Reply to Bethesda (MLS Next) vs Achilles FC (MLS Next) vs Baltimore Armour vs Alexandria (MLS Next) vs SYC (MLS Next) experience

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Achilles parent here and it is weird to read the comments about the club on this thread.

I truly believe that Achilles is simply a different thing from the other MLS Next clubs, with which I also have some experience with my other children.  And that's why you get these very polarizing comments.

First, Achilles does not have a full set of teams in every age group (i.e., MLS Next, lower leagues, recreation, etc.).  It mainly is focused on MLS Next.

Second, it is run by one person - Sal Caccavale.  Either you buy into him and his philosophy of coaching or you don't and you are not at the club.  I can say that in my experience the kids/parents love him and are extremely loyal.  (That said, of course you are going to have players that are not playing, claims of favoritism, and all of the other emotional baggage that goes into youth soccer and people will leave unhappy.)

Third, the club has a lot of ex-DC United players because, in my opinion, they value the possession-based playing style, which lets them demonstrate the full range of their skills.  That style leads to a lot of losses at the younger age groups, and then it pays off at the older levels.  Take a look at the MLS Next Fest results from last week - Achilles U17 and U19 teams had 5 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie.

Finally, like any youth soccer team, Achilles can be beat by sheer athleticism and drive.  For example, it often, but not always, has trouble matching up with Bethesda (one of the best clubs in the country to be fair).  But the question, as with all youth sports, is how much you value development versus results.  That's not a knock on Bethesda, just an explanation as to why Achilles' best players do not leave just because Bethesda wins more games.

Anyway, that's more than my two cents, but I wanted to offer some real perspective here for any parents who are trying to sort through the various local clubs and land on this thread.[/quote]

There are no top level clubs or organizations in the world that condones Sal's behavior as a youth soccer coach

No youth sports coaching courses or seminars would condone Sal's behavior [/quote]

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