Anonymous wrote:That’s a great read, but DA teams scrimmage against our Club. I guess they are breaking the rules. And if you look at brackets there are non-DA teams in as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if the next soccer phenom is worried about playing in DA, ECNL, EDP, blah blah blah....Their aren't, they are playing the game as much as possible against whomever steps on the field. Idiots, keep chasing the perfect league. It doesn't exist.

They aren’t- but they need challenge by age 13. Game competition is important in the older years, less so below 12. And, you don’t have to be in DA to get that competition as we see local DA teams lose to non-DA times.

Do you even know what you’re talking about? DA teams only play DA teams. LOL.

Umm. Not. That is blatantly untrue. Our team played in a league with DA teams in the bracket. We also routinely scrimmage against them.

I’ve watched our non-DA team beat DA teams.

Anonymous wrote:

FPYCparent wrote:RE: VA vs. MD …

Anyone else think that the leagues that these clubs choose to play in matter?

I'm seeing nearly 60 2008/U12 girls teams playing EDP, and all but four of them (3 VA, 1, WV) hail from Maryland. I think there are less than ten or so MD-based teams in this age group that play in a league other than EDP. (Why even bother with any other league? Yes, I'm looking at you, MSI.)

There is a similar number of total teams in northern Virginia, but we're all split by ECNL RL (VPL), CCL, NCSL, ODSL. If the Virginia clubs could come together under a similar model (or simply join EDP), perhaps the overall competitiveness of the VA teams would rise as there would be more matches among equally-capable teams.

Admittedly, I haven't looked at other age groups … and I understand that there are more boys' teams from VA in EDP, but the contrast here is almost damning. Aside from DA and ECNL at U13 and older, there seems to be no logical reason to be so splintered.

This makes a lot of sense, but I don't see domination by Maryland teams in the older age groups. The OBGC tournament, which is one of the bigger Maryland tournaments, just ended. Here are the winners and runners up in the top bracket for boys:

u19 Virginia Rush (VA) and Loudoun 02/01 ECNL (VA)
u18 Washington Capital United (VA) and Leesburg FC EDP (VA)
u17 BRYC ECNL (VA) and McLean ECNL (VA)
u16 McLean ECNL (VA) and Arlington (VA)
u15 SYC Lions (VA) and SAC (MD)
u14 SYC Lions (VA) and Total Futbol (MD)

When you look at the top brackets for U14-U19, Virginia teams won every age group and only two teams from Maryland made it to the finals. Another trend is that ECNL teams did really well in these age groups (2 winners and 2 finalists). I am not sure if things are different on the girls side or in the younger age groups, but boys results for older age groups show that Virginia teams more than held their own on Maryland's own turf.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

FPYCparent wrote:RE: VA vs. MD …

Anyone else think that the leagues that these clubs choose to play in matter?

I'm seeing nearly 60 2008/U12 girls teams playing EDP, and all but four of them (3 VA, 1, WV) hail from Maryland. I think there are less than ten or so MD-based teams in this age group that play in a league other than EDP. (Why even bother with any other league? Yes, I'm looking at you, MSI.)

There is a similar number of total teams in northern Virginia, but we're all split by ECNL RL (VPL), CCL, NCSL, ODSL. If the Virginia clubs could come together under a similar model (or simply join EDP), perhaps the overall competitiveness of the VA teams would rise as there would be more matches among equally-capable teams.

Admittedly, I haven't looked at other age groups … and I understand that there are more boys' teams from VA in EDP, but the contrast here is almost damning. Aside from DA and ECNL at U13 and older, there seems to be no logical reason to be so splintered.

This makes a lot of sense, but I don't see domination by Maryland teams in the older age groups. The OBGC tournament, which is one of the bigger Maryland tournaments, just ended. Here are the winners and runners up in the top bracket for boys:

u19 Virginia Rush (VA) and Loudoun 02/01 ECNL (VA)
u18 Washington Capital United (VA) and Leesburg FC EDP (VA)
u17 BRYC ECNL (VA) and McLean ECNL (VA)
u16 McLean ECNL (VA) and Arlington (VA)
u15 SYC Lions (VA) and SAC (MD)
u14 SYC Lions (VA) and Total Futbol (MD)

When you look at the top brackets for U14-U19, Virginia teams won every age group and only two teams from Maryland made it to the finals. Another trend is that ECNL teams did really well in these age groups (2 winners and 2 finalists). I am not sure if things are different on the girls side or in the younger age groups, but boys results for older age groups show that Virginia teams more than held their own on Maryland's own turf.

For most of those age groups, do the better MD teams even participate in these Fall tournaments, since most, if not all, of their players are in their high school seasons?

Anonymous wrote:

FPYCparent wrote:RE: VA vs. MD …

Anyone else think that the leagues that these clubs choose to play in matter?

I'm seeing nearly 60 2008/U12 girls teams playing EDP, and all but four of them (3 VA, 1, WV) hail from Maryland. I think there are less than ten or so MD-based teams in this age group that play in a league other than EDP. (Why even bother with any other league? Yes, I'm looking at you, MSI.)

There is a similar number of total teams in northern Virginia, but we're all split by ECNL RL (VPL), CCL, NCSL, ODSL. If the Virginia clubs could come together under a similar model (or simply join EDP), perhaps the overall competitiveness of the VA teams would rise as there would be more matches among equally-capable teams.

Admittedly, I haven't looked at other age groups … and I understand that there are more boys' teams from VA in EDP, but the contrast here is almost damning. Aside from DA and ECNL at U13 and older, there seems to be no logical reason to be so splintered.

This makes a lot of sense, but I don't see domination by Maryland teams in the older age groups. The OBGC tournament, which is one of the bigger Maryland tournaments, just ended. Here are the winners and runners up in the top bracket for boys:

u19 Virginia Rush (VA) and Loudoun 02/01 ECNL (VA)
u18 Washington Capital United (VA) and Leesburg FC EDP (VA)
u17 BRYC ECNL (VA) and McLean ECNL (VA)
u16 McLean ECNL (VA) and Arlington (VA)
u15 SYC Lions (VA) and SAC (MD)
u14 SYC Lions (VA) and Total Futbol (MD)

When you look at the top brackets for U14-U19, Virginia teams won every age group and only two teams from Maryland made it to the finals. Another trend is that ECNL teams did really well in these age groups (2 winners and 2 finalists). I am not sure if things are different on the girls side or in the younger age groups, but boys results for older age groups show that Virginia teams more than held their own on Maryland's own turf.

Anonymous wrote:

FPYCparent wrote:RE: VA vs. MD …

Anyone else think that the leagues that these clubs choose to play in matter?

I'm seeing nearly 60 2008/U12 girls teams playing EDP, and all but four of them (3 VA, 1, WV) hail from Maryland. I think there are less than ten or so MD-based teams in this age group that play in a league other than EDP. (Why even bother with any other league? Yes, I'm looking at you, MSI.)

There is a similar number of total teams in northern Virginia, but we're all split by ECNL RL (VPL), CCL, NCSL, ODSL. If the Virginia clubs could come together under a similar model (or simply join EDP), perhaps the overall competitiveness of the VA teams would rise as there would be more matches among equally-capable teams.

Admittedly, I haven't looked at other age groups … and I understand that there are more boys' teams from VA in EDP, but the contrast here is almost damning. Aside from DA and ECNL at U13 and older, there seems to be no logical reason to be so splintered.

This makes a lot of sense, but I don't see domination by Maryland teams in the older age groups. The OBGC tournament, which is one of the bigger Maryland tournaments, just ended. Here are the winners and runners up in the top bracket for boys:

u19 Virginia Rush (VA) and Loudoun 02/01 ECNL (VA)
u18 Washington Capital United (VA) and Leesburg FC EDP (VA)
u17 BRYC ECNL (VA) and McLean ECNL (VA)
u16 McLean ECNL (VA) and Arlington (VA)
u15 SYC Lions (VA) and SAC (MD)
u14 SYC Lions (VA) and Total Futbol (MD)

When you look at the top brackets for U14-U19, Virginia teams won every age group and only two teams from Maryland made it to the finals. Another trend is that ECNL teams did really well in these age groups (2 winners and 2 finalists). I am not sure if things are different on the girls side or in the younger age groups, but boys results for older age groups show that Virginia teams more than held their own on Maryland's own turf.

FPYCparent wrote:RE: VA vs. MD …

Anyone else think that the leagues that these clubs choose to play in matter?

I'm seeing nearly 60 2008/U12 girls teams playing EDP, and all but four of them (3 VA, 1, WV) hail from Maryland. I think there are less than ten or so MD-based teams in this age group that play in a league other than EDP. (Why even bother with any other league? Yes, I'm looking at you, MSI.)

There is a similar number of total teams in northern Virginia, but we're all split by ECNL RL (VPL), CCL, NCSL, ODSL. If the Virginia clubs could come together under a similar model (or simply join EDP), perhaps the overall competitiveness of the VA teams would rise as there would be more matches among equally-capable teams.

Admittedly, I haven't looked at other age groups … and I understand that there are more boys' teams from VA in EDP, but the contrast here is almost damning. Aside from DA and ECNL at U13 and older, there seems to be no logical reason to be so splintered.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if the next soccer phenom is worried about playing in DA, ECNL, EDP, blah blah blah....Their aren't, they are playing the game as much as possible against whomever steps on the field. Idiots, keep chasing the perfect league. It doesn't exist.

They aren’t- but they need challenge by age 13. Game competition is important in the older years, less so below 12. And, you don’t have to be in DA to get that competition as we see local DA teams lose to non-DA times.

Do you even know what you’re talking about? DA teams only play DA teams. LOL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if the next soccer phenom is worried about playing in DA, ECNL, EDP, blah blah blah....Their aren't, they are playing the game as much as possible against whomever steps on the field. Idiots, keep chasing the perfect league. It doesn't exist.

They aren’t- but they need challenge by age 13. Game competition is important in the older years, less so below 12. And, you don’t have to be in DA to get that competition as we see local DA teams lose to non-DA times.

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if the next soccer phenom is worried about playing in DA, ECNL, EDP, blah blah blah....Their aren't, they are playing the game as much as possible against whomever steps on the field. Idiots, keep chasing the perfect league. It doesn't exist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

FPYCparent wrote:DD's 2008 FPYC squad will be at McLean and not Bethesda this fall. No need to travel to Poolesville again for a similar experience at their current level of play.

I'd like to think many/most McLean teams (U12 and younger, at least) would be staying home as well. They are also guaranteeing turf fields, which should mean something in November.

Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that McLean gets decimated every year at the BSC tournament.

A lot of the biggest VA Clubs do when they have to play MD teams, just like this past weekend. Their regular season is against weak teams so they have false sense of superiority until they step outside their box.

What do you think the leading factor is for this? Just a soft northern VA culture? Something else?

More minorities in MD.

Maybe in the Baltimore vicinity based teams but not at BSC, Potomac or MSI teams.......mostly White players. I see more minority in Northern VA teams.

BSC is very diverse on the boys' side at least.