MLS2

[Messi>CR7]

Perhaps first-time parents at the younger ages are confused by the different flights, but everyone figured it out by U13 when MLSN kicks in. I don’t know a single parent whose kid is on the MLSN2/EA/NPL/F1 thinks their kid is playing at the highest level. It’s just mental gymnastics by the same kind of people who came up with Legends and Leaders divisions in Big10.

When I hear homegrown, the first thing that comes to my mind is tomato instead of futbol.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

Our experience is different. Several parents pulled their kids from one of our NPL teams, convinced they were moving to an "MLS Next" team - when the club was instead offering second tier. Even when the coach tried to explain the tiers, the history, etc., they thought he was lying and their kid was going to be on the top team for that club. This isn't an assumption, this is verbatim. The particular MLS2 team, whatever they call it, is expected to be terrible for at least 2-3 years. Eventually - if the false marketing works and enough kids come over, it certainly can become competitive. It's fake it until you make it in yet another context.

 

[CAZZZ]

IMO, rebranding "Academy" as the weak one isn't an unintentional misstep, it's entirely designed to mislead.

This gives the club a legal way to scam parents and steal talents, esp. when the club only has MLS2.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

It's crazy. Look at just the Albion Merced MLS B11 teams. Here's Albion Merced Academy U15 and Albion Merced Tier 2 U15.

"Academy" played up a year in U16. "Tier 2" played at U15.





There is also an Albion Merced B11 "MLS Next".



It also played up a year in U16.



All in same tournament last weekend.

Deduce which team is "Real", which team is "Tier 2", based on their naming scheme, the brackets they enter, or anything else. As far as I can tell, Clubs are either horrifically inept at naming their teams, or they are intentionally trying to confuse anyone who would want to understand the basic team structure.

 

[SuckItTrebek]

Perhaps first-time parents at the younger ages are confused by the different flights, but everyone figured it out by U13 when MLSN kicks in. I don’t know a single parent whose kid is on the MLSN2/EA/NPL/F1 thinks their kid is playing at the highest level. It’s just mental gymnastics by the same kind of people who came up with Legends and Leaders divisions in Big10.

When I hear homegrown, the first thing that comes to my mind is tomato instead of futbol.

I would have to disagree with NPL. We are an NPL team and we can easily compete in and with any MLS or ECNL team out there. Our club chooses not to engage in the pay to play scheme. I am sure there are many others just like us who either choose not to pay into those high fee leagues or who for other reasons, cannot get an acceptance into those leagues. Maybe they can't afford all the admin things those leagues require a club to have in place or maybe the parents simply can't afford to reg fees. Money and cost of your league does not correlate to talent potential.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

I would have to disagree with NPL. We are an NPL team and we can easily compete in and with any MLS or ECNL team out there.

This can be easily verified or disproved, without giving up your anonymity. What age group, and what's the team's SR rating? There is a 2011B RL team in CA that is stronger than all but 2 ECNL teams, and quite a few MLSN teams. There's an NPL team that's only .5 of a goal weaker, that is also stronger than the vast majority of ECNL teams and some MLSN teams. But forums are littered with people claiming the same ("my team can beat any of your teams"), when their own game history shows them to be 5+ goals weaker.

 

[East County Soccer Dad]

I would have to disagree with NPL. We are an NPL team and we can easily compete in and with any MLS or ECNL team out there. Our club chooses not to engage in the pay to play scheme. I am sure there are many others just like us who either choose not to pay into those high fee leagues or who for other reasons, cannot get an acceptance into those leagues. Maybe they can't afford all the admin things those leagues require a club to have in place or maybe the parents simply can't afford to reg fees. Money and cost of your league does not correlate to talent potential.

Sounds like either Celtic Hoops or LA City United

 

[Grace T.]

MLS next AD (academy) sounds like a higher level than MLS next HG (homegrown). Academy has always been used to signi the top team. Why would they do this? Ridiculous.

It comes from the academies. Core players at the academies are designated hg and ad. Hg are eligible for selection to mls pro and mls. Ad is not. Sounds like they carried over the distinction because they were familiar with it. Hg means something for the salary caps at pro and mls.

 

[BBB]

Good information

 

[aong cangkol]

I would have to disagree with NPL. We are an NPL team and we can easily compete in and with any MLS or ECNL team out there. Our club chooses not to engage in the pay to play scheme. I am sure there are many others just like us who either choose not to pay into those high fee leagues or who for other reasons, cannot get an acceptance into those leagues. Maybe they can't afford all the admin things those leagues require a club to have in place or maybe the parents simply can't afford to reg fees. Money and cost of your league does not correlate to talent potential.

All can be true at the same time:
1) MLSNext offers the best competition.
2) There are NPL/EA/ECNL/ECRL teams that are better than a few MLSN teams.
3) There are players who can make MLSN team but cannot afford it.
4) There are players who can make EA/ECNL/NPL but cannot afford it.

EA/ECNL/NPL are still "pay to play" by definition so I don't think they are any different than MLSN, only cheaper (5k/yr instead of 10k/yr)
There are definitely hundreds of kids stopped playing soccer after AYSO because of the cost (or transportation issue), not because of technical or athletic ability.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

Agreed in (almost) full. The only quibble for me would be:

2) There are NPL/EA/ECNL/ECRL teams that are better than a few MLSN teams.

A stronger statement, and the one that the other poster is making, is that there are NPL teams (and ECRL teams), that are better than most MLS N teams. They would be expected to beat the vast majority of MLS N teams given their current rating. It's also correct to say that the number of NPL (and ECNL) teams that fit this profile is exceedingly low, and the chances of finding one that happens be local and logistically possible are fleeting.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

It's also correct to say that the number of NPL (and ECNLECRL) teams that fit this profile is exceedingly low, and the chances of finding one that happens be local and logistically possible are fleeting.

Impactful typo. Corrected above.