What I also like about this tournament is to watch top non-MLS clubs to see who teaches the game right with good players, because like it or not it's the majority of these teams that MLS clubs scout and pull from. We don't hear as much bitching and moaning from teams losing players to MLS clubs. Its the right thing but there used to be such a public and ugly turf war going on about the best 'clubs' for development. We don't hear as much, I wonder what happened?: Directors and Coaches realizing their place in the pyramid, better framing of the obvious, payments under the table? Wonder what people out there is hearing. By the way Indiana Fire was the best non MLS club I've seen so far with Baltimore Armour with some potential but they played a man down vs Atlanta.
Don't fall asleep on Tino Vasquez, who had a spring callup with El Tri U-17s. 🕺DANCIN' TO THE QUARTERFINALS!🕺Saul Lagunas, Tino Vasquez, and Michael Nesci each tally a goal in today's 3-1 #CFFA17 victory over L.A. Galaxy! #MLSNEXTCup🔥 pic.twitter.com/V8Ztg5gTp2— Chicago Fire FC II (@ChicagoFireFCII) June 28, 2022
It would shock me if many of these didn't have some level of compensation with a local MLS club. Not under the table, but rather some level of partnership that gives the MLS club scale and helps the non-MLS club with resources. I bet it's a pretty common arrangement. For example, Philly Union probably runs summer camps and local camps. They probably need more coaches than they have; do they hire FC Delco coaches for those camps? And the best players from those camps go to the Union and the ones not quite good enough get told their best shot to make the Union is to play for FC Delco? At some point, the pathway becomes a selling point for Delco as well, leading to them being able to recruit better. Each team wants to beat the other. FC Delco isn't going to stop trying, even on recruiting. But you know you are losing most battles, given the whole free thing, pro pathway, etc. Maybe there's some payments past the camp fees, etc., though I know in basketball those are really substantial.
It's hard to even explain how much has changed with youth soccer in the last 15 years. 10-15 years ago, player development started to become a real focus across a broad part of the landscape rather than something that a rare set of clubs understood. While player development initiatives have grown exponentially over that time, just within the last 2-5 years, that entire landscape has become MUCH more professional and organized. Like you say, there is no longer the sense of the turf wars that made a lot of MLS - youth club relations so sour. MLS and their academies are established and have shown that they are not only on another level (literally) from the youth clubs but that they are honestly trying to help those clubs grow and improve. There isn't really much competition between the two models (professional vs. amateur) at this point. There will still be some who stay at amateur clubs in order to keep their path to Europe unimpeded, but that perception has faded a ton as MLS clubs have shown that they are clearly a viable path to Europe. From a league perspective, there has been a major shake up and streamlining that reaches pretty deep in the system. I'm not quite sure what the impetus was for dissolving the DA (covid effects or more organic), but there have been league shake ups and mergers like no other since the development of the MLS NEXT league and a strengthened ECNL underneath. There are still plenty of quirks and kinks, but the hierarchy is much clearer than its ever been. The overall landscape is getting relatively close to maturity, and that has allowed a lot of things to settle into place, and that has created a greater understanding of how and where everyone fits. The mood is completely different now that the pie is much bigger with a much more robust system and a lot more people controlling all different number of aspects instead of a relative few.
I like his game. Very athletic. Good 1v1. Complete winger. He’s had a weird season where he was ultra consistent the first half of the season. Pretty bad for most of the second half of the season, and then has come alive again the last month.
While the Chicago Fire U-15s bowed out 1-0 today at the hands of RSL, this spectacular goal was scored Sunday by the Fire's Leo Orejarena. yoooo look what Leo Orejarena did at #MLSNextCup 🤯 pic.twitter.com/np002H5FM3— Chicago Fire FC II (@ChicagoFireFCII) June 28, 2022
He's an underrated player. Someone I'd be watching to see if he can break out a little more in upcoming years. He's probably the most consistent attacking threat of the attackers on the Fire U-15's.
As the U17 quarterfinals are about to kick off this morning .... FC Delco's win over Seattle was deserved. Delco doesn't try to play out of the back much, uses an enormous size advantage based in part on fielding lineups that are older than the teams they are matching up against, but they were impressive regardless. Seattle decided to stray from the formula that won them the GA Cup, and that did not serve them well. FC Delco could be the latest non-MLS team to find themselves in a final, will be interesting to see how that plays out. San Jose, the team that was still a favorite in the eyes of some despite their uneven performances over the course of the season, didn't advance past the second round. I was wrong about NYCFC, what the heck happened there? But, while I was hardly going out on a limb, the team I pegged to win it - Philadelphia - based largely on having the easiest road to the semis, is chugging along. Could be a mammoth semifinal if LAFC and Philly both advance today.
Columbus knocks out FC Delco to get to the semi’s against Orlando City after being down a man for the last 20 minutes. We move
It was a silly red.. Anyway, they were extremely lucky to move on Delco dominated the last 20min and should have scored a couple. Good quality from both teams in the first half.
Your Columbus team clearly has some stone-cold PK takers - very rare to be successful in PKs three consecutive rounds. That Delco player who missed the open chance in front of the goal during stoppage time may be having nightmares for weeks. Exciting game.
That nearly gave me a heart attack. Going a man down in 100 degree heat is a nightmare for a team. Delco worked it around and chances opened up after the Columbus players looked visibly exhausted
SF's set in the four divisions. U-15: Inter Miami vs. LA Galaxy Sacramento Republic vs. RSL U-16: DC United vs. St. Louis City Strikers FC vs. De Anza Force U-17: Philly Union vs. LAFC Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew U-19: FC Dallas vs. New England Revolution Tampa Bay United vs. San Francisco Glens
The U19 semifinals are messed up. 16 different organizations. I like that. The days of a couple of teams dominating the late stages of this type of event are long gone. Like FCD in 2016. There's too much talent spread around the country for that.
I've been quite impressed with many (not all, sorry Empire United from down the road from me) non-MLS teams like Strikers, PDA, De Anza, Indiana Fire.... I think we are starting to get to a point where all good players won't be able to find spots at MLS clubs and will need to stay and develop for professional soccer at these next level clubs. Just as was with the case with MLS players of the past our next big hurdle is getting these players, or teams, or USL teams to affiliate, take over, or coordinate these top non-MLS teams to have these players be able to proceed to professional teams. Do Strikers start a USL team or does a USL team in SoCal affiliate or take over Strikers. Same with PDA and I-Fire, Would love for us to have 60+ free, fully functioning professional academies all through 2 Divisions of US Professional Soccer in this large county. That would be something!