Some MLS Teams Want to Kill Academies

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The DA for boys and girls absolutely fits the bill for high level regional and national level youth teams across the Nation. It's incredible competition but does require travel which can add up quickly.

The Timbers DA imports players by the boatload at the 'national' level ages (above u16) and has a few token 'best of the best' Oregonians on the roster. They still can't compete week in and week out with this level of competition. It's simply a bridge too far even with imports dominating Playing time.

The Thorns DA uses the 'best of the 'best' of our locals exclusively and they struggle due to the high level of the DA. Which has always been the case for Oregon's club girls in USYA or USYS our club teams struggle vs the best of the best across the nation. We simply can't compete with our best vs the major national level clubs best. Sad reality.

The rest of the Oregon neighborhood clubs either play in the watered down USYS or US Club offerings (OYSA, USYS National League or Elite Club National League): some of the Oregon clubs compete well at these lower grade levels vs out of state opponents, actually travelling thousands of miles in some cases, and they get to play teams that are worse in many cases than clubs within a 100 miles.

The excessive travel to play average clubs (Non DA) is simply a $$$***** Show for the uneducated fools who have bank to cover travel.

[Unregistered]

The good thorns gda team is the 00/01 team. Heard rumor that many of the ones who will be seniors next year will leave so they can play high school soccer. They got their commitments through gda so they don’t need the academy anymore. Time to have some fun.

Mass exodus from younger teams might be more to do with being weaker teams than oysa/ecnl teams so no reason to stay

Many of the current GDA players will stay for lack of a much better option or some because they were bench players before. Rumors usually have a grain of truth but mostly exaggerated. MLS might be dumping DA and ecnl is rumored to be switching to birth year and adding a 2nd regional and/or 10 month league. The soccer landscape will change again and Oregon girls from OYSA & ecnl & GDA will all go off to college. Actually appears that including FCSC, the OYSA players have done as good or better than academy/ecnl. It’s the player not the patch.

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Many of the current GDA players will stay for lack of a much better option or some because they were bench players before. Rumors usually have a grain of truth but mostly exaggerated. MLS might be dumping DA and ecnl is rumored to be switching to birth year and adding a 2nd regional and/or 10 month league. The soccer landscape will change again and Oregon girls from OYSA & ecnl & GDA will all go off to college. Actually appears that including FCSC, the OYSA players have done as good or better than academy/ecnl. It’s the player not the patch.

Oregon talent has no place in a National DA landscape of elite MLS/NWSL and historically relevant big city clubs. It's simply not a good fit for our best players.

USYS & USclub (ecnl) leagues instead offer the appropriate platform for all of our Oregon kids since the top national clubs are in the older age DA platform.

Getting to play 2nd and 3rd tier teams out of state is truly an amazing perk I've been told.

[Unregistered]

Gda in Oregon has struggled to get good players. They get some really good players but a lot of B teamers and bench players.

Banning high school was a terrible idea.

[Unregistered]

Oregon talent has no place in a National DA landscape of elite MLS/NWSL and historically relevant big city clubs. It's simply not a good fit for our best players.

USYS & USclub (ecnl) leagues instead offer the appropriate platform for all of our Oregon kids since the top national clubs are in the older age DA platform.

Getting to play 2nd and 3rd tier teams out of state is truly an amazing perk I've been told.

Please tell us something we don't already know. Please

[Unregistered]

Oregon talent has no place in a National DA landscape of elite MLS/NWSL and historically relevant big city clubs. It's simply not a good fit for our best players.

That's not true. The training in OR - both before DA and within it - is subpar. There are talented kids here being under served.

Can a DA team from OR win consistently? Probably not ever, but it CAN provide a platform for development of elite players. That should be the goal.

You actually have to create organizations that pursue that goal though. Merely existing won't cut it.

[Unregistered]

Gda in Oregon has struggled to get good players. They get some really good players but a lot of B teamers and bench players.

Banning high school was a terrible idea.

For the nation's elite, which Oregon has none of the requirement to play at a DA level year long has not been an issue.

To your point having average Oregon High School players play in a DA Platform is a terrible idea. It's best if these girls play in HS and their local clubs. Stating the obvious.

[Unregistered]

Going back to the more national aspect of this - it is some big market MLS franchises apparently that are looking at killing off their academies (although, when all is said in done, if the Timbers had a chance to avoid paying for an academy, kind of wonder if they would do it). One can assume Chicago and New England are ones pushing, which are kind of crap/stingy MLS franchises in markets that should be able to draw players to their academies.

So it isn't just a talent issue, it is financial issue.

On the women's side, Sky Blue recently was advertising for a volunteer assistant - this is a NWSL franchise. Their have been a number of articles on their subpar living arrangements for players, and 2 draft choices refused to go there. Yet they have had 2 GDA programs associated with them (I think PDA may have ultimately disassociated with them). If they can't pay assistants or provide decent living arrangements, how can they sustain supporting GDA programs, other than with full-freight/pay-to-play programs?

Not to say one shouldn't expect a bumpy road in building out "pro" academies, but that it is even on the table that MLS teams would not support academies - feels like 2 steps back.

[Unregistered]

Gda in Oregon has struggled to get good players. They get some really good players but a lot of B teamers and bench players.

Banning high school was a terrible idea.

It will continue to be unattractive for elite talent until they do away with prohibition on high school. Elite players dont have to give up anything.

Being a third tier option doesn’t mean it’s bad.

[Unregistered]

It will continue to be unattractive for elite talent until they do away with prohibition on high school. Elite players dont have to give up anything.
Being a third tier option doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Not playing for the local HS for the actual 'elite' player is a given in this country. No qualms.

Oregon has no 'elite' players, instead the ilk they have value HS soccer since it's literally the last chance to play, in most cases ever.

HS soccer in the states has been a recreational outpost of disgusting play. This sentiment has resonated for decades from local club coaches in Oregon. Even today they say it's horrific.

Did club soccer vanish? And all your left with is HS these days.

Please explain.

Those that truly value playing HS know it's the end of the road.

[Unregistered]

Oregon has no 'elite' players, instead the ilk they have value HS soccer since it's literally the last chance to play, in most cases ever.

OR has players with elite potential at young ages. When they don't find themselves exposed to appropriate developmental environments their potential is not realized.

[Unregistered]

It will continue to be unattractive for elite talent until they do away with prohibition on high school. Elite players dont have to give up anything.

Being a third tier option doesn’t mean it’s bad.

90% of the best female players in the state played high school last year. It’s not good soccer but it’s fun. Having your peers cheer you on is fun. Being rival schools is fun.

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90% of the best female players in the state played high school last year. It’s not good soccer but it’s fun. Having your peers cheer you on is fun. Being rival schools is fun.

100% of HS soccer is purely recreational. It's designed to be a fun activity for the non year round club player, it's for multi sport HS athletes as a co curricular activity.. Hence, no DA level players are involved. Makes sense.

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90% of the best female players in the state played high school last year. It’s not good soccer but it’s fun. Having your peers cheer you on is fun. Being rival schools is fun.

Rumor has it the thorns will lose a lot of kids to high school soccer next year. The sacrifices aren’t worth it. There are better players in high school so there’s that.

[Unregistered]

100% of HS soccer is purely recreational. It's designed to be a fun activity for the non year round club player, it's for multi sport HS athletes as a co curricular activity.. Hence, no DA level players are involved. Makes sense.

Those attempting to spin HS Soccer as a destination for 'playing' Soccer is truly a low point for a sport trying to become relevant.

Nothing has changed in this---2 mos season of nothingness.

It is, what it is.

Please consider advocating for better soccer in the future vs the dumpster fire of Soccer present at the HS level.