OP here.

So we had the tournament- and I have to say these particular European kids were not so great as to help the club that much when grafted onto our squad after a couple practices.

I am a pretty harsh critic of DS as a Keeper but I don’t think the guest GK was great - marginally better than my son.

Humorously (to me) because my son is always be called slow using their “European club timing system” for various sprints, the guest keeper was even slower in the sprints.

Anyway, we’ll be moving along next year. I don’t see the bad taste rinsing out of my mouth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I find this outrageous for U11. The focus should be developing the club's players which is what you are paying the club to do. At U11, uou are not (or should not) be paying for winning for winning's sake, nor are you paying to elevate the club's status at the expense of your fee-paying player. Is the TD in the loop on this? I would be out of that club so, no, I wouldn't care about skipping the tournament.

Agree. It is a moronic decision by whatever club this is. Plus, I have seen a lot of kids from Europe who can't carry the water bottle of a kid from the DC soccer area. It is one thing if they want to play the keepers 50/50 in the spirit of cooperation (like your kid goes there and plays), it is another to "replace" a U11 kid for an entire tournament in his backyard. Notwithstanding the outrage, be graceful--it will benefit your kid for a lifetime and you!

Good European players would destroy the best players from DC soccer area. However, it is simply moronic for an American youth club to bench a starting goalkeeper in this age group for a guest player from another continent.

Why would you think that? Europe is inferior to the US in virtually everything but train service.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The carding is my question also. Either the club is doing something shady, or it's not an actual tournament where cards are needed to play.

Op. I don’t want to put the club, but it’s a big tournament that includes international teams from Latam/ Caribbean z

I don’t understand the cards well enough to have any theories. I don’t want to be mysterious but I don’t want to put the club, either.

Dallas Cup? Or something at ESPN in Florida? I wouldn't send my U11 player to an event like that without some understanding about playing time. And I would also question why a U11 team needs to invest that kind of travel at that age. Your overzealous club and parents will price a lot of players out if they start this just to raise their reputation.

NP who would add that it's not great that the team has OPs son playing only in goal at this age.

Decent clubs don’t do that until something like u16. Find another club for your kid, OP. And don’t tell them until the last minute either.

Decent clubs do not do this at any age. It’s one thing to bring in guest players of your team has numbers issues and needs help for the weekend. It is something else entirely to flat out replace your paying players. At U16 you are playing in the big tournaments to be seen by college coaches - these opportunities should not be handed to guest players.

Slightly off topic - it sounds like the coach is chasing gotsoccer points- one of the benifits of playing DA or ECNL is that you don’t need to chase gotsoccer points to get into big showcases.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I find this outrageous for U11. The focus should be developing the club's players which is what you are paying the club to do. At U11, uou are not (or should not) be paying for winning for winning's sake, nor are you paying to elevate the club's status at the expense of your fee-paying player. Is the TD in the loop on this? I would be out of that club so, no, I wouldn't care about skipping the tournament.

Agree. It is a moronic decision by whatever club this is. Plus, I have seen a lot of kids from Europe who can't carry the water bottle of a kid from the DC soccer area. It is one thing if they want to play the keepers 50/50 in the spirit of cooperation (like your kid goes there and plays), it is another to "replace" a U11 kid for an entire tournament in his backyard. Notwithstanding the outrage, be graceful--it will benefit your kid for a lifetime and you!

Good European players would destroy the best players from DC soccer area. However, it is simply moronic for an American youth club to bench a starting goalkeeper in this age group for a guest player from another continent.

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I find this outrageous for U11. The focus should be developing the club's players which is what you are paying the club to do. At U11, uou are not (or should not) be paying for winning for winning's sake, nor are you paying to elevate the club's status at the expense of your fee-paying player. Is the TD in the loop on this? I would be out of that club so, no, I wouldn't care about skipping the tournament.

Agree. It is a moronic decision by whatever club this is. Plus, I have seen a lot of kids from Europe who can't carry the water bottle of a kid from the DC soccer area. It is one thing if they want to play the keepers 50/50 in the spirit of cooperation (like your kid goes there and plays), it is another to "replace" a U11 kid for an entire tournament in his backyard. Notwithstanding the outrage, be graceful--it will benefit your kid for a lifetime and you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like it could be Villareal / Annendale?

That was my guess too. It will be pretty easy to figure out because there aren't a large number of tournaments that have U11 brackets and foreign teams traveling to them as OP mentioned. (Because, I submit, that is totally ridiculous at U11.) Dallas Cup that a PP mentioned starts at U13.

OP here; again thanks for all the input and feedback.

I don't live in DC anymore; it's not a DC area club. I just didn't wanted anyone throwing share at Annandale.

Tell the coach there’s a guest English soccer coach taking over the reins as well for this tourny, am sure he’d understand..

We must have a lot of guest English coaches in this area then

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like it could be Villareal / Annendale?

That was my guess too. It will be pretty easy to figure out because there aren't a large number of tournaments that have U11 brackets and foreign teams traveling to them as OP mentioned. (Because, I submit, that is totally ridiculous at U11.) Dallas Cup that a PP mentioned starts at U13.

OP here; again thanks for all the input and feedback.

I don't live in DC anymore; it's not a DC area club. I just didn't wanted anyone throwing share at Annandale.

Tell the coach there’s a guest English soccer coach taking over the reins as well for this tourny, am sure he’d understand..

Just name the state. I am guessing California or Texas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like it could be Villareal / Annendale?

That was my guess too. It will be pretty easy to figure out because there aren't a large number of tournaments that have U11 brackets and foreign teams traveling to them as OP mentioned. (Because, I submit, that is totally ridiculous at U11.) Dallas Cup that a PP mentioned starts at U13.

OP here; again thanks for all the input and feedback.

I don't live in DC anymore; it's not a DC area club. I just didn't wanted anyone throwing share at Annandale.

If you aren't in the area, then name the club or the visiting club at least. Just curious to see which disaster of a club this is.

So the club is benching your kid in a “big” tournament? LOL Take this as we are cutting your kids next tryouts and he has no future with our club.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Presumably they'll w ant him onsite as a backup in case the starting goalie gets injured.While I don't think what the club is doing is right (especially at U11), I also think kids need to learn to be a team player in good times and in bad. If unfair treatment continues, then you have a choice to make as to whether you stay or leave for another club. But for this season/year, your son is committed whether he starts or plays or not.

That being said, I agree he should ask about splitting time. Or at the least, play on the field.

So thank you very much to all posters.

FWIW, we never let him skip; he plays when sick; etc. So, I think team player part is sort of covered.

If Club wants to badly to win this tournament, or place highly, and has a keeper from 3k miles away, I am disposed to let them play this visiting kid the whole game. But, if I am being gracious not demanding playing time, then attending for injury contingency to me is a little far fetched. I am sure it happens, but I've never seen a keeper at that age injured off the field.

Gross. Leave this team (we are not a soccer family, full disclosure)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like it could be Villareal / Annendale?

That was my guess too. It will be pretty easy to figure out because there aren't a large number of tournaments that have U11 brackets and foreign teams traveling to them as OP mentioned. (Because, I submit, that is totally ridiculous at U11.) Dallas Cup that a PP mentioned starts at U13.

OP here; again thanks for all the input and feedback.

I don't live in DC anymore; it's not a DC area club. I just didn't wanted anyone throwing share at Annandale.

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like it could be Villareal / Annendale?

That was my guess too. It will be pretty easy to figure out because there aren't a large number of tournaments that have U11 brackets and foreign teams traveling to them as OP mentioned. (Because, I submit, that is totally ridiculous at U11.) Dallas Cup that a PP mentioned starts at U13.

Who’s worried about adequate backup in goal at U11? It’s not even full size field/goals

Sounds like it could be Villareal / Annendale?