Clearly our kids are on different arlington teams! Highlights that coaches matter and sometimes you don’t know who the coach is until after team offers. So agree with PP that most kids won’t be college players so go where your kid will have fun.

My DC has been on an Arlington travel team for 3 years and have always played a possession style; furthest thing from kick and chase.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is on a girls arlington team. Absolutely kick and chase. Has been for past three years. U14 now.

This is why clubs don’t matter as much as coaches. Each team is different. Clubs matter for two reasons: fields and options above standard travel levels at older ages.

My kid is on a girls arlington team. Absolutely kick and chase. Has been for past three years. U14 now.

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Anonymous wrote:Definitely not what I have seen from Arlington boys at those ages. Kick, run fast, charge hard, repeat.

Clearly, you haven't watched any of the Arlington Academy or Red teams play.

At least not in the last few years. I believe he may have had a point 5 years ago - but definitely no longer the case.

And here I thought the Spin Doctors had broken up many years ago. Cmon folks. I have seen both teams play across the past three years. Some talented kids but not much teaching or development appears to occur over the years.

No you haven't You have an agenda and you're full of it. I have actually seen them play and the PP is wrong.

You are absolutely nuts. People can go see this for themselves. They need not believe either of us. But I have seen these teams play for the past few years, and more than once is too many for anybody who knows anything about the game.

I have seen the teams play for many years, and I know the game very well. Arlington does not play kick and run. Their players tend to be too small for that game. That kind of direct play is more common south of the beltway, like SYC and VDA.

Oh jeez. Here is my perspective on the top clubs and their top teams. They play to win. Development is second. Some kids ( a very, very few) are the best from pre k to grade 12. They will always have a place on the top teams. Other kids develop physically at different rates. The biggest or fastest get caught as they age. Fine if they are also skilled. If not, first goes playing time then you get moved down the teams hierarchy. Stoddart never has the highest teams but they do work to develop them. On the girl side going from NW, Rush sometimes develops kids that can then go play for BSC or McLean top ECNL teams. Potomac, FCGB also (I have heard really good things about FCGB coaches BTW) On the boys side, Potomac, a little further out Olney in MD. Dont know NOVA but assume there are similar teams. Anyway, point being, at top clubs ECNL on girls Academy/MLS etc on boy side they play to win to stay at the top. Midlevel kids on top team are hurt until the growing stops because they are not developing skills but learning positioning etc... 9th or 10th grade girls; older even on boys side before kids are on equal footing in terms of growth. Do not take a second team offer on most top clubs. They much prefer kids from outside to fill their top rosters as they need to be better than 70% of team to get a spot and no matter how well your son or daughter develop on a second or third team they are already pigeonholed and not the shinny new object. Play where they grow their love for the game. 99 percent will not be high level college players no matter what. I think at younger ages at least through grade 8 you are best off being the focus of a team rather than just a player unless you are spectacular. Those kids then have the advantage over the mid tier ones that never really developed skills.

Arlington teams are made up of very technical players that play a very tactical game. Anyone spouting that Arlington is 'kick and chase', hasn't seen Arlington play recently.

U15 Virginia State Champions
U16 Virginia State Champions
U17 Virginia State Finalist
U18 - No team entered
U19 Virginia State Champions

Welcome to the craziness that is metro soccer for kids! Check out a few clubs to figure out what seems best for your kids and for traveling to/from practices and games. Fun should be the top priority. Sure they should learn stuff, but at the end of the day this should be fun! Easy to lose sight of this most important consideration.