DC United Academy - aa strong academy or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are delusional. Everybody thinks their kid is the next big thing—but at some point, you’ve got to be honest about the level they’re actually at.

Not every player is elite, and that’s okay. But pretending otherwise doesn’t help the kid—it just creates noise.

Programs like D.C. United’s academy aren’t perfect, but they exist for a reason: they identify and develop top-level talent. Most players there earned it.

And let’s be real—some of the loudest criticism comes from people who didn’t make it in and never got over it.

Support your kid. Believe in them. But keep one foot in reality.

DCU does not identify and develop top level talent. This is where your note is mistaken...they don't identify or develop talent with any level of consistency or success. Wish that wasn't the case but it is what it is.

The only mls club that consistently produces high level professionals hasn't been invented yet

Unless they are sneaking them out of the country under aliases every transfer window

Some MLS clubs are just way better equipped to produce pros than others. Their foundation and methodology is just stronger and the investments they have made are positioning for longer term success, modelling European academies. DCU is just not one of those clubs.

DCU is one of the worst academies you could attend in the MLS ecosystem. FACTS. Please don't try to advance the, if they all aren't producing high level pros, they are all the same argument. It's like saying the Netherlands and the US are the same at football because they have both never won world cups. Just doesn't work.

Where are the MLS club academies churning out high level professionals consistently?

Stupid analogy with the Netherlands, because they have some of the world's best academies that produce high level professionals consistently. The USA MLS academies do not.
Not a single one

Shows you how far behind we are as a country. And if the best MLS academies in the US are that far behind, imagine where DCU is and what that means for your son.

Your interests in saving the lives of other people's kids from failure and a sad life of poverty is quite commendable

Fortunately for you, you and yours have made it to the top and with so much success, you're saving the world

Tell us again the route your kids took to top tier professional soccer successes

Don't want to save the lives of others. Just highlight the realities of a sh#t club for people who want it because people like you try to cloud the narrative and push falsehoods about the quality of DCU and its status. Do what you want with the information. You're clearly hurt because you're in a terrible situation and you didn't realize it before now and you feel exposed. Tough place to be for a parent who is wrapped up in the status of their club as opposed to the actual development of their son.

Hell hath no fury like a man scorned

When did they cut your son?
Why can't you move on?

Like I told you many many posts ago. My kids are grown and I'm retired. I have no dog in this fight at DCU other than to give parents information that can help them make the best choices for their son. If they choose DCU that's ok. Just know what it is and what it isn't. I've seen too many parents make mistakes with their kids and ruin their enjoyment and opportunities in the sport with poor decisions just from not knowing any better.

Apparently you are the dog and the one doing all the aggressive barking at the moon fighting yourself

Admitting you're obsessed with an entity where neither you nor yours have a stake makes you and your motives even more questionable and unstable

Not a single soul with a professional academy quality player is taking advice from an angry toxic ghost on a hidden identity forum
If they got their kid to academy quality before your gibberish, they sure don't need it.

Don't you wish that were true. So many people already have taken my advice FROM THIS FORUM. No anger, just truths. Youre lost...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

You're OBVIOUSLY responding to yourself

Just quit dude

Nope. As I already said, not in here all day. 2x a day. I have to pay for the training since my kid is not good enough for free DCU right? 😉

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are delusional. Everybody thinks their kid is the next big thing—but at some point, you’ve got to be honest about the level they’re actually at.

Not every player is elite, and that’s okay. But pretending otherwise doesn’t help the kid—it just creates noise.

Programs like D.C. United’s academy aren’t perfect, but they exist for a reason: they identify and develop top-level talent. Most players there earned it.

And let’s be real—some of the loudest criticism comes from people who didn’t make it in and never got over it.

Support your kid. Believe in them. But keep one foot in reality.

DCU does not identify and develop top level talent. This is where your note is mistaken...they don't identify or develop talent with any level of consistency or success. Wish that wasn't the case but it is what it is.

The only mls club that consistently produces high level professionals hasn't been invented yet

Unless they are sneaking them out of the country under aliases every transfer window

Some MLS clubs are just way better equipped to produce pros than others. Their foundation and methodology is just stronger and the investments they have made are positioning for longer term success, modelling European academies. DCU is just not one of those clubs.

DCU is one of the worst academies you could attend in the MLS ecosystem. FACTS. Please don't try to advance the, if they all aren't producing high level pros, they are all the same argument. It's like saying the Netherlands and the US are the same at football because they have both never won world cups. Just doesn't work.

Where are the MLS club academies churning out high level professionals consistently?

Stupid analogy with the Netherlands, because they have some of the world's best academies that produce high level professionals consistently. The USA MLS academies do not.
Not a single one

Shows you how far behind we are as a country. And if the best MLS academies in the US are that far behind, imagine where DCU is and what that means for your son.

Your interests in saving the lives of other people's kids from failure and a sad life of poverty is quite commendable

Fortunately for you, you and yours have made it to the top and with so much success, you're saving the world

Tell us again the route your kids took to top tier professional soccer successes

Don't want to save the lives of others. Just highlight the realities of a sh#t club for people who want it because people like you try to cloud the narrative and push falsehoods about the quality of DCU and its status. Do what you want with the information. You're clearly hurt because you're in a terrible situation and you didn't realize it before now and you feel exposed. Tough place to be for a parent who is wrapped up in the status of their club as opposed to the actual development of their son.

Hell hath no fury like a man scorned

When did they cut your son?
Why can't you move on?

Like I told you many many posts ago. My kids are grown and I'm retired. I have no dog in this fight at DCU other than to give parents information that can help them make the best choices for their son. If they choose DCU that's ok. Just know what it is and what it isn't. I've seen too many parents make mistakes with their kids and ruin their enjoyment and opportunities in the sport with poor decisions just from not knowing any better.

Apparently you are the dog and the one doing all the aggressive barking at the moon fighting yourself

Admitting you're obsessed with an entity where neither you nor yours have a stake makes you and your motives even more questionable and unstable

Not a single soul with a professional academy quality player is taking advice from an angry toxic ghost on a hidden identity forum
If they got their kid to academy quality before your gibberish, they sure don't need it.

What is so awesome about this is that you really just amuse me. You're entertainment. I post real info, you post bulls#t trying to misdirect and the pattern goes on and on. You'll never win because you can't win. There is no argument that supports DCU. All you can do is try to attack posters which has never worked. You're not on my level. Every bit of useful info on this thread has come mostly from me. What have you provided?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

[Anonymous]

“I’ve seen your kid play, they aren’t that good. And your constant yelling on the sideline is obnoxious.”

Parent of kid on the bench

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

C'mon, IFKYK. He's obviously referring to legitimate visas that some parents are able to get because they have business or are employed in Europe (i.e., for reasons completely unrelated to a child's desire to play in Europe). Sure, soccer is probably what drove the parents to find a way to work/live in Europe and that's why it can still be extremely, extremely difficult (and a lot of planning ahead) to get a player legitimately registered with a club academy because you have to show the move to the country was not for soccer reasons. We know at least one family (e.g., neither parent have an avenue to obtain EU passports for themselves or their children) who has done this.

It does require a lot of time and money to actually get it done properly. But PP seems to have lots of money and time and energy to obtain the necessary training for their DS as well as make the right connections so frankly, his plan seems plausible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

C'mon, IFKYK. He's obviously referring to legitimate visas that some parents are able to get because they have business or are employed in Europe (i.e., for reasons completely unrelated to a child's desire to play in Europe). Sure, soccer is probably what drove the parents to find a way to work/live in Europe and that's why it can still be extremely, extremely difficult (and a lot of planning ahead) to get a player legitimately registered with a club academy because you have to show the move to the country was not for soccer reasons. We know at least one family (e.g., neither parent have an avenue to obtain EU passports for themselves or their children) who has done this.

It does require a lot of time and money to actually get it done properly. But PP seems to have lots of money and time and energy to obtain the necessary training for their DS as well as make the right connections so frankly, his plan seems plausible.

Then maybe he should have just said he qualified for one of the exceptions under FIFA Article 19 for non-citizens with legitimate business reasons residency within allowable milage from a club.

Would have been easier to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

C'mon, IFKYK. He's obviously referring to legitimate visas that some parents are able to get because they have business or are employed in Europe (i.e., for reasons completely unrelated to a child's desire to play in Europe). Sure, soccer is probably what drove the parents to find a way to work/live in Europe and that's why it can still be extremely, extremely difficult (and a lot of planning ahead) to get a player legitimately registered with a club academy because you have to show the move to the country was not for soccer reasons. We know at least one family (e.g., neither parent have an avenue to obtain EU passports for themselves or their children) who has done this.

It does require a lot of time and money to actually get it done properly. But PP seems to have lots of money and time and energy to obtain the necessary training for their DS as well as make the right connections so frankly, his plan seems plausible.

Then maybe he should have just said he qualified for one of the exceptions under FIFA Article 19 for non-citizens with legitimate business reasons residency within allowable milage from a club.

Would have been easier to understand.

Maybe. I deliberately explained it the way I did because that provision is actually not easy to understand for a lot of people and that's how I've usually explained it.

The 15/16 age he mentions as the age to go to Europe I would assume is because even with an EU passport, movement between EU academies is also restricted up until 16. That is, even with an EU passport, unless the player is going to their EU passport country, they would have similar restrictions trying to move to another EU academy. I think this is a more recent restriction as Pulisic and Reyna appeared to have moved to Europe (to countries where they did not hold passports) when they were 14.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU

Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

C'mon, IFKYK. He's obviously referring to legitimate visas that some parents are able to get because they have business or are employed in Europe (i.e., for reasons completely unrelated to a child's desire to play in Europe). Sure, soccer is probably what drove the parents to find a way to work/live in Europe and that's why it can still be extremely, extremely difficult (and a lot of planning ahead) to get a player legitimately registered with a club academy because you have to show the move to the country was not for soccer reasons. We know at least one family (e.g., neither parent have an avenue to obtain EU passports for themselves or their children) who has done this.

It does require a lot of time and money to actually get it done properly. But PP seems to have lots of money and time and energy to obtain the necessary training for their DS as well as make the right connections so frankly, his plan seems plausible.

Then maybe he should have just said he qualified for one of the exceptions under FIFA Article 19 for non-citizens with legitimate business reasons residency within allowable milage from a club.

Would have been easier to understand.

Maybe. I deliberately explained it the way I did because that provision is actually not easy to understand for a lot of people and that's how I've usually explained it.

The 15/16 age he mentions as the age to go to Europe I would assume is because even with an EU passport, movement between EU academies is also restricted up until 16. That is, even with an EU passport, unless the player is going to their EU passport country, they would have similar restrictions trying to move to another EU academy. I think this is a more recent restriction as Pulisic and Reyna appeared to have moved to Europe (to countries where they did not hold passports) when they were 14.

The Article 19 and some other post-Brexit rules as exists today didn't exist for the Pulisic batch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU



Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

C'mon, IFKYK. He's obviously referring to legitimate visas that some parents are able to get because they have business or are employed in Europe (i.e., for reasons completely unrelated to a child's desire to play in Europe). Sure, soccer is probably what drove the parents to find a way to work/live in Europe and that's why it can still be extremely, extremely difficult (and a lot of planning ahead) to get a player legitimately registered with a club academy because you have to show the move to the country was not for soccer reasons. We know at least one family (e.g., neither parent have an avenue to obtain EU passports for themselves or their children) who has done this.

It does require a lot of time and money to actually get it done properly. But PP seems to have lots of money and time and energy to obtain the necessary training for their DS as well as make the right connections so frankly, his plan seems plausible.

Then maybe he should have just said he qualified for one of the exceptions under FIFA Article 19 for non-citizens with legitimate business reasons residency within allowable milage from a club.

Would have been easier to understand.

Maybe. I deliberately explained it the way I did because that provision is actually not easy to understand for a lot of people and that's how I've usually explained it.

The 15/16 age he mentions as the age to go to Europe I would assume is because even with an EU passport, movement between EU academies is also restricted up until 16. That is, even with an EU passport, unless the player is going to their EU passport country, they would have similar restrictions trying to move to another EU academy. I think this is a more recent restriction as Pulisic and Reyna appeared to have moved to Europe (to countries where they did not hold passports) when they were 14.

The Article 19 and some other post-Brexit rules as exists today didn't exist for the Pulisic batch

Yes, that would make sense as to why even those who have EU passports are delaying their moves.

And because this thread is for providing information, if, like the PP, you are willing to go to all the hoops (and have the funds and energy to do the research) to get your kid into a Euro acdemy, it would make sense to not sign with an MLS academy. That goes against every thing we hear about when our kids are starting their youth soccer journeys right? The issue is, MLS academies are entitled to training compensation or solidarity payments depending on when and how long they were with an MLS academy. This requirement is not a new FIFA requirement but MLS has only started enforcing it fairly recently. So you are generally a more expensive player to sign than a similarly talented player coming from a non-MLS academy. And if you want to go to an EU academy directly from an MLS academy, the MLS academy will often have the power/influence where you can go. Of course, many families do not have the resources and know-how that PP has so often times, it is still the better deal to sign with an MLS academy at least for the name recognition which will make marketing your kid in Europe easier.

[Anonymous]

This thread was better when it was on topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the standard deflection tweedle dee and tweedle dumb (DCU PR intern), now can the question at hand be addressed?


https://youtu.be/MauTNb-y...oApVDGnpWt

I found him truly engaging. What's the story of what worked well and what did not when he was with DCU?

What is the focus of the new director?

He's no longer at DCU and he answered your questions on the podcast.

You have no connection to DCU, you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU



Take your unhealthy obsession elsewhere

Dude, those are questions. Why are you so emotional over questions?

Previous Post isn't emotional

You're disingenuous and have proven through your multiple posts that you have an agenda to denigrate and disparage the academy, the players and their parents

Your 'just a question' is your repeated modus operandi for an opening for you to reel off another slew of toxicity

If you care that much about information about the academy, contact the academy or go to games and speak to academy parents. That's what people with legitimate interests do.

Make sure you gather the fathers in a group and talk the crap you've been saying here directly to their faces for additional bonus points

So…I posted the link. Not sure you are aware that you are talking to many different people. I do check this forum two times a day but not sure how you can post 4 minutes after my question if you are not refreshing constantly. That seems like an obsession.

Although I have made no statement about the kids, parents or academy in asking a genuine question, you told me “ you have no kid at DCU, you won't have a son at DCU” without knowing anything about me. Is that not the definition of toxic when you have no idea who I am or how may times my kid has been invited to DCU, Nashville, CLT, Philly or Red Bulls?

He did clearly lay out the key to the DMV producing more professional footballers and I am genuinely curious on whether he just talks well on a podcast or whether it is an unfixable problem due to the culture under this ownership. Silence is golden so I think I have my answer.

your kid has such quality that he is being sought after and actively being recruited by multiple professional mls academies but you're on an anonymous blog seeking advice from people you don't know?

Bro...they reached out to me when my kid was 10. F----ing 10. I thought it was psychotic. I did not ask for any of this. You said the same thing 100 pages ago with hater energy because your kid did not have the same requests. For the record, it does not mean s---- to have these requests early. I am actually humble in this process and understand it means nothing. Puberty is undefeated.

If I blindly just went with the clubs like many of you, my kid would fully be in the MLS system and be relegated to the MLS rules and it suppressive pay structure which keeps the MLS profitable. I respect their business acumen while deploring it as a parent of a kid in the system For a family who cannot afford $10k-$20k annually to properly train, MLS Academy is a viable pathway and they should choose it. I am fortunate to make a little bit of coin so I can afford to pay $10k - $20k in training annually for my kid to develop and then afford a visa into Europe when he hits 15-16. I only became aware of this pathway courtesy of this little anonymous message board. I have been able to verify the information on this board in real life and find the real people who execute it in real life.

My kid has not even had their first crush yet and I am supposed to leave town for a team before puberty.
Maybe I am a little too rationale. I don't find missing out on a high school life or family life for virtual school out of town to end up at Old Dominion for D1 soccer an appealing pathway for my child. No knock to ODU in this example but all of my kids are on a high academic track and if my kid is not going pro, I would rather them go D3 at NYU or Ivy than D1 at any old school. Unless something changes at DCU, we will bide our time here locally until U15/U16, go against the grain and local culture and play P2P, and then I will start a business in Europe and we will see how my kid fares there. Whether he succeeds or not, I did my parental job of maximizing his chances on something with 1 in 100,000 odds.

Despite what ya'll think, if you actually read between the lines and toxicity, this forum is 100% gold for real information. We are not alone in not getting information from the MLS academies. Many of the parents in other markets have the same gripes outside of the DMV. We are fortunate to have this forum which allows people to share and express without retribution. I know I share genuine information for other parents. My kid only benefits when others in his age group get better. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Thanks for posting this, because it's an interesting take and I'm curious about this pathway. Where to start. So, you say that your son caught the scout's eye when they were 10. But you resisted and are part of the P2P system here. MLS Next or ECNL? Just curious. What caught my eye was the visa part and going to Europe to play. That's great that you are able to secure a Euro visa for your family and your son. You say visa and not passport right? Because I think that's two different things. Passports can be difficult and are easier said than done having investigated this myself for myself and children. My child plays at a high level and one of their aspirational goals was to play for their grandparents' home country national team. It looks less and less likely as time goes on as we have investigated pathways to secure entry into Europe.

Back to your child's path. What drives your thinking that you will be able to relocate to Europe, start a business and have your son catch on at a Euro academy when they are 15/16 years old? Have they had interest from European scouts at a younger age and you have demonstrated to them that you can secure a Euro visa so it simplifies the situation for them? I find it difficult to fathom that your son would be able to show up at a European club at 15/16 as an unknown commodity and walk into their program. My godson is in the middle of doing this as an older kid, but in order to play hockey in some of the euro leagues. He was able to begin the process of securing a Slovak passport due to his familial ties to the country. He's also had conversation with some of their Tier 2 hockey clubs after having played junior hockey here in the US.

I'm just curious because this pathway seems like an even bigger risk and less likely of succeeding than playing here in the US and going to a highly regarded D3 or Ivy and playing. I realize that some of my questions are pretty pointed and personal, so please understand I'm just trying to figure some of this out myself. And look, while your child's goal is not playing D1 soccer at ODU, my son has a HS friend playing there and having a blast doing it. Sure, the Sun Belt might not be your kid's dream, but it is someone else's. To each his own, right? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

1) MLS Next academy for a U12 team. Scouted at a tournament in PA.

2) Honestly, I am using visa and passport interchangeably but I know he can get registered under each route There are three potential routes: 1) Residual income visa in country A; 2) Residency passport via grandparent in country B; 3) My firm has an office that I can use to launch a business via in country C (learned from another American). I actually read the FIFA rules posted in this thread and began networking. THERE ARE ALOT OF AMERICANS OVER THERE and they have the attorneys that can explain the pitfalls of people who don’t prepare. Many don’t prepare properly and can’t register their players. Some jumped too early before the kid is mentally ready. You will be hearing about many of them over the next 2 World Cup cycles.

3) My kid is not an unknown commodity. My kid has played overseas in two of the countries already and we are going to the 3rd and 4th later this year and next spring. We are visiting next year with American dual-citizens whose kid has already received an offer from a Bundesliga academy. Our kids are similarly skilled and he is taking us simply to trial and see how competitive and aggressive their style of play is. The guy brokering it has a kid in a Bundesliga academy on a USYNT. Nevertheless, my kid trials with clubs annually and we are not afraid of landing where he lands and working his way through where ever that is.

4) Whether my kid goes or not, he focuses on his studies intensely because I told him in order for me to allow him to go to an academy I have to trust he can be self-sufficient. It is still a few years away and I know Stanford currently has an amazing online high school and I imagine more offerings will come available in time. I remind him that Lewandowski earned his Masters degree while playing professionally so that is the expectation.

5) I think most of us have seen most of the kids in our age group. I know where my kid is relative to his peers. It changes annually but as long as my kid focused on his journey and IDP, he will be okay. Most of our top kids are professional academy-level overseas. DCU serves DC, NOVA, B-More, Richmond, Delaware and a portion of WV which could be 6 different markets overseas. We are much further spread out and they are working from a much more condensed talent pool. The key is staying in striking distance through U15/U16. We don’t typically keep pace from the U12 years through U15/U16 so we will keep going overseas annually and getting feedback on our game. We get quarterly feedback from my kids game tape and adjust his IDP based on what he needs to improve.
All of those players who take are D1 spots become coaches here and they all have connections. I imagine someone will get paid if my kid lands in an academy but that is not my business.

6) No worries on the questions and I don’t take it personal. These are not easy decisions or an easy process but it is my son’s goal so I am simply doing my best to help him achieve it. I ask a lot of questions and listen well. I really am grateful for this thread and willing to share as others have done for me.

7) Yes, to each his own. I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s dream but I don’t think people are paying attention to the end product when going through this path. I went to a nothing college and made something out of myself so I think anyone can make it no matter where they go.

Max Dowman and Lamine Yamal are the outliers out of 7-8 billion people. If a kid really wants to follow their dream, they may have to work hard for 4-10 years after hitting puberty just to break into a first team. That’s closer to reality and if my son wants that path, I am going to support it. It is a lot more interesting than my path. Even if he never makes it, he is already bilingual and working to be trilingual in pursuit of his goal. The habits for simply preparing to make a move are stronger than most kids his age.

I think I answered all of the questions.

As the one who asked the questions, thank you for your detailed response. Your son is very fortunate that he has a family that is in a position where they can travel to Europe annually for training and development. That's not a reality for many players. And at U12 as well. Good luck with your journey. It will be a wild ride, I'm sure.

Fantasy beats reality anytime

Especially the tale about visas at 15 years old that allows you to legitimately get registered with a club academy under UEFA and FIFA rules

C'mon, IFKYK. He's obviously referring to legitimate visas that some parents are able to get because they have business or are employed in Europe (i.e., for reasons completely unrelated to a child's desire to play in Europe). Sure, soccer is probably what drove the parents to find a way to work/live in Europe and that's why it can still be extremely, extremely difficult (and a lot of planning ahead) to get a player legitimately registered with a club academy because you have to show the move to the country was not for soccer reasons. We know at least one family (e.g., neither parent have an avenue to obtain EU passports for themselves or their children) who has done this.

It does require a lot of time and money to actually get it done properly. But PP seems to have lots of money and time and energy to obtain the necessary training for their DS as well as make the right connections so frankly, his plan seems plausible.

Then maybe he should have just said he qualified for one of the exceptions under FIFA Article 19 for non-citizens with legitimate business reasons residency within allowable milage from a club.

Would have been easier to understand.

Maybe. I deliberately explained it the way I did because that provision is actually not easy to understand for a lot of people and that's how I've usually explained it.

The 15/16 age he mentions as the age to go to Europe I would assume is because even with an EU passport, movement between EU academies is also restricted up until 16. That is, even with an EU passport, unless the player is going to their EU passport country, they would have similar restrictions trying to move to another EU academy. I think this is a more recent restriction as Pulisic and Reyna appeared to have moved to Europe (to countries where they did not hold passports) when they were 14.

The Article 19 and some other post-Brexit rules as exists today didn't exist for the Pulisic batch

Yes, that would make sense as to why even those who have EU passports are delaying their moves.

And because this thread is for providing information, if, like the PP, you are willing to go to all the hoops (and have the funds and energy to do the research) to get your kid into a Euro acdemy, it would make sense to not sign with an MLS academy. That goes against every thing we hear about when our kids are starting their youth soccer journeys right? The issue is, MLS academies are entitled to training compensation or solidarity payments depending on when and how long they were with an MLS academy. This requirement is not a new FIFA requirement but MLS has only started enforcing it fairly recently. So you are generally a more expensive player to sign than a similarly talented player coming from a non-MLS academy. And if you want to go to an EU academy directly from an MLS academy, the MLS academy will often have the power/influence where you can go. Of course, many families do not have the resources and know-how that PP has so often times, it is still the better deal to sign with an MLS academy at least for the name recognition which will make marketing your kid in Europe easier.

Cat 1 and Cat 2 Academies in Europe will take a talent they want from a MLS Academy and pay the fees (as they do to get a kid from another club in Europe), if its an exceptional talent with the future potential they assess, over a kid from a grassroots or no club.
Unless the grassroots club kid has serious real connections and was able to have a significant period of exceptional trial training, and even then.

Why, because the kid from the professional academy in their eyes comes from a professional environment with the accompanying lifestyle, disciplines, training, competition and parents more aligned to their environment