Moving to Vancouver Wa.

[Unregistered]

Hello!
I'm not a big blogger for one...I am moving my wife and two kids to Vancouver due to work...we are coming from Dallas Tx area......

I got this blog address from my real estate agent who has kids playing Pacific FC

I have an 8 yr old son and a daughter that just turned 11.
My daughter currently plays premier down here at U-11....
My 8 yr old loves to play too....

where is the best fit for my kids?
Any good rec coaches? I can help too
Best Girls U-11 coach?

[Unregistered]

Go to the Oregon Premier League website and you will find that THUSC is definitely the stronger girls program in the area, but they are not in Vancouver. Nemesis has an okay program in Vancouver area

[Unregistered]

Not surprising that a THUSC parent or employee would be the first to answer :)

[Unregistered]

Go to the Oregon Premier League website and you will find that THUSC is definitely the stronger girls program in the area, but they are not in Vancouver. Nemesis has an okay program in Vancouver area

Except they're about to get kick out of THPRD. You definitely want to be involved with one of the three teams aligned with the Portland Timbers. That's the future of soccer in Oregon. The other clubs will eventually be competitive rec programs.

[Unregistered]

Except they're about to get kick out of THPRD. You definitely want to be involved with one of the three teams aligned with the Portland Timbers. That's the future of soccer in Oregon. The other clubs will eventually be competitive rec programs.

Just stop already. To the original poster, if you want to help coach, go play rec or any club in vancouver for that matter. You want the real deal, Oregon premier league (opl) you pick the club. Do some research on your own, be careful of these knuckle heads.

[Unregistered]

baseball

It is not to late to play baseball or basketball.

[Unregistered]

Except they're about to get kick out of THPRD. You definitely want to be involved with one of the three teams aligned with the Portland Timbers. That's the future of soccer in Oregon. The other clubs will eventually be competitive rec programs.

Grow up. It was established long ago that this was a myth.

[Unregistered]

I too recently relocated my daughter from a State where she played on one of the Premier Teams in the Midwest and she was more than anxious about leaving her friends, her soccer team, and joining a new club. My former DOC put us in touch with THUSC and our daughter has loved the experience and I believe their girls program is definitely the strongest in the State - just look at their track record across all ages. Most importantly good luck with the move!

[Unregistered]

Hope I can help

I am going to give you best, neutral advice I can. I do not live in Vancouver but am pretty involved in competitive soccer. I am not recommending the club that I belong to as I don't think it would be a good fit for your family.

First, understand that youth competitive soccer in SW Washington and Portland is in a transition period. Nobody really knows how it will shake out at the end of the day, but a lot of people have strong opinions. Because your daughter just turned 11, I presume she will play U12 at tryouts in May. You have several more years at any decent club to see how this whole Portland Timbers alignment will work out so I am of the opinion that you do not need to run to a Timbers affiliated club today. If the best fit happens to be, then so be it.

In looking at the U11 standings from last fall, there are two Vancouver teams that are competitive: VUSA and Salmon Creek. I would normally say that your daughter should go to school, meet some kids, and see what clubs they may belong to so that she can have friends on the team that she knows at school. But, I have close friends at Salmon Creek and the club is a real mess right now. Personally, I would highly recommend that you do not join Salmon Creek. I believe that Tina Frimpong is the Salmon Creek coach, and she has excellent credentials on paper. I have not seen her coach much in person so I can't comment on her personality. But, there are other things going on at that club that should give anyone pause to join it.

The other club you may look at is WSA. They have a good program and their U11 premier team looks like a quality group of athletes. Last year they did not play at the same level as VUSA or Salmon Creek, but at this age who really cares? These teams will move up and down so I won't put too much weight into which group they played last year.

Finally, most clubs have pre-tryout camps. Sign up for a couple and get a feel for the coaches, the facilities and the parents before you decide. If you are signing up for middle of the spring season, another advantage with VUSA is that they have several teams that are competitive. So, while your daughter naturally has to earn her way into playing time on one of the "lower" teams, they are still competitive enough that you will be able to observe and scout other decent clubs from the sidelines.

[Unregistered]

One more thought

If your daughter is not joining a club during the middle of spring, go to the Oregon Premier League website and click on the bracket and schedules. Go watch a few games of clubs you are interested in. Watch how the coaches treat the kids, the level of the kids playing, and the parent's attitude on the sidelines.

[Unregistered]

Except they're about to get kick out of THPRD. You definitely want to be involved with one of the three teams aligned with the Portland Timbers. That's the future of soccer in Oregon. The other clubs will eventually be competitive rec programs.

Wow is WSM still really this desperate for girls to go to their club? I thought the spreading of lies would stop after the apology letter came out but I guess I was wrong. Did you not realize he said he has a daughter as well? No point in joining ESUFC or WSM if you have a daughter. VUSA would be a nice fit for you since it's in Vancouver.

[Unregistered]

Best Advice Yet

If your daughter is not joining a club during the middle of spring, go to the Oregon Premier League website and click on the bracket and schedules. Go watch a few games of clubs you are interested in. Watch how the coaches treat the kids, the level of the kids playing, and the parent's attitude on the sidelines.

This is good advice. The PDX clubs that draw area-wide, as opposed to local, are in alpha order: Eastside, FC Portland, Lake Oswego, THUSC and Westside. VUSA is the Vancouver club affiliated with the Timbers. I don't think that's going to make a bit of difference on the girls side in the near future. They are all a bit of hike from Vancouver and since the youngers practice earlier, you'll be fighting traffic if you come south.

[Unregistered]

Not surprising that a THUSC parent or employee would be the first to answer :)

And only addresses the girl's issue . . . which they clearly overstated.

Funny thing is THUSC parents might not realize that many parents don't decide based purely on record of a team. Many parents go a little deeper than that and consider the coach for their particular kid, location, club culture and other things.

I get that to some it is all about the team's record, but to most it is not.

Vancouver has some great clubs. If they don't fit what your kid is looking for, there are some kids from Vancouver that do travel into Ptd and some that drive all the way to the west side. But start by looking at the local clubs, there are a few to choose from and I'm guessing you can find one that your kids like that are also less than 30-45 minute away.

[Unregistered]

Truth

Not surprising that a THUSC parent or employee would be the first to answer :)

I guess for you the truth msut not matter?

[Unregistered]

There are two premier clubs in SW WA:
Vancouver United Timbers (VUSA)
Washington Soccer Academy (WSA)
Both are excellent clubs with full time DOCs and staff. They are both three tiered clubs offering Rec / Select / Premier playing opportunities. They are the only two clubs that offer all league options for advanced comp soccer: RCL (WA) / OPL (OR) / PML (Select PDX Metro) Check them both out as they are different in culture / facilities / location.
There are good Select level clubs too:
Pacific
Salmon Creek
West side
They offer OPL and PML playing opportunities and differ in location and culture as well.
As I'm sure you see in TX there is much passion associated with youth soccer and Club loyalty. Some good and some not so. All these clubs have websites so google them. Visit with the DOCs and Coaches... see which club and team seems like a good fit.

There is always the Oregon choice too .... But honestly for young ins there is absolutely no need to travel across the river. There are lots of excellent choices in SW WA.