I think it depends a lot still on the individual teams. Even some of those teams don't really have it figured out. I highly doubt Tyler Adams becomes Tyler Adams if he's on RSL. There's a lot more to development than just playing minutes, and these teams have a lot to learn still. It sounds dumb, but I think we're both ahead of where people think we are, as well as behind. There's a big difference between selling players for 5 million and selling them for 30. Not only do the academies need to get better, but the level of play needs to increase a lot so the players are getting much better at an earlier age, and the coaching needs to improve a lot. Having a system like the overall Red Bull system that knows how to develop people as well as a coach who knew how to implement a system and improve players like Jesse Marsch is something that the large majority of teams still lack. I could see Seattle get there soon. They're as well ran as anyone. Philly has similar ambitions. Dallas does the best at playing players, but they don't have the same experience as a finishing school yet. LAFC and the Galaxy looked poised to get it together, and NYCFC has a few wrinkles to work out in their pathway. Those are the 6 I could see in 5-10 years, but the rest are too far behind right now. It depends a lot on the ambitions of the franchise, of course, and those can change quickly, but that's just how I feel right now.
The key is coming up with a budget that allows a fully funded academy and developing a second team that pays for itself. Once you have these two things, you have a chance. Cruyff changed Barcelona’s academy and then left the club. The club didn’t even realize what they had until years later when the people running the first team had worked themselves into a hole. The academy had been chugging away without anybody from the club noticing. All of a sudden, the first team was in trouble, but the academy had produced player after player to solve the problems of the first team. In addition, the second team had produced a coach that would eventually take over and lead the first team to their greatest triumphs. Some clubs, like Freiburg, make a decision to become “selling” clubs as a plan for survival and they do a good job of it. A lot of the time, with the bigger clubs in the bigger markets, it’s a little like tripping over a bag of money just when you need it. Ajax didn’t plan Cruyff any more than Barcelona planned Messi. They had good academies in place in huge cities and they actively sought out the best players they could find. Cruyff lived across the street from Ajax and Messi’s parents recruited Barcelona as nobody in Argentina would pay for Messi’s hormone treatments. As long as we do the right things in general, we put people in positions where it is possible for them to succeed. Where the brilliance takes place, that is just impossible to predict or control. A club can do a great job producing players for years yet never produce that once in a generation talent. All we can do is keep making the system better and learn from our successes and failures. That is why every club in MLS needs a fully funded academy and a USL second team. You never know where the break through will happen. I live in northern Virginia. Near where I live, Andy Najar was spotted playing pickup soccer with his friends at school. Cut to...Andy plays for Honduras in the World Cup and in the Champions League for Anderlecht (after getting picked up by DC United’s academy and becoming MLS Rookie of the Year). You just never know when or where. The club that i coach at is near an area where surprisingly good players consistently just come out of the woodwork. Let’s develop the USL academies, but also the ability of pay to play clubs to provide scholarships. In a country as large as ours, we can’t rely on MLS to do everything. It has to be a team effort.
Very well said. I do feel that part of developing spectacular players is having amazing coaches and referees. Those two are much more difficult to monetize. There has to be a way to lift their game as much as the player’s.
I think its possible for Academies to be successful, while having completely different goals in mind. For example, one Academy might have a goal of getting one player in each age group into the first team. Another Academy, might have a selling goal of $XXX every couple of years from Academy products. The issue with the financial model is the fact that you can trade players within MLS so its difficult to put a true monetary value on a player from your Academy that might be traded. I had an in depth conversation with a top European Youth Academy Director and asked him specifically what is deemed successful. His answer shocked me as he very simple stated "One Academy graduate into the first team every 3 years." Our expectations are different than that in MLS as we seem to want to push for kids in every age group. The main difference I see is, in Europe, even second division clubs in the bigger leagues are paying fees on par or even bigger than what MLS pays. Our second division is no where close to paying $1M-$3M for a players that couldn't quite hack it in MLS. We play under different rules here in MLS, so its difficult to compare to our counterparts in Europe. Top young players can fetch fees easily in the tens of millions over there - we are not close to that level yet.
I think you just need set a goal to produce as many high level players as you can so that you don’t get caught up in other factors that you don’t control. So, for example, if my club happens to have a very high level team in one age group, even though the second team may be producing a lot of good players, they may end up going to other clubs where they have a better chance of continuing their progression. Players and families will see this and trust you if you do this. Look at how many Barcelona products who could not get into the first team have gone on to star at the highest levels of the game. Heck, some of them they have even bought back after other clubs have signed them. Do what is best for kids and the word will get out. People will want to play for you. If you are confident in what you do, you will understand that you will do a great job with the next group of prospects. The key is to be really good at helping players get better as opposed to focusing only on results in games. Game results should matter to players. Coaches’ “results” are when their players move up to a higher level.
Columbus and RSL games, as well. If you wanted, you could find games from this season from every MLS academy at the U-17 level and some at the U-19 level.
Sounders Academy is sending a team to Switzerland at the end of the month to compete in the FIFA Youth Cup. Pretty stacked field, with teams like SL Benfica, Boca Juniors, Sevilla and Dinamo Zagreb also attending.https://t.co/r6NVOi0Evb— Joseph Mondello (@JoeMondelloFC) May 21, 2019
The Nexen Manchester City Cup begins this Thursday in San Diego, with #ATLUTD's U14's set to take part. They will face California DA side @Strikers_FC_SC and fellow MLS club @QuakesAcademy on Thursday, and will conclude Group play against @ManCity on Friday #ATLUTD— ATLUTD Prospects (@ATLUTDprospects) May 22, 2019 Friday's match between #ATLUTD's U14's and Premier League Champions @ManCity will be streamed live on Univision Deportes and WatchESPN. The match starts at 9am PT, so catch the action on your lunch break back East #ATLUTD— ATLUTD Prospects (@ATLUTDprospects) May 22, 2019
Manchester City Cup down in California is going on. http://events.gotsport.com/events/schedule.aspx?EventID=72072&GroupID=830521&Gender=Boys&Age=14 Sounders sent some two teams down comprised of players from their discovery program it sounds like. U14s beat Minnesota United 3-1 in the morning and then Club America 5-0 in the afternoon. U13s won 4-2 against Murrieta Surf and then lost their second game 2-0 to Total Futbol Academy USSDA.
Follow this guy for updates and goal scorers etc. Sounders U14s/B05s take on Minn United at 10:15am and Club America at 2pm today, and San Diego Surf at 10:15am tomorrow. Manchester City Cup, International Super Group division (24 U14 teams). Expect Martinez, Hardin, Herrera, Baker-Whiting to feature. https://t.co/fVo54Sy5xO— Colin Lamont (@ChamberiSeattle) May 23, 2019
The U-14s are off to a great start at the Nexen Manchester Cup. They won their first game of the weekend 2-1 over Monterrey Rayados. The weekend is just beginning for these teams. https://t.co/P9MPDuSETW— FC Dallas Youth (@FCDallasYouth) May 23, 2019 In the 2nd game, FCD beat RSL-AZ 1-0. So they're in great shape to advance from this group.
Looks like Man City lost to Earthquakes and tied Strikers. Makes me wonder if this is their top group or if all our academies really are at that level at this age?
Atlanta wins 1-0. They were the much better team, and could've won by 4 or 5 if they finished better. The announcers were saying they've been the best team at the tournament so far. Atlanta had some good players, but they also had a few players who were much bigger than the Manchester City players. It's hard to fault those players for being bigger than other players at U-14 level, but you do wonder the level of prospect they are if they are playing well due to a size and speed advantage. I liked the play of a few of the Atlanta players. Alan Carleton ('05) was the main standout. Very composed game in CM. He didn't look challenged against players at this level. I think he'd be better suited playing a division higher. Barely wasted any touches keeping the ball moving. Good football IQ, passing vision, some flair and dribbling ability, also good defensive contributions and he was directing his teammates where to be defensively and where to move the ball. He was more simple and less risky with his passing and ball control than I've seen in the past. He's a lot more of a #8 than his brother is. He might be a #8/#10 tweener, but he's talented enough that it probably won't matter. I liked what I saw of Mathieu Brick ('05). He was a CB who showed good passing and read the game well defensively. Ty Wilson ('05) showed good speed and dribbling as a dynamic attacker down the right side. He was a little bigger than some of the other players, but not overpowering like a few of the other Atlanta players. He looked a lot more like his contributions were based off of soccer skill than height and speed. His decision making wasn't always the best, but he was constantly able to beat players off the dribble. Jonathan Villal ('05) had some nice playmaking, skill and dribbling ability as the other shuttler CM (opposite Carleton) in a 4-3-3. I also liked what I saw from Cole Campbell ('06) off the bench. Atlanta had a few 06's in their team, but he looked up to the speed of a higher age group the most of them, and showed some nice attacking ability as a winger.
Who the hell is the "charles" that played in that ATL/Man City game? I swear I heard that name at least 100 times during that match
Who was the player playing next to Carleton in the midfield -- wearing #10 subbed out at halftime? Very impressed with him. I suspect this was a younger City team....