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Anonymous wrote:For thsoe whose kid plays MLSNext or ECNL, are your coaches encouraging you or discouraging you to join DC United Academy? Or perhaps do they give you some information to help you decide whether to take an offer or not?

We had a private trainer and 3 coaches advise us against going to DCU a couple of years ago. They laid out the negatives for us, mostly that DCU is a hot mess. Right after, we got a call from one of the top academy teams and all of them responded with a resounding yes. Credentials or no, it's known that DCU just isn't a good academy.

Anonymous wrote:For thsoe whose kid plays MLSNext or ECNL, are your coaches encouraging you or discouraging you to join DC United Academy? Or perhaps do they give you some information to help you decide whether to take an offer or not?

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Anonymous wrote:Jesus H Christ. This thread is just so freaking tiresome.

It's the same for and against, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again....

Is the DC United Academy operating as a top academy should? IMO, definitely not. Does it make sense for some players to attend? Absolutely.

I have posted several times before and have an ok decent knowledge of DCU. At this point, I don't care anymore if I'm sharing too much, but my nephew is on the DCU U18 team. He was recruited to play this year at the academy after playing for a local MLSN squad. He thought it was a great option for him to get exposed to a different environment. To be transparent, he is committed to play college soccer at a B10 school.

In talking to his Mom, is it the greatest? No. He avoided the school charges by completing his senior year with his home district via their online option. He's commuting back home but has a place to stay with friends in the Loudoun area. Overall, in speaking with him, it's been a plus in his development.

My DD plays with the sister of a current DCU player. Speaking with their parents was transparent and useful as my nephew was making a decision to play at DCU. We also know through acquaintances a current MLS player who played at both at DCU and their academy in what seems like forever ago. Listening to his experiences was valuable as well for making decisions.

Our local club has placed quite a few players into MLS Academies - it is telling though that many have not gone to DCU but others clubs. A top ACC freshmen in men's soccer has his younger brothers at Philly Union and those guys were developed here locally and did not go to DCU. There two other young men, IIRC at Philly that are doing quite well.

I don't think that this post will shut the debate down, but I hope folks realize that everything and everyone have their place.

I suspect Union actively scouts here since they know many of the top players avoid DCU.

It is it improbable or impossible that all the so-called top players in the dmv have parents that are sending them away at 12, 13, 14 years old to live elsewhere to pursue soccer in large numbers? Just using a little logic and critical, rational thinking

Also impressive that so many top quality players at u-littles exist in the dmv that we're exporting them in droves and there's room for them all at other academies

Sounds fantastic and fictional to me

Nobody said droves of kids are leaving the DMV. Droves of kids aren't academy level anyway. But top players have left and are leaving the DMV to go to better academies because DCU is so bad. This is just a fact. If you chose to ignore this fact that is on you.

Who designates a player as top, objectively, and it's agreed to by all trained, licensed and certified professionals?

Or is it the measurement of social media presence?

saying the word fact repeatedly isn't a qualifier for actual facts btw

Who designates them as a top player? The top academys that snatch them up lol.

good to know in the soccer world connections, politics and who you know is no longer at play

it's only about the best of the best strictly on neutral merit hahaha

And these politics, connections, influence, who you know getting you opportunities are probably the most egregious at DCU.

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Anonymous wrote:Makai Wells, since you brought up his name for the record, was at the U17s camp and didn't make the cut for the WC squad

Since he gave up a top class education to pursue soccer dreams, you sure hope he makes it

What is your point? The player left DCUs system and has achieved more than ANY player in his age group at DCU or even in any age group at DCUs academy. FACTS.

Aren't there DCU kids in the final training pool for U15 and U16 USYNT?
He made it to final training pool of U17s

So what's the achievement above and beyond.

NO. He played in official GAMES with the US National Team...very different than a a pool player in the region. No DCU player has suited up for the youth national team.in a game against another nation from the academy under the age of 18 since Gavin Turner in 2021. Using the US national team as a success metric for DCU is just not a good approach.

And no DCU kids will make the actual national team. Largely because US Soccer knows DCU can't develop talent.

Don't see anyone pushing metrics to prove anything for DCU

See someone repeatedly saying provide metrics behind lofty rhetoric for what other academies are doing for players

That said, you're saying going to a friendly game to determine quality for final roster cut and not making it deserves more credit?