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:

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

Of course, no doubt.

But outside of the MLS Academy system, yes, it will take a serious real connections and consistent relationships and exceptional trialing. But it does happen.

[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:

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

Of course, no doubt.

But outside of the MLS Academy system, yes, it will take a serious real connections and consistent relationships and exceptional trialing. But it does happen.

I would say, U14 and younger, better chance, not great odds
U15 and older, highly improbable.

[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:

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

Of course, no doubt.

But outside of the MLS Academy system, yes, it will take a serious real connections and consistent relationships and exceptional trialing. But it does happen.

I would say, U14 and younger, better chance, not great odds
U15 and older, highly improbable.

Actually the U15 and above group is what I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

Thanks. Here is the fun part of all of this. This is my first time on this board today. Somebody posted as me and tweedle dee is doing his usual hater thing without tweedle dumb. Funny how he knows the precise transfer rules as a novice who does not believe any of our little Messi's are exceptional and capable of making it pro. Odd. Nevertheless, you don't have be in my position. Here are a few suggestions to maximize your kids development:

1) I know alot of kids in academies around the country identified through Id2, ODP and major tournaments not affiliated with MLS Next. People are always watching. Academies like Nashville and NE have residential options because they don't have a dense talent pool like us. Nashville has picked up several DMV kids recently and the fact they are sitting on top of the eastern conference right now after just 5 years of existence means people should pay attention to them and their academy. I was shocked at how open Philly was about how they are circumventing the DCU territory rules. You will notice that the other MLS clubs are actively poaching this area but they know how much talent is here. That is a route I would take if not going to Europe. Would you really want to be with other parents who don't believe their kids have a shot? That is rule #1 of how not to do anything. If I cited every person who failed at running a firm like mine, I never would have started.
2) Patrick literally said on the podcast that our DMV talent pool is so rich, it did not need the special programs that NE Revolution needs. I personally believe we should produce 3-5 professionals per age group. That is how deep the talent pool is here in comparison to European academies. Ignorance goes away when you actually see it. Our kids are good. However, we don't have the confidence. We don't have the coaching. We don't have anyone to lead us. SYC current talent pools are stacked and if they don't produce 3 pro's out of their 2011-2014 groups then we will really know it is a coaching and development problem. What is disappointing about the discourse in this thread is that criticism about DCU is NEVER ABOUT THE KIDS. The kids in the academy and about 25-50 outside of the academy are awesome. The emperor has no clothes and does not know how to nurture the deep talent pool he inherits annually. False8 is the only entity speaking belief in these kids while having them spend 1.5 hours a day on 8-step combinations that they will never use in a game (smh and another topic). We simply need leadership on the fundamentals that translate to the professional game.
3) Christian Pulisic used Ekkonno for his soccer IQ and film review to update his tactics. I don't use them but there are several other companies that do film review from an international perspective and Ekkonno still does. You don't need to fly across the pond to get independent advice on what your kid needs to work on.
4) Develop an IDP. No club has a personal blueprint to develop your child that I have found in the DMV. It is up to you, the parent. If you take a long-term approach, I am confident more kids would make it. Making it in soccer is bigger than a paycheck. The mindset of a professional soccer player is so strong that it can translate to any field in business or civics after your kids playing days are over. I only have one kid with this goal in soccer and my other kids goals are infinitely easier to game plan for and achieve.

I stated this before in this thread but Athletic Bilbao fields an entire La Liga 1st team that has never been relegated in the history of La Liga from a population base of 2m people. DC, MD and VA, excluding Delaware and West Virginia, is about 15m people. With all of the investment people make in this area, we really can't produce more with almost 8x the population?! I don't buy that.

[Anonymous]

Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

Ain't nobody with seriously talented kids reading all this rambling back and forth between the senile angry retiree and the person pretending to be a novice

They have real life contacts and connections if they need information they don't already have.

Not crazies on an anonymous forum

Plus, all this pipe dream jibber jabber about Europe this and Europe that is wishful bar talk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

ps We know you keep responding to yourself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

ps We know you keep responding to yourself

Ask jeff to look up the IP addresses.. I've done that on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

Ain't nobody with seriously talented kids reading all this rambling back and forth between the senile angry retiree and the person pretending to be a novice

They have real life contacts and connections if they need information they don't already have.

Not crazies on an anonymous forum

Plus, all this pipe dream jibber jabber about Europe this and Europe that is wishful bar talk

Ain't nobody with seriously talented kids coming here day after day still responding to the thread with absolutely nothing meaningful to add that would help their kid. Just hurt feelings that the decisions they've made wound up being terrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

Ain't nobody with seriously talented kids reading all this rambling back and forth between the senile angry retiree and the person pretending to be a novice

They have real life contacts and connections if they need information they don't already have.

Not crazies on an anonymous forum

Plus, all this pipe dream jibber jabber about Europe this and Europe that is wishful bar talk

Just keep focusing on DCU and the dead end that it is. What were talking about is beyond your ability to process because you've been brainwashed by them and the entire football culture in the DMV. You're lost. College is the ceiling for you and college with no scholarship at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

ps We know you keep responding to yourself

You want this to be true so badly but it just isn't. You're the only one holding on to the falsehood...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

ps We know you keep responding to yourself

you don't have the mentality to produce an exceptional player to reach a pro level. Exceptional players must do exceptional things. Holding on to the status quo is by default not exceptional. You're in a fake pro environment because it is what society tells you is right. All the evidence shows it's wrong. Up to you how you want to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

Ain't nobody with seriously talented kids reading all this rambling back and forth between the senile angry retiree and the person pretending to be a novice

They have real life contacts and connections if they need information they don't already have.

Not crazies on an anonymous forum

Plus, all this pipe dream jibber jabber about Europe this and Europe that is wishful bar talk

And what is abundantly clear is that you don't have these connections...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the novice said we aren't churning out pros consistently. Not that kids aren't capable of becoming pros.

But, none of us are listening to the novice anyway.

We're only listening to you grand master
No one else has your experience, knowledge, success, insight and connections at the top of the soccer pyramid and business world

Continue please Obi-Wan

The awesome thing about this thread is that, I, the old man who has been offering knowledge on here for two years, am impressed that SOMEONE ELSE gets it. Fully gets it. Bravo to the PP on his/her understanding of the ecosystem and how DCU fits into it. Especially with respect to Europe.

Like I said many many posts ago, if you have European ambition, stay out of MLS academies especially at older ages. Your value is your ability to transfer FOR FREE, which Is literally gold in Europe. If you do stay in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe, stay for 1 year. After that you become expensive and clubs will hesitate. If you're in a MLS academy and want to go to Europe at 18, you're almost certainly not going to cut it (some exceptions of course) unless you are absolutely killing it here. You've been in a mediocre system for too long and European talent is just WAY better. If you've been outside a MLS academy at 18 and you want to transfer that's different because again, you're free. The options open up. Clubs are more willing to take a flier for free. The question will always be, how good was your training and how have you tested your ability.

To anyone who thinks no one reads this thread and gets educated about DCU and the MLS academy system is kidding themselves.

Again, bravo to the PP who had the long posts before this one. You get it. That makes me happy.

ps We know you keep responding to yourself

Ask jeff to look up the IP addresses.. I've done that on you.

So you are just a parent who knows the owner of DCUM and researches the IP addresses of detractors of the academy? 😉

As the kids would say, I was today years old when I learned who owned this thing as I really am just a parent who only came on here after a Google search led me here.

The old man has a vendetta for sure. As a once novice parent who decided to do more research based on the breadcrumbs in these pages, can you really blame him? The level the “DCU intern” does to suppress information flow for parents to simply make informed decisions is diabolical.