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[quote=Anonymous]OK -- let me clarify here:

If you have a high-level player at U13 or above, by all means, factor in the A teams' wins and losses as part of your decision-making in where to play. Still not the only factor, but yes, a factor.

At U5? Ignore all that stuff. Instill a love of the game.

At U9? They're not keeping records, and you may even want to AVOID clubs that brag about how much they're winning at that age, because they might just be booting the ball from a big defender to a fast forward and ignoring everyone else's development.

Even at U11, you can't read a lot into wins and losses.

At the older ages, a lot of elite players have moved on to top clubs. A couple of years ago, a lot of D.C. United Academy graduates had started at Vienna. With the girls' Development Academy starting and VYS joining the Virginia Development Academy, you're going to see more talented players leaving Vienna's VPL teams.

So let's do a decision tree for U13s:

1. Top-level player capable of playing DA or ECNL. Might want to go DA or ECNL. Or not. Vienna has surprisingly kept together some of its really good girls teams.

2. A-team player, but not "elite." Maybe shop around a bit. If your team is winless (as some VYS boys teams are), maybe consider moving. Or stick it out and figure you'll be playing high school half the year pretty soon anyway. (Which, by the way, throws off the records listed above. VPL scales back for the older age groups, so the dominant VYS upper-age girls teams don't get to contribute quite as many wins to this overall record, making that overall record an even poorer benchmark for the club as a whole.)

3. B-team, C-team or rec. As long as the kid's enjoying it, stay put. You're going to be in NCSL or maybe a lower EDP division, so you'll be promoted or relegated to a suitable competition level.

Before U13, there's not much reason to move unless the coaching is terrible, and at VYS, it's generally not. Some of the C- or D-team coaches play kickball, but the technical staff is trying to change that. (The parents, on the other hand, think it's just fine.)

Bottom line: The U14s' wins and losses don't mean squat for the U5s, U9s or even U11s. Different coaches at younger age groups, and Vienna is one of those areas with ambitious parents who'll run their kids over to Bethesda South or McLean if they think they have any talent at age 11 or 12. Vienna develops plenty of good players. Some stay, some go to DA/ECNL/Braddock Road/Bethesda South/etc. [/quote]

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