Anonymous
Post 04/22/2026 07:12     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would also add that the coach for 2016G PA1 is stubborn. He does not know how to adjust to games when his team is losing. He will keep his favorites in despite failures, and pulls the rest of the team for one bad pass. He also routinely brings girls down from the 2015 age group to guest so that he can win rather than develop the team he is supposed to be coaching. He was previously the coach for Arlington's 2013G, and most parents on that team agree he did not prepare them adequately to play ECNL. He has some weird clout in the club though despite being overwhelmingly ineffective.


Strange how quick folks are to jump on parents for offering an opinion/ information. Isn’t that the point of this forum? Anyway…

OP, as a parent considering a U9 offer, I found this helpful. In your experience is this isolated to a single coach? Or is lack of development and favoritism a more pervasive problem across the club at the U-Little age groups?



Not strange if you understood what they are saying and who they are saying it about. All opinions are dependent on one’s perspective but it sounds like they have a child that did not play much or was not favored. They believe this is why their kid was not developed to be as strong a player as they could have been.

Take a look at the other thread regarding favoritism. Rather than owning their own development, they would rather whine and make excuses.
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2026 07:02     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:I would also add that the coach for 2016G PA1 is stubborn. He does not know how to adjust to games when his team is losing. He will keep his favorites in despite failures, and pulls the rest of the team for one bad pass. He also routinely brings girls down from the 2015 age group to guest so that he can win rather than develop the team he is supposed to be coaching. He was previously the coach for Arlington's 2013G, and most parents on that team agree he did not prepare them adequately to play ECNL. He has some weird clout in the club though despite being overwhelmingly ineffective.


Strange how quick folks are to jump on parents for offering an opinion/ information. Isn’t that the point of this forum? Anyway…

OP, as a parent considering a U9 offer, I found this helpful. In your experience is this isolated to a single coach? Or is lack of development and favoritism a more pervasive problem across the club at the U-Little age groups?

Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:29     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I always felt our club is the means through which we access games and development is my kid does outside of practice (time on the ball, trainers, supplementals, whatever is your family’s method).


That’s too hard. It’s much easier for parents to whine that their kid isn’t getting any better because the coach can’t substitute in games “correctly”.


So much great coaching talent in the parent pool standing right there on the sidelines.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 19:11     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:I always felt our club is the means through which we access games and development is my kid does outside of practice (time on the ball, trainers, supplementals, whatever is your family’s method).


That’s too hard. It’s much easier for parents to whine that their kid isn’t getting any better because the coach can’t substitute in games “correctly”.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 18:33     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
I always felt our club is the means through which we access games and development is my kid does outside of practice (time on the ball, trainers, supplementals, whatever is your family’s method).
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 18:18     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is AK. His 2013 favorites were not the ECNL coaches' (there were 3 this year alone) favorites. So... yeah. As a club Arlington had most of that cohort for the entire duration of their soccer careers, and AK was unable to develop them.

And yes, playing time matters when you're talking about 9 year olds. It is the ONLY way to develop them. And if you look at his current team, he couldn't develop them either. He is relying heavily on age group waterfalls to fix the team he couldn't develop.


What were you expecting, wine out of water? He's not Jesus, I'll give you that.


More than what he did…in FOUR WHOLE YEARS!


Your kid must be the water he couldn’t turn into wine.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 15:51     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Are we talking about a u10 coach and in game adjustments, really? I don't know who the coach is but as far as guest players go, I can tell you guest players are usually a club or another coaches decision not the coach that needs players. Some times its simply who answers on team snap first. Most coaches could care less about wins and losses at u10.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:55     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is AK. His 2013 favorites were not the ECNL coaches' (there were 3 this year alone) favorites. So... yeah. As a club Arlington had most of that cohort for the entire duration of their soccer careers, and AK was unable to develop them.

And yes, playing time matters when you're talking about 9 year olds. It is the ONLY way to develop them. And if you look at his current team, he couldn't develop them either. He is relying heavily on age group waterfalls to fix the team he couldn't develop.


What were you expecting, wine out of water? He's not Jesus, I'll give you that.


More than what he did…in FOUR WHOLE YEARS!
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 13:45     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:It is AK. His 2013 favorites were not the ECNL coaches' (there were 3 this year alone) favorites. So... yeah. As a club Arlington had most of that cohort for the entire duration of their soccer careers, and AK was unable to develop them.

And yes, playing time matters when you're talking about 9 year olds. It is the ONLY way to develop them. And if you look at his current team, he couldn't develop them either. He is relying heavily on age group waterfalls to fix the team he couldn't develop.


What were you expecting, wine out of water? He's not Jesus, I'll give you that.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:50     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would also add that the coach for 2016G PA1 is stubborn. He does not know how to adjust to games when his team is losing. He will keep his favorites in despite failures, and pulls the rest of the team for one bad pass. He also routinely brings girls down from the 2015 age group to guest so that he can win rather than develop the team he is supposed to be coaching. He was previously the coach for Arlington's 2013G, and most parents on that team agree he did not prepare them adequately to play ECNL. He has some weird clout in the club though despite being overwhelmingly ineffective.


Is this AK? If so, he's one of the best around. You clearly have a gripe with your kid's playing time. It's funny how the coaches' favorites are almost always the best players.

The 2013's lack of success was not about coaching. They just didn't have the quality of players but expected to be as good as the 11's or the Mclean/FVU 13's. Recruiting got them team to a better place more recently.


We have friends who were on his 2013 and were starters for all 4 years he had them. They would agree, he was NOT one of the best around. Not even close.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:47     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
It is AK. His 2013 favorites were not the ECNL coaches' (there were 3 this year alone) favorites. So... yeah. As a club Arlington had most of that cohort for the entire duration of their soccer careers, and AK was unable to develop them.

And yes, playing time matters when you're talking about 9 year olds. It is the ONLY way to develop them. And if you look at his current team, he couldn't develop them either. He is relying heavily on age group waterfalls to fix the team he couldn't develop.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:42     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:I would also add that the coach for 2016G PA1 is stubborn. He does not know how to adjust to games when his team is losing. He will keep his favorites in despite failures, and pulls the rest of the team for one bad pass. He also routinely brings girls down from the 2015 age group to guest so that he can win rather than develop the team he is supposed to be coaching. He was previously the coach for Arlington's 2013G, and most parents on that team agree he did not prepare them adequately to play ECNL. He has some weird clout in the club though despite being overwhelmingly ineffective.


Is this AK? If so, he's one of the best around. You clearly have a gripe with your kid's playing time. It's funny how the coaches' favorites are almost always the best players.

The 2013's lack of success was not about coaching. They just didn't have the quality of players but expected to be as good as the 11's or the Mclean/FVU 13's. Recruiting got them team to a better place more recently.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 11:58     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:I would also add that the coach for 2016G PA1 is stubborn. He does not know how to adjust to games when his team is losing. He will keep his favorites in despite failures, and pulls the rest of the team for one bad pass. He also routinely brings girls down from the 2015 age group to guest so that he can win rather than develop the team he is supposed to be coaching. He was previously the coach for Arlington's 2013G, and most parents on that team agree he did not prepare them adequately to play ECNL. He has some weird clout in the club though despite being overwhelmingly ineffective.


Inexplicable decisions based on weird clout and playing favorites seems to be the Arlington way more often than not. What a disaster of an organization, which is really an unfortunate disservice to the kids.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 11:21     Subject: Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
I would also add that the coach for 2016G PA1 is stubborn. He does not know how to adjust to games when his team is losing. He will keep his favorites in despite failures, and pulls the rest of the team for one bad pass. He also routinely brings girls down from the 2015 age group to guest so that he can win rather than develop the team he is supposed to be coaching. He was previously the coach for Arlington's 2013G, and most parents on that team agree he did not prepare them adequately to play ECNL. He has some weird clout in the club though despite being overwhelmingly ineffective.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2026 13:40     Subject: Re:Arlington U11/U12 pre-academy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Arlington not alone in pursuing this strategy. SYC & Alexandria 2016 teams playing in NCSL girls U11 Div1 as well this Spring.



It's the American Way! Less touches and time on ball for ulittles! Upselling by local travel clubs to justify "Academy" branding! Parents telling themselves uneven play will make their DCs stronger elite players!

There are definitely cases where teams should play up. Arlington, ASA, SYC and all of these DMV clubs having not one, but multiple teams doing this is not for development.

Pay-to-play soccer at its best.


I agree that there are some teams that should play up. Bethesda 2016 actually won the Fall season in the NCSL top division 1 year up. The Arlington 2016s are nowhere close to that level of play though and should play their age group.