Anonymous wrote:On a topic like this you often get the viewpoint of disgruntled families who don't understand the ECNL and elite soccer environment. Those who know, know. I would put the McLean ECNL staff as a group among the best in the region.

I don't think the PP was talking about the ECNL staff

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a topic like this you often get the viewpoint of disgruntled families who don't understand the ECNL and elite soccer environment. Those who know, know. I would put the McLean ECNL staff as a group among the best in the region.

Would you please tell me about the staff? Do they stick with the same age group or move up with the team? Watson is well known. What about the others? And is the same quality being put into the boys ECNL? (I have boys too, so it's always easier to have them all in the same club).

Also, I don't know if this is a touchy subject, but Henderson used to be among the staff. What were the circumstances around his departure? Was he with the club a long time? Are you able to share more?

Coaching is everything.

The other poster answered this mostly, but in the last few years the coaches all stayed within the same age groups for the most part, so players end up rotating through them all (assuming a player goes start to finish with the club). The older age groups are generally handled by Brent and/or Nadir with good success nationally including a national championship last year. You can see the coaching assignments on the website. Spencer left this season to join Spirit. I don't have alot of details on his history or the why's but I don't think it's anything more than looking for a growth opportunity. He was, and is a good coach based on what I've seen.
You are right, coaching IS everything. Shop around, and look the other 'elite' clubs coaching lineups to compare. If there is a better lineup, let us all know.

This is not to say it is all cookies and ice cream. Each coach is tough in their own way, and will offend some players from time to time. This is a competitive environment where they are selecting players for effort, attitude, and performance. Recruiting is a part of the picture, and good players can be displaced by others from time to time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:06 is having a tough start to the season but they have a new coach to the club and some play ups. The 07s are the top 3 teams in the state and look strong.

Did McLean lose 06 players or is that just a random gap year where recruitment didn't go well?

Several either went to the Arlington or W. Spirit DAs. Their 12U coach blacklisted and mistreated 11 year old girls and that group has always been messed up. Their performance this year is a direct result of a messed up roster merge of those A and B teams and coaches who hated each other. Open secret in McLean. The coach got promoted as a result. Go figure.

I hear what the other poster said about disgruntled parents and I hear that. However, most of the time, there is some truth to the complaints. What did the coach do that qualified as "mistreatment"? Was it what he said? Was he punitive? No club is perfect. None. Some are worse than others. I'd just appreciate hearing about the "open secrets", if the poster isn't afraid to post about it? And if some parents do feel they were retaliated against, what happened? If you don't mind posting here. I know speaking out can be dangerous, as they sort of control the future of your child for at least the year.

The 06 group only lost 4 players of its original U12 Green team-one moved overseas and 2 left for DA and the goalie quit to play in field, so they had 12 girls stay for ECNL, which was a solid retention rate. The 05 group lost almost their entire team from last year between Spirit and Arlington DA, but the new 05 team seems to be doing well-Clyde Watson was still able to recruit a lot of good new talent. The older teams coached by Cindi Harkes and Nadir Moauman do very well consistently. Seems like a good place to be if you want to play on high school and for a solid club team to get exposure to colleges.

Anonymous wrote:On a topic like this you often get the viewpoint of disgruntled families who don't understand the ECNL and elite soccer environment. Those who know, know. I would put the McLean ECNL staff as a group among the best in the region.

Would you please tell me about the staff? Do they stick with the same age group or move up with the team? Watson is well known. What about the others? And is the same quality being put into the boys ECNL? (I have boys too, so it's always easier to have them all in the same club).

Also, I don't know if this is a touchy subject, but Henderson used to be among the staff. What were the circumstances around his departure? Was he with the club a long time? Are you able to share more?

Coaching is everything.

On a topic like this you often get the viewpoint of disgruntled families who don't understand the ECNL and elite soccer environment. Those who know, know. I would put the McLean ECNL staff as a group among the best in the region.

Anonymous wrote:^^ Not gone. The negative and positive here is that coaches have no oversight. If coach is great, then lots of flexibility to nurture a player or train a team differently. Flip side is a vindictive coach can get away with anything, just be brutal to players and families and DOC indifferent. No one complains out of fear.

Are there coaches you recommend? Have they ever gotten rid of a coach, or is it a sort of "tenured" position?

^^ Not gone. The negative and positive here is that coaches have no oversight. If coach is great, then lots of flexibility to nurture a player or train a team differently. Flip side is a vindictive coach can get away with anything, just be brutal to players and families and DOC indifferent. No one complains out of fear.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:06 is having a tough start to the season but they have a new coach to the club and some play ups. The 07s are the top 3 teams in the state and look strong.

Did McLean lose 06 players or is that just a random gap year where recruitment didn't go well?

Several either went to the Arlington or W. Spirit DAs. Their 12U coach blacklisted and mistreated 11 year old girls and that group has always been messed up. Their performance this year is a direct result of a messed up roster merge of those A and B teams and coaches who hated each other. Open secret in McLean. The coach got promoted as a result. Go figure.

Wow! So would you say the problems of the 06 team that resulted in several girls bolting, are gone or could it happen again on another team? Do you mind saying which coach?

I had been thinking about McLean, so I'd like to know. Are you still with the club?

Anonymous wrote:The only good coach is Clyde

Was Spencer any good when he was there?

The only good coach is Clyde

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:06 is having a tough start to the season but they have a new coach to the club and some play ups. The 07s are the top 3 teams in the state and look strong.

Did McLean lose 06 players or is that just a random gap year where recruitment didn't go well?

Several either went to the Arlington or W. Spirit DAs. Their 12U coach blacklisted and mistreated 11 year old girls and that group has always been messed up. Their performance this year is a direct result of a messed up roster merge of those A and B teams and coaches who hated each other. Open secret in McLean. The coach got promoted as a result. Go figure.

Anonymous wrote:06 is having a tough start to the season but they have a new coach to the club and some play ups. The 07s are the top 3 teams in the state and look strong.

Did McLean lose 06 players or is that just a random gap year where recruitment didn't go well?

06 is having a tough start to the season but they have a new coach to the club and some play ups. The 07s are the top 3 teams in the state and look strong.

Although McLean lost a lot of 05s, the club has a much longer history of development and NT players than one age group. How is the 06 and below doing?