Agree with poster's comment about reading DCUM threads about Achilles. Their focus is on a few teams that are have their most skilled players.

Agree with poster's comment about reading DCUM threads about Achilles. Their focus is on a few teams that are have their most skilled players.

Anonymous wrote:The "best club" may not be the best for your kid at U9-10. BSC is the best big club in MoCo but at U9-10 look for learning and coaching. Plus, if your kid could get lost in the shuffle of a club with tons of kids, it may not be good for him.

If he gets really into it and demonstrates good skills then move to a club like Bethesda by U12. Bethesda will have the most exposure and offer a very competitive environment both within the team and the competition. It also offers the most upward mobility by being in the MLS league.

They're asking about U9, and you're talking about which program has the best MLS exposure.
Facepalm.

The "best club" may not be the best for your kid at U9-10. BSC is the best big club in MoCo but at U9-10 look for learning and coaching. Plus, if your kid could get lost in the shuffle of a club with tons of kids, it may not be good for him.

If he gets really into it and demonstrates good skills then move to a club like Bethesda by U12. Bethesda will have the most exposure and offer a very competitive environment both within the team and the competition. It also offers the most upward mobility by being in the MLS league.

Just pick a club close by, it is not worth it to have lots of driving to practice. Save those time to work out at home.

For parents are new to travel, a big surprise for many is they underestimate the competitiveness and commitment of youth sport.

It depends on where you are located in MC. Practice locations and availability of enough players rostered for teams is key, not to mention coaching styles and consistency. Maybe try looking into MSI, Potomac, BSC or OBGC, depending on where you live. They have well known programs and could be a place to start. Had experience with tryouts for nearly all and kids are/have been on those teams. Some of them don't have fees for tryouts so it might be best to show up and get a sense where may be the best fit based on his skills and your interaction with coaches/staff.

Not familiar with Achilles so I looked at the posts.Parents say coaches are stretched thin and not showing up to games and focus is on higher performing teams only. Also limited rostered teams so no/few subs and not so good comments about the personality of the owner, who is also mentioned on the high school thread "Pay-to-Play HS employing club coach - what's normal?" From the thread, it says he's the coach at St. John's HS too. WP did an article on the baseball players parents are involved in a lawsuit related to this issue a few months ago. Sounds like it could be an issue with soccer too...Yikes!

My DS was on a U8 team last year at BSC. He had a blast. It was all about player development. He also loved the summer camp. There were no refs and lots of play for U8. There were two practices a week and one game a weekend just like when we were at MSI. We experienced great communication and had no issues. The burn out everyone talks about most come later. There was nothing but fun and good coaching for us.

The past two years prior at MSI were ok but I saw some awful opposing team coaches where all that mattered was winning on a first grade team! The lesson here is it’s very coach dependent at MSI. My older son has played MSI classic and it’s the right fit for him and he has the right coach. For my younger son, who is much more competitive and soccer focused, BSC has been great. Now we will have to see how it unfolds as he ages I guess.

I really think at this age it’s about fun and skills and there are many ways to get that in this area. Good luck!

I heard a coach once mention that when he played for the US Youth Team at U17, "no one cared where I was at U15e. Or U12, or U9. All that matterd was what I could do when I was 17".

OP here. This is all so helpful -- thank you! I hear you on the burnout and we don't want that to happen. He is so passionate about soccer right now so I just want to make sure he can get the training he desires so that he can learn and progress but it sounds like BSC is better for the older ages. Will investigate everything else mentioned here. Thanks again!