Anonymous
Post 10/30/2025 02:23     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Zombie reviving this thread if OP still reads here, curious 5 years later is your DD still playing and did you pick one club and stay with it and advance up ranks or bounce between clubs? Wondering myself how much matters where play?


Doubtful you'll get a response from the original OP since they don't get alerted of new posts. If you're looking for a 2011 G team to join, take a look at the rankings and start reaching out to the coaches about joining practices. Tryouts will happen in the early spring and will be here before you know it.

Clubs closest to Fairfax and that are either ECNL, GA, or ECNL-RL are Arlington, FVU, McLean, SYC, Alexandria, Vienna YS, Lee Mount Vernon, BRYC, Villarreal.

ECNL
#2 Arlington - based in Arlington
#5 VDA - based in Woodbridge
#7 FVU - based in Fairfax

GA
#1 McLean - based in McLean
#6 SYC - based in Springfield
#7 NVA - based in Leesburg
#9 VA Revolution - based in Leesburg
#10 Loudoun - based in Leesburg
#11 Alexandria - based in Alexandria
#12 St. James - based in Leesburg (maybe Ashburn)

ECNL-RL
Arlington - based in Arlington
VSA - based in Haymarket
GFR - based in Great Falls
Valor - based in Chantilly
VYS - based in Vienna
Lee Mount Vernon - based in Alexandria
BRYC - based in Springfield
Villarreal - based in Fairfax
Herndon - based in Herndon


You’re ranking McLean over Arlington in 2011 age group?
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2025 22:13     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Zombie reviving this thread if OP still reads here, curious 5 years later is your DD still playing and did you pick one club and stay with it and advance up ranks or bounce between clubs? Wondering myself how much matters where play?


Doubtful you'll get a response from the original OP since they don't get alerted of new posts. If you're looking for a 2011 G team to join, take a look at the rankings and start reaching out to the coaches about joining practices. Tryouts will happen in the early spring and will be here before you know it.

Clubs closest to Fairfax and that are either ECNL, GA, or ECNL-RL are Arlington, FVU, McLean, SYC, Alexandria, Vienna YS, Lee Mount Vernon, BRYC, Villarreal.

ECNL
#2 Arlington - based in Arlington
#5 VDA - based in Woodbridge
#7 FVU - based in Fairfax

GA
#1 McLean - based in McLean
#6 SYC - based in Springfield
#7 NVA - based in Leesburg
#9 VA Revolution - based in Leesburg
#10 Loudoun - based in Leesburg
#11 Alexandria - based in Alexandria
#12 St. James - based in Leesburg (maybe Ashburn)

ECNL-RL
Arlington - based in Arlington
VSA - based in Haymarket
GFR - based in Great Falls
Valor - based in Chantilly
VYS - based in Vienna
Lee Mount Vernon - based in Alexandria
BRYC - based in Springfield
Villarreal - based in Fairfax
Herndon - based in Herndon


So helpful. Thank you for taking time to write this.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2025 20:35     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:I was told this is a good forum to post a question. My daughter is a 2011 birthday, and we just moved here. She is very serious about soccer and played on a top travel team in her area. We live in Fairfax and a neighbor told us BRYC was a local travel soccer program. When doing a little research on their girls side, it seems like many of the coaches on their U9/U10/U11 teams are players parents. Is that normal for all travel soccer programs in this area? It would be great from a location of practice, but where we came from, all the coaches were certified and were not parents to any players on the team. As I know that leads to drama / special treatment.

Is that the case at all clubs in this area? Other then BRYC, any other suggestions?




We moved here last year and joined BRYC for my daughter. Northern Virginia is more competitive than our last location, I didn't believe it until realized how many teams/clubs there are in the area. It's the right level of competition for her now, but she hopes to move to ECNL soon. They've brought our FVU coaches (BRYC ,VYS feed into FVU ECNL) scouting players for practices and spring. There is the opportunity for mobility. I know one player for sure maybe another moving up. I've learned the NOVA soccer insane, way too many egos. This message board is toxic and full of trolls. Go to a practice at BRYC, see how your daughter likes it. VYS I hear is good too, but the drive was too much for us with multiple kids in sports. SYC is also a good option. There are only a few parent coaches at BRYC but you'll find that on every ECNL RL Club. All the coaches we've come in contact with have really amazing, skilled and technical. Go to a practice, see what the vibe is. Good luck and welcome to DMV.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2025 12:48     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:Zombie reviving this thread if OP still reads here, curious 5 years later is your DD still playing and did you pick one club and stay with it and advance up ranks or bounce between clubs? Wondering myself how much matters where play?


Doubtful you'll get a response from the original OP since they don't get alerted of new posts. If you're looking for a 2011 G team to join, take a look at the rankings and start reaching out to the coaches about joining practices. Tryouts will happen in the early spring and will be here before you know it.

Clubs closest to Fairfax and that are either ECNL, GA, or ECNL-RL are Arlington, FVU, McLean, SYC, Alexandria, Vienna YS, Lee Mount Vernon, BRYC, Villarreal.

ECNL
#2 Arlington - based in Arlington
#5 VDA - based in Woodbridge
#7 FVU - based in Fairfax

GA
#1 McLean - based in McLean
#6 SYC - based in Springfield
#7 NVA - based in Leesburg
#9 VA Revolution - based in Leesburg
#10 Loudoun - based in Leesburg
#11 Alexandria - based in Alexandria
#12 St. James - based in Leesburg (maybe Ashburn)

ECNL-RL
Arlington - based in Arlington
VSA - based in Haymarket
GFR - based in Great Falls
Valor - based in Chantilly
VYS - based in Vienna
Lee Mount Vernon - based in Alexandria
BRYC - based in Springfield
Villarreal - based in Fairfax
Herndon - based in Herndon
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2025 10:50     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Zombie reviving this thread if OP still reads here, curious 5 years later is your DD still playing and did you pick one club and stay with it and advance up ranks or bounce between clubs? Wondering myself how much matters where play?
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2020 02:30     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 21:59     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:There’s a great albeit old USA Today article about Jill Ellis and her dad. He apparently coached her BRYC team- interesting!


If we're turning this into a discussion around the Ellis's, then her brother Paul is still around the area and is the technical director at SYA per a quick google search.
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 19:18     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

There’s a great albeit old USA Today article about Jill Ellis and her dad. He apparently coached her BRYC team- interesting!
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 19:09     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:BRYC was good enough for Mia Hamm when she was already called in for the very new USWNT. BRYC was good enough for Jill Ellis, whose father was a prominent boy’s coach in the area and ran the best soccer camp in the area in the 80s and 90s. Whatever your opinion may be of the club now, I don’t think people can really argue with BRYC’s pedigree on the girls’ side...


Yeah but Annandale travel also claims Jill Ellis as they try to claim Bill Hamid too. Bill played there as a 6 yr old then His father started PremierAC where he developed til he moved clubs to Bethesda instead of Bryc or Mclean then DCU academy.
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 18:58     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:They also had the VA Gatorade women’s player of the year last year in case you think they have not done anything recently.


Interesting. I didn't know that. Playing for Princeton now.

https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2020/6/17/womens-soccer-estes-nagai-earn-gatorade-state-player-of-the-year-awards.aspx

Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 18:14     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

They also had the VA Gatorade women’s player of the year last year in case you think they have not done anything recently.
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 18:12     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Agree BRYC has a storied pedigree on the girls side. Will be interesting to see if they can navigate current challenges
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 17:45     Subject: New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

BRYC was good enough for Mia Hamm when she was already called in for the very new USWNT. BRYC was good enough for Jill Ellis, whose father was a prominent boy’s coach in the area and ran the best soccer camp in the area in the 80s and 90s. Whatever your opinion may be of the club now, I don’t think people can really argue with BRYC’s pedigree on the girls’ side...
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 12:16     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:To OP, I'd say look at BRYC and McLean clubs for your daughter. I would hope BRYC would not have parents coaching travel team's unless of course they were qualified. BRYC did produce Mia Hamm after all...My kid plays for McLean, but getting ready to move to Bethesda's MLSNext Academy team. I'm racking my head on how I'm gonna handle that commute during rush hour getting from McLean to Rockville. Will be so much easier when kid can drive.


FALSE BRYC did not produce Mia Hamm...... Looking into it she was a military brat that moved base to base growing up only came to BRYC senior year in HS . she was not a BRYC developed kid . Just a final stop for a year of youth soccer before college.


Right. One and done. The McLean model. Get them after somebody else develops them. I think BRYC also had the ex-USWNT coach
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2020 11:40     Subject: Re:New to the area - BRYC or other local travel clubs

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:To OP, I'd say look at BRYC and McLean clubs for your daughter. I would hope BRYC would not have parents coaching travel team's unless of course they were qualified. BRYC did produce Mia Hamm after all...My kid plays for McLean, but getting ready to move to Bethesda's MLSNext Academy team. I'm racking my head on how I'm gonna handle that commute during rush hour getting from McLean to Rockville. Will be so much easier when kid can drive.


FALSE BRYC did not produce Mia Hamm...... Looking into it she was a military brat that moved base to base growing up only came to BRYC senior year in HS . she was not a BRYC developed kid . Just a final stop for a year of youth soccer before college.


Still really cool, though. Wish I could see a pic of her in the uniform.