ODP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ODP is poverty. If you have time, do it. It's literally extra practice, nothing more. It's fun to add to your DD/DS TDS profile too. Yah

That's all my family can afford to do, but we're just above the poverty level. Also, my uniform we received as a hand me down to save money. I think if the program cost $4000, then it would be better in your opinion... then players who can't afford all the pay-to-play options wouldn't be able to afford this either. My kid thinks it's great, why don't you look him in the eye and tell him it's for poverty kids.

Calling something 'poverty' is slang for it's junk, weak, irrelevant Cost means nothing and you know this, so climb down the pity horse and understand ODP is glorified practice. It's a mashing of weak teams with players who barely know each other. It's soccer and it's still fun, but some who've seen it done realize it's not worth time or energy (or injury risk for some) to play another meaningless game. If you and your kid like it, do it. But don't act like you're being attacked... take that that to the pol thread

Dude, looked like you were attacking poor people. Not sure many people would interpret otherwise.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

lol. ODP is awful and a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ODP is poverty. If you have time, do it. It's literally extra practice, nothing more. It's fun to add to your DD/DS TDS profile too. Yah

That's all my family can afford to do, but we're just above the poverty level. Also, my uniform we received as a hand me down to save money. I think if the program cost $4000, then it would be better in your opinion... then players who can't afford all the pay-to-play options wouldn't be able to afford this either. My kid thinks it's great, why don't you look him in the eye and tell him it's for poverty kids.

Calling something 'poverty' is slang for it's junk, weak, irrelevant Cost means nothing and you know this, so climb down the pity horse and understand ODP is glorified practice. It's a mashing of weak teams with players who barely know each other. It's soccer and it's still fun, but some who've seen it done realize it's not worth time or energy (or injury risk for some) to play another meaningless game. If you and your kid like it, do it. But don't act like you're being attacked... take that that to the pol thread

Dude, looked like you were attacking poor people. Not sure many people would interpret otherwise.

Never cared less. I'm not part of the woke crowd weakness. Move on

[Anonymous]

For the poster at 21:59 above, was this Maryland or Virginia ODP? Boys or girls? Within the past 5 years? TIA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

Let me qualify this a bit...I'm talking from the boys side. I don't know about the girls side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

Let me qualify this a bit...I'm talking from the boys side. I don't know about the girls side.

Can someone please list the different levels of youth soccer ranked by quality and suggest the best starting point for eventually becoming a professional player?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

Let me qualify this a bit...I'm talking from the boys side. I don't know about the girls side.

Can someone please list the different levels of youth soccer ranked by quality and suggest the best starting point for eventually becoming a professional player?

MLS Next (MLS academies and MLS next clubs, MLS academies have pathways to signing pro deals and MLS Next academies don't)

USL Academy (often overlooked but a legit professional pathway) (these top two can lead straight into pro contracts)

ECNL (no direct pro pathway but a decent platform)

EDP/ECNL Regionals (regional talent that hasn't made the top three leagues)

Local Regional Teams/Leagues (self explanatory)

Sunday League/Rec Soccer (beginning levels)

This is the hierarchy in the as I see it.

But you said something interesting in your original post about "the best starting point for becoming a professional player..." I don't think there is one club or league that is a best starting point. Honestly, it is about knowing what your kid needs at any given moment in their development. The best starting point in my opinion, is mastering the ball and working with the ball FAR more than your peers. No club in the DMV will make your kid a pro by themselves. The work he or she puts in is the guide. The clubs are just platforms to 1. test your skills with other players, 2. get exposure to scouts, 3. play in higher level games and 4. benchmark yourself against your peers. Of course the first two types of clubs have the ability to execute a pro contract whereas the others don't. So, if your ambition is to be a pro in the US. MLS academies and USL academies are the targets. How to get there is totally dependent on the work that your kid puts in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

Let me qualify this a bit...I'm talking from the boys side. I don't know about the girls side.

Can someone please list the different levels of youth soccer ranked by quality and suggest the best starting point for eventually becoming a professional player?

MLS Next (MLS academies and MLS next clubs, MLS academies have pathways to signing pro deals and MLS Next academies don't)

USL Academy (often overlooked but a legit professional pathway) (these top two can lead straight into pro contracts)

ECNL (no direct pro pathway but a decent platform)

EDP/ECNL Regionals (regional talent that hasn't made the top three leagues)

Local Regional Teams/Leagues (self explanatory)

Sunday League/Rec Soccer (beginning levels)

This is the hierarchy in the as I see it.

But you said something interesting in your original post about "the best starting point for becoming a professional player..." I don't think there is one club or league that is a best starting point. Honestly, it is about knowing what your kid needs at any given moment in their development. The best starting point in my opinion, is mastering the ball and working with the ball FAR more than your peers. No club in the DMV will make your kid a pro by themselves. The work he or she puts in is the guide. The clubs are just platforms to 1. test your skills with other players, 2. get exposure to scouts, 3. play in higher level games and 4. benchmark yourself against your peers. Of course the first two types of clubs have the ability to execute a pro contract whereas the others don't. So, if your ambition is to be a pro in the US. MLS academies and USL academies are the targets. How to get there is totally dependent on the work that your kid puts in.


I don’t disagree with this but will add that there are ECNL clubs with pro to path relationships with MLS academy clubs so would add those clubs to the top group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

Let me qualify this a bit...I'm talking from the boys side. I don't know about the girls side.

Can someone please list the different levels of youth soccer ranked by quality and suggest the best starting point for eventually becoming a professional player?

MLS Next (MLS academies and MLS next clubs, MLS academies have pathways to signing pro deals and MLS Next academies don't)

USL Academy (often overlooked but a legit professional pathway) (these top two can lead straight into pro contracts)

ECNL (no direct pro pathway but a decent platform)

EDP/ECNL Regionals (regional talent that hasn't made the top three leagues)

Local Regional Teams/Leagues (self explanatory)

Sunday League/Rec Soccer (beginning levels)

This is the hierarchy in the as I see it.

But you said something interesting in your original post about "the best starting point for becoming a professional player..." I don't think there is one club or league that is a best starting point. Honestly, it is about knowing what your kid needs at any given moment in their development. The best starting point in my opinion, is mastering the ball and working with the ball FAR more than your peers. No club in the DMV will make your kid a pro by themselves. The work he or she puts in is the guide. The clubs are just platforms to 1. test your skills with other players, 2. get exposure to scouts, 3. play in higher level games and 4. benchmark yourself against your peers. Of course the first two types of clubs have the ability to execute a pro contract whereas the others don't. So, if your ambition is to be a pro in the US. MLS academies and USL academies are the targets. How to get there is totally dependent on the work that your kid puts in.

I don’t disagree with this but will add that there are ECNL clubs with pro to path relationships with MLS academy clubs so would add those clubs to the top group.

"I don’t disagree with this but will add that there are ECNL clubs with pro to path relationships with MLS academy clubs so would add those clubs to the top group."

Its an interesting distinction and a valid one for sure. But I thought we were just talking about the leagues and the hierarchy? If we are talking about the levels of clubs and programs, then ECNL and MLS Next programs would probably be about the same. Both under MLS Academies and USL Academies in terms of paths to professional soccer.

[Anonymous]

lol. ECNL just can’t accept the fact they are second fiddle. You are not MLSNext. Sit down and be happy you are kinda-sorta maybe close.

But it won’t be that way for too much longer. MLSnext teams play 40% more games and against NOT the same 10-12 tired regional teams they’ve played for years. That’s why SYC bailed on ECNL last year.

Now their terrible counterpart garbage McLean got stuck in some Frankenstein—like creation called Fairfax something or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a top player who made it through to state and region (coached by a college coach). He’s met more D1 college coaches via ODP than anything his ‘top’ club in a ‘top league’ has done. These D1 college coaches may not be recruiting from ODP games —but they sure are volunteer coaching these teams each weekend which I would argue is even better exposure for top players than a coach watching them during a 5 minutes at a showcase. These coaches then build relationships with ODP players they coach and vouch for them in the system. This is the ROI for the top players.

ODP is just not a program that has any real relevance any more. It is a brand that had relevance two decades ago and it is literally riding the ignorance of parents in the US who still think it means something that their kid plays ODP.

Maybe some D1 coaches volunteer for ODP in some regions. That is entirely plausible. And exposure to them could be useful. But end of day, you said it yourself, D1 coaches aren't really recruiting from ODP. Just isn't happening. Maybe there are a few diamonds in ODP here and there. There are diamonds in high school soccer. It is more about the numbers. Your chances of doing something from ODP are just far less than they used to be because the talent pool just isn't there. For the money a parent will pay, it is literally a rip off.

End of day, ODP is the purest form of a money grab that there is in the US soccer system.

Let me qualify this a bit...I'm talking from the boys side. I don't know about the girls side.

Can someone please list the different levels of youth soccer ranked by quality and suggest the best starting point for eventually becoming a professional player?

Google.com

Go look up which league sends the most players to 'prestigious' collegiate programs (no one agrees on what this even means ) and what professional placements come out of that league. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol. ECNL just can’t accept the fact they are second fiddle. You are not MLSNext. Sit down and be happy you are kinda-sorta maybe close.

But it won’t be that way for too much longer. MLSnext teams play 40% more games and against NOT the same 10-12 tired regional teams they’ve played for years. That’s why SYC bailed on ECNL last year.

Now their terrible counterpart garbage McLean got stuck in some Frankenstein—like creation called Fairfax something or another.

Congrats! You get to play awesome teams like West Virginia and Achilles in the prestigious mlsNext!

[Anonymous]

I knew MD ODP was BS when a parent/kid combo who LOVE IG didn't make the first cut for regional team magically made it a month later.