Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By far the most accurate statement to date on this board. This is why US soccer is falling behind. Clubs see parents at $$$ and nothing more. Morons salivate each time there is a new league just like people salivate over the latest Mediterranean restaurant even thought it is serving the same thing as the others. Folks, stop being lemmings. The poster is spot on. There are few clubs that focus on development.

"It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year."

Could not agree more. FCB policy is once a player is in they never need to tryout again. No cuts or back stabbing other players to take their positions. The policy was explained as “why would we cut someone we have already invested so much in developing?” It’s a different philosophy from anything I’ve seen in years in the other clubs in the area.

Why would you bash something you haven’t seen for yourself, and the parents of kids who are telling about their experiences?

OK. Since it seems that there are one or two highly enthusiastic FCB parents and/or staff on the board, I'll share a balanced view of FCB, from the perspective of an FCB parent. I'm going to exclude any "religious" discussion on whether or not FCB's style of play is "better" than any other style of play. I will note that if one were to take one or two exceptional players off the current first team, I think the team goes from being very good to around average/perhaps slightly above. Feel free to pick any two of three players for this mental exercise or have look at recent match results as a guide.

The training is good. Not all trainers are Spanish/centrally trained in Barcelona; my understanding is that several are local hires. The TD is very knowledgeable and centrally trained. We have not seen video being used to instruct players, in general. Video has been taken and shown for marketing purposes, but my DC has not reviewed video with a trainer, even once, over the entire year. There was a written evaluation provided at the beginning of spring season, as described previously, but this did not include much more than a series of checkboxes for each criterion and not a lot of personalized content pertaining to the player. As a contrast, with this child at another club previously as well as other children, we have received much more personalized feedback, both written and verbal, from other clubs/coaches. Of course, this varies with club and specific coach. Players are shifted between training squads, but the communication around these shifts are non-existent. Players show up one day and led to another group, without explanation. Team/squad associations are not well communicated to parents, who are left wondering which group their player is with and why/what they need to work on without first figuring out the change has been made and then specifically seeking out the TD, for an explanation. In some cases, this conversation with the TD results in a player move up to a higher-level group as early as the following week.

In terms of results, it is true that many players who were very direct, kick and run only players at the beginning of the year have adjusted and adopted the style of play fairly well, in general. That stated, many players still operate from a selfish, run/dribble first mentality (and this ties in with another issue, which I will mention later), so as with any environment, the results depend on the player's mental flexibility and willingness to learn and apply new concepts. Several players/parents I've spoken with have expressed concern that the training and results leave some of the players a bit mechanical/feeling discouraged from the perspective of creativity, as they try hard to play the "Barca" way instead of following their instincts. Some parents have expressed concern that their players individual weaknesses have not been addressed and that staff are reluctant to address these deficiencies, even when pointed out.

Staff-selected players are provided with "experience" opportunities to travel and play in Barcelona, not provided to others. This practice could be construed as both positive and negative. Positive in the sense that the players/families enjoy the experience in Barcelona, the players are rewarded for their efforts and the experience serves as a big-time confidence boost. Negative in the sense that, depending on the player’s psyche, this kind of treatment can go to one's head, especially when considering that very little separates most players on a given squad, especially at the younger ages (from observation). To make matters somewhat worse, a fair number of players selected for these opportunities tend to be the larger, more physical players who assert themselves in a more direct style, which seems counterintuitive. It has been noted that several players recognized for these opportunities have either displayed these tendencies before the experience and/or have developed them afterward (presumably due to the ego inflation).

Not to mention the expense to the parents in funding the experience, which is not generally covered by the club (there may be a few, rare exceptions to this). Also, it seems that in some cases, the parents of selected players seem to have a close relationship with the TD and other staff, which runs counter to the club's stated goal of limited parent/staff interaction to minimize favoritism. These aspects are really not much different, if at all, from many (not necessarily all) traditional clubs, which is disappointing considering this club's stated goals.

Overall, our experience in general has been a good one, with the caveats noted above. For Barca fanatics, this is probably the a very good place, especially if your DC needs help a lot of with their tactical game. For those looking for a cure-all solution to all of the problems that exist in the traditional club environment, I'd have to say that, unfortunately, you will not find your escape here. If you are looking for a good training program to reform a kick and run player into a more intelligent player who can play possession style football, this is a good choice. However, it isn't the only option in the area, as there are many good, knowledgeable, hardworking coaches available at many traditional clubs who can develop their players just as well (we have seen this with all DC's).

Hope this helps someone out there.

Anonymous wrote:By far the most accurate statement to date on this board. This is why US soccer is falling behind. Clubs see parents at $$$ and nothing more. Morons salivate each time there is a new league just like people salivate over the latest Mediterranean restaurant even thought it is serving the same thing as the others. Folks, stop being lemmings. The poster is spot on. There are few clubs that focus on development.

"It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year."

Could not agree more. FCB policy is once a player is in they never need to tryout again. No cuts or back stabbing other players to take their positions. The policy was explained as “why would we cut someone we have already invested so much in developing?” It’s a different philosophy from anything I’ve seen in years in the other clubs in the area.

Why would you bash something you haven’t seen for yourself, and the parents of kids who are telling about their experiences?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

They've only existed for less than a year, so not sure how you can say that they are the best for development. They haven't really played anyone, so no one can come back and bash them yet. I don't know too much about them. Only know one player who plays for them. That player isn't very good and still isn't.

WtF? Who bases development on whether they are bashed on a message board?

I played myself. I’m the child of a professional soccer coach. My own kids and nieces and nephews have collectively played for about every top Club in the DMV.

I am talking about training sessions and how they are run and organized. There is nothing else like it, not DA or anywhere. Nobody has a full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches that work with every age group and know every player in the program. Nobody else has multiple age groups at same facility to facilitate sorting based on ability, not birth year. Nobody else has fluidity in teams or training groups as players progress individually at different levels. Nobody else provides a detailed 10-page personal evaluation about every aspect of a player, and for both dominant and non-dominant foot.

I see how they’ve progressed in training sessions and weekly games since September.

I don’t judge player development by idiots’ comments on a message board, Gotsoccer rankings or wins. That tells me nothing about how my kid is being trained or developed. People focus on the wrong things—and at the wrong ages. And you know one player out of over 400+ —that’s a great sample size.

My kids still get “it’s not real” from others. Not even sure what the f@ck that’s in reference to. Nobody ever said they are FC Barca’s La Masia teams. But they are sanctioned and overseen by FCB and the TDS have to report in with FCB every Monday. They also come here to make sure the program is adhered to.

The goal wasn’t to select a winning team this year to come in and win a bunch of tournaments right away. Development is a long process (years). It’s just really getting serious when most kids begin hanging up their cleats. You can keep looking for the perfect/best team based on wins/Gotsoccer points or you could actually watch training sessions and what the players are being taught year-to-year.

It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year.

I made a statement, see bolded, and you say the same thing, see bolded. Not sure why you are arguing. Way to early to say they are the best at developing.

Not the OP but I think you misunderstood the point.

This branch of the Escola may have only existed for less than a year, but the FCB methodology of player development has a pretty strong track record. It's not as if they are trying out some new, novel ideas and theories and only time will tell if they work. They are following the same methodology used to train youth players in Spain, with a staff that is highly qualified to teach that methodology.

It works.

If you really believe it is the same training here as in Spain they got you hook line and sinker.

Why wouldn’t the training be the same?

By far the most accurate statement to date on this board. This is why US soccer is falling behind. Clubs see parents at $$$ and nothing more. Morons salivate each time there is a new league just like people salivate over the latest Mediterranean restaurant even thought it is serving the same thing as the others. Folks, stop being lemmings. The poster is spot on. There are few clubs that focus on development.

"It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

They've only existed for less than a year, so not sure how you can say that they are the best for development. They haven't really played anyone, so no one can come back and bash them yet. I don't know too much about them. Only know one player who plays for them. That player isn't very good and still isn't.

WtF? Who bases development on whether they are bashed on a message board?

I played myself. I’m the child of a professional soccer coach. My own kids and nieces and nephews have collectively played for about every top Club in the DMV.

I am talking about training sessions and how they are run and organized. There is nothing else like it, not DA or anywhere. Nobody has a full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches that work with every age group and know every player in the program. Nobody else has multiple age groups at same facility to facilitate sorting based on ability, not birth year. Nobody else has fluidity in teams or training groups as players progress individually at different levels. Nobody else provides a detailed 10-page personal evaluation about every aspect of a player, and for both dominant and non-dominant foot.

I see how they’ve progressed in training sessions and weekly games since September.

I don’t judge player development by idiots’ comments on a message board, Gotsoccer rankings or wins. That tells me nothing about how my kid is being trained or developed. People focus on the wrong things—and at the wrong ages. And you know one player out of over 400+ —that’s a great sample size.

My kids still get “it’s not real” from others. Not even sure what the f@ck that’s in reference to. Nobody ever said they are FC Barca’s La Masia teams. But they are sanctioned and overseen by FCB and the TDS have to report in with FCB every Monday. They also come here to make sure the program is adhered to.

The goal wasn’t to select a winning team this year to come in and win a bunch of tournaments right away. Development is a long process (years). It’s just really getting serious when most kids begin hanging up their cleats. You can keep looking for the perfect/best team based on wins/Gotsoccer points or you could actually watch training sessions and what the players are being taught year-to-year.

It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year.

I made a statement, see bolded, and you say the same thing, see bolded. Not sure why you are arguing. Way to early to say they are the best at developing.

Not the OP but I think you misunderstood the point.

This branch of the Escola may have only existed for less than a year, but the FCB methodology of player development has a pretty strong track record. It's not as if they are trying out some new, novel ideas and theories and only time will tell if they work. They are following the same methodology used to train youth players in Spain, with a staff that is highly qualified to teach that methodology.

It works.

If you really believe it is the same training here as in Spain they got you hook line and sinker.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

They've only existed for less than a year, so not sure how you can say that they are the best for development. They haven't really played anyone, so no one can come back and bash them yet. I don't know too much about them. Only know one player who plays for them. That player isn't very good and still isn't.

WtF? Who bases development on whether they are bashed on a message board?

I played myself. I’m the child of a professional soccer coach. My own kids and nieces and nephews have collectively played for about every top Club in the DMV.

I am talking about training sessions and how they are run and organized. There is nothing else like it, not DA or anywhere. Nobody has a full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches that work with every age group and know every player in the program. Nobody else has multiple age groups at same facility to facilitate sorting based on ability, not birth year. Nobody else has fluidity in teams or training groups as players progress individually at different levels. Nobody else provides a detailed 10-page personal evaluation about every aspect of a player, and for both dominant and non-dominant foot.

I see how they’ve progressed in training sessions and weekly games since September.

I don’t judge player development by idiots’ comments on a message board, Gotsoccer rankings or wins. That tells me nothing about how my kid is being trained or developed. People focus on the wrong things—and at the wrong ages. And you know one player out of over 400+ —that’s a great sample size.

My kids still get “it’s not real” from others. Not even sure what the f@ck that’s in reference to. Nobody ever said they are FC Barca’s La Masia teams. But they are sanctioned and overseen by FCB and the TDS have to report in with FCB every Monday. They also come here to make sure the program is adhered to.

The goal wasn’t to select a winning team this year to come in and win a bunch of tournaments right away. Development is a long process (years). It’s just really getting serious when most kids begin hanging up their cleats. You can keep looking for the perfect/best team based on wins/Gotsoccer points or you could actually watch training sessions and what the players are being taught year-to-year.

It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year.

I made a statement, see bolded, and you say the same thing, see bolded. Not sure why you are arguing. Way to early to say they are the best at developing.

Not the OP but I think you misunderstood the point.

This branch of the Escola may have only existed for less than a year, but the FCB methodology of player development has a pretty strong track record. It's not as if they are trying out some new, novel ideas and theories and only time will tell if they work. They are following the same methodology used to train youth players in Spain, with a staff that is highly qualified to teach that methodology.

It works.

Anonymous wrote:er... so tell us what full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches do during the hours of 9am to 4pm.. watch film and match analysis videos?

Yes lol that’s exactly what they do... coaching is their staff’s craft, it’s their career.

er... so tell us what full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches do during the hours of 9am to 4pm.. watch film and match analysis videos?

It sounds great. Too bad I can’t get my kid out to Loudoun at 5 pm on a weekday.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

They've only existed for less than a year, so not sure how you can say that they are the best for development. They haven't really played anyone, so no one can come back and bash them yet. I don't know too much about them. Only know one player who plays for them. That player isn't very good and still isn't.

WtF? Who bases development on whether they are bashed on a message board?

I played myself. I’m the child of a professional soccer coach. My own kids and nieces and nephews have collectively played for about every top Club in the DMV.

I am talking about training sessions and how they are run and organized. There is nothing else like it, not DA or anywhere. Nobody has a full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches that work with every age group and know every player in the program. Nobody else has multiple age groups at same facility to facilitate sorting based on ability, not birth year. Nobody else has fluidity in teams or training groups as players progress individually at different levels. Nobody else provides a detailed 10-page personal evaluation about every aspect of a player, and for both dominant and non-dominant foot.

I see how they’ve progressed in training sessions and weekly games since September.

I don’t judge player development by idiots’ comments on a message board, Gotsoccer rankings or wins. That tells me nothing about how my kid is being trained or developed. People focus on the wrong things—and at the wrong ages. And you know one player out of over 400+ —that’s a great sample size.

My kids still get “it’s not real” from others. Not even sure what the f@ck that’s in reference to. Nobody ever said they are FC Barca’s La Masia teams. But they are sanctioned and overseen by FCB and the TDS have to report in with FCB every Monday. They also come here to make sure the program is adhered to.

The goal wasn’t to select a winning team this year to come in and win a bunch of tournaments right away. Development is a long process (years). It’s just really getting serious when most kids begin hanging up their cleats. You can keep looking for the perfect/best team based on wins/Gotsoccer points or you could actually watch training sessions and what the players are being taught year-to-year.

It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year.

I made a statement, see bolded, and you say the same thing, see bolded. Not sure why you are arguing. Way to early to say they are the best at developing.

*meant “dispensable”, not “indispensable”.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

They've only existed for less than a year, so not sure how you can say that they are the best for development. They haven't really played anyone, so no one can come back and bash them yet. I don't know too much about them. Only know one player who plays for them. That player isn't very good and still isn't.

WtF? Who bases development on whether they are bashed on a message board?

I played myself. I’m the child of a professional soccer coach. My own kids and nieces and nephews have collectively played for about every top Club in the DMV.

I am talking about training sessions and how they are run and organized. There is nothing else like it, not DA or anywhere. Nobody has a full-time staff of 15+ UEFA certified coaches that work with every age group and know every player in the program. Nobody else has multiple age groups at same facility to facilitate sorting based on ability, not birth year. Nobody else has fluidity in teams or training groups as players progress individually at different levels. Nobody else provides a detailed 10-page personal evaluation about every aspect of a player, and for both dominant and non-dominant foot.

I see how they’ve progressed in training sessions and weekly games since September.

I don’t judge player development by idiots’ comments on a message board, Gotsoccer rankings or wins. That tells me nothing about how my kid is being trained or developed. People focus on the wrong things—and at the wrong ages. And you know one player out of over 400+ —that’s a great sample size.

My kids still get “it’s not real” from others. Not even sure what the f@ck that’s in reference to. Nobody ever said they are FC Barca’s La Masia teams. But they are sanctioned and overseen by FCB and the TDS have to report in with FCB every Monday. They also come here to make sure the program is adhered to.

The goal wasn’t to select a winning team this year to come in and win a bunch of tournaments right away. Development is a long process (years). It’s just really getting serious when most kids begin hanging up their cleats. You can keep looking for the perfect/best team based on wins/Gotsoccer points or you could actually watch training sessions and what the players are being taught year-to-year.

It seems like most parents/players on this board are merely chasing the next great team/league with the least amount of attention to development. Every tryout season is about weeding out and assembling the best 10-16 kids—wherever you can get them. Nobody is working with these kids year after year. They are indispensable to Clubs. No commitment or investment. Just get a new set or next great white hope the following year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

They've only existed for less than a year, so not sure how you can say that they are the best for development. They haven't really played anyone, so no one can come back and bash them yet. I don't know too much about them. Only know one player who plays for them. That player isn't very good and still isn't.

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

A couple of FCB teams are entered in the Cannon Cup, curiously in the lower tiers. Just not enough numbers yet? Are these their lower-tier teams?

They have several teams in the Potomac Memorial Tournament this weekend. They do have more than 1 team per age group, so there are different levels just like regular Clubs.

For most FCB teams in cannon cup, mid Atlantic cup (MD) tournaments, these are brand new teams playing in their first tournaments so they start in the lowest brackets. There are some teams which developed faster and have already a few tournaments under their belts. FCB changes up the teams often especially this first year according to how kids develop. Player development first!

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of DA and ECNL, what are the best clubs in Northern VA?

Depends on what you consider to be "best". Best development? Best level of play? Best commute? Best cost? Best bang for the buck?

Best development/training/coaching staff: FCB.

A couple of FCB teams are entered in the Cannon Cup, curiously in the lower tiers. Just not enough numbers yet? Are these their lower-tier teams?

They have several teams in the Potomac Memorial Tournament this weekend. They do have more than 1 team per age group, so there are different levels just like regular Clubs.