So was wondering about the best club in the area Achilles.

I played for European academy and failed . Eventually it worked out
for me better that for any who made it (a few played in the second league) from my team. But this is a different story.

So I shared a video of Achilles u13 and u14 against Philadelphia Union with my old coach. You also can find it in internet.

feedback is very similar what I think.

They try to play possession soccer. It is not necessary good for these ages but better than kick ball.
In Europe now they play intense attacking soccer forward (they do not encourage kids to play sode to side, more forward, it is not kick ball), more offensive.
It is very clear that Achilles's coaches do not understand or cannot explain what really possession soccer is. it is called possession without purpose.
Kids do not understand why they keep ball and what to do with it, they do not know how to beat press, how to do vertical passes and play forward (not kick ball).
Midfielders/Wingers are not intense enough for this style and have no clue how to play off ball. So defense do not have options and play side to side too much.
They move ball forward more by dribbling than by passing, it is very weird. Too much side to side in defense, it is not ok, they should try to beat press.
Also kids easily give up goals like not trying. Looks like loosing mentality. Not able to win 50/50 balls. They do not enjoy. And it is worse for development even than kick ball.
They must be good 3v3 but starting 7v7 they will not have a clue what to do on the field. So coaches probably heard some good ideas about development but did not really get them.
For example possession, kids should understand why they do it and see benefits. We do not care about winning, but you should not develop loosing mentality either etc.
It may not be fair Philadelphia Union is a very good academy but I think overall it is accurate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on all these threads, no club in the dmv develops players and all clubs are horrible

We’re happy with our club and they will get lots of credit for developing our son.

Same with are with SYC.

We've been with SYC for 4 years and have nothing to compare our experience with. We've had our issues with team managers, with directors, and even coaches. However, this year is by far the worst year with this new coach. There is clear blatant favoritism where he only play to win.

Which age group?

2009 2012 2010 2011 2013 take your pick

You have kids in all those age groups?

popping them out like puppies, 6th in about a month.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been with Achilles since it started, agree with the above that it is the most "purist" in execution of its philosophy and style. That factor, along with giving a chance to (or even favoring) small players who are technical but not the most athletic, being a relatively small club (more sensitive to loss of players to academies and other teams, injuries), and not having certain age groups (resulting in lots of players playing up a year or more), means that the kids (and parents) have to be ok focusing on how the kids are developing and not the score board. Also, agree with a post above that the coaches are stable (the kids have grown up with Sal, Vinnie, AK, Nate). Acknowledging that lots of people have reasonable criticisms of the club (poor communication, disorganized, some big egos), at least the club stands by its approach of focusing on development over wins.

I assume your son is on an MLS Next team? Achilles gives priority to those kids who have been with them a long time -- regardless of how they play. Achilles teams, especially their MLS Next teams, have a consistent losing record. So how they be developing kids well if they lose as teams across the board? I think the allure of Achilles is MLS Next -- parents want their kids to be seen by scouts.

First year with Achilles and my son loves it. The training is top notch and he’s much improved in a very short time.

If you have to ask how they are developing kids but not winning, you’re missing the point.
Environment is everything. And Achilles has it.

I won’t bother to go back and forth or defend the program. No need. We know what we have and it’s a very good thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

Could have kept those 2 cents

Scouts scout players. Not teams.

Word. Don’t think you can anyone who says otherwise seriously.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

Could have kept those 2 cents

Scouts scout players. Not teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

I would disagree with your comment about the scouts. We are not the top team but we have seen a number of scouts at our game.

How many are taken? 0

Most likely, they are watching the other team.

Or they could be watching the players on the team(s) who have already reached out directly to the college scouts.

Recruiting is all about players reaching out to scouts and getting them to come watch their games. Most players who want to play in college know which schools they should be targeting. Why would college scouts just blindly scout at tournaments and showcases when players may not even want to play for them? If a player is so good that they are noticeable by scouts, they are probably already in touch with a few other schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

I would disagree with your comment about the scouts. We are not the top team but we have seen a number of scouts at our game.

How many are taken? 0

Most likely, they are watching the other team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

I would disagree with your comment about the scouts. We are not the top team but we have seen a number of scouts at our game.

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

100%, most likely kids do not develop under only losing conditions. Morale is low, and even worse, team culture. Coaches, in some cases, get super competitive and treat their players the wrong way, which causes more damage overall. It is good for MLS Next to remove losing teams; the writing is on the wall for some clubs in the area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

All I’ve heard from parents going through recruiting is scouts come to see specific kids regardless of what team they’re playing on. Very few are being “discovered” at showcases or tournaments without the player having already made first contact and gotten interest.

If you have a player that needs to rely on being a winning team to be seen, you’re doing something wrong.

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

also to add, if a team is consistently loosing, which scouts will come to see the team and your son plays, MLS next or not. Scouts want to see players on winning teams, understand what's driving all the buzz on that winning team. who are the play makers, etc. just my 2 cents.

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

And I should have added that they do not have a U17 team at all this year -- no MLS Next or EDP. So you either agree to play up or leave. And finding open spots with other clubs at this age is really tough. Hope this doesn't happen to your kid.

I disagree with PP. As a parent, you should be concerned if your club consistently does not win. Even if a parent thinks their kid is developing -- and maybe they are (and/or they are heavily influenced by the MLS Next status), being on a losing team is not good. And if the team does really poorly, MLS Next will not allow that team to play the next year. If you have been with Achilles for a while, you should know that this has already happened several times at Achilles. For example, Achilles had an MLS Next U16 team last year, but no MLS Next U17 team this year. That's why many kids play up -- it's not that they are so good, but rather there is no team for their age group, and, understandably, Achilles does not want to lose the revenue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been with Achilles since it started, agree with the above that it is the most "purist" in execution of its philosophy and style. That factor, along with giving a chance to (or even favoring) small players who are technical but not the most athletic, being a relatively small club (more sensitive to loss of players to academies and other teams, injuries), and not having certain age groups (resulting in lots of players playing up a year or more), means that the kids (and parents) have to be ok focusing on how the kids are developing and not the score board. Also, agree with a post above that the coaches are stable (the kids have grown up with Sal, Vinnie, AK, Nate). Acknowledging that lots of people have reasonable criticisms of the club (poor communication, disorganized, some big egos), at least the club stands by its approach of focusing on development over wins.

I assume your son is on an MLS Next team? Achilles gives priority to those kids who have been with them a long time -- regardless of how they play. Achilles teams, especially their MLS Next teams, have a consistent losing record. So how they be developing kids well if they lose as teams across the board? I think the allure of Achilles is MLS Next -- parents want their kids to be seen by scouts.

I think the question you should be asking is whether your player is getting better or not. If they are not, then obviously Achilles or some other club is not for your player.

But what families consider to be development seems to vary. Focus less on a teams record and go watch the practices of the MLSNext and watch the local games and see if your player will get better in that training environment.

It’s funny that people also complain about how clubs take on new kids and displace kids that have been there for a while. Clubs can’t win either way.

FWIW, I don’t think that’s true with Achilles though. DS starting team is a mix of kids that have been there a while and those that are newer. So for sure, kids they know will get every benefit of the doubt through the ups and downs of performance, but newer kids, assuming they can quickly adapt to the way they play will also be noticed.

Anonymous wrote:Having been with Achilles since it started, agree with the above that it is the most "purist" in execution of its philosophy and style. That factor, along with giving a chance to (or even favoring) small players who are technical but not the most athletic, being a relatively small club (more sensitive to loss of players to academies and other teams, injuries), and not having certain age groups (resulting in lots of players playing up a year or more), means that the kids (and parents) have to be ok focusing on how the kids are developing and not the score board. Also, agree with a post above that the coaches are stable (the kids have grown up with Sal, Vinnie, AK, Nate). Acknowledging that lots of people have reasonable criticisms of the club (poor communication, disorganized, some big egos), at least the club stands by its approach of focusing on development over wins.

I assume your son is on an MLS Next team? Achilles gives priority to those kids who have been with them a long time -- regardless of how they play. Achilles teams, especially their MLS Next teams, have a consistent losing record. So how they be developing kids well if they lose as teams across the board? I think the allure of Achilles is MLS Next -- parents want their kids to be seen by scouts.