s/o: Different play styles between clubs: ASA, McL, Alex, Loudoun

[Anonymous]

This topic came up in the ASA ECNL/Red team movement thread. Thought it was worthy of its own discussion.

Especially for the younger levels, what does each club emphasize in player development?

I'll start: ASA seems to focus on individual ball handling skills and game IQ (player positioning, spreading the field), passing. They are not very physical and there is no emphasis on shooting/kicking (U9).

[Anonymous]

Does asa look for those qualities at tryouts over size? Kids with those qualities seemed to be run over at the free-for-all “scrimmage” tryout that asa holds. No drills whatsoever

[Anonymous]

Does asa look for those qualities at tryouts over size? Kids with those qualities seemed to be run over at the free-for-all “scrimmage” tryout that asa holds. No drills whatsoever

I think they do, because my son has them, and is not a super aggressive player, but still got a very decent non-academy offer after the tryouts. We decided the location was probably not going to work for us, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

None of these clubs are consistent across the club--it varies from coach to coach and team to team. The larger the club the wider the variation. Out of the ones you list Alexandria is probably the most consistent in their approach and the coaches that really buy in push a style so rigid the players turn out to be robots unable to think for themselves. You cannot judge a team based on the club--not in this country.

[Anonymous]

What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?

Alexandria pushes the rigid system of passing the ball to a teammate so the team keeps the ball. LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?

You are living in 2017. They have been getting further and further away from that style each passing year. Their top teams are getting bigger and bigger as they age up and there are a lot more long balls from the back out to corners.

They used to have a pretty strict possession protocol in the younger years which now with so many different coaches I don't see an adherence to. Ironically, some of the 2nd teams play the possession style better than the first because a lot of them were with the Club when they used to teach this style.

I think the ambition for bigger and better leagues and necessity to have to win to draw players and prestige has let the style go to the wayside a bit.

[Anonymous]

Out of the ones you list Alexandria is probably the most consistent in their approach and the coaches that really buy in push a style so rigid the players turn out to be robots unable to think for themselves.

I will say that my son's team doesn't seem to consider many other options, but then again, they're the blue team, so they are also not the best group of Alexandria players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?

Alexandria pushes the rigid system of passing the ball to a teammate so the team keeps the ball. LOL

Um, isn't that how successful soccer is played? Or maybe you were laughing at the same point. Anyway, not an ASA parent here, but we've played against them in u-little and they seem to have a good style that, yes, involves passing the ball lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?

Alexandria pushes the rigid system of passing the ball to a teammate so the team keeps the ball. LOL

Um, isn't that how successful soccer is played? Or maybe you were laughing at the same point. Anyway, not an ASA parent here, but we've played against them in u-little and they seem to have a good style that, yes, involves passing the ball lol.

That’s Alexis it all changes as soon as the really coaches get them at u13. They try to play direct but it just becomes kick ball with players doing whatever they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?

Alexandria pushes the rigid system of passing the ball to a teammate so the team keeps the ball. LOL

They used to play a system where the kids played in very set patterns. Yes it was definitely about passing - but the kids had little flexibility to create. It was very much about having a set of tightly defined rules about how you play out of the back, where kids move, exactly what their options are etc. There wasn't much taught about recognizing what the other team might be doing and changing tactics to adapt.

No idea if it's still this way or not.

[Anonymous]

I believe Alexandria focuses on positional play, not strictly possession. There is a difference and at the early years, they are just learning it, so it looks a lot like strict possession play.

[Anonymous]

What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?


Alexandria pushes the rigid system of passing the ball to a teammate so the team keeps the ball. LOL


They used to play a system where the kids played in very set patterns. Yes it was definitely about passing - but the kids had little flexibility to create. It was very much about having a set of tightly defined rules about how you play out of the back, where kids move, exactly what their options are etc. There wasn't much taught about recognizing what the other team might be doing and changing tactics to adapt.

No idea if it's still this way or not.

It is still that way at U12 at least. My child's team is unable to adapt to handle teams that kick the ball as hard as they can across the field and run - not saying we should necessarily be able to beat them, but how about keeping our defenders further back, since we know this is coming?

[Anonymous]

They used to play a system where the kids played in very set patterns. Yes it was definitely about passing - but the kids had little flexibility to create. It was very much about having a set of tightly defined rules about how you play out of the back, where kids move, exactly what their options are etc. There wasn't much taught about recognizing what the other team might be doing and changing tactics to adapt.

No idea if it's still this way or not.


It is still that way at U12 at least. My child's team is unable to adapt to handle teams that kick the ball as hard as they can across the field and run - not saying we should necessarily be able to beat them, but how about keeping our defenders further back, since we know this is coming?

And no, it is not some crafty strategy to hold them offsides. It is an inability to adapt to handle opponent's style of play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What is the rigid style Alexandria pushes?


Alexandria pushes the rigid system of passing the ball to a teammate so the team keeps the ball. LOL


They used to play a system where the kids played in very set patterns. Yes it was definitely about passing - but the kids had little flexibility to create. It was very much about having a set of tightly defined rules about how you play out of the back, where kids move, exactly what their options are etc. There wasn't much taught about recognizing what the other team might be doing and changing tactics to adapt.

No idea if it's still this way or not.

It is still that way at U12 at least. My child's team is unable to adapt to handle teams that kick the ball as hard as they can across the field and run - not saying we should necessarily be able to beat them, but how about keeping our defenders further back, since we know this is coming?

My kid’s U12s team has no problem with this. The players are taught to read when to push or drop in the back, keep spatial integrity and communicate. Whether or not kids read it and implement it is up to them at some point. That’s true on any team at this age.