the best player and not about seniority or 'time in service' or who you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Maryland resident whose kid plays in VA, seeing all this whining about commuting WITHIN ARLINGTON is hilarious

As a VA resident who works in Maryland, a reminder that we are mostly talking about commuting for *kids’ soccer practices*, not for work. And also not for an occasional cross-state game.

If you’ve voluntarily chosen to be a Maryland resident who enrolled their kid in a VA travel soccer club and therefore has a commute time similar to my NoVA to MoCo *work* commute, except you’re doing it for a 1 hour 3x weekly U12 soccer practice and *not* to get a paycheck, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your priorities.

If you meant that once a month or so you have to haul out to VA for a travel game…that’s not the topic at hand, but welcome to the club, I guess?

Sussed him out did you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

Def not Arlington policy on the girls side. They take in new kids every year and not just 1-2, several new players every year. It really depends on the team and their performance. There are kids getting cut every year and there’s usually at least 1 (if not more) move up from Red.

The speed of play is real though between ECNL and ECRL. Not that they can’t eventually adjust to it but I’ve seen girls that got moved up struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It’s important to get into a club with an ECNL team at a young age. My DC’s ECNL team has at least half of the team made up of the same kids from their u10 team, which was the top team at the time. They just moved up together as a block.

I have heard this is the same at most clubs these days, with only a few additions/replacements each year.

Think about that in a region this big...it's civil service protection which is crazy once they get past age 14.

So basically from ages 8-9 you have the same kids being passed forward even though we know development is not linear. It is all over the map. Some kids are stars at 8 and suck at 15. Some are big at 10 and tiny at 15. There are lots of ups and downs and backward movements.

I like the way our team developed (a few ended up on the national team)--there was the A team and the B team and it really was in and out, in and out over time. You weren't exiled never to be bumped up and your place was never guaranteed on the top team. You were always fighting for that spot and it was understood in the younger years--sometimes you needed to be down to develop if you were growing later, etc.--but it wasn't a closed door.

Not every club is so static. Some actually are upset because it's the opposite--clean slate every year with no opportunity to build. But when they have had U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U13---you have already had 5 full years with the same kids--once you get into the U14+--it needs to be the best player and not about seniority or 'time in service' or who you know.

What the hell unicorn fantasy club is this and how do I get my kids in it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

No idea. It makes you wonder what power some parents have. My kid is high school age and it’s crazy. Some clearly don’t belong there (ecnl team) anymore.

Has anyone ever asked coaches or club staff directly? Like generally asking why every player on my kids’ team has been moved up year after year, even the ones that kinda suck (presumably without naming names.)