Timbers Academy cut players

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Feel bad for those boys!

[Unregistered]

?

Just now cut players?

[Unregistered]

This past Monday...

...before training. Players pulled aside, told they would no longer be selected to play, and advised to return to 'their clubs'. This was not based on a disciplinary issue, just deemed to not be good enough.

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...before training. Players pulled aside, told they would no longer be selected to play, and advised to return to 'their clubs'. This was not based on a disciplinary issue, just deemed to not be good enough.

looks like they are treating them like mini-professionals. It's cold. It may also be a way for Timbers to get around the USSF 25% start requirement. There are quite a few players who didn't play much at all, much less start. It may be tough for them to simply return to their clubs. The old clubs have filled their rosters with paying customers.

[Unregistered]

If the players must commit for the year, so should the Timbers.

[Unregistered]

Wow

Is this just typical GW and Timbers !!

Is this what happened? The Timbers selected kids (it is all about the kids) and now seven months later decided they are not good enough? Is it because they have to play everyone? and now with several home games they can maybe save their season but they can't play the crappy kids, so you are cut, go back to your club team.

If true and lets hope it is not, I will never ever go to a Timbers games or give that organization one cent, ever.

[Edgar]

Finally

Is this just typical GW and Timbers !!

Is this what happened? The Timbers selected kids (it is all about the kids) and now seven months later decided they are not good enough? Is it because they have to play everyone? and now with several home games they can maybe save their season but they can't play the crappy kids, so you are cut, go back to your club team.

If true and lets hope it is not, I will never ever go to a Timbers games or give that organization one cent, ever.

If the Timbers Academy is going to truly attempt to develop players for the first team, then they must be ruthless! This is a business, not an equal opportunity philanthropic endeavor. That is what recreational classic soccer is for. I know it makes a lot of people uncomfortable when kids are treated like professionals in the workplace, but this is the way world works. "Fairness" is mostly a luxury that is increasingly detached from reality. We have to draw a line. You can either do what it takes to develop professional players, or you can develop recreational players. Depending on your objectives the actions you take will be very different. Don't hate the Timbers for being brave enough to take a half step away from recreational development.
Now lets see if they have the brass to cut their coaching staff and bring in some real pros. Without a doubt the incumbent coaching staff for the Timbers DA don't know their dick from ******* when it comes to player development. Now don't go crazy I know you all want to point out how much they've done. But think about it, has any American coach developed a player? In a country of 350 million people with the best infrastructure and access to the most resources in the world we still haven't produced one world class player. The reality is there are no American coaches who are good enough, otherwise there would at least be a couple world class American players by now. If the timbers truly want to develop players for their club then they must seek "the best" coaches, not a bunch of guys who spent their lives coaching recreational soccer.
There may be some hope. A couple guys from LA are putting together teams that can compete with the best youth academies in the world. Problem is that the incumbent American Soccer Industry won't give them access to the academy league: www.3four3.com

[Unregistered]

I was curious when this would hit the Forum

Back story: Adam Smith (ASS) has his ballz in a vice from thine fuhrer GW.
His assigned team the u18's are not doing the business on the field.

GW to ASS "what's the deal",

ASS to GW "we suck",

GW to ASS "OK, here is what I want you to do". (Cut bait on the weak ones)

ASS to GW, "Yes, Sir".

GW to ASS, "Good, it's done" then mate.. (GW pauses and thinks to himself, THANK GOD MP doesn't pull this on me...whew)

Only in PORTLANDIA!!!

[Unregistered]

...before training. Players pulled aside, told they would no longer be selected to play, and advised to return to 'their clubs'. This was not based on a disciplinary issue, just deemed to not be good enough.

what age?

[Unregistered]

If the Timbers Academy is going to truly attempt to develop players for the first team, then they must be ruthless! This is a business, not an equal opportunity philanthropic endeavor. That is what recreational classic soccer is for. I know it makes a lot of people uncomfortable when kids are treated like professionals in the workplace, but this is the way world works. "Fairness" is mostly a luxury that is increasingly detached from reality. We have to draw a line. You can either do what it takes to develop professional players, or you can develop recreational players. Depending on your objectives the actions you take will be very different. Don't hate the Timbers for being brave enough to take a half step away from recreational development.
Now lets see if they have the brass to cut their coaching staff and bring in some real pros. Without a doubt the incumbent coaching staff for the Timbers DA don't know their dick from ******* when it comes to player development. Now don't go crazy I know you all want to point out how much they've done. But think about it, has any American coach developed a player? In a country of 350 million people with the best infrastructure and access to the most resources in the world we still haven't produced one world class player. The reality is there are no American coaches who are good enough, otherwise there would at least be a couple world class American players by now. If the timbers truly want to develop players for their club then they must seek "the best" coaches, not a bunch of guys who spent their lives coaching recreational soccer.
There may be some hope. A couple guys from LA are putting together teams that can compete with the best youth academies in the world. Problem is that the incumbent American Soccer Industry won't give them access to the academy league: www.3four3.com

Some of your point is right on. This is not rec/classic. And to some extent, this does need to be 'ruthless'. I just feel that most of that ruthlessness can happen during the tryouts. Make your selections based on merit, then develop, train, and compete with that team. If you are not good enough and someone else is better, you get cut next tryout. Ruthlessness in business is only good to a point. Business is business. But when you start to burn bridges and make decisions that hurt people, those decisions can ultimately come back to haunt you, at the detriment of the business. Timbers are no different. This type of decision is certainly questionable, if true. And might cause backlash to the business if enough of these types of decisions are made.

[Unregistered]

9 months of exposure and here is the outcome

TheTimbers Development Academy is flawed not by the lack of any real player development coaches on staff, which is a sad fact on it's own. Merely another footnote of GW's ability to make the right hire(s).

The program is flawed due to their delusional mantra this is 'a pathway to the pro's i.e.; Timbers First team via Home Grown status. In combination with having a staff ignorant/arrogant enough to buy into it, see Adam Smith.

These current teams resemble the countless number of Oregon Youth Soccer teams aged u16 to u18 that came before them. They are effectively High School aged boys All-Star teams, really the only difference between this incarnation and their predecessors is the label on their shirt Timbers Academy vs being called Westside Metros or FC Portland. Furthermore a compelling argument could be made the coaching and development offered in the past years is better than what is offered today by the Timbers. So be it.

The big plus for the Timbers Academy is competition, no argument can be made about the level of competition they face on a bi-weekly basis, they hit that out of the ballpark and out of their depth.

Oregon has no history of producing, developing or making in any real quantity Pro soccer players. Many decent college players do emerge and every 3 or 4 years a pro will be born.

FC Portland tried just to have a non-mls (pro-producing) club participate in the USSDA for a few years, they were horrible without any grandiose notion of becoming pros.

So instead of keeping expectations in check with the talent available from Oregon and SW Washington, the timbers need 9 months of exposure to these youth players and decide it's best to hold true to the doctrine of becoming pros and now cut ties with the undesirables.

What they don't realize is not one person in the soccer community expects them to be the pathway to the pros. They only expect them to behave like professional adults training Oregon's Best youth players regardless of where they chart out on the pro ladder.

Is that too much to ask?

[Edgar]

Some of your point is right on. This is not rec/classic. And to some extent, this does need to be 'ruthless'. I just feel that most of that ruthlessness can happen during the tryouts. Make your selections based on merit, then develop, train, and compete with that team. If you are not good enough and someone else is better, you get cut next tryout. Ruthlessness in business is only good to a point. Business is business. But when you start to burn bridges and make decisions that hurt people, those decisions can ultimately come back to haunt you, at the detriment of the business. Timbers are no different. This type of decision is certainly questionable, if true. And might cause backlash to the business if enough of these types of decisions are made.

I Agree that if the coaches had a real philosophy and vision for how they wanted their team to perform, then these decisions can be made at tryouts. And it is clear that the coaching staff has failed miserably in that department. A couple of weeks ago Rod Underwood was interviewed on a podcast and preached his philosophy is all about possession soccer. However, neither academy team selected players with the appetite to execute such a style or the detailed coaching it takes to instill that type of system. Watch their games this Saturday and count how many 5 pass sequences the team puts together. The number will be very low and most passes will be played around the back four. The academy teams have little to no ability to play through the lines.
You're right, the necessity to make cuts this far into the season highlights lack of competence from the coaching staff in the first place. But at least they seem to be learning from their mistakes.
If American soccer is going to make real strides in player development then we need to bring in the "best". If ford motor company wants to break into the luxury car market do you think they would hire the guys would worked on the Ford Taurus? If so would their luxury car product be comparable to Mercedes or jaguar? It is time everyone wakes up to the fact that we simply don't have the knowledge base in this country to truly develop players. All the ingredients are there, we just have almost no master chef's.

[Unregistered]

Timber POS

I can't believe the Portland Timbers Football Club would pick players, deny them of their high school season, club season and then cut them. Their big pitch to everyone was everyone will start 25% of the games, I guess the small print was unless we cut you when we want your playing time.

GW and MP are giant tools. It is a shame they have tried to associate themselves with the Portland Timbers of old. This was directed at you more then anyone boys "Legends are born when the previous are surpassed" You will never surpass or even come close. You are classless punks.

The head DA coaches AS an MS are POS's come on guys, really this how you run your program? We all had such high hopes for this program and soccer in general. Thanks for nothing.

[Edgar]

TheTimbers Development Academy is flawed not by the lack of any real player development coaches on staff, which is a sad fact on it's own. Merely another footnote of GW's ability to make the right hire(s).

The program is flawed due to their delusional mantra this is 'a pathway to the pro's i.e.; Timbers First team via Home Grown status. In combination with having a staff ignorant/arrogant enough to buy into it, see Adam Smith.

These current teams resemble the countless number of Oregon Youth Soccer teams aged u16 to u18 that came before them. They are effectively High School aged boys All-Star teams, really the only difference between this incarnation and their predecessors is the label on their shirt Timbers Academy vs being called Westside Metros or FC Portland. Furthermore a compelling argument could be made the coaching and development offered in the past years is better than what is offered today by the Timbers. So be it.

The big plus for the Timbers Academy is competition, no argument can be made about the level of competition they face on a bi-weekly basis, they hit that out of the ballpark and out of their depth.

Oregon has no history of producing, developing or making in any real quantity Pro soccer players. Many decent college players do emerge and every 3 or 4 years a pro will be born.

FC Portland tried just to have a non-mls (pro-producing) club participate in the USSDA for a few years, they were horrible without any grandiose notion of becoming pros.

So instead of keeping expectations in check with the talent available from Oregon and SW Washington, the timbers need 9 months of exposure to these youth players and decide it's best to hold true to the doctrine of becoming pros and now cut ties with the undesirables.

What they don't realize is not one person in the soccer community expects them to be the pathway to the pros. They only expect them to behave like professional adults training Oregon's Best youth players regardless of where they chart out on the pro ladder.

Is that too much to ask?

That is not too much to ask, it is too little to ask. The point I want you to understand is that what you are asking is the job of non development academy clubs in this country. The job of the development academy clubs is to facilitate the development of professional players. The philosophy, activities, and decisions for each of these objects must be different.
I know that many people believe Oregon does not have the "history" of professional player development, and this is true in a historical sense. But did MLK only fight for equality in locations with a history of equality? The point is if you don't start trying, then nothing will ever change. Talent is not god given and is not coincidence. Talent is everywhere! But it must be harvested correctly my master farmers. The talent for players to come through the youth ranks and into pros is absolutely here in Portland. The reason it has not happened in the past comes down to two reasons:
1. The men who have run youth soccer development in Oregon over the past 15 years believe the same as you, that because there is no history of pro player development, pro player development is not possible... This is a self fulfilling prophecy
2. The men who have run youth soccer development in Oregon are not master coaches, when compared to their international counterparts they are still in dippers

[Unregistered]

2. The men who have run youth soccer development in Oregon are not master coaches, when compared to their international counterparts they are still in dippers[/QUOTE]

Do you really know enough to make this sort of claim? It is funny how many people get on here and slam the coaching in the area but do they have any idea about the game themselves? Do they really know if the coach's knowledge is there or not? It would be easy to question a decision made by someone in a different profession than myself but do I really know if that was a good decision or not. I admit there are some bad coaches in the area but there are also some very good ones. This is from a person that is nowhere near as knowledgible as the people running the clubs in the area.