https://www.soccerwire.com/news/usl-academy-league-to-begin-play-in-spring-2021/ Anyone know much about this or have any thoughts about the structure?
I don't know about it, but just watched the video. Looks exciting. I am all for it. Fills the void of the loss of DA I'm assuming.
Waiting for some of the most experienced posters to comment... I've gone thru a lot of this on USL site at least twice, still have no idea. Seems like ALOT more details need to come. All I know is until I see something different, I'll assume this is just another way to fleece parents! I'll call this one the "Gilroy"!
We lost some of club team to a USL start up. One dad told me they have 30+ (maybe 36) on the roster and each week they battle for a spot on the first team. I think that has pros and cons. One of the players had asked DS if he wanted to go to tryouts, but practices would be 90 minutes away one way AND there would still be significant cost. Not worth it IMO. I'm guessing it's going to water down the clubs even more (I think the city they're based in had 5(?) clubs already, NONE of which were DA). Obviously that would be region specific.
13 clubs set to compete in the Northeast Division of the inaugural USL Academy League: AC Connecticut (USL League Two) Black Rock FC: Lake Placid, NY (USL League Two) Boston Bolts: Boston, MA (USL League Two) Cedar Stars Academy: South Hackensack, NJ (USL League Two) FA Euro New York: New York, NY (USL League Two) Hartford Athletic (USL Championship) Ironbound SC: Newark, NJ (Part of the New York Red Bulls’ player pathway) Long Island Rough Riders: Long Island, NY (USL League Two) Morris Elite: Madison, NJ (USL League Two) Queensboro FC: New York, NY (USL Championship) Seacoast United: Portsmouth, NH (USL League Two) Westchester Flames: Westchester, NY (USL League Two) Western Mass Pioneers: Ludlow, MA (USL League Two)
We are joining an exclusive league where all the clubs have red uniforms. Our top teams are comprised of players who are named Jennifer.
USLA isn’t restricted in ages like most clubs are. They have a combined U15-U19 division that is aiming at pushing development of young players to identify more talent for professional teams in USL (or MLS). I like that aspect. It needs to happen more instead of players stagnating while playing against their single age-group. They also announced a calendar that will mimic the US pro calendar (Feb/Mar until Oct/Nov). First youth league to do this. Again, not a bad concept to me. The summer, while hot in many areas, is still a great time to play soccer. I’d rather play more then than trying to play in November-January.
I thought fc united was part of usla... I've read thru the info... seems amorphous... Maybe I'm just thick
Are they strict on the spelling or is like the Elite Braden League where they accept Braden/Braeden/Braedynne/Breightin/etc....
Don't see the point in this league; why not just compete in MLS Next? our USL team does. Or at least open up to other clubs. They need more teams.
MLS Next, or even ECNL, won't necessarily take them, so it's another way of having an academy program that leads to something. But it must be super frustrating to have metro areas with MLS Next, ECNL, and USLA and then have to travel hours to play a league game when there are comparable teams less than an hour away. But of course, each league would say that it's a step above and therefore not comparable.
Seems like a lot of costly travel. Who pays for that? Is it pay to play (ie the kid/parents pay)? There's SF Glens and they play against one team in CO, and one team in NM? They have to fly there I'm guessing just to play a league game? Seems impractical and unnecessary as there is much competition in northern CA alone not to mention southern CA. On the east coast it would make more sense since there is more density and they can bus to games.
This is an old controversy here in the United States. The density isn't there for enough elite teams in the mountain west to not travel and get competitive games, so spreading the pain to other teams happens. But at the same time, because of competing leagues, ECNL, MLS Next, and now USLA being the three that come to mind, teams that might even train at the same park and might have similar strength teams don't even get to face each other and instead have to travel for sometimes inferior competition. Heck, in my metro area there are two separate and competing leagues that divide up the 100 or so clubs of the region. Travelling 5 hours one way for a tournament on a two day weekend during the school year, getting home past midnight on a school night after the championship game that was held at 6:00 p.m. for competition that is not substantially different than the competition around us really doesn't make sense (but we did it anyway because of FOMO of course). It must be about money, right? Because the organizers, like the host and travel agencies that make you stay in their overpriced hotels (stay to play, a variation on pay to play) must be getting some sort of remuneration for their efforts. This is a multi-billion dollar segment of the tourist industry.
Yep, I've been thinking similar thoughts all season long---the silliness of it all (and the substantial cash that's so obviously passed around behind the scenes in the youth-sports universe). The United Rackets of America---get some. And ultimately...if a difficult choice must be made...eff the soccer and the kids who love it. It would be nice if we could return to some semblance of a world where professions/disciplines/like-minded individuals could create, practice, and defend sets of values that resided, at least partially, beyond the influence of the snouts gathered around cartel-owned troughs overflowing with increasingly less-nutritious currency slop. Lol...that ain't happening. Or rather, it won't happen until everyone's doubled over with fatal indigestion.
There isn't really a "spring league" for USL Academy. Here is the most recent information from USLA. It's still a thrown-around concept, IMO. All over the place and constant changes (even internally). It's probably best fit for USL-professional sides rather than independent clubs joining.
thank you for the link!!! I have seen that-- I was just wondering if USL has posted the league games-- they talk about games starting in March, and we are heading into the 2nd weekend of March with no games scheduled yet-- just the Academy cup tournament the end of the month..
anyone have game schedules for the Academy Cup in a couple weeks? Or anything on the Spring USL-A league games?
has there been any releases of schedules for the Academy Cup, or has USL come out with any foreshadowing.. I saw they had an article from the link above about spotlight players from last year's tournament..
It's a bit maddening for those of us interested for them to have nothing posted. I ran into a player today. He had a game this morning, and it's his third of the month. The teams I heard mentioned are Chicago City, Rush, and Sockers. But getting home, I can find no evidence of any official games.