Mason Toye finds the go-ahead goal for @MNUFC! #USOC2019 pic.twitter.com/933Eia75fA— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 8, 2019
A real residency for players that are too far away from Leesburg - players staying with local families who are compensated for the expense. The players would attend Loudoun County Public Schools. Their families and friends could come watch them play often and they could visit home often. Who would pay for this? The parents of the lesser players - like the Red Bulls and FC Dallas, but taken to another level to compensate the host families. There would have to be an agreement with Loudoun County Public Schools, but this would be an actual attempt at a functional, sustainable residency. There are a TON of kids playing for Loudoun Soccer Club. DC United should absorb it with one big swoop. Those parents out there would love the idea that their kid plays for DC United, regardless of the level. DC United could use that vanity to fund the real talents throughout the area who live too far away to be a part of the DA without some kind of plan. It would also boost attendance at Loudoun United games. Parents out there eat up the idea that their kids are a part of a real, professional club and would totally buy into attending games if a couple of local kids played for Loudoun United. In addition, other affiliated clubs could just become DC United. That way, they could be keeping tabs on the progress of players throughout the area while you collect fees for the privilege of playing for DC United. Sorry if this sounds cynical. If youth soccer is going to be driven by cynical parents, we might as well use that drive to create something positive.
As you suggest, an attempt by United to take over Loudon Soccer Club would be asinine. Loudon is a legitimate super club (in the youth soccer sense) with power that it sounds like you are aware of. To this point, there really hasn't been a reason for Loudon Soccer Club to want to come to the table. There is an awful lot of trust and goodwill that needs to be built up for a partnership like this to actually work. The stakes are extremely high for both sides, but it seems they could each benefit greatly from each other -- that was not even close to being true before Levien invested in the Loudon operation.
Dude, I have seen this act before in the Carleton thread. I’m not getting sucked down your rabbit hole. Best of luck to you and your new found favorite “super club” Loudoun Soccer Club.
Agree. When I think about solutions to the problem the only solution that I can come up with that is even remotely feasible is some sort of residency program. There are plenty of hurdles with that as well namely parents letting their HS kids go live with another family or at a boarding school, but it is really the only solution for players that don't live an easy 25-30 minutes from the training ground. The FC Dallas model of having the thousands of other boys/girls in the program pay for the DA is easily the best answer in-terms of funding if you assume that the Academy needs to be quasi-self sufficient.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get you ticked off. It's just that there is no way that DC United could compete with Loudon Soccer Club (or a handful of others) that have been established for decades in the area. Loudon is one of the biggest youth soccer clubs in the country. Affiliate clubs has been basically their only option, but we could see a change now that they have created the USL pathway and actually have something to offer. I was not saying anything that you were saying was asinine -- just that if DCU had tried to take over the youth soccer scene, that would have had a disastrous outcome.
Got it. It sounds like your concerns are really specific to the operating group at DCU, rather than anything more general regarding the market for the service. Fair enough; I don't have any insight there (or, as it turns out, into a great many other things).
This is a good point. If soccer ever gets as popular as basketball and football AND gets treated the same way at middle and high school and college then the US would have a big advantage on the situation right now. I know college soccer isn't that great right now but what if it reached the level college football is? Probably never happen though.
Every other good MLS academy has had to compete with big, successful, entrenched soccer powers. In Dallas the Dallas Texans were the big dog. They had Dempsey, Omar Gonzalez, Nick Garcia, Alejandro Moreno, Lee Nguyen (funny thing is they only started in 1993. Before that Longhorns and Comets were the big clubs). FC Dallas bought a youth club that had the FC Dallas name and just started expanding. It took a few years but really took off with their academy team not charging. DCU can do the same thing if they want to. It won't be overnight but not charging, having great coaches and facilities and a pathway to the professional teams is a huge advantage.
Loudoun are a big club, but they aren’t a great club. Because of their numbers, they produce a lot of athletic players who play decent, basic soccer. That will win you a lot of youth soccer games if you do it with commitment like they do, but I wouldn’t call them a super club - just the only big club in Loudoun. Things in youth soccer can change very fast. I just stopped coaching at a club that I had worked at for the last 3 years because in January, the technical director left over some kind of dispute with the Executive Director. I don’t know what exactly happened and, in the end, it doesn’t really matter. The point is that, once the technical director left in January, he went to our smaller, rival club next door to us geographically and started taking the clubs best known coaches with him. Cut to this June - word went out to the parents of our clubs best players that the best coaches are at the rival club now. The exodus of top players was stunning. Our club which had always fielded an absolute minimum of 2 or 3 teams in every age group, now fields 1 or 0 teams in many age groups and it is a rare occurrence for us to field 3. The teams that my old club field are dramatically weaker. The other, smaller club has suddenly become the happening, larger club with an air of momentum about them and my now former club has the air about it of a club going in the wrong direction. These things can happen very quickly in youth soccer. I chose to go into a personal business situation rather than stay with a club that just can’t stop the bleeding. I was going to go in that direction anyway, and current events helped me to decide to make the jump now. Honestly, it was a sinking ship. I wouldn’t be surprised if the club is unrecognizable within a year. The parents in Loudoun are suburban/upwardly mobile, without a large ethnic population. There is nothing wrong with that, but it also means that the parents tend to not have a huge commitment to the game, but instead go with the club that they think is the winner. DC United have not tried very hard yet to build their academy and there is no way to tell if they are going to attempt to do so now or in the future - I have given up on trying to predict what they will do. The one thing about them that I do know is that, when they truly decide to get things done, they move fast. They may follow that by dropping the ball soon after but, when they are focused, they move fast and well. It really is a very capable organization when it wants to be. Who knows what will happen, but if DCU wanted to build a model similar to FC Dallas’, they could do it pretty quickly. I just wouldn’t venture to guess what will happen as long as DC United is one of the parties involved.
I've heard this from multiple people, and now its in print. Time to give Pepi a break. After quick progression up the professional ranks, #FCDallas forward Ricardo Pepi has hit a plateau. See how teammates, coaches, and Pepi himself feel about his current status. For @ProSoccerUSAcom ✍🏼: https://t.co/PEl4eaXLit— Arman Kafai (@ArmanKafai) August 8, 2019 Most recent practice report from FCD is chock full of notes about the thread relevant players. By the way, yes............Kenny Cooper is coaching with the team a couple days a week. Both Buzz and Luchi have very good things to say about the progress of Thomas Roberts in this column. #FCDallas Practice Observations, News, and Notes - August 7 https://t.co/Hglb7d6Zf4 Goodies like Gyasi injury update, Roberts maturity, Kenny Cooper. I mean Kenny Cooper come on! And lots of Luchi talk.#DTID— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) August 8, 2019
Keaton Parks now NYCFC player of the month for two successive months. Benfica’s midfield is obviously stacked, but I’d like to see him back in an SLB jersey one day.— Daveatronic5000 (@daveatronic5000) August 6, 2019
Bad news for Leyva. https://www.soundersfc.com/post/201...nuel-cecchini-brings-versatility-quality-team
Normally I'd agree, but Leyva is 16 and has many more years to develop and prove himself. Also, if the Sounders value him, which I think they do, they'll figure out the best options for him, whether that's finding him minutes (injuries, fixture congestion, etc.), loaning him out, getting minutes where needed with Tacoma Defiance, and ultimately considering selling him if the right situation arises. All the GMs and coaches are supposed to figure this out, and of course some do a better job than others, but in Lagerway/Schmetzer the Sounders have fairly thoughtful and knowledgeable people.
Parks with two assists on the night...……….………. As more opportunities come, he keeps having more of an impact. He's certainly in the mix for the Olympic qualifying team. 1159645456185606144 is not a valid tweet id
I was actually thinking the #8 spot is his if Pomykal isn’t playing with the 1st team. He was excellent today.
Parks is only here on loan. One wonders if he's even available for the Olympic qualifying team if he returns to Europe after this MLS season..............................(whether to play for Benfica or be loaned elsewhere). Before the answer to that question arrives I would include him in our preparations.
Isn't it funny how Parks came here with a big rep but little playing time for his Portuguese team. He then looked like a bust early but earned a few minutes and now with regular playing time is starting to look very good. I know a lot of people knock MLS but it's one of the few places that will play very young Americans and especially this year. The path in a few years may include a lot of players staying here a couple years, starting and making a good impression and then being purchased for enough money that the purchasing team is invested in playing that player and not loaning or sitting them.
Parks has looked good and has integrated well. Stellar is pretty strong, though. It's not like he's the best player on the pitch or anything.
A lot of Americans have an inferiority complex and ironically think as USNT fans that playing for any period in the States is going to torpedo their ability. Reality is the players who go over to Europe and succeed do so pretty much from the outset meaning they had nothing to do w/ their development. And many stagnate after from lack of opportunity, like they do in the MLS from that, or staying too long below the level they're capable of playing. That's the potential that Europe provides, but they actually have to be playing in those leagues before too long to take advantage of it. MLS, as most domestic leagues, has the most realistic potential to develop our own players and give them boosts to get them back on track in their careers. But MLS has to stay committed to it. They can't immediately look to better deal players once a few garber bucks enter their coffers.
I think this overrates him and he's been good not great, but.... Back-to-Back 🔁 #ForTheCityYou have voted @keaton_parks as @EtihadAirways Player of the Month for July.Congrats, Keaton! 🥇🥇 #ChooseWell pic.twitter.com/it2ozRwDSs— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) August 5, 2019
FCD did make a signing today that could impact the playing time of youngsters. Maybe. FCD originally drafted Alexander way back in 2010, so this is a return for him. Its certainly a depth move........................ #FCDallas signs MLS veteran Eric Alexander https://t.co/3lFd82lEMl #DTIDGood pickup.— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) August 9, 2019
Wonder if this means more time for Roberts and Cerrillo with NTXSC as that midfield is already crowded? Or will this be a signing of any older guy that rarely sees the field and is here to be a nice guy in the locker room?