MLS Next “New Tier” - does anyone think this is a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Now that tryouts are happening and teams are starting to form, does anyone think the new MLSN2 is anything other than a bad idea?

It won’t change things within clubs. If your club has MLS Next now and doesn’t promote from their second team, they won’t suddenly start just because that team has been rebadged. It seems like with clubs that don’t have MLSN, their MLSN2 team will be at the RL level or slightly above, so the level of play will be what it is.

Meanwhile the divisions are crazy. Virginia only has 8 clubs and Maryland is in a division with teams from NJ and Penn. The VA kids will get sick of playing the same teams repeatedly and it won’t help them develop, and the MD teams are going to be driving all over the East Coast totally unnecessarily.

What am I missing? I know it’s a branding thing for the leagues and the clubs, and some parents and kids will love saying they are on a “MLS Next!” team. But is there any actual benefit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now that tryouts are happening and teams are starting to form, does anyone think the new MLSN2 is anything other than a bad idea?

It won’t change things within clubs. If your club has MLS Next now and doesn’t promote from their second team, they won’t suddenly start just because that team has been rebadged. It seems like with clubs that don’t have MLSN, their MLSN2 team will be at the RL level or slightly above, so the level of play will be what it is.

Meanwhile the divisions are crazy. Virginia only has 8 clubs and Maryland is in a division with teams from NJ and Penn. The VA kids will get sick of playing the same teams repeatedly and it won’t help them develop, and the MD teams are going to be driving all over the East Coast totally unnecessarily.

What am I missing? I know it’s a branding thing for the leagues and the clubs, and some parents and kids will love saying they are on a “MLS Next!” team. But is there any actual benefit?

Old marketing tricks to leverage its brand "MLS" to scam buyers (soccer parents) to pay more money for the same or inferior service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that tryouts are happening and teams are starting to form, does anyone think the new MLSN2 is anything other than a bad idea?

It won’t change things within clubs. If your club has MLS Next now and doesn’t promote from their second team, they won’t suddenly start just because that team has been rebadged. It seems like with clubs that don’t have MLSN, their MLSN2 team will be at the RL level or slightly above, so the level of play will be what it is.

Meanwhile the divisions are crazy. Virginia only has 8 clubs and Maryland is in a division with teams from NJ and Penn. The VA kids will get sick of playing the same teams repeatedly and it won’t help them develop, and the MD teams are going to be driving all over the East Coast totally unnecessarily.

What am I missing? I know it’s a branding thing for the leagues and the clubs, and some parents and kids will love saying they are on a “MLS Next!” team. But is there any actual benefit?

Old marketing tricks to leverage its brand "MLS" to scam buyers (soccer parents) to pay more money for the same or inferior service.

You cannot become a better player or your team become a better team because of a change in the league name, but you will surely pay more money for the vanity.

[Anonymous]

It was created to give clubs with ECNL + ECRL a way to switch to MLSN + MLSN2 and not have to break up any teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that tryouts are happening and teams are starting to form, does anyone think the new MLSN2 is anything other than a bad idea?

It won’t change things within clubs. If your club has MLS Next now and doesn’t promote from their second team, they won’t suddenly start just because that team has been rebadged. It seems like with clubs that don’t have MLSN, their MLSN2 team will be at the RL level or slightly above, so the level of play will be what it is.

Meanwhile the divisions are crazy. Virginia only has 8 clubs and Maryland is in a division with teams from NJ and Penn. The VA kids will get sick of playing the same teams repeatedly and it won’t help them develop, and the MD teams are going to be driving all over the East Coast totally unnecessarily.

What am I missing? I know it’s a branding thing for the leagues and the clubs, and some parents and kids will love saying they are on a “MLS Next!” team. But is there any actual benefit?

Old marketing tricks to leverage its brand "MLS" to scam buyers (soccer parents) to pay more money for the same or inferior service.

Cost for next year with MLSN2 is the same as the cost was this year without MLSN2 for my DS team.

[Anonymous]

I do find it humerus that ECNL people are being negative about MLSN2 when ECRL has existed for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Meanwhile the divisions are crazy. Virginia only has 8 clubs and Maryland is in a division with teams from NJ and Penn. The VA kids will get sick of playing the same teams repeatedly and it won’t help them develop, and the MD teams are going to be driving all over the East Coast totally unnecessarily.

Not saying that isn't a good point, it certainly is, but isn't that split the logical conclusion of 1) MLSN2 allowing players to play HS ball and 2) NJ, PA, MD playing HS ball in the Fall while VA plays in the spring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do find it humerus that ECNL people are being negative about MLSN2 when ECRL has existed for years.

ECNL people here. I am negative on RL. There is absolutely no point for B team (MLSN2 or RL) to travel 1 hours or more to play another B team.

MLS and ECNL gobble up the local clubs to destroy the local league, so every soccer parent now has to travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do find it humerus that ECNL people are being negative about MLSN2 when ECRL has existed for years.

I don't know if it is just ECNL people. People are just a bit jaded by the 'hey here is new awesome league' thing. MLSN2 doesn't offer anything unique or interesting compared to what is already out there beyond the actual name. Add in the fact that MLSN2 has barely released any info (including what they are even calling the league!) and the fact that is clearly not a MLNS second team at all (since MLSN players both seasons and MLSN2 does not) and it looks, well, boring and greedy.

The two clubs I am very familiar with who now have it (for their first teams) only took it because they were angry they were not getting ECNL (for various political reasons which sucks). Not because they 'believe' in it or, or know really anything about it! It is simply marketing to try and retain players and attract new ones. Which is fine but let's not pretend it is noble.

[Anonymous]

MLS 2 is a compilation of some bad ECNL rl and some good ECNL rl in nova. It splits ECNL rl apart so parents of both leagues ECNL rl and MLS 2 have to travel more. What the parents of mlsn2 say is that their kids will have a better chance of being promoted to o a mlsn1 team where that exists eg NVA, SYC and Alexandria (in nova) which we all know is not true coaches will recruit outside flashy players with better networking over their own. for the other clubs without MLSn1, playing mlsn2 means more travel and worse competition.

The only way to fix this is if all nova ECNL rl clubs become MLSN so instead of ECNL we all play MLSN.in the end it just a label change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MLS 2 is a compilation of some bad ECNL rl and some good ECNL rl in nova. It splits ECNL rl apart so parents of both leagues ECNL rl and MLS 2 have to travel more. What the parents of mlsn2 say is that their kids will have a better chance of being promoted to o a mlsn1 team where that exists eg NVA, SYC and Alexandria (in nova) which we all know is not true coaches will recruit outside flashy players with better networking over their own. for the other clubs without MLSn1, playing mlsn2 means more travel and worse competition.

The only way to fix this is if all nova ECNL rl clubs become MLSN so instead of ECNL we all play MLSN.in the end it just a label change.

Correct. Mlsn2 just further muddies already muddy waters. I get why they are doing it but there is nothing exciting or innovative about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now that tryouts are happening and teams are starting to form, does anyone think the new MLSN2 is anything other than a bad idea?

It won’t change things within clubs. If your club has MLS Next now and doesn’t promote from their second team, they won’t suddenly start just because that team has been rebadged. It seems like with clubs that don’t have MLSN, their MLSN2 team will be at the RL level or slightly above, so the level of play will be what it is.

Meanwhile the divisions are crazy. Virginia only has 8 clubs and Maryland is in a division with teams from NJ and Penn. The VA kids will get sick of playing the same teams repeatedly and it won’t help them develop, and the MD teams are going to be driving all over the East Coast totally unnecessarily.

What am I missing? I know it’s a branding thing for the leagues and the clubs, and some parents and kids will love saying they are on a “MLS Next!” team. But is there any actual benefit?

Yeah. ECNL and ECNL RL suck. Zero competition. There is your answer.

[Anonymous]

Supply and Demand. It is the parents who have requested this with their actions. How many people are chasing those badges for their varsity jacket at the water cooler on Monday?

98% of DMV youth soccer players don’t even play outside of organized club activities you have to stop complaining about the club structure when clubs are just responding to the parents whose ego are based on their clubs, their win/loss record and the league status.

[Anonymous]

Won’t some MLS NEXT 2 teams play both fall and spring?? I am pretty sure the team we signed up for will. Why so much disinformation??
The team we signed up for is going to be mainly the second team players from the previous year, which makes sense since this is the second year. A few of them got pulled up to the top MLS next and a few of those got bumped down, which is correct.

[Anonymous]

How much is VRSC planning to fleece unsuspecting ignorant parents for a fake league riding the MLS brand?