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[quote=Anonymous]Since I haven't seen it mentioned on this forum, some (non-humble) brag about Bethesda Academy 04, MLS Next U17. Went to the playoffs in Dallas after finishing 3rd in the highly competitive mid-Atlantic division, behind Philly Union and PDA and ahead of DC United and Red Bulls, neither of who qualified for the playoffs. Bethesda won their round of 32 game easily and lost in penalties to Sacramento Republic in the round of 16, after dominating the game. Then won a consolation game against Chicago Fire.

Yes the soccer teams from this region are doing very well in all competitions, be that MLS Next, ECNL and USYS, and credit goes to the local clubs. From the larger mid-Atlantic region, a huge shoutout for PDA (NJ), who made it to the finals of MLS Next U17, beating multiple MLS academies and losing in penalties to Orlando Pride. They lost narrowly to Bethesda in the regular season, but we all saw how good a team they were. With a bit of luck it could have been the Bethesda kids with a dream run like PDA, they were one penalty away from winning the shootout.

In my humble view, U17 is probably the most competitive of all age groups, as that's the age when kids have full attention from college coaches and pro scouts alike and almost every kids is playing. Many of the MLS academies had players with pro contracts or USL regulars (some of the top 17yo players do turn pro at this age). Given that, immense kudos for clubs like PDA, Bethesda, Weston, and a few other youth club academies for showing that their players belong in this competition, and more. My take from seeing the games is that some of the best players in this age group (not all) are not turning pro and going to college. Which is probably not good for US soccer but makes a lot of sense for individual players.

Apologies for going off-topic. Congrats to Arlington 06 boys and others who are doing well in whichever competition they are in. It takes a lot of sweat, guts, pain and sacrifice to do well as a team. In a weird, Covid-affected year, it's not been easy for most players. And it takes enormous resilience to compete in an intense game like soccer in the summer heat.[/quote]

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