MLS Next Announcement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how would it work when the MLS next team is playing in a tournament? For example, mls next team is birth year U14 playing in the Columbia cup. They play against the u14s that are an MLS next to team at a different club that have to play school year. So it’s feasible there would be a full year of difference between the kids if you had one team have mainly older kids and the other team have mainly younger kids in their school year. What would you do in that case? That’s not fair.

Mlsn1 teams won’t play outside tournaments or if they did a u15 BY team would be playing up against a u15 SY team.

Since both leagues are always trying to top each other MLSN1 will have to move to school year at some point, otherwise SY teams will have the advantage at every tournament.

THEY. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. TOURNAMENT. RESULTS.

They care about developing 1-2 sellable players. At a certain point, you parents will understand development.

MLS 1 is mostly p2p clubs. They don’t care about developing 1-2 players. They also don’t care about outside tournaments but they do care about the neverending headache that this decision will be.

Mls1 p2p is not mls academies.

The BY top tier players will still be better than 2nd tier SY players

Agree, the ECNL parents are doing whatever they can to make it sound like the sky is falling but its not.

Splitting the MLSN Homegrown teams from the P2P teams is something that had to happen. MLS needed a place to park ECNL + other SY teams before they switch to BY MLS. MLS can still do things like MLS2 talent id events that get looked at by MLS1 coaches for providing the pathway to pro.

MLSN2 is officially meaningless now.

Mathis whole thread is meaningless. If you kid is on the younger side that only means he’s getting reps with older players will only strengthen his game.

Grow a sack, dads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our club has both mls levels. They confirmed Super y was now school year. Their pre mls and all younger teams are school year. They haven't said how they will deal with both homegrown and academy. I feel bad for them. How do they sort this out?

It might be too late but I think MLSN1 clubs can still apply to play in the ECNL National this upcoming year.
That would solve their problems.

ECNL is a dumpster fire. Great 5 years ago but now laughable. Jefferson Cup. HAHAHA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

MLSN2 is just a 2nd team (I guess 1st for some) like they were before at clubs

Parents thinking it was an automatic route to a MLS Next team are delusional
Your kid doing what they always did that placed them on the 2nd team isn't moving up anywhere.

No, you are wrong.

In many states MLSN2 is where 1st teams and best players are placed, because there are no MLSN1 teams, or sometimes even no MLS academies.

MLSN2 last year was presented to these clubs as a pathway to promote to MLSN1. Now it has been discovered that promise was a scam.

As I said, delusional

Also, what's stopping a MLSN2 1st team from becoming a MLS Next team in the future?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan is to change MLSNext to August in 2 years.

The kids on the MLSNext’s clubs’ u12 teams have been clubs’ “A” team players for the past 2-4 years. They have been with the clubs” “A” team coaches for the past 2-4 years. You can’t snap your fingers and make the kids born in August - December automatically better than the kids who have been on the “A” team
for 2-4 years.

Now, this year’s u10 kids? Yep. By switching the younger age groups to the August date the Q4 kids will get sorted out. They will be the best “A” team kids in a couple of years and MLSNext will change to the August date.

Yes - they should say that is what they are doing. But, if you did so you would be confirming the obvious that birthdate matters a huge amount.

Can you post a link to that MLS Next internal document showing the change in 2 years?

MLSN changing to SY in 27/28 was mentioned a few times in earlier threads going back to late summer. I have a hard time believing MLSN has thought that far ahead.

You having a hard time is the proof that a change is happening in 2 years?

You have a hard time with reading comprehension? How does “I have a hard time believing MLSN has thought that far ahead” mean that I think MLSN is changing in two years?

Let me phrase it differently for you. Changing in two years would imply a plan. I don’t think MLSN has a plan.

I thought it was silly to change. However, when 97% of the organizations decided to change, I assumed logistically, they would change.

There is going to be so much sorting on the field and “when were you born?” going on. If they would have just went full school year like everybody else, you can build in BY breaks like international breaks where you compile BY teams for play and potential U.S. national team preparing, etc.

It will just be interesting to see how this looks on the ground level. I don’t think they thought this through logistically.

Yes it delegitimizes mlsn2 even more and makes a nightmare for everyone at clubs with both mlsn1 and 2. Aug+ birthdays who don’t make mlsn1 are screwed bc they are forced to move down an age group and on a forever track to mlsn2. Those players will go ECNL and the bench Jan-July ECNL players will try for MLSN1. MLSN1 rosters will be exclusively Jan-jul next year.

The number of helicopter patents here is crazy. Your kid is either good enough to keep up or he sits the bench. It’s incumbent on your kid to step up, not whither on the vibe like the posters here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

MLSN2 is just a 2nd team (I guess 1st for some) like they were before at clubs

Parents thinking it was an automatic route to a MLS Next team are delusional
Your kid doing what they always did that placed them on the 2nd team isn't moving up anywhere.

No, you are wrong.

In many states MLSN2 is where 1st teams and best players are placed, because there are no MLSN1 teams, or sometimes even no MLS academies.

MLSN2 last year was presented to these clubs as a pathway to promote to MLSN1. Now it has been discovered that promise was a scam.

As I said, delusional

Also, what's stopping a MLSN2 1st team from becoming a MLS Next team in the future?

Well… they are different ages now. So an mls2 team Aug-July cannot become an mls1 team Jan-dec

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

MLSN2 is just a 2nd team (I guess 1st for some) like they were before at clubs

Parents thinking it was an automatic route to a MLS Next team are delusional
Your kid doing what they always did that placed them on the 2nd team isn't moving up anywhere.

No, you are wrong.

In many states MLSN2 is where 1st teams and best players are placed, because there are no MLSN1 teams, or sometimes even no MLS academies.

MLSN2 last year was presented to these clubs as a pathway to promote to MLSN1. Now it has been discovered that promise was a scam.

As I said, delusional

Also, what's stopping a MLSN2 1st team from becoming a MLS Next team in the future?

Well… they are different ages now. So an mls2 team Aug-July cannot become an mls1 team Jan-dec

Wouldn't they just apply to be a MLS Next team and have players that match the BY age brackets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

Pathways are never closed for the truly talented

It was never open to the rest

Ignoramus.

Approximately 31% of top-league soccer players are born in the first three months of the year (Q1), which is significantly more than those born in the later quarters, due to a relative age effect.

This overrepresentation is often due to the physical advantages older children have in youth leagues, leading to earlier identification and development into higher-level play.

First Quarter (Q1): Around 31% of top-league players are born in the first quarter of the year, which is significantly higher than any other quarter.
Fourth Quarter (Q4): The number of players born in the fourth quarter is substantially lower, with one study showing only about 19%.

Reasons: This difference is often attributed to the "relative age effect," where players born earlier in the calendar year are physically more developed and receive more attention in youth leagues, which are often organized by birth year.

Impact: This initial advantage can lead to a higher dropout rate for younger players, and the trend persists into professional leagues.

What does any of that have to do with the statement that pathways to pro is for the truly talented?

Because "talent" must be developed, worked, exposed, incentivized ...

I was born in Portugal, I know many professional soccer players of my age, they went with me to school and high school is Lisbon, none of them were a "talent" like CR or Vitinha (both February, by the way).

30% of Liga Portugal soccer players were born January, February and March. Were they more "talented" when kids? NO, they just had more opportunities because their earlier physical maturity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

MLSN2 is just a 2nd team (I guess 1st for some) like they were before at clubs

Parents thinking it was an automatic route to a MLS Next team are delusional
Your kid doing what they always did that placed them on the 2nd team isn't moving up anywhere.

No, you are wrong.

In many states MLSN2 is where 1st teams and best players are placed, because there are no MLSN1 teams, or sometimes even no MLS academies.

MLSN2 last year was presented to these clubs as a pathway to promote to MLSN1. Now it has been discovered that promise was a scam.

As I said, delusional

Also, what's stopping a MLSN2 1st team from becoming a MLS Next team in the future?

Ignoramus, just read the title of this forum and will find the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

Pathways are never closed for the truly talented

It was never open to the rest

Ignoramus.

Approximately 31% of top-league soccer players are born in the first three months of the year (Q1), which is significantly more than those born in the later quarters, due to a relative age effect.

This overrepresentation is often due to the physical advantages older children have in youth leagues, leading to earlier identification and development into higher-level play.

First Quarter (Q1): Around 31% of top-league players are born in the first quarter of the year, which is significantly higher than any other quarter.
Fourth Quarter (Q4): The number of players born in the fourth quarter is substantially lower, with one study showing only about 19%.

Reasons: This difference is often attributed to the "relative age effect," where players born earlier in the calendar year are physically more developed and receive more attention in youth leagues, which are often organized by birth year.

Impact: This initial advantage can lead to a higher dropout rate for younger players, and the trend persists into professional leagues.

What does any of that have to do with the statement that pathways to pro is for the truly talented?

Because "talent" must be developed, worked, exposed, incentivized ...

I was born in Portugal, I know many professional soccer players of my age, they went with me to school and high school is Lisbon, none of them were a "talent" like CR or Vitinha (both February, by the way).

30% of Liga Portugal soccer players were born January, February and March. Were they more "talented" when kids? NO, they just had more opportunities because their earlier physical maturity.

So kids without talent are identified in Portugal and placed on a pathway to pro?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how would it work when the MLS next team is playing in a tournament? For example, mls next team is birth year U14 playing in the Columbia cup. They play against the u14s that are an MLS next to team at a different club that have to play school year. So it’s feasible there would be a full year of difference between the kids if you had one team have mainly older kids and the other team have mainly younger kids in their school year. What would you do in that case? That’s not fair.

Mlsn1 teams won’t play outside tournaments or if they did a u15 BY team would be playing up against a u15 SY team.

Since both leagues are always trying to top each other MLSN1 will have to move to school year at some point, otherwise SY teams will have the advantage at every tournament.

THEY. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. TOURNAMENT. RESULTS.

They care about developing 1-2 sellable players. At a certain point, you parents will understand development.

MLS 1 is mostly p2p clubs. They don’t care about developing 1-2 players. They also don’t care about outside tournaments but they do care about the neverending headache that this decision will be.

Mls1 p2p is not mls academies.

The BY top tier players will still be better than 2nd tier SY players

Agree, the ECNL parents are doing whatever they can to make it sound like the sky is falling but its not.

Splitting the MLSN Homegrown teams from the P2P teams is something that had to happen. MLS needed a place to park ECNL + other SY teams before they switch to BY MLS. MLS can still do things like MLS2 talent id events that get looked at by MLS1 coaches for providing the pathway to pro.

MLSN2 is officially meaningless now.

Mathis whole thread is meaningless. If you kid is on the younger side that only means he’s getting reps with older players will only strengthen his game.

Grow a sack, dads.

They aren’t though. Aug-December will be playing an age group younger until MLSN officially starts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how would it work when the MLS next team is playing in a tournament? For example, mls next team is birth year U14 playing in the Columbia cup. They play against the u14s that are an MLS next to team at a different club that have to play school year. So it’s feasible there would be a full year of difference between the kids if you had one team have mainly older kids and the other team have mainly younger kids in their school year. What would you do in that case? That’s not fair.

Mlsn1 teams won’t play outside tournaments or if they did a u15 BY team would be playing up against a u15 SY team.

Since both leagues are always trying to top each other MLSN1 will have to move to school year at some point, otherwise SY teams will have the advantage at every tournament.

THEY. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. TOURNAMENT. RESULTS.

They care about developing 1-2 sellable players. At a certain point, you parents will understand development.

MLS 1 is mostly p2p clubs. They don’t care about developing 1-2 players. They also don’t care about outside tournaments but they do care about the neverending headache that this decision will be.

Mls1 p2p is not mls academies.

The BY top tier players will still be better than 2nd tier SY players

Agree, the ECNL parents are doing whatever they can to make it sound like the sky is falling but its not.

Splitting the MLSN Homegrown teams from the P2P teams is something that had to happen. MLS needed a place to park ECNL + other SY teams before they switch to BY MLS. MLS can still do things like MLS2 talent id events that get looked at by MLS1 coaches for providing the pathway to pro.

MLSN2 is officially meaningless now.

Mathis whole thread is meaningless. If you kid is on the younger side that only means he’s getting reps with older players will only strengthen his game.

Grow a sack, dads.

They aren’t though. Aug-December will be playing an age group younger until MLSN officially starts.

Yes! That is the problem! MLSN1 teams will now be stacked even more so with Q1 and Q2 kids. RAE is very real especially with less sophisticated US coaches and the pressure to win with size and speed. The different age cutoffs make Q3 and 4 kids pigeonholed not only to MLSN2 but with younger kids. This regresses their development . Maybe MLsn didn’t think of this or doesn’t care. But clubs parents and kids do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just think, only a few months ago, clubs (probably via MLSN's rec) were selling MLS2 by saying each age group of tier 1 and tier 2 were "a pool of players" where tier 2 standouts could be moved up and tier 1 bench players could be moved down to get more minutes.

What a steaming crock of sh*t that was, lmao.

It actually worked like that at our club. Changing the ages seems like a disaster.

Goes to show only MLSNext is serious about player development by keeping it aligned with FIFA schedule.

Explain that a bit more. Each system is one calendar year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point of MLSN2 now?

I see MLSN2 meaningless, a real scam, because many P2P clubs were lured to MLSN2 under the incentive of having a promotion/relegation system towards MLSN1, and also a pathwary for players to potentially move for 2nd teams MLSN2 up to 1st teams MLSN1.

Now those pathways are completed closed.

With this decision the winners are MLS academies and ECNL, the obvious losers are P2P clubs (both MLSN1 and MLSN2).

Pathways are never closed for the truly talented

It was never open to the rest

Ignoramus.

Approximately 31% of top-league soccer players are born in the first three months of the year (Q1), which is significantly more than those born in the later quarters, due to a relative age effect.

This overrepresentation is often due to the physical advantages older children have in youth leagues, leading to earlier identification and development into higher-level play.

First Quarter (Q1): Around 31% of top-league players are born in the first quarter of the year, which is significantly higher than any other quarter.
Fourth Quarter (Q4): The number of players born in the fourth quarter is substantially lower, with one study showing only about 19%.

Reasons: This difference is often attributed to the "relative age effect," where players born earlier in the calendar year are physically more developed and receive more attention in youth leagues, which are often organized by birth year.

Impact: This initial advantage can lead to a higher dropout rate for younger players, and the trend persists into professional leagues.

What does any of that have to do with the statement that pathways to pro is for the truly talented?

Because "talent" must be developed, worked, exposed, incentivized ...

I was born in Portugal, I know many professional soccer players of my age, they went with me to school and high school is Lisbon, none of them were a "talent" like CR or Vitinha (both February, by the way).

30% of Liga Portugal soccer players were born January, February and March. Were they more "talented" when kids? NO, they just had more opportunities because their earlier physical maturity.

So kids without talent are identified in Portugal and placed on a pathway to pro?

Kids born Q1 have more chances of being place on a pro pathway, in comparison to kids Q4 with equal or similar talent.

Kids born Q1 have more chances of exploiting, sharping, exposing, working their talent .... than kids Q4 with equal natural talent.



You are wrong if think that "talent" is the only factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how would it work when the MLS next team is playing in a tournament? For example, mls next team is birth year U14 playing in the Columbia cup. They play against the u14s that are an MLS next to team at a different club that have to play school year. So it’s feasible there would be a full year of difference between the kids if you had one team have mainly older kids and the other team have mainly younger kids in their school year. What would you do in that case? That’s not fair.

Mlsn1 teams won’t play outside tournaments or if they did a u15 BY team would be playing up against a u15 SY team.

Since both leagues are always trying to top each other MLSN1 will have to move to school year at some point, otherwise SY teams will have the advantage at every tournament.

THEY. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. TOURNAMENT. RESULTS.

They care about developing 1-2 sellable players. At a certain point, you parents will understand development.

MLS 1 is mostly p2p clubs. They don’t care about developing 1-2 players. They also don’t care about outside tournaments but they do care about the neverending headache that this decision will be.

Mls1 p2p is not mls academies.

The BY top tier players will still be better than 2nd tier SY players

Agree, the ECNL parents are doing whatever they can to make it sound like the sky is falling but its not.

Splitting the MLSN Homegrown teams from the P2P teams is something that had to happen. MLS needed a place to park ECNL + other SY teams before they switch to BY MLS. MLS can still do things like MLS2 talent id events that get looked at by MLS1 coaches for providing the pathway to pro.

MLSN2 is officially meaningless now.

Mathis whole thread is meaningless. If you kid is on the younger side that only means he’s getting reps with older players will only strengthen his game.

Grow a sack, dads.

They aren’t though. Aug-December will be playing an age group younger until MLSN officially starts.

Yes! That is the problem! MLSN1 teams will now be stacked even more so with Q1 and Q2 kids. RAE is very real especially with less sophisticated US coaches and the pressure to win with size and speed. The different age cutoffs make Q3 and 4 kids pigeonholed not only to MLSN2 but with younger kids. This regresses their development . Maybe MLsn didn’t think of this or doesn’t care. But clubs parents and kids do care.

Exactly, that's the key.

This is a market, and we parents/players are the customers. For instance, evolution of MLSN2 vs ECNL will be decided by parents/players, who will be discovering their best interest and making decision.

In my case, my son is a 2013 September, starter and top scorer at his MLSN2 team (our club and region doesn't have MLSN1). Now, we are seriously thinking of moving to ECNL. My son is no less technically/tactically talented than anybody in his state, but as a striker he is struggling with studs (Q1 2013 and biobanded 2012s), simply they have developed more testosterone due tu puberty.

That's the only secret of all this discussion: puberty and amount of testosterone (power, speed, resilience) make a difference at these ages.

[Anonymous]

That's the only secret of all this discussion: puberty and amount of testosterone (power, speed, resilience) make a difference at these ages. Not just talent.