Anonymous wrote:Looking out beyond this year if you want to potentially stick with travel, you might want to look at Potomac, PPA, or even DCSC (if you are close). Even if you haven’t tried out, you can probably still reach out to them. Not to say you shouldn’t go do the BSC Blue, but you may find yourself asking these same questions each year. Even if your goal is ECNL (or GA teams), might be better odds to start elsewhere rather than try to climb the BSC ladder internally.

I second this. It seems “easier” to make a top team as a new comer than it is to advance in the club especially, after you age out of YDP (u12 and higher).

Looking out beyond this year if you want to potentially stick with travel, you might want to look at Potomac, PPA, or even DCSC (if you are close). Even if you haven’t tried out, you can probably still reach out to them. Not to say you shouldn’t go do the BSC Blue, but you may find yourself asking these same questions each year. Even if your goal is ECNL (or GA teams), might be better odds to start elsewhere rather than try to climb the BSC ladder internally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent who declined a Pre ECNL offer. I was made aware of one too many incidents about the coach and wasn’t willing to gamble almost $3000 and have a bad experience. I was told the last ECNL 2 or RL team he had the parents all refused to return if he was going to be the coach. I also heard he was a jerk to the players and turned the girls against each other. Just nothing something I was willing to risk. We will likely accept an offer with Potomac or MSI. Smaller clubs but hopefully less internal drama.

define a Pre ECNL offer, because last I was told (which was yesterday) NONE of the 1st group declined.

The Pre ECNL team (coach AS) - third team.

You are correct, as far as I know no one declined a e1 offer. However, a current e1 player didn’t bother trying out because of Bethesda dynamics they encountered. At least one, maybe two declined e2 offers and 6/7 declined Pre ECNL offers. Seems like the real rub is with the coach of Pre ENCL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent who declined a Pre ECNL offer. I was made aware of one too many incidents about the coach and wasn’t willing to gamble almost $3000 and have a bad experience. I was told the last ECNL 2 or RL team he had the parents all refused to return if he was going to be the coach. I also heard he was a jerk to the players and turned the girls against each other. Just nothing something I was willing to risk. We will likely accept an offer with Potomac or MSI. Smaller clubs but hopefully less internal drama.

define a Pre ECNL offer, because last I was told (which was yesterday) NONE of the 1st group declined.

Preecnl is what Bethesda calls their 3rd team

Anonymous wrote:Parent who declined a Pre ECNL offer. I was made aware of one too many incidents about the coach and wasn’t willing to gamble almost $3000 and have a bad experience. I was told the last ECNL 2 or RL team he had the parents all refused to return if he was going to be the coach. I also heard he was a jerk to the players and turned the girls against each other. Just nothing something I was willing to risk. We will likely accept an offer with Potomac or MSI. Smaller clubs but hopefully less internal drama.

define a Pre ECNL offer, because last I was told (which was yesterday) NONE of the 1st group declined.

My daughter had MM (coach for u12 Blue) two years ago. We had a good experience (I will say a couple of the team didn’t). I felt like he worked hard to develop and teach the girls. There was a bit of an accent barrier (sometimes the girls said they couldn’t understand him). But my daughter liked him and I would have no problem with him coaching her again. As for the coach of the two top teams I’ve heard complaints (you can read about them on other threads if you search by his initials). The coach of the third team, would be a no for me. I have heard he was a problem at his old club and has been a problem at Bethesda. I heard complaints were filed against him by parents and more. Thankfully my kids are past that age group so it’s not something we have worry about for next year. Good luck. I think you would enjoy the blue team based on what you described about your girl.

BSC’s coaching slate is out for next year. So the question should come down more to coaches and what your expectations are for next year and down the road…I think the 2014 Blue coach is fairly well regarded for the age group. Don’t know as much about the Pre-ECNL coach, but others may. And plenty of opinions here on the coach for their top two teams for the 2014 group. But even the Blue team will be a big leap up from MSI Classic.

Parent who declined a Pre ECNL offer. I was made aware of one too many incidents about the coach and wasn’t willing to gamble almost $3000 and have a bad experience. I was told the last ECNL 2 or RL team he had the parents all refused to return if he was going to be the coach. I also heard he was a jerk to the players and turned the girls against each other. Just nothing something I was willing to risk. We will likely accept an offer with Potomac or MSI. Smaller clubs but hopefully less internal drama.

Anonymous wrote:Is your current club that bad that you would move for a 4th team offer?

Our current club is a classics team. I thought moving to a travel club would be a little more competitive. She is a decent soccer player but not great enough for a top team, which is why I am on the fence about accepting to move up a team. I don’t want her just sitting on the bench watching other girls get to play.

Anonymous wrote:Is your current club that bad that you would move for a 4th team offer?

At that point, just play MSI classic.

Is your current club that bad that you would move for a 4th team offer?

Anonymous wrote:Definitely a lot of movement this year in this age group. No one knows who is getting the now available spots on the top team. Players from other clubs?

It's really hard to know this stuff before the fall starts. It's not like they post a roster anywhere- it's all just hearsay and shrouded some secrecy.

Definitely a lot of movement this year in this age group. No one knows who is getting the now available spots on the top team. Players from other clubs?

Bethesda is going down

Does anyone have any insight into what is going on? Or better yet why? My DD got an offer for the blue team (4th team). We accepted, but then got a call asking if we wanted to accept an offer on the 3rd team (pre ECNL).

Someone told me that there has been a big shake up that caused a lot of girls to leave and that a lot of current u11 parents did not like the coaches for next year’s teams. I heard the coach of the top two teams moved a lot of u11 top team girls to the 2nd team (but that he is coaching both) and moved a lot of the 2nd team girls to the 3rd team, but that now a lot of those girls and some girls from the top team are leaving for other clubs and girls from the 4th team are being called and asked if they want a spot on the 3rd team?

What is going on? One parent told me all of the 2014 coaches for next year are questionable and that’s why. Now I’m wondering if I should not have even accepted the blue offer and should have stayed with our old club.