Very disappointing - but maybe a reflection of why we haven't seen more Academy kids. Will be interesting to see what changes, if any, Friedel makes to what he is looking for compared to Heaps
Revolution Academy players announce college commitments February 7, 2018, 5:24PM EST revolutionsoccer.net
Our Academy system continues to limp along. ATLUTD, NYC, Toronto, Dallas, Sporting KC, LA Galaxy, Portland and Seattle qualify for the Champions Division at #GACup while New England and San Jose fans should look away https://t.co/SKF9DCqprZ— Ben Baer (@BenBaer89) February 21, 2018
Not sure which age group this is, but some of the best academy players are off working with the Revs in AZ.
I'm not either, but then again, SKC had three/four of them actually playing yesterday against the Revs, so that excuse doesn't really work.
While I understand the results don't matter, Bilello's spin is laughable. There is nothing good that comes from getting absolutely slaughtered. If they were losing games 2-1, 3-2 (you know, actual soccer scores), I'd be fine. But a -30 goal differential speaks volumes about the lack of talent and coaching relative to MLS' best youth academies.
They suffered a goal differential of -17 during the Revs preseason training. Perhaps, after already being behind in the standings, they decided that they would be better off having their top prospects training with the first team? Generally the academy teams have done at least okay in their competitions, so this may just be an aberration (I only follow them casually, someone more in touch may have more to add). And, did we lose Tom Soehn's kid?
Again, we played a team the other day that started 3/4 Academy kids I believe. Didn't seem to affect their DA team. This is yet another place we're behind everyone. I've been talking to a friend who writes about the Revs and he's working on a piece about the failings of the Revs DA squad and am learning some interesting issues that they have. He believes there's no chance that Rennicks will sign with the Revs due to their actions, and noted that others have noticed. I'll pass it along when it's ready.
Maybe we are recently, but that hasn't always been the case. It does seem like the org is shooting itself in the *whatever* by being particularly hard@$$ed about stuff more and more lately. The Rennicks and Nguyen situations may have that in common. The Revs seem to live in fear that if they show any flexibility, then everyone ... Looking forward to your info ...
Yes, that's always been the case. Let's be honest, Caldwell and Fagundez were from other clubs, it's not like we actually fully developed them.
Recruitment is part of the academy game in MLS and all around the world, though. Fagundez joined the Revs at age 14, which is young enough to give the Revs some credit for developing him. Caldwell, OTOH, only spent one year in the academy before heading off to Akron. That's similar to guys like Yedlin and Morris who spent very little time in Seattle's academy. I do share many concerns about the academy. New England is not historically a major talent producer in soccer. The Revs can't rely on just picking off the best local players. Other MLS teams are being more aggressive about scouting and recruiting players around the country, developing coaching, etc. SKC has signed academy players from Texas, North Carolina (x2), and Tennessee (x2). Kansas City is probably an even less productive market than Boston (for one thing, it's considerably smaller), so SKC is adjusting. RSL is in the smallest market in the league, but they are hoovering up talent from Arizona, New Mexico, and even parts of California as well. Even FC Dallas, which is sitting in one of the top three talent producing regions of the country, is finding players in Alabama, Arkansas, southwest Virginia, El Paso, etc. Meanwhile, one of the best local players (Rennicks) is chased out of the system because he was looking at options abroad. It's clear and obvious why the Revs wouldn't want one of their better prospects looking elsewhere, but exiling him from the academy shows a lack of awareness of their place in the global pecking order and sends the wrong message to young academy players. I'm not high on Herivaux, but maybe Angking will work out. Given the lack of depth in the academy, I'm worried that a player the caliber of Fagundez or Caldwell every couple of years is unsustainable. Just like the epic drafting run of the mid-2000s was unsustainable, eventually you're going to draw the wrong cards and end up with a bunch of guys who top out as USL level players. Then what? Other academies around the league are doing more to ensure high level talent is produced.
As I said, I'm a casual observer, so I'll take your word for it. I thought the Revs had a pretty good rep for their academy (at least until recently). No?
I've always had the impression that their reputation has been based on smoke and mirrors. No real substance.
RSL also snapped up Jordan Allen from Rochester in 2011, who now has 50 games for them. The Revs announced their partnership with Empire United (in Rochester) in 2012, and then got nothing out of it.