SoCal 06 player relocating to PDX: club rec?

[Unregistered]

The wife and I are Portland natives moving (running?) back after 15 years in LA. Our oldest is a 2006 who - if we stayed - would be moving in the spring to one of the DAs (likely Galaxy, LAFC, or TFA...though the latter would be a stretch for him).

So my question is: are there any u12 clubs in the area who are ruthless about requiring the kids to play out of the back? Any clubs that are head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to the level of training? Any to avoid?

Thanks in advance. Dad is nervous.

In all honesty, most of the responses on this site will be from trolls full of vitriol and sarcasm. I would ignore 90% of them. Sad sad people they must be.

I'm a coach from a local club (Washington Timbers) located in Vancouver, WA.

Soccer in the Portland area is still significantly behind places like SoCal and our clubs don't have the strong leadership and direction that I've seen from big clubs out of state. As a result, what is more important for you is to find the right coach rather then to select the right club. If your son is as good as you say he is, then he will join the Portland Timbers Academy in a couple of years, but they only start at U14. There are 6 clubs in the area who have U12 DA teams which you might look into, but some are better then others.

Here is a link where you can check out results from this past fall which was the first year this came into effect. http://www.ussoccerda.com/sam/standi...partialGames=1 If you click on the filter "West U12-Oregon" you will find them.

The next year's U-12 DA teams will be 2005s but will also carry the top 2006 players as well.

Beyond that, ADF as previously mentioned by a poster, is doing some good things, but is highly focused on technical development and their teams seem to struggle a bit tactically as well as their players on decision making. They are only a few years into the process, so it will be interesting to see how those players do as they get older. Their website: http://www.adfportland.org/

Another interesting thing you might consider is that I know TFA just expanded into the Oregon market. From what I've seen they are very insistent on solid Barca-like style of play but are very new to the area and don't have a lot of strong players and teams yet. Here is a link to their website: http://www.tfawillamette.com/

Good luck and keep enjoying the soccer!

[Unregistered]

The wife and I are Portland natives moving (running?) back after 15 years in LA. Our oldest is a 2006 who - if we stayed - would be moving in the spring to one of the DAs (likely Galaxy, LAFC, or TFA...though the latter would be a stretch for him).

So my question is: are there any u12 clubs in the area who are ruthless about requiring the kids to play out of the back? Any clubs that are head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to the level of training? Any to avoid?

Thanks in advance. Dad is nervous.

Here are the clubs putting girls in college

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/searc...ea=commitments

[Unregistered]

For the boy's parent who started this thread.

I'm a parent at Westside Timbers. We're one of the top boys' clubs in the state (our girls' program isn't as good as our boys' program); the club trains and plays home games in the Beaverton area. If you're moving to a high-tech job in Washington County, Westside is a good choice.

If your son is a very talented 06, with Westside he'd probably be placed on the 05 Copa team (Westside is VERY aggressive about playing kids up--there are several 06s on the team already; the 06 team is likewise full of 07s. OYSA prohibits kids from playing up more than one year). Westside teams generally prefer to keep the ball on the ground (excluding clearances), long goalie punts and backs kicking the ball over midfield are things that aren't encouraged.

[Unregistered]

Thanks to the couple of serious responders. Much appreciated.

Sounds like we'll be guesting at a lot of training sessions: no different than down here. Socal is often just as much of an organizational ****-show as anywhere else, and a top coach/environment is worth searching for.

Had to laugh at the tfa presence up there. Affiliations are only as good as the people running it locally: down here, TFA '06 is as good of a group you'll likely see on this continent, but there are hundreds of affiliate teams that are just a revenue source.

[Unregistered]

For the boy's parent who started this thread.

I'm a parent at Westside Timbers. We're one of the top boys' clubs in the state (our girls' program isn't as good as our boys' program); the club trains and plays home games in the Beaverton area. If you're moving to a high-tech job in Washington County, Westside is a good choice.

If your son is a very talented 06, with Westside he'd probably be placed on the 05 Copa team (Westside is VERY aggressive about playing kids up--there are several 06s on the team already; the 06 team is likewise full of 07s. OYSA prohibits kids from playing up more than one year). Westside teams generally prefer to keep the ball on the ground (excluding clearances), long goalie punts and backs kicking the ball over midfield are things that aren't encouraged.

You may want to be wary of playing Westside if they are playing up their better 06s next year... because next fall the 05s will be playing 12v11 with a size 5 ball and many 06s won't be ready for that.

[Unregistered]

Meant 11v11...not 12v11....

[Unregistered]

For the boy's parent who started this thread.

I'm a parent at Westside Timbers. We're one of the top boys' clubs in the state (our girls' program isn't as good as our boys' program); the club trains and plays home games in the Beaverton area. If you're moving to a high-tech job in Washington County, Westside is a good choice.

If your son is a very talented 06, with Westside he'd probably be placed on the 05 Copa team (Westside is VERY aggressive about playing kids up--there are several 06s on the team already; the 06 team is likewise full of 07s. OYSA prohibits kids from playing up more than one year). Westside teams generally prefer to keep the ball on the ground (excluding clearances), long goalie punts and backs kicking the ball over midfield are things that aren't encouraged.

I have to respectfully disagree. The coaches at Westside are not very good in my opinion. They like big and fast players but don't look for skill. They also don't reward hard work. They have their favorites and if they are hurt all year or don't go to practice much they still are starters on Copa and play the whole game. I think Eastside is much better. The boys who come out of Eastside that do well have actually trained there. A lot of the boys from Westside that do well were trained elsewhere and transfer to Westside.

[Unregistered]

I have to respectfully disagree. The coaches at Westside are not very good in my opinion. They like big and fast players but don't look for skill. They also don't reward hard work. They have their favorites and if they are hurt all year or don't go to practice much they still are starters on Copa and play the whole game. I think Eastside is much better. The boys who come out of Eastside that do well have actually trained there. A lot of the boys from Westside that do well were trained elsewhere and transfer to Westside.

Huh? Which WST team are you talking about? The 05s certainly have no oversize players--if anything, they're one of the smallest (in average player size) premier teams around. They have about four kids who are really fast--and most of them are defenders. (Bootball teams put the fast kids up front, not in back). The 06 team, if anything, is even smaller. Really big kids play up at Westside.

The suggestion that players "were trained elsewhere" is somewhat ignorant--training goes on all the time, at high levels of the sport. The further up you go, the more training you need to do. Any club that thinks it can simply recruit players from elsewhere and set them on the field, like a rotisserie league, are fools--and Cony and the coaches he hires are not fools.

[Unregistered]

The real answer to your question is; there is no perfect club here in Oregon. They all have positives and negatives. Go find the best coach in the age group for your child. Try three or four clubs and if you have time go back and watch a session unannounced. its easy for some coaches to be on their best behavior if they think they are getting a talented player. I suggest go watch session when they don't think anyone is watching to get the best feel for how a coach runs a session.

[Unregistered]

What a coincidence! I'm moving to Portland next month from SoCal too! I have 05, 06, 07 and 08 girls that were all playing on nationally top ranked programs. I'm worried about where to place them. Is there a local club that is adamant about playing it out of the back and punishing the keeper for any punts? Any clubs play beautiful flowing soccer in the manner of Barca? Are there any clubs that fit my criteria? I expect top level development and D1 full rides. I'm very nervous they might not find the right fit. Thanks in advance to all you beautiful talking soccer people.

How ironic!

[Unregistered]

Meant 11v11...not 12v11....

12v11 is how Crossfire United plays. It's the only way that they can win.

[Unregistered]

ADF is a joke. They sold themselves a high cost program to a bunch of gullible parents who think that paying more yields a better product. There are a couple of boys over there who played with us and who are clueless about the game of soccer. They are great at dribbling. But they accomplish nothing. And ADF is reinforcing that in them.

[Unregistered]

ADF is a joke. They sold themselves a high cost program to a bunch of gullible parents who think that paying more yields a better product. There are a couple of boys over there who played with us and who are clueless about the game of soccer. They are great at dribbling. But they accomplish nothing. And ADF is reinforcing that in them.

Who's "us"? What club did they leave for ADF?

[Unregistered]

Huh? Which WST team are you talking about? The 05s certainly have no oversize players--if anything, they're one of the smallest (in average player size) premier teams around. They have about four kids who are really fast--and most of them are defenders. (Bootball teams put the fast kids up front, not in back). The 06 team, if anything, is even smaller. Really big kids play up at Westside.

The suggestion that players "were trained elsewhere" is somewhat ignorant--training goes on all the time, at high levels of the sport. The further up you go, the more training you need to do. Any club that thinks it can simply recruit players from elsewhere and set them on the field, like a rotisserie league, are fools--and Cony and the coaches he hires are not fools.

I have an older player and am only speaking from my experience. Is Jaime the coach? I don't doubt your son is on a great team. Maybe it will be different for him. Hopefully he enjoys playing the game and is having fun.

[Unregistered]

I have an older player and am only speaking from my experience. Is Jaime the coach? I don't doubt your son is on a great team. Maybe it will be different for him. Hopefully he enjoys playing the game and is having fun.

Yes, Jaime. Some kids love him, some kids can't stand him. (My son is quite fond of him). Some kids who think he's great have parents who can't stand him. He's intense, he's old-school, he has high expectations (of both players and families), and does not beat around the bush. Playing for one of his Copa teams, especially U11 and U12, is a significant commitment. But he's also a very good soccer coach, and has consistently produced high-level teams, and there are many Westside alums playing professionally, likely far more than any other local clubs, at least on the boys' side.

But he's not for everybody--there are many ex-Westside players at both ADF and FC Portland (I suspect the commenter above complaining about ADF recruiting practices might well be another Westside parent--I can confirm that several kids have moved from Westside to ADF over the past couple years, but decline to agree with the negative comments concerning said players' skills; quite a few of them are very good players who would be assets on any team).

A kid who loves soccer, and after practice is over wants to play more soccer, who likes to play in the various local futsal leagues on the side (technically you're not supposed to, but lots of Westside kids do it, and it's no secret), will probably thrive on a Copa team. But it's not for everyone, and that's OK.