WV Losing MLSNext

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When your West VA team is compromised of half kids that live in sterling, train in sterling but play in West VA? Like what are you expecting?

Sterling having a partnership with West VA and not Revolution, Loudoun, Herndon, Great Falls, Vienna shows you what kind of people run that club.

Sterling girls play under Herndon, Sterling boys play under West Virginia.. so what is Sterling?

My son is one of the Sterling MLS players affected. This is such an off base comment.

What would Sterling have gotten partnering with a larger club like that? Parents are always complaining about these “unions” as a fake pathway. Sterling found a way for their entire teams to play in a higher league. Yes, it didn’t work out.

Their leadership is on the field at every practice, talking to the kids and parents. They know all of the kids names. They are at games, even away games and tournaments, cheering the kids on. They care a whole lot more than your TDs who just want to cash a check.

So the leadership is amazing by taking your kid’s rec team, putting them in MLS Next and now they’re losing 16-0 and it’s on the other team NOT to score that many goals?

Sure they have to know your kid’s name because they are one of the very few kids left in a program run by someone who thinks he’s smarter than anyone else in the area. Sterling’s location is amazing to have a partnership with a local club and not one an hour or more away to play in a league they have no business being in hence West Va not having MLS Next anymore.
Sterling could have partnered with Loudoun and joined their NCSL league and some of the kids (not the ones losing 16-0) could possibly made it to a higher league. Could have done something with HYS like they did with the girls and played ECNL-R but Sterling goes to another state to play MLS Next, sells it to you because they know your kids name… now what? The Director knows your kid’s name but screwed you because you’re back to NCSL at best

I love when people are so passionate and so wrong at the same time.

That is not a Sterling team. Sterling has a couple of the AD teams. The one who lost 16-0 is a HG team.

Yes, Sterling was fielding teams under WV’s banner in the AD division. The HG teams were FC Frederick teams. Sterling was attempting to switch places with FC Frederick and take the HG spot instead…..thus subjecting their players to the same circumstance.

[Anonymous]

MLS NEXT has been very intentional about trying to penetrate markets that traditionally don’t prioritize soccer development (think Clint Dempsey’s background). The WV panhandle fit that profile. But from year one, their rosters were filled almost entirely with Virginia players (second‑ and third‑tier kids formerly from Barca Academy, FCV St. James, etc.) They were never competitive, routinely taking very lopsided losses. The goal differential was staggering, and MLS academies (Union, United, NYRB) grew frustrated quickly.

In year two, WV partnered with Frederick, and soon entire teams were composed of Frederick players. Anyone who saw WV at events probably noticed their jerseys literally had “Frederick” printed under the WV badge across the chest. It was a good short‑term solution for WV to bolster a team or two, and a temporary opportunity for Frederick‑based players to play at a higher level.

But WV still couldn’t field competitive teams in the top tier -and even fielding a second‑tier team was a challenge. A year later, WV connected with Sterling to allow an entire team to play in the second tier, eventually expanding to two teams.

This year, the WV HG division teams lost more, conceded more goals, and scored less goals than they ever had previously. Some of the second tier AD teams competed, but only because the rosters are formed almost entirely of players from markets over an hour away.

Bottom line, this was never the league’s intent. The model was supposed to grow the game in underserved markets, not create a pipeline for out‑of‑state second‑tier players (or lower) to wear a WV badge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MLS NEXT has been very intentional about trying to penetrate markets that traditionally don’t prioritize soccer development (think Clint Dempsey’s background). The WV panhandle fit that profile. But from year one, their rosters were filled almost entirely with Virginia players (second‑ and third‑tier kids formerly from Barca Academy, FCV St. James, etc.) They were never competitive, routinely taking very lopsided losses. The goal differential was staggering, and MLS academies (Union, United, NYRB) grew frustrated quickly.

In year two, WV partnered with Frederick, and soon entire teams were composed of Frederick players. Anyone who saw WV at events probably noticed their jerseys literally had “Frederick” printed under the WV badge across the chest. It was a good short‑term solution for WV to bolster a team or two, and a temporary opportunity for Frederick‑based players to play at a higher level.

But WV still couldn’t field competitive teams in the top tier -and even fielding a second‑tier team was a challenge. A year later, WV connected with Sterling to allow an entire team to play in the second tier, eventually expanding to two teams.

This year, the WV HG division teams lost more, conceded more goals, and scored less goals than they ever had previously. Some of the second tier AD teams competed, but only because the rosters are formed almost entirely of players from markets over an hour away.

Bottom line, this was never the league’s intent. The model was supposed to grow the game in underserved markets, not create a pipeline for out‑of‑state second‑tier players (or lower) to wear a WV badge.

Well outlined history, fits the recent decision. Thanks

[Anonymous]

And this is from the MLS Next website:

U13
0 wins, 0 draws, 21 losses
7 goals for
163 goals against

U14
2 wins, 2 draws, 18 losses
31 goals for
127 goals against

U15
0 wins, 0 draws, 21 losses
9 goals for
141 goals against

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And this is from the MLS Next website:

U13
0 wins, 0 draws, 21 losses
7 goals for
163 goals against

U14
2 wins, 2 draws, 18 losses
31 goals for
127 goals against

U15
0 wins, 0 draws, 21 losses
9 goals for
141 goals against

Yep, time for a change for the kids and teams. Align them more competitively

[Anonymous]

So are they giving refunds to the kids who signed up to play MLS Next? I feel bad for these sterling kids, their actual club does NOTHING to help them, they just align themselves with other clubs to survive.

They'll promote El Salvador national team tryouts like any of their players actually attend or have a chance, how about you concentrate on helping the community and families who have been here for years.

Also put your ego to the side, because it's not about you and align/partner/have a union (whatever you want to call it) with a local club where it's beneficial and stop chasing badges for your own image and to make yourself feel better.

[Anonymous]

Where are the Sterling kids going to play now? The website still makes it look like they are MLS Next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, under this line of thinking, ASA should have been demoted at least 2 years ago.

100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So are they giving refunds to the kids who signed up to play MLS Next? I feel bad for these sterling kids, their actual club does NOTHING to help them, they just align themselves with other clubs to survive.

They'll promote El Salvador national team tryouts like any of their players actually attend or have a chance, how about you concentrate on helping the community and families who have been here for years.

Also put your ego to the side, because it's not about you and align/partner/have a union (whatever you want to call it) with a local club where it's beneficial and stop chasing badges for your own image and to make yourself feel better.

For the FC Frederick boys, they had only had 1 tryout night of 2. 2nd got cancelled when they got the news. (You know the teams are already chosen though!) The club has since announced the National 1 League as their replacement top league and held "tryouts" for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are they giving refunds to the kids who signed up to play MLS Next? I feel bad for these sterling kids, their actual club does NOTHING to help them, they just align themselves with other clubs to survive.

They'll promote El Salvador national team tryouts like any of their players actually attend or have a chance, how about you concentrate on helping the community and families who have been here for years.

Also put your ego to the side, because it's not about you and align/partner/have a union (whatever you want to call it) with a local club where it's beneficial and stop chasing badges for your own image and to make yourself feel better.

For the FC Frederick boys, they had only had 1 tryout night of 2. 2nd got cancelled when they got the news. (You know the teams are already chosen though!) The club has since announced the National 1 League as their replacement top league and held "tryouts" for that.

Isn't that below ECNL RL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are they giving refunds to the kids who signed up to play MLS Next? I feel bad for these sterling kids, their actual club does NOTHING to help them, they just align themselves with other clubs to survive.

They'll promote El Salvador national team tryouts like any of their players actually attend or have a chance, how about you concentrate on helping the community and families who have been here for years.

Also put your ego to the side, because it's not about you and align/partner/have a union (whatever you want to call it) with a local club where it's beneficial and stop chasing badges for your own image and to make yourself feel better.

For the FC Frederick boys, they had only had 1 tryout night of 2. 2nd got cancelled when they got the news. (You know the teams are already chosen though!) The club has since announced the National 1 League as their replacement top league and held "tryouts" for that.

Isn't that below ECNL RL?

Yes.
But their options are EDP or National 1. You can't just join ECNL RL. You have to apply and be selected, and they probably don't have teams on the girls side or teams for every age group.

[Anonymous]

Sterling had 2 MLS Next tryouts. What have they told their families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are they giving refunds to the kids who signed up to play MLS Next? I feel bad for these sterling kids, their actual club does NOTHING to help them, they just align themselves with other clubs to survive.

They'll promote El Salvador national team tryouts like any of their players actually attend or have a chance, how about you concentrate on helping the community and families who have been here for years.

Also put your ego to the side, because it's not about you and align/partner/have a union (whatever you want to call it) with a local club where it's beneficial and stop chasing badges for your own image and to make yourself feel better.

For the FC Frederick boys, they had only had 1 tryout night of 2. 2nd got cancelled when they got the news. (You know the teams are already chosen though!) The club has since announced the National 1 League as their replacement top league and held "tryouts" for that.

Isn't that below ECNL RL?

Yes.
But their options are EDP or National 1. You can't just join ECNL RL. You have to apply and be selected, and they probably don't have teams on the girls side or teams for every age group.

That’s a shame. We’re very familiar with FC Frederick. In the oldest groups prior to the WV collab, the top teams routinely beat RL teams and NAL teams. It’s too late for the kids to look elsewhere. There are some really strong players among the 2008s and 2009s who will be hurt by this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sterling had 2 MLS Next tryouts. What have they told their families?

Sterling found out after tryouts, which is the shitty part about this. They’ve been communicating with their families about what options they’re exploring for next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are they giving refunds to the kids who signed up to play MLS Next? I feel bad for these sterling kids, their actual club does NOTHING to help them, they just align themselves with other clubs to survive.

They'll promote El Salvador national team tryouts like any of their players actually attend or have a chance, how about you concentrate on helping the community and families who have been here for years.

Also put your ego to the side, because it's not about you and align/partner/have a union (whatever you want to call it) with a local club where it's beneficial and stop chasing badges for your own image and to make yourself feel better.

For the FC Frederick boys, they had only had 1 tryout night of 2. 2nd got cancelled when they got the news. (You know the teams are already chosen though!) The club has since announced the National 1 League as their replacement top league and held "tryouts" for that.

Isn't that below ECNL RL?

Probably about the same