RTC/ODP Tournament?

[Unregistered]

Timbers money grab. Nothing new.

This. Nothing more nothing less. My kids both did it. We were even stupid enough to do the ODP thing in AZ and the regional camp once. Money grab at all levels. But they had a nice time in Phoenix.

[Unregistered]

Timbers money grab. Nothing new.

business side of youth sports. pretty much the same thing for every tournament...

for that matter, anything labeled “elite”

[Unregistered]

I don't recommend doing ODP or RTC. Extra touches are usually good but there are far better places to get them. Much better things you can use your money on and get better in soccer.

[Unregistered]

I don't recommend doing ODP or RTC. Extra touches are usually good but there are far better places to get them. Much better things you can use your money on and get better in soccer.

I kinda disagree. its not all tht expensive, and potentially your child may get to play with a group of similar skilled, similarly interested kids.

At the same time, its not all that its cracked up to be. Your kid aint going to go into this a rec player and come out as messi.

If your child has more access to soccer than they can deal with (ecnl, high school, etc) then maybe this isnt the best use of time. if your child could use some more touches, its fine.

[Unregistered]

I kinda disagree. its not all tht expensive, and potentially your child may get to play with a group of similar skilled, similarly interested kids.

At the same time, its not all that its cracked up to be. Your kid aint going to go into this a rec player and come out as messi.

If your child has more access to soccer than they can deal with (ecnl, high school, etc) then maybe this isnt the best use of time. if your child could use some more touches, its fine.

if you have absolutely nothing better to do, then yeah, why not. But if you want to become a better soccer player I think there are much better options.

[Unregistered]

Agree, there are many better options available

[Unregistered]

Bringing together some of the top players in the area for each age group to play and push each other to get better. Not sure why that is a waste of time. Pay for 5 private trainings or 16 sessions at whatever location you want and a tournament for the same $. Why not? Maybe not the best coaching out there, but there are some good ones, and I will say my kid (who is not the next Messi BTW) got the chance to train with some really talented kids who usually kick his team's butt on the field every time they play. He enjoyed the challenge of training with different and more skilled players. Take the program for what it is. Extra training with a different pool of kids who all want to be there. They aren't promising you a pro contract at the end.

[Unregistered]

Coaching mediocrity. Lots of standing around. Hard to get coaches due to scheduling so you get what’s available.

It used to be good. A long time ago. My opinion.

[Unregistered]

Might be better on the boys side but for girls I don’t think many people still do it?

[Unregistered]

Last year they identified many of the girls that were chosen for the Thorns Pre-Academy teams out of the RTC pools. Both of those teams (U11 & U12) won their Premier Gold Divisions with one loss between the two teams, and the U11s had a point differential for the season of 36-1. The program must be doing something right.

[Unregistered]

Last year they identified many of the girls that were chosen for the Thorns Pre-Academy teams out of the RTC pools.

One more reason I would avoid. I am not a fan of the thorns kids soccer program. I haven't seen players develop as well as in other programs.

Work really hard and find the best private trainers and you will be very happy. It is fairly expensive but you will see results. The best trainers are not easy to find.

[Unregistered]

Last year they identified many of the girls that were chosen for the Thorns Pre-Academy teams out of the RTC pools. Both of those teams (U11 & U12) won their Premier Gold Divisions with one loss between the two teams, and the U11s had a point differential for the season of 36-1. The program must be doing something right.

Why is anyone interested in a Thorns infomercial?

[Unregistered]

RTC/ODP is great for players that play for clubs that only train twice a week or less.
It’s also good for players that come from small outlying clubs where more training is needed.
It’s great for “B” team players or players at the back of the roster on the top team. It gives them much needed added training.

Outside of those it’s really a waste of time.

If you play for a club the trains 3-4 times a week and plays 1-2 games on the weekend then RYC/ODP ends up adding to an already heavy load. Most parents won’t even understand how to manage their kids loads. They usually burn out their child and they quit.

[Unregistered]

All of the questions you are asking were in the emails that RTC has been sending to the parents.

[Unregistered]

Bringing together some of the top players in the area for each age group to play and push each other to get better. Not sure why that is a waste of time. Pay for 5 private trainings or 16 sessions at whatever location you want and a tournament for the same $. Why not? Maybe not the best coaching out there, but there are some good ones, and I will say my kid (who is not the next Messi BTW) got the chance to train with some really talented kids who usually kick his team's butt on the field every time they play. He enjoyed the challenge of training with different and more skilled players. Take the program for what it is. Extra training with a different pool of kids who all want to be there. They aren't promising you a pro contract at the end.

Some of the best youth soccer players do NOT even try out for RTC. This year, they all tried out for RTC in various locations. Guess what? They all made the ODP list. Unless you pay attention, they also do NOT play on age in the regular season; they play up 1-2 years. So, trying out for RTC and playing on age made them stand out, not because the RTC coaching was good, but because these kids showed up as great soccer players already. Why would they even try RTC? It's just something new for them and COVID happened. Otherwise, they would be on to bigger and better things.