I don't know how my kid ended up with an invite but he is on a DMV MLSNext team, his games are recorded on Taka and his score for the 8 drills on the app was 4.2

There are some ECNL teams on Taka I’ve seen the tab. I like taka…. It takes some of the bs politics out of everything. No more coaches pushing kids that can’t actually ball. Taka cuts out a lot of the crap.

My kids coach has been lighting kids up all week trying to fix things before the event. I suspect the cake is already baked for all of them.

Anonymous wrote:I emailed MLSNext after receiving the invite Thursday afternoon and they responded that the selection was based on a combination of the app, TAKA and coach recommendations.

Unless I am mistaken, USYS and US Clubs (ECNL) don’t use Taka. So instead of this being a true “let’s cast a wide net and see who may be talented and playing school, ECNL or even EDP that we can bring in that our traditional scouting methods missed,” it feels like a power play to force parents to join MLS Next clubs in the future to get scouting opportunities.

My kid is a U12 so we were just going to looking for an ID session on an open weekend after we heard about it. I would have actually paid just to join and for him to get an assessment about where he is. We will just go and guest in the SAC tournament with this information.

The MLS NEXT Talent ID weekend of October 11-12, 2025 is a scouting opportunity for U13 and U14 players to be evaluated by MLS clubs and academies in 13 different markets across the United States. This event provides more scouting opportunities for players both inside and outside the MLS NEXT program to enter the MLS ecosystem, and there is no cost for players to participate.
What it is:
An event where MLS clubs and academies scout talented young players in the U13 and U14 age groups.
A platform for players outside of MLS NEXT to showcase their skills and potentially join the program.
When and where:
The event will take place on October 11-12, 2025.
Sessions will be held in 13 different markets across the U.S.
How to get involved:
More information will be publicized in September.
Players outside of MLS NEXT may be able to get invited by showcasing their skills through innovative technology platforms like aiScout, according to previous similar events in 2024.
Key details:
There is no cost for players to participate in the Talent ID weekend.
The events focus on evaluating players in an MLS NEXT environment and atmosphere

Our coach has no idea what it is, so they definitely aren't recommending anyone.

I emailed MLSNext after receiving the invite Thursday afternoon and they responded that the selection was based on a combination of the app, TAKA and coach recommendations.

Anonymous wrote:Most people disregarded this as "stupid." Reality is, it is impossible to scout the number of kids we have playing this game across the space that this country covers. The politics of youth soccer in the DMV can have your kid written off before U12 or earlier. You have a massive pool of potential competing for about 45 spots across just two clubs prior to NVA joining. Do we really count Achilles? VDA and ARL honorable mention U13/U14.

With that said, the app can at least get your kid a look they wouldn't normally get, so why not do it.

Einstein,

Ask TAKA to provide the Top 10%-15% players w/QoP after normalizing for time on the pitch. They grade each player, each game. Easiest thing in the world if they wanted to do it right. But you go on thinking a 10M sprint or juggling a ball 20x is the true test of greatness.

Is this really based on that app? My God.

Anonymous wrote:How long did it take for the drills to be scored? We just had our 1st scored after uploading all of them 4 days ago. What is the scoring system? Out of 5, 10, 15, etc.?

Any updates on this Talent ID weekend? Per the release, they were going to be providing "more scouting opportunities for players competing within or outside MLS NEXT."

I would think they are looking outside of MLS NEXT per the release.

My son’s drills were submitted on September 3. So far only 3 of the drills have been scored.

Anonymous wrote:Most people disregarded this as "stupid." Reality is, it is impossible to scout the number of kids we have playing this game across the space that this country covers. The politics of youth soccer in the DMV can have your kid written off before U12 or earlier. You have a massive pool of potential competing for about 45 spots across just two clubs prior to NVA joining. Do we really count Achilles? VDA and ARL honorable mention U13/U14.

With that said, the app can at least get your kid a look they wouldn't normally get, so why not do it.

I’m curious, what was the score between NVA U14 and Achilles U14 a few weeks back since you called attention to it? MLSNext mid-Atlantic region loses the NY Red Bulls and gains this turd team:

NVA: 0 wins/4 losses. 1 GF; 13 GA.

Anonymous wrote:I have a whole team invite on our team snap? It’s at a MLS team training site. Our team is MLSN AD. No one on our team knows what we are doing that weekend other than showing up for 3 days.

I have no doubt plenty of MLSN teams will be doing something the October 11-12 weekend, but what you describe doesn't sound like the same thing. The MLSN ID camp is an individual invite event. Those going receive personal invites.

We all need to document these stories on the early days of 🇺🇸 soccer and submit it to a Netflix writer in like 10 years.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

I can only guess that they bit off more than they could chew without having the logistics ironed out.

I have a whole team invite on our team snap? It’s at a MLS team training site. Our team is MLSN AD. No one on our team knows what we are doing that weekend other than showing up for 3 days.

A parent whose U13 MLSNext player just received the invite yesterday evening. It is being held in this region at Philadelphia Union's training site the morning of October 13th (2 1/2 hours). He had 7 of the 8 drills scored and was averaging near 4.25. I've been asking other parents on the team if they received scores on the drills and I get various answers. I do not yet know if any teammates also received invites. Having said that, we all think the app approach is truly silly, but now that my son has the invite, I think at a minimum the ID camp 'experience' will be something he enjoys.