Watch this possession sequence by a 08 Girls team.

https://vimeo.com/263807832

To parents actually in the FCB escola this discussion about tournament results is silly. Winning games is just not the way these teams are measured. Admittedly it’s a difficult mind shift at first, and hard to explain without experiencing it yourself.

FCB is not putting teams into these tournaments to win and move up the gotsoccer rankings. Of course they are trying to win on the field. But the teams are mixed age groups - U19 team had 15/16/17/18 year olds for example - and are assembled based on the development levels of the players regardless of age and sometimes gender. Most of the team history you see in gotsoccer is meaningless because the rosters change drastically from tournament to tournament. The purpose is to give the group a competitive game in order to measure how well they maintain the style of play under pressure. FCB believes in their style of play as an end goal that they believe will lead to long term success. Of course you can debate whether this style is successful, but FCB clearly believes in it and that is their measure of success. Not scores. I think the number of FCB escolas all over the world speaks to a successful model for them. They are just repeating what has been done all over.

To the PP that asked how long I would tolerate playing in lower brackets, I say as long as I see my player developing and having a positive experience, I don’t care which brackets they play. The development I have seen in my kids this year has been significant. Way more than on their previous “winning” Travel teams. Their understanding of the game, technical skills have improved a lot. And they love it. And I love that I have seen very little parent and club drama we had before. I see no reason to leave as long as it continues

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Romario u12 and Barjuan, I believe as well. There were several wins at a recent VA beach tournament.

Henry, Ibrahamiovic and Migueli have all won tournaments as well.

That VA beach tournament was also a rec tournament. Plus, I think those teams have only won one tournament each (in low brackets).

I know a lot on this thread say winning doesn't matter, but it does. Winning attracts top talent. Losing loses top talent. Over in Europe, winning doesn't matter because those kids are trying to get signed by those teams and it isn't pay to play. Here, if you are charging some of the highest fees in the area, parents aren't going to stick around for long unless they are winning top brackets of top tournaments.

Over in Europe, winning every single play of every single drill and game matters because the game is ingrained into those kids’ DNA. You know nothing.

Wanting to win and being trained to play well enough to do so when it matters is the difference. European Pro clubs do not care about team results under 15 years old.

You know nothing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Romario u12 and Barjuan, I believe as well. There were several wins at a recent VA beach tournament.

Henry, Ibrahamiovic and Migueli have all won tournaments as well.

That VA beach tournament was also a rec tournament. Plus, I think those teams have only won one tournament each (in low brackets).

I know a lot on this thread say winning doesn't matter, but it does. Winning attracts top talent. Losing loses top talent. Over in Europe, winning doesn't matter because those kids are trying to get signed by those teams and it isn't pay to play. Here, if you are charging some of the highest fees in the area, parents aren't going to stick around for long unless they are winning top brackets of top tournaments.

Over in Europe, winning every single play of every single drill and game matters because the game is ingrained into those kids’ DNA. You know nothing.

Anonymous wrote:Is there a point that any of the FCBEscola parents would throw in the towel and admit this club isn't better than any others? How many years of losing low brackets would it take? One more? Two more? Eventually, you have to expect your team to win if players are developing so much better?

I know if in a couple years, FCBEscola's teams are winning against the top teams in the area, then I would admit I was wrong and they have something special. I'm just wondering if there are any FCEscola parents on here that would ever admit they were wrong and how much losing would it take.

I am not a FCB parent. The kids I saw showed they were being taught the game and developing individual skill compared vs the travel teams in the same age group. It also looked like 1/2 or more of the team was playing up. Ask the parents who have had a kid or two go through the big club experience. You know what they will tell you? Winning does not matter at the early ages. It’s all about individual skill development- technical skill. Seriously if you have a kid who is fast and physical but has trouble with tight space control, bad first touch, or is a one trick pony, enjoy your u10 wins. They will not be on the top team by u13. They get replaced.

Is there a point that any of the FCBEscola parents would throw in the towel and admit this club isn't better than any others? How many years of losing low brackets would it take? One more? Two more? Eventually, you have to expect your team to win if players are developing so much better?

I know if in a couple years, FCBEscola's teams are winning against the top teams in the area, then I would admit I was wrong and they have something special. I'm just wondering if there are any FCEscola parents on here that would ever admit they were wrong and how much losing would it take.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Romario u12 and Barjuan, I believe as well. There were several wins at a recent VA beach tournament.

Henry, Ibrahamiovic and Migueli have all won tournaments as well.

That VA beach tournament was also a rec tournament. Plus, I think those teams have only won one tournament each (in low brackets).

I know a lot on this thread say winning doesn't matter, but it does. Winning attracts top talent. Losing loses top talent. Over in Europe, winning doesn't matter because those kids are trying to get signed by those teams and it isn't pay to play. Here, if you are charging some of the highest fees in the area, parents aren't going to stick around for long unless they are winning top brackets of top tournaments.

Unless you have completely misjudged their U14 and under parent base.

Been there done that with little kid wins. In the younger years, it doesn't develop a better player down the line to win the way the Clubs are doing it. And, down the line, those same Clubs just cut the kids and bring in new players. They don't develop them.

Chicken or the egg?

I guess we see in a few years. For now, they have almost every single player returning.

But for those with 8/9/10/11/12/13/14 year olds, they are smart to worry more about developing the individual player the best that they can in an environment that teaches good values and worry about the "team" later.

I mean what's the harm if this experiment fails? They don't get to play for the very "winning" USMNT. I look forward to watching them in the World Cup next week.

(Btw, the first bolded statement may be the dumbest synopsis of European soccer and player development I have ever read.)

Anonymous wrote:
Romario u12 and Barjuan, I believe as well. There were several wins at a recent VA beach tournament.

Henry, Ibrahamiovic and Migueli have all won tournaments as well.

That VA beach tournament was also a rec tournament. Plus, I think those teams have only won one tournament each (in low brackets).

I know a lot on this thread say winning doesn't matter, but it does. Winning attracts top talent. Losing loses top talent. Over in Europe, winning doesn't matter because those kids are trying to get signed by those teams and it isn't pay to play. Here, if you are charging some of the highest fees in the area, parents aren't going to stick around for long unless they are winning top brackets of top tournaments.

The teams don’t change. However, the playing rosters change depending on the players’ development. If you’re looking for lists and results, take them with a grain of salt. How are they playing is a better question.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone posted a cheat sheet for other clubs in the area of what color is the A, B, C, etc team. What is the order for each of the age groups at FCBEscola?

My kids are there and even I couldn't tell you. And the teams and training groups change a lot. Kids are mixed age groups some of the time. I don't know which names go with which age groups or genders---and sometimes girls are playing on a boys team.

I wouldn't have it any other way. And, some posters say the 'kids know'. In a sense, but it changes a lot. It is truly developmental and sometimes somebody with really great ball skill who was a first team player at former Club isn't in the top group because might not read the field or know when where to pass, etc. But, as they catch on, they will move.

The last thing I would want to see is a list. Then they become just like any other travel club.

My kid didn't truly know the name of his team for about the first 7 months. But, he loves the training and coaches!

Anonymous wrote:Someone posted a cheat sheet for other clubs in the area of what color is the A, B, C, etc team. What is the order for each of the age groups at FCBEscola?

My kids are there and even I couldn't tell you. And the teams and training groups change a lot. Kids are mixed age groups some of the time. I don't know which names go with which age groups or genders---and sometimes girls are playing on a boys team.

I wouldn't have it any other way. And, some posters say the 'kids know'. In a sense, but it changes a lot. It is truly developmental and sometimes somebody with really great ball skill who was a first team player at former Club isn't in the top group because might not read the field or know when where to pass, etc. But, as they catch on, they will move.

The last thing I would want to see is a list. Then they become just like any other travel club.

Someone posted a cheat sheet for other clubs in the area of what color is the A, B, C, etc team. What is the order for each of the age groups at FCBEscola?

I’ve seen their teams at the older age groups play in person and I know for a fact they are doing the right things as far as development and style of play. What a rando spouts on this board won’t change that, you really have to see it with your own eyes. And I don’t mean looking at SCORES of PRE-U14 players.

Anonymous wrote:FCB is just wrapping up it’s first year. They have to place into higher level tournaments, you don’t just get in. It’s a big boys club and newcomers have a hard time getting their foot in. Anyone that knows about the travel scene in the area could tell you that. Again, you are overly concerned with results. The Ibrahimovic team isn’t even the top FCB team in their age group.

This poster has been told there are multiple teams per age group/different levels, but can't seem to grasp that. Just trolling for losses to say 'see, see!". It's funny he never posts all of the tournament wins---and there have been many. Watching the progression over the past year, they are off to a good start.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The U13 Bakero team won their bracket. The U11 Guardiola team came 1st in their group and got eliminated in the knockouts by Rockville, who creamed everybody else in that bracket. You are reaching... I sense jealousy?

Seems like a stretch to judge a club by results from a tournament in which most clubs weren't sending their A- and B-teams ... for better or for worse.

Seems a stretch to judge any club by any tournament results.

Unless they're a bit extreme, or unless there's a pattern, sure.

We could ask, though, why they're entering the lower brackets of all these tournaments. That's turning into a pattern. But they do have some good older teams.

Because they are soccer games? What other tournaments were going on last weekend? Why not play in a nearby tournament at a great facility? You of all people complain about the traveling great distances so why would you complain about a club entering a team in a local tournament at a great facility? What was the other choice in June sand soccer?

If they would have blown the top teams of the top brackets out of the water, then maybe they should have picked a better tournament (maybe not this weekend, but they could have picked one of the memorial day tournaments or one of many other tournaments during the spring, many travel teams are done for the season by this point), but turns out to be not a bad pick since they couldn't win bottom brackets of this tournament against some rec teams.

As it's been said about 100 times, they have multiple teams per age group. They did win the Potomac Memorial Bracket (as ratingsdad calls an "A and B" team tournament) with a different U13 team Memorial Day weekend and the Premier Cup a few weeks prior. They can't put all of their teams in the same tournament. Just like travel Clubs put different teams of the same age group in different tournaments. I don't know why that is hard to understand.

Also, you don't go in with no record and get put in the top bracket. That's not how it works. If you don't have an established record of results you start at entry level, just like in NCSL.

They now have several teams that have consistently won brackets of tournaments, so next go around those teams will get placed in higher brackets. How do you not know this stuff?

A lot of criticism for people that know nothing about FCB and apparently nothing about tournament structures.

But, not to miss the point, parents and coaches think it's a success if the kids kept to the style of play and were able to execute it under pressure more so than the final result. And, it shows them what they need to work on in training. As it should be.

They can put multiple teams of the same age group in a single tournament. Multiple teams in an age group would help some of your "A" teams get into higher brackets.

Several teams that have won multiple brackets at tournaments? I know of FCBESCOLA NORTHERN VIRGINIA MARADONA, and a couple others might have won a single tournament, but what other teams have won more than one?

Belleti 05

Romario u12 and Barjuan, I believe as well. There were several wins at a recent VA beach tournament.

Henry, Ibrahamiovic and Migueli have all won tournaments as well.