I think the problem is that many new parents to the soccer industry would have a hard time understanding your concept until it's kind of too late or don't even know how find out the specific about those coaches. The rec clubs aren't promoting them as hard as travel and there ins't a great resource to understand.. Just a bunch of unicorn stories. It's not like you even mentioned 1 of the 5 you know. Why not call them out? Parents come here to learn more and aren't given any real information to work with.

I think the probability of one of those being pretty close to you is slim... I've met and watched a couple games of one local u9 classic coach at the Herndon all star tournament. I wasn't impressed... at all . Coaches from other teams would have required me to drive up and down the 95/395/495 corridors, right? not unlike the previous negatives

PP here. I don't disagree with any of the statements above but I know of at least five coaches, one whom I met last week while sledding, that are former college players who coached or are currently coaching competitive travel soccer but are coaching classic/select. My DS's former travel coach who played professionally in LatAm and now coaches at a local HS, coaches a classic team because of its affiliation with the LatAm community.

I have seen talented players in classic. My DD played on a team where the coach had previously coached at both Bethesda/Potomac but had taken time off from travel while working as an assistant at a local DI soccer program and coached a classic team of girls who he taught in elem school. That team had three girls that are now playing for A teams at large clubs in the DMV.

The argument remains that there is no guarantee but a talented player in classic who is a star can show up and make a competitive non-ECNL/DA travel team and after getting used to the speed of play and playing in a more competitive setting can absolutely make an ECNL team within a year or two. Ask any travel coach and they will tell you that they have seen several of these cases.

Again, for those of us not interested in entering the insanity of travel soccer at U8, classic/select is a viable option if done the right way.

Anyone who says that it isn't possible has zero experience with a strong classic/select coach.

Anonymous wrote:Moron, No one said it was a certainty. You must be in politics.

The argument remains that you do not need to get sucked into travel soccer at u8-u11. Find a strong classic/select coach. I found one last week while sledding with my kids. The guy had played college soccer was a youth travel coach who won state championships back when they meant something. Now that he has kids, he only coaches his kids. They play in travel tournaments. I will take a coach like that from u8-u11 and save my money over playing travel and driving up and down I95. I would then put my kid on a strong travel team at u12/u13 and from there, let them work to make elite travel at u14/u15.

Just another pathway folks.

The bolded point also breaks down with the simple fact that YOU don't get to just put your kid on a strong travel team at U12/U13. Your kid has to make such a team. By all means, let us know how it works out for your kid.

Anonymous wrote:Moron, No one said it was a certainty. You must be in politics.

The argument remains that you do not need to get sucked into travel soccer at u8-u11. Find a strong classic/select coach. I found one last week while sledding with my kids. The guy had played college soccer was a youth travel coach who won state championships back when they meant something. Now that he has kids, he only coaches his kids. They play in travel tournaments. I will take a coach like that from u8-u11 and save my money over playing travel and driving up and down I95. I would then put my kid on a strong travel team at u12/u13 and from there, let them work to make elite travel at u14/u15.

Just another pathway folks.

First, I live in another state, but I believe our "town travel" soccer is likely the same as what you refer to as classic/select. Club soccer is much more competitive and the top level teams are playing in NPL/ECNL/DA. Moving on...

The fact that you actually believe that the statement above is completely reasonable, tells me that you don't currently have a child who plays u14/15 at the ECNL/DA level. Either that, or you have a kid who is an absolute unicorn in terms of talent AND individual drive to get better on their own.

The VAST majority of kids who stay in town travel (or classic/select) soccer until u13 will not be able to make a strong travel team (A or B team at a big club). From there, moving to the ECNL/DA level at u14/15 from a B or C level team at ANY club is incredibly difficult. Can it happen? Yes. But this "pathway" would work for a tiny minority of kids.

Anonymous wrote:Moron, No one said it was a certainty. You must be in politics.

The argument remains that you do not need to get sucked into travel soccer at u8-u11. Find a strong classic/select coach. I found one last week while sledding with my kids. The guy had played college soccer was a youth travel coach who won state championships back when they meant something. Now that he has kids, he only coaches his kids. They play in travel tournaments. I will take a coach like that from u8-u11 and save my money over playing travel and driving up and down I95. I would then put my kid on a strong travel team at u12/u13 and from there, let them work to make elite travel at u14/u15.

Just another pathway folks.

That is an easy enough path to follow. Just find the former travel coach who only coaches his kids in Select and it is as easy as that. No problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not part of this argument but will add that there are great and bad travel coaches as well as great and bad Classic coaches. Additionally, there are current Classic players that can easily make at least mid-tier travel teams and there are mid-tier travel players on big club teams that should be playing in Classic instead. I don’t know if my experience is unique but I witness this on several MSI Girls teams.

There is no argument with this point at all. I totally agree with this sentiment.

The PP simply keeps claiming that it is a certainty that select soccer will better prepare a player for "elite" travel. What you are saying is far more grounded and true.

I’m the PP that you agreed with. I can’t speak for the boys Classic Team but my DD was not challenged when she was in Select (U10). She dominated most of her games there. She no longer dominates now that she’s on a mid-level travel team. While she’s only with the travel team since Fall 2018, she’s still adjusting to the speed and talent of her travel opponents. This proves, at least to me, that it’s very difficult to go from Select to an Top Tier/Elite Team. This is assuming a Select player would even make/be accepted by an Elite Team I’m the first place.

This is another important point. While a person may get lucky and end up with a terrific Select coach the reality is the overall player quality will be far more extreme than in a travel environment, even on a B or C team. While many quality players choose Select for any number of reasons there are just as many who simply did not make a travel team.

Eventually a player can only develop so much when they are the best player on the team. The ability for a player to be pushed or at least matched talent wise on a Select team is difficult to do. And it is also easier to make larger strides with a Select level team simply because in many instances a coach is simply installing the basics.

Think of it this way, it is a hell of a lot easier to train from couch to a 5k than it is to train from a 5k to a marathon. The bar on a Select team is low enough that the coaches who can instill just a semblance of organized play, elements of possession and basic technical improvement can frankly look like a miracle worker.

Moron, No one said it was a certainty. You must be in politics.

The argument remains that you do not need to get sucked into travel soccer at u8-u11. Find a strong classic/select coach. I found one last week while sledding with my kids. The guy had played college soccer was a youth travel coach who won state championships back when they meant something. Now that he has kids, he only coaches his kids. They play in travel tournaments. I will take a coach like that from u8-u11 and save my money over playing travel and driving up and down I95. I would then put my kid on a strong travel team at u12/u13 and from there, let them work to make elite travel at u14/u15.

Just another pathway folks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not part of this argument but will add that there are great and bad travel coaches as well as great and bad Classic coaches. Additionally, there are current Classic players that can easily make at least mid-tier travel teams and there are mid-tier travel players on big club teams that should be playing in Classic instead. I don’t know if my experience is unique but I witness this on several MSI Girls teams.

There is no argument with this point at all. I totally agree with this sentiment.

The PP simply keeps claiming that it is a certainty that select soccer will better prepare a player for "elite" travel. What you are saying is far more grounded and true.

I’m the PP that you agreed with. I can’t speak for the boys Classic Team but my DD was not challenged when she was in Select (U10). She dominated most of her games there. She no longer dominates now that she’s on a mid-level travel team. While she’s only with the travel team since Fall 2018, she’s still adjusting to the speed and talent of her travel opponents. This proves, at least to me, that it’s very difficult to go from Select to an Top Tier/Elite Team. This is assuming a Select player would even make/be accepted by an Elite Team I’m the first place.

Anonymous wrote:I’m not part of this argument but will add that there are great and bad travel coaches as well as great and bad Classic coaches. Additionally, there are current Classic players that can easily make at least mid-tier travel teams and there are mid-tier travel players on big club teams that should be playing in Classic instead. I don’t know if my experience is unique but I witness this on several MSI Girls teams.

There is no argument with this point at all. I totally agree with this sentiment.

The PP simply keeps claiming that it is a certainty that select soccer will better prepare a player for "elite" travel. What you are saying is far more grounded and true.

I’m not part of this argument but will add that there are great and bad travel coaches as well as great and bad Classic coaches. Additionally, there are current Classic players that can easily make at least mid-tier travel teams and there are mid-tier travel players on big club teams that should be playing in Classic instead. I don’t know if my experience is unique but I witness this on several MSI Girls teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why we have to continue framing the debate for you. The question is do you need to do travel soccer for a weak B team or C team or lower at u9/u10 team if the goal is to play elite soccer? You do not. There are quality coaches in classic/select that can better prepare your kid at the early ages for elite soccer than the C team coach. The idea is that there are better options than forking out $3,000 or traveling extensively at U9/u10. I have listed several teams/coaches that I have met or seen play in tournaments. If you want to write a check for travel and drive all over the DMV, no one is stopping you but you are a fool if you believe that playing for a weak B team or C team or lower is the only avenue to preparing your kid to play at an elite level. I do argue that by u12/u13, a player needs to be doing travel for a number of reasons.

1. B and C travel is not elite soccer.
2. B and C travel rarely costs $3000.
3. There is no evidence, other than your experience with one kid that Select soccer can better prepare a player than any other form of travel soccer.

+1
Eyeroll for the PP who keeps talking about the Classic coach unicorn who is a parent volunteer working for free and is going to coach kids into academy programs.
This person is the all-time most annoying DCUM poster.

Anonymous wrote:You should not post because you have no idea what you are talking about.

1. The point is that B, C etc. is not elite soccer so if that is the case, why not pursue an alternative route to elite.
2. The cheapest travel soccer teams I have heard of are $2,300-2,500 and you still have to pay for tournaments, i.e. ~$3,000.
3. Sorry but my experience is not unique. Again, I am not saying everyone can make the jump but each top classic/select team has a player or two who have the potential to make the top team at the top clubs.

Yet one more classic/select club, including several teams that started as classic/select teams but have moved to travel.

You keep making the case that Select can prepare a player for "elite soccer";

The question is do you need to do travel soccer for a weak B team or C team or lower at u9/u10 team if the goal is to play elite soccer? You do not. There are quality coaches in classic/select that can better prepare your kid at the early ages for elite soccer than the C team coach.

If you think B and C team travel is "elite" you are wrong. If you think playing select soccer will prepare a player for DA and/or ECNL you are also wrong.

If you believe that select soccer can prepare a kid for good old fashion NCSL travel soccer then YES is can.

If you would simply stop using the word elite your point would be valid.

You should not post because you have no idea what you are talking about.

1. The point is that B, C etc. is not elite soccer so if that is the case, why not pursue an alternative route to elite.
2. The cheapest travel soccer teams I have heard of are $2,300-2,500 and you still have to pay for tournaments, i.e. ~$3,000.
3. Sorry but my experience is not unique. Again, I am not saying everyone can make the jump but each top classic/select team has a player or two who have the potential to make the top team at the top clubs.

Yet one more classic/select club, including several teams that started as classic/select teams but have moved to travel.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why we have to continue framing the debate for you. The question is do you need to do travel soccer for a weak B team or C team or lower at u9/u10 team if the goal is to play elite soccer? You do not. There are quality coaches in classic/select that can better prepare your kid at the early ages for elite soccer than the C team coach. The idea is that there are better options than forking out $3,000 or traveling extensively at U9/u10. I have listed several teams/coaches that I have met or seen play in tournaments. If you want to write a check for travel and drive all over the DMV, no one is stopping you but you are a fool if you believe that playing for a weak B team or C team or lower is the only avenue to preparing your kid to play at an elite level. I do argue that by u12/u13, a player needs to be doing travel for a number of reasons.

1. B and C travel is not elite soccer.
2. B and C travel rarely costs $3000.
3. There is no evidence, other than your experience with one kid that Select soccer can better prepare a player than any other form of travel soccer.

I don't know why we have to continue framing the debate for you. The question is do you need to do travel soccer for a weak B team or C team or lower at u9/u10 team if the goal is to play elite soccer? You do not. There are quality coaches in classic/select that can better prepare your kid at the early ages for elite soccer than the C team coach. The idea is that there are better options than forking out $3,000 or traveling extensively at U9/u10. I have listed several teams/coaches that I have met or seen play in tournaments. If you want to write a check for travel and drive all over the DMV, no one is stopping you but you are a fool if you believe that playing for a weak B team or C team or lower is the only avenue to preparing your kid to play at an elite level. I do argue that by u12/u13, a player needs to be doing travel for a number of reasons.