This site has excellent women’s soccer coverage.
https://equalizersoccer.com
I haven't listened to the latest podcast yet, but it’s about the NWSL and probably some of the issues you’ve raised.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any real relationship between the Great Falls NPL team and VA Spirit? The website makes it look like some girls move up, but try-outs were separate last year and I haven’t heard of any movement.

Yes. The Spirit VA coaches would like to use Great Falls Reston increasingly as a feeder for the entry level DA teams. That is not to say they won’t take players from other clubs but they actually help coach Great Falls Reston practices.

This will be very good for Spirit VA. They are at a big disadvantage to the established DA clubs in VA because they don't have the feeder. A few other NWSL based DAs are in a similar spot. This relationship helps to level the playing field for them. Given they have been able to have some limited success with a few of their teams with the huge disadvantage they have had, I can imagine they will be a much stronger club going forward. US Soccer wants the NSWL academies to succeed, so I wouldn't bet against them.

Why do you think DC United has done so well then, given that they also don't have a feeder?

Probably because there wasn’t the established national-level league on the boys side when the DA started for them. On the girls side, the DAs are fighting with the established ECNL teams for player and coaching talent. And Northern Virginia is one of the epicenters of that fun battle.

Anonymous wrote:

SpiritVAParent wrote:This is a good idea. I have had children in a variety of clubs and levels of soccer in the area. My DD currently plays for Spirit VA, started with them in their inaugural year. As I’ve said in other posts, the club has both positives and negatives, and whether it is a good fit for you and your family will depend on your DD’s soccer goals and perspectives. My DD—who had the option to move to other high-level clubs after her first year with Spirit—chose to stay because she really enjoys the environment. I’m happy to answer questions that i can.

To give context to your answers, what year is she born in, what position does she play, and what team does she play on?

She is an 04 who generally plays with the U15 team, but who has played up with the U17s on occasion. I’ll keep it at that level of specificity, which I’m sure those of you who have read the more dramatic opinions of other Spirit parents will understand—I’d like to maintain some level of anonymity on the sidelines.

This is a good idea. I have had children in a variety of clubs and levels of soccer in the area. My DD currently plays for Spirit VA, started with them in their inaugural year. As I’ve said in other posts, the club has both positives and negatives, and whether it is a good fit for you and your family will depend on your DD’s soccer goals and perspectives. My DD—who had the option to move to other high-level clubs after her first year with Spirit—chose to stay because she really enjoys the environment. I’m happy to answer questions that i can.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SpiritVAParent wrote:I thought I would follow RSD’s example and own my posts here. I watched my DD’s 04 game against FCV this afternoon. They lost, not a surprise, but not by as much as before. 3-0, and one of the goals was unlucky because the FCV player kicked it out of the keeper’s hands after a save. It looks to me like the defense is working well, the midfield is shaky, and the forwards are not effective. My DD tells me the coaching has been focused on the back and is moving forward. They’ll still contend for last place in the division, but the team is improving and holding their own agains a very talented FCV team. I’d like to see them play Mclean or BRYC or another ECNL team in a scrimmage.

This post is misleading. I watched the game as well and the FCV goalkeeper had to make one save and that was on a long free kick right to her. WS, smartly, packed it in and that kept the score down. WS do play a nice brand of soccer but the tale
nt just isn't there yet.

I noticed that too, but if you say that here, there is a couple of Spirit parents that will jump up and down and cry foul and just say you hate Spirit, rather than acknowledge the lack of talent in the club. Maybe down the road, they will recruit better.

No Spirit parent has ever made the case that their current overall talent is at the level of FCV or other established clubs. Notice how nobody attacked the assertion that you replied to.

Hi, everyone. Original post was mine — i think there are two irate Spirit VA parents posting, one who feels hoodwinked about roster size and one who is upset about others playing up. Here’s a different Spirit VA parent perspective: My DD loves it. She and I know very well that they are at the tail end of the player talent pool right now, given the established clubs and teams theyr’e competing with. But I think the club is also at the very high end of the coaching talent pool. As I said in my original post, for the 04s, it seems that the defense is working. well, the midfield has one or two standout players and needs more cohesion, and the attack is messy. They need a real striker or two, which can be said about basically every team that loses more games than it wins. One of the reasons I decided to own my posts was because I think Spirit VA is certainly imperfect, but has a lot to offer. It is neither AMAZING nor HORRIBLE, but another good option in a crowded girls’ soccer area, depending on what your family’s and your DD’s priorities are.

I thought I would follow RSD’s example and own my posts here. I watched my DD’s 04 game against FCV this afternoon. They lost, not a surprise, but not by as much as before. 3-0, and one of the goals was unlucky because the FCV player kicked it out of the keeper’s hands after a save. It looks to me like the defense is working well, the midfield is shaky, and the forwards are not effective. My DD tells me the coaching has been focused on the back and is moving forward. They’ll still contend for last place in the division, but the team is improving and holding their own agains a very talented FCV team. I’d like to see them play Mclean or BRYC or another ECNL team in a scrimmage.