Bethesda Soccer Plans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It still doesn't answer why two elite players on the oldest Bethesda team left for other ECNL clubs. I believe that the year before, another elite player left for McLean. I have never heard of elite players at other local ECNL clubs leaving for other ECNL clubs. What gives?

“Elite” players switch ECNL clubs every year, especially girls in their last year of club soccer.

Last year, 2 girls from McLean ECNL left to join BSC. It happens to all clubs.

[Anonymous]

Why would anybody switch from Bethesda to fcv and go to practices in Leesburg and play in watered down GAL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would anybody switch from Bethesda to fcv and go to practices in Leesburg and play in watered down GAL

Because they think the college exposure and/or connections are better at FCV not realizing that it is actually 80% footwork of the player and only 20% of coaching connections...and if a player is asked to go to a US ID Camp, the coach of the club hardly matters. Neither Bethesda or FCV have an advantage when it comes to ID Camps. Players from both clubs get selected from being ID'ed by ECNL scouts or coach recommendations.

In other words, it's not really worth the switch unless one or the other is a Top 20 team. Just my 2 cents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It still doesn't answer why two elite players on the oldest Bethesda team left for other ECNL clubs. I believe that the year before, another elite player left for McLean. I have never heard of elite players at other local ECNL clubs leaving for other ECNL clubs. What gives?

Please explain your definition of elite players. Are those elite players you speak of dominating their new teams? If players from the existing oldest team are elite, what would you consider the players on the 01 team now playing in the ACC to be?

[Anonymous]

My DD has played futsal for Gus. I thought he came to Bethesda? Does anyone know if he’s on the coaching slate for next season? With all the diluted teams in VA, I could think of a couple of VA players he has coached that might follow him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD has played futsal for Gus. I thought he came to Bethesda? Does anyone know if he’s on the coaching slate for next season? With all the diluted teams in VA, I could think of a couple of VA players he has coached that might follow him.

He does clinics there. Not sure if he has a team. You can see all the teams coaches by age on their website.

[Anonymous]

I know elite FCV players that would follow him to Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Gus has Girls U15 Bethesda Blue. He also coaches teams at Great Falls.

[Anonymous]

Right now he coaches teams with Great falls

[Anonymous]

The players that left were certainly not elite. Older players move all the time and players in particular in their jr and sr year of high school often leave for a variety of reasons.

[Anonymous]

Players don’t regularly leave their clubs in junior and senior year of high school. Sorry but that is not normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Players don’t regularly leave their clubs in junior and senior year of high school. Sorry but that is not normal.

Let me explain to you how this works and hopefully it can bring some clarity to what you believe.

So players do switch often in Junior and Senior years. More often than most, it will be a club's top player or others who have already committed to a certain college or university. You see, once committed, a player no longer has loyalty to a certain club. This player may then decide I want to go play with my friends at FCV, Bethesda, MD United or McLean and Vice Versa. The other choice would be that they want to go play for the best club team in the area. Remember, these kids can now drive themselves. Others may decide they are happy where they are at.

As for the 6th and 7th step players and beyond, they likely have not committed and are looking at D2 and D3 colleges. It will be much tougher for these players to switch clubs, contact College Coaches, so on, so forth. That is why there hands are pretty much tied to a club through at least Junior year if not the Fall Senior season.

Same thing happens on the Boys side but they want to join the best team they can rather just play with friends.

Again, this is normally only the Elite Players or Committed players who transfer. If we are talking players who are still looking for colleges and leave a club, then yes, something is probably wrong.

[Anonymous]

I know for a fact every top BSC team from 08 to 04 lost players to other clubs this past year. You can make the argument the 06 team is so good some needed to leave but the rest (especially 07 and 08) have relatively small teams. To KL's credit he doesnt put kids on the top team who cant play on them. To his detriment he is unable to keep his mouth shut and drives away players thus keeping rosters small. Were the kids who left the top of teams no. Were they good enough to play on ECNL teams, unequivocally yes. Soccer is not end all be all for even 90% of the kids on the top team but they all are college level players (even if lower d1 or d2 or 3 schools. There is a problem there. We shall see how it unfolds over the next couple years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know for a fact every top BSC team from 08 to 04 lost players to other clubs this past year. You can make the argument the 06 team is so good some needed to leave but the rest (especially 07 and 08) have relatively small teams. To KL's credit he doesnt put kids on the top team who cant play on them. To his detriment he is unable to keep his mouth shut and drives away players thus keeping rosters small. Were the kids who left the top of teams no. Were they good enough to play on ECNL teams, unequivocally yes. Soccer is not end all be all for even 90% of the kids on the top team but they all are college level players (even if lower d1 or d2 or 3 schools. There is a problem there. We shall see how it unfolds over the next couple years.

I get the sense there would be a good number of existing players seeking transfers for next season (to Pipeline, McLean, FCV), but may still show up for BSC tryouts because they don't want to get railroaded for the remainder of this season. Most were already "threatened" this season if they even think of playing high school soccer. If an adult thinks 14 year olds are on the same page with them pertaining to their dedication to soccer, he/she may be in for some surprises when they need them the most on the field at the older age groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know for a fact every top BSC team from 08 to 04 lost players to other clubs this past year. You can make the argument the 06 team is so good some needed to leave but the rest (especially 07 and 08) have relatively small teams. To KL's credit he doesnt put kids on the top team who cant play on them. To his detriment he is unable to keep his mouth shut and drives away players thus keeping rosters small. Were the kids who left the top of teams no. Were they good enough to play on ECNL teams, unequivocally yes. Soccer is not end all be all for even 90% of the kids on the top team but they all are college level players (even if lower d1 or d2 or 3 schools. There is a problem there. We shall see how it unfolds over the next couple years.

The couple people constantly trying to stir up trouble really need to get a life. All teams lose players. They also gain them. BSC ECNL 08s had their top player move to New Jersey and she made PDA’s top ECNL team, but the 08s also gained new players. The 07s lost a couple players to Bordeaux, but that is a couple notches below ECNL. The 07s also picked up a player who started for McLean’s ECNL team and another from Europe. The 06s lost a couple players, but mainly because they added most of the Rush team that was one of the top teams in MD at that age group. I could go on, but you get the point.