Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In the location you're looking, you're probably closest to Bethesda Soccer Club for the quality you're looking for...no offense to Stoddard.
Yes try Bethesda. They have a lot of teams which gives them a lot of flexibility. I know some kids who are on a lower team roster but practice with a higher team because they joined mid season. You can come out for a visit and attend a few practices. The coach will usually let you know what they think.
http://www.bethesdasoccer.org
Another competitive but very small club in the area you’re looking is Achilles. www.salsoccer.com There are a good number of players there who weren’t happy at the biggest clubs. They don’t even do tryouts like most clubs, but they’re always open to good players. The whole club is different, but the training is excellent.
Where do they practice? Do you have an example of the Leagues they put their teams in? There is not much on the website.
Achilles mostly practices at St. Johns College High School in NW DC in fall, spring and summer; then Sidwell or Wilson HS for indoor. Depending on the team they play at the MD Soccerplex (mid level) or EDP (high level) and at the main tournaments based on the team's ability.
For Achilles, you really need to contact the main coach Sal, he'd tell you how/if your sons would fit in and how he runs things in your sons' age groups. Achilles is very different from the big clubs because it's small but still really good soccer and lots of he families are soccer people. The small size means that every coach knows all the kids and that most of the families know one another too, even across ages. The size and quality of coaching is the reason a number of kids have moved from the best known clubs in the area to Achilles. But the size makes it different with a decent amount of playing up, and not many teams at an age, which might be what you want.
We're very happy with Achilles. But I'd recommend that you contact all the teams within a certain commute. Then visit the ones that sound most promising with your kids and when you get there- especially if they can practice or play with the teams, you'll know which is the right fit.