This seems strange since DC sent two kids to Bradenton and actually, you know, won the youth tournament.
While you succeeded in being a prick, you didn't do so well in actually saying why RBNY has a better program. Is it simply because they have been around longer and have more teams? Or is it because I'm missing some tournaments they have won?
Walter Hines of the RB academy was offered residency at Braderton and declined it to continue playing with RB. So DC, sure as shit isn't the only system to have had their players offered that chance. I think it says more about our program that our kids actually declined the offer. Rongen has expressed interest in calling in Matt Kassel as well for the U-20 camps. NY has won Youth Tournements and been to many finals. DC won the MLS Youth Exihbition Tournement. The ranking is a fair one based on success at many levels over the past few years here. The program IS by far the best MLS youth program out there at present. Tale your sour grapes elsewhere please.
I find it strange FC Milwaukee is so high on this list. I knew many people that played for them at many different age groups. I wouldn't really call them a great program. In fact i would rate Bavarians SC of Milwaukee much higher. They are smaller but have better reputation at the seniors level. I actually think NY is ranked much lower than they should be. Outside the very elite programs like the Texans, Magic, Soccers and some of the Cali and Florida programs I think NY compares favorably to the rest on that list.
RBNY academy has produced the likes of Matt Kassel whos drawing interest from Rongen and was a member of other youth national teams, John Tardy, a member of many youth national teams currently playing at clemson, Johnny Exantus the much publicized forward who was the first player mentioned to be signed from the academy teams but it was before the rules permitted it, Walter Hines, and most successful of all GABRIEL FERRARI is from there youth academy who was a member of the 2007 u-20 world cup team and who practices his trade in Serie A with Sampdoria. I think those names speak volumes for the success of the program.
I don't think any of the players you've mentioned have accomplished anything significant at the pro level so far. One of them, Tardy, apparently didn't even start for his very mediocre NCAA team this past year. Gabriel Ferrari plays for Sampdoria's youth team and hasn't seen a single minute in Serie A - he may go on to have a great career, but he hasn't proven anything yet.
tardy was starting at left back for a clemson team ranked top 10 preseason but he lost his job about halfway through the season after an ankle injury caused him to miss a few games
PLUS i was just responding to the fact that the DCU fan was suggesting there youth program was better because they had two kids go to bradenton.... these players accomplishments are equivalent to those and better
These guys were part of the US youth national teams well before they (relatively recently) joined DCU's youth system. It's hard to take their cases as evidence that DC United has a productive youth team-- more a case of DC cherrypicking the best local talent, as they did with those silly one-off youth tournaments a few years ago, for the purpose of winning games, not developing players.
Bavarians over FC Milwaukee? I understand that at an adult level the bavarians are one of the better teams in the midwest. For YOUTH which this is describing the bavarians rarely win state cup at any age level. FC Milwaukee wins or is runner-up in about 90% of ages every year. The bavarians also struggle with their amateur team in the NPSL. I understand that 14 may be a little high but FC deserves to be on the list of top 25. They have had at least one team at the 4 team nationals the last 4 years. They have also become one of the top clubs to recruit from in the midwest. I used to play for FC a few years ago, and from the 18 man roster that went to nationals we had 12 guys get D1 scholorships, and one guy get picked up by MLS. 3 of the guys also got significant minutes with the youth national teams.
Clemson's website shows that Tardy played in 14 games and started 6. That suggests that the coach had plenty of time to see him in action, but didn't think he was good enough to start regularly for a team that went 7-11. If the goal is the development of pro-quality talent, I don't see any basis for comparison yet - because none of the players have done anything in the pros (unless you count Ferrari's garbage minutes in a single Coppa Italia game). At this point, you might as well argue about which team is better at developing chess players or ballet dancers.
I don’t know about Red Bull – maybe they will bring their teams out to Dallas Cup again this year. But to give you an idea how meaningless the Soccer America top 25 list just take a look at the boys club Red Bulls were tied with, LAFC. Soccer America called them a “another Coast Soccer League powerhouse.” Well the reality is that from U12 to U19 this “powerhouse” had just one single team in the top 10 in Coast Soccer League this season. Their U17 team went 5-3-3 to finish in fifth in their league. As a U16 team, they were eliminated in the round of 16 in State cup. The best boys team in the club was basically a typical Premier Level team for their age group. How about the rest? U19 1-7-3 12th place out of 12 teams in Premier (top league) U18 (very few teams play at this level including LAFC and none in Premier) U16 0-7-4 12th place out of 12 teams in Premier (top league) U15 2nd Silver Elite North – not playing league with top 12 teams U14 1st Silver North – not playing in a league with top 28 teams U13 6th Silver Elite North not playing in a league with top 8 teams U12 2nd place Silver South – not playing in a league with the top 24 teams Average position of their best team in each boys division: Somewhere around 17 Keep in mind that very few of the San Diego teams played in CSL last year which means that LAFC’s Boys teams were somewhere around the 20th in Cal-South. National Pool players? I’m sure Carlos Alvarez is a good player, but he’s not in the US national team pool, nor is anyone else that played for LAFC last year that I know of. The only one that turned up in a search of the site is Gearge Pantelic who came up through Samba/Real SoCal and played with Real SoCal last year. So basically their entire claim to fame is winning some Super Y titles that very few Cal-South teams really care about because they don’t think the travel costs are worth it. Acutally I neglected to mention their u11 team did win Gold (top league) so maybe Soccer America was rating them for their future potential. Oh yes, and LAFC is one of the 6 LA based Academy teams. Nice club with some nice players and coaches. But not exactly elite in any way shape or form except La Canada is one of the wealthiest areas in LA County. The great thing about Coast is that teams advance on merit. No guest players. No back scratching or buying your way into tournaments to rack up “prestige and ranking points.” A couple laborers that know how to teach soccer can register a team that can out play teams with the best coaches that parents money can buy. Even if you put your name another team or take another player there are records past years and rosters to see who really won and who really developed them. A lot of people like the Academy system because it is closed. Thus you can claim your club and your players are elite just because they are members. Red Bull seems to be a real Academy where talent matters more the ability to pay. However, from what I can see, they are not typical.
Truth be told, while as a NY fan I am flattered to see our Academy side ranked in this list, it really doesn't mean anything as far as I am concerned. What is important isn't how may state or league trophies you win, its the quality and level of development you can give to your players over those years in the sysytem to help enable them to be prepared to be proffesional footballers. The true test of how good RB's system is won't be displayed in Soccer America, it will be displayed on the field at the highest levels as a success rate in the player the developed.
Super Y markets itself great. The reality is a bit different. Of the top 10 teams at my son's age group (U15) in his Region (II), zero compete in Super Y. My son's team played 3 Super Y squads last year, won 4-0, won 7-0, won 4-0. Those were the #1, #2, and #4 Super Y teams in the Region. Super Y, whoopee. RBNY Super Y title, whoopee. DCU Super Y title, whoopee.