Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just an FYI, you have a better chance to make a team trying out for odd number years. U9, U11, U13, U15.

any difference between U13 and U15 ? same size field same size ball both 11 v 11

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Anonymous wrote:

As they age (U11/12) you’ll start to see a shift where defenders start to play most or all of the game if they are good, and weaker players me play some preset minimum time like half a game, but the better player will play significantly more than that.

Thank you for rasing the issue of the position mattering. A few people on our team have been snarky about the fact that my kid plays most of the game as a defender, but since their kid has absolutely no desire to do the position, I have no idea why they care.

The pp is true. My son plays RB/RWB and plays the entire game. However, it’s a very American think to be snarky about someone’s kid playing defense an entire game. Makes no sense to me. It takes a special player to be able to shut down a top notch attacker. I love watching a defender who can put an attacker in shackles during a game

I think by u14 the starting 11 should play most of the game or at least its time to stop the equal playing time approach. Especially for the GK and the defensive backs.

I generally agree, but I personally feel that U15 and u16 is where the competition phase should be truly that — competition. I know a lot of clubs start at u14 and some start a little later at u16. But eventually some kids will play more than others. No way around it

It started at U13 at our Club.

Our coach did it at a U12 tournament and the kids were not prepared. Some kids literally didn’t play at all in some games. Hard life lesson moments.

Got to happen at some point. We baby these kids much more now than past generations. Too many parents these days choose to pay for for travel soccer as a protected sport. Kids dont play pick up sports at the playground anymore. Everything is structured and paid for. Gone are the days where kids competed on their own and they knew who was better and who sucked. Those kids even if they sucked competed their butts of to get better in order to be picked in the games. Today its all paid for and guaranteed to have not only a spot on the team but actual equal playing time. Parents are giving this generation a false sense of being good enough by simply writing a check.

Agree in theory but letting the players and parents know ahead of time that this was a norm in travel, before humiliating 11/12 yr olds who have family members in attendance would have been a common courtesy. I have no issue with benching a lower performer or letting stronger players lead especially in critical games. Setting expectations is key and a positive things for teams.

Our coach sent a message a couple weeks before the tournament to the parents and kids to work hard during practice because only the best would play the tournament - that there were not guaranteed playing times during the tournament ( u10).

Sounds more than fair to me. It baffles me that he would have to send a note out telling everyone they have to work hard. Whether its U9 or U19 once you step into the competitive side of soccer you are expected to work hard as well as attend every team training and game. There is also too much BS of missing training and or games for BS excuses letting the entire team down that they signed up and committed to. Taking up a roster spot of someone who would actually be committed.

If you're staying at the club you played at before, your season was your real tryout. They know what you can and can't do.


That's such a BS story. At these big Clubs only 1 coach ever sees the team. That coach is not the coach for the following season and one person's opinion is so subjective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

As they age (U11/12) you’ll start to see a shift where defenders start to play most or all of the game if they are good, and weaker players me play some preset minimum time like half a game, but the better player will play significantly more than that.

Thank you for rasing the issue of the position mattering. A few people on our team have been snarky about the fact that my kid plays most of the game as a defender, but since their kid has absolutely no desire to do the position, I have no idea why they care.

The pp is true. My son plays RB/RWB and plays the entire game. However, it’s a very American think to be snarky about someone’s kid playing defense an entire game. Makes no sense to me. It takes a special player to be able to shut down a top notch attacker. I love watching a defender who can put an attacker in shackles during a game

I think by u14 the starting 11 should play most of the game or at least its time to stop the equal playing time approach. Especially for the GK and the defensive backs.

I generally agree, but I personally feel that U15 and u16 is where the competition phase should be truly that — competition. I know a lot of clubs start at u14 and some start a little later at u16. But eventually some kids will play more than others. No way around it

It started at U13 at our Club.

Our coach did it at a U12 tournament and the kids were not prepared. Some kids literally didn’t play at all in some games. Hard life lesson moments.

Got to happen at some point. We baby these kids much more now than past generations. Too many parents these days choose to pay for for travel soccer as a protected sport. Kids dont play pick up sports at the playground anymore. Everything is structured and paid for. Gone are the days where kids competed on their own and they knew who was better and who sucked. Those kids even if they sucked competed their butts of to get better in order to be picked in the games. Today its all paid for and guaranteed to have not only a spot on the team but actual equal playing time. Parents are giving this generation a false sense of being good enough by simply writing a check.

Agree in theory but letting the players and parents know ahead of time that this was a norm in travel, before humiliating 11/12 yr olds who have family members in attendance would have been a common courtesy. I have no issue with benching a lower performer or letting stronger players lead especially in critical games. Setting expectations is key and a positive things for teams.

Our coach sent a message a couple weeks before the tournament to the parents and kids to work hard during practice because only the best would play the tournament - that there were not guaranteed playing times during the tournament ( u10).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As they age (U11/12) you’ll start to see a shift where defenders start to play most or all of the game if they are good, and weaker players me play some preset minimum time like half a game, but the better player will play significantly more than that.

Thank you for rasing the issue of the position mattering. A few people on our team have been snarky about the fact that my kid plays most of the game as a defender, but since their kid has absolutely no desire to do the position, I have no idea why they care.

The pp is true. My son plays RB/RWB and plays the entire game. However, it’s a very American think to be snarky about someone’s kid playing defense an entire game. Makes no sense to me. It takes a special player to be able to shut down a top notch attacker. I love watching a defender who can put an attacker in shackles during a game

I think by u14 the starting 11 should play most of the game or at least its time to stop the equal playing time approach. Especially for the GK and the defensive backs.

I generally agree, but I personally feel that U15 and u16 is where the competition phase should be truly that — competition. I know a lot of clubs start at u14 and some start a little later at u16. But eventually some kids will play more than others. No way around it

It started at U13 at our Club.

Our coach did it at a U12 tournament and the kids were not prepared. Some kids literally didn’t play at all in some games. Hard life lesson moments.

Got to happen at some point. We baby these kids much more now than past generations. Too many parents these days choose to pay for for travel soccer as a protected sport. Kids dont play pick up sports at the playground anymore. Everything is structured and paid for. Gone are the days where kids competed on their own and they knew who was better and who sucked. Those kids even if they sucked competed their butts of to get better in order to be picked in the games. Today its all paid for and guaranteed to have not only a spot on the team but actual equal playing time. Parents are giving this generation a false sense of being good enough by simply writing a check.

Agree in theory but letting the players and parents know ahead of time that this was a norm in travel, before humiliating 11/12 yr olds who have family members in attendance would have been a common courtesy. I have no issue with benching a lower performer or letting stronger players lead especially in critical games. Setting expectations is key and a positive things for teams.

Our coach sent a message a couple weeks before the tournament to the parents and kids to work hard during practice because only the best would play the tournament - that there were not guaranteed playing times during the tournament ( u10).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As they age (U11/12) you’ll start to see a shift where defenders start to play most or all of the game if they are good, and weaker players me play some preset minimum time like half a game, but the better player will play significantly more than that.

Thank you for rasing the issue of the position mattering. A few people on our team have been snarky about the fact that my kid plays most of the game as a defender, but since their kid has absolutely no desire to do the position, I have no idea why they care.

The pp is true. My son plays RB/RWB and plays the entire game. However, it’s a very American think to be snarky about someone’s kid playing defense an entire game. Makes no sense to me. It takes a special player to be able to shut down a top notch attacker. I love watching a defender who can put an attacker in shackles during a game

I think by u14 the starting 11 should play most of the game or at least its time to stop the equal playing time approach. Especially for the GK and the defensive backs.

I generally agree, but I personally feel that U15 and u16 is where the competition phase should be truly that — competition. I know a lot of clubs start at u14 and some start a little later at u16. But eventually some kids will play more than others. No way around it

It started at U13 at our Club.

Our coach did it at a U12 tournament and the kids were not prepared. Some kids literally didn’t play at all in some games. Hard life lesson moments.

Got to happen at some point. We baby these kids much more now than past generations. Too many parents these days choose to pay for for travel soccer as a protected sport. Kids dont play pick up sports at the playground anymore. Everything is structured and paid for. Gone are the days where kids competed on their own and they knew who was better and who sucked. Those kids even if they sucked competed their butts of to get better in order to be picked in the games. Today its all paid for and guaranteed to have not only a spot on the team but actual equal playing time. Parents are giving this generation a false sense of being good enough by simply writing a check.

Agree in theory but letting the players and parents know ahead of time that this was a norm in travel, before humiliating 11/12 yr olds who have family members in attendance would have been a common courtesy. I have no issue with benching a lower performer or letting stronger players lead especially in critical games. Setting expectations is key and a positive things for teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're staying at the club you played at before, your season was your real tryout. They know what you can and can't do.

That's such a BS story. At these big Clubs only 1 coach ever sees the team. That coach is not the coach for the following season and one person's opinion is so subjective.

I hear that same BS all of the time. Unless the TD and several coaches were consistently attending games in the age groups and watching---one person who they don't even listen to does not matter.

WE were at a Club that even when the Coach said 'kid belongs on A team'...and the kid was on the roster list and Coach texted and saw it...only to be axed off and offered a lower team by the TD/staff. This has happened too many others I know. The Coaches can't even pick their own teams. The players owed a favor or big donors or make threats to walk will get moved in the final hour.

Stick around the sport for 10 years or so and you will learn....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As they age (U11/12) you’ll start to see a shift where defenders start to play most or all of the game if they are good, and weaker players me play some preset minimum time like half a game, but the better player will play significantly more than that.

Thank you for rasing the issue of the position mattering. A few people on our team have been snarky about the fact that my kid plays most of the game as a defender, but since their kid has absolutely no desire to do the position, I have no idea why they care.

Just because your kid has no desire to play the position your coach owes it to the TEAM to put every player in the position where the TEAM benefits the most. Everyone pays to be a part of the TEAM.
This isn't an individual sport and everyone must sacrifice some to make the team successful.

Anonymous wrote:SO---they put all of the kids they pre-selected on a few small scrimmage fields. Any kids that are looking to transfer from first teams from other clubs also get a chance on those fields right at the start of tryouts. If in the tryout form your kid is listed on a lower team at another club, they will not get a chance to be put in that sorting group. The will get put to the neverland fields.

Most everyone else gets put on a low field where they might have one coach for 'show'. He/she doesn't really watch the tryout and sometimes even has backed turned talking to someone else.

I have a 16-year old and a 13-year old and this is what I have seen at every Club across the DMV.

Anonymous wrote:Just an FYI, you have a better chance to make a team trying out for odd number years. U9, U11, U13, U15.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Got to happen at some point. We baby these kids much more now than past generations. Too many parents these days choose to pay for for travel soccer as a protected sport. Kids dont play pick up sports at the playground anymore. Everything is structured and paid for. Gone are the days where kids competed on their own and they knew who was better and who sucked. Those kids even if they sucked competed their butts of to get better in order to be picked in the games. Today its all paid for and guaranteed to have not only a spot on the team but actual equal playing time. Parents are giving this generation a false sense of being good enough by simply writing a check.

1. Kids absolutely compete and know who is better and who sucks.

2. Plenty of kids do play pickup and compete on their own. If yours doesn't that's your problem - don't project it onto others.

3. Competition can absolutely happen at tryouts / selection time - and the better clubs also allow for movement between teams. This is much better than simply not playing a kid who is not good enough.

4. Charging a kid to be on a team where he doesn't play is clearly not a sustainable business model - nor should it be. Why should a kid pay to sit on the bench?

I think we are agreeing here. Other than this is travel or competitive so that means compete. Its not rec league, you need to complete to earn your minutes. They shouldn't be handed to you. Thats what rec is for. My thought is if you find your kid is not good enough to earn the minutes he/she shouldn't be rewarded with the minutes. Going back to the playground scenario if you win you stay on if you lose you sit out until you got next. that motivates you to work to get better to stay on if it means enough to you. But most of these parents are more about making their kids feel good than actually teaching them to strive to be good.

Anonymous wrote:If you're staying at the club you played at before, your season was your real tryout. They know what you can and can't do.

Our coach did it at a U12 tournament and the kids were not prepared. Some kids literally didn’t play at all in some games. Hard life lesson moments.