We homeschool our kids, so mine are able to pop into the backyard and kick the ball against the wall a lot. Not anytime they want, but definitely a lot more than kids at school. I’m pretty sure this alone is a big factor as to why my kid has been one of the players on his team who has developed most over the past year.I was bored. Here's what some of the data looks like. They are all closer at the 2012B level, but show significantly larger separation by 2010B. Top level of NPL (ECNL-RL) actually pips ECNL at the 2010B age level by SR average, but both are weaker by quite a bit than MLS N. At the MLS N level, the academy teams are so much stronger than the others. Which shouldn't be surprising to most. The players on the academy teams pay nothing, and most are in online school so they can train daily with the team. Quakes practice starts at 9:30 AM on weekdays, which probably isn't conducive to a "normal" high school experience. They ought to become the best teams - because if they weren't, what's the point?
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Now, add in focused, daily training at optimal times from coaches who are likely on par with the best that non-academy clubs can offer, add in nutrition and fitness training which I assume they get. The kids are already great players.
To your comment, if they aren’t turning out the best teams, they’re probably bad at their jobs.