Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am amazed at the moronic responses posted. I asked the question because I am interested in learning more and hearing other perspectives. If you don't like the question or can't add anything relevant then go away. Why post? I have found several of the posts informative and helpful. Notice that I have no other agenda other than to hear insights and perspectives. I have not pushed a club or coach or written anything negative about a club or coach. At the end of the day, this is why we have the site so that people can share information. Again, if you are not interested in sharing information then go away. It is simple.

BTW, you don't need to know anything about my kid other than she is of age to enter DA/ECNL and is considering both leagues. Again, if you don't have anythig to add then go away.

Finally, I have asked for suggestions of non-ECNL/DA teams and coaches.

People HAVE provided honest answers as well as perspective. I am sorry that they are not what you want to hear but you been granted every courtesy you deserve. You have also been told that in order to provide better answers more information is needed from you. It is not that complicated. State the age and clubs and you will may get meaningful answers.

And you have been told by the people you have asked that our knowing the age is important. Perhaps people know what age groups a coach will end up with that you hadn't considered. This is a two way street my friend and frankly you are the one who is not getting the answers to questions that only you want. The fact of the matter is we don't care enough about your kid to tell you more than you have already been told without more info. Where you end up means more to you than any of us so either follow the advice that has been given with the best of intent or stfu.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: How we would all love to be able to answer this question...

take for instance the older girls coach who was selected coach of the year by whatever organization, his successful team had significant recruits last year. I’d wonder how many starters were with that same organization at u13, u14, and even u15.

Since it appears many players at the older age groups didnt make a move to DA due to college recruiting issues creates an even murkier pool. Are those ECNL coaches just at the right place, right time?

I get the feeling that the older girls coaching staffs have to be very very good at recruiting. What does that imply for you?

I think that is a fair question. Having seen the coach in question in action (Bethesda Cup), he does a great job of teaching the players how to play the game and other coaches respect his abilities at that level but I don't know how well that coach develops players but maybe his role is different at this stage. This gets back to why I asked for the best coaches at U15 and under and U16 and older.

Slightly disagree on whether this "recruiting" question is fair one, at least as it is being framed above by the PP. For starters, I think we'd all agree that coaches of the top team at every club would like to add a player that is objectively better than those currently on the roster. Doesn't matter if we're talking about a coach at a rec team, a mid-level travel team, a good travel team not in ECNL or DA, or any of the ECNL or DA teams: If a coach of any of those teams knows of a talented player who is unhappy at their current team and is considering a switch, then why wouldn't the coach reach out and "recruit" the player to his/her team? I don't think this is a bad thing or bad attribute of any of those coaches.

More importantly, I think this "Club [fill in the blank] just recruits/fails to develop their own players" accusation gets unfairly leveled at the older age brackets of the original ECNL teams (e.g., McLean, FCV, BSC, MD United), before DA started and before new teams were added to ECNL. The PP above expressly makes this point about an older age group. Yet, until 2 years ago, if you accept the premise that the ECNL teams were the most "elite" in the area, then McLean, FCV, BSC, MD United were the only game in town if you had a daughter who wanted to play on one of the most elite teams in the area. It is not fair to criticize any of those original ECNL club's ability to "develop" their own players, just because a good player from, for example, SAC Blue, Loudoun Red, Arlington Red, etc. decided to join the ECNL team at FCV, McLean, BSC, etc. After all, most parents of U8s and U9s pick a club that is "good" and is convenient to where they live. It is not until soccer gets more serious at the ECNL ages that parents (generally speaking) are more willing to drive further distances to have their kids play for a club that gives their child a better platform than their current club. And that is exactly what used to happen with parents of kids who were at the Loudoun's of the world, but wanted their kids to play in the ECNL. Yet, the PP seems to imply that McLean, BSC, etc. are bad programs because their U18/19 ECNL team, for example, is not comprised entirely of girls who started at those clubs in the U8 program.

So while I think it is unfair to criticize the older age brackets at those clubs for recruiting, I think it is fair to look at a couple of things now that the game has changed with the DA teams and the newly added ECNL teams.

First, for the original ECNL clubs and their older age group teams (i.e., those that were primarily formed when ECNL was the only game in town), how have those clubs and coaches developed those girls? How many college commitments are they getting in those older age groups? What is the quality of the colleges they are attending? Are there any YNT or national ID camp girls on their rosters and, if so, how long have they been with the club? For example, if a YNT girl switched clubs as a U15 or older, then that may be a sign that she was not happy with her prior coach, her development at that prior club, etc. On the other hand, a YNT player who has stayed with her current club for several years is presumably happy with her club, coach and development there.

Second, I think you should look at the two youngest age groups for all of the ECNL and DA clubs, since the 2006 and 2005 age groups were the first to experience the dilution from the DA teams. On those 2006 and 2005 teams, how many players were recruited from outside the club vs. developed internally, and how are those teams doing at the 2006 and 2005 age levels. Obviously, this is not applicable for a new DA team like Spirit or a new ECNL team like Loudoun, but it is definitely applicable to teams like FCV, McLean, BSC, etc. and might give you some sense of how that club is developing its girls in this new, more competitive, talent-diluted market. One could argue that, if a team is struggling at the 2006 and 2005 age groups, then perhaps that is a sign that the club does not develop as well from within, and was more dependent on recruiting to achieve success with their teams.

With all of that said, I completely agree with the PP's excellent observation about DA and the new ECNL team creating an "even murkier pool." It will be very interesting to see how the various ECNL and DA clubs and coaches are regarded in 4-5 years from now, after the newer ECNL teams like Loudoun, or newer DA teams like Arlington, have had some time to try to stop the historical talent drain from their U12s, retain those players in their ECNL/DA programs, and then try to develop them. It will also be interesting to see the impact Spirit's DA teams will have in the area over the next 4-5 years, now that their new leadership seems to have doubled down on their DA programs and after they have had some time to try to correct some of the issues that plague any new club. And lastly, I'm very curious to see how the original teams like McLean, FCV, BSC and MD United handle the next 4-5 years. It is definitely an interesting time for all of the ECNL and DA clubs.

OP here. I am amazed at the moronic responses posted. I asked the question because I am interested in learning more and hearing other perspectives. If you don't like the question or can't add anything relevant then go away. Why post? I have found several of the posts informative and helpful. Notice that I have no other agenda other than to hear insights and perspectives. I have not pushed a club or coach or written anything negative about a club or coach. At the end of the day, this is why we have the site so that people can share information. Again, if you are not interested in sharing information then go away. It is simple.

BTW, you don't need to know anything about my kid other than she is of age to enter DA/ECNL and is considering both leagues. Again, if you don't have anythig to add then go away.

Finally, I have asked for suggestions of non-ECNL/DA teams and coaches.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: How we would all love to be able to answer this question...

take for instance the older girls coach who was selected coach of the year by whatever organization, his successful team had significant recruits last year. I’d wonder how many starters were with that same organization at u13, u14, and even u15.

Since it appears many players at the older age groups didnt make a move to DA due to college recruiting issues creates an even murkier pool. Are those ECNL coaches just at the right place, right time?

I get the feeling that the older girls coaching staffs have to be very very good at recruiting. What does that imply for you?

I think that is a fair question. Having seen the coach in question in action (Bethesda Cup), he does a great job of teaching the players how to play the game and other coaches respect his abilities at that level but I don't know how well that coach develops players but maybe his role is different at this stage. This gets back to why I asked for the best coaches at U15 and under and U16 and older.

Yeah, we still don't know what age your kid even is. Knowing every coach in every age group is irrelevant if they would not even potentially be the coach of your kids age group.

You are either a troll, just plain naive/stupid or a coach fishing for a compliment by hoping your name gets mentioned.

People have given you reasons why the question is more complicated than you think, they have also given reasons why the topic is a loaded question. People have been gracious and honest and you push without providing a single shred of information that you have been told is critical to providing honest and fair advice. You haven't provided any insight into what you believe makes a good coach for people to go "aha! I know a ____ who fits the bill". If your metric is results, well those are well documented and you are simply being lazy.

Also, not to be overlooked, not all of the best coaches within 6 age groups across two states are even necessarily in DA or ECNL.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. like most of you, this is not my first time on this site so I am aware of the nonsense that is shared but I have found some useful information. Seriously, if you have insights on teams, clubs or coaches please share. The rest is not useful. Obviously, I have spoken to parents at clubs where DD is considering playing. I am looking for information about coaches, playing styles, etc. We live in NW but have traveled as far out as Leesburg, Germantown and Alexandria/Braddock for practice so most of the clubs in the DMV are feasible. It might be helpful to others to hear about all the DMV programs.

from this thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/732979.page
https://rantingsoccerdad.com/guide-to-youth-soccer/youth-soccer-area-guide-the-dmv-washington-d-c-plus-suburbs-and-exurbs/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12KXYcCdfoIZXKLfoKCv4VlPtb9MJv7r4EXmE84UaAXA/edit#gid=0

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: How we would all love to be able to answer this question...
take for instance the older girls coach who was selected coach of the year by whatever organization, his successful team had significant recruits last year. I’d wonder how many starters were with that same organization at u13, u14, and even u15.
Since it appears many players at the older age groups didnt make a move to DA due to college recruiting issues creates an even murkier pool. Are those ECNL coaches just at the right place, right time?
I get the feeling that the older girls coaching staffs have to be very very good at recruiting. What does that imply for you?

I think that is a fair question. Having seen the coach in question in action (Bethesda Cup), he does a great job of teaching the players how to play the game and other coaches respect his abilities at that level but I don't know how well that coach develops players but maybe his role is different at this stage. This gets back to why I asked for the best coaches at U15 and under and U16 and older.

If he was selected "Coach of the Year", why are you asking for more nominations?

There are likely very few parents with first person comparison abilities of several coaches at specific age for a specific type of player. Specific team and club dynamics change everything. You should know this. For one kid, a coach can be positively transformative, for another it could be negative. I've yet to see a coach who worked with EVERY player to provide them opportunity to succeed and fail.

The spectrum of best can be defined many ways, and you've provided little to no input. it it results via direct physical playing or by significant possession or skills/capabilities/awareness. Whats your definition? Whats the end goal to define best?

Again, you should know this if you've been to many of the DA/ECNL teams practices to get offers from several of them.

For older girls-Nadir Moumen and Brent Leiba at McLean ECNL have good reputations and Nadir just won a prestigious coaching award. Nadir also coaches younger levels in Herndon (06 for example) and they play in CCL1.

Anonymous wrote: How we would all love to be able to answer this question...

take for instance the older girls coach who was selected coach of the year by whatever organization, his successful team had significant recruits last year. I’d wonder how many starters were with that same organization at u13, u14, and even u15.

Since it appears many players at the older age groups didnt make a move to DA due to college recruiting issues creates an even murkier pool. Are those ECNL coaches just at the right place, right time?

I get the feeling that the older girls coaching staffs have to be very very good at recruiting. What does that imply for you?

I think that is a fair question. Having seen the coach in question in action (Bethesda Cup), he does a great job of teaching the players how to play the game and other coaches respect his abilities at that level but I don't know how well that coach develops players but maybe his role is different at this stage. This gets back to why I asked for the best coaches at U15 and under and U16 and older.

Anonymous wrote:What also isn’t complicated is providing the names of the clubs you are fielding offers from. Don’t ask for what you are not willing to provide yourself.

You are the same person who in other threads has been demanding of people providing their info while you sit in comfortable anonymity.

You are a troll. F off.

Why are you here? Just go away. There is great information being shared and not from you so with ADR, why don't you F off.

How we would all love to be able to answer this question...

take for instance the older girls coach who was selected coach of the year by whatever organization, his successful team had significant recruits last year. I’d wonder how many starters were with that same organization at u13, u14, and even u15.

Since it appears many players at the older age groups didnt make a move to DA due to college recruiting issues creates an even murkier pool. Are those ECNL coaches just at right place, right time?

I get the feeling that the older girls coaching staffs have to be very very good at recruiting. What does that imply for you?

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the OP is sincere. Could be wrong, but this seems like someone trolling the site.

I'm not the poster who said this thread was dumb, but I get where she may be coming from. That's because there is no consensus "best" club or "best" coach in the area. To argue otherwise is futile, which makes this a somewhat silly exercise. Several of the ECNL and DA teams within a reasonable commuting distance from OP's NW DC location have particularly good teams at some age levels, and then a couple age groups that are not as good as the others. Both in terms of their "rank" within their respective states, their leagues and Region I. But why would the OP, as a parent of an 06, care about how good McLean's U18/19 team is, for example, if McLean's 06 team is not as good? Does that mean McLean is or is not one of the top clubs in the area? Of course not. But their 06 team may or may not be a good fit for the OP's daughter. Same could be said about some of the age groups at BSC, Rush, VDA, FCV, etc. The best person to judge what 06 team would be the "best" for OP's daughter is the OP and his daughter.

Same for the coaches. I am sure the coaches mentioned already (Gerardo at Arlington, the BSC coaches, etc.) are quality, and many parents would speak highly about them, just as I am sure that'd be true for several of the coaches at BRYC, McLean, FCV, Spirit MD, etc. However, are they the best fit for OP's daughter? A couple PPs mentioned Dave Greene and his success at BSC and Whitman, but noted that some say he is a "yeller, but has mellowed." I have no idea if he is a "yeller," but assuming for sake of argument that he is, it is entirely possible that some girls might thrive under his coaching and develop into excellent players (after all, look at the success he has had), but OP's daughter might not like his style and might not develop as well with him as she would develop with another coach. Who is in the best position to make that decision? The handful of posters on this site who are going to give their personal positive and negative stories about him or any of these other coaches, or OP and his daughter after attending practices with him or any of these other coaches.

I get wanting to diligence a coach, a club and the age group team your daughter might decide to join, but at the end of the day this should be an easy decision based on how your daughter feels about the prospective future team, its players, the coaches, etc. and what [b]she thinks would be "best" for her.

[/b] Finally some sound and sane advice-not easy to come by on this forum. The way we approach it is a year to year basis. Every spring, we look at how things are going with the coach, team and how DD is feeling about her development and go from there. Obviously you don’t want to be club hopping every year, but staying with one club over your daughter’s entire soccer career is probably not the best strategy or realistic. What is good now may not be that way in a year or two and vice versa. Just do your due diligence and make the best decision you can for the time.

What also isn’t complicated is providing the names of the clubs you are fielding offers from. Don’t ask for what you are not willing to provide yourself.

You are the same person who in other threads has been demanding of people providing their info while you sit in comfortable anonymity.

You are a troll. F off.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the OP is sincere. Could be wrong, but this seems like someone trolling the site.

I'm not the poster who said this thread was dumb, but I get where she may be coming from. That's because there is no consensus "best" club or "best" coach in the area. To argue otherwise is futile, which makes this a somewhat silly exercise. Several of the ECNL and DA teams within a reasonable commuting distance from OP's NW DC location have particularly good teams at some age levels, and then a couple age groups that are not as good as the others. Both in terms of their "rank" within their respective states, their leagues and Region I. But why would the OP, as a parent of an 06, care about how good McLean's U18/19 team is, for example, if McLean's 06 team is not as good? Does that mean McLean is or is not one of the top clubs in the area? Of course not. But their 06 team may or may not be a good fit for the OP's daughter. Same could be said about some of the age groups at BSC, Rush, VDA, FCV, etc. The best person to judge what 06 team would be the "best" for OP's daughter is the OP and his daughter.

Same for the coaches. I am sure the coaches mentioned already (Gerardo at Arlington, the BSC coaches, etc.) are quality, and many parents would speak highly about them, just as I am sure that'd be true for several of the coaches at BRYC, McLean, FCV, Spirit MD, etc. However, are they the best fit for OP's daughter? A couple PPs mentioned Dave Greene and his success at BSC and Whitman, but noted that some say he is a "yeller, but has mellowed." I have no idea if he is a "yeller," but assuming for sake of argument that he is, it is entirely possible that some girls might thrive under his coaching and develop into excellent players (after all, look at the success he has had), but OP's daughter might not like his style and might not develop as well with him as she would develop with another coach. Who is in the best position to make that decision? The handful of posters on this site who are going to give their personal positive and negative stories about him or any of these other coaches, or OP and his daughter after attending practices with him or any of these other coaches.

I get wanting to diligence a coach, a club and the age group team your daughter might decide to join, but at the end of the day this should be an easy decision based on how your daughter feels about the prospective future team, its players, the coaches, etc. and what she thinks would be "best" for her.

WADR, you managed to write a few paragraphs without providing anything new. As has been mentioned earlier, I am looking for the right club where DD will progress up through U18 so the strength of the U16 and older coaches is very relevant. If there is a coach that is highly respected and whom I don't know, I am more than happy to travel out to attend a practice. Once we have all the facts, then we can make a decision. I am not sold on DA/ECNL, so teams outside of those leagues could work as long as the coaching is strong, hence the question of "best coaches."

Please folks, the question is not complicated and I am 100% certain that others will benefit from insightful comments.

OP here. Again, this is not complicated. We know a couple of clubs through tournaments and word of mouth but if DD joins a club, we would like to know what the strength of the coaching staff that will work with DD. Along with the morons who like to add their worthless 2 cents, there are a few, like the two previous posters, that provide some helpful insights.

The leadership at Spirit DA is strong. Doesn't Tom also coach at Pipeline? If so, his Pipleline 05 team might be the top team in the nation. The new guy coming over from BRYC did a fantastic job with the BRYC 06 ECNL team.

Why do you doubt McLean? My experience has been that the ECNL coaches are some of the best around both word of mouth, performance and accolades. I do question their ability to develop at the player level but the results don't lie. My impression is that they are great at taking developed players (those with elite skills) and preparing them for DI. Again, I am asking for insights.

BRYC has a good track record as well but with Larry leaving and the fact that consistency throughout the program is an issue (some years strong while other are weak), I question their ability to manage the competition from VDA,WSVA and McLean.

I have been very impressed with the Spirit coaching staff, DCUM bashing notwithstanding. The current U16/17 group is the weakest, for sure, but even in that group I’ve seen real improvement. Tom, George, and Spencer — maybe especially Spencer — have done a fantastic job understanding individual players’ strengths and weaknesses, whether the parents are happy with those assessments or not, and helping girls move towards the best place possible within their individual talent set. It is true that Spirit does not have the pipeline of players and talent base that other local DA/ECNL teams have, but I suspect that will change.

It will be a couple of years before Spirit is a real contender in the same way that FCV is today, and that will be well after my DD has moved on to college, but I’m convinced they are moving in the right direction and doing so very systematically, building for the long-term. I’ve been around youth soccer in this area for quite some time. The Spirit program and plan is coherent, development-focused, and extremely soccer intelligent. If your DD wants to be on a team that contends for national championships today or next year, FCV or BRYC are better choices (I have my doubts about Mclean). But Spirit is an excellent choice if you’re focused on contending at U16 four or five years from now.

I don't think the OP is sincere. Could be wrong, but this seems like someone trolling the site.

I'm not the poster who said this thread was dumb, but I get where she may be coming from. That's because there is no consensus "best" club or "best" coach in the area. To argue otherwise is futile, which makes this a somewhat silly exercise. Several of the ECNL and DA teams within a reasonable commuting distance from OP's NW DC location have particularly good teams at some age levels, and then a couple age groups that are not as good as the others. Both in terms of their "rank" within their respective states, their leagues and Region I. But why would the OP, as a parent of an 06, care about how good McLean's U18/19 team is, for example, if McLean's 06 team is not as good? Does that mean McLean is or is not one of the top clubs in the area? Of course not. But their 06 team may or may not be a good fit for the OP's daughter. Same could be said about some of the age groups at BSC, Rush, VDA, FCV, etc. The best person to judge what 06 team would be the "best" for OP's daughter is the OP and his daughter.

Same for the coaches. I am sure the coaches mentioned already (Gerardo at Arlington, the BSC coaches, etc.) are quality, and many parents would speak highly about them, just as I am sure that'd be true for several of the coaches at BRYC, McLean, FCV, Spirit MD, etc. However, are they the best fit for OP's daughter? A couple PPs mentioned Dave Greene and his success at BSC and Whitman, but noted that some say he is a "yeller, but has mellowed." I have no idea if he is a "yeller," but assuming for sake of argument that he is, it is entirely possible that some girls might thrive under his coaching and develop into excellent players (after all, look at the success he has had), but OP's daughter might not like his style and might not develop as well with him as she would develop with another coach. Who is in the best position to make that decision? The handful of posters on this site who are going to give their personal positive and negative stories about him or any of these other coaches, or OP and his daughter after attending practices with him or any of these other coaches.

I get wanting to diligence a coach, a club and the age group team your daughter might decide to join, but at the end of the day this should be an easy decision based on how your daughter feels about the prospective future team, its players, the coaches, etc. and what she thinks would be "best" for her.