Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
How many holdbacks do BLC, VLC and Next Level have that they need to combine to form a WSYL team?

As with the Hawks, or any team, nobody knows how many holdbacks a team actually has. But my guess is that the 2026 VLC and NextLevel teams have few or zero holdbacks, and BLC probably has more, due to the fact that BLC tends to get players from Mater Dei, a school that encourages/allows athletes to repeat a year.

If I am wrong about any of those three teams, I am sure a parent from that team will chime in.

But the implication of your question is wrong - those programs are not joining forces to plug holdback holes, but rather because they do not enough elite level players to fill a 25 man roster. Very few teams do.

Here's your chime in. Almost 1/3 of those rosters are born prior to 9/1 (6-8 out of 22-24) and BLC does skew even higher.

The purpose of WSYL wasn't supposed to be all star teams but it was supposed to be a club team championship which is why they have rules regarding geographic distance and registered rosters for tournaments. It changed a little as the years went on with the NY teams adding players who were born before 12/31 and the DC/Balt teams deciding it wasn't worth the trouble and expense to field qualifying rosters. The last 2 years of WSYL did not field competitive teams beyond NY.

Because the WSYL has moved to MD, the local clubs are skirting the original spirit and are definitely adding a layer of $ to their programs to try and win. That's okay and I don't think they'll have any shortage of good players for the all-star rosters.

The purpose of WSYL is to take away the domination of older kids (i.e. holdbacks) so that there is even playing field. The concept of on-age All-Star teams is fine; all the prior winning teams have all added players to their roster specifically for WS. Top ranked teams all have holdbacks which skews their winning record and consequently makes them top ranked. To be able to compete they need to replace. I don’t think any club will be building a “dream team” but will plug holes here and there.