Anonymous wrote:I just want to add this, the nom de plume's that various folks in this thread have assumed is pretty funny, IMO.
You have the DCU Intern, the Old Man and the Novice. You can maybe also say there is the Backer, the Skeptic, Mr. Negative as well...
Who else in here contributing?
🤣😆🤣
The uncle contributed last year.
- The Novice
Dear The Novice.
This is the Uncle. I posted the above about the nom de plumes. LOL. I'll take The Uncle handle with pride. This is an interesting thread for sure. There's a lot of good information as you shift through much of the BS that is posted as well. Best of luck on your journey. Good Luck!
👋
We’re going to call you Unc. I hope your nephew is doing well and enjoying his senior year. I am truly the novice because I have no clue about any DCU results other than 1-0 against Barca.
And got outclassed and swept at every age group by Philly Union just last week with the u16s losing 6-2 and the two goals DCU scored were pks. DCUs u15 beating Barca has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of DCUs program. NOTHING. DCUs program is an absolute embarrassment and they should be ashamed of what they are offering the kids in the DMV. It is that simple.
The u15s are playing up u16s in games. They play u15 in tournament. This is been stated dozens of times on here.
Anonymous wrote:how often the u13/u14 boys selected in the dc united pathway to pro practice? I see all these announcements online with many vda and Arlington boys in it.
Pathway to pro is a program vda Arlington and other clubs have with dcua to identify players to tryout. So yes they advertise the program alot
The u13/u14s in general have a futures program that practices weekly.
Anonymous wrote:I just want to add this, the nom de plume's that various folks in this thread have assumed is pretty funny, IMO.
You have the DCU Intern, the Old Man and the Novice. You can maybe also say there is the Backer, the Skeptic, Mr. Negative as well...
Who else in here contributing?
🤣😆🤣
The uncle contributed last year.
- The Novice
Dear The Novice.
This is the Uncle. I posted the above about the nom de plumes. LOL. I'll take The Uncle handle with pride. This is an interesting thread for sure. There's a lot of good information as you shift through much of the BS that is posted as well. Best of luck on your journey. Good Luck!
👋
We’re going to call you Unc. I hope your nephew is doing well and enjoying his senior year. I am truly the novice because I have no clue about any DCU results other than 1-0 against Barca.
And got outclassed and swept at every age group by Philly Union just last week with the u16s losing 6-2 and the two goals DCU scored were pks. DCUs u15 beating Barca has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of DCUs program. NOTHING. DCUs program is an absolute embarrassment and they should be ashamed of what they are offering the kids in the DMV. It is that simple.
The u15s are playing up u16s in games. They play u15 in tournament. This is been stated dozens of times on here.
All academy age groups play up. So DCU plays against their same age group when going against other academy. DCU u15 would not be going against BARCA or Philly u16. They only play up when against non-academy club likes SYC, BA, Alexandria, etc..
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.
On number 2 in the PP above...I personally think that most Americans don't really understand what talent in football truly is because we don't have the knowledge or education in the sport in this country. It is our biggest downfall as a nation in football. We can't consistently identify the right talent. Americans look at a game and see someone do some fancy moves 1v1, run really really hard, sprint really fast, work really really hard and think those kids are ballers. I'm not saying this is you, but I'm saying it is a lot of what I see from American parents and alot of what DCU recruits. They don't even understand what good looks like. If you don't know what good looks like, how can you possibly understand the standard by which your son needs to be developed INTO A PRO? This is the fundamental problem with the DMV football system and most importantly DCU. A lot of ignorant parents who just don't understand what it takes to become a professional because if they did, they would know right away, without hesitation that DCU will not achieve that goal in any way. Not in its current form. And most parents judge soccer talent in the younger ages which is really unfortunate because the younger ages are basically irrelevant. 2011-2014 age groups are u15 and UNDER. Bro, these kids are barely playing real football. They can't produce enough power and speed yet to even come close to what a real football game will look like at 18 and not to mention, most, if not all of them will fall off the map once puberty is done. They will be in two camps, early bloomers who peaked too early or not athletic enough to cut it once real speed and athleticism takes over a massive part of the game in the US. The third element would be just technical mastery. But the reality is that most kids in the DMV who are flooding the system come from some sort of wealth. What that usually translates to is that they don't have the same grind mentality to really perfect their craft. Why most players in the DMV peak at about 15-16. In the younger years they have the most time to work on their game. As they get older, the free time lessens, and they actually practice THEIR (not the team's) game very little.
3-5 pro players per age group could be achievable if we had better coaching at the younger ages. We just don't have that. But the reality is that the DMV talent pool isn't what it used to be. I'm sorry to break that to you. Look at the youth national teams. Very little representation from the DMV and 10-15 years ago there were many DMV players ON the actual national teams not in regional camps. American players are much more brave with the ball than European players at young ages and they play with less fear. But what is obvious when you put those same American players in a sophisticated system, they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They don't understand formations and what they mean defensively and offensively, they don't understand how to move off the ball (just what to do when they have it), the decision making is usually very questionable because they aren't taught the decision making fundamental, the passing accuracy of American players is way off (you can see this even in our own national team) and when the game speeds up and you're playing max two touches...its over. And maybe most importantly, and the PP said this too, they don't have game speed translatable skills. The pace of play in the US is just FAR slower than Europe especially defensively.
The DMV football ecosystem that was once great sold itself to the all mighty dollar and our talent pool took a massive hit. Now everything is about making money. Literally everything. You think going to group sessions at NextStar will make a kid a pro??? NO chance. You're doing what everyone else is doing at that point. Running hills and around the track at 9?? Dumb. Your 9 year old has no real muscles to develop and you're putting stress on a developing body for no real reason. at 16-17 different story. Cone drills that don't translate to the game...Death to a player as he gets older. Head down syndrome and less dynamic moves for the big field because the cone drills program the player to keep the ball super tight. But in most positions you need to be able to keep it tight AND create BIG moves into open space with dynamic movements. Here is the truth, most coaches who actually do know what it takes to be a pro won't actually tell the parents because they know that most, if not all of them, won't sacrifice that much of their kids lives for the sport. So they keep them thinking this is what it takes to get their money knowing that your little Jimmy has probably no chance not because they don't have some talent, but because they will never be able to keep up with players that are grinding much harder around the world. Most parents in the DMV and America are always hedging, and trying to do it all. You can't do that if you want to be a pro in football. You have to be all in or all out. There is no half way. Parents in the DMV are educated enough and know the statistics well enough not to put all of their eggs into a football basket so what you have is a lot players masquerading as wanting to be pros but the reality is that they are on a college trajectory because that is what DMV soccer is about. This is the player DCU caters to and why they have no legit pros out of the academy in the last 3-4 YEARS. Look up the schedule of a top academy player in Europe and compare that to a player in DCU's system. It is just not a fair fight. The DCU kids have no chance.
The DMV could be much better because we have a large football population that spends money. But the reality is that most of that money is spent keeping up with the Joneses, not trying to legitimately produce a professional player. Because a legitimate pro prospect would leave the DMV as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
I do agree that we need more leadership and guidance. But that means stripping these pay to play clubs of their strangle hold on the youth system at the younger ages and actually teaching the kids to really play. Not just win games which is what the system is programmed to do. Pay to play clubs won't give up their control easily. This coupled with the fact that DCU is a broke and inept club when it comes to the academy is why they don't have younger ages in their system. Pay to play can't compete with free.
Ok old man. A lot of meat on this bone to get through. Thank you again. I think you're correct in your overall assessment. However, while I am a novice parent, I have seen Kevin Parades cook in the Bundesliga (when not hurt) so I know it is possible to play in a top 5 league from the DMV. A few questions:
a) Pace of play and soccer IQ is the number one factor I hear that we lag behind our international counterparts. How do we train speed of play and soccer IQ outside of the clubs? I know it is not the same being here versus Europe but the best I can do until we leave.
b) Questions regarding Next Star and physical fitness. I am a runner so I know that many East African runners have a strong aerobic base from running to school and many other aspects of their childhood that many westerners can't replicate. You don't think age appropriate physical fitness can create a foundation starting in the elementary ages?
c) Regarding an academy player schedule in Europe, break that down between the 2011-2014 age ranges please. In a few years, we will be in Europe but we do understand that this is the drop-off period. How much time does my child need to dedicate weekly and where should the time be allocated?
d) I think that the sacrifice piece is the main issue in the DMV because none of us really know how good you have to be and we are mostly a large set of successful professionals with advanced degrees. I do understand I am trying to thread the needle but I am not prepared to give up education. I have forgone private school for this kid and I am willing to forgo AP classes when the time comes which are big sacrifices for me. At the same time, I can be who you are talking to as well in this post. Anything else needed to sacrifice? I imagine he may need to go virtual in the next few years to maintain his training load and sleep/recovery schedule and I am willing to do that if he continues down the same path.
As always, I appreciate these candid discussions.
Thanks for this post. Totally reasonable questions presented in a constructive way. Thanks for that. We need more of this on the thread. Let's discuss...
On Paredes and the possibility of playing in a top 5 league from the DMV...I know his case VERY well...He got to Wolfsburg and was not even close to getting minutes. He was too far behind the European players when he first got to Germany. It took him two years to get in the rotation and while he had some solid performances once he was able to break through, he was never a key guy on the team even when healthy. Not a knock on him, just facts. Can you get to a top 5 league from the DMV, yes but that is true just about anywhere if you have the ambition and drive to do so. But you also need a x factor, a quality that is above everyone. Paredes has speed on the outside which alot of.Bundesliga clubs were looking for because Germany doesn't produce a lot of pacey wingers in its system. Much more center backs, midfielders and goalies. Paredes himself will probably tell you that DCU didn't prepare him for the Bundesliga. It was obvious when he arrived. But he had physical baseline that was needed and a foundation the club thought they could build on. They new he was a project coming in but they saw upside potential.. same with Akinmboni at Bournemouth. Barely played at DCU but Bournemouth bought his physical upside with a gamble they could teach him how to be a real player..that gamble isn't paying off for them. He was much too far behind technically...bottom line is can you make it there yes, but what you're seeing is that most of these players are just hanging on. And that is because they didn't have the proper technical and tactical foundation...raw talent gets them the opportunities, real technical ability has the staying power..
Pace of play: in short, you have to create overload situations (physical and mental) all the time. Everything that a player does in a session is at maximum effort and there are no sessions without really hard defense being played both to pressure the offensive players but to also work on defensive intensity. 2v3, 1v2, imbalance sessions so there is more defense than teammates and solutions have to be found quicker and the player is the solution, not someone else. Again at max speed. Cannot stress this enough. If individual, everything is game simulation movements and position specific...center backs are training different skills than 8s and 10s.. not enough room here to map out a training regime but you get the point and there is enough online for you to develop a program. You just need to find the players to train regularly like this with the same mentality. I see most training in the DMV and the speed is about 60 percent of what it is in Europe.. breaks, phone checking, it's all lazy. Training has to be FASTER and more difficult than the game so the game feels easy. Can promise you, most people aren't training like that. I've seen kids leaving private sessions barely sweating. Not going to work.
NextStar and fitness: I do believe there is age appropriate physical fitness that can help build a foundation. We are on the same page there. But NextStar doesn't provide that. They have the 18 year olds running the same hills and programs as the 9 year olds which makes absolutely no sense for the 9 year olds. At 9, if you're training just the sport at the intensity I'm talking about, your fitness will be there. But let's really break down why these private trainers like NextStar have your kids running hills and the track. The simple reason is that, increased stamina and power at younger ages can make you standout without much on the ball work and mastery. It is much easier to train and less frustrating for the kids. Easy money maker because on the weekends you can see results faster and you think it's NextStar! But reality is Watching your kid run around the track is way easier than actually teaching them how to correctly touch the ball. Its the same for the clubs. Outlasting the opponents is a much easier strategy than actually teaching them how to play. Again, any sport with running as the main component requires baseline fitness. I just don't believe in treating 9 year olds the same as fully developed 18 year olds in terms of training. And when you have a coach like some in NextStar who played only one way, run fast and try to beat people, if you have a player who isn't like this, what are you doing?
2011-2014 training: At u15 many of the players are training 4 days a week and a lot of them are training twice a day. Morning session and a evening session. And at an intensity that is far superior to the US. Under u15, honestly, no one cares. Just build the players love for the game and the ball and focus on giving them a strong technical foundation WITH BOTH FEET and train at high intensity levels ALL THE TIME. You will see a major difference. Comfort on the ball translates very well. In terms of time spent per week I don't think there is a one size fits all. But just know that if your son isn't touching the ball everyday with deliberate practice he is falling behind. That is if he wants to be a legit pro and battle in Europe. Staying in the US that could be ok..and that doesn't mean 5 hours a day. It could be 30 minutes. But 30.minutes of deliberately practicing something to get better. Not random cones drills or YouTube video sessions. Most kids don't have this type of discipline and most parents in the DMV don't hold their kids accountable to this type of discipline because again, they are mostly wealthy and don't need football. Go up against a kid and family that NEEDS football to survive and see how that goes.
Sacrifice: this is so personal to you, your family situation and your ultimate goals. Your REAL goals. End of day it is all.about time allocation and management. What you'll find is that as your child gets older, there isn't enough time in the day to actually get better if you're following a traditional school plan and have genuine rigor in those academic settings. You're just going through the motions. Going through the motions is where our kids stall and European kids skyrocket. Many European parents will toss school out the window for the chance at pro football. We won't do that here and honestly, rightfully so. What happens in Europe is that once the kids can stop going to school they do and concentrate solely on football day in and day out. They don't go to university and they just play in the highest environments they can until they either get phased out of the system or they make it. Sacrifice is a tough thing. You have to find the right balance for you and your family. It's not easy..but just know this, if you're on the same schedule as most of your son's peers, you're behind.
Really thoughtful questions and again, I appreciate this dialogue as it is productive. And to wrap it all together and make it relevant for DCU...You have no chance of being a professional in DCUs system as it is today. .why they haven't signed a kid to the first team from the academy in over THREE YEARS.
🙏 I feel like we have our own personal Mr. Miyagi. In all seriousness, thank you.
It looks like I missed a lot but have a few specific follow-ups to your response to me:
1) PG from Next Star is one of the first people I did learn from. He was actually taught me age-appropriate and fun fitness training with my kid so he may have changed. While he has been important to a novice like me, Kristian Fletcher tore his ACL randomly and many on this board have commented about PG’s training style as being outdated so I have not followed the regiments out of fear. Is there literature or someone to reach out to responsibly build a kids body considering they are practicing on turf and playing on it 6 days a week when you include random pickups? I have solely focused on technical mastery but it is time to address the physical.
2) I always hear that winning does not matter overseas and nothing really matters until U15. It is really hard to accept when you only have one shot at this here in the states. Here is a current dilemma: we have the option of two teams for next year. Team 1 has okay coaching and elite talent and will win a lot. Team 2 has elite coaching and subpar talent and will lose a lot. I prefer Team 2 but I am worried about the speed of play practicing with subpar talent. They have the local track record of developing a kid like mine. Any guidance on how to handle this?
RE 1: I hear you on PG. As someone who is old enough to have actually watched PG play, I can say this...He was a very fast player, with a great left foot and his game focused mainly on beating people 1v1 with pace. This was his entire game. Of course what he had got him to the highest levels in this country (remember 80s football is not 2026 football), but when he went overseas...no so great because he was one dimensional. On the plus side, he is one of the few people in the DMV that has actually played at higher levels and also has a relationship (albeit a bit old and dated now) with the USSF. He can break down the game at a higher level and definitely teach your kid something. Would never take that away from him and I do believe he has something to offer a young player (what that is depends on the player and their needs). That is a huge plus. On the flip side, his methodology is stuck in the 80s. The game has surpassed his training style and approach and modern training is just much more sophisticated and takes in many MANY more variables and technology. You can't train like you did in the 80s now because the volume and load is too much for the modern game and the amount that players play these days. Anyone who tells you differently, is lying for their own benefit. Building power and quickness needs to be done in different ways and with different exercises, not just the same thing over and over and over because your body breaks down much faster with the game schedule of the modern player. You never know what causes an ACL injury and I don't wish injuries on any player because it truly sucks for the player, the family...Everyone. So, I would never say PGs methods caused an injury to a player because that would be false and totally unfair. But what I will offer is this... If you build your game solely around power and speed and less around thinking and finding solutions with your brain, you are MUCH MUCH more susceptible to those types of injuries because you're just moving at a faster clip more often and you're making dynamic movements more often at those higher speeds. The best analogy I can think of is the rate of injury between a running back and a quarterback in American football. Running backs take more punishment and are injured FAR more. Power and pace players are also injured more because they put more toll on their body. You need balance in your training regime. The game requires baseline speed and quickness, without it you have no chance. But if it is your ONLY thing, its just a tough existence in the sport. Just like if you can only play one position (like striker). If you're not scoring goals, you're done. If you want to look at some research start here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3787286/ There is alot of research out there. You just have to determine what you believe is best for your son or daughter and how their body responds to training. No one size fits all. Go to a doctor that specializes in this for advice (see several of them and land on a point of view) if you're serious. And there are many in our area. Sports doctors. But if you're building your game around thinking/ball mastery/speed of play instead of brute force, you're already on the right track. PGs trainings don't really do that if you look closely and study what is going on. Maybe 1v1 thinking and how to break player down (and that is valuable don't get me wrong), but situational thinking, game focused and tactical understanding of your position and how to outthink an opponent without using your pure force, WAY less. If you're a winger, PG is a good option because that is what he played. If you're a central mid, CDM, CAM, center back you need someone else to teach you how to break down those positions because they require fundamentally different skills and thought processes. Wing backs, PG could be good because those are the players wingers go up against so he will have relevant input on that.
RE 2: It is a classic dilemma for a talented player. You're not alone. There are many MANY trains of thought on this. Here is where I stand...A lot this depends on the ages. If younger, go with the better coach. Here is why...Your son will gain confidence on the ball and be THE option early on in his career and this mindset carries. Plus, he will be learning how to play from someone that knows what they are talking about. This also carries. Your goal is to build a foundation of ability that will carry with him throughout his career and alot of it is mentality and confidence to be brave. Great mentality and swagger with the ball is something that is just really hard to teach later. You need to build this early. With a better team and weaker coach, he will be tested more, and maybe fail more, which is good actually, but he won't learn as much and in many instances, his confidence may decline as a result. Winning really doesn't matter. No one is saying look back and being like what a great u13 tournament we had! Just doesn't really happen. But if you're older, lets say u15 or older, I might have a different opinion. You need to be on a better team because your team won't be able to function normally because the people around you are that much weaker. The delta at the younger ages is smaller. At the older ages it can be massive. And this will bring you down. End of day, I usually side with a good coach over a good system/team. No professional club purchases teams. Only individuals. If you have this mindset, the answers to alot of questions about pathway become really clear. Being on a good youth team can have massive benefits if you have a good coach. If you have a crap coach, it can be more detrimental. You should always be looking to supplement any team environment with individualized training regardless.
Hope this helps.
This definitely helps. My apologies for not addressing yesterday as Tweedle Dee returned and took my attention.
Thanks for the background on PG and thanks for the literature. I recently found a trainer with a master’s in Kinesiology to to guide us based on the info you have provided 🙏. I explained to my son that while he is much further than I was in one particular sport, I played everything, swam, hopped fences, rode bikes everywhere and was just more athletic than he is on a multi-dimensional plane. I am trying to figure that out in this new world.
My son chose team 2 on his own so I did not have to intervene. He likes hard coaching.
You might want to think about getting these ideas down on paper even with a ghost writer. I left this thread for a while because the toxicity is unbelievable. Then, I will peak in, grab a nugget and sift through everything I missed to grab more nuggets. I hate that other parents do not have this knowledge buried in this anonymous thread. Just food for thought.
I thought about writing a book on youth soccer to be honest with a friend of mine because people need a guide. But I just haven't gotten around to it. honestly I've written several chapters already on this thread covering the US academy system, FIFA transfer rules, DCU and its shortcomings, development pathway and training, playing in Europe, it's all here...
Since you started writing all this in Instagram under your real name, you may as well write the book now.
But what are you going to say that isn't already known by anyone who can simply do Google search for youth soccer stuff?
Your book will only be valuable if you're speaking from experience of having been and currently operating at the highest levels of soccer.
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.
On number 2 in the PP above...I personally think that most Americans don't really understand what talent in football truly is because we don't have the knowledge or education in the sport in this country. It is our biggest downfall as a nation in football. We can't consistently identify the right talent. Americans look at a game and see someone do some fancy moves 1v1, run really really hard, sprint really fast, work really really hard and think those kids are ballers. I'm not saying this is you, but I'm saying it is a lot of what I see from American parents and alot of what DCU recruits. They don't even understand what good looks like. If you don't know what good looks like, how can you possibly understand the standard by which your son needs to be developed INTO A PRO? This is the fundamental problem with the DMV football system and most importantly DCU. A lot of ignorant parents who just don't understand what it takes to become a professional because if they did, they would know right away, without hesitation that DCU will not achieve that goal in any way. Not in its current form. And most parents judge soccer talent in the younger ages which is really unfortunate because the younger ages are basically irrelevant. 2011-2014 age groups are u15 and UNDER. Bro, these kids are barely playing real football. They can't produce enough power and speed yet to even come close to what a real football game will look like at 18 and not to mention, most, if not all of them will fall off the map once puberty is done. They will be in two camps, early bloomers who peaked too early or not athletic enough to cut it once real speed and athleticism takes over a massive part of the game in the US. The third element would be just technical mastery. But the reality is that most kids in the DMV who are flooding the system come from some sort of wealth. What that usually translates to is that they don't have the same grind mentality to really perfect their craft. Why most players in the DMV peak at about 15-16. In the younger years they have the most time to work on their game. As they get older, the free time lessens, and they actually practice THEIR (not the team's) game very little.
3-5 pro players per age group could be achievable if we had better coaching at the younger ages. We just don't have that. But the reality is that the DMV talent pool isn't what it used to be. I'm sorry to break that to you. Look at the youth national teams. Very little representation from the DMV and 10-15 years ago there were many DMV players ON the actual national teams not in regional camps. American players are much more brave with the ball than European players at young ages and they play with less fear. But what is obvious when you put those same American players in a sophisticated system, they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They don't understand formations and what they mean defensively and offensively, they don't understand how to move off the ball (just what to do when they have it), the decision making is usually very questionable because they aren't taught the decision making fundamental, the passing accuracy of American players is way off (you can see this even in our own national team) and when the game speeds up and you're playing max two touches...its over. And maybe most importantly, and the PP said this too, they don't have game speed translatable skills. The pace of play in the US is just FAR slower than Europe especially defensively.
The DMV football ecosystem that was once great sold itself to the all mighty dollar and our talent pool took a massive hit. Now everything is about making money. Literally everything. You think going to group sessions at NextStar will make a kid a pro??? NO chance. You're doing what everyone else is doing at that point. Running hills and around the track at 9?? Dumb. Your 9 year old has no real muscles to develop and you're putting stress on a developing body for no real reason. at 16-17 different story. Cone drills that don't translate to the game...Death to a player as he gets older. Head down syndrome and less dynamic moves for the big field because the cone drills program the player to keep the ball super tight. But in most positions you need to be able to keep it tight AND create BIG moves into open space with dynamic movements. Here is the truth, most coaches who actually do know what it takes to be a pro won't actually tell the parents because they know that most, if not all of them, won't sacrifice that much of their kids lives for the sport. So they keep them thinking this is what it takes to get their money knowing that your little Jimmy has probably no chance not because they don't have some talent, but because they will never be able to keep up with players that are grinding much harder around the world. Most parents in the DMV and America are always hedging, and trying to do it all. You can't do that if you want to be a pro in football. You have to be all in or all out. There is no half way. Parents in the DMV are educated enough and know the statistics well enough not to put all of their eggs into a football basket so what you have is a lot players masquerading as wanting to be pros but the reality is that they are on a college trajectory because that is what DMV soccer is about. This is the player DCU caters to and why they have no legit pros out of the academy in the last 3-4 YEARS. Look up the schedule of a top academy player in Europe and compare that to a player in DCU's system. It is just not a fair fight. The DCU kids have no chance.
The DMV could be much better because we have a large football population that spends money. But the reality is that most of that money is spent keeping up with the Joneses, not trying to legitimately produce a professional player. Because a legitimate pro prospect would leave the DMV as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
I do agree that we need more leadership and guidance. But that means stripping these pay to play clubs of their strangle hold on the youth system at the younger ages and actually teaching the kids to really play. Not just win games which is what the system is programmed to do. Pay to play clubs won't give up their control easily. This coupled with the fact that DCU is a broke and inept club when it comes to the academy is why they don't have younger ages in their system. Pay to play can't compete with free.
Ok old man. A lot of meat on this bone to get through. Thank you again. I think you're correct in your overall assessment. However, while I am a novice parent, I have seen Kevin Parades cook in the Bundesliga (when not hurt) so I know it is possible to play in a top 5 league from the DMV. A few questions:
a) Pace of play and soccer IQ is the number one factor I hear that we lag behind our international counterparts. How do we train speed of play and soccer IQ outside of the clubs? I know it is not the same being here versus Europe but the best I can do until we leave.
b) Questions regarding Next Star and physical fitness. I am a runner so I know that many East African runners have a strong aerobic base from running to school and many other aspects of their childhood that many westerners can't replicate. You don't think age appropriate physical fitness can create a foundation starting in the elementary ages?
c) Regarding an academy player schedule in Europe, break that down between the 2011-2014 age ranges please. In a few years, we will be in Europe but we do understand that this is the drop-off period. How much time does my child need to dedicate weekly and where should the time be allocated?
d) I think that the sacrifice piece is the main issue in the DMV because none of us really know how good you have to be and we are mostly a large set of successful professionals with advanced degrees. I do understand I am trying to thread the needle but I am not prepared to give up education. I have forgone private school for this kid and I am willing to forgo AP classes when the time comes which are big sacrifices for me. At the same time, I can be who you are talking to as well in this post. Anything else needed to sacrifice? I imagine he may need to go virtual in the next few years to maintain his training load and sleep/recovery schedule and I am willing to do that if he continues down the same path.
As always, I appreciate these candid discussions.
Thanks for this post. Totally reasonable questions presented in a constructive way. Thanks for that. We need more of this on the thread. Let's discuss...
On Paredes and the possibility of playing in a top 5 league from the DMV...I know his case VERY well...He got to Wolfsburg and was not even close to getting minutes. He was too far behind the European players when he first got to Germany. It took him two years to get in the rotation and while he had some solid performances once he was able to break through, he was never a key guy on the team even when healthy. Not a knock on him, just facts. Can you get to a top 5 league from the DMV, yes but that is true just about anywhere if you have the ambition and drive to do so. But you also need a x factor, a quality that is above everyone. Paredes has speed on the outside which alot of.Bundesliga clubs were looking for because Germany doesn't produce a lot of pacey wingers in its system. Much more center backs, midfielders and goalies. Paredes himself will probably tell you that DCU didn't prepare him for the Bundesliga. It was obvious when he arrived. But he had physical baseline that was needed and a foundation the club thought they could build on. They new he was a project coming in but they saw upside potential.. same with Akinmboni at Bournemouth. Barely played at DCU but Bournemouth bought his physical upside with a gamble they could teach him how to be a real player..that gamble isn't paying off for them. He was much too far behind technically...bottom line is can you make it there yes, but what you're seeing is that most of these players are just hanging on. And that is because they didn't have the proper technical and tactical foundation...raw talent gets them the opportunities, real technical ability has the staying power..
Pace of play: in short, you have to create overload situations (physical and mental) all the time. Everything that a player does in a session is at maximum effort and there are no sessions without really hard defense being played both to pressure the offensive players but to also work on defensive intensity. 2v3, 1v2, imbalance sessions so there is more defense than teammates and solutions have to be found quicker and the player is the solution, not someone else. Again at max speed. Cannot stress this enough. If individual, everything is game simulation movements and position specific...center backs are training different skills than 8s and 10s.. not enough room here to map out a training regime but you get the point and there is enough online for you to develop a program. You just need to find the players to train regularly like this with the same mentality. I see most training in the DMV and the speed is about 60 percent of what it is in Europe.. breaks, phone checking, it's all lazy. Training has to be FASTER and more difficult than the game so the game feels easy. Can promise you, most people aren't training like that. I've seen kids leaving private sessions barely sweating. Not going to work.
NextStar and fitness: I do believe there is age appropriate physical fitness that can help build a foundation. We are on the same page there. But NextStar doesn't provide that. They have the 18 year olds running the same hills and programs as the 9 year olds which makes absolutely no sense for the 9 year olds. At 9, if you're training just the sport at the intensity I'm talking about, your fitness will be there. But let's really break down why these private trainers like NextStar have your kids running hills and the track. The simple reason is that, increased stamina and power at younger ages can make you standout without much on the ball work and mastery. It is much easier to train and less frustrating for the kids. Easy money maker because on the weekends you can see results faster and you think it's NextStar! But reality is Watching your kid run around the track is way easier than actually teaching them how to correctly touch the ball. Its the same for the clubs. Outlasting the opponents is a much easier strategy than actually teaching them how to play. Again, any sport with running as the main component requires baseline fitness. I just don't believe in treating 9 year olds the same as fully developed 18 year olds in terms of training. And when you have a coach like some in NextStar who played only one way, run fast and try to beat people, if you have a player who isn't like this, what are you doing?
2011-2014 training: At u15 many of the players are training 4 days a week and a lot of them are training twice a day. Morning session and a evening session. And at an intensity that is far superior to the US. Under u15, honestly, no one cares. Just build the players love for the game and the ball and focus on giving them a strong technical foundation WITH BOTH FEET and train at high intensity levels ALL THE TIME. You will see a major difference. Comfort on the ball translates very well. In terms of time spent per week I don't think there is a one size fits all. But just know that if your son isn't touching the ball everyday with deliberate practice he is falling behind. That is if he wants to be a legit pro and battle in Europe. Staying in the US that could be ok..and that doesn't mean 5 hours a day. It could be 30 minutes. But 30.minutes of deliberately practicing something to get better. Not random cones drills or YouTube video sessions. Most kids don't have this type of discipline and most parents in the DMV don't hold their kids accountable to this type of discipline because again, they are mostly wealthy and don't need football. Go up against a kid and family that NEEDS football to survive and see how that goes.
Sacrifice: this is so personal to you, your family situation and your ultimate goals. Your REAL goals. End of day it is all.about time allocation and management. What you'll find is that as your child gets older, there isn't enough time in the day to actually get better if you're following a traditional school plan and have genuine rigor in those academic settings. You're just going through the motions. Going through the motions is where our kids stall and European kids skyrocket. Many European parents will toss school out the window for the chance at pro football. We won't do that here and honestly, rightfully so. What happens in Europe is that once the kids can stop going to school they do and concentrate solely on football day in and day out. They don't go to university and they just play in the highest environments they can until they either get phased out of the system or they make it. Sacrifice is a tough thing. You have to find the right balance for you and your family. It's not easy..but just know this, if you're on the same schedule as most of your son's peers, you're behind.
Really thoughtful questions and again, I appreciate this dialogue as it is productive. And to wrap it all together and make it relevant for DCU...You have no chance of being a professional in DCUs system as it is today. .why they haven't signed a kid to the first team from the academy in over THREE YEARS.
🙏 I feel like we have our own personal Mr. Miyagi. In all seriousness, thank you.
It looks like I missed a lot but have a few specific follow-ups to your response to me:
1) PG from Next Star is one of the first people I did learn from. He was actually taught me age-appropriate and fun fitness training with my kid so he may have changed. While he has been important to a novice like me, Kristian Fletcher tore his ACL randomly and many on this board have commented about PG’s training style as being outdated so I have not followed the regiments out of fear. Is there literature or someone to reach out to responsibly build a kids body considering they are practicing on turf and playing on it 6 days a week when you include random pickups? I have solely focused on technical mastery but it is time to address the physical.
2) I always hear that winning does not matter overseas and nothing really matters until U15. It is really hard to accept when you only have one shot at this here in the states. Here is a current dilemma: we have the option of two teams for next year. Team 1 has okay coaching and elite talent and will win a lot. Team 2 has elite coaching and subpar talent and will lose a lot. I prefer Team 2 but I am worried about the speed of play practicing with subpar talent. They have the local track record of developing a kid like mine. Any guidance on how to handle this?
RE 1: I hear you on PG. As someone who is old enough to have actually watched PG play, I can say this...He was a very fast player, with a great left foot and his game focused mainly on beating people 1v1 with pace. This was his entire game. Of course what he had got him to the highest levels in this country (remember 80s football is not 2026 football), but when he went overseas...no so great because he was one dimensional. On the plus side, he is one of the few people in the DMV that has actually played at higher levels and also has a relationship (albeit a bit old and dated now) with the USSF. He can break down the game at a higher level and definitely teach your kid something. Would never take that away from him and I do believe he has something to offer a young player (what that is depends on the player and their needs). That is a huge plus. On the flip side, his methodology is stuck in the 80s. The game has surpassed his training style and approach and modern training is just much more sophisticated and takes in many MANY more variables and technology. You can't train like you did in the 80s now because the volume and load is too much for the modern game and the amount that players play these days. Anyone who tells you differently, is lying for their own benefit. Building power and quickness needs to be done in different ways and with different exercises, not just the same thing over and over and over because your body breaks down much faster with the game schedule of the modern player. You never know what causes an ACL injury and I don't wish injuries on any player because it truly sucks for the player, the family...Everyone. So, I would never say PGs methods caused an injury to a player because that would be false and totally unfair. But what I will offer is this... If you build your game solely around power and speed and less around thinking and finding solutions with your brain, you are MUCH MUCH more susceptible to those types of injuries because you're just moving at a faster clip more often and you're making dynamic movements more often at those higher speeds. The best analogy I can think of is the rate of injury between a running back and a quarterback in American football. Running backs take more punishment and are injured FAR more. Power and pace players are also injured more because they put more toll on their body. You need balance in your training regime. The game requires baseline speed and quickness, without it you have no chance. But if it is your ONLY thing, its just a tough existence in the sport. Just like if you can only play one position (like striker). If you're not scoring goals, you're done. If you want to look at some research start here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3787286/ There is alot of research out there. You just have to determine what you believe is best for your son or daughter and how their body responds to training. No one size fits all. Go to a doctor that specializes in this for advice (see several of them and land on a point of view) if you're serious. And there are many in our area. Sports doctors. But if you're building your game around thinking/ball mastery/speed of play instead of brute force, you're already on the right track. PGs trainings don't really do that if you look closely and study what is going on. Maybe 1v1 thinking and how to break player down (and that is valuable don't get me wrong), but situational thinking, game focused and tactical understanding of your position and how to outthink an opponent without using your pure force, WAY less. If you're a winger, PG is a good option because that is what he played. If you're a central mid, CDM, CAM, center back you need someone else to teach you how to break down those positions because they require fundamentally different skills and thought processes. Wing backs, PG could be good because those are the players wingers go up against so he will have relevant input on that.
RE 2: It is a classic dilemma for a talented player. You're not alone. There are many MANY trains of thought on this. Here is where I stand...A lot this depends on the ages. If younger, go with the better coach. Here is why...Your son will gain confidence on the ball and be THE option early on in his career and this mindset carries. Plus, he will be learning how to play from someone that knows what they are talking about. This also carries. Your goal is to build a foundation of ability that will carry with him throughout his career and alot of it is mentality and confidence to be brave. Great mentality and swagger with the ball is something that is just really hard to teach later. You need to build this early. With a better team and weaker coach, he will be tested more, and maybe fail more, which is good actually, but he won't learn as much and in many instances, his confidence may decline as a result. Winning really doesn't matter. No one is saying look back and being like what a great u13 tournament we had! Just doesn't really happen. But if you're older, lets say u15 or older, I might have a different opinion. You need to be on a better team because your team won't be able to function normally because the people around you are that much weaker. The delta at the younger ages is smaller. At the older ages it can be massive. And this will bring you down. End of day, I usually side with a good coach over a good system/team. No professional club purchases teams. Only individuals. If you have this mindset, the answers to alot of questions about pathway become really clear. Being on a good youth team can have massive benefits if you have a good coach. If you have a crap coach, it can be more detrimental. You should always be looking to supplement any team environment with individualized training regardless.
Hope this helps.
This definitely helps. My apologies for not addressing yesterday as Tweedle Dee returned and took my attention.
Thanks for the background on PG and thanks for the literature. I recently found a trainer with a master’s in Kinesiology to to guide us based on the info you have provided 🙏. I explained to my son that while he is much further than I was in one particular sport, I played everything, swam, hopped fences, rode bikes everywhere and was just more athletic than he is on a multi-dimensional plane. I am trying to figure that out in this new world.
My son chose team 2 on his own so I did not have to intervene. He likes hard coaching.
You might want to think about getting these ideas down on paper even with a ghost writer. I left this thread for a while because the toxicity is unbelievable. Then, I will peak in, grab a nugget and sift through everything I missed to grab more nuggets. I hate that other parents do not have this knowledge buried in this anonymous thread. Just food for thought.
I thought about writing a book on youth soccer to be honest with a friend of mine because people need a guide. But I just haven't gotten around to it. honestly I've written several chapters already on this thread covering the US academy system, FIFA transfer rules, DCU and its shortcomings, development pathway and training, playing in Europe, it's all here...
Since you started writing all this in Instagram under your real name, you may as well write the book now.
But what are you going to say that isn't already known by anyone who can simply do Google search for youth soccer stuff?
Your book will only be valuable if you're speaking from experience of having been and currently operating at the highest levels of soccer.
Considering I don't have Instagram because I don't do social media, I guess you're wrong there...
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.
On number 2 in the PP above...I personally think that most Americans don't really understand what talent in football truly is because we don't have the knowledge or education in the sport in this country. It is our biggest downfall as a nation in football. We can't consistently identify the right talent. Americans look at a game and see someone do some fancy moves 1v1, run really really hard, sprint really fast, work really really hard and think those kids are ballers. I'm not saying this is you, but I'm saying it is a lot of what I see from American parents and alot of what DCU recruits. They don't even understand what good looks like. If you don't know what good looks like, how can you possibly understand the standard by which your son needs to be developed INTO A PRO? This is the fundamental problem with the DMV football system and most importantly DCU. A lot of ignorant parents who just don't understand what it takes to become a professional because if they did, they would know right away, without hesitation that DCU will not achieve that goal in any way. Not in its current form. And most parents judge soccer talent in the younger ages which is really unfortunate because the younger ages are basically irrelevant. 2011-2014 age groups are u15 and UNDER. Bro, these kids are barely playing real football. They can't produce enough power and speed yet to even come close to what a real football game will look like at 18 and not to mention, most, if not all of them will fall off the map once puberty is done. They will be in two camps, early bloomers who peaked too early or not athletic enough to cut it once real speed and athleticism takes over a massive part of the game in the US. The third element would be just technical mastery. But the reality is that most kids in the DMV who are flooding the system come from some sort of wealth. What that usually translates to is that they don't have the same grind mentality to really perfect their craft. Why most players in the DMV peak at about 15-16. In the younger years they have the most time to work on their game. As they get older, the free time lessens, and they actually practice THEIR (not the team's) game very little.
3-5 pro players per age group could be achievable if we had better coaching at the younger ages. We just don't have that. But the reality is that the DMV talent pool isn't what it used to be. I'm sorry to break that to you. Look at the youth national teams. Very little representation from the DMV and 10-15 years ago there were many DMV players ON the actual national teams not in regional camps. American players are much more brave with the ball than European players at young ages and they play with less fear. But what is obvious when you put those same American players in a sophisticated system, they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They don't understand formations and what they mean defensively and offensively, they don't understand how to move off the ball (just what to do when they have it), the decision making is usually very questionable because they aren't taught the decision making fundamental, the passing accuracy of American players is way off (you can see this even in our own national team) and when the game speeds up and you're playing max two touches...its over. And maybe most importantly, and the PP said this too, they don't have game speed translatable skills. The pace of play in the US is just FAR slower than Europe especially defensively.
The DMV football ecosystem that was once great sold itself to the all mighty dollar and our talent pool took a massive hit. Now everything is about making money. Literally everything. You think going to group sessions at NextStar will make a kid a pro??? NO chance. You're doing what everyone else is doing at that point. Running hills and around the track at 9?? Dumb. Your 9 year old has no real muscles to develop and you're putting stress on a developing body for no real reason. at 16-17 different story. Cone drills that don't translate to the game...Death to a player as he gets older. Head down syndrome and less dynamic moves for the big field because the cone drills program the player to keep the ball super tight. But in most positions you need to be able to keep it tight AND create BIG moves into open space with dynamic movements. Here is the truth, most coaches who actually do know what it takes to be a pro won't actually tell the parents because they know that most, if not all of them, won't sacrifice that much of their kids lives for the sport. So they keep them thinking this is what it takes to get their money knowing that your little Jimmy has probably no chance not because they don't have some talent, but because they will never be able to keep up with players that are grinding much harder around the world. Most parents in the DMV and America are always hedging, and trying to do it all. You can't do that if you want to be a pro in football. You have to be all in or all out. There is no half way. Parents in the DMV are educated enough and know the statistics well enough not to put all of their eggs into a football basket so what you have is a lot players masquerading as wanting to be pros but the reality is that they are on a college trajectory because that is what DMV soccer is about. This is the player DCU caters to and why they have no legit pros out of the academy in the last 3-4 YEARS. Look up the schedule of a top academy player in Europe and compare that to a player in DCU's system. It is just not a fair fight. The DCU kids have no chance.
The DMV could be much better because we have a large football population that spends money. But the reality is that most of that money is spent keeping up with the Joneses, not trying to legitimately produce a professional player. Because a legitimate pro prospect would leave the DMV as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
I do agree that we need more leadership and guidance. But that means stripping these pay to play clubs of their strangle hold on the youth system at the younger ages and actually teaching the kids to really play. Not just win games which is what the system is programmed to do. Pay to play clubs won't give up their control easily. This coupled with the fact that DCU is a broke and inept club when it comes to the academy is why they don't have younger ages in their system. Pay to play can't compete with free.
Ok old man. A lot of meat on this bone to get through. Thank you again. I think you're correct in your overall assessment. However, while I am a novice parent, I have seen Kevin Parades cook in the Bundesliga (when not hurt) so I know it is possible to play in a top 5 league from the DMV. A few questions:
a) Pace of play and soccer IQ is the number one factor I hear that we lag behind our international counterparts. How do we train speed of play and soccer IQ outside of the clubs? I know it is not the same being here versus Europe but the best I can do until we leave.
b) Questions regarding Next Star and physical fitness. I am a runner so I know that many East African runners have a strong aerobic base from running to school and many other aspects of their childhood that many westerners can't replicate. You don't think age appropriate physical fitness can create a foundation starting in the elementary ages?
c) Regarding an academy player schedule in Europe, break that down between the 2011-2014 age ranges please. In a few years, we will be in Europe but we do understand that this is the drop-off period. How much time does my child need to dedicate weekly and where should the time be allocated?
d) I think that the sacrifice piece is the main issue in the DMV because none of us really know how good you have to be and we are mostly a large set of successful professionals with advanced degrees. I do understand I am trying to thread the needle but I am not prepared to give up education. I have forgone private school for this kid and I am willing to forgo AP classes when the time comes which are big sacrifices for me. At the same time, I can be who you are talking to as well in this post. Anything else needed to sacrifice? I imagine he may need to go virtual in the next few years to maintain his training load and sleep/recovery schedule and I am willing to do that if he continues down the same path.
As always, I appreciate these candid discussions.
Thanks for this post. Totally reasonable questions presented in a constructive way. Thanks for that. We need more of this on the thread. Let's discuss...
On Paredes and the possibility of playing in a top 5 league from the DMV...I know his case VERY well...He got to Wolfsburg and was not even close to getting minutes. He was too far behind the European players when he first got to Germany. It took him two years to get in the rotation and while he had some solid performances once he was able to break through, he was never a key guy on the team even when healthy. Not a knock on him, just facts. Can you get to a top 5 league from the DMV, yes but that is true just about anywhere if you have the ambition and drive to do so. But you also need a x factor, a quality that is above everyone. Paredes has speed on the outside which alot of.Bundesliga clubs were looking for because Germany doesn't produce a lot of pacey wingers in its system. Much more center backs, midfielders and goalies. Paredes himself will probably tell you that DCU didn't prepare him for the Bundesliga. It was obvious when he arrived. But he had physical baseline that was needed and a foundation the club thought they could build on. They new he was a project coming in but they saw upside potential.. same with Akinmboni at Bournemouth. Barely played at DCU but Bournemouth bought his physical upside with a gamble they could teach him how to be a real player..that gamble isn't paying off for them. He was much too far behind technically...bottom line is can you make it there yes, but what you're seeing is that most of these players are just hanging on. And that is because they didn't have the proper technical and tactical foundation...raw talent gets them the opportunities, real technical ability has the staying power..
Pace of play: in short, you have to create overload situations (physical and mental) all the time. Everything that a player does in a session is at maximum effort and there are no sessions without really hard defense being played both to pressure the offensive players but to also work on defensive intensity. 2v3, 1v2, imbalance sessions so there is more defense than teammates and solutions have to be found quicker and the player is the solution, not someone else. Again at max speed. Cannot stress this enough. If individual, everything is game simulation movements and position specific...center backs are training different skills than 8s and 10s.. not enough room here to map out a training regime but you get the point and there is enough online for you to develop a program. You just need to find the players to train regularly like this with the same mentality. I see most training in the DMV and the speed is about 60 percent of what it is in Europe.. breaks, phone checking, it's all lazy. Training has to be FASTER and more difficult than the game so the game feels easy. Can promise you, most people aren't training like that. I've seen kids leaving private sessions barely sweating. Not going to work.
NextStar and fitness: I do believe there is age appropriate physical fitness that can help build a foundation. We are on the same page there. But NextStar doesn't provide that. They have the 18 year olds running the same hills and programs as the 9 year olds which makes absolutely no sense for the 9 year olds. At 9, if you're training just the sport at the intensity I'm talking about, your fitness will be there. But let's really break down why these private trainers like NextStar have your kids running hills and the track. The simple reason is that, increased stamina and power at younger ages can make you standout without much on the ball work and mastery. It is much easier to train and less frustrating for the kids. Easy money maker because on the weekends you can see results faster and you think it's NextStar! But reality is Watching your kid run around the track is way easier than actually teaching them how to correctly touch the ball. Its the same for the clubs. Outlasting the opponents is a much easier strategy than actually teaching them how to play. Again, any sport with running as the main component requires baseline fitness. I just don't believe in treating 9 year olds the same as fully developed 18 year olds in terms of training. And when you have a coach like some in NextStar who played only one way, run fast and try to beat people, if you have a player who isn't like this, what are you doing?
2011-2014 training: At u15 many of the players are training 4 days a week and a lot of them are training twice a day. Morning session and a evening session. And at an intensity that is far superior to the US. Under u15, honestly, no one cares. Just build the players love for the game and the ball and focus on giving them a strong technical foundation WITH BOTH FEET and train at high intensity levels ALL THE TIME. You will see a major difference. Comfort on the ball translates very well. In terms of time spent per week I don't think there is a one size fits all. But just know that if your son isn't touching the ball everyday with deliberate practice he is falling behind. That is if he wants to be a legit pro and battle in Europe. Staying in the US that could be ok..and that doesn't mean 5 hours a day. It could be 30 minutes. But 30.minutes of deliberately practicing something to get better. Not random cones drills or YouTube video sessions. Most kids don't have this type of discipline and most parents in the DMV don't hold their kids accountable to this type of discipline because again, they are mostly wealthy and don't need football. Go up against a kid and family that NEEDS football to survive and see how that goes.
Sacrifice: this is so personal to you, your family situation and your ultimate goals. Your REAL goals. End of day it is all.about time allocation and management. What you'll find is that as your child gets older, there isn't enough time in the day to actually get better if you're following a traditional school plan and have genuine rigor in those academic settings. You're just going through the motions. Going through the motions is where our kids stall and European kids skyrocket. Many European parents will toss school out the window for the chance at pro football. We won't do that here and honestly, rightfully so. What happens in Europe is that once the kids can stop going to school they do and concentrate solely on football day in and day out. They don't go to university and they just play in the highest environments they can until they either get phased out of the system or they make it. Sacrifice is a tough thing. You have to find the right balance for you and your family. It's not easy..but just know this, if you're on the same schedule as most of your son's peers, you're behind.
Really thoughtful questions and again, I appreciate this dialogue as it is productive. And to wrap it all together and make it relevant for DCU...You have no chance of being a professional in DCUs system as it is today. .why they haven't signed a kid to the first team from the academy in over THREE YEARS.
🙏 I feel like we have our own personal Mr. Miyagi. In all seriousness, thank you.
It looks like I missed a lot but have a few specific follow-ups to your response to me:
1) PG from Next Star is one of the first people I did learn from. He was actually taught me age-appropriate and fun fitness training with my kid so he may have changed. While he has been important to a novice like me, Kristian Fletcher tore his ACL randomly and many on this board have commented about PG’s training style as being outdated so I have not followed the regiments out of fear. Is there literature or someone to reach out to responsibly build a kids body considering they are practicing on turf and playing on it 6 days a week when you include random pickups? I have solely focused on technical mastery but it is time to address the physical.
2) I always hear that winning does not matter overseas and nothing really matters until U15. It is really hard to accept when you only have one shot at this here in the states. Here is a current dilemma: we have the option of two teams for next year. Team 1 has okay coaching and elite talent and will win a lot. Team 2 has elite coaching and subpar talent and will lose a lot. I prefer Team 2 but I am worried about the speed of play practicing with subpar talent. They have the local track record of developing a kid like mine. Any guidance on how to handle this?
RE 1: I hear you on PG. As someone who is old enough to have actually watched PG play, I can say this...He was a very fast player, with a great left foot and his game focused mainly on beating people 1v1 with pace. This was his entire game. Of course what he had got him to the highest levels in this country (remember 80s football is not 2026 football), but when he went overseas...no so great because he was one dimensional. On the plus side, he is one of the few people in the DMV that has actually played at higher levels and also has a relationship (albeit a bit old and dated now) with the USSF. He can break down the game at a higher level and definitely teach your kid something. Would never take that away from him and I do believe he has something to offer a young player (what that is depends on the player and their needs). That is a huge plus. On the flip side, his methodology is stuck in the 80s. The game has surpassed his training style and approach and modern training is just much more sophisticated and takes in many MANY more variables and technology. You can't train like you did in the 80s now because the volume and load is too much for the modern game and the amount that players play these days. Anyone who tells you differently, is lying for their own benefit. Building power and quickness needs to be done in different ways and with different exercises, not just the same thing over and over and over because your body breaks down much faster with the game schedule of the modern player. You never know what causes an ACL injury and I don't wish injuries on any player because it truly sucks for the player, the family...Everyone. So, I would never say PGs methods caused an injury to a player because that would be false and totally unfair. But what I will offer is this... If you build your game solely around power and speed and less around thinking and finding solutions with your brain, you are MUCH MUCH more susceptible to those types of injuries because you're just moving at a faster clip more often and you're making dynamic movements more often at those higher speeds. The best analogy I can think of is the rate of injury between a running back and a quarterback in American football. Running backs take more punishment and are injured FAR more. Power and pace players are also injured more because they put more toll on their body. You need balance in your training regime. The game requires baseline speed and quickness, without it you have no chance. But if it is your ONLY thing, its just a tough existence in the sport. Just like if you can only play one position (like striker). If you're not scoring goals, you're done. If you want to look at some research start here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3787286/ There is alot of research out there. You just have to determine what you believe is best for your son or daughter and how their body responds to training. No one size fits all. Go to a doctor that specializes in this for advice (see several of them and land on a point of view) if you're serious. And there are many in our area. Sports doctors. But if you're building your game around thinking/ball mastery/speed of play instead of brute force, you're already on the right track. PGs trainings don't really do that if you look closely and study what is going on. Maybe 1v1 thinking and how to break player down (and that is valuable don't get me wrong), but situational thinking, game focused and tactical understanding of your position and how to outthink an opponent without using your pure force, WAY less. If you're a winger, PG is a good option because that is what he played. If you're a central mid, CDM, CAM, center back you need someone else to teach you how to break down those positions because they require fundamentally different skills and thought processes. Wing backs, PG could be good because those are the players wingers go up against so he will have relevant input on that.
RE 2: It is a classic dilemma for a talented player. You're not alone. There are many MANY trains of thought on this. Here is where I stand...A lot this depends on the ages. If younger, go with the better coach. Here is why...Your son will gain confidence on the ball and be THE option early on in his career and this mindset carries. Plus, he will be learning how to play from someone that knows what they are talking about. This also carries. Your goal is to build a foundation of ability that will carry with him throughout his career and alot of it is mentality and confidence to be brave. Great mentality and swagger with the ball is something that is just really hard to teach later. You need to build this early. With a better team and weaker coach, he will be tested more, and maybe fail more, which is good actually, but he won't learn as much and in many instances, his confidence may decline as a result. Winning really doesn't matter. No one is saying look back and being like what a great u13 tournament we had! Just doesn't really happen. But if you're older, lets say u15 or older, I might have a different opinion. You need to be on a better team because your team won't be able to function normally because the people around you are that much weaker. The delta at the younger ages is smaller. At the older ages it can be massive. And this will bring you down. End of day, I usually side with a good coach over a good system/team. No professional club purchases teams. Only individuals. If you have this mindset, the answers to alot of questions about pathway become really clear. Being on a good youth team can have massive benefits if you have a good coach. If you have a crap coach, it can be more detrimental. You should always be looking to supplement any team environment with individualized training regardless.
Hope this helps.
This definitely helps. My apologies for not addressing yesterday as Tweedle Dee returned and took my attention.
Thanks for the background on PG and thanks for the literature. I recently found a trainer with a master’s in Kinesiology to to guide us based on the info you have provided 🙏. I explained to my son that while he is much further than I was in one particular sport, I played everything, swam, hopped fences, rode bikes everywhere and was just more athletic than he is on a multi-dimensional plane. I am trying to figure that out in this new world.
My son chose team 2 on his own so I did not have to intervene. He likes hard coaching.
You might want to think about getting these ideas down on paper even with a ghost writer. I left this thread for a while because the toxicity is unbelievable. Then, I will peak in, grab a nugget and sift through everything I missed to grab more nuggets. I hate that other parents do not have this knowledge buried in this anonymous thread. Just food for thought.
I thought about writing a book on youth soccer to be honest with a friend of mine because people need a guide. But I just haven't gotten around to it. honestly I've written several chapters already on this thread covering the US academy system, FIFA transfer rules, DCU and its shortcomings, development pathway and training, playing in Europe, it's all here...
Since you started writing all this in Instagram under your real name, you may as well write the book now.
But what are you going to say that isn't already known by anyone who can simply do Google search for youth soccer stuff?
Your book will only be valuable if you're speaking from experience of having been and currently operating at the highest levels of soccer.
You haven't been reading the posts...this guy isn't old enough to come close to me. I've been doing this for over 40 years. The false8 guy isn't even 40...
And everything said in this Instagram post is 100 percent true...it's maybe hard for you to be live that there are TONS of people that know that DCU is a trash bag.
And everything said in this Instagram post is 100 percent true...it's maybe hard for you to be live that there are TONS of people that know that DCU is a trash bag.
And for anyone who is trying to disrupt the status quo in DMV soccer, I give them immense respect and credit. They are going up against a good ol boy establishment that is not going to give up power easily and that thrives on the ignorance and lack of football education that most DMV parents possess. Like you see on this thread and board from the posters that try to support DCU KNOWING that t is a terrible place. All they want is for the system to stay the same so they can control it with money and perceived status and elitism.. once the system changes and their little jimmy has to be judged on real skills and real potential as a professional, they will have no chance. THAT is the fear that the pro DCU poster is manifesting. Being left out in the cold with no perceptions of elite status helping their son. That is all most DMV parents want...the perception of elitism . The thought of taking that away, or that what they are doing is not elite, is so threatening and scary for them that they will defend a complete garbage organization just so that they can still think their son's path will give him enough elite status to get into college. That is all it's about. The DCU supporter on here supports DCU because they are scared at what everyone else will think about them when they start to realize that DCU is trash. What will colleges think? What will college coaches think? Like I said before, if you're college bound, don't waste your time in DCU. You have a better chance of getting a better high school education and going to a better college from a pay to play system. DCU is not set up for college entrance...it is setup to produce pro players. But what is so bad about DCU is that it does BOTH of those things poorly...you can't win. And, if the false8 guy is another person pushing this type of narrative, credit to him. And if I had any role in helping him come up with his point of view, then all of my posts and advocacy were successful. Just on that fact alone...I started in this game in the 70s and seen it come a long way in this country. And I have seen a lot of things happen in DMV soccer. The rise of pay to play, the rise and fall of ODP, the rise of individual trainers, the rise of MLS academies, the fall of the DA, all of it...the false8 guy is not on my level but I credit him for putting his opinions out there because he is speaking truth.
Anonymous wrote:I just want to add this, the nom de plume's that various folks in this thread have assumed is pretty funny, IMO.
You have the DCU Intern, the Old Man and the Novice. You can maybe also say there is the Backer, the Skeptic, Mr. Negative as well...
Who else in here contributing?
🤣😆🤣
The uncle contributed last year.
- The Novice
Dear The Novice.
This is the Uncle. I posted the above about the nom de plumes. LOL. I'll take The Uncle handle with pride. This is an interesting thread for sure. There's a lot of good information as you shift through much of the BS that is posted as well. Best of luck on your journey. Good Luck!
👋
We’re going to call you Unc. I hope your nephew is doing well and enjoying his senior year. I am truly the novice because I have no clue about any DCU results other than 1-0 against Barca.
And got outclassed and swept at every age group by Philly Union just last week with the u16s losing 6-2 and the two goals DCU scored were pks. DCUs u15 beating Barca has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of DCUs program. NOTHING. DCUs program is an absolute embarrassment and they should be ashamed of what they are offering the kids in the DMV. It is that simple.
The u15s are playing up u16s in games. They play u15 in tournament. This is been stated dozens of times on here.
All academy age groups play up. So DCU plays against their same age group when going against other academy. DCU u15 would not be going against BARCA or Philly u16. They only play up when against non-academy club likes SYC, BA, Alexandria, etc..
Correct. Pro DCU poster is always trying to blur the facts. And facts are philly beat the crap out of DCU IN EVERY AGE GROUP..
Maybe it's coincidence that this guy wrote the same exact thing in his IG posts as the DCU hater writes here anonymously 😁
What makes it hilarious is that several DCU players are associated with him past and current
guess this is why he brags about having insider information
And I have insider information because I have been in the game longer than the false8 guy has been alive on this earth. He can't be more than mid 30s. He's still learning the ropes. Especially how the system works. He's coming at it as a former player. Very different understanding. And now that he is seeing the way it actually works in the DMV he wants to change it.. Fair play to him...
And after doing some digging, I actually now remember the false8 guy when he was a youth player in the DMV. He was a very good player and a national team pool player if I'm not mistaken. But at the younger ages. U15. He went to Europe and played in FC Groningen's academy which is an academy whose first team is in the top flight of the Dutch league Eredivisie. Played in El Salvador mostly for pro career. Still very young. Again, credit to him for trying to change things and chart a solid path for himself and other players in the DMV. Need more like him...
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