Anonymous wrote:There’s loud minorities at every club though. No one is making those people be so fanatical except themselves

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Barca parent and it's not perfect here, not even close. The teams are tiered and the talent overall at the younger ages spotty at best. Some good players, but not an explosion of athletes by any means.

With that being said, the training is top notch and it really doesn't matter which team are on because you are all doing the same training and practicing the same style of play unlike other clubs where the training is coach dependent. Where it becomes a gap is that if you are on the top end of your grouping, you will play against bad talent so things will appear artificially positive. I like the training but am not a fan of the player pool. Without playing a lot of outside teams at the younger ages, it's hard to see how they measure up and they will tell you it's not important at this age. But if you base the ROI on player enjoyment and their (player) perspective of improvement then you will be ok.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:You could make a case that the distinctions between A, B and C are fluid. You could also make a case that a club that hesitates to turn players away is going to have some teams that aren't as far along as others. All of that is fine.

You could even make the case that because the program is so new, you can't read much into results. If the U18s win everything in sight, great, but that doesn't say much about the development through the ages because all of those players played elsewhere until U15 or U16.

So yes, it's going to be difficult to read much into results, period.

All that said -- if they have teams that are clearly not competitive at whatever level, it's ... OK, maybe not a *red* flag but certainly a yellow one. It either means the coaches are deluded about the progress of their kids (something I've seen time and time again elsewhere) or that they're simply not able to bring these kids up to whatever standard they're seeking.

I still have a positive impression about Barca and what they're trying to achieve. I just wish the people in this thread would actually recognize that the players **and the club itself** have a learning curve. The people running the club didn't just land in Northern Virginia like some advanced alien species sharing its hyperspeed technology and secrets of long, healthy lives. They have what appear to be excellent training methods, and they seem dedicated to serving serious players even if they're not superstars when they walk onto the practice field for the first time.

If they make a few missteps when they get their kids into leagues and tournaments, just own it. It's a learning experience. Attacking people as "zealots" for what's basically constructive feedback is clearly hurting your image.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:You could make a case that the distinctions between A, B and C are fluid. You could also make a case that a club that hesitates to turn players away is going to have some teams that aren't as far along as others. All of that is fine.

You could even make the case that because the program is so new, you can't read much into results. If the U18s win everything in sight, great, but that doesn't say much about the development through the ages because all of those players played elsewhere until U15 or U16.

So yes, it's going to be difficult to read much into results, period.

All that said -- if they have teams that are clearly not competitive at whatever level, it's ... OK, maybe not a *red* flag but certainly a yellow one. It either means the coaches are deluded about the progress of their kids (something I've seen time and time again elsewhere) or that they're simply not able to bring these kids up to whatever standard they're seeking.

I still have a positive impression about Barca and what they're trying to achieve. I just wish the people in this thread would actually recognize that the players **and the club itself** have a learning curve. The people running the club didn't just land in Northern Virginia like some advanced alien species sharing its hyperspeed technology and secrets of long, healthy lives. They have what appear to be excellent training methods, and they seem dedicated to serving serious players even if they're not superstars when they walk onto the practice field for the first time.

If they make a few missteps when they get their kids into leagues and tournaments, just own it. It's a learning experience. Attacking people as "zealots" for what's basically constructive feedback is clearly hurting your image.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello-I posted the original question on the colors. I found the answer confusing as an outsider. I don't feel a need to tear the club down. It was just a question. Why do people here feel that asking a question or pointing out something that is confusing is an attack?

A few of these Barca folks are clearly insane, or work for the club. There is no other explanation.

Anonymous wrote:Hello-I posted the original question on the colors. I found the answer confusing as an outsider. I don't feel a need to tear the club down. It was just a question. Why do people here feel that asking a question or pointing out something that is confusing is an attack?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste your time arguing on this thread, any minor critic will be shot at by a small group of Barca zealots pretending to be admiring neutrals. The thread went in hibernation when people could not bear it any more, but it seems that one of the zealot decided it was time to revive it.

Yes, in reading through the thread you can see that sort of back and forth whenever someone makes a criticism. It’s also noteable how well informed the admirers seem to be as though they have been studying the club for awhile. I wish I had the time and energy to know so much about the parents and details of each prospective club we might consider! Too bad about the team color confusion, I imagine we will be able to figure out the colors better once there is a record in tournament and league play for each group.

I think their results speak for themselves and explain why they will you have you believe that their blue teams i not the best one.
For example, their 2005B blue team, which plays in EDP, has lost 5 out of 5, scoring one goal and conceding 16.
Of course, with such dismal results, they will argue that the blue team is not their best team. f you ask where their best 2005 team plays, you will never get a straight answer, but just digressions on how the Barca Academy is different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste your time arguing on this thread, any minor critic will be shot at by a small group of Barca zealots pretending to be admiring neutrals. The thread went in hibernation when people could not bear it any more, but it seems that one of the zealot decided it was time to revive it.

Yes, in reading through the thread you can see that sort of back and forth whenever someone makes a criticism. It’s also noteable how well informed the admirers seem to be as though they have been studying the club for awhile. I wish I had the time and energy to know so much about the parents and details of each prospective club we might consider! Too bad about the team color confusion, I imagine we will be able to figure out the colors better once there is a record in tournament and league play for each group.

I think their results speak for themselves and explain why they will you have you believe that their blue teams i not the best one.
For example, their 2005B blue team, which plays in EDP, has lost 5 out of 5, scoring one goal and conceding 16.
Of course, with such dismal results, they will argue that the blue team is not their best team. f you ask where their best 2005 team plays, you will never get a straight answer, but just digressions on how the Barca Academy is different.

Here's the straigth answer for you. 2001 Garnet is in the first place in EDP Div 1 at the moment. If the Blue color designates Barca's top teams in all age groups as you suggest, then why is their supposedly inferior team, 2001 Garnet, dominates the top division of EDP with 19-1 goal difference and 100% win record? Btw, 2001 blue team, which is the B team in that age group, is in the same division in 6th place with 5-7 goal difference. Barca 2003 Blue team is the top team in their age group and is in the second place in EDP division 1 with 13-4 goal difference.

What is straight about your answer? I am referring to the 2005 boys team and, as foretold, you (and your sidekick) digress about the 2001 team (notwithstanding the fact that there is no decent competition in EDP at that age) and how Barca is different.
If you want to give a straight answer, which I absolutely doubt, just tell us where the best 2005 team plays.

You have implied that Barca mixes team colors to mask poor performances and I gave you examples of successful Barca teams that also have colors mixed. As for lack of decent competition in EDP for 2001s, Future Eagles team is in the same division. They beat DCU academy team in EDP last year. This year, Arlington Red, which is ranked No.24 nationally, beat Future 1-0. If a team plays a close, competitive game against a top 25 team in this country, it is pretty decent by any objective standard. Not only you are disrespectful to Barca, but you are even more disrespectful to several Virginia and Maryland clubs that play in the same league.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello-I posted the original question on the colors. I found the answer confusing as an outsider. I don't feel a need to tear the club down. It was just a question. Why do people here feel that asking a question or pointing out something that is confusing is an attack?

I didn't find it a problem at all, nor the varied answers to it. People can disagree over the value of knowing if your child is on whatever level team. I did however find calling people "zealots" an attack.

Thank you, I did not call anyone a xealot. I think there are many posters here, how can you assume they are all the same one?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello-I posted the original question on the colors. I found the answer confusing as an outsider. I don't feel a need to tear the club down. It was just a question. Why do people here feel that asking a question or pointing out something that is confusing is an attack?

I didn't find it a problem at all, nor the varied answers to it. People can disagree over the value of knowing if your child is on whatever level team. I did however find calling people "zealots" an attack.

Thank you, I did not call anyone a xealot. I think there are many posters here, how can you assume they are all the same one?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello-I posted the original question on the colors. I found the answer confusing as an outsider. I don't feel a need to tear the club down. It was just a question. Why do people here feel that asking a question or pointing out something that is confusing is an attack?

I didn't find it a problem at all, nor the varied answers to it. People can disagree over the value of knowing if your child is on whatever level team. I did however find calling people "zealots" an attack.