Anonymous wrote:In terms of size (parent of a MLSNext kid for a couple of years now), it is really noticeable that they go for size on the defensive side. It is not as noticeable on the attacking side of the field, and I have seen some really small kids on DC United, Philadelphia Union and the Red Bulls. They may be playing up though, which I do not have information on. On thing the know is that MLSNext does bio banding where smaller kids can play down a year. All in all, I haven't seen a drastic difference in size between the teams. Couple of the Jersey teams had some big teams.

The biobanding is funny. Two of the kids tgat were much bigger than my short string bean were playing down. I never understood why they were when there were smaller kids that weren’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mediocrity is what happens when you pick huge, seemingly athletic kids with little consideration given to soccer skills, IQ, attitude, or desire. You'd think American academies would have learned after a few decades. They haven't.

Oh stop it. The U15 team is pretty small, and they're one of the best in the country.

+1 I’m seeing a diversity of sizes on the teams.

Seems like PP is griping that their small kid was passed over.

But for parents who have kids on MLSNext teams in the area (BSC, Alex, Achilles, Armour, etc.), can you verify whether your children’s teams are filled with big kids with no skill or IQ?

My kid has played against top teams and we’re just not seeing large kids dominating top teams. We still see kickball style of play so technical skill is still not great across the board.

My kid is U19. They all look big. They are all filled out muscularity by now so even the shorter kids don’t look tiny. My son is 6 feet, but was 5’4” at U15 (and not on Mlsnext then)-told it was physicality back then.

In terms of size (parent of a MLSNext kid for a couple of years now), it is really noticeable that they go for size on the defensive side. It is not as noticeable on the attacking side of the field, and I have seen some really small kids on DC United, Philadelphia Union and the Red Bulls. They may be playing up though, which I do not have information on. On thing the know is that MLSNext does bio banding where smaller kids can play down a year. All in all, I haven't seen a drastic difference in size between the teams. Couple of the Jersey teams had some big teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a whole lot of people on this thread have kids that were passed over by DC United.

Some may have sour grapes, but plenty of people see how badly DC United serves as the leading soccer organization in this area.

For years it's been obvious how subpar DC United is when it comes to involvement with youth soccer in its area of operation. For example, in NYC, the NY Red Bulls run the Red Bulls Development School (RDS) with year-round (paid, but tryout based) training for kids from an early age; they run summer camps (including residential camps) and indoor programs as well.

DC United? Prior to age 13, your child doesn't exist to DC United.

Exactly right. NYRB sends trainers out to a number of clubs through NY and NJ to work with players and coaches - at early ages - and provide curriculum and training guides. If DCU did 1/10th of what NYRB does, it would be a significant improvement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a whole lot of people on this thread have kids that were passed over by DC United.

Some may have sour grapes, but plenty of people see how badly DC United serves as the leading soccer organization in this area.

For years it's been obvious how subpar DC United is when it comes to involvement with youth soccer in its area of operation. For example, in NYC, the NY Red Bulls run the Red Bulls Development School (RDS) with year-round (paid, but tryout based) training for kids from an early age; they run summer camps (including residential camps) and indoor programs as well.

DC United? Prior to age 13, your child doesn't exist to DC United.

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a whole lot of people on this thread have kids that were passed over by DC United.

Some may have sour grapes, but plenty of people see how badly DC United serves as the leading soccer organization in this area.

Sounds like a whole lot of people on this thread have kids that were passed over by DC United.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It blows my mind that a fully funded MLS Academy isn't the #1 team for desirability in a given area or rapidly becoming it.

For boys who want to go pro it's a clear and obvious path AND for parents everything is covered which is a massive savings.

Desirability not being the same thing as the actual best team at a given moment in time.

I've heard a lot over the years about DC United Academy, mostly not good. But if my ds gets an offer, i would send him.

Joining DC United is like buying a Jaguar. That sleek outside exterior, leather seats, and fancy hood ornament look great until you realize the engine is a piece of crap. Save yourself the pain and go with the Toyotas in the area.

Did your DS actually played for DC United Academy or is this based on second or third hand knowledge?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It blows my mind that a fully funded MLS Academy isn't the #1 team for desirability in a given area or rapidly becoming it.

For boys who want to go pro it's a clear and obvious path AND for parents everything is covered which is a massive savings.

Desirability not being the same thing as the actual best team at a given moment in time.

I've heard a lot over the years about DC United Academy, mostly not good. But if my ds gets an offer, i would send him.

Joining DC United is like buying a Jaguar. That sleek outside exterior, leather seats, and fancy hood ornament look great until you realize the engine is a piece of crap. Save yourself the pain and go with the Toyotas in the area.

I would do both. Keep the Jaguar and supplement with a Toyota. At the end of the day, a significant part of development is what a player does outside of team practices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It blows my mind that a fully funded MLS Academy isn't the #1 team for desirability in a given area or rapidly becoming it.

For boys who want to go pro it's a clear and obvious path AND for parents everything is covered which is a massive savings.

Desirability not being the same thing as the actual best team at a given moment in time.

I've heard a lot over the years about DC United Academy, mostly not good. But if my ds gets an offer, i would send him.

Joining DC United is like buying a Jaguar. That sleek outside exterior, leather seats, and fancy hood ornament look great until you realize the engine is a piece of crap. Save yourself the pain and go with the Toyotas in the area.

Anonymous wrote:It blows my mind that a fully funded MLS Academy isn't the #1 team for desirability in a given area or rapidly becoming it.

For boys who want to go pro it's a clear and obvious path AND for parents everything is covered which is a massive savings.

Desirability not being the same thing as the actual best team at a given moment in time.

I've heard a lot over the years about DC United Academy, mostly not good. But if my ds gets an offer, i would send him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not clumsy giants. The kids we know are really smart, have amazing technical skills, and they are big and athletic.

Thank you. Contrary to the impression you get reading DCUM, it is possible for a big and athletic kid to have skills. Just saying....don't kill the messenger.

Yeah, I don’t think the clumsy giant cliche is that applicable at top area teams past a certain age group.

For sure, there were plenty of them in the U-littles. But for the most part, big kids still playing at a high level are keeping up with their technical skills if they are serious players. So I don’t think they can be underestimated.

In the same way that someone who is naturally fast is prob going to do speed training so other players won’t catch up or pass them.

The point is, a serious soccer player is also working hard to maintain their advantages AND developing the skills to make sure they maintain competitiveness even if they no longer have those advantages.

Anonymous wrote:They are not clumsy giants. The kids we know are really smart, have amazing technical skills, and they are big and athletic.

Thank you. Contrary to the impression you get reading DCUM, it is possible for a big and athletic kid to have skills. Just saying....don't kill the messenger.

The Bethesda MLSNext teams are filled with giants but I think it's because they have so many to choose from. They are not clumsy giants. The kids we know are really smart, have amazing technical skills, and they are big and athletic.

Blue has any kids who are just as smart and skilled as those on the top teams but the kids are smaller. It's really noticeable if you ever see the teams practicing next to each other. It looks like two different age groups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mediocrity is what happens when you pick huge, seemingly athletic kids with little consideration given to soccer skills, IQ, attitude, or desire. You'd think American academies would have learned after a few decades. They haven't.

THIS. The overwhelming emphasis on boys who are huge for their age can really hurt the overall team if they don't have the skills or aren't given extra training. DCU isn't unique in this, it seems pretty widespread that teams are quick to take a U14 kid who looks like he drove himself to practice because he's gigantic.

Because most feel the model for what works for American football would work for soccer. Not always the case. Completely understand when kids that are 6’ 5”+ and 300lbs get football scholarships but ignoring soccer iq is crazy.