Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is DC United Academy in the same price range?

No. A parent whose kid plays for one of their teams told me it was $1000 and the boys get unis, cleats , etc. But obviously its highly selective.

There is rec, club (like msi and obsl), travel, then there is academy.

In this area Bethesda, Potomac and dc united have academy level soccer. Dc united is subsidized - hence a little cheaper. From the people I know that are in the academies, mosly they choose one because of the location of the practice. Dc united practices could be a pain to get to if you are not already near or in the city. Of course, some just like a program or coach better and will make the drive.

Actually it's McLean, Potomac and DC United Academies. Plus I think the Baltimore Bays. McLean and Potomac are signficantly more expensive than DC United (c. $3000 vs. $1000).

Yes. That is right. Thanks for the correction.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting info. When considering Bethesda, Potomac, DC United Academy, DC Stoddert, MSI or McLean, does one group have a greater success of getting kids placed on top soccer teams for college?

Most of the top college programs these days are drawing from the Academies. This is a pretty recent development since the academies are still new but if you look at the rosters of either top soccer programs or top colleges (not necessarily the same thing) they are largely former Academy players, and some from top ranked (nationally) clubs (which can include teams from Bethesda, Olney, Reston, etc). And some college players are international students. Check out Wake Forest as an example. They've got several local players and I think most came from DC United or Balt Bays. They've got 2-3 players on the MNT (U20). I am not sure that Stoddert or MSI/MSC have any top ranked teams that are playing in college showcases but you can check it out on gotsoccer.com. MSC does have a couple of teams that transferred from Potomac recently so they might have good rankings.

Interesting info. When considering Bethesda, Potomac, DC United Academy, DC Stoddert, MSI or McLean, does one group have a greater success of getting kids placed on top soccer teams for college?

I am the poster who prefers classic, and I didn't say it was the same skill development as travel. I thought it was a good option though, particularly for kids who play multiple sports or have siblings or who have parents who both work, or who don't want to spend a lot, etc. I know kids playing classic who are talented enoughfor travel--it is simply a different option. And even if you make the first team you try out for, there is a lag between when you try out and when they can invite you to their team. In the interim, there can be many try-outs and callbacks. I think there is obviously more skill development if you play more, but not increased skill development simply because you drive longer distances for games. At the end of the day, I am grateful there are so many ways you can play soccer around here, because there simply are so many athletic, interested kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why we prefer Classic soccer through MSI--skill development but at a lower cost and intensity. But I do think the soccer tryouts can become as consuming as private school applications, so maybe that is how this ended up being discussed here!

I would have agreed with you in the past. I went to travel soccer kicking and screaming. I just want my son to play a sport he loves. But when a kid is playing at the wrong level it is just a bad fit.

We tried out for 1 team and made it. It was not really consuming.

Agree. Classic was fun but definitely not the same level of skill development or level of play as D1/D2 travel. It can be better than D6/D5 travel though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is DC United Academy in the same price range?

No. A parent whose kid plays for one of their teams told me it was $1000 and the boys get unis, cleats , etc. But obviously its highly selective.

There is rec, club (like msi and obsl), travel, then there is academy.

In this area Bethesda, Potomac and dc united have academy level soccer. Dc united is subsidized - hence a little cheaper. From the people I know that are in the academies, mosly they choose one because of the location of the practice. Dc united practices could be a pain to get to if you are not already near or in the city. Of course, some just like a program or coach better and will make the drive.

Actually it's McLean, Potomac and DC United Academies. Plus I think the Baltimore Bays. McLean and Potomac are signficantly more expensive than DC United (c. $3000 vs. $1000).

Anonymous wrote:This is why we prefer Classic soccer through MSI--skill development but at a lower cost and intensity. But I do think the soccer tryouts can become as consuming as private school applications, so maybe that is how this ended up being discussed here!

I would have agreed with you in the past. I went to travel soccer kicking and screaming. I just want my son to play a sport he loves. But when a kid is playing at the wrong level it is just a bad fit.

We tried out for 1 team and made it. It was not really consuming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is DC United Academy in the same price range?

No. A parent whose kid plays for one of their teams told me it was $1000 and the boys get unis, cleats , etc. But obviously its highly selective.

There is rec, club (like msi and obsl), travel, then there is academy.

In this area Bethesda, Potomac and dc united have academy level soccer. Dc united is subsidized - hence a little cheaper. From the people I know that are in the academies, mosly they choose one because of the location of the practice. Dc united practices could be a pain to get to if you are not already near or in the city. Of course, some just like a program or coach better and will make the drive.

Anonymous wrote:Actually my kids have done travel soccer and unlike rec soccer, the ribbons and trophies are far between (just during tournaments which they rarely win). So your critiisium isn't true here. I think most kids do travel program because they want to excel and play with kids like themselves. I do think it expensive but the experience for them is worth it.

Agree with this. In fact in Region 1 and NCSL you need to worry about relegation if you are in the bottom 2 of your division. And to the poster complaining about 6 hours of games, it isn't 6 hours of games. We have one game a week (except during tournaments) and 3-4 hours of practice a week. In the winter and summer there are fewer games and the same amount of practice. And during the high school season there is 2-3 hours of practice a day, and more during preseason. The academy programs have a much higher ratio of practice to games.

Anonymous wrote:Is DC United Academy in the same price range?

No. A parent whose kid plays for one of their teams told me it was $1000 and the boys get unis, cleats , etc. But obviously its highly selective.

Anonymous wrote:This is why we prefer Classic soccer through MSI--skill development but at a lower cost and intensity. But I do think the soccer tryouts can become as consuming as private school applications, so maybe that is how this ended up being discussed here!

So true!

Is DC United Academy in the same price range?

This is why we prefer Classic soccer through MSI--skill development but at a lower cost and intensity. But I do think the soccer tryouts can become as consuming as private school applications, so maybe that is how this ended up being discussed here!

Actually my kids have done travel soccer and unlike rec soccer, the ribbons and trophies are far between (just during tournaments which they rarely win). So your critiisium isn't true here. I think most kids do travel program because they want to excel and play with kids like themselves. I do think it expensive but the experience for them is worth it.

On a per hour basis it's less expensive than most kid activities. I figure my kid spends a minimum of 6 hours a week at practice/games for at least 45 weeks/year. So that works out to about $10-12/hour. And it keeps them active and occupied, gives them the skills to play on their high school teams, and at least my kid enjoys it. So it's worth it for us, but maybe not for your family.

Well, we can afford it but don't subscribe to this scam and philosophy of training (games, games: ribbons and trophies). I prefer the European (e.g, Netherlands) approach -- drill and kill re: skills rather than games at a young age. I know this is anti-American (mind and muscle) but I prefer the products of this philosophy. 6 hours a week of soccer games for elementary school children is absurd...no wonder our boys never excel at the higher levels of play. They lack basic and fundamental skills in favor of a chest of trophies.