Reply to U13 - Arlington or Alexandria?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]At U13 and above on the boys side, what is Arlington's style of play or does it differ based on coach?  How about on the girls side?[/quote]

There is a single philosophy, but the interpretation does vary a bit from coach to coach.  There is an emphasis on possession - not giving the ball away, and every player has to be comfortable on the ball and able to make quick decisions and pass accurately, but "good" risk-taking is encouraged especially in the final third.  Very quick transitions, high fast press, and creative off the ball movement is emphasized too.  In possession you will most commonly see quick ball movement between the back 5 until something opens up and then a midfielder driving at the center of defense with supporting players making runs to pull defenders out of position and open up space out wide.  But the kids are also taught to recognize what the other team is doing and you will see long balls if the opponents are playing with a high line or packing the midfield.

If you have a chance to get the TD, he is really really good.  I don't know which teams he will be coaching next year (keeping my fingers crossed :-)) - but his two teams this year (2005 and 2006) are currently ranked #1 and #12 nationally per YSR.  My guess is he will coach different teams next year.

I don't know anything about the girls' side.[/quote]

I had asked because I often hear that it’s long ball and that it heavily favors athleticism and not much possession. Thanks for the feedback. [/quote]

There is one poster who posts that comment on every Arlington thread. But having two boys on Academy teams and watching more than my share of other teams play at Arlington, I really think that poster has some grudge or something. It doesn't match what I've seen or many other posters here have mentioned.

Arlington wants "artists not just athletes" and plays a possession style of soccer, perhaps a bit too much to be honest (I've seen a couple of teams that really could benefit from a pure, selfish goal scorer). They lose games that, had they just done the 'big / fast guys run like a maniac' approach they might have eeked out a win,[/quote]

Maybe.  I'm the guy who watched some of the game linked above and liked the way they played.  They created quite a few chances but - no - they didn't quite execute.  Some of it is instinct - at this age the combination play upfront - awareness / timing of run and pass / runs to create space for others - is usually not very well developed and is seemingly the hardest part of soccer to learn.  And there were one or two players who probably need to improve a little bit or get replaced - but they're close to being good.  Yes a big, fast striker might result in more goals this season - but that's not going to work the same way in a couple more years.  One of the older age groups looked, and performed, just like this some number of years ago.  The following year, they were dominant.

[quote]In the end though, at this age, I would consider other things like a commute and school friends in finding the right club.[/quote]
Think it depends on the scope of your ambition.  Kids playing at Arlington improve as a result of the way they learn to play this way.  That said, Alexandria offers good coaching and plays attractive soccer as well - so if that's your other choice then I think you're fine either way.[/quote]

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