Successful how? Growth? Massive size does not = better.

The only way a kid can sign for Bayern is if (Under 14) the live within 60 miles of Munich or (Under 16) live within 90 miles of Munich.

Oh yeah, and they need to hold a European passport.

GPS makes me laugh with all their crap.

GPS is a business. Success = $$. To do that they have to have a good product and average customer service. Average only because most clubs have no idea about customer service. GPS does this pretty well. (I've had kids play on four clubs one which was GPS). On the field locally GPS Boys are as good as any club other than the Revs. Girls they are third or fourth in quality on field. They are building a business and doing pretty well at that. In five years they will be able to put together age group boys teams from their national club pool that will be better than most DAP teams. The one thing that GPS has been is forward thinking. Other clubs seem to react to changing conditions. GPS seems to have ideas that think beyond reaction.

Only thing left for them is to start operating with a professional team, like USL or NASL. I'm surprised they don't have more in PDL or something in NPSL.

I have had children play for many clubs over the years as well, including MPS, and concur with much of what you are saying about GPS. In many respects they may actually be the most realistic club around here when it comes to aligning family expectations with a player's talent. Where I disagree with you is the notion that in 5 years they will be able to take on DAP teams. MPS/GPS doesn't really do the top end level all that well for just the reasons you are outlining. While they certainly do have very good players in the club, it's just not the level of play that they target and not the focus of their business. The strength of GPS is they do what they do well extremely well and don't get hung up on what other's do well and try to mimic them. Taking on DAP is just not what they are going to do. My experience with MPS/GPS is they will tell you that if you want DAP that you should go to DAP. Heck they are so good at customer service that they might even help line it up for you.

BTNT, given that you have praised MPS/GPS and NEFC for their business smarts, what in your estimation accounts for NEFC surpassing GPS? In other words, why didn't you place your bet with GPS a few years ago instead of NEFC?

A world class talent can be found in any system and NEFC has not surpassed GPS by any stretch of the imagination.

Giuseppe Rossi played for the Clifton Stallions in Teaneck NJ. Means absolutely nothing.

Thanks, but I'd still like BTNT to answer.

It's real simple. I always look to put my kids with coaches that I trust and Mark McDevitt wasn't coaching my youngest daughter's age group. We did think about moving to MPS and playing her up on Mark's team but then Chris Hamblin took over the NEFC team and it became obvious real quickly that it was going to fit nicely. If it didn't we very well may have left but that would only be conjecture because we never had to face the decision. Suffice to say Chris did a great job with her.

Where players like my daughter end up in club is more the luck of the draw than anything. It has a lot more to do with location and convenience than environment and philosophies. That comes later. It was real obvious with my youngest very early on that she might have "IT" and even from the earliest days was always being offered spots on teams sometimes 2 & 3 years older. She had plenty of options. Initially she was with the Bolts (with many of the players she won a national championship with last year) but that team disbanded. We chose TVU which later became NEFC strictly because of location and convenience and they really bent over backwards to make things work for her over the years. We just had no reason to leave .We always looked at all of the club politics and league BS as just that, BS. None of it was a draw at all. I would bet that you will find much the same story with most players like her. They start some place, emerge as players and the clubs do their jobs developing them. If they do it well there is no reason to leave.

GTG -- the honey do list awaits

Thank you. I am sure someone (I wonder who) will find a way to attack what I see as a very honest and helpful post. We all wish your D continued success.

I want to clarify that I meant that in five years a GPS NATIONAL team (not local) will compete with most local DAP teams. Locally the U18 GPS and NEFC U18 teams would probably beat the Bolts u18 DAP. And the GPS U16 team would play the Bolts DAP close. Both GPS and NEFC have as many players if not more going D1 than Bolts U18. If the national model is $$ only for GPS what is the end game for soccer development? Is it a national team that can compete with the best? It could all be $$ only which makes for good business but having a national product that you can put on a field the play the best in the country is VERY good for business. And yes I agree GPS really does help their players that want to go DAP.

Doesn't Rush already have what you discuss?

Helpful? Explain.