Anonymous wrote:Have Achilles 2011s won a single game this year? Love the chest thumping though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of the fully funded academies, what big purpose is there for the other leagues MLSNext/ECNL, other than rich families showing off a patch? This is a serious question. Can pay for play boys get a pro contract or scholarship to college? If not, is this just an expensive recreational youth sport?

I think it is sort of the only option for kids that will likely never be academy material but still want a higher level of competition. That said, parents I talk with are wising up to the situation and with the economy and high cost/time of travel, there is going to be a breaking point in the MLSN model. Some of the better players are passing up MLSN1for 2 or ECNL/RL for less travel and chance to play high school. MLSN becoming too exclusive and their player pool is going to become more of what you are talking about, we much don’t necessarily represent the best players but the ones with parents (and kids) that want and can afford all the fees/time/travel costs.

Anonymous wrote:Have Achilles 2011s won a single game this year? Love the chest thumping though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?

I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.

Eh- not really. They sort of serve different audiences. The best Next teams might be better overall but the best ECNL clubs are better than the middling and low tier next clubs. Let's take VDA, Pipeline, and Richmond vs. WVA and Alexandria Achilles as just a few local examples

You may want to narrow that down to age group teams instead of clubs

Eg Can any of the ECNL teams you named handle the Achilles 2009's?

Yes- Pipeline could handily. Arlington before their 5 academy transfers. And maybe VDA. So, bottom line. Yes.

You sure about that?

In the last 3 years, Achilles FC players:

1. One called into the U16 Men's National Team;

2. One professional signed to Eintracht Frankfurt; and

3. 14 called into US Youth National Team ID centers.

How’s your club doing?


That's it? across the past THREE years?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?

I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.

Eh- not really. They sort of serve different audiences. The best Next teams might be better overall but the best ECNL clubs are better than the middling and low tier next clubs. Let's take VDA, Pipeline, and Richmond vs. WVA and Alexandria Achilles as just a few local examples

You may want to narrow that down to age group teams instead of clubs

Eg Can any of the ECNL teams you named handle the Achilles 2009's?

Yes- Pipeline could handily. Arlington before their 5 academy transfers. And maybe VDA. So, bottom line. Yes.

You sure about that?

In the last 3 years, Achilles FC players:

1. One called into the U16 Men's National Team;

2. One professional signed to Eintracht Frankfurt; and

3. 14 called into US Youth National Team ID centers.

How’s your club doing?


That's it? across the past THREE years?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?

I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.

Eh- not really. They sort of serve different audiences. The best Next teams might be better overall but the best ECNL clubs are better than the middling and low tier next clubs. Let's take VDA, Pipeline, and Richmond vs. WVA and Alexandria Achilles as just a few local examples

You may want to narrow that down to age group teams instead of clubs

Eg Can any of the ECNL teams you named handle the Achilles 2009's?

Yes- Pipeline could handily. Arlington before their 5 academy transfers. And maybe VDA. So, bottom line. Yes.

Anonymous wrote:Ding Ding Ding. It's not. ECNL and ECNL RL will be better now that MLSNext is the new shiny toy everyone wants

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?

I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.

Eh- not really. They sort of serve different audiences. The best Next teams might be better overall but the best ECNL clubs are better than the middling and low tier next clubs. Let's take VDA, Pipeline, and Richmond vs. WVA and Alexandria Achilles as just a few local examples

You may want to narrow that down to age group teams instead of clubs

Eg Can any of the ECNL teams you named handle the Achilles 2009's?

Yes- Pipeline could handily. Arlington before their 5 academy transfers. And maybe VDA. So, bottom line. Yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.

Truly talented kids KNOW that they need to move to Europe by 13....

You selling European passports on the dark web?

Can you imagine American kids sneaking across European borders so they can train over there?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.

Truly talented kids KNOW that they need to move to Europe by 13....

You selling European passports on the dark web?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.

Truly talented kids KNOW that they need to move to Europe by 13....

Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?

I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.

Eh- not really. They sort of serve different audiences. The best Next teams might be better overall but the best ECNL clubs are better than the middling and low tier next clubs. Let's take VDA, Pipeline, and Richmond vs. WVA and Alexandria Achilles as just a few local examples