Don’t forget the Portuguese and Spanish accent
Amir Shirazi vs Almaden Valley Soccer Club, Inc. et al
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shirivelli
BRONZE
Yeah, I am moving to MVLA Club given their recruiting reputation and proven pipeline of school placement. I was able to verify from their MVLA school announcement via Facebook (www.facebook.com/mvlasoccerclub), and below are their 2024 ECNL graduation class with 23 rosters. This means even their bench players are getting offers to these top schools. Crazy! If your player is good enough to make their ECNL or even ECRL teams, MVLA is the sure thing after spending all that academy fees$ for many years to come.100% agree with this assessment as a parent from this club. It's not worth the investment if you have an ambitious player who wants to be challenged. We've been to enough clubs to understand that no club is perfect and there are always pros and cons. Personally, I find the culture at AFC to be pretentious so I wouldn't be surprised if this case wasn't handled properly. Truth be told, their coaches can do no wrong...go figure
100% agree with this assessment as a parent from this club. It's not worth the investment if you have an ambitious player who wants to be challenged. We've been to enough clubs to understand that no club is perfect and there are always pros and cons. Personally, I find the culture at AFC to be pretentious so I wouldn't be surprised if this case wasn't handled properly. Truth be told, their coaches can do no wrong...go figure
RandomSoccerFan
PREMIER
Congrats to all of those moving on to continue to play - but keep in mind that these are kids living in the Palo Alto / Mountain View / Cupertino and nearby areas. If you looked down the yearbook of the graduating seniors at any of the public high schools, and certainly the private high schools, you'd be expected to see pretty much the same list of committed schools regardless of their soccer club. MVLA didn't cause them to be good students or have sufficient resources, or even uniquely prepare them to be recruited and play (some with scholarships, most not) at the college level. But it sure didn't hurt, either.
shirivelli
BRONZE
Our high schools are good, but not *that* good. More than half of that list is in the "absurdly selective" category.
Congrats to the kids involved.
RandomSoccerFan
PREMIER
It sounds like you are familiar, but you may want to check out the college lists at Paly/Gunn/MVHS, let alone Harker/Menlo/Notre Dame, or any of the other private schools available. One can debate whether the schools themselves are "inherently that good", but the population attending them finds a way to have some pretty stellar admit rates of even the most selective secondary education.
If your daughter plays at MVLA or Mustang, she's going to be seen. Everything else is 2nd tier up there. I'm convinced most college coaches are lazy and assume anyone on the 1st team roster is college ready.
100% agree with this assessment as a parent from this club. It's not worth the investment if you have an ambitious player who wants to be challenged. We've been to enough clubs to understand that no club is perfect and there are always pros and cons. Personally, I find the culture at AFC to be pretentious so I wouldn't be surprised if this case wasn't handled properly. Truth be told, their coaches can do no wrong...go figure
Almaden Football Club needs a serious reality check. Despite being one of the most expensive clubs in the Bay Area, its track record for college commits across both boys' and girls' teams is practically nonexistent. Do ask them yourself if you get the chance. The club may try to lean on their winnings at some Tall Tree tournaments in 7v7 or 9v9 with their youngers.
Sure, their British accents (nearly every coach, including their general manager, hails from the UK) might add a touch of charm at first. But that’s about as far as the appeal goes. When it comes to actual results, their philosophy is all talk, no substance. When it comes to producing real results, their method is all talk, no action. Talented players are leaving, frustrated and empty-handed, with nothing to show for their time at the club. Show me the money, mate and less of that frozen pizza nonsense!
The club proudly touts its slogan, "Inspire, Develop, Compete while building lasting friendships", but in reality, it amounts to little more than an overpriced playdate with empty promises. Unless that’s precisely what you’re after, hold on to your wallet and head for greener pastures... somewhere that turns your hard work and ambition into real, tangible success. As the saying goes: fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. And I refused to be fooled again.
PassTheIPAandMove
BRONZE
Reviving a year old thread for what? To vent?
Almaden isn't more expensive than MVLA, De Anza, BA Surf.
Almaden is a decent option for those that don't want to have a death commute from the south bay/Morgan Hill/Gilroy up to Twin Creeks/Shoreline. Almaden is also a good option if you have a child that will sit on the bench of an ECNL/MSLN top team while they roster 20+ players.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
As players get older, the best players feel like they are forced to leave Almaden to join the top private league (ECNL or MLS Next) to get access to the competition and exposure to scouts, not because Almaden is bad or lacks coaching quality.
Other "top" youth clubs don't want to let another competing club in their top league. Why would they when they can just take the other leagues best players every year?
AlicanteFC
BRONZE
Almaden getting MLS Next this year so the point is even more moot.
Exactly! You nailed most of the facts. That’s why Almaden needs a reality check.
Why is Almaden priced the same as MVLA, De Anza, or BA Surf? What value does the club actually offer? It has almost no college commits, no YNT development players, and no major trophies to speak of.
Sure, some might argue that Almaden offers a shorter commute for certain players, good coaching, and increased playtime for ECNL/MLS Next bench players. But in the end, you can get all of that at nearby local clubs for a fraction of the cost.
Rather than promoting a hollow player development pyramid while charging hefty fees and offering little in return, Almaden should consider a straightforward rebrand… lower fees, easier commutes for South Bay players, but don’t expect any major tournament wins or college recruitment. At least honesty would be refreshing.
If the club looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. It shouldn’t try to market itself as something more than what it truly is.
soccerdad247
BRONZE
not Tier 1 MLS Next, the Tier 2 MLS Next
RandomSoccerFan
PREMIER
I'm not sure you realize where most of the money is coming from for these clubs. Hint: it's not the star players on the top team with highly sought-after college commits, or YNT development opportunities. In many cases none of those kids are paying a dime anyway - on any of the clubs referenced here. It's every other player on that team, and every other team in the club that *isn't* the top team, where the bulk of the income comes from. Those players (and parents) are the ones that should be making the determination of whether what they are getting in terms of practices/games/events/intangibles is worth it compared to the money that it costs. If the customers are happy enough with that tradeoff that the club stays stable (or grows), it seems like all is well. If the customers aren't happy enough and enrollment (and revenue) is going markedly down over time - something would then have to change one way or another. Almaden has some good teams, and a decent number of teams that aren't very good at all. Same with Bay Area Surf, MVLA, and DeAnza Force. Along with every other financially successful youth club, other than the few clubs that can survive with partnerships with pro teams and can field just a single top team by age.
No, I completely understand. That’s why I believe Almaden must take a hard look at itself. Successful clubs often rely on flashy shining objects to project the illusion of excellence, attracting majority of paying customers eager to become the next rising stars, or at least be associated with the success, even if they start on the bench.
Soccer is a team sport, and for many, simply being part of a nationally recognized club or team, even as a practice player or from the sidelines, holds value. This is the model many clubs follow, generating revenue by maintaining multiple-tired teams within the same age groups.
At first glance, Almaden appears promising, leveraging its GA, USL2, and now MLS N brands to project prestige. But beneath the surface, it’s an overpriced disappointment, high costs disguising a lack of true substance.
Almaden must self-reflect and must make a choice: either abandon the prestige façade and embrace a true local club identity at a more reasonable price or commit to playing the “shining objects” game at the level of top-tier organizations. Right now, Almaden is stuck in between, operating as a small local club while charging big-league prices. This is not a sustainable business model.
I'm not sure I follow. Most of the Almaden teams I've seen play are pretty good -- you can tell they're getting proper training/coaching. They would do well in ECNL both on the boys and girls side. They'd probably struggle a bit in MLSN, which is why MLS2 makes the most sense at least initially.
What substance are they lacking? I'm struggling to understand what your actual issue is here.
No need to beat the dead horse. Do read the trailing posts above. But if you are still wondering, what are you talking about... then Almaden FC has their tryouts next week. Come over and join the club.
RandomSoccerFan
PREMIER
Weird rant. Hope you find what you're looking for at a club that is somehow structured differently than Almaden (though I can't imagine which club you think that is in California.)
Just took a gander at their website. It looks like any other club website in the Bay Area. I don't think the issues you point out and that are in this thread are unique to Almaden. They're more common than not. I mean this is all about money. But their website seems to be a fair representation of what they're offering. I've seen much much much worse. To a slightly better trained eye you will see there's no page highlighting players that are playing in college nor does their IG account have anything like that. I do think parents need to educate themselves when it comes to what is important in a club for their player. That said, I do think they're developing players based on what I've seen.
I do agree the USL2 stuff is a bit of a boondoggle. I think USL2 itself is good for college players on break. But in most cases the coupling between the USL2 team and the associated youth club is pretty dang loose. They might as well be a separate entity. I suspect that's absolutely the case for Almaden given it doesn't look like a lot of players are going Almaden U19 to college.
PassTheIPAandMove
BRONZE
Closed leagues are the problem, not Almaden's strategy.
Projecting the brand prestige of whatever private league you belong to is what everyone does. Playing in (GA & Next2)the best competitions they have access to is how they make progress.
Your anger should be directed at closed private leagues.