Anonymous wrote:Do they have girls teams? Asking for an 07.

Anonymous wrote:Why is there still a team calling itself Barcelona USAs MD? Isn’t this that fraud club using the name without any affiliation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After 2 weeks with the program, my kid loves it. Just like any other club, skill levels vary but none of the kids are penalized or given an advantage based on level of play. I love sitting and watching practice without all the gossip from other parents. I don't know you and you don't know me, i'm good with that. I'm not here to party with parents or looking for white rocks in your yard.

Coaches are all legit, no arrogant pricks like with other clubs. I don't talk to them, but a friendly wave or handshake is what I get and all I need. Onto the pitch, they teach the kids...let me repeat...teach. No yelling for motivation, they simply teach. We have had a different coach for each practice and they have all been solid. I have no idea how we would do against an outside team, but my child is having fun learning soccer again, enough said.

I know I got in trouble for saying it before, but this really does sound so much like PAC. Surely more ambitious, though, if they're entering teams in EDP.

Take it for what it's worth, but the word that the owner of the company that brought FCB into the partnership claimed that there was resistance to FCB teams entering local leagues from other clubs....assumption was NCSL and/or VPL, but I don't remember a league named. This was at a club meeting where he said he wanted to "unleash soccer" on the area. So, yeah, there is a lot of "ambition" involved.

Some of the top teams in the age groups are starting in the top Division of EDP, alongside #1 ranked VA and #1 MD teams. These are the teams that had success in several competitive tournaments. Again, just the older teams are entering EDP until Spring. It's still very early--but they haven't veered from using the games for development purposes vs wins. Kids play equal amounts, in different positions and they don't veer off methodology. They were worried about entering competition too early and have kids slide into old bad habits. These teams are very new and going up against many that have been playing together for years and with a style they are just getting comfortable with for the most part--so if nothing, it will be interesting. I think most of the people in it care more about the weekly training sessions than sheer results at this point.

And, yes, there wasn't a very warm welcome for them. And, there was active resistance in some cases to prevent them from entering leagues and I think that was the context--and that statement was said partly in jest. But, of course, they do ultimately want to be successful over time. Development takes time and it's been fun to watch the progression.

I agree and think it will be good for them to get into league play. I think NCSL or ODSL would have been a good choice as a starting point, especially for the young teams. Not sure why there would be so much resistance from those clubs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After 2 weeks with the program, my kid loves it. Just like any other club, skill levels vary but none of the kids are penalized or given an advantage based on level of play. I love sitting and watching practice without all the gossip from other parents. I don't know you and you don't know me, i'm good with that. I'm not here to party with parents or looking for white rocks in your yard.

Coaches are all legit, no arrogant pricks like with other clubs. I don't talk to them, but a friendly wave or handshake is what I get and all I need. Onto the pitch, they teach the kids...let me repeat...teach. No yelling for motivation, they simply teach. We have had a different coach for each practice and they have all been solid. I have no idea how we would do against an outside team, but my child is having fun learning soccer again, enough said.

I know I got in trouble for saying it before, but this really does sound so much like PAC. Surely more ambitious, though, if they're entering teams in EDP.

Take it for what it's worth, but the word that the owner of the company that brought FCB into the partnership claimed that there was resistance to FCB teams entering local leagues from other clubs....assumption was NCSL and/or VPL, but I don't remember a league named. This was at a club meeting where he said he wanted to "unleash soccer" on the area. So, yeah, there is a lot of "ambition" involved.

Some of the top teams in the age groups are starting in the top Division of EDP, alongside #1 ranked VA and #1 MD teams. These are the teams that had success in several competitive tournaments. Again, just the older teams are entering EDP until Spring. It's still very early--but they haven't veered from using the games for development purposes vs wins. Kids play equal amounts, in different positions and they don't veer off methodology. They were worried about entering competition too early and have kids slide into old bad habits. These teams are very new and going up against many that have been playing together for years and with a style they are just getting comfortable with for the most part--so if nothing, it will be interesting. I think most of the people in it care more about the weekly training sessions than sheer results at this point.

And, yes, there wasn't a very warm welcome for them. And, there was active resistance in some cases to prevent them from entering leagues and I think that was the context--and that statement was said partly in jest. But, of course, they do ultimately want to be successful over time. Development takes time and it's been fun to watch the progression.

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After 2 weeks with the program, my kid loves it. Just like any other club, skill levels vary but none of the kids are penalized or given an advantage based on level of play. I love sitting and watching practice without all the gossip from other parents. I don't know you and you don't know me, i'm good with that. I'm not here to party with parents or looking for white rocks in your yard.

Coaches are all legit, no arrogant pricks like with other clubs. I don't talk to them, but a friendly wave or handshake is what I get and all I need. Onto the pitch, they teach the kids...let me repeat...teach. No yelling for motivation, they simply teach. We have had a different coach for each practice and they have all been solid. I have no idea how we would do against an outside team, but my child is having fun learning soccer again, enough said.

I know I got in trouble for saying it before, but this really does sound so much like PAC. Surely more ambitious, though, if they're entering teams in EDP.

Take it for what it's worth, but the word that the owner of the company that brought FCB into the partnership claimed that there was resistance to FCB teams entering local leagues from other clubs....assumption was NCSL and/or VPL, but I don't remember a league named. This was at a club meeting where he said he wanted to "unleash soccer" on the area. So, yeah, there is a lot of "ambition" involved.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After 2 weeks with the program, my kid loves it. Just like any other club, skill levels vary but none of the kids are penalized or given an advantage based on level of play. I love sitting and watching practice without all the gossip from other parents. I don't know you and you don't know me, i'm good with that. I'm not here to party with parents or looking for white rocks in your yard.

Coaches are all legit, no arrogant pricks like with other clubs. I don't talk to them, but a friendly wave or handshake is what I get and all I need. Onto the pitch, they teach the kids...let me repeat...teach. No yelling for motivation, they simply teach. We have had a different coach for each practice and they have all been solid. I have no idea how we would do against an outside team, but my child is having fun learning soccer again, enough said.

I know I got in trouble for saying it before, but this really does sound so much like PAC. Surely more ambitious, though, if they're entering teams in EDP.

Anonymous wrote:This right here is pure, unadulterated genius:

You don't bring your own ball. The balls are lined up in row around the pitch before and after each session. Note: no running around looking for your kid's lost ball and they are all pumped, identical and good condition. They don't waste a single of the 90 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that Barca made an effort to reschedule EDP games for Saturdays. When the schedule came out the games were scheduled for Sundays, but most of my son's games have been rescheduled for Saturdays. Hats off to Maryland clubs that agreed to rescheduling.

I can't see the schedule. What age group? can you post the schedule?

I was talking about U16 team (2003s), South Fall Div I. All schedules are here:

https://www.edpsoccer.com/page/show/4377891-2018-fall-schedules

Just find your team's division, click on the team's name in the division table and it will take you to the team specific schedule. Hope it helps.

That was super helpful - although for my son's team, unfortunately he still has all Sunday games. Maybe Barca hasn't gotten to his team yet...

I missed the context here -- is the Sunday issue a religious thing or something else?

I'm not sure. I didn't know they were doing this. They do have their internal scrimmages between 9-noon Saturday mornings at Evergreen. This is great because it means for home games, my older kid will be playing an EDP game in the stadium--while my younger kids will be having internal scrimmages on the fields next to the stadium. We now will have Sundays completely free.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is saying that it’s better than all, it just tries to do its own thing, and people scoff at it. You need to relax.

Agree. Sorry, I think the “shade” comment must have hit a nerve. Oops. I just found it weird people come on a club specific thread to atttack a program they know nothing about. And, keep coming back to put down kids in the program.

To RSD, just curious why you keep coming to this specific thread. I know you are against pay-to-play. Are you against the idea of any foreign Club training American kids? I know there are people that like to perpetuate the $ grab thing, but every travel club in the US is doing that. I’m not asking this to antagonize and I’m not referring to you when I mention putting children down. I’m truly curious of your motives. Maybe you are just curious. But, if so, why is it assumed people are lying if they give a response that they love it? And, why do you not answer the posts that go into detail about tactical differences, etc., but instead focus on the extraneous stuff?

The people are professionals and great with the kids. I have read many different posts that concur with my views and they certainly were not all written by me.

I can't remember why I got into this thread, though I think it was mainly curiosity. DC's team was supposed to play an FCB team in a spring tournament, but Mother Nature intervened.

"Against pay-to-play" is a little difficult to quantify. I often end up hearing from people who seem to think every single kid in Europe plays for free, when it's actually just the pro academy kids who have everything paid for. The biggest difference is that there's not much of a "travel" tier as we would know it. You're either in a pro academy or you're in an inexpensive grassroots program.

I'm not against the idea of foreign clubs training American kids. I'm just skeptical -- which is very different than being dismissive or cynical. We've seen some "partnerships" -- actually, not just with foreign clubs but with U.S. pro clubs -- that are just branding agreements. FCB seems different, and good for them.

So no, I don't think people who say they love it are lying. I do think some people in this thread have gone overboard. FCB isn't the only club in NoVa that mixes players together in training and has coaches who know every player in multiple age groups. It's not the only club that really lives up to the "development over winning" mantra. It's not the only club that tries to play possession soccer -- Alexandria is rather obsessive about it. (At least, they were -- I know they've had some turnover.)

But even if they haven't reinvented the wheel, they might be doing things very well. Nothing at all wrong with that.

As for tactics -- honestly, I've seen mostly U12 on down, where the tactics are either "pass it" or "boot it" or "panic." And as I said here, I missed out on my chance to see an FCB team play, and even then, it wouldn't have been one of their better teams. I find teams really have to be in the upper 20 percent or so of teams to be able to execute whatever they're trying to do tactically. (Well, I suppose "boot it" and "panic" aren't that hard. I've seen teams that are exceptionally good at those. Goalkeeper punts to the other goalkeeper while parents yell "Great kick!" Ugh.)

Thanks for answering, RSD. That is reasonable. Alexandria is one of the few Clubs that welcomed FCB last year and had many friendlies with them. It makes sense since they are a possession-style Club as well. Since you sound genuinely interested, I will provide my experience. We had multiple kids in the academy from the start.

As far as so many happy people, I think FCB really filled a niche of people tired with the travel system and inflexible rostered teams, set for a year. I think the reason you are reading that so many people are happy is because it is it's own thing. It's hard to convey over the Internet. But, my kids did not have to tryout again. We had no tryouts this spring since they were already in the academy. That's an absolute first for us.

If you watch the training from the Evergreen stands, it is meticulous. The different groups rotating through the drills which change and evolve in a way that is carefully planned to the 9th degree. The TD said that there won't be standing around at training. There isn't. The players arrive 10-15 min prior and line up in a designated area in the stands and when there session time is ready, coaches come line up the groups and walk them onto the pitch as a team. The prior groups are already lined up and filing out. They get started right on time and end right on time. You don't bring your own ball. The balls are lined up in row around the pitch before and after each session. Note: no running around looking for your kid's lost ball and they are all pumped, identical and good condition. They don't waste a single of the 90 minutes.

They have the kids responding and behavior issues are handled swiftly. My kid told me there is a '3 strikes' rule. I found at so many other places Coaches turned a blind eye if a player was good. They could get away with disrupting things and still start and play the entire game. My kids used to get very frustrated at disruptive players at practices. That doesn't happen here. Consequences. The team concept is a big deal. Behavior and respect for teammates, coaches, etc. No blaming teammates or arguing with them if they make a mistake, etc. No talking back to the ref or whining about a call. There is responsibility. If you aren't in full training kit, you don't practice (with reason right now as not everyone received their kits from soccer.com yet). You can't wear other gear and gear with another Club, team, on hats, etc. is a big no. The kids are moving the entire session, not standing in lines, and you don't see players trickling in and off the pitch.

No parents are involved. No parent managers. No parent jobs. One central email to direct questions and report absences. There is less of a chance for any politics as it's made clear any player discussions are made through that manager who schedules a meeting with the TD. And, that TD has watched all of the players the whole year---attends all the group training sessions and games of all the different teams (obviously not every team every weekend). You aren't talking to somebody who is only hearing about the player from one of the Coaches, but somebody who has seen them very often himself and has a team of 12 different coaches that watch them every training over the year. The coaches are taking notes every session. You will see coaches and the TD circulate watch and discuss. This really did it for us. So many sets of eyes noticing every little detail and charting development for each individual player--eyes long term.

But, the main reason I think why this is different is that the TD and coaches are full-time staff. When they aren't in training, they are plotting, reviewing, organizing and have constant reporting back to FCB each week. FCB has done visits to insure it's being run appropriately.

Lastly, they truly are flexible and understanding of family and school obligations. They made it clear kids won't be penalized and they walked that talk. It takes a lot of pressure and worry off of everyone. There is no worry about losing your 'color' team spot because of an obligation. It's put that if you continually miss training, you won't develop as quickly, but it's about performance, in training and games overall. You don't feel a player is disposable and once the kid is in, the player is in for as long as they want to stay. They strive for a family-life balance and family is important to them.

And, yes, the above will not be right for everyone. I wouldn't expect everyone to like it here. Some kids will not like that level of discipline. Some parents will want to have more direct involvement. Some will want direct access to their Coach. Some people won't even like the possession-style. Some may feel they should cull the heard each spring. Some kids will prefer one designated Coach. Some may be die-hard Real Madrid fans. There are many different reasons to love it or hate it. I also don't claim to be an expert on all of the programs in the DMV, or the US. I know very little about DA or ECNL etc., for instance. What I posted is not meant to detract or diminish any other program. I have no idea if the above is being done by anyone else. I have posted my personal experience once before earlier in this thread and I'm sure that poster will come out of the woodwork to label this from 'one or two of the crazy fcb posters'. Whatever. I don't like the divisiveness of soccer programs and leagues in this area. There is no need for it and it works against the bigger picture. You sound like one of the reasonable ones. I'm happy to answer any other questions you have and with the realization that my personal experience is not indicative of any other parent with kids in the academy.

Thanks. That's a good rundown.

A few things here really do seem unique:

1. The disciplined approach to walking on and off the field at practice, along with the "3 strikes" rule. I remember a tryout (elsewhere, obviously) in which one kid was kicking everyone else's water bottles, and the coaches did nothing.

2. No parent managers. Wow. I'm impressed. I hope it doesn't drive up costs to go without volunteers, but if they can make it work, that's fantastic. I've seen some good parent managers (fortunately, on my kids' teams) and some who truly bog down the game.

3. Related: Full-time staff. I know one pretty good coach elsewhere who had to bail because he worked for FEMA and was sent to Puerto Rico. (Hey, we DO have a presence in Puerto Rico!) All other coaches I've seen (other than a couple of full-time technical staffers who also coach a couple of teams) have day jobs. Again, my only concern there is how they pay for it, but from what I've heard, FCB is no more expensive than a lot of other programs.

4. Team balls at practice. Yeah, when I'm coaching a rec team, I often start a season with five balls and end up with two, and I spend a lot of time searching the perimeter of the field later. At some practice sites, I've been in the woods with a flashlight after practice. It stinks.

What's not quite so unique:

1. The no-cut policy. I've seen it at other clubs. It's wonderful in many ways, but it also means NCSL lower-division soccer is excruciating to watch.

2. Flexibility with school obligations. Some coaches are tyrants who insist you will not miss one minute of practice even if you were sick and need to make up a bunch of work. Some are much better.

On the whole, it really does sound good. And there's nothing wrong with having more good programs in the area. (Not sure we need so many *leagues*, but that's another rant.)

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that Barca made an effort to reschedule EDP games for Saturdays. When the schedule came out the games were scheduled for Sundays, but most of my son's games have been rescheduled for Saturdays. Hats off to Maryland clubs that agreed to rescheduling.

I can't see the schedule. What age group? can you post the schedule?

I was talking about U16 team (2003s), South Fall Div I. All schedules are here:

https://www.edpsoccer.com/page/show/4377891-2018-fall-schedules

Just find your team's division, click on the team's name in the division table and it will take you to the team specific schedule. Hope it helps.

That was super helpful - although for my son's team, unfortunately he still has all Sunday games. Maybe Barca hasn't gotten to his team yet...

I missed the context here -- is the Sunday issue a religious thing or something else?

I'm not sure. I didn't know they were doing this. They do have their internal scrimmages between 9-noon Saturday mornings at Evergreen. This is great because it means for home games, my older kid will be playing an EDP game in the stadium--while my younger kids will be having internal scrimmages on the fields next to the stadium. We now will have Sundays completely free.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that Barca made an effort to reschedule EDP games for Saturdays. When the schedule came out the games were scheduled for Sundays, but most of my son's games have been rescheduled for Saturdays. Hats off to Maryland clubs that agreed to rescheduling.

I can't see the schedule. What age group? can you post the schedule?

I was talking about U16 team (2003s), South Fall Div I. All schedules are here:

https://www.edpsoccer.com/page/show/4377891-2018-fall-schedules

Just find your team's division, click on the team's name in the division table and it will take you to the team specific schedule. Hope it helps.

That was super helpful - although for my son's team, unfortunately he still has all Sunday games. Maybe Barca hasn't gotten to his team yet...

I missed the context here -- is the Sunday issue a religious thing or something else?