Anonymous wrote:As I said, if you don't have any insight to share then please jump to another discussion. There is potential to have a great discussion here.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. like most of you, this is not my first time on this site so I am aware of the nonsense that is shared but I have found some useful information. Seriously, if you have insights on teams, clubs or coaches please share. The rest is not useful. Obviously, I have spoken to parents at clubs where DD is considering playing. I am looking for information about coaches, playing styles, etc. We live in NW but have traveled as far out as Leesburg, Germantown and Alexandria/Braddock for practice so most of the clubs in the DMV are feasible. It might be helpful to others to hear about all the DMV programs.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. like most of you, this is not my first time on this site so I am aware of the nonsense that is shared but I have found some useful information. Seriously, if you have insights on teams, clubs or coaches please share. The rest is not useful. Obviously, I have spoken to parents at clubs where DD is considering playing. I am looking for information about coaches, playing styles, etc. We live in NW but have traveled as far out as Leesburg, Germantown and Alexandria/Braddock for practice so most of the clubs in the DMV are feasible. It might be helpful to others to hear about all the DMV programs.

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite but only because this is not my DD's coach. I really like Coach Gerardo at Arlington.

DD has trained with him a few times and says he is tough, but it seems like he has a good relationship with his players. He pushes them to be the best they can be and has very high expectations. He has been with the 06 team for a awhile and that is a strong team. I think that you can give him credit for developing them into who they are (not sure about development vs. recruitment because I'm not that familiar with the team itself). The parents I talk to really love him. He's very professional and take his job seriously. I haven't heard anything negative about him yet.

Good luck with your decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the OP is serious and not trolling to see where this thread goes as parents tear down various clubs, then you should have your daughter attend several practices of the the ECNL and DA clubs that are interested in your daughter and that work for you (for example, no need to look at MD United if you live in Loudoun county, because the commuting times would not be worth it). Your daughter should see for herself what the practices, players and coaches are like, and she should see what she likes best. You could also attend practice, see these things for yourself, experience the commute times to/from the clubs, and talk to some parents at those practices to get their thoughts. You could also attend a game or two as the seasons kick off in the next few weeks.

All of the above would give you much better answers to your questions than an anonymous message board. You should keep in mind that all of the ECNL and DA teams have their own pros and cons, and there are threads on every club in the area on this site. If you read enough on this site, then you will read many negative posts, and some positive posts, about every single club in the DMV, whether travel or rec, as well as parents' negative, and some positive, comments about every single league those clubs play in. There is some good information to be gleaned from some of these posts, but you have to be aware of posters with negative agendas about certain clubs and take many of the posts with a grain of salt.

If you are serious, then good luck to you and your daughter as you explore her options. If you are not serious, then break out the popcorn and have fun reading this thread over the next week or so.

OP here. This is helpful but as stated, DD already has offers at several ECNL and DA clubs, so she has gone to ID sessions and practiced with several clubs. What I am looking for is views from parents with experience. If you have thought on a specific club. team or coach, please share.

I'm the person who wrote the above response. I appreciate your wanting additional information, and I also appreciate the concerns expressed by the other poster about the potential negative rabbit holes this thread could go down as people try to offer you their perspectives on various coaches/clubs and then others troll those perspectives. I also agree that you are likely to get the best information from parents at the ECNL and DA clubs whose practices and ID sessions your daughter has attended. Parents at any of those clubs certainly know parents at other clubs, and they can give you their perspective on the various clubs. There will, of course, be a bias to the club their daughter currently plays for, as well as some effort to paint things at that club in a positive manner as part of the recruitment effort, but you should be able to sort through that as you talk to more parents.

However, if you want info about particular clubs, then there is a fair amount already on this site if you search the names of the particular ECNL and DA clubs. And if that is still not enough of an answer for you, then please identify the specific teams your daughter is considering, and I am sure there will be some people more than willing to bite and offer their thoughts.

Dear Sock Puppet for Big Name Club: so basically you are on DCUM giving advice to ignore DCUM?Why are you here?I can guess.You post this useless POV repeatedly.Either help the OP if you have girls, or go away.You make this same point and never help any of the original posters.

Anonymous wrote:Two pages in and not a single serious post about a club. Even the above poster with as nice a answer as possible still did not offer a club or coach.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the OP is serious and not trolling to see where this thread goes as parents tear down various clubs, then you should have your daughter attend several practices of the the ECNL and DA clubs that are interested in your daughter and that work for you (for example, no need to look at MD United if you live in Loudoun county, because the commuting times would not be worth it). Your daughter should see for herself what the practices, players and coaches are like, and she should see what she likes best. You could also attend practice, see these things for yourself, experience the commute times to/from the clubs, and talk to some parents at those practices to get their thoughts. You could also attend a game or two as the seasons kick off in the next few weeks.

All of the above would give you much better answers to your questions than an anonymous message board. You should keep in mind that all of the ECNL and DA teams have their own pros and cons, and there are threads on every club in the area on this site. If you read enough on this site, then you will read many negative posts, and some positive posts, about every single club in the DMV, whether travel or rec, as well as parents' negative, and some positive, comments about every single league those clubs play in. There is some good information to be gleaned from some of these posts, but you have to be aware of posters with negative agendas about certain clubs and take many of the posts with a grain of salt.

If you are serious, then good luck to you and your daughter as you explore her options. If you are not serious, then break out the popcorn and have fun reading this thread over the next week or so.

OP here. This is helpful but as stated, DD already has offers at several ECNL and DA clubs, so she has gone to ID sessions and practiced with several clubs. What I am looking for is views from parents with experience. If you have thought on a specific club. team or coach, please share.

I'm the person who wrote the above response. I appreciate your wanting additional information, and I also appreciate the concerns expressed by the other poster about the potential negative rabbit holes this thread could go down as people try to offer you their perspectives on various coaches/clubs and then others troll those perspectives. I also agree that you are likely to get the best information from parents at the ECNL and DA clubs whose practices and ID sessions your daughter has attended. Parents at any of those clubs certainly know parents at other clubs, and they can give you their perspective on the various clubs. There will, of course, be a bias to the club their daughter currently plays for, as well as some effort to paint things at that club in a positive manner as part of the recruitment effort, but you should be able to sort through that as you talk to more parents.

However, if you want info about particular clubs, then there is a fair amount already on this site if you search the names of the particular ECNL and DA clubs. And if that is still not enough of an answer for you, then please identify the specific teams your daughter is considering, and I am sure there will be some people more than willing to bite and offer their thoughts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the OP is serious and not trolling to see where this thread goes as parents tear down various clubs, then you should have your daughter attend several practices of the the ECNL and DA clubs that are interested in your daughter and that work for you (for example, no need to look at MD United if you live in Loudoun county, because the commuting times would not be worth it). Your daughter should see for herself what the practices, players and coaches are like, and she should see what she likes best. You could also attend practice, see these things for yourself, experience the commute times to/from the clubs, and talk to some parents at those practices to get their thoughts. You could also attend a game or two as the seasons kick off in the next few weeks.

All of the above would give you much better answers to your questions than an anonymous message board. You should keep in mind that all of the ECNL and DA teams have their own pros and cons, and there are threads on every club in the area on this site. If you read enough on this site, then you will read many negative posts, and some positive posts, about every single club in the DMV, whether travel or rec, as well as parents' negative, and some positive, comments about every single league those clubs play in. There is some good information to be gleaned from some of these posts, but you have to be aware of posters with negative agendas about certain clubs and take many of the posts with a grain of salt.

If you are serious, then good luck to you and your daughter as you explore her options. If you are not serious, then break out the popcorn and have fun reading this thread over the next week or so.

OP here. This is helpful but as stated, DD already has offers at several ECNL and DA clubs, so she has gone to ID sessions and practiced with several clubs. What I am looking for is views from parents with experience. If you have thought on a specific club. team or coach, please share.