Timbers be better.

[Guest]

To the Timber's Academy. Just be better!
True. Several U15s leaving the program after only one year? Why. Toxic locker room environment. No real pathway to, well anywhere? Or is it that they feel like the sacrifices that they have to make are way to great. True. The Timbers Alliance was dissolved, not by you, but by all the participating clubs. Was it the disgraceful conduct by the ownership? Or maybe it is that clubs like WSM, Capital and Eugene were tired of giving you their best players only to have them return disappointed and disheartened. Now I understand that several U14s are declining your Academy invites and the coaching staff has taken to harassing them through repeated contact and even sending other players after them to change their minds. Maybe you should consider “No mean No”. It would appear that the exposure has begun and players and parents are noticing.
You might offer training, a new pair of shoes and a few games, but the truth is there is nothing for players at the end. When you list it out what more do you offer players than the elite Portland Clubs.

I think you to ask yourselves, what can we change? How can we work with the community? How can we promote our players better? How can we be better?

I’ll take comments.

[Guest]

Timber Academy offers no real player training or development. They gather talent- they don’t develop talent. Why? Because the coaching staff has no high level playing experience. We need new coaches, new facilities, and real punishment for locker room crap.

[Guest]

Timber Academy offers no real player training or development. They gather talent- they don’t develop talent. Why? Because the coaching staff has no high level playing experience. We need new coaches, new facilities, and real punishment for locker room crap.

Nailed it!!

[Guest]

They don't care. Not their business model. They have a mandate by MLS to have minimum U15 and U17. If it weren't mandatory TA wouldn't exist.

[Guest]

Start by cleaning house and select a coaching staff that can identify players. Bring Valeri or whomever to lead the youth system. Offer Blanco a position when he retires. Bring knowledge!! Develop players!!

[Guest]

To the Timber's Academy. Just be better!
True. Several U15s leaving the program after only one year? Why. Toxic locker room environment. No real pathway to, well anywhere? Or is it that they feel like the sacrifices that they have to make are way to great. True. The Timbers Alliance was dissolved, not by you, but by all the participating clubs. Was it the disgraceful conduct by the ownership? Or maybe it is that clubs like WSM, Capital and Eugene were tired of giving you their best players only to have them return disappointed and disheartened. Now I understand that several U14s are declining your Academy invites and the coaching staff has taken to harassing them through repeated contact and even sending other players after them to change their minds. Maybe you should consider “No mean No”. It would appear that the exposure has begun and players and parents are noticing.
You might offer training, a new pair of shoes and a few games, but the truth is there is nothing for players at the end. When you list it out what more do you offer players than the elite Portland Clubs.

I think you to ask yourselves, what can we change? How can we work with the community? How can we promote our players better? How can we be better?

I’ll take comments.

They dont have a U16 team- like many mls academies. Of course U15's this year won't be coming back- they will have to displace U17's

MLS Academies are looking for 1-3 professional players that can make it to the first team or they can sell. Timbers are no different than many of the current mls academies.

The expectations feom parents need to change. Its not about winning, they dont care if their team can beat your team. Its about finding pros.

For the clubs, its about separating parents from $$$'s.

Timbers aint for everyone. Dont go.

[Guest]

They dont have a U16 team- like many mls academies. Of course U15's this year won't be coming back- they will have to displace U17's

MLS Academies are looking for 1-3 professional players that can make it to the first team or they can sell. Timbers are no different than many of the current mls academies.

The expectations feom parents need to change. Its not about winning, they dont care if their team can beat your team. Its about finding pros.

For the clubs, its about separating parents from $$$'s.

Timbers aint for everyone. Dont go.

Can you imagine Ajax telling their youth U15 hey guys you need to leave we don't have U16. Great approach! And the Timbers in 10+ years as MLS team have found exactly...1 player...that was sold for peanuts to a rival in the same division now being a starter for them. Amazing way to develop pro-players!

[Guest]

It is not that we as parents don’t understand what the Timbers are about. It is that they don’t do a good job at it. They promote themselves as a professional Academy, but I see nothing professional about their conduct or products.
How can you find develop a pro player when you follow the same unsuccessful model year after year?

[Guest]

It is not that we as parents don’t understand what the Timbers are about. It is that they don’t do a good job at it. They promote themselves as a professional Academy, but I see nothing professional about their conduct or products.
How can you find develop a pro player when you follow the same unsuccessful model year after year?

It’s not about you

[Guest]

Can you imagine Ajax telling their youth U15 hey guys you need to leave we don't have U16. Great approach! And the Timbers in 10+ years as MLS team have found exactly...1 player...that was sold for peanuts to a rival in the same division now being a starter for them. Amazing way to develop pro-players!

Again, they don't send all the U15s home, and them call them all up in a year when they are U17s. Have of the U15s get cut, the other half move to the U17 team, which is actually a U16/U17 hybrid team, generally with about half each.

Which is not to say that TA is well-run, but the idea that all U15s are going to be released, and the prior year's U15s which were released the year before are now going to be recalled for the U17 team, is ridiculous.

[Guest]

Again, they don't send all the U15s home, and them call them all up in a year when they are U17s. Have of the U15s get cut, the other half move to the U17 team, which is actually a U16/U17 hybrid team, generally with about half each.

Which is not to say that TA is well-run, but the idea that all U15s are going to be released, and the prior year's U15s which were released the year before are now going to be recalled for the U17 team, is ridiculous.

And with this approach they have developed 1 player in 10+ years..and people call this an Academy? They can't be that dumb right?. Timbers don't want to develop anybody.

[Guest]

Again, they don't send all the U15s home, and them call them all up in a year when they are U17s. Have of the U15s get cut, the other half move to the U17 team, which is actually a U16/U17 hybrid team, generally with about half each.

Which is not to say that TA is well-run, but the idea that all U15s are going to be released, and the prior year's U15s which were released the year before are now going to be recalled for the U17 team, is ridiculous.

So they screw up the development of half of the players to begin with just to complete a U15 roster? Sad.

[Guest]

And with this approach they have developed 1 player in 10+ years..and people call this an Academy? They can't be that dumb right?. Timbers don't want to develop anybody.

Like I said, I didn't say they were well-run. In fact they are piss poor. While I'm sure they would be happy to develop someone, they seem to proceed from the attitude that none of the local kids is good enough to play, and if they're lucky they might get a decent defender out of it. (The one player they did manage to produce, Farfan, plays that position).

But when they can raid the favelas and barrios of South America for ready-made MLS level talent, and think the local talent pool is to shallow to produce a Weston McKennie or a even a DeAndre Yedlin, let alone a player of the caliber of Alphonso Davies. Of course, Fonzie grew up in Vancouver (the real one in Canada, not Vantucky) which is a city not that much bigger than Portland, with even more soccer-hostile weather, so I'm not sure the Timbers really have "small town" as an excuse.

[Guest]

Like I said, I didn't say they were well-run. In fact they are piss poor. While I'm sure they would be happy to develop someone, they seem to proceed from the attitude that none of the local kids is good enough to play, and if they're lucky they might get a decent defender out of it. (The one player they did manage to produce, Farfan, plays that position).

But when they can raid the favelas and barrios of South America for ready-made MLS level talent, and think the local talent pool is to shallow to produce a Weston McKennie or a even a DeAndre Yedlin, let alone a player of the caliber of Alphonso Davies. Of course, Fonzie grew up in Vancouver (the real one in Canada, not Vantucky) which is a city not that much bigger than Portland, with even more soccer-hostile weather, so I'm not sure the Timbers really have "small town" as an excuse.

Let them know Croatia has pretty much the same population as Oregon..and went through a terrible war. Not talking about producing a whole world cup roster..just a player here and there.

[Guest]

And with this approach they have developed 1 player in 10+ years..and people call this an Academy? They can't be that dumb right?. Timbers don't want to develop anybody.

Actually, what it means is the youth clubs haven't developed anyone. You are pointing the blame at the wrong people.