Anonymous wrote:A humble brag masquerading as a useful post. Pretty empty.

People are focused on their kid, that's why they are here being educated about he realities of DCU. And if your son is at DCu he is steadily declining as what you self proclaim as an "elite" player day by day. A reality of your situation that you just need to accept. DCUs squads are barely competing against local clubs and that is a fact. I guess your concept of the best of the best, ithe truly special, s really not grounded in anything other than your desire to feel like you're special even though the realities prove that,you're not. And you wanting to feel special is the only thing that drives you to post here. Because you cannot accept the concept that the move you made to DCU isn't what you thought it was and you feel shallow and insecure inside watching DCUs mediocrity first hand and knowing that people who know football absolutely destroy the academy and give it no respect. Even worse, this is about you and not your kid. If it was about your kid you would be motivated by making DCU better for him, not trying to smear people who highlight its glaring shortcomings because your feelings are hurt.

There ARE really talented kids at DCU. But what is also true is that there are really talented kids in our area not at DCU that can outplay them. That is a FACT. DCU is just another local club in our area that happens to have an MLS badge and pre selects their kids. It's no different than if you turned Bethesda or Arlington or Alexandria into a free program. Oh wait...DCU is no longer free. If you took away the MLS badge from DCU, it would, in that instant, be the worst development program in our area. The ONLY thing making it relevant is the MLS badge and even then, it can't keep up., even having their pick of kids in our area. That should tell you something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Of all the nonsense in this rambling diatribe, saying the parents at DCU who all came from P2P can't afford P2P so that's why they're at DCU tells you this poster is off their meds

To this poster. There you go again. Nothing of the sort was said. It's right there. Your endless attempts to discredit thoughtful posts are failing due to your own lack or comprehension.

"For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P"

Folks, don't believe your eyes is the message

it was listed as one of many hypothetical reasons the poster posited as a reason to have kids at DCU and as a counterpoint to DCUA is a good academy. You twisted it to all the parents who came to DC from P2P can't afford P2P. Not even close to what was said. And transparent on your part. just stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Of all the nonsense in this rambling diatribe, saying the parents at DCU who all came from P2P can't afford P2P so that's why they're at DCU tells you this poster is off their meds

To this poster. There you go again. Nothing of the sort was said. It's right there. Your endless attempts to discredit thoughtful posts are failing due to your own lack or comprehension.

"For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P"

Folks, don't believe your eyes is the message

it was listed as one of many hypothetical reasons the poster posited as a reason to have kids at DCU and as a counterpoint to DCUA is a good academy. You twisted it to all the parents who came to DC from P2P can't afford P2P. Not even close to what was said. And transparent on your part. just stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Of all the nonsense in this rambling diatribe, saying the parents at DCU who all came from P2P can't afford P2P so that's why they're at DCU tells you this poster is off their meds

To this poster. There you go again. Nothing of the sort was said. It's right there. Your endless attempts to discredit thoughtful posts are failing due to your own lack or comprehension.

"For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P"

Folks, don't believe your eyes is the message

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Of all the nonsense in this rambling diatribe, saying the parents at DCU who all came from P2P can't afford P2P so that's why they're at DCU tells you this poster is off their meds

To this poster. There you go again. Nothing of the sort was said. It's right there. Your endless attempts to discredit thoughtful posts are failing due to your own lack or comprehension.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Of all the nonsense in this rambling diatribe, saying the parents at DCU who all came from P2P can't afford P2P so that's why they're at DCU tells you this poster is off their meds

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Quotes from the article:

“As soon as I got to Westerlo, they had a plan for me,” Yow told ASN

"While at DC United, Yow never felt he was never given a clear direction of what he needed to do to break into the first team on a regular basis."

"Yow says he was always told to be patient but was never given anything specific in terms of a timeline or what he needed to do in order to get into the first team."

"I felt I was just kind of stagnating there. It was definitely a difficult situation."

“There were times at DC where I just didn't really feel valued very much,” Yow added

"I was coming home from training and sitting in my car for two hours in my driveway just thinking, what's going on? Where can I be better? How can I improve? Do they like me? Do they care about me? All of these questions. I never really got answers to them, even what I would go and speak to the management."

This is one of the one's who MADE IT and is a DCU success story!

For parents currently at DCUA, it's okay to say you are selfish and don't care. It's okay to say you don't have the money spend on P2P. It's okay to say I don't want to invest in such a hard opportunity to go pro. It's okay to say I didn't know any of this when I committed. It's okay to say I don't want to relocate my kid. At this point, what is not okay is to say DCUA is a strong academy.

For parents not eligible to be recruited yet by DCU, there are plenty of available opportunities so you know your kids talent relative to their peers so you can make educated decisions. Futsal tryouts are coming up. The best kids in my kids age group easily make any of the major futsal teams even if they choose not to play. One of the top 2015's in the area made it to the regional ID event with the 2013's last year in ODP. He will be in the DCUA pool when eligible if he continues to develop so that is a barometer. Can you make a Philly Union PPP team even if you don't choose to play? Do you stand out at a Red Bulls residential camp where you are pulled to the side? Are you being invited to unsanctioned tournaments like Copa Talento? Do you stand out? Guest in tournaments up in NJ and PA in the top brackets. Can your kid hang up there? You will know because more opportunities will evolve if your kid performs. There are dozens of scouting services like The Scouting Game where you can send full game tapes and get evaluations from professional Premier League scouts. What do they say? Go to multiple tryouts during the spring. If no coach ever comes up to you directly after the tryout with a verbal 1st team offer at a MLS Next or ECNL club, you're just not good enough yet. Get back to work and try again next year. You don't need to do everything but each of them is a measuring stick to assess where you are relative to the field.

Educate yourself in these ways and when DCUA invites you in or wants to see your kid, you can confidently say "no thanks" because you know how good your kid is and you will have options. Go overseas once a year, network, read the FIFA transfer regulations to know your options. There are American expat FB groups in every country and there are Americans in every country that you can connect with on your trips and learn how they navigated the move. If you prefer to stay stateside, attend events with Philly Union, Red Bulls, Nashville and CLT to have a defense against the DCUA restricted list and don't attend DCUA events. You already know how good your kid is so there is no need to attend the DCUA events.

It's okay if my kid doesn't become a professional. It's really, really hard. Probably harder than becoming a CEO. But why not try if you have a kid who is motivated? The planning starts way earlier than the American marketplace wants to freely admit.

You can have your feed back. I am done arguing. I just want other parents to understand their options. I hope something here helps somebody navigate their journey through this Wild West which is an immature soccer market here in the US and an emperor with no clothes with the DCUA monopoly in our marketplace.

Anonymous wrote:And read Griffin Yows comments about his time at DCU and this mirrors what happened with Akinmboni. Why they both were like what the h#ll are we doing at DCU waiting for them to give a crap.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/now-confident-and-in-form-yow-excited-to-see-his-career-take-off-in-belgium

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paredes, Yow, Nyeman, Pines, Ku Di Pietro, Hopkins and Akinmboni. Is really all you can tout as fairly recent products of the academy.. And most of those players signed deals years ago and were products of an older and MUCH different DCU system with better coaches and more knowledge available to them. In fact,.some of them were even at DCU when it was pay to play.

The current academy in its current form and with its current staff will not put a player on the first team or sell one to Europe in the next three years. Minimum.

🤯

Anonymous wrote:Paredes, Yow, Nyeman, Pines, Ku Di Pietro, Hopkins and Akinmboni. Is really all you can tout as fairly recent products of the academy.. And most of those players signed deals years ago and were products of an older and MUCH different DCU system with better coaches and more knowledge available to them. In fact,.some of them were even at DCU when it was pay to play.

The current academy in its current form and with its current staff will not put a player on the first team or sell one to Europe in the next three years. Minimum.