MLS Academies Need Better Competition

[SuperNatural]

We don’t have the requisite week in, week out, competition in the United States.

With due respect, playing against youth clubs with no pro team (i.e. amateur clubs) does us no good. It’s too easy. Pound for pound, not only is our roster superior, but the entire development environment from proper training, to facilities, to incentives, make the team too good to play against the amateur sides.

Against current domestic opponents, our players can take plays off knowing we’ll rarely get punished.

Against current domestic opponents, our attackers can take 7 touches in the box and still get a shot off and score.

Internationally, you don’t have these luxuries.

Same goes for every player in every position. Domestically, there’s far more time and space. Internationally, you can barely breathe.

In other words, our competitive environment instills poor habits and impedes development.

Remember, the context is developing top shelf professionals. That’s the objective of a legitimate academy.

http://blog.3four3.com/2016/08/24/xolos-galaxy-u16-possession-soccer-development-environment/

You can read the rest @ 3FOUR3 but you get the picture.

Pay-to-Play is a disservice not only to the parents but most importantly to the players.

 

[Buddhabman]

If independent teams aren't good enough, how do you get there unless MLS Academies face off against each other more regularly at the younger age groups. maybe more games against Mexican league academies as well would help. That probably means the teams will have to travel, which is a huge cost to teams. Within US youth soccer you have so many tiers of competition on the boys side, it's an alphabet soup of leagues. Plenty of talent is probably not even making it into MLS academies, but some kids are making it at least to college and strong D1 and D2 programs. We need to cultivate the college talent, modify NCAA rules to allow more games, national and international tournaments and coaching interactions. Maybe the older MLS teams vs some college clubs in tournaments.

 

[mahrez]

Need better training and coaches so the level of domestic play improves. The closed playing circuits and lack of promotion/ reg doesn't help either.

Sooner or later most great domestic players look aboard or to foreign orgs because what the usa academies or MLS has to offer is not competitive enough & offers very little $ incentive.

Agree with the article that there is not enough High-level games for the top teams on a week-to-week basis.

Does the usa need a future professionals league with more focus on preparing players for pro or international play? ussda only helps for a small % of players in that regard so change is needed.

Instead of so many 30+ league games how about more international or regional showcase, tournaments. Champions league for the top 4 in each age, but of course that would mean more open competition and that can be poor business for some.

Of course this takes more $ to pay for the trips or international play and there just not enough domestic sides currently that justify those expenses, so usa is going to have to improve domestic more before they can consistenly challenge internationally.

 

[ray8]

Galaxy isn't a real academy. Can't sell minors here.
Trying to figure the Kliebans. So they've had three different sponsors (beginning with PW who I'll never get, followed by Chivas and Galaxy) who've allowed BK to cherry-pick players with the offer of a free ride and a pro soccer future. No surprise the pick of the litter team kicks ass over the others. So his brother posts a video of a u11 team kicking a team who doesn't bother to defend's ass. Video goes viral now they're gurus?
Didn't post a video of them losing after to pay to play USA Soccer Stars.

We're not a soccer country. The DOC of Dallas FC tried to describe what soccer means to his country. It's like a sickness. Lots of parents happy to sell their boy to the soccer gods.

 

[JJP]

Or Galaxy could stop being so greedy and release the 10 players on their roster that they barely play so those kids could play for other teams and strengthen the competition that they're bitching so much about.

 

[ray8]

Or Galaxy could stop being so greedy and release the 10 players on their roster that they barely play so those kids could play for other teams and strengthen the competition that they're bitching so much about.

They may do just that. Release them to make room for the next group they'll cherry-pick from other academies.

 

[SuperNatural]

They may do just that. Release them to make room for the next group they'll cherry-pick from other academies.

What's wrong with cherry picking, isn't that what their supposed to be doing?

 

[Fishme1]

What's wrong with cherry picking, isn't that what their supposed to be doing?

I thought they were suppose to be developing. If they find themselves picking perhaps the academies they are taking from are the true developing academies. And the MLS teams just take them.

 

[SuperNatural]

I thought they were suppose to be developing. If they find themselves picking perhaps the academies they are taking from are the true developing academies. And the MLS teams just take them.

Is that how La Masia does it and all the other great academies around the world?

You have to scout the best possible talent around and try to nourish it. If they don't make it they get cut. It's that simple. This ain't no fun and fuzzy pay for play.

 

[JJP]

They may do just that. Release them to make room for the next group they'll cherry-pick from other academies.

That's probably what will happen . . . I'm wondering what the churn rate will be when LAFC comes online. You could have 50 of the top kids in the LA area with some from OC and IE tied up in two teams, totally skewing the talent and level of play.

Is that how La Masia does it and all the other great academies around the world?

You have to scout the best possible talent around and try to nourish it. If they don't make it they get cut. It's that simple. This ain't no fun and fuzzy pay for play.

I don't think LaMaisa has developed anyone recently that plays for them. The top clubs have become such big business, unless you are a Messi or Neymar level talent, you can't get first team playing time. Man U sold Pogba for peanuts as their academy product and then spent a fortune buying him back after Juventus developed him. I bet the same thing is going to happen with Barcelona and Thiago.

I mean, if you are going to build an academy to train a Pogba, and then you have to buy him back for hundreds of millions of euros, what was the purpose of the academy in the first place?

 

[SuperNatural]

That's probably what will happen . . . I'm wondering what the churn rate will be when LAFC comes online. You could have 50 of the top kids in the LA area with some from OC and IE tied up in two teams, totally skewing the talent and level of play.



I don't think LaMaisa has developed anyone recently that plays for them. The top clubs have become such big business, unless you are a Messi or Neymar level talent, you can't get first team playing time. Man U sold Pogba for peanuts as their academy product and then spent a fortune buying him back after Juventus developed him. I bet the same thing is going to happen with Barcelona and Thiago.

I mean, if you are going to build an academy to train a Pogba, and then you have to buy him back for hundreds of millions of euros, what was the purpose of the academy in the first place?

Do you talk just to talk or are you just building up your post count?

Your post is irrelevant to how academies go about their business.

 

[ray8]

What's wrong with cherry picking, isn't that what their supposed to be doing?

Yes, of course. I didn't mean to imply there is anything wrong with that.
But I hope you aren't implying that Galaxy 2003 is a real academy.

 

[JJP]

Do you talk just to talk or are you just building up your post count?

Your post is irrelevant to how academies go about their business.

Do you say anything relevant?

90% of your posts consist of "Lolololol [insert name of club]" or "lololol [something stupid] pay-to-play lolololol" or some stupid meme photo.

 

[Fishme1]

Is that how La Masia does it and all the other great academies around the world?

You have to scout the best possible talent around and try to nourish it. If they don't make it they get cut. It's that simple. This ain't no fun and fuzzy pay for play.

LOL !! Fun and fuzzy pay to play. Oh no, LAG or La Masia have never had any of that.

 

[SuperNatural]

Do you say anything relevant?

90% of your posts consist of "Lolololol [insert name of club]" or "lololol [something stupid] pay-to-play lolololol" or some stupid meme photo.

They're relevant though, yours are just retarded.

 

[Socal United]

That's probably what will happen . . . I'm wondering what the churn rate will be when LAFC comes online. You could have 50 of the top kids in the LA area with some from OC and IE tied up in two teams, totally skewing the talent and level of play.



I don't think LaMaisa has developed anyone recently that plays for them. The top clubs have become such big business, unless you are a Messi or Neymar level talent, you can't get first team playing time. Man U sold Pogba for peanuts as their academy product and then spent a fortune buying him back after Juventus developed him. I bet the same thing is going to happen with Barcelona and Thiago.

I mean, if you are going to build an academy to train a Pogba, and then you have to buy him back for hundreds of millions of euros, what was the purpose of the academy in the first place?

In reality it is not fair on either side to expect a regular club academy team to compete with a MLS club academy team. The fact is, if that is happening the MLS club should be doing some serious looking in the mirror. For BK and his team, the real proof will be if they can replicate their success with a new crop of players. And with the competition from LAFC....

As for the Pogba comment, I personally think that there was some back door dealings going on there. It is no secret the power of agents in soccer now, just look at all of the money involved. Now you have these English teams getting in trouble like my Newcastle, West Ham, etc. Just the tip of the corruption iceberg....

 

[ray8]

In reality it is not fair on either side to expect a regular club academy team to compete with a MLS club academy team. The fact is, if that is happening the MLS club should be doing some serious looking in the mirror. For BK and his team, the real proof will be if they can replicate their success with a new crop of players.

Something odd about mixing the word success with "a new crop of players."

 

[Socal United]

Something odd about mixing the word success with "a new crop of players."

All of their success has really been with the same group of boys. I know because my son has been playing against the group since the kids were 7. The question is, can they do it again?

 

[ray8]

Ok got it. I thought you were talking about the 2003 team and next season. Through Galaxy they will of course continue to attract better players. This alone will ensure they appear to be doing well.
I saw half of the Xolos vs Galaxy U15 game. Wouldn't say he's still doing it with that group. Xolos players are more talented, composed, smarter. Truth is, training 10 year old boys to win wasn't developing them to win at 15.