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C3PO wrote:My 14 year old son has had what seems to me an insane amount of injuries during soccer over the past year. He has broken a bone, got a concussion, fractured a growth plate, and had some horrible bruises. Is this just what soccer is? Or is something wrong? My sport growing up was baseball, so I don't really know.


Is your son small for a 14 year old? Did he get the injuries from practice or in games? If he's smaller obviously more injuries can occur especially as it gets more physical in U14/U15. Some players like to pull and shove other players and if the ref isn't calling this, then someone is bound to get hurt. My daughter is on the smaller side and some players just throw their body into her to take the ball away. Most of the time the ref calls a foul, but sometimes the ref's won't call anything. She got a concussion from hitting the back of her head on the turf after a player bulldozed her. That's the thing, if ref's don't call the pulling and arm use early in the game someone's gonna get hurt.
OP - Not surprised, whenever Summer tournaments come up some clubs forget how to coordinate. Who was coordinating the administrative stuff during the season? Also, what club are you talking about?
You should contact the club for this information. Sometimes clubs will have showcase event detail on their website. Looks like GFRSC is in NCSL and ECNL. I don't know if NCSL has showcases, but I know ECNL has showcases starting at U14 so it would depend on the GFRSC coach/team if they plan to attend a showcase. So as mentioned contact the club for more information.
dcummins wrote:Happy for my kid to move on from ECNL to MLSNext. The ECNL team was just toxic with too much parent involvement to the point where some players were only on the team because a parent and the coach played soccer in college together. This parent would recommend B/C players from other clubs to workout with the team and some were brought on. There was definitely lots of favoritism and double standards. For example, prior to this season, one kid was injured half the season and the coach moved him to the b team the next season. The same thing happened this season to one of the favored kids who was injured the 2nd half of the season. The coach kept him on the ECNL team for next season. Both boys were about the same skill level, but yet somehow the favored kid is still on the team. So glad to get my kid out of that environment and move on cause he regressed under this coach.


So which ECNL team are you talking about? If it's a NoVA or MD team, then it's either Maryland United, Arlington, BRYC, VA Union, Loudon, Celtic or Pipeline. I can understand where you're coming from it's always a good feeling to leave a toxic environment.

My DD was in an environment where the coach preached that attending practice, working hard in practice, showing your focused will get you a start on the weekend game, but that was a bunch of bs. He would always start certain players. It's annoying when coaches say they're going to do something at the start of the year and do the exact opposite. And as a parent you can't really say anything cause you don't know how it will affect your kid.
novasoccer15324 wrote:you don't go to ID clinics in order to get discovered. You send the coaches highlights in advance, if they take an interest, then you go. If no interest, don't expect much other than "a fun and competitive environment for each player to develop their technical skills and to apply those skills to game situations"


I guess that's one way, but if your kid isn't a sophomore after June 15 colleges can't reply to you if you send in video highlights. There's a lot of soccer talent in this area and if your kid wants to play college soccer and has the grades it might be in your son's interest to attend for a rising 9th or rising 10th grader. And if there's no interest at least he knows where he stands and what he needs to do if he wants to play in college.
https://guhoyas.com/sports/2018/6/6/camps-gu-m-socc-camp-html.aspx

Anyone have their son signed up for this ID clinic?

From the Touchline
Our goal at the 2022 Summer Hoya ID Clinic is to provide a fun and competitive environment for each player to develop their technical skills and to apply those skills to game situations. We believe that the game is the best teacher, so campers are exposed to small- and full-sided games every day. We hope that each camper will leave camp having learned new skills and how to apply those skills in exciting and challenging game situations. The Summer Hoya ID Clinic will provide excellent facilities and a highly capable and enthusiastic staff. Competing against highly talented players from around the country will provide the campers an ideal environment to showcase their talents. We hope to see you for a session on The Hilltop!

The Program and Schedule
This camp is designed to attract top-level, serious players interested in playing Division I soccer. The camp will feature the Georgetown Soccer coaching staff who have experience in every level of college soccer. Our coaches will provide exceptional training to help prepare our campers for college soccer. We will have limited space (72 field players and eight goalkeepers) in each camp to ensure personalized attention to each camper. Every player will be exposed to tactical & technical training, small-sided (7v7, 8v8) and 11v11 games. During every session they will be immersed in the attacking and defending concepts used in our own Georgetown system. We will also hold goalkeeper specific sessions during the tactical and technical sessions for field players.
flower wrote:My son (age 11) has been playing rec soccer for years and would now like to be part of a team that is a little more advanced. His friends who are at a similar level are on or joining travel teams, but it unfortunately isn't going to work for our family to do the travel part of travel soccer. Any suggestions on how he could do soccer at a higher level than rec without having games that are far from DC and with practices in or near NW DC? Thank you!


In some clubs they have some really good rec teams that take soccer seriously being able to compete with C, D level teams. I would approach your club and ask them to put your son on the best rec team at his age group to be with better players so he can improve. I don't know of many other options other than doing travel soccer.
C3PO wrote:My 14 year old son wanted to change clubs - he likes his coach where he currently is, but the location doesn't work well for him any more. He's only on a mid level team, and that is fine and where he belongs. However, his tryout at the club where he wanted to be (and where more friends from his current school play) resulted in a weaker offer than where he's currently at. He doesn't want to move backwards, so he's going to stick with his current club for next year. However, I was wondering if folks had suggestions on better ways to try out in the future. At the tryout for the club where he wanted to be, they had all the kids try out on a non-full sided field, and it was too crowded and not much playing time for anyone. Do people contact the clubs beforehand to ask to attend a practice, even if they are not on a top team or trying to get on one? Anything else a player who is just decent can try to do to promote himself going forward to get at least an equivalent spot to where he is at?


Definitely reach out to the coach of the team your son wants to be on. Ask the coach if he can have your son do some practices with the team to be assessed. Most coaches are pretty honest about a kids ability. Just need to make sure that your son is prepared to bring his A game in those practices. The goal is to outplay a current player(s) in those practice sessions and of course he should highlight his strengths when he can.
To me, the most gains are made in practice. If your DC isn't giving 100% in practice (effort, paying attention, learning the game, etc), then don't waste your money especially if your DC has goals of wanting to play pro. Games are there to see the progress they've made in practice. If you aren't giving 100% in practice how do you expect to give a 110% in games? Too much emphasis is placed on game time at early ages. Your DC will never reach their potential if they aren't outworking every kid in practice. And when I say outworking I mean in effort/work rate, in paying attention to the coach, in learning the style of play the coach wants to the team to use, in being focused at practice and not goofing off, in doing drills to where only perfection matters. When you see this type of player in practice at younger ages, you know they're going to be something special. Build that work ethic early in your DC and you'll see some really good progress.
Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:I have a question and would love to know the answer. If one already accepted an offer and paid the 22/23 season dues, however after paying those dues, certain dynamics changed at said team and a family has decided the environment is no longer a good fit, do they lose the thousands of dollars??? Or is there some kind of rule or date they can get there money back?

Very curious if anyone has experienced this or if anyone knows someone that has.

Yes, I've known of players leaving mid-season, the club releasing the player and the club & family coming to an agreement that they would longer pay their monthly installment. I'm sure if you paid in full up front the club would reimburse what's owed to you. Discuss it with the club, they're generally pretty reasonable about things like this.
MrNick wrote:Hey all, Wanted to get some parents thoughts regarding their soccer tryouts experience this year around the DMV. Our club is a MLSNext club with quite a few other travel teams in each age group. It looked like there were a lot of new faces trying out across the board in both MLSNext and regular tryouts (u14). I am guessing now that the pandemic is easing, people are more open to moving to other clubs. It also looks like MLSNext is taking off as their were quite a lot of kids trying out for that particular team. What is everyone else seeing?


With MLSNext creating the MLSNext Pro League, it's beginning to separate itself from ECNL and ECNL parents/kids are thinking they need to be in MLSNext since it will be the highest competition level.
Definitely make sure the wrist injury heals thoroughly. You don't want it to linger by not fully recovering.
This is interesting that no numbers were used. Just don't know how they would track who a player is? Are tryouts a mandatory process for clubs to conduct and they just do it cause they have to? Maybe they already know who they want from prior ID sessions?
At the top team level (MLS Next/ECNL) before U12 the focus should be on technical skills and learning to use both legs to pass and kick the ball. Tactical training/teaching begins at U13 so if your player hasn't developed technical skills they most likely never will unless they get that training from an outside source. Because kids are growing at U13-U14+ it's an awkward age and by U15 coaches are looking at more athletic bigger players even if they don't have the technical skill, but when the technical players catch up to those bigger players you'll see them taking their starting positions back.

For your son I would suggest he focus on technical skills and fundamentals on his own. There is a lot on youtube for technical drills he can work on. You might want to ask the coach things he needs to work on as well to provide some guidance.
SDC wrote:
anonimouswon wrote:
soccer_dc wrote:
mdsoccerdad wrote:
soccer_dc wrote:
GloryHunter wrote:All the real tryouts are basically over. At least for the top teams.


This is true. Offers are already out for the top teams. Although there is always an extra spot or two if someone good enough shows up.


"top teams" from what clubs?

the maryland ECNL clubs havent even had tryouts yet


I have seen ID sessions posted throughout March and April from VA Union, VDA, FCV, Arlington.


One thing I never understood at the ECNL level how are kids from another ECNL team allowed to practice with another ECNL team during the season in these "ID" sessions before actual tryouts? I thought recruiting can't happen until May?


The ECNL rules changed this year for Virginia. The old May 1 date is now March 1 for all clubs in VA. Most other states still have May 1.


Thanks for the clarification. Since you seem knowledgeable in this area if you're on an ECNL team but working out with an MLS Next team (or reversed) anytime during the year is fine, correct?
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