Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's because VYS specializes in offering soccer babysitting services at the younger ages and doesn't really push the players that hard. Then when they get older you can see that they don't have that aggression that other teams do.

We used to be with Vienna and left two years ago because we got tired of being outhustled by inferior teams. Our son is with another club now and they all work throughout the entire game. While maybe not the most polite term to say "soft", it's probably an accurate description in general of VYS teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's because VYS specializes in offering soccer babysitting services at the younger ages and doesn't really push the players that hard. Then when they get older you can see that they don't have that aggression that other teams do.

We used to be with Vienna and left two years ago because we got tired of being outhustled by inferior teams. Our son is with another club now and they all work throughout the entire game. While maybe not the most polite term to say "soft", it's probably an accurate description in general of VYS teams.

Anonymous wrote:That's because VYS specializes in offering soccer babysitting services at the younger ages and doesn't really push the players that hard. Then when they get older you can see that they don't have that aggression that other teams do.

Anonymous wrote:VYS? Who are they? Are those the kids who get rejected by McLean and Bethesda?

Anonymous wrote:VYS? Who are they? Are those the kids who get rejected by McLean and Bethesda?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VYS? Who are they? Are those the kids who get rejected by McLean and Bethesda?

Bethesda? Not even close enough to consider. McLean? Not good enough to consider. My son refuses to play there despite my pleading for him to play closer to home. He’d rather play elsewhere with better talent. I think SYC’s second team boys will now become McLean first teams, right?

Anonymous wrote:VYS? Who are they? Are those the kids who get rejected by McLean and Bethesda?

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RSD - in your book about why American men's soccer will never win it all did you include a chapter on how kids and parents are too fragile to play in anything above room temperature? Because the last time I checked - there are a hotter climates in the world than the DC area. And I bet those kids sure aren't complaining.

No, but in my first book, there's a reference to the bad decision to play MLS games in the afternoons on a high school turf field in Dallas. It's mentioned here:

https://3rddegree.net/2020-same-as-it-ever-was-fc-dallas

The kids may not complain, per se, but when I reffed on Father's Day, it's safe to say the second half was considerably slower than the first.

Whether that's a good experience or not -- YMMV. But a decision whether or not to play is *probably* not based on whether Vienna parents can afford it. Just a hunch.

We did Super Y with Vienna a few years ago. I'm happy to not play in the league again until the league improves. Practice was fine and I don't mind the heat, but there were a couple of times that we drove to PA for games to play on crappy fields - and the other team didn't have enough players and had to forfeit.

There are lots of summer options just as there are lots of tournament options or league options or extra training options. If VYS or any other club can't offer a good experience, then I don't hold it against them for not fielding a team in any particular league/event.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RSD - in your book about why American men's soccer will never win it all did you include a chapter on how kids and parents are too fragile to play in anything above room temperature? Because the last time I checked - there are a hotter climates in the world than the DC area. And I bet those kids sure aren't complaining.

No, but in my first book, there's a reference to the bad decision to play MLS games in the afternoons on a high school turf field in Dallas. It's mentioned here:

https://3rddegree.net/2020-same-as-it-ever-was-fc-dallas

The kids may not complain, per se, but when I reffed on Father's Day, it's safe to say the second half was considerably slower than the first.

Whether that's a good experience or not -- YMMV. But a decision whether or not to play is *probably* not based on whether Vienna parents can afford it. Just a hunch.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RSD - in your book about why American men's soccer will never win it all did you include a chapter on how kids and parents are too fragile to play in anything above room temperature? Because the last time I checked - there are a hotter climates in the world than the DC area. And I bet those kids sure aren't complaining.

No, but in my first book, there's a reference to the bad decision to play MLS games in the afternoons on a high school turf field in Dallas. It's mentioned here:

https://3rddegree.net/2020-same-as-it-ever-was-fc-dallas

The kids may not complain, per se, but when I reffed on Father's Day, it's safe to say the second half was considerably slower than the first.

Whether that's a good experience or not -- YMMV. But a decision whether or not to play is *probably* not based on whether Vienna parents can afford it. Just a hunch.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why is that? VSA can’t afford a Super Y team?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did Vienna stop playing Super Y? Where did their kids to play Super Y?

VYS players who want to play Super Y will tryout for other nearby Super Y teams, like Arlington or McLean.

There isn't a single kid from VYS who is playing on Arlington or McLean. They are at Villareal, Great Falls, or Northern Virginia United.

VYS or VSA?

In any case -- I think there was some disillusionment about it. Is it really necessary to send kids who are already playing more games than they should in a given year out on a broiling field over the summer?

I'd argue that kids who want to work on their games over the summer should be working on getting more touches on the ball, whether that's some sort of training or maybe some laid-back futsal games. Playing 11v11 in conditions that aren't conducive to it and don't offer much time on the ball ... I'm willing to listen to people who see the benefit, because I don't see it myself.

If kids have unlimited interest in playing full games, great, but I'm not alarmed that a lot of clubs don't see it as a vital development tool.

Let's just get the "hot weather" issue out of the way first -- anything that a kid does outside in the summer in this part of the country is going to be hot: soccer camps, other sports/activities, etc. (Yes, I suppose if there is a nice indoor futsal activity to participate in, that's great.)

So then, what's Super Y? In my kid's case, it's a couple of 90 minutes practice sessions 2x per week (in the evenings) and a weekend game for roughly 1 hour (of which he'll play 30-45 minutes). So, less than 4 hours of soccer per week. I don't even know exactly how long the Super Y season is, but in 10 weeks it would be roughly equivalent to the amount of time a kid would spend playing soccer in one of those week-long, full-day soccer camps.

Maybe it's not the best option for touches on the ball or technical skill development, but if kids like it and enjoy the competition that comes with playing games, it's better than many other options.

In our case, we're using Super Y as a chance to play with a different club, and play up a year, to get some exposure to different teammates and different coaching and playing styles.

Maybe the Super Y hate comes from people who have had a miserable time sitting on the sidelines in the middle of hot summer games; parents typically won't be sitting and watching their kids playing at a weeklong soccer camp, but for the players it's just as hot! Certainly that's an argument for skipping it. But for those kids who want to play games on a team -- maybe they don't have many friends in the neighborhood and miss playing soccer with other kids during the summer -- it's great.

All of that is great. I just wouldn't hold it against a club for not prioritizing it.

I'm also glad they have enough refs to carry on without me!

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why is that? VSA can’t afford a Super Y team?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did Vienna stop playing Super Y? Where did their kids to play Super Y?

VYS players who want to play Super Y will tryout for other nearby Super Y teams, like Arlington or McLean.

There isn't a single kid from VYS who is playing on Arlington or McLean. They are at Villareal, Great Falls, or Northern Virginia United.

VYS or VSA?

In any case -- I think there was some disillusionment about it. Is it really necessary to send kids who are already playing more games than they should in a given year out on a broiling field over the summer?

I'd argue that kids who want to work on their games over the summer should be working on getting more touches on the ball, whether that's some sort of training or maybe some laid-back futsal games. Playing 11v11 in conditions that aren't conducive to it and don't offer much time on the ball ... I'm willing to listen to people who see the benefit, because I don't see it myself.

If kids have unlimited interest in playing full games, great, but I'm not alarmed that a lot of clubs don't see it as a vital development tool.