Anonymous
05/13/2026 13:29
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
To the person who asked about ADP vs travel, I think one other advantage is that multiple levels of travel practice at the same time and play against each other I practice. There is a higher competitive ladder you get to see those three times a week. So I’d argue it’s more than just the extra practice hour, but you’re getting reps against and seeing how good some of the better players are. The top teams aren’t there though. But if you’re in black you can play against blue and white. ADP is its own bubble.
To the other folks saying that the other players coming in is a testament to ASA failure, ultimately the genetic component can be a difference maker. There are some athletes with higher ceilings and if there is a thoroughbred athlete from a town over that kicks out a very strong athlete from ARL that’s just kinda how it works and it’s not necessarily a failure.
To the other folks saying that the other players coming in is a testament to ASA failure, ultimately the genetic component can be a difference maker. There are some athletes with higher ceilings and if there is a thoroughbred athlete from a town over that kicks out a very strong athlete from ARL that’s just kinda how it works and it’s not necessarily a failure.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 13:23
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington’s problem may be that it is simply too big to manage. The same club that you want to succeed in ECNL is weighed down by its desire to field six teams at every age group. FVU and VDA specialize in just the top layer. Arlington ECNL can never be great because it always wants to be everything to everyone. It’s more a community association not a soccer academy.
New soccer mom here: my son plays ADP (I’d say he’s the 3rd best player on his team) and I didn’t let him try out for U9 travel this year because, frankly, it’s a lot of money for something I don’t really understand.
WHY does Arlington have 6 travel teams for each age and gender? That seems to imply they’ll take almost anyone willing to play—it doesn’t seem like the kids who make travel (particularly the lower level teams) are great players.
From reading this board, it seems like little kid travel is a road to nowhere. But my kid loves soccer and wants to play travel, so please tell me what I’m missing, beyond travel having one more practice each week and participation in tournaments.
There’s blurry area between lower travel teams (3rd/4th team and below, depending on clubs) and rec, but travel 1st team and rec is different. If you kid likes soccer, want to improve, join travel, but be prepared, it’s not easy for parents.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 13:09
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
they are middling in the standings, but are playing up a year. 4-6 kids on the team although identified as pa1 level pre-season, are just not - which is not a knock on them, but just reality. so it's not surprising to hear complaints that now there are more guest players than the fall.
so what are you saying? if you get picked for PA1 but half way into the fall the club/coach decides you are not on the level they will just bring in guest players and your kid gets to ride the bench for most of the time the rest of the year? what kind of shit show is this? who are the morons choosing kids for teams where they decide up to 6 kids are not on the level so they will just bring other players and they can ride the bench!?! why would any parent put up with that? what a complete disaster and for what so the club/coach and win a couple of meaningless ncsl league games which they don't seem to be winning anyways for the most part
those "bench" players seem to be getting 20-25 minutes at their lowest end. guest players seem to be coming to get their game roster to at least 13/14 which seems to be typical for 9v9 especially when it gets warmer (which hasn't really happened yet outside of one day this spring). just because you start out high doesn't mean you stay there. I can't speak to why those players didn't progress like their peers or perhaps even players on the second team. other sports, motivation, private coaching... who knows.
the people picking the teams aren't the morons... the morons are the people who think just because your kid starts somewhere means they deserve it forever and ever, without having to continuously prove, justify, or earn that right. the morons are the people who think the score is the most important thing instead of the 100 decisions or moments to get right during the game. the morons are the ones who think all their kid has to do is show up to practice three times a week and 1-2 games on the weekend and their spot is protected.
the hardest place for your kid to be and stay is on the top team; the players below your kid and outside the program are coming for your kids spot. they are many and they are relentless, and they will come to take that spot away whenever they get that chance.
I thought PA1 is practicing 4 times a week and 2 games on the weekend. I think the real question is why are you not acknowledging the obvious failures of the club/directors/coaches etc that by your statement practicing 4 times a week and 2 games on the weekend doesn't seem to be enough for them to develop and keep pace with kids from around the area. Seems like a gross failure all around and maybe some reflection is needed
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:54
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
they are middling in the standings, but are playing up a year. 4-6 kids on the team although identified as pa1 level pre-season, are just not - which is not a knock on them, but just reality. so it's not surprising to hear complaints that now there are more guest players than the fall.
so what are you saying? if you get picked for PA1 but half way into the fall the club/coach decides you are not on the level they will just bring in guest players and your kid gets to ride the bench for most of the time the rest of the year? what kind of shit show is this? who are the morons choosing kids for teams where they decide up to 6 kids are not on the level so they will just bring other players and they can ride the bench!?! why would any parent put up with that? what a complete disaster and for what so the club/coach and win a couple of meaningless ncsl league games which they don't seem to be winning anyways for the most part
those "bench" players seem to be getting 20-25 minutes at their lowest end. guest players seem to be coming to get their game roster to at least 13/14 which seems to be typical for 9v9 especially when it gets warmer (which hasn't really happened yet outside of one day this spring). just because you start out high doesn't mean you stay there. I can't speak to why those players didn't progress like their peers or perhaps even players on the second team. other sports, motivation, private coaching... who knows.
the people picking the teams aren't the morons... the morons are the people who think just because your kid starts somewhere means they deserve it forever and ever, without having to continuously prove, justify, or earn that right. the morons are the people who think the score is the most important thing instead of the 100 decisions or moments to get right during the game. the morons are the ones who think all their kid has to do is show up to practice three times a week and 1-2 games on the weekend and their spot is protected.
the hardest place for your kid to be and stay is on the top team; the players below your kid and outside the program are coming for your kids spot. they are many and they are relentless, and they will come to take that spot away whenever they get that chance.
So the answer to the previous poster based on what your saying is YES if they decide a couple months in your kid is not on the level they will be replaced as much as possible by players not even on the team. I don't think thats a great model for an "academy"
100% this person works for Arl lol, I feel sorry for the families. The kids deserve better
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:43
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
they are middling in the standings, but are playing up a year. 4-6 kids on the team although identified as pa1 level pre-season, are just not - which is not a knock on them, but just reality. so it's not surprising to hear complaints that now there are more guest players than the fall.
so what are you saying? if you get picked for PA1 but half way into the fall the club/coach decides you are not on the level they will just bring in guest players and your kid gets to ride the bench for most of the time the rest of the year? what kind of shit show is this? who are the morons choosing kids for teams where they decide up to 6 kids are not on the level so they will just bring other players and they can ride the bench!?! why would any parent put up with that? what a complete disaster and for what so the club/coach and win a couple of meaningless ncsl league games which they don't seem to be winning anyways for the most part
those "bench" players seem to be getting 20-25 minutes at their lowest end. guest players seem to be coming to get their game roster to at least 13/14 which seems to be typical for 9v9 especially when it gets warmer (which hasn't really happened yet outside of one day this spring). just because you start out high doesn't mean you stay there. I can't speak to why those players didn't progress like their peers or perhaps even players on the second team. other sports, motivation, private coaching... who knows.
the people picking the teams aren't the morons... the morons are the people who think just because your kid starts somewhere means they deserve it forever and ever, without having to continuously prove, justify, or earn that right. the morons are the people who think the score is the most important thing instead of the 100 decisions or moments to get right during the game. the morons are the ones who think all their kid has to do is show up to practice three times a week and 1-2 games on the weekend and their spot is protected.
the hardest place for your kid to be and stay is on the top team; the players below your kid and outside the program are coming for your kids spot. they are many and they are relentless, and they will come to take that spot away whenever they get that chance.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:32
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Think of this board as generally the most invested and interested parents of the top 20-50% of the player pool. It’s not totally a representative sample.
That said, why travel at all? In general, as in not a certainty or applicable to every kid, probably 75% of the kids who have a chance to play at a high level by 13, and the opportunities that may come with it, will have started playing travel around this age. It’s not the only path, but it’s certainly the widest door to keep those options open. Your mileage may vary, as they say.
I would agree with that characterization. In general, you have to take some comments on this board with a grain of salt. Some parents express frustration (e.g., at the club or the coach) and the takeaway may be that there's some systemic problem. Overall, I would encourage travel at an earlier age just to see if your kid likes it. Oftentimes, travel is more competitive than rec. That's not to say there aren't players on lower travel teams who would be better suited for rec but travel should be more challenging than rec. The line between travel and rec may look a little blurry as you get to the lower travel teams, but your kid could enjoy it and want to advance up the ladder. So if finances permit, I would try travel to see if your kid likes it. As parents, we're all trying to figure out what activities will both interest and challenge our kids.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:29
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington’s problem may be that it is simply too big to manage. The same club that you want to succeed in ECNL is weighed down by its desire to field six teams at every age group. FVU and VDA specialize in just the top layer. Arlington ECNL can never be great because it always wants to be everything to everyone. It’s more a community association not a soccer academy.
New soccer mom here: my son plays ADP (I’d say he’s the 3rd best player on his team) and I didn’t let him try out for U9 travel this year because, frankly, it’s a lot of money for something I don’t really understand.
WHY does Arlington have 6 travel teams for each age and gender? That seems to imply they’ll take almost anyone willing to play—it doesn’t seem like the kids who make travel (particularly the lower level teams) are great players.
From reading this board, it seems like little kid travel is a road to nowhere. But my kid loves soccer and wants to play travel, so please tell me what I’m missing, beyond travel having one more practice each week and participation in tournaments.
Little kid travel is a road to more travel soccer until they don't want to do it anymore and normal parents are like okay then stop. That's it. Just take it year by year and decide if the kid is having a good time. It's not that deep for most of us.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:26
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington’s problem may be that it is simply too big to manage. The same club that you want to succeed in ECNL is weighed down by its desire to field six teams at every age group. FVU and VDA specialize in just the top layer. Arlington ECNL can never be great because it always wants to be everything to everyone. It’s more a community association not a soccer academy.
New soccer mom here: my son plays ADP (I’d say he’s the 3rd best player on his team) and I didn’t let him try out for U9 travel this year because, frankly, it’s a lot of money for something I don’t really understand.
WHY does Arlington have 6 travel teams for each age and gender? That seems to imply they’ll take almost anyone willing to play—it doesn’t seem like the kids who make travel (particularly the lower level teams) are great players.
From reading this board, it seems like little kid travel is a road to nowhere. But my kid loves soccer and wants to play travel, so please tell me what I’m missing, beyond travel having one more practice each week and participation in tournaments.
This board is mostly the invested people who think their kid is playing in college. Most of them are delusional but that's what they are gunning for.
Many people just want their kid to play soccer and have a good time and stay active. Club sports in general have decimated rec sports so you have to participate in club sports to just play any sport and have a good time at a reasonable competition level.
One warning is ADP is a dead end at end of 5th or 6th grade. Now I guess it will be after 6th grade with new age groupings. No one explains that part. All these kids will get dumped into travel tryouts and there is no room for them on travel teams. There is no expansion of the number of teams and there are already a bunch of kids who have been playing travel. Most of the ADP kids have to go back to rec or they stop playing soccer. So my one piece of advice is if you think your kid will want to keep playing soccer, don't wait until the end to jump over to travel from ADP.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:25
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
I think the answer is neither. Its kind of just meh. Hard to thrive when you constantly have guest players playing that get more game time then some of the girls that are actually on the team. I don't know what the point of playing up a year was just to bring multiple guest players to games that ended up getting the bulk of the playing time. Really messed up and hurt the kids on the actual team
yikes...sounds like its not just bringing out guest players for a game or two when needed but doing it all season long. are the families that are putting up with this not embarrassed?
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:19
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
they are middling in the standings, but are playing up a year. 4-6 kids on the team although identified as pa1 level pre-season, are just not - which is not a knock on them, but just reality. so it's not surprising to hear complaints that now there are more guest players than the fall.
so what are you saying? if you get picked for PA1 but half way into the fall the club/coach decides you are not on the level they will just bring in guest players and your kid gets to ride the bench for most of the time the rest of the year? what kind of shit show is this? who are the morons choosing kids for teams where they decide up to 6 kids are not on the level so they will just bring other players and they can ride the bench!?! why would any parent put up with that? what a complete disaster and for what so the club/coach and win a couple of meaningless ncsl league games which they don't seem to be winning anyways for the most part
Anonymous
05/13/2026 12:04
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
From reading this board, it seems like little kid travel is a road to nowhere. But my kid loves soccer and wants to play travel, so please tell me what I’m missing, beyond travel having one more practice each week and participation in tournaments.
Think of this board as generally the most invested and interested parents of the top 20-50% of the player pool. It’s not totally a representative sample.
That said, why travel at all? In general, as in not a certainty or applicable to every kid, probably 75% of the kids who have a chance to play at a high level by 13, and the opportunities that may come with it, will have started playing travel around this age. It’s not the only path, but it’s certainly the widest door to keep those options open. Your mileage may vary, as they say.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 11:52
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington’s problem may be that it is simply too big to manage. The same club that you want to succeed in ECNL is weighed down by its desire to field six teams at every age group. FVU and VDA specialize in just the top layer. Arlington ECNL can never be great because it always wants to be everything to everyone. It’s more a community association not a soccer academy.
New soccer mom here: my son plays ADP (I’d say he’s the 3rd best player on his team) and I didn’t let him try out for U9 travel this year because, frankly, it’s a lot of money for something I don’t really understand.
WHY does Arlington have 6 travel teams for each age and gender? That seems to imply they’ll take almost anyone willing to play—it doesn’t seem like the kids who make travel (particularly the lower level teams) are great players.
From reading this board, it seems like little kid travel is a road to nowhere. But my kid loves soccer and wants to play travel, so please tell me what I’m missing, beyond travel having one more practice each week and participation in tournaments.
I think that's what it is- it's more practices than ADP or Rec, tournament play, playing in a league where standings matter, better coaches (sometimes). People always like to say that the lower teams are worthless and fund the highest team. But, if your kid loves to play and wants the extra challenge and commitment, it's great. There are U18 players that really aren't that good and still play. Why- because they love it and their parents are willing to fund their passion despite the lack of talent.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 11:48
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
they are middling in the standings, but are playing up a year. 4-6 kids on the team although identified as pa1 level pre-season, are just not - which is not a knock on them, but just reality. so it's not surprising to hear complaints that now there are more guest players than the fall.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 11:42
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington’s problem may be that it is simply too big to manage. The same club that you want to succeed in ECNL is weighed down by its desire to field six teams at every age group. FVU and VDA specialize in just the top layer. Arlington ECNL can never be great because it always wants to be everything to everyone. It’s more a community association not a soccer academy.
New soccer mom here: my son plays ADP (I’d say he’s the 3rd best player on his team) and I didn’t let him try out for U9 travel this year because, frankly, it’s a lot of money for something I don’t really understand.
WHY does Arlington have 6 travel teams for each age and gender? That seems to imply they’ll take almost anyone willing to play—it doesn’t seem like the kids who make travel (particularly the lower level teams) are great players.
From reading this board, it seems like little kid travel is a road to nowhere. But my kid loves soccer and wants to play travel, so please tell me what I’m missing, beyond travel having one more practice each week and participation in tournaments.
Anonymous
05/13/2026 11:37
Subject: Arlington Travel Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:2016 pa1 get two from pa2, don’t they?
I’m talking about girl side. How is girl’s 2016 pa1? Does it struggle or thrive this year so far?
I think the answer is neither. Its kind of just meh. Hard to thrive when you constantly have guest players playing that get more game time then some of the girls that are actually on the team. I don't know what the point of playing up a year was just to bring multiple guest players to games that ended up getting the bulk of the playing time. Really messed up and hurt the kids on the actual team