found an interesting article. i thought it might interest some of you guys. i'm wondering if the other elite teams of thought of something like this. RFC is actually the DC United Youth Team if some of you didn't know. The 85 team is the team that won the tournement in england for those of you who forgot. some english teams wanted two of their players if i remember correctly. They are ranked # 2 in the nation. here's some quotes. here's the link: http://restonfc.com/news.php?id=17 here's a comment about the team play(or style): here's the link for this quote: http://restonfc.com/rfc85/article.php?id=91
Response I don't know what you mean by "this" but I'll try to address the issues that you raised, from the perspective of the typical "elite club." 1) Yes, "winning doesn't equal development." Although the elite clubs need to enjoy some success, because unlike DCU's youth team, they have to create their own brand name. They can't just ride on the coattails of the professional team. 2) Most elite coaches would agree taht quality league experience is more than about winning the trophies. Not all of them behave themselves on the sidelines, admittedly -- as is also true of MLS coaches, by the way. 3) The training sounds similar the typical elite club's winter schedule. 4) Not all elite clubs play an ambitious style of ball, but some do. The upshot: The MLS youth development programs are fine but at the moment I am not aware of one that is truly offering something different from what is already available in the U.S.
This is a club that has up to $10,000 a year in fees, voted not to play for their high school teams, an is dedicated to producing scholorship worthy soccer players (which they do). They do get some of the best players in the Metro area, but their "ambitious winter training schedule that includes continued twice-a-week outdoor sessions, foot skills training with specialized instructors, and fitness training from Explosive Performance to help provide the increasingly necessary physical edge" is nothing different from what most hard-core travel teams do. My sister's travel team (in the same travel league as RFC) has a simliar program this winter.
just to clarify that while many of the players also played for DC United's Y-League team, the team and program are all Reston FC. The difference is much more about their approach as opposed to how many times they meet each week. Results deemphasized, player movement within teams encouraged and the active teaching of a team structure is what you tend to see here.
Seems funny that parents try so hard to get their kids scholarships by paying outlandish fees when if they just saved the money, the kids would have their school paid for. Of course if you have the ability to pay $10K/year, you probably aren't hurting financially.