We have seen this often. At u9, our coach covered 2 teams. It was ok for practices and some games but if there was a conflict he always went with the A team. At u14, DC had a coach who did this but he seemed to do a better job splitting time between A and B and they avoided having both teams scheduled for tournaments in the same weekends. At u15, we are once again in the same boat but at a different club. This time around the coach has 2 teams in my son’s age group and 1 younger team. He seems absolutely exhausted but he works hard to never shortchange any team. What I have liked is it allows kids to move up if they are showing improvement. What I dislike is that the teams often practice together and the needs of the A team can be different from the B team. When my son was on the B team it seemed to raise the level. When he’s been on the A team, it does the opposite.

We’re in Montgomery County. I think MSI has both rec and Classic teams in that age group. Classic is a good fit if she wants more than rec but not the commitment of travel. Many teams have professional coaches. There are usually a few teams in Bethesda and Silver Spring, not far from the DC border. In DC proper, try DC Soccer (formerly Stoddert).

I understand that it’s difficult to hire and retain GK trainers. This is what we’ve been told by the TD at the current club, too. Back when we were at Potomac many years ago, there was good GK training so we’ve always compared clubs to that standard. It sounds like that just doesn’t exist now, except for maybe at Mclean which we will have to check out. Whatever the core issue, it’s just incredibly disappointing that clubs don’t invest in their GKs the way they do other positions. We’ve spent a ton on outside training over the last few years, but we can’t afford to do it weekly year-round which is what he really wants.

My GK son is looking to move to a club with strong GK training. He’s currently at a club with a wonderful coach and teammates but they offer just one session a week to all ages and levels (mixed gender). He finds this incredibly frustrating as there is no differentiation of skill level. The skills worked on are those he aquired many years ago. The last club was similar though they at least broke it up somewhat by age. It feels like the GK training he has received through these clubs is far below the technical level the teams train at. As a parent, I don’t mind paying for supplemental training here and there but he really should be receiving some regular high level training for our almost 3k/year. Ideally he would like a club that offers differentiated training 2x a week at an advanced level. Does this exist? I’d like to hear from parents of GK about their kids experiences before he starts making the rounds again. I’m particularly interested in experiences at Potomac, Bethesda, Achilles, Arlington and McLean as they are closest to us.

Does anybody have any experience with LaLiga Select Showcases? My son was supposedly identified at a tournament and invited to a camp in Spain in November 2023. We 100% understand that this is not the selective process they claim. He is a solid player but we have zero expectation that this is going to lead anywhere. Yet, the program looks like a really fun experience for a teen who simply can’t get enough soccer. They will get training, play scrimmages, visit different clubs and watch a pro game. The middle school trip my daughter wanted to attend years ago was the same price for comparison. Has anybody sent their son or daughter to this or a similar program and felt it was a positive experience?