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][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][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]

Every team beats Achilles in MLS Next 
In lopsided fashion. Consistently

That tells you any development, if any, is small and shortsighted 
It also tells you the players are not exposed to good coaching. 
Maybe decent group training, but definitely not good box to box coaching [/quote]

https://www.youtube.com/live/U_tpd9Bt1ig?feature=shared[url]

Here's a U16 match from this fall.  If you care to take a look, you can hear the coaching from Sal and see the play.  I didn't watch it all, but Achilles was fairly dominant in the portions I watched, played more consistently through the midfield, created better chances, and had the technically superior players.  Maybe you think differently.[/quote]

Achilles were fortunate to receive a group of very good players from another club in that age group recently.

Pre-cooked talents
Nothing to do with Sal [/quote]

And what's your opinion about how they play in the video?  didn't look like a 1v1 dependent system to me. [/quote]

One team with players who showed up recently with good training elsewhere doesn't change the points shown about Sal and his verbally abusive ways for years

Waiting for the answers regarding his high level professional resume [/quote]

I'll give you some credit.  You ARE exhausting, if that's the goal.  Folks can hear the coaching and see the play.  your attempts to downplay anything good from Achilles must make you tired too, right?  it's okay to give it a rest.  What was the point about resume again?  National team experience or something?  who cares what you say, really?  You've been exposed.  [/quote]

Saying something has been exposed without actually exposing anything is what?

You praised Sal as having a resume as a top Professional 
You were asked to provide the portfolio

You can't 
So, who really got exposed? 😂[/quote]

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