Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 11:59     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
My son is currently at DCU. He came from a non-MLS Next club and played EDP (South Atlantic conference). His coach reached out to DC and a scout came out to some games. I would say at least a few during the season and random tournaments. My son knew who he was and saw him. The scout was also at USYS Eastern Regionals last year (they were local). After being scouted that way, he was invited to a trial week.

Friends from another non-MLS Next club went to last year's Talent ID and the handful of folks identified were called and asked to forward Spring season schedules so scouts could come out and watch them play. Handful meaning literally less than 5 players were called (that's what the scout told our friends) for the U14s. I'm not sure, but I think most of the roster was already filled from previous scouting. So they were just trying to fill in a couple of holes in the roster at that point (Feb 2023), same as U15. I have no idea if they filled them from the talent ID sessions. The older groups did not have ID sessions that I know of.

The scout told me the ID sessions were to start watching the younger age groups and to see anyone they haven't seen ever. If your DS is on an MLS Next team, he's probably been seen already.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 10:40     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone in this conversation gone to an open tryout? I never see the sign-ups in time.

Or anyone in this conversation had a scout come watch their kid's game? Either for their own kid, or another?

Thank you!


We are at an MLSNext club and parents have told us that there is usually at least a DCU scout at all the home MLSNext games. But this is second hand info. My kids are still too young for MLSNext.

Also second hand info, a coach told me that his tryouts for his MLSNext team had DCU scouts. They apparently just show up without notice.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 10:36     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone in this conversation gone to an open tryout? I never see the sign-ups in time.

Or anyone in this conversation had a scout come watch their kid's game? Either for their own kid, or another?

Thank you!


The DCU Academy scouting network has definitely ramped up.
They have been seen at games and tournaments all over the DMV since August watching players from different leagues.

So the IDing process is ongoing
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 10:17     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone in this conversation gone to an open tryout? I never see the sign-ups in time.

Or anyone in this conversation had a scout come watch their kid's game? Either for their own kid, or another?

Thank you!


There is no Talent Center ID event that we know of yet. Another poster was saying you should just send in an application to see if they will come out and watch your kid's game rather than waiting for the Talent Center ID.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 10:07     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Has anyone in this conversation gone to an open tryout? I never see the sign-ups in time.

Or anyone in this conversation had a scout come watch their kid's game? Either for their own kid, or another?

Thank you!
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 10:02     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:I think DCU serves a certain fan base. They are almost single- minded in that focus.

They have no interest in developing players - proof? They keep ending the U-little programs.


I can't imagine there's a lot of value for the Academy to have a program for little kids. The idea for DC United is to gather the very best players in the region and determine which of those have pro potential. There's no way to know this about 10 yr olds. No matter the level of training, most, if not all, of those kids would be replaced as they got older by other identified talent. There's nothing wrong with this. I just think the hit rate for really young kids would be low and not worth the investment of providing fully-subsidized professional training.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2024 09:25     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:I think DCU serves a certain fan base. They are almost single- minded in that focus.

They have no interest in developing players - proof? They keep ending the U-little programs.


The narrative that DC United has no interest in developing players gets thrown out there indiscriminately.
What evidence exists to substantiate this?

Also, what are other clubs locally doing differently/better than DCU to develop players?
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2024 17:34     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
I think DCU serves a certain fan base. They are almost single- minded in that focus.

They have no interest in developing players - proof? They keep ending the U-little programs.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 10:56     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At the younger ages, DCU is keeping an eye on some kids until it makes sense to recruit them. But there are some threads here that talk to this, a few major clubs aren’t communicating directly with DCU to advocate for certain kids. But I’m assuming they will get calls abt certain kids that DCU has heard about and have to be honest in sharing their assessment of the kid.

Altho for other smaller clubs, it’s a win for them when they can get their kid recruited by DCU so the coach, TD, will likely reach out to DCU to get their player seen.

But the scouts of course will see most of the talented kids when they scout MLSNext games. They know the known clubs and have been known to watch tryouts at MLSNext clubs. Can’t really hide a talented kid.

If you are at an MLSNext and ECNL club, your kid will be seen. If you’re not at these clubs, your club will likely need to advocate for you.

But being seen doesn’t mean getting recruited. You have to be a standout. It’s not enough to be a starter, you have to make an impression.

Frankly, we’ve been at this for a few years, and there are definitely quite a few kids that stood out even when they were not a some fancy club or getting all the extra training. Unfortunately, DC only has one academy so there isn’t enough space to take all talented kids

in an ideal world, metro areas in the U.S. have a few academies like they do in Europe because I think this area can provide enough talent. Unfortunately, as it is now, there are a lot of talented kids who are not found or who cannot keep up with development in this area.


One thing overlooked by the vast majority. You aren't recruited just because you're 'good'.
You're recruited because you are a fit to an organization.


+1 I would add that just because DCU doesn’t want you, doesn’t mean the kid is not good enough.



You're saying they DCU may want the kid, but the reputation of the toxic parent precedes them?


😆 I honestly wasn’t thinking that but that is certainly a point. 😊

My point was that DCU is not the end all or be all evaluator of whether a kid is talented enough for an academy.


The bad behaving toxic parents leaving a trail of fire and destruction, jumping from one club to the next is topic for a separate thread hahaha
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 10:45     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At the younger ages, DCU is keeping an eye on some kids until it makes sense to recruit them. But there are some threads here that talk to this, a few major clubs aren’t communicating directly with DCU to advocate for certain kids. But I’m assuming they will get calls abt certain kids that DCU has heard about and have to be honest in sharing their assessment of the kid.

Altho for other smaller clubs, it’s a win for them when they can get their kid recruited by DCU so the coach, TD, will likely reach out to DCU to get their player seen.

But the scouts of course will see most of the talented kids when they scout MLSNext games. They know the known clubs and have been known to watch tryouts at MLSNext clubs. Can’t really hide a talented kid.

If you are at an MLSNext and ECNL club, your kid will be seen. If you’re not at these clubs, your club will likely need to advocate for you.

But being seen doesn’t mean getting recruited. You have to be a standout. It’s not enough to be a starter, you have to make an impression.

Frankly, we’ve been at this for a few years, and there are definitely quite a few kids that stood out even when they were not a some fancy club or getting all the extra training. Unfortunately, DC only has one academy so there isn’t enough space to take all talented kids

in an ideal world, metro areas in the U.S. have a few academies like they do in Europe because I think this area can provide enough talent. Unfortunately, as it is now, there are a lot of talented kids who are not found or who cannot keep up with development in this area.


One thing overlooked by the vast majority. You aren't recruited just because you're 'good'.
You're recruited because you are a fit to an organization.


+1 I would add that just because DCU doesn’t want you, doesn’t mean the kid is not good enough.



You're saying they DCU may want the kid, but the reputation of the toxic parent precedes them?


😆 I honestly wasn’t thinking that but that is certainly a point. 😊

My point was that DCU is not the end all or be all evaluator of whether a kid is talented enough for an academy.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 10:28     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At the younger ages, DCU is keeping an eye on some kids until it makes sense to recruit them. But there are some threads here that talk to this, a few major clubs aren’t communicating directly with DCU to advocate for certain kids. But I’m assuming they will get calls abt certain kids that DCU has heard about and have to be honest in sharing their assessment of the kid.

Altho for other smaller clubs, it’s a win for them when they can get their kid recruited by DCU so the coach, TD, will likely reach out to DCU to get their player seen.

But the scouts of course will see most of the talented kids when they scout MLSNext games. They know the known clubs and have been known to watch tryouts at MLSNext clubs. Can’t really hide a talented kid.

If you are at an MLSNext and ECNL club, your kid will be seen. If you’re not at these clubs, your club will likely need to advocate for you.

But being seen doesn’t mean getting recruited. You have to be a standout. It’s not enough to be a starter, you have to make an impression.

Frankly, we’ve been at this for a few years, and there are definitely quite a few kids that stood out even when they were not a some fancy club or getting all the extra training. Unfortunately, DC only has one academy so there isn’t enough space to take all talented kids

in an ideal world, metro areas in the U.S. have a few academies like they do in Europe because I think this area can provide enough talent. Unfortunately, as it is now, there are a lot of talented kids who are not found or who cannot keep up with development in this area.


One thing overlooked by the vast majority. You aren't recruited just because you're 'good'.
You're recruited because you are a fit to an organization.


+1 I would add that just because DCU doesn’t want you, doesn’t mean the kid is not good enough.



You're saying they DCU may want the kid, but the reputation of the toxic parent precedes them?
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 10:04     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At the younger ages, DCU is keeping an eye on some kids until it makes sense to recruit them. But there are some threads here that talk to this, a few major clubs aren’t communicating directly with DCU to advocate for certain kids. But I’m assuming they will get calls abt certain kids that DCU has heard about and have to be honest in sharing their assessment of the kid.

Altho for other smaller clubs, it’s a win for them when they can get their kid recruited by DCU so the coach, TD, will likely reach out to DCU to get their player seen.

But the scouts of course will see most of the talented kids when they scout MLSNext games. They know the known clubs and have been known to watch tryouts at MLSNext clubs. Can’t really hide a talented kid.

If you are at an MLSNext and ECNL club, your kid will be seen. If you’re not at these clubs, your club will likely need to advocate for you.

But being seen doesn’t mean getting recruited. You have to be a standout. It’s not enough to be a starter, you have to make an impression.

Frankly, we’ve been at this for a few years, and there are definitely quite a few kids that stood out even when they were not a some fancy club or getting all the extra training. Unfortunately, DC only has one academy so there isn’t enough space to take all talented kids

in an ideal world, metro areas in the U.S. have a few academies like they do in Europe because I think this area can provide enough talent. Unfortunately, as it is now, there are a lot of talented kids who are not found or who cannot keep up with development in this area.


One thing overlooked by the vast majority. You aren't recruited just because you're 'good'.
You're recruited because you are a fit to an organization.


+1 I would add that just because DCU doesn’t want you, doesn’t mean the kid is not good enough.

Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 09:37     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:At the younger ages, DCU is keeping an eye on some kids until it makes sense to recruit them. But there are some threads here that talk to this, a few major clubs aren’t communicating directly with DCU to advocate for certain kids. But I’m assuming they will get calls abt certain kids that DCU has heard about and have to be honest in sharing their assessment of the kid.

Altho for other smaller clubs, it’s a win for them when they can get their kid recruited by DCU so the coach, TD, will likely reach out to DCU to get their player seen.

But the scouts of course will see most of the talented kids when they scout MLSNext games. They know the known clubs and have been known to watch tryouts at MLSNext clubs. Can’t really hide a talented kid.

If you are at an MLSNext and ECNL club, your kid will be seen. If you’re not at these clubs, your club will likely need to advocate for you.

But being seen doesn’t mean getting recruited. You have to be a standout. It’s not enough to be a starter, you have to make an impression.

Frankly, we’ve been at this for a few years, and there are definitely quite a few kids that stood out even when they were not a some fancy club or getting all the extra training. Unfortunately, DC only has one academy so there isn’t enough space to take all talented kids

in an ideal world, metro areas in the U.S. have a few academies like they do in Europe because I think this area can provide enough talent. Unfortunately, as it is now, there are a lot of talented kids who are not found or who cannot keep up with development in this area.


One thing overlooked by the vast majority. You aren't recruited just because you're 'good'.
You're recruited because you are a fit to an organization.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 09:31     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No, they will definitely recruit at U11 if the kids are really good. At least that’s what the other parents are saying; we signed up for the extra technical training offered by our club to make sure we’re ready.


I hope this is a joke. "We". Your club is taking your $$


Aren't all the clubs already?

Unless we really think we're all getting $3,800 in value for the yearly fee


That's twice what we are playing.
And to the PP, no. Don't send film of your 4th-5th grader. If they are truly the phenom you think they are (ie, one of the top 25 overall players in the region), your coach, your TD and your opponents know it. After a few years in, you start to notice the kids who really stand out. There's a Takoma Park Friends kid I've seen who is one of the best youth soccer players I've seen in person. Hopefully DCU finds those kids and not all the spendy-club kids.


Well, if the Takoma Park kid is indeed the exceptional phenom you describe, then based on your statement, he can't be missed.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2024 09:22     Subject: DC United Academy Open Evaluation 2024?
At the younger ages, DCU is keeping an eye on some kids until it makes sense to recruit them. But there are some threads here that talk to this, a few major clubs aren’t communicating directly with DCU to advocate for certain kids. But I’m assuming they will get calls abt certain kids that DCU has heard about and have to be honest in sharing their assessment of the kid.

Altho for other smaller clubs, it’s a win for them when they can get their kid recruited by DCU so the coach, TD, will likely reach out to DCU to get their player seen.

But the scouts of course will see most of the talented kids when they scout MLSNext games. They know the known clubs and have been known to watch tryouts at MLSNext clubs. Can’t really hide a talented kid.

If you are at an MLSNext and ECNL club, your kid will be seen. If you’re not at these clubs, your club will likely need to advocate for you.

But being seen doesn’t mean getting recruited. You have to be a standout. It’s not enough to be a starter, you have to make an impression.

Frankly, we’ve been at this for a few years, and there are definitely quite a few kids that stood out even when they were not a some fancy club or getting all the extra training. Unfortunately, DC only has one academy so there isn’t enough space to take all talented kids

in an ideal world, metro areas in the U.S. have a few academies like they do in Europe because I think this area can provide enough talent. Unfortunately, as it is now, there are a lot of talented kids who are not found or who cannot keep up with development in this area.