DC United Academy - aa strong academy or not

[Anonymous]

And a coach left the academy mid season this year...yikes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a team really be considered an academy if they don’t have a youth program? Poaching players in the DMV is development?

You're spot on. By the time they get to DC at 11, 12, 13 they're fully developed professionals under performance based contracts
Development starts at 5 and ends at 10

Of course they aren't and of course development doesn't stop at 10. But they have been playing the sport longer outside of DCU than they will play it in DCU. Which in turn gives DCU a very limited window to work with the player. Couple that with a weak academy philosophy and system and you have a recipe for development stagnation which is a huge problem that DCU has. Players aren't getting better at a rate that is faster than their peers in better systems.

What is the average age players are entering MLS academies who stay through U18?
What precisely is the dcu academy philosophy and system?
What details do you have of other academies philosophy and system so we can measure against?
How are you measuring "development stagnation" and the rate of speed objectively against others?

Based on the placement in college/professional ranks per academy player ratio numbers, what are the overall MLS academy levels and where does dcu stand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And a coach left the academy mid season this year...yikes

In professional football academy world, that's far from uncommon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the staff/coach turnover there is extremely high. Leads to inconsistencies in the teams, poor organizational structures/communication and lack of cohesion amongst the coaching staff. People who are employed by the academy leave quickly for a reason (or many reasons). Some who have left were just not qualified or experienced enough to handle teams at this level others have left because DCU is just not a good organization to work in overall, especially the Academy. Probably a bit better on the first team side of the business where the money is getting spent.

Just noticed new faces on staff page

Yup. And to put this in perspective, there are 12 people listed on the academy staff at DCU. Philly union lists 32. Red bulls 22. Dallas 28. Most of the better academies have more than double the staff that DCU does. And, out of the 12 people listed at DCU, 8 of them are completely new to the academy THIS YEAR. That type of turnover is a major red flag on many fronts. Either they suck at recruiting people/can't pay them or when good people do enter, they leave fast. Or both of those things.

for contrast and comparison, what's staff turnover ratio at other MLS academies?

😂 Like clockwork, verifiable facts has to weigh in with absolutely nothing substantive to derail the thread. But to answer your question, not sure. I don't follow their turnover like I follow DCU's. But let's say it was the same rate of turnover across all of the MLS academies. This is the best case scenario for your argument. That just makes them all suspect in terms of staff turnover or it marks a systemic issue. If the issue is systemic across the MLS, then those top academies deserve even more credit because they are having much better success than DCU with the same rate of turnover. The bottom line is you can't ignore 70 percent turnover in one year with a staff of 12 no matter who else is having the same issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a team really be considered an academy if they don’t have a youth program? Poaching players in the DMV is development?

You're spot on. By the time they get to DC at 11, 12, 13 they're fully developed professionals under performance based contracts
Development starts at 5 and ends at 10

Of course they aren't and of course development doesn't stop at 10. But they have been playing the sport longer outside of DCU than they will play it in DCU. Which in turn gives DCU a very limited window to work with the player. Couple that with a weak academy philosophy and system and you have a recipe for development stagnation which is a huge problem that DCU has. Players aren't getting better at a rate that is faster than their peers in better systems.

What is the average age players are entering MLS academies who stay through U18?
What precisely is the dcu academy philosophy and system?
What details do you have of other academies philosophy and system so we can measure against?
How are you measuring "development stagnation" and the rate of speed objectively against others?

Based on the placement in college/professional ranks per academy player ratio numbers, what are the overall MLS academy levels and where does dcu stand?

What details to you have to support any of these questions and a positive DCU argument??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And a coach left the academy mid season this year...yikes

In professional football academy world, that's far from uncommon

Totally fair point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the staff/coach turnover there is extremely high. Leads to inconsistencies in the teams, poor organizational structures/communication and lack of cohesion amongst the coaching staff. People who are employed by the academy leave quickly for a reason (or many reasons). Some who have left were just not qualified or experienced enough to handle teams at this level others have left because DCU is just not a good organization to work in overall, especially the Academy. Probably a bit better on the first team side of the business where the money is getting spent.

Just noticed new faces on staff page

Yup. And to put this in perspective, there are 12 people listed on the academy staff at DCU. Philly union lists 32. Red bulls 22. Dallas 28. Most of the better academies have more than double the staff that DCU does. And, out of the 12 people listed at DCU, 8 of them are completely new to the academy THIS YEAR. That type of turnover is a major red flag on many fronts. Either they suck at recruiting people/can't pay them or when good people do enter, they leave fast. Or both of those things.

for contrast and comparison, what's staff turnover ratio at other MLS academies?

😂 Like clockwork, verifiable facts has to weigh in with absolutely nothing substantive to derail the thread. But to answer your question, not sure. I don't follow their turnover like I follow DCU's. But let's say it was the same rate of turnover across all of the MLS academies. This is the best case scenario for your argument. That just makes them all suspect in terms of staff turnover or it marks a systemic issue. If the issue is systemic across the MLS, then those top academies deserve even more credit because they are having much better success than DCU with the same rate of turnover. The bottom line is you can't ignore 70 percent turnover in one year with a staff of 12 no matter who else is having the same issue.

The argument and accusations being levied is that dcu academy is lesser than the other academies. It may be.
But for that argument to hold water, there has to be measurable objective comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a team really be considered an academy if they don’t have a youth program? Poaching players in the DMV is development?

You're spot on. By the time they get to DC at 11, 12, 13 they're fully developed professionals under performance based contracts
Development starts at 5 and ends at 10

Of course they aren't and of course development doesn't stop at 10. But they have been playing the sport longer outside of DCU than they will play it in DCU. Which in turn gives DCU a very limited window to work with the player. Couple that with a weak academy philosophy and system and you have a recipe for development stagnation which is a huge problem that DCU has. Players aren't getting better at a rate that is faster than their peers in better systems.

What is the average age players are entering MLS academies who stay through U18?
What precisely is the dcu academy philosophy and system?
What details do you have of other academies philosophy and system so we can measure against?
How are you measuring "development stagnation" and the rate of speed objectively against others?

Based on the placement in college/professional ranks per academy player ratio numbers, what are the overall MLS academy levels and where does dcu stand?

What details to you have to support any of these questions and a positive DCU argument??

So let me get this straight.
You throw all kinds of personal conclusions about an entity and it's performance relative to others.

You however don't know the performance of the others and you want a member of the audience to provide the data for your presentation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the staff/coach turnover there is extremely high. Leads to inconsistencies in the teams, poor organizational structures/communication and lack of cohesion amongst the coaching staff. People who are employed by the academy leave quickly for a reason (or many reasons). Some who have left were just not qualified or experienced enough to handle teams at this level others have left because DCU is just not a good organization to work in overall, especially the Academy. Probably a bit better on the first team side of the business where the money is getting spent.

Just noticed new faces on staff page

Yup. And to put this in perspective, there are 12 people listed on the academy staff at DCU. Philly union lists 32. Red bulls 22. Dallas 28. Most of the better academies have more than double the staff that DCU does. And, out of the 12 people listed at DCU, 8 of them are completely new to the academy THIS YEAR. That type of turnover is a major red flag on many fronts. Either they suck at recruiting people/can't pay them or when good people do enter, they leave fast. Or both of those things.

for contrast and comparison, what's staff turnover ratio at other MLS academies?

😂 Like clockwork, verifiable facts has to weigh in with absolutely nothing substantive to derail the thread. But to answer your question, not sure. I don't follow their turnover like I follow DCU's. But let's say it was the same rate of turnover across all of the MLS academies. This is the best case scenario for your argument. That just makes them all suspect in terms of staff turnover or it marks a systemic issue. If the issue is systemic across the MLS, then those top academies deserve even more credit because they are having much better success than DCU with the same rate of turnover. The bottom line is you can't ignore 70 percent turnover in one year with a staff of 12 no matter who else is having the same issue.

Lay out the high level of successes the top MLS academies are consistently having

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the staff/coach turnover there is extremely high. Leads to inconsistencies in the teams, poor organizational structures/communication and lack of cohesion amongst the coaching staff. People who are employed by the academy leave quickly for a reason (or many reasons). Some who have left were just not qualified or experienced enough to handle teams at this level others have left because DCU is just not a good organization to work in overall, especially the Academy. Probably a bit better on the first team side of the business where the money is getting spent.

Just noticed new faces on staff page

Yup. And to put this in perspective, there are 12 people listed on the academy staff at DCU. Philly union lists 32. Red bulls 22. Dallas 28. Most of the better academies have more than double the staff that DCU does. And, out of the 12 people listed at DCU, 8 of them are completely new to the academy THIS YEAR. That type of turnover is a major red flag on many fronts. Either they suck at recruiting people/can't pay them or when good people do enter, they leave fast. Or both of those things.

for contrast and comparison, what's staff turnover ratio at other MLS academies?

😂 Like clockwork, verifiable facts has to weigh in with absolutely nothing substantive to derail the thread. But to answer your question, not sure. I don't follow their turnover like I follow DCU's. But let's say it was the same rate of turnover across all of the MLS academies. This is the best case scenario for your argument. That just makes them all suspect in terms of staff turnover or it marks a systemic issue. If the issue is systemic across the MLS, then those top academies deserve even more credit because they are having much better success than DCU with the same rate of turnover. The bottom line is you can't ignore 70 percent turnover in one year with a staff of 12 no matter who else is having the same issue.

Lay out the high level of successes the top MLS academies are consistently having

Verified facts guy lives under a rock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the staff/coach turnover there is extremely high. Leads to inconsistencies in the teams, poor organizational structures/communication and lack of cohesion amongst the coaching staff. People who are employed by the academy leave quickly for a reason (or many reasons). Some who have left were just not qualified or experienced enough to handle teams at this level others have left because DCU is just not a good organization to work in overall, especially the Academy. Probably a bit better on the first team side of the business where the money is getting spent.

Just noticed new faces on staff page

Yup. And to put this in perspective, there are 12 people listed on the academy staff at DCU. Philly union lists 32. Red bulls 22. Dallas 28. Most of the better academies have more than double the staff that DCU does. And, out of the 12 people listed at DCU, 8 of them are completely new to the academy THIS YEAR. That type of turnover is a major red flag on many fronts. Either they suck at recruiting people/can't pay them or when good people do enter, they leave fast. Or both of those things.

for contrast and comparison, what's staff turnover ratio at other MLS academies?

😂 Like clockwork, verifiable facts has to weigh in with absolutely nothing substantive to derail the thread. But to answer your question, not sure. I don't follow their turnover like I follow DCU's. But let's say it was the same rate of turnover across all of the MLS academies. This is the best case scenario for your argument. That just makes them all suspect in terms of staff turnover or it marks a systemic issue. If the issue is systemic across the MLS, then those top academies deserve even more credit because they are having much better success than DCU with the same rate of turnover. The bottom line is you can't ignore 70 percent turnover in one year with a staff of 12 no matter who else is having the same issue.

Lay out the high level of successes the top MLS academies are consistently having

Verified facts guy lives under a rock.

"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser"
Socrates (maybe)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a team really be considered an academy if they don’t have a youth program? Poaching players in the DMV is development?

You're spot on. By the time they get to DC at 11, 12, 13 they're fully developed professionals under performance based contracts
Development starts at 5 and ends at 10

Of course they aren't and of course development doesn't stop at 10. But they have been playing the sport longer outside of DCU than they will play it in DCU. Which in turn gives DCU a very limited window to work with the player. Couple that with a weak academy philosophy and system and you have a recipe for development stagnation which is a huge problem that DCU has. Players aren't getting better at a rate that is faster than their peers in better systems.

What is the average age players are entering MLS academies who stay through U18?
What precisely is the dcu academy philosophy and system?
What details do you have of other academies philosophy and system so we can measure against?
How are you measuring "development stagnation" and the rate of speed objectively against others?

Based on the placement in college/professional ranks per academy player ratio numbers, what are the overall MLS academy levels and where does dcu stand?

What details to you have to support any of these questions and a positive DCU argument??

So let me get this straight.
You throw all kinds of personal conclusions about an entity and it's performance relative to others.

You however don't know the performance of the others and you want a member of the audience to provide the data for your presentation?

there are pages and pages of concrete examples in this thread of areas in which DCU Academy is behind its peers. just a few posts up is a quantitative measure of the size of the staffs. Before that, there are stats on the number of homegrown players, their treatment of players garnering interest abroad, their lack of comparable facilities, their failure to have younger age groups in the academy, and their historical lack of investment.

your attempts to cast doubt on these facts merely by floating unanswerable questions have failed. At this point you are wasting your time. It seems like you have a lot of time, for sure, but you may want to rethink how you spend it. And whatever your motivation, you're likely hurting your cause. I have found the discussion pretty interesting in that it has laid bare DCU Academy's many faults. Your constant questioning of these facts has just led the folks posting actual information to do it more, and more effectively.

and still no positive comparison for DCU against its fellow academies, by any metric.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a team really be considered an academy if they don’t have a youth program? Poaching players in the DMV is development?

You're spot on. By the time they get to DC at 11, 12, 13 they're fully developed professionals under performance based contracts
Development starts at 5 and ends at 10

Of course they aren't and of course development doesn't stop at 10. But they have been playing the sport longer outside of DCU than they will play it in DCU. Which in turn gives DCU a very limited window to work with the player. Couple that with a weak academy philosophy and system and you have a recipe for development stagnation which is a huge problem that DCU has. Players aren't getting better at a rate that is faster than their peers in better systems.

What is the average age players are entering MLS academies who stay through U18?
What precisely is the dcu academy philosophy and system?
What details do you have of other academies philosophy and system so we can measure against?
How are you measuring "development stagnation" and the rate of speed objectively against others?

Based on the placement in college/professional ranks per academy player ratio numbers, what are the overall MLS academy levels and where does dcu stand?

What details to you have to support any of these questions and a positive DCU argument??

So let me get this straight.
You throw all kinds of personal conclusions about an entity and it's performance relative to others.

You however don't know the performance of the others and you want a member of the audience to provide the data for your presentation?

there are pages and pages of concrete examples in this thread of areas in which DCU Academy is behind its peers. just a few posts up is a quantitative measure of the size of the staffs. Before that, there are stats on the number of homegrown players, their treatment of players garnering interest abroad, their lack of comparable facilities, their failure to have younger age groups in the academy, and their historical lack of investment.

your attempts to cast doubt on these facts merely by floating unanswerable questions have failed. At this point you are wasting your time. It seems like you have a lot of time, for sure, but you may want to rethink how you spend it. And whatever your motivation, you're likely hurting your cause. I have found the discussion pretty interesting in that it has laid bare DCU Academy's many faults. Your constant questioning of these facts has just led the folks posting actual information to do it more, and more effectively.

and still no positive comparison for DCU against its fellow academies, by any metric.

Blah blah blah blah....
More words doesn't equate to a convincing argument.

Saying "concrete evidence" doesn't make people's strongly worded opinions and assumptions actual concrete evidence of anything.

The questions you refer to as "unanswerable" would give the anti-dcua people a resounding victory if they could answer them accurately and factually.

The reason they can't or won't answer them, is because the answers change the whining griping personal grievances mudslinging to a truth and facts discussion minus the biased emotions.

No one can say what the value of Homegrown Players are in the arena of top level professional football as an objective measurement of success for an organization.
What if New England decides to name many academy players as Homegrown in 2025, does that automatically mean NE is a top organization?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the staff/coach turnover there is extremely high. Leads to inconsistencies in the teams, poor organizational structures/communication and lack of cohesion amongst the coaching staff. People who are employed by the academy leave quickly for a reason (or many reasons). Some who have left were just not qualified or experienced enough to handle teams at this level others have left because DCU is just not a good organization to work in overall, especially the Academy. Probably a bit better on the first team side of the business where the money is getting spent.

Just noticed new faces on staff page

Yup. And to put this in perspective, there are 12 people listed on the academy staff at DCU. Philly union lists 32. Red bulls 22. Dallas 28. Most of the better academies have more than double the staff that DCU does. And, out of the 12 people listed at DCU, 8 of them are completely new to the academy THIS YEAR. That type of turnover is a major red flag on many fronts. Either they suck at recruiting people/can't pay them or when good people do enter, they leave fast. Or both of those things.

for contrast and comparison, what's staff turnover ratio at other MLS academies?

😂 Like clockwork, verifiable facts has to weigh in with absolutely nothing substantive to derail the thread. But to answer your question, not sure. I don't follow their turnover like I follow DCU's. But let's say it was the same rate of turnover across all of the MLS academies. This is the best case scenario for your argument. That just makes them all suspect in terms of staff turnover or it marks a systemic issue. If the issue is systemic across the MLS, then those top academies deserve even more credit because they are having much better success than DCU with the same rate of turnover. The bottom line is you can't ignore 70 percent turnover in one year with a staff of 12 no matter who else is having the same issue.

Lay out the high level of successes the top MLS academies are consistently having

Verified facts guy lives under a rock.

"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser"
Socrates (maybe)

Verified facts guy is a great spokesperson for DCUA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a team really be considered an academy if they don’t have a youth program? Poaching players in the DMV is development?

You're spot on. By the time they get to DC at 11, 12, 13 they're fully developed professionals under performance based contracts
Development starts at 5 and ends at 10

Of course they aren't and of course development doesn't stop at 10. But they have been playing the sport longer outside of DCU than they will play it in DCU. Which in turn gives DCU a very limited window to work with the player. Couple that with a weak academy philosophy and system and you have a recipe for development stagnation which is a huge problem that DCU has. Players aren't getting better at a rate that is faster than their peers in better systems.

What is the average age players are entering MLS academies who stay through U18?
What precisely is the dcu academy philosophy and system?
What details do you have of other academies philosophy and system so we can measure against?
How are you measuring "development stagnation" and the rate of speed objectively against others?

Based on the placement in college/professional ranks per academy player ratio numbers, what are the overall MLS academy levels and where does dcu stand?

What details to you have to support any of these questions and a positive DCU argument??

So let me get this straight.
You throw all kinds of personal conclusions about an entity and it's performance relative to others.

You however don't know the performance of the others and you want a member of the audience to provide the data for your presentation?

there are pages and pages of concrete examples in this thread of areas in which DCU Academy is behind its peers. just a few posts up is a quantitative measure of the size of the staffs. Before that, there are stats on the number of homegrown players, their treatment of players garnering interest abroad, their lack of comparable facilities, their failure to have younger age groups in the academy, and their historical lack of investment.

your attempts to cast doubt on these facts merely by floating unanswerable questions have failed. At this point you are wasting your time. It seems like you have a lot of time, for sure, but you may want to rethink how you spend it. And whatever your motivation, you're likely hurting your cause. I have found the discussion pretty interesting in that it has laid bare DCU Academy's many faults. Your constant questioning of these facts has just led the folks posting actual information to do it more, and more effectively.

and still no positive comparison for DCU against its fellow academies, by any metric.

Blah blah blah blah....
More words doesn't equate to a convincing argument.

Saying "concrete evidence" doesn't make people's strongly worded opinions and assumptions actual concrete evidence of anything.

The questions you refer to as "unanswerable" would give the anti-dcua people a resounding victory if they could answer them accurately and factually.

The reason they can't or won't answer them, is because the answers change the whining griping personal grievances mudslinging to a truth and facts discussion minus the biased emotions.

No one can say what the value of Homegrown Players are in the arena of top level professional football as an objective measurement of success for an organization.
What if New England decides to name many academy players as Homegrown in 2025, does that automatically mean NE is a top organization?

youre so silly. if the answers would help your argument, provide them. you're very transparent. and silly.