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.

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.

1) If we still go to the other teams tryout to just get a feel for the team even though I'm pretty sure we'll stick with the original small club next year is this ok? I guess I'm worried if they do offer him a position this year and we decline but then try out again next year they may write him off if he had previously not accepted their offer?

It's fine to tryout and not accept. Just be polite when you decline the offer and maintain good relations, explain that it was a hard decision but decided to stay with the current club for another year. You might even tell them your son would be available to guest play with them in tournaments if needed.

2) is it easier to make a bigger clubs team when moving up an age group where the play size changes (i.e. trying out at u11 because the players go from 7 to 9) or does this not matter?

Probably but not necessarily depending on the club. There will be more spots available at u11 and again at u13 when the field and roster sizes go up. But with some big clubs, they tend to just promote players from within the club's other teams and it can be difficult to get "noticed" at a tryout, so new players may need to start at the lowest team. Of course, if your son is a standout player he will not have any problem joining at any age or level.

3) The small club only offers 2 tournaments a year (one spring one fall) and they try to make both local, we haven't done our spring tournament but in the fall two of the three teams we played in the tournament were from our league so didn't get exposure to different teams which was annoying to me. Most other clubs seem to do 3-4 tournaments a year? I'm thinking this doesn't really matter at such a young age but should i factor this in the decision?

Team and coach fit and training development are more important at this age than the number of tournaments. There will be plenty of tournaments as he gets older. Contact some other teams about opportunities to guest play with them in tournaments.

Hearing that FCV and Barca are merging. Seems to make sense as FCV is all girls and Barca is mostly boys. Where will they play now that Revolution owns the sportsplex?

After the covid years and some recent club consolidations, expect we'll see more movement than usual this year. ID sessions seem to have started earlier this year. Is that what everyone else is seeing at their clubs, too?

This is a troll post, right? Traveling to scout clubs for a 12 year old? Just start with the one closest to where you’ll live

They are the same thing

It's bizarre that a parent that with no affiliation to the club in question, who no longer has kids in this stage, would need to come in an anonymous forum to spread this stuff. Clearly you have an axe to grind. Maybe with the former BRYC, or with ECNL, or just youth soccer in general because your kids didn't achieve what you wanted so you need to find people to blame. Just go away please.

Liv4Life wrote:An adjacent domino falls with CCL being absorbed basically into USYS South Atlantic Region Premier 1.

https://www.edpsoccer.com/news_article/show/1217030-usys-south-atlantic-conference-announces-expansion-for-2022-2023

This seems like a viable alternative to the ECNL regional league? The swinging between consolidation and new leagues seems never ending.

NovaAttackingMid wrote:VDA is a great club for people who like to spend time in their car. Don't forget to factor in the extra $500 in gas to that annual fee. For those who live in PW County, it may make sense. But, for those in Fairfax, Loudoun, and other areas...better options exist.

Of course VDA mostly only makes sense if you live in PWC. Because it's in PWC. The vast majority of players on these elite teams are those who live in the close geographic area. There are always a few willing to travel but it's not the norm. It only gets interesting when there are 2 clubs in the same geographic area competing for the same players, but that is somewhat rare. The rest of these partnerships are marketing that has little real effect

As with most things if you want more information you should ask for it. Contact the technical director or the Super Y coach. Sometimes within a club Super Y is a completely separate coach and your coach might not have the info.

Consolidation makes sense. ECNL clubs like VDA need a bigger pipeline of players. And Herndon needs a better pathway for their top players. One question is how big an issue will the distance be. Doesn't VDA train in Gainesville and Woodbridge? If you are a top player at Herndon wouldn't you be looking at closer ECNL options?

Mannschaft wrote:What is NVUFC? Northern Virginia United? Is this a new club? New combination of existing clubs? Where do they practice?

I thought NVUFC was an adult semi-pro team. https://www.northernvirginiaunited.com/aboutus

I suspect the club's offer has more to do with their need to find enough players for this older age 3rd team, than it does for the development of your son. If your son is playing with a top team now, even with an older age group, he will probably get frustrated by the less developed skills of the team. Sure, they will be a little bigger and faster, but will they be able to make and receive better passes, have better game awareness, or be as serious about playing as a top team at his own age group?

Sounds similar to my son at that age. We made him finish out the season because it was something he committed to and owed it to his teammates. We were a little more lax about missing practices but still attended most practices and all games. We also didn't tell anyone that he was done after the season even though we knew. Didn't see any reason to inform early.