Hello, not 100% sure what a trap player is. Just wanted to share that GFR who feeds ECNL NVA now, plays in multiple leagues for the same club fee. Currently playing in ECNL-R, also in EDP south Atlantic, and also playing NCSL super group.

I’m not trying to recruit or steal any players, but it’s pretty nice to get in 20-30 league games over the entire season vs playing in one league in one season. I am most familiar with the girls side of the club, but if you have a kid looking for fall and spring play GFR is currently doing that.

We have been in the club going on 2 years and I am truly impressed with the focus of development over wins….with that being said development is turning into wins on the field.

Good luck

Anyone on this board have first hand experience on any other umbrella situations…VDA, Brave, Union? I’m new to NOVA and don’t know the history of those clubs. Obviously Loudoun is the stronger club of the 3 for NVA no offense meant to any club. Did any other situation have a similar feel of the power/rankings dynamic as these 3?

I read VDA is a combination of 3 clubs, was this recent is that one similar?

I would just be surprised that all of this happens and 2-5 players from the non ECNL teams don’t make the main team just for optics. Can’t really call it an Alliance if none of the other clubs adds players to Loudoun ECNL team…that would just be called Loudoun ECNL.

It will affect Loudoun teams the most now, but I think the vision is a stronger pipeline for the future kids still in academy age soccer. Now those kids don’t have to leave their smaller club if they have the talent for ECNL…that way ECNL grows stronger…not by adding more teams….we all have seen more teams dilute leagues before……but by making their existing teams more talented..it’s a pretty smart business model IMO

SDC wrote:So it was FOMO?

How does this help Loudoun? I see how it can help Valor and GF....

Simple, Loudoun is a powerhouse now they have players from 2 other clubs to help them be even stronger. Plus starting a new club it’s easier to trim the fat and add more muscle to the line up

My 2 cents

soccer_dc wrote:

Pepe wrote:If you don't wanna win or go to college, fine. But lots do. They are coaching kids and as long as they aren't derogatory, they are fine to yell all day. These are simple coaches who have bad days, good days, relationship troubles, and have favorites. You also don't know how your kid isn't listening or paying attention to drills... maybe they aren't all you think they are.
All the coaches do their best and while you want more, you have what you have. Don't like ECNL competitiveness? Go play rec.
You really want them to "care"? Care how? Stop watching movies and expecting some Coach Carter bs. Never seen such beta crybaby attitude. You clearly never played sports growing up.

That’s a pretty outdated attitude. Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean it’s right. We can do better for our kids. It is possible to be ultra competitive and demand excellence without crossing into verbal abuse. Plenty of examples of good coaches like this in sports.

It’s not easy to change attitudes but it does happen over time. It used to be acceptable for teachers to hit kids in schools. Most of society in this country decided they didn’t want that anymore. There will always be some who don’t like change, especially those who were at the top and feel threatened.

I must confess I come from the yelling coach generation. I recently removed my daughter from a club that had what I thought was a very good coach that yelled during games and sometimes at practice. My kid is very good and I thought this was pushing her to do well. It had the opposite effect. Although it did not bother my child when coach yelled at her, she would get upset when coach would yell at her friends and they got upset.

Fast forward 6 months, we are now on a new club. This coach is soft spoken but respectful all the girls seem to love his coaching style and they all play hard. It took me a minute to realize how important the relationship is between my DD and coach need to be great. Not the relationship between me and coach.

I used to believe in yelling and pushing the kids to their limits, I now believe getting these girls to pull together as a team and work hard for one another because they love the sport and want to preform for themselves creates a much healthier competitive environment…..my soap box speech…to each their own

Mdmom22 wrote:OP here. Thank you everyone!

So it sounds like big clubs are responsive to an email asking to practice? We know a former coach at one of the clubs we're interested and he said he'll arrange it for us but the other ones, we have no contacts/connection. I assume they get lots of similar emails and I was wondering what information they need to see in these emails? I'm assuming where the kid currently plays at and what their soccer background is? Any thing else? Do they care what the kids' goals are, etc.? For context, I have one kid who is hoping to make it to a top team and another who is likely going to be on a B/C squad depending on how many teams the age group fields.

I just sent an email to the club ( 6 months ago) I was interested in letting them know I was interested in joining their ECNL team. My DD was invited to a practice and I was told to bring her to as many practices as possible before next year’s tryouts. There are politics involved in joining competitive teams, IMO my DD not only needs to win the coach over but the players as well....

It is difficult to juggle HS, club, and prospective new club.....I told my DD she has until next May to decide what team she wants to join....and if it’s with the new club she needs to understand her role....50% playing time, 80 minutes, 10 minute sub...I told her 50-60 minutes is ideal to showcase her talents...if she can’t get that on the new club...it will make sense to stay where she is at.

She is only interested in joining a different club because her club is EDP not Ecnl.

Size5Balls wrote:

westsidesoccer wrote:It's inevitably amusing in the same way that every inmate in the asylum believes everybody else deserves to be there except for them.


Which leads me to ask you what success is in this context.

What is success in any context? That is up to the individual. If you are playing soccer to be the very best you can be, then the highest level competition you can attain is the reward.

Well said I agree....I still think the original post is well written and very humorous....my laughter is more at the parent not the kid ( piece comes off as a well written satire to me..not a real diary😳)...I know to many dads who think if they have their child play 3-4 teams a year will make up for getting in the sport “late”.....I just enjoy watching my DD push herself to be the best at a sport SHE loves...I don’t love soccer I love my DD 😎...wish I had the ability to write as well as the OPED ...it’s a compliment

This diary was even better than expected great post......I only remember saying O snap...I think that way sometimes...1 time....great perspective 👍🏻

Size5Balls wrote:

soccer197 wrote:Looks like the youth soccer games site has added rankings now. https://youthsoccergames.com

That site's rankings are all over the place. Looks worse than Got Soccer.

I like the rankings app a little bit. The game history seems pretty accurate when looking at my DD’s team....each win the team we beat had a lower ranking most draws and losses were equal ranking or higher...the couple of wins over teams I thought were better had a higher ranking...9.6.....maybe that’s the teams overall strength...it’s definitely close enough to use as a guideline of the team you are playing...IMO

Lol man I wanted to see this thread

Size5Balls wrote:

Ihatedumbsoccerparents wrote: club soccer is just for training and college recruiting to me.

That is like saying Wayne Rooney trained in the Prem for Man U, just for the real payoff of playing in MLS for DC United.

I do like your point of view but disagree with your analogy. For girls soccer a D1 scholarship would be the best benefit from training with Man U. Your analogy would only be correct if college was not better than both club and high school soccer which it is...so training for college is the same payoff as playing for Man U...the way I look at things 😉

I do agree that bonds and memories can be made on a club team, but it seems the more competitive the club team gets the less of a team feel there is.. maybe it’s just her club, but her high school team seems way more prideful and joyful of the team whereas club soccer kinda seems like my kids job 😳...I know that sounds bad, I promise she loves her club team more it just has a different vibe

I want my DD to win a high school state championship for the memories, club soccer is just for training and college recruiting to me..there is a different feel watching my DD play for her high school than it is when I watch a club game....albeit club games are always more skilled...but something about having fans and hearing kids cheer for each other....I vote high school soccer - MD

Anonymous wrote:Not to pile on but this post is bad and you should feel bad.

I agree, 300K looking for Stimulus...smh....even worst jealous of your SIL because they found a way to live on 1/3 of your salary...very very selfish person you are

soccermum79 wrote:

FGDaddio wrote:Yes, one of the offers is BRYC. I know they didn't do well in regular ECNL this year, but next year they will do BRAVE for ECNL. We were offered ECNL-R. It seems that ECNL-R is more competetive than NCSL, yes? Most of the area clubs who have multiple teams seem to have their C teams in NCSL 1. My son is seeking a more challenging play environment, but again we don't have any familiarity with the coaches at either club with offers. He was also offered to stay on the current team next year, but there will be a new coach for that team too, that we don't know. So no matter what it's a new coach for him.

Yes, ECNL-RL is more competitive that NCSL, but for how long? VPSL keeps adding clubs to NOVA's ECNL-RL. Looks like a lot of former CCL clubs are moving to ECNL-RL.

I agree with your assessment, ECNL-R looks like a lot like CCL. Mostly small clubs best teams against big clubs 2nd best team. To me the only point of ECNL-R is to allow VA schools to continue to play high school soccer during the spring instead of the fall like 95% of the USA 😎

Thanks for your feedback, I did not qualify.....I am looking for the best leagues to get my DD college scout exposure. I did not know VPSL was ENCL-R, thanks for sharing. The landscape of youth soccer seems to change every 2-3 years.

To me it seems if you don’t play ECNL competitively, your best options is just making sure your team gets into Jeff Cup, Bethesda Cup, at the higher levels to get the most local exposures to college coaches.

My DD participated in CCL showcases which I was not impressed with. I have been told premier tournaments and BIG USYS tournaments will get much more college exposure than a CCL league showcase.

This feels like a riddle most days.

Thanks

where does VPSL. Rank for girls soccer against EDP, CCL, NCSL, ECNL-R?

I think for girls ECNL is the top right now, but personally I think EDP is a close 2nd and much stronger than the 2nd level ECNL-R....looking for opinions on all levels. My DD plays for a club that is to small to join ECNL, I’m trying to figure out options should I choose to leave. We currently play in the top level of EDP.

THANK YOU