Their successes base on doing it the right way:choosing right players for development, implement right system and hiring good coaches that fit to their system--no players can buy their back door to get in.

TA can be successful if they do it the right way. Unfortunately, from day one TA has no vision on how to develop players. TA mentality is more WIN NOW, so they select Big, early develop players at club levels into the system to win game; however, these players had already at the peak when they came in, so no more room to growth over time.

The interesting thing, though, is that the 05 team did focus a lot on the smaller, technical players (we'll exclude the Slytherins, obviously--that situation is outrageous and unprofessional). What happens?

1) They lose quite a bit, to bigger and faster teams.
2) Parents of big fast kids whine about how unfair it is their DS wasn't picked, even though their kids' team beat on the kids who did get picked in OYSA.

The 06 team is killing everyone. Have you seen them though? They got some huge kids on there; bigger than a lot of 05 teams. They can all play soccer--but will they be the best players from Oregon when they are U17s?

Here's the thing--nobody knows! I don't know who, among the current 05 and 06 crop, will be the best player in three-four years. I have no frigging idea. I'm just a parent, not someone who is paid to figure this out, but the guys who are paid to figure it out have no idea yet either. There's a whole bunch of kids who certainly won't, the vast majority of the population, but whether YER or TM or JBC or LY (or AP or ML or GS--plenty of talent still in the local DA--or some kid in OYSA) will be the top dog as a U17, don't ask me.

Which is why the Sounders approach might be better. Don't start the MLS academy until U15, when (most) everyone is in high school and hopefully past puberty. Partner with your local clubs to identify and scout players, provide such players with more advanced training, and reward the clubs that pass players on. Restructure the Alliance--we don't need a zillion different local clubs all with "Timbers" in the name--so that all clubs can participate, regardless of their sponsorship commitments. (A big reason many clubs resist the Alliance, I suspect, is that it requires being an Adidas club; a non-starter for those clubs with long Nike affiliations. Marketing arrangements should not dictate a player's chance of success, nor should this appearance exist). If you want to keep the Alliance, make clear to everyone that it's ONLY MARKETING; kids will be treated fairly regardless of club affiliation. (In practice, the Timbers seem to do this; but hints are often dropped by Alliance clubs that they enjoy special relations with the MLS franchise, and it's to kids advantage to play there).

The TA is getting a lot more right than wrong with their new younger teams. The Sounders system works in a big market where you have enough volume of talented kids to support high-level training at the local clubs. Consolidating the talent earlier, and re-evaluating every year is the most efficient way to develop the smaller pool of players here. Of course it's a bit of a guessing game at the younger ages. As long as rosters are evaluated every year, then the best of the best will be given invites as the puberty effect evens out.

While it is a bigger commitment than what the local clubs offer, there isn't a better training environment in our area for those kids who are serious and focussed on soccer. Plus it's free.