Anonymous wrote:Admit I'm surprised VYS ranks this well. It has a tiny area to draw from.

Huge drop off after teams 3-5 depending on age group.

Admit I'm surprised VYS ranks this well. It has a tiny area to draw from.

Anonymous wrote:No one should be crossing the Potomac for youth soccer. If you consider region as Virginia only and closer than Richmond, this is VYS top team girls ranking. Might as well have your information correct at least.

2010:5th
2009:9th
2008:6th
2007:10th
2006:5th
2005:13th
2004:8th
2003:6th
2002:7th

That includes ECNL and GA teams in 2007 and older.

I added the VA only rankings so everyone has some perspective. I know one could carve out a small enough geographic area so that each team appears to be number one, but that seems a little self-interested. I also don’t think excluding MD/DC teams is logical (the trip there may be easier for some people than the VYS facilities) but to keep up your Old Dominion pride, I’ll leave them out for now. Being that SYC competes in CCL, full VA rankings probably make sense. Now that we have the information correct, do you want to twist the facts a bit more to justify your point?


2010:5th - 6th
2009:9th - 10th
2008:6th - 8th
2007:10th - 13th
2006:5th - 10th
2005:13th - 18th
2004:8th - 12th
2003:6th - 12th
2002:7th -25th

No dog in this fight, but boys are decent too at the younger ages. Youth soccer rankings in Virginia closer than Richmond:

2010 - 6th
2009 - 12th
2008 - 5th

Top teams vary at different age groups, especially in the younger ages - so objectively VYS average ranking is probably around 6 in NOVA for younger boys and girls

and just outside the ECNL and GA teams for older age girls (so that's 8-9 if you include BRYC and Metro - who probably aren't as strong as some non-ECNL/GA teams at some age groups)

older boys don't look quite as strong.

No one should be crossing the Potomac for youth soccer. If you consider region as Virginia only and closer than Richmond, this is VYS top team girls ranking. Might as well have your information correct at least.

2010:5th
2009:9th
2008:6th
2007:10th
2006:5th
2005:13th
2004:8th
2003:6th
2002:7th

That includes ECNL and GA teams in 2007 and older.

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the top teams get that way by collecting top players from other clubs. That mostly happens with ECNL and GA starting at U13. At the older ages VYS girls are right outside that top tier and somewhere between 5-10 in the region.

At the younger ages U12 and below, VYS girls can play with anyone and have generally had better results than Great Falls, FCV, SYC, PWSI, SYA, and BRYC. They aren't a huge club, so I think that says good things about their programming and development, or maybe about their ulittles rec league. Younger girls are probably #4-5 in the region as a group.

There are over 10 ECNL and GA teams in the DC area, not sure how you would put VYS girls in the 5-10 region. Us youth soccer rankings has most of their girl teams well lower than 10 for Virginia, a lot lower for the region. They younger teams hover around 10 for Virginia, and like the older girls a lot lower in the region. I think the VYS folks think they are about twice as good as reality. Probably says good things about the club developing an insular mentality, or bubble-like environments.

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the top teams get that way by collecting top players from other clubs. That mostly happens with ECNL and GA starting at U13. At the older ages VYS girls are right outside that top tier and somewhere between 5-10 in the region.

At the younger ages U12 and below, VYS girls can play with anyone and have generally had better results than Great Falls, FCV, SYC, PWSI, SYA, and BRYC. They aren't a huge club, so I think that says good things about their programming and development, or maybe about their ulittles rec league. Younger girls are probably #4-5 in the region as a group.

It's not the clubs reaching out to players, it's top players gravitating to the stronger clubs. It's the players that are making the decision.

Agree that the top teams get that way by collecting top players from other clubs. That mostly happens with ECNL and GA starting at U13. At the older ages VYS girls are right outside that top tier and somewhere between 5-10 in the region.

At the younger ages U12 and below, VYS girls can play with anyone and have generally had better results than Great Falls, FCV, SYC, PWSI, SYA, and BRYC. They aren't a huge club, so I think that says good things about their programming and development, or maybe about their ulittles rec league. Younger girls are probably #4-5 in the region as a group.

The top teams are those that collect players from other clubs. Traffickers in human flesh rather than developers of homegrown talent. It's a model that works.

Anonymous wrote:Girls (in no particular order so don't start causing a ruckus, ok?)

McLean
Braddock road
Arlington
Loudon
Great falls Reston
FC Virginia
Springfield SYC
Pwsi (Prince William)
VSA (haymarket)
SYA (centreville)

Vienna would probably be in the running for #11 or #12 depending on who you ask


Boys (also in no particular order so don't cause a ruckus)

Alexandria
Arlington
Springfield
Loudon
McLean
Pwsi
Nvsc (Woodbridge)
Great falls Reston
SYA
PWSI

(DC United is not included here)

Vienna would be somewhere between #11-#15 depending on who you ask

At U9-12 for boys, no, I don't think NVSC or McLean would be on this list, you have PWSI twice, and VYS would be just outside top five, along with GFR. Herndon could be in the mix too. Older ages for boys (in no order):

DCU
Arlington
Alexandria
SYC
VDA
Loudoun
BRYC
McLean
SYA
Herndon

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you tell me the top club in Northern Virginia area for boys and girls? Would you consider VYS top 10?

I will just focus on the strength of top teams, not necessarily coaching or long term development. On the boys side, U9-12, in no particular order, Arlington, Alexandria, SYC, PWSI, Loudoun usually have very strong boys teams. After that, it is highly variable from year to year. Vienna has recently been in the mix among top 10 boys teams in NOVA at this age. So too have been Great Falls Reston, Herndon, SYA, McLean, BRYC. At U9-10, two or three really good players can make these teams from smaller clubs really good. As the ages increase, the depth of the roster (and talent pool) becomes more important. As your kid gets older, and looks at other clubs, few if any of the coaches at tryouts are checking to see whether your kid comes from a top ten club. It means absolutely nothing. It’s all about whether the kid is talented, develops well within their club, and has an appropriate mix of competitiveness from teammates and opponents as well as fun.

I don't believe this for a second. Most clubs have on their tryout registration ask what club and team do you currently play for.

Ok. Not our experience at all trying out at top clubs and seeing others do the same. Coaches can assess talent. They may want to understand why you are leaving the particular club, and may want to confirm whether the kid is likely to have greater or lesser development given where they are coming from, but talent is talent and speaks louder in tryouts than your lineage, especially if you are at the right club. They are more interested in the team than the club from which the player is coming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you tell me the top club in Northern Virginia area for boys and girls? Would you consider VYS top 10?

I will just focus on the strength of top teams, not necessarily coaching or long term development. On the boys side, U9-12, in no particular order, Arlington, Alexandria, SYC, PWSI, Loudoun usually have very strong boys teams. After that, it is highly variable from year to year. Vienna has recently been in the mix among top 10 boys teams in NOVA at this age. So too have been Great Falls Reston, Herndon, SYA, McLean, BRYC. At U9-10, two or three really good players can make these teams from smaller clubs really good. As the ages increase, the depth of the roster (and talent pool) becomes more important. As your kid gets older, and looks at other clubs, few if any of the coaches at tryouts are checking to see whether your kid comes from a top ten club. It means absolutely nothing. It’s all about whether the kid is talented, develops well within their club, and has an appropriate mix of competitiveness from teammates and opponents as well as fun.

I don't believe this for a second. Most clubs have on their tryout registration ask what club and team do you currently play for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you tell me the top club in Northern Virginia area for boys and girls? Would you consider VYS top 10?

I will just focus on the strength of top teams, not necessarily coaching or long term development. On the boys side, U9-12, in no particular order, Arlington, Alexandria, SYC, PWSI, Loudoun usually have very strong boys teams. After that, it is highly variable from year to year. Vienna has recently been in the mix among top 10 boys teams in NOVA at this age. So too have been Great Falls Reston, Herndon, SYA, McLean, BRYC. At U9-10, two or three really good players can make these teams from smaller clubs really good. As the ages increase, the depth of the roster (and talent pool) becomes more important. As your kid gets older, and looks at other clubs, few if any of the coaches at tryouts are checking to see whether your kid comes from a top ten club. It means absolutely nothing. It’s all about whether the kid is talented, develops well within their club, and has an appropriate mix of competitiveness from teammates and opponents as well as fun.

Yeah, I noticed a massive gap between the U14B top team and the Black team. I suppose it's because talent leaving before this age as one poster mentioned and/or just depth at the club.

Anonymous wrote:Can you tell me the top club in Northern Virginia area for boys and girls? Would you consider VYS top 10?

I will just focus on the strength of top teams, not necessarily coaching or long term development. On the boys side, U9-12, in no particular order, Arlington, Alexandria, SYC, PWSI, Loudoun usually have very strong boys teams. After that, it is highly variable from year to year. Vienna has recently been in the mix among top 10 boys teams in NOVA at this age. So too have been Great Falls Reston, Herndon, SYA, McLean, BRYC. At U9-10, two or three really good players can make these teams from smaller clubs really good. As the ages increase, the depth of the roster (and talent pool) becomes more important. As your kid gets older, and looks at other clubs, few if any of the coaches at tryouts are checking to see whether your kid comes from a top ten club. It means absolutely nothing. It’s all about whether the kid is talented, develops well within their club, and has an appropriate mix of competitiveness from teammates and opponents as well as fun.

Girls (in no particular order so don't start causing a ruckus, ok?)

McLean
Braddock road
Arlington
Loudon
Great falls Reston
FC Virginia
Springfield SYC
Pwsi (Prince William)
VSA (haymarket)
SYA (centreville)

Vienna would probably be in the running for #11 or #12 depending on who you ask


Boys (also in no particular order so don't cause a ruckus)

Alexandria
Arlington
Springfield
Loudon
McLean
Pwsi
Nvsc (Woodbridge)
Great falls Reston
SYA
PWSI

(DC United is not included here)

Vienna would be somewhere between #11-#15 depending on who you ask