[Paddster]

What is the best level of football in the USA or any where else? In Scotland here Pro Youth which is the youth teams of profesional clubs is the best. Then boys club and the school football.

[Tony Dellbird]

There's such a thing as Alliances leagues in England, where you aren't professional or being pid but you play in stadiums

[C. Ronaldo7]

The best level in the US is the youth national team. ODP used to be good, but now it kinda went down the drains. I will still do it anyway because I want to get noticed and its a pretty good way to do so.

[Paddster]

Yeah, I suppose Internatoinal level is the best youth level, but club it is pro youth.

[Ronaldo's Idol]

The best US youth players are either on the youth national team and/or regional team via ODP, or play for top clubs like Nomads in CA, Delco in PA, Texans in TX which travel to Europe to play tournies. Some of the very best play in the PDL (Premier Development League) as amatuers (like Jonathon Spector of ManU prior to his ManU days). Of course there are some who play pro in Europe or MLS too.

The top youth clubs in each state end up competing against each other at top domestic tournies, of which there are many, so many top players spend their time doing these. From my experience, there isn't really a league that these teams are in because the travel is too much just for one game at a time. Rather, these teams go to the best tournies where they can play multiple games against quality competition while minimizing travel problems.

[ADIKeeper]

Nomads are still a strong club, but recently the U-16's disbanded and 9 players broke off to become something Fire. We played the Nomads 89's in the US Club Reigonals and I am convinced they do not live up to the hype of their older counterparts.

[Ronaldo's Idol]

Originally Posted by ADIKeeper

Nomads are still a strong club, but recently the U-16's disbanded and 9 players broke off to become something Fire. We played the Nomads 89's in the US Club Reigonals and I am convinced they do not live up to the hype of their older counterparts.

Well CA is a hotbed for soccer talent, and there are many many great clubs (Irvine Strikers, Nomads etc etc), and because the state is so big geographically, I bet that it is difficult for all the best players to get on the same team, so there are a number of teams over which the best players in the state are spread over, unlike most states. Still Nomads have a history of winning, and must be historically ranked in the top 5 in the US (though i think their rating is 9 or something currently by whatever that website is that ranks club teams). I've never played the Nomads, as I'm from the east coast, but I know they have some of the best players in CA and that says a lot because CA is probably the best soccer state in the country, producing more talent than anywhere else (other top states include TX, NJ, E-NY/E-PA, CO, and some others).

[ConorM]

Here there are no real levels. You are either signed and playing under a pro teams academy, or are playing for an amateur club. There is no real in between.

[ADIKeeper]

Keep in mind all these Cali teams are beatable. They have great talent...but are defintely beatable.

[Tony Dellbird]

Originally Posted by ConorM

Here there are no real levels. You are either signed and playing under a pro teams academy, or are playing for an amateur club. There is no real in between.

Yeah there's no real bridge between Amateur and Pro in the UK is there, because there's so many teams and kids.

Either word gets round with the scouts you're good enough and they come watch you and offer you a place with a team or you don't get spotted at all.
You have to be good enough for people to talk about you though, so it is pretty hard to get scouted here.

You really have to be in a good team, or really excelling in a bad team at quite a high level (Bad e.g. Juninho at Middlesbrough). Or if you got a real pushy dad, he'll take you to a trial by threatening many club coaches and scouts, or is that last bit more in the US with the whole 'Soccer Dad' thing.