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**Unregistered** · 03-03-2020, 05:27 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Any feedback on SDP? How many players from SDP actually make the Sounders Academy?
Seems like a few coaches left the academy recently...

Players do move up, and it's good training. Often coaching shuffles happen when coaches move up in the organization.

**Unregistered** · 03-03-2020, 07:34 PM

If your DS wants to make Sounders Academy, its definitely a good pathway. The last time I heard Brayton Napp was coaching SDP, and he is a very good coach. Not sure there is really much downside.

**Unregistered** · 03-04-2020, 12:22 PM

Agree with others that training is very good-much better than EPD as it is more frequent and there is more pressure to perform so everyone is on their A game all the time. Technical skills are honed.

The dirty underside:
Evaluations and cuts every several months throughout the year with new kids brought in each cycle.

Making it through cuts is no guarantee of a spot on Academy-kids from out of state are regularly brought in to replace local kids.

Getting a spot in Sounders Academy is no guarantee for playing regularly or staying there. I know of at least 10 kids who went through SDP, made academy and are now out. Some moved to other MLS Academies to get more playing time, the majority are back on premier/ECNL teams, a few were severely burned out and just play high school.

There is new leadership at academy so the above may change but many of the coaches remain the same. Kids that make it through all of the above are well positioned for top college programs or USL teams. Several have moved up to first team and/or are regular national team call ups. Whole different level than XF DA.

**Unregistered** · 03-04-2020, 01:05 PM

You were ok until you said whole different level than XF DA. What level? Level of play? Not different. Level of college programs attended? Not different. USL opportunity is different, you get to play for the worst USL team in the country.

**Unregistered** · 03-04-2020, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

You were ok until you said whole different level than XF DA. What level? Level of play? Not different. Level of college programs attended? Not different. USL opportunity is different, you get to play for the worst USL team in the country.

Sounders parent here. The Xfire DA program is excellent and a good pathway to college play and beyond if the player has the skills. It's a different program than Sounders, but shouldn't be called inferior.

**Unregistered** · 03-04-2020, 09:07 PM

By "different level" I did not mean superior. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say different culture. XF DA does not seem that different culture-wise from now ECNL, previously top RCL A teams. Quality kids are sought after and kept; proper obeisance to the DOC keeps the bottom kids on the roster. Everyone plays "at age" to maximize teams winning. Result is relatively stable rosters and predictability from year to year.

Sounders- much more churn in roster from year to year as players are pushed to play up in age, new players brought in from all over the country, others that have played several years are dropped. Many manage to combine this with regular high school classes but the fact that "pizza school" exists for the rest says something about the priorities and culture of the program.

I would be curious to hear from parents who have experienced both programs as to the validity of my impressions, but I am not alone in the soccer parent community in these thoughts.

**Unregistered** · 03-04-2020, 10:58 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

By "different level" I did not mean superior. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say different culture. XF DA does not seem that different culture-wise from now ECNL, previously top RCL A teams. Quality kids are sought after and kept; proper obeisance to the DOC keeps the bottom kids on the roster. Everyone plays "at age" to maximize teams winning. Result is relatively stable rosters and predictability from year to year.

Sounders- much more churn in roster from year to year as players are pushed to play up in age, new players brought in from all over the country, others that have played several years are dropped. Many manage to combine this with regular high school classes but the fact that "pizza school" exists for the rest says something about the priorities and culture of the program.

I would be curious to hear from parents who have experienced both programs as to the validity of my impressions, but I am not alone in the soccer parent community in these thoughts.

I don't know much about boys Xfire, but that's a good picture of Sounders. Kids know they may be dropped at any time. Pizza school is a thing. Meeting demands of the program is harder for kids in regular school.