The Revolution Academy needs to make some changes.

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These are difficult words for a parent or player to read, but they are accurate. it's a classic 'king has no clothes' situation. It's largely all the kid has known so it's very difficult to leave and made more difficult by the fact that the parent (dad), even though he may say differently, is emotionally involved in the team also. It's largely DAP in general. Not just the Revs. It's really an awful experience when you really get down to the pro's and cons and make an honest assessment.

This does not come from ignorance. I know from experience and seeing a joy return to my son that had been gone for too long.

I couldn't disagree more. My kid loves it at the Revs, the coaches treat him like a young adult, he has autonomy without parents getting in between his relationship with the coaches. He is developing fast as a player because his team mates are all high level players who push each other in practice.

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I couldn't disagree more. My kid loves it at the Revs, the coaches treat him like a young adult, he has autonomy without parents getting in between his relationship with the coaches. He is developing fast as a player because his team mates are all high level players who push each other in practice.

It's awesome until it's not.

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It's awesome until it's not.

Like most things in life

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I couldn't disagree more. My kid loves it at the Revs, the coaches treat him like a young adult, he has autonomy without parents getting in between his relationship with the coaches. He is developing fast as a player because his team mates are all high level players who push each other in practice.

Ok....and which team would that be?

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It's awesome until it's not.

And when it's not awesome, it's really pretty awful. DA has been good for my player but it has been down right awful for many players, especially at the Revs. Flawed system, flawed club.

[Unregistered]

Ok....and which team would that be?

Must a younger team. Just wait. His tune will change; it usually does.

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Must a younger team. Just wait. His tune will change; it usually does.

The U16s

[Unregistered]

The U16s

High level? That's the problem. Your perception of high level is warped unfortunately. Oh well, as long as he likes it and feels like he is getting something out of it. That's good.

[Unregistered]

The Revs allow players who are not that good to "look" good in front of these college coaches - after all they ARE with the REVS !!! LOL

It gets them into their school of choice ( which is all the player and especially his parents want) but after that the proof lies in how much playing time they get freshman thru senior year and infinitesimally, how many turn pro or semi-pro. The results have been spotty at best. There is another thread where the OP focused on how much playing time D1 players from revs and other local clubs get. The results show that while more revs players get into D1 schools, their playing time on average is just as low as players from Bolts and Seacoast who made similar D1 schools. There are very few exceptions . General take away is that colleges are fooled by the Revs name. Players are no better as college players in similar tier D1 schools as the top Bolts and Seacoast DAP players.

[Unregistered]

The Revs allow players who are not that good to "look" good in front of these college coaches - after all they ARE with the REVS !!! LOL

It gets them into their school of choice ( which is all the player and especially his parents want) but after that the proof lies in how much playing time they get freshman thru senior year and infinitesimally, how many turn pro or semi-pro. The results have been spotty at best. There is another thread where the OP focused on how much playing time D1 players from revs and other local clubs get. The results show that while more revs players get into D1 schools, their playing time on average is just as low as players from Bolts and Seacoast who made similar D1 schools. There are very few exceptions . General take away is that colleges are fooled by the Revs name. Players are no better as college players in similar tier D1 schools as the top Bolts and Seacoast DAP players.

Get a life.

[Unregistered]

The Revs allow players who are not that good to "look" good in front of these college coaches - after all they ARE with the REVS !!! LOL

It gets them into their school of choice ( which is all the player and especially his parents want) but after that the proof lies in how much playing time they get freshman thru senior year and infinitesimally, how many turn pro or semi-pro. The results have been spotty at best. There is another thread where the OP focused on how much playing time D1 players from revs and other local clubs get. The results show that while more revs players get into D1 schools, their playing time on average is just as low as players from Bolts and Seacoast who made similar D1 schools. There are very few exceptions . General take away is that colleges are fooled by the Revs name. Players are no better as college players in similar tier D1 schools as the top Bolts and Seacoast DAP players.

Maybe to some ignorant D1 coaches but lately the numbers are fairly even with just a slight edge to revs. Coaches are seeing players like MR and AWO (GPS) product getting MLS offers so the tide is changing. Then there is the corruption, cronyism and nepotism in the Revs academy which breeds mediocrity - this is well known to college coaches in the northeast. (Stories spread like wild fire). Most coaches now just want to see the player play in a very competitive environment - doesn't matter where they come from.

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Maybe to some ignorant D1 coaches but lately the numbers are fairly even with just a slight edge to revs. Coaches are seeing players like MR and AWO (GPS) product getting MLS offers so the tide is changing. Then there is the corruption, cronyism and nepotism in the Revs academy which breeds mediocrity - this is well known to college coaches in the northeast. (Stories spread like wild fire). Most coaches now just want to see the player play in a very competitive environment - doesn't matter where they come from.

I agree that coaches see what they see in the players - they either think they can contribute to their teams or not. Being human they won't always get it right. They also can't really assess things like attitude and work ethic just watching them play. Plus the odds of any college athlete being a 4 year contributor aren't great overall. Of course parents, players and clubs also are guilty of frequently over-shooting in the pursuit of landing "name" schools. Fit is so important which means finding a program where it's likely you'll get good PT. Over time, however, what can and will happen is coaches who have a one or two flame outs from a club will be less likely to keep looking at a club's players. Even if they haven't had first hand experience with a certain club's players, a poor club reputation will mean one more hurdle a player has to overcome.

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The reality is in the New England you have a pool of 100 players who skill level aren't that much different. Whether they made the DA teams or not it is determined by coaches who often are imperfect themselves. They picked who the think fits their needs or systems. In the Revs case there are nepotism and politic involved in their selection. Then there are players who wanted to experience playing in high school who opted not to play DA. Coaches can always find players that fit their system outside of DA. Also any of those 100 players could easily made DA if not for politics.

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The reality is in the New England you have a pool of 100 players who skill level aren't that much different. Whether they made the DA teams or not it is determined by coaches who often are imperfect themselves. They picked who the think fits their needs or systems. In the Revs case there are nepotism and politic involved in their selection. Then there are players who wanted to experience playing in high school who opted not to play DA. Coaches can always find players that fit their system outside of DA. Also any of those 100 players could easily made DA if not for politics.

As well as incompetence and a poor understanding of the game.

[Unregistered]

As well as incompetence and a poor understanding of the game.

Yes, this has more to do with it than anything. The academies that are thriving right now have the experienced personnel not only to scout players, but to coach them. The Revs, unfortunately, fall short in both these areas.

As for scouting, going forward they will rely on their U12 Alliance partners to handle this, which will perhaps make things better, but will still be limiting a large pool of good players in the New England area down to those who happen to play at one of the three Alliance clubs. There is no way the Revs organization will spend any effort looking beyond this group players, with the exception of a few RDS players who happen to get noticed.

Once these players get into the Revs system, they won't be getting very far with the poor training level and coaching. I'm sure college and university coaches are becoming aware of this, if they aren't already. I predict the number of D1 recruits from the Revs will keep dropping every year, along with the quality of the schools for those who do get recruited to D1.