The original point of this thread is whether DCU is a strong academy or not. I have only joined this conversation recently as I educate myself on options based on how my kid is developing and invitations we have received.

Since I have been on here, the DCU proponent has used a “prove it argument” so he could easily dispel one facet of every argument in order to move the goal posts and create 197 pages of conjecture. Perfect legal strategy for the supporter of a club owned by an attorney.

When finally pinned down with 4 easily provable facts they tried their theory and someone came back with the facts again. It has been radio silence since then and the story has shifted to other “arguments.”

The last one is most damning and lasting for me and explains a lot as a newcomer. DC United, with territorial rights provided by the MLS to all of the top players within 75 miles, feels it is in competition with an ordinary pay-to-play club that has recently provided DCU its most productive assets. Instead of collaborating with the club or even acquiring its development braintrust, they have decided to spend their time with the clubs who will “play ball” their way which appears to not be very productive. I am not saying BSC are choir boys and girls, but man, that is crazy work and “Daniel Snyder-like” petty.

BSC is a club with 1/1000 of the resources of DCU shares MoCo with Potomac, Achilles and Armour while DCU has 3-4 states and the District that basically bend the knee to DCU.

I only care about parents being educated on their choices. In DCU’s own words, the launch of the full-time residency in 3 age groups “elevates the Academy to professional standards…”. If you have to elevate to professional, you are operating at an amateur level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This argument is out of my league, but since it has somehow become a DC vs Philly comparison for some reason, who are players that left the dc area choosing Philly Union over DCU and made it to US national U21, U23 and senior men's teams?
or became high level professionals

Does that matter?? Whether they left DCU to go to Philly?? Bottom line is Philly is just a better academy. Period. And so are almost all of the other MLS academiss in the country

So the argument you're making is Philly Union is the best option for DC area kids and you must avoid DCU or leave DCU and go to Philly.
Yet there are no success stories of players going to Philly Union academy from DC area

What's your logic and rational since you're not using precedent of successful examples?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fact: in the past 12 months Philadelphia Union signed 7 players from its academy to pro deals either with Union II or the first team. DCU has signed only two players from its academy to pro deals in the last THREE years. Turner and Akinmboni. Hopkins was early 2022. Fletcher was never in DCUs academy. Even if you included Fletcher in DCUs statistics, it produced less than half of what Philly Union did in triple the amount of time.

DCU produced more players when it was pay to play. Should tell you something about what the priority is at DCU. And it's not the players.

Fact: Because DCU doesn't have a second team to complete their player development pathway, other MLS clubs have petitioned the league to take away DCUs homegrown rights because it doesn't have a full pathway to develop pros. Why have rights over top players when you don't really have the commitment or ability to fully develop them like all of the other MLS academies provide. It is a valid and sound argument.

Am I wrong in saying several DCU academy players go to or get time at Loudoun United who plays in the USL league which is the level above MLS Next Pro which is the 2nd team for MLS clubs?

Yes you're wrong. That WAS the case when DCU and Loudoun United had a partnership. That ceased about two years ago when MLS decided to create a second league, MLS Next Pro to keep all of the players in house. This is why you don't see the academy practicing at segra anymore and also why you don't see players playing with Loudoun anymore directly from the DCU academy. Now all MLS academies in the US have their own second teams EXCEPT for DCU. Which is why DCU is a dead end for pro soccer.

Guess can't trust IG that keeps showing DCU players over past 2 years going back and forth to Loudoun up to recently.

MLS Pro is older than 2 years, no?

If DC is a dead end for Pro soccer, then no DCU academy former kid in the past five years are currently playing professionally, correct?

Anonymous wrote:This argument is out of my league, but since it has somehow become a DC vs Philly comparison for some reason, who are players that left the dc area choosing Philly Union over DCU and made it to US national U21, U23 and senior men's teams?
or became high level professionals

Does that matter?? Whether they left DCU to go to Philly?? Bottom line is Philly is just a better academy. Period. And so are almost all of the other MLS academiss in the country

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fact: in the past 12 months Philadelphia Union signed 7 players from its academy to pro deals either with Union II or the first team. DCU has signed only two players from its academy to pro deals in the last THREE years. Turner and Akinmboni. Hopkins was early 2022. Fletcher was never in DCUs academy. Even if you included Fletcher in DCUs statistics, it produced less than half of what Philly Union did in triple the amount of time.

DCU produced more players when it was pay to play. Should tell you something about what the priority is at DCU. And it's not the players.

Fact: Because DCU doesn't have a second team to complete their player development pathway, other MLS clubs have petitioned the league to take away DCUs homegrown rights because it doesn't have a full pathway to develop pros. Why have rights over top players when you don't really have the commitment or ability to fully develop them like all of the other MLS academies provide. It is a valid and sound argument.

Am I wrong in saying several DCU academy players go to or get time at Loudoun United who plays in the USL league which is the level above MLS Next Pro which is the 2nd team for MLS clubs?

Yes you're wrong. That WAS the case when DCU and Loudoun United had a partnership. That ceased about two years ago when MLS decided to create a second league, MLS Next Pro to keep all of the players in house. This is why you don't see the academy practicing at segra anymore and also why you don't see players playing with Loudoun anymore directly from the DCU academy. Now all MLS academies in the US have their own second teams EXCEPT for DCU. Which is why DCU is a dead end for pro soccer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fact: in the past 12 months Philadelphia Union signed 7 players from its academy to pro deals either with Union II or the first team. DCU has signed only two players from its academy to pro deals in the last THREE years. Turner and Akinmboni. Hopkins was early 2022. Fletcher was never in DCUs academy. Even if you included Fletcher in DCUs statistics, it produced less than half of what Philly Union did in triple the amount of time.

DCU produced more players when it was pay to play. Should tell you something about what the priority is at DCU. And it's not the players.

Fact: Because DCU doesn't have a second team to complete their player development pathway, other MLS clubs have petitioned the league to take away DCUs homegrown rights because it doesn't have a full pathway to develop pros. Why have rights over top players when you don't really have the commitment or ability to fully develop them like all of the other MLS academies provide. It is a valid and sound argument.

Am I wrong in saying several DCU academy players go to or get time at Loudoun United who plays in the USL league which is the level above MLS Next Pro which is the 2nd team for MLS clubs?

This argument is out of my league, but since it has somehow become a DC vs Philly comparison for some reason, who are players that left the dc area choosing Philly Union over DCU and made it to US national U21, U23 and senior men's teams?
or became high level professionals

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only in today's era of Fox news and internet conspiracy groups being accepted, would the people asking for facts and figures to collaborate biased emotional accusations and claims be considered the bad guys lol

Fact 1: 3 pages ago, it was shared that DCU is THE ONLY MLS team without a 2nd team. If you don't know why this is anti-development, I can help you.

Fact 2: DCUA's academy starts @ U14. Conversely, Philly Union runs a juniors program at U9 and sponsors The Swag which is developing players from 4-8 to prepare for the juniors program. Red Bulls pre-academy starts at U10. Both Philly Union and Red Bulls academies have more players on the USMNT than DCUA.

Fact 3: DCUA Talent Center will host "Open Tryouts will take place on February 25, 2024" per the website on 9/15/25.

Fact 4: DCUA lists P2P clubs as a gateway into their academy. Bethesda is not a P2P program but has provided DC United with more academy players than PPA. Is it incompetent to not have a pathway with one of the most productive talent-producing clubs in the area? (I think P2P is a joke but that is my opinion and I am sticking to facts).

What are DCUA's facts that refute those above?

what's the P2P thing? My DS got invite and its during the day on a school day. Is it normally during the day on a school day?

Yes, kids train in the morning.

Where do they go to school if they train in the morning?

They all do online schooling

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only in today's era of Fox news and internet conspiracy groups being accepted, would the people asking for facts and figures to collaborate biased emotional accusations and claims be considered the bad guys lol

Fact 1: 3 pages ago, it was shared that DCU is THE ONLY MLS team without a 2nd team. If you don't know why this is anti-development, I can help you.

Fact 2: DCUA's academy starts @ U14. Conversely, Philly Union runs a juniors program at U9 and sponsors The Swag which is developing players from 4-8 to prepare for the juniors program. Red Bulls pre-academy starts at U10. Both Philly Union and Red Bulls academies have more players on the USMNT than DCUA.

Fact 3: DCUA Talent Center will host "Open Tryouts will take place on February 25, 2024" per the website on 9/15/25.

Fact 4: DCUA lists P2P clubs as a gateway into their academy. Bethesda is not a P2P program but has provided DC United with more academy players than PPA. Is it incompetent to not have a pathway with one of the most productive talent-producing clubs in the area? (I think P2P is a joke but that is my opinion and I am sticking to facts).

What are DCUA's facts that refute those above?

what's the P2P thing? My DS got invite and its during the day on a school day. Is it normally during the day on a school day?

Yes, kids train in the morning.

Where do they go to school if they train in the morning?

Anonymous wrote:Fact: in the past 12 months Philadelphia Union signed 7 players from its academy to pro deals either with Union II or the first team. DCU has signed only two players from its academy to pro deals in the last THREE years. Turner and Akinmboni. Hopkins was early 2022. Fletcher was never in DCUs academy. Even if you included Fletcher in DCUs statistics, it produced less than half of what Philly Union did in triple the amount of time.

DCU produced more players when it was pay to play. Should tell you something about what the priority is at DCU. And it's not the players.

Fact: Because DCU doesn't have a second team to complete their player development pathway, other MLS clubs have petitioned the league to take away DCUs homegrown rights because it doesn't have a full pathway to develop pros. Why have rights over top players when you don't really have the commitment or ability to fully develop them like all of the other MLS academies provide. It is a valid and sound argument.

Fact: in the past 12 months Philadelphia Union signed 7 players from its academy to pro deals either with Union II or the first team. DCU has signed only two players from its academy to pro deals in the last THREE years. Turner and Akinmboni. Hopkins was early 2022. Fletcher was never in DCUs academy. Even if you included Fletcher in DCUs statistics, it produced less than half of what Philly Union did in triple the amount of time.

DCU produced more players when it was pay to play. Should tell you something about what the priority is at DCU. And it's not the players.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only in today's era of Fox news and internet conspiracy groups being accepted, would the people asking for facts and figures to collaborate biased emotional accusations and claims be considered the bad guys lol

Fact 1: 3 pages ago, it was shared that DCU is THE ONLY MLS team without a 2nd team. If you don't know why this is anti-development, I can help you.

Fact 2: DCUA's academy starts @ U14. Conversely, Philly Union runs a juniors program at U9 and sponsors The Swag which is developing players from 4-8 to prepare for the juniors program. Red Bulls pre-academy starts at U10. Both Philly Union and Red Bulls academies have more players on the USMNT than DCUA.

Fact 3: DCUA Talent Center will host "Open Tryouts will take place on February 25, 2024" per the website on 9/15/25.

Fact 4: DCUA lists P2P clubs as a gateway into their academy. Bethesda is not a P2P program but has provided DC United with more academy players than PPA. Is it incompetent to not have a pathway with one of the most productive talent-producing clubs in the area? (I think P2P is a joke but that is my opinion and I am sticking to facts).

What are DCUA's facts that refute those above?

1. A lack of a 2nd team is not anti-development.
Does every academy player at all other academies move up to 2nd team, at Red Bulls or Philly for example?
NO
So RB and Union are anti-development?

2. The starting age doesn't define an academy, academies are measured by Professionals produced and revenues generated by sales of players

3 You're seriously pointing out a website error? Get real

4 Bethesda hasn't sent a single player to DCU or corporates with DCU in any way.
They, Bethesda, obviously see DCU as competition, which is another point that warped soccer culture is our achilles heel.

Players leave Bethesda and go to DC on their own.
Bethesda gets talent from many grass roots clubs and are more name-brand and money than true developer of young players.
How many former Bethesda players are on each DCU team compared to some of the Virginia clubs
Many of the grass roots clubs in the DMV have better coaches than Bethesda and are better sources of quality developed players.

All those general and generic arbitrary facts you stated doesn't show facts that other academies are producing professionals but DCU is not

Re 1: A lack of second team is absolutely anti development. How can a kid who is in DCUs program at 18 continue to develop at DCU if he isn't ready for the first team. He can't because there is no second team. Every other academy IN THE COUNTRY has this. Including nearby Union and Red Bulls. No, every player doesn't move up to the second team. At DCU.the players don't even have the option to move anywhere. This is why the player pathway us incomplete and why DCU is inferior in the MLS academy in landscape

Re 2: the age an academy starts does define it's commitment to the players and developing players within. Why most sophisticated academies worldwide start early. If you're starting late you don't have enough time to develop the players. And yes DCUs statistics on the sales of players is behind the top MLS academies. As has been shown with data

Re 3: it is less about the website and more about the lack of professionalism and how little emphasis the academy has at DCU which is so severe that it can't even keep its website up to date which is like table stakes for pretty much any business these days. Out of date and inaccurate website usual signals a disorganized and poor management, which is the case at DCU

Re 4: Bethesda doesn't cooperate with DCU because it seems it a competitive threat. Fact. It's a business for Bethesda. It's not business for DCU. They don't actually care. What matters is that DCU could have found a way to work with Bethesda but it didn't fit many reasons. Sone of which are just Bethesda being Bethesda and others are DCU being incompetent and having poor leadership.

The fact is, whether you like it or not, DCU is just not at the level. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, who knows anything about soccer in the US knows this. You can stay in denial and that's fine with me. But for everyone else, they will be making better choices for their son or at least acknowledging the fact that DCU has massive shortcomings and build a plan to work with that fact recognized.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only in today's era of Fox news and internet conspiracy groups being accepted, would the people asking for facts and figures to collaborate biased emotional accusations and claims be considered the bad guys lol

Fact 1: 3 pages ago, it was shared that DCU is THE ONLY MLS team without a 2nd team. If you don't know why this is anti-development, I can help you.

Fact 2: DCUA's academy starts @ U14. Conversely, Philly Union runs a juniors program at U9 and sponsors The Swag which is developing players from 4-8 to prepare for the juniors program. Red Bulls pre-academy starts at U10. Both Philly Union and Red Bulls academies have more players on the USMNT than DCUA.

Fact 3: DCUA Talent Center will host "Open Tryouts will take place on February 25, 2024" per the website on 9/15/25.

Fact 4: DCUA lists P2P clubs as a gateway into their academy. Bethesda is not a P2P program but has provided DC United with more academy players than PPA. Is it incompetent to not have a pathway with one of the most productive talent-producing clubs in the area? (I think P2P is a joke but that is my opinion and I am sticking to facts).

What are DCUA's facts that refute those above?

what's the P2P thing? My DS got invite and its during the day on a school day. Is it normally during the day on a school day?

Yes, kids train in the morning.