SoCal 06 player relocating to PDX: club rec?

[Unregistered]

06 Looking For Recommendation

Other factors to consider:

What is a club's Winter program like? Up here it varies from a hands off approach by their head coach and players/parents are free to decide what they want to do (rest, go it on their own, or even play another sport) - to teams that continue to practice weekly with their main coach and participate in local futsal leagues...and everything in between. Sometimes that can factor into the year - round price.

How much space does the individual team have to practice? Grass fields are unusable up to 6 months a year and each club competes for turf space. This may mean from November to March, many teams are getting squished into the same space and it can be hard to run beneficial practices.

Check out who is really the coach that is working with the players and will be with them at games. The head coach posted on the website (to lure families to tryouts to play for popular coaches), may not end up working with the boys a few weeks into the season, even on the "A" team. How many teams is that coach in charge of?

If you have time to wait, the OYSA Spring Premiere league starts in February. Visit a game for some of the clubs you are considering. See how the players and coach react in game situations. Are coaches constantly yelling at the kids in a way that does not motivate them? Do the kids start fighting with each other when the game is not in their favor? What are the parents like? You're going to be with these kids and parents for a year through practices, games, and out of town tournaments. Are they a group you want to hang out with?

[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.

It will not be long before your darling child will quit soccer. Soccer in PDX is s&*t!!

There is also a huge red flag that you came on this website. Good luck to any club that has you on the team.

Here is my prediction:
1. Either your child will quit soccer by 2018
2. By 2020, they will have played for 6 clubs.

Let me know what happens...

[Unregistered]

It will not be long before your darling child will quit soccer. Soccer in PDX is s&*t!!

There is also a huge red flag that you came on this website. Good luck to any club that has you on the team.

Here is my prediction:
1. Either your child will quit soccer by 2018
2. By 2020, they will have played for 6 clubs.

Let me know what happens...

The kid can stop playing soccer any time he likes, as long as he replaces it with an activity that demands a similar level of commitment.

And you're right: I will likely be a pain to any club that is used to delivering mediocre product to ignorant parents.

As to whether the soccer is crap, I guess we'll find out! It was crap when I grew up there, and then - suddenly and for a short time - it was decidedly not crap. There's no reason "not crap" shouldn't be the expectation in PDX.

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The kid can stop playing soccer any time he likes, as long as he replaces it with an activity that demands a similar level of commitment.

And you're right: I will likely be a pain to any club that is used to delivering mediocre product to ignorant parents.

As to whether the soccer is crap, I guess we'll find out! It was crap when I grew up there, and then - suddenly and for a short time - it was decidedly not crap. There's no reason "not crap" shouldn't be the expectation in PDX.

Yes, it was much better before the Timbers got involved. Since then, it's been all downhill at the Timbers Alliance clubs.

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Or check out GPS http://www.gps-oregon.com/news_artic...rer_id=2281812 .. a more international club. If your son is here in January you could go this player ID clinic.

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Or check out GPS http://www.gps-oregon.com/news_artic...rer_id=2281812 .. a more international club. If your son is here in January you could go this player ID clinic.

Yeh, and he may play for Bayern when he's older. At least that's the selling point. GPS latch on to clubs that are useless, eg. Hillsboro and Newburg. No club with half a brain cell would entertain GPS. It's a scam!!

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Definitely not a scam they have clubs in 19 states and are the arm of FC Bayern Munich who provides the youth training plan that is implemented across the board. It was a start up last year for Oregon and it will be exciting to watch them expand. http://www.globalpremiersoccer.net

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Definitely not a scam they have clubs in 19 states and are the arm of FC Bayern Munich who provides the youth training plan that is implemented across the board. It was a start up last year for Oregon and it will be exciting to watch them expand. http://www.globalpremiersoccer.net

GPS is legit. Oregon branch run by scammer.

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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.

There are no nationally ranked programs in PDX but I do believe there are several that are encouraging good soccer. My DD plays on an 05 team and is encouraged to play from the back and they often demonstrate a nice brand of soccer on game days. I would encourage your girls to guest practice, I'm sure that if you talk to the directors you will not have trouble scheduling this. I would ensure this occurs prior to tryouts in May. If you look at the OYSA fall standings you may be able to find some teams that are at least playing competitive soccer and then find the type of soccer you want from there. As has been said, I don't think there is any one particular club that is the perfect fit. But there are definitely a few clubs that are trying to do things the right way, which of course includes playing out of the back as you describe. Please disregard the trolls as they are abundant on this site.

[Unregistered]

05 boys

Anyone relocating with serious players who want to thrive in this soccer community should look at the top clubs--FC Portland, Westside Timbers and Crossfire. Some may put ADF in that group, but as aforementioned, they don't have any tactical skills. They have some athletic kids and strong dribbling skills. It is not a promising place to be long term. Put some weight on where you are located because traffic in Portland is horrendous. Good luck! You are moving to a great place.

[Unregistered]

Anyone relocating with serious players who want to thrive in this soccer community should look at the top clubs--FC Portland, Westside Timbers and Crossfire. Some may put ADF in that group, but as aforementioned, they don't have any tactical skills. They have some athletic kids and strong dribbling skills. It is not a promising place to be long term. Put some weight on where you are located because traffic in Portland is horrendous. Good luck! You are moving to a great place.

ADF focuses on technical and tactical. It's true in the younger years they emphasize more on technical which is why they have become so popular.