Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe this thread got this long. I had a DC at PAC for several years before leaving. Parents who love PAC, really LOVE it. It makes sense, it’s a smaller club with accessible coaches who want to see the kids do well. That being said, my experience was that while kids go generally improve it is not much different than that at other clubs. The ones who I saw that stood out significantly more than others were already athletically or technically gifted or were the ones who did extra training outside the club, etc. to improve at a quicker pace. Eventually, those kids left the teams for other clubs that played in better leagues. This why some PAC teams played CCL this year and they are moving to EDP in some part, they are trying to keep teams together.
Nothing but love for PAC. I occasionally see coaches and enjoy catching up with them.

How do only certain teams play CCL? I thought the entire club has to join CCL and have teams in every age group and gender? Or were they helping out LMVSC?

They were filling in LMVSC slots

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe this thread got this long. I had a DC at PAC for several years before leaving. Parents who love PAC, really LOVE it. It makes sense, it’s a smaller club with accessible coaches who want to see the kids do well. That being said, my experience was that while kids go generally improve it is not much different than that at other clubs. The ones who I saw that stood out significantly more than others were already athletically or technically gifted or were the ones who did extra training outside the club, etc. to improve at a quicker pace. Eventually, those kids left the teams for other clubs that played in better leagues. This why some PAC teams played CCL this year and they are moving to EDP in some part, they are trying to keep teams together.
Nothing but love for PAC. I occasionally see coaches and enjoy catching up with them.

How do only certain teams play CCL? I thought the entire club has to join CCL and have teams in every age group and gender? Or were they helping out LMVSC?

If two players leave and it's u13+ that makes sense. Imagine if you're starting goalkeeper and your backup goalkeeper both left. Or your leading goal scorer and your strongest defender. Or your two center mids. It's a big deal and a team can collapse if the level of play stays the same but they lose 2 players that hold up the spine of the team.

I can’t believe this thread got this long. I had a DC at PAC for several years before leaving. Parents who love PAC, really LOVE it. It makes sense, it’s a smaller club with accessible coaches who want to see the kids do well. That being said, my experience was that while kids go generally improve it is not much different than that at other clubs. The ones who I saw that stood out significantly more than others were already athletically or technically gifted or were the ones who did extra training outside the club, etc. to improve at a quicker pace. Eventually, those kids left the teams for other clubs that played in better leagues. This why some PAC teams played CCL this year and they are moving to EDP in some part, they are trying to keep teams together.
Nothing but love for PAC. I occasionally see coaches and enjoy catching up with them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, you would out your kid in PAC over what club, because they market that they develop their kid to play for Arlington? Would you move your kid from let's say Vienna to PAC because PAC develops kids to play for Arlington or McLean? Like Vienna doesn't do that or any other club? This is ridiculous.

Depends. Players can go from low levels or even rec soccer at Vienna (or Arlington or McLean) to PAC and then somewhere else. Would they develop like that on the lower-level VYS teams? Maybe, maybe not. Get beyond the earlier ages, and a lot of PAC teams end up higher in the NCSL ladder than Vienna White or Black teams.

PAC is just a different environment. U9s through U12s all train together, they love soccer (as opposed to some athletic kids elsewhere who don't really care) and it's pretty cool. If you like that, great. If you prefer being on a third or fourth team somewhere with one coach who may or may not know what he or she is doing, that's a risk you take.

Different strokes and all.

Not sure why people feel the need to denigrate it.

two players left and the team fell off a cliff. That seems like the majority aren't being developed, certainly not in any way that they wouldn't be at competing clubs

Again the club isn't trophy chasing. Its about helping every player they have develop to their full potential whether stops at Pac or goes on to the next level. The true fact is most every DMV soccer players career will end before the become a professional. There are plenty of high level ECNL kids that fail to play even at a mid level college. I know its 1 in a million shot but Pac is the only local club to put a player on the USMNT in the past 10 years.

Sorry, there were no PAC kids facing Mexico in the nations league final.

None from Arlington or McLean or FCV, etc., etc., either.

Anonymous wrote:There is periodic astro turf on this forum for PAC. Sully Hamid seems like a fine guy but PAC has been in clear decline for the past 5 or so years. Look at the teams that PAC currently fields in NCSL and the Club is hanging on by a thread. No high performing teams left - probably only one NCSL D1 team after this season.

Almost all the PAC White teams have folded and almost all age groups are down to one team. That includes the U-12 and under age groups which is a dire sign.

I really don't care enough about youth soccer to want to engage, and am surprised to see a whole long thread about PAC, but U12 B (2009) top team is the strongest group the club has had in many years. They played in CCL 1 and always play top divisions of tournaments. 2009s have had two teams since U9. 2008s have two teams. 2010s have two teams. Some of these age groups may have gone down to one large team during covid but will be back to two next year.

I actually think the whole my-club-is-better-than-your-club (whoever it comes from) is infantile. But don't make stuff up.

Anonymous wrote:we get it, you're a shill for PAC. Everyone at a small club likes their club and talks about the technical focus and the development.

Oh stop. I've called out RSD as much as anyone on these forums but his assessment seems both reasonable and absolutely harmless.

There is periodic astro turf on this forum for PAC. Sully Hamid seems like a fine guy but PAC has been in clear decline for the past 5 or so years. Look at the teams that PAC currently fields in NCSL and the Club is hanging on by a thread. No high performing teams left - probably only one NCSL D1 team after this season.

Almost all the PAC White teams have folded and almost all age groups are down to one team. That includes the U-12 and under age groups which is a dire sign.

we get it, you're a shill for PAC. Everyone at a small club likes their club and talks about the technical focus and the development.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, you would out your kid in PAC over what club, because they market that they develop their kid to play for Arlington? Would you move your kid from let's say Vienna to PAC because PAC develops kids to play for Arlington or McLean? Like Vienna doesn't do that or any other club? This is ridiculous.

Depends. Players can go from low levels or even rec soccer at Vienna (or Arlington or McLean) to PAC and then somewhere else. Would they develop like that on the lower-level VYS teams? Maybe, maybe not. Get beyond the earlier ages, and a lot of PAC teams end up higher in the NCSL ladder than Vienna White or Black teams.

PAC is just a different environment. U9s through U12s all train together, they love soccer (as opposed to some athletic kids elsewhere who don't really care) and it's pretty cool. If you like that, great. If you prefer being on a third or fourth team somewhere with one coach who may or may not know what he or she is doing, that's a risk you take.

Different strokes and all.

Not sure why people feel the need to denigrate it.

two players left and the team fell off a cliff. That seems like the majority aren't being developed, certainly not in any way that they wouldn't be at competing clubs

Again the club isn't trophy chasing. Its about helping every player they have develop to their full potential whether stops at Pac or goes on to the next level. The true fact is most every DMV soccer players career will end before the become a professional. There are plenty of high level ECNL kids that fail to play even at a mid level college. I know its 1 in a million shot but Pac is the only local club to put a player on the USMNT in the past 10 years.

Sorry, there were no PAC kids facing Mexico in the nations league final.

No but in the past 5 years Bill Hamid a product of PAC has been on the USMNT. When have any of those Arlington top players played for the USMNT. Oh thats right they haven't.

I have kids at PAC, and really like the club, but feel like maybe OP overstates things a bit. As do the responses. I also have (and have had) kids at other clubs so I can compare.

Most of the PAC coaches were PAC players and are pretty committed to the club and to the process. There is a high technical focus at the beginning. So there really is more consistency and, at least in my view, more of a really community feel than at other clubs. The coaches all get to know all of the kids, something I have never seen anywhere else.

I mostly agree with RSD's posts. If you are a so-so player, you can go an be on a low level McLean team or a mid-level Arlington team and it might be okay or might not. From what I have seen, it is highly likely that you'll get excellent coaching and progress if you go to PAC.

It is 100 percent true that at the lower age groups, PAC takes kids that other clubs will pass on. Some of these kids are the ones who end up on ECNL and MLS Next teams. Having seen this happen multiple times makes people wax poetic, I guess. Again, I do think OP is exaggerating... everyone's excited when this happens and it isn't the norm. But PAC gave these kids a chance when they didn't even make other club's bottom teams so there is definitely something special about it.

I do want to also add that it just isn't true that there are no genetically gifted kids. There are a couple of teams that are extremely athletic. Some of the kids mentioned in the thread may have been late bloomers but they are athletic kids who worked hard and surely would have progressed wherever they were.

My opinion is that PAC has excellent coaches that will work with a wide variety of kids in a very positive environment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, you would out your kid in PAC over what club, because they market that they develop their kid to play for Arlington? Would you move your kid from let's say Vienna to PAC because PAC develops kids to play for Arlington or McLean? Like Vienna doesn't do that or any other club? This is ridiculous.

Depends. Players can go from low levels or even rec soccer at Vienna (or Arlington or McLean) to PAC and then somewhere else. Would they develop like that on the lower-level VYS teams? Maybe, maybe not. Get beyond the earlier ages, and a lot of PAC teams end up higher in the NCSL ladder than Vienna White or Black teams.

PAC is just a different environment. U9s through U12s all train together, they love soccer (as opposed to some athletic kids elsewhere who don't really care) and it's pretty cool. If you like that, great. If you prefer being on a third or fourth team somewhere with one coach who may or may not know what he or she is doing, that's a risk you take.

Different strokes and all.

Not sure why people feel the need to denigrate it.

two players left and the team fell off a cliff. That seems like the majority aren't being developed, certainly not in any way that they wouldn't be at competing clubs

Again the club isn't trophy chasing. Its about helping every player they have develop to their full potential whether stops at Pac or goes on to the next level. The true fact is most every DMV soccer players career will end before the become a professional. There are plenty of high level ECNL kids that fail to play even at a mid level college. I know its 1 in a million shot but Pac is the only local club to put a player on the USMNT in the past 10 years.

So now development is just a euphemism for losing? Surely a team that develops every player to their fullest isn't reliant on two players to be the difference between winning and getting blown out. Or are you saying that the majority of the kids on that team just have low ceilings (low enough that they just can't compete without their two stars)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, you would out your kid in PAC over what club, because they market that they develop their kid to play for Arlington? Would you move your kid from let's say Vienna to PAC because PAC develops kids to play for Arlington or McLean? Like Vienna doesn't do that or any other club? This is ridiculous.

Depends. Players can go from low levels or even rec soccer at Vienna (or Arlington or McLean) to PAC and then somewhere else. Would they develop like that on the lower-level VYS teams? Maybe, maybe not. Get beyond the earlier ages, and a lot of PAC teams end up higher in the NCSL ladder than Vienna White or Black teams.

PAC is just a different environment. U9s through U12s all train together, they love soccer (as opposed to some athletic kids elsewhere who don't really care) and it's pretty cool. If you like that, great. If you prefer being on a third or fourth team somewhere with one coach who may or may not know what he or she is doing, that's a risk you take.

Different strokes and all.

Not sure why people feel the need to denigrate it.

two players left and the team fell off a cliff. That seems like the majority aren't being developed, certainly not in any way that they wouldn't be at competing clubs

Again the club isn't trophy chasing. Its about helping every player they have develop to their full potential whether stops at Pac or goes on to the next level. The true fact is most every DMV soccer players career will end before the become a professional. There are plenty of high level ECNL kids that fail to play even at a mid level college. I know its 1 in a million shot but Pac is the only local club to put a player on the USMNT in the past 10 years.

Sorry, there were no PAC kids facing Mexico in the nations league final.

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, you would out your kid in PAC over what club, because they market that they develop their kid to play for Arlington? Would you move your kid from let's say Vienna to PAC because PAC develops kids to play for Arlington or McLean? Like Vienna doesn't do that or any other club? This is ridiculous.

Depends. Players can go from low levels or even rec soccer at Vienna (or Arlington or McLean) to PAC and then somewhere else. Would they develop like that on the lower-level VYS teams? Maybe, maybe not. Get beyond the earlier ages, and a lot of PAC teams end up higher in the NCSL ladder than Vienna White or Black teams.

PAC is just a different environment. U9s through U12s all train together, they love soccer (as opposed to some athletic kids elsewhere who don't really care) and it's pretty cool. If you like that, great. If you prefer being on a third or fourth team somewhere with one coach who may or may not know what he or she is doing, that's a risk you take.

Different strokes and all.

Not sure why people feel the need to denigrate it.

two players left and the team fell off a cliff. That seems like the majority aren't being developed, certainly not in any way that they wouldn't be at competing clubs

Again the club isn't trophy chasing. Its about helping every player they have develop to their full potential whether stops at Pac or goes on to the next level. The true fact is most every DMV soccer players career will end before the become a professional. There are plenty of high level ECNL kids that fail to play even at a mid level college. I know its 1 in a million shot but Pac is the only local club to put a player on the USMNT in the past 10 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, clubs don't produce elite players, their parents produce them at home and then take them to a club.

+1
Clubs want you to believe it was all them, but reality is players get to "elite" level only if they're getting individual training outside the club.


Not very familiar with the club, but did these kids leave mid-season? If PAC did have the hand in their development as its being made out, you would think they would've shown some loyalty to team and
club to finish out the season. From my experience, kids/families that leave mid season are usually unhappy about something.

Pac as a club wants the players to reach their maximum potential and if its at a higher level than they have at Pac then they help them find a higher level and wish them well.There is never any bitterness or hard feelings.

I don't doubt you or any of the other positive things posted here. But, it's still a business and can't imagine losing players as a top priority.

Also, without knowing the details, my assumption with "helping them find a higher level" doesn't mean for players to leave mid-season (if thats what happened), bailing on the team b/c of whatever reason, leaving teammates, coaches, and parents high and dry

If a club can market themselves as a legitimate pathway into top youth leagues for players they would draw more players. Sure they "lose" those players but they gain a reputation as a club that develops, that in turn will attract players.

I don't think that placing a kid on Arlington's third team will get them very far as a marketing strategy

I agree, in fact I posted earlier that their placement target needs to be DC United, other MLSNext teams and ECNL.

Seriously, you would out your kid in PAC over what club, because they market that they develop their kid to play for Arlington? Would you move your kid from let's say Vienna to PAC because PAC develops kids to play for Arlington or McLean? Like Vienna doesn't do that or any other club? This is ridiculous.

If a small, affordable, local club can develop my kid to eventually be able to play for DC United, yes I would sign up for that. But, the club has to focus on getting kids to the highest level of youth soccer not just the B or C teams of large clubs. Moving from PAC to Arlington's B or C team is really nothing more than a lateral move if the current PAC team is already a good team.

+1. If you advertise development, then you should be able to point to results

I am speaking to the hypothetical not the current or actual. I am speaking to the potential if a club could do as I suggest then it would be well received. I am not suggesting that this is what PAC is currently doing.