Changes at LA Galaxy Academy

It’s easy to criticize or come to conclusions from the outside. LAFC Academy is run extremely professionally with player performance being the only politic. My son is being pushed and coached at a high level every day. All trainings are pre-planned to mirror the first team training earlier in the day.

Some boys quit and some get cut. Every one of our boys has a personal training regimen outside of Academy to work on individual skills and weaknesses.


In my opinion Coaches train a team for chemistry, formations, sequences etc... it’s the individuals job to work on skills like shooting, dribbling, perfecting their touch, the special extra they want to bring etc etc etc... there is not enough time for coaches to work on these areas on a consistent basis. And we know they need to be done consistently to become embedded in their game instead of a one time thing. Practice and Hard work is everything

Look at the pro roster and how it’s changed, do you guys think Bob Bradley works in dribbling and shooting with Vela on a 1-on-1? I doubt it... Its the individuals drive and EXTRA time they put it that makes them great.
 
Silverlining said:
Agreed. There are maybe 2 players left from the original U12 team that started the LAFC academy. That, to me, is a HUGE red flag (especially if I’m a parent) that they are not developing players, but instead, constantly looking for the next best thing to replace kids with. Shouldn’t the goal be, especially, at the younger ages, to choose players based on future potential, not who is going to win games for you, for today? I’ve watched their roster since they started & everyone seems new. I could see a replacement player or 2, yearly, but the entire team? what does that say about your recruiters, too?? How many bad choices have you made, that the whole team is no longer there? It’s easy to count the weekly wins when you have the funds to field an all-star team (that other coaches have developed), BUT it takes a talented team of coaches/coach to build a winning team with a definite style of play with the SAME players, year after year. That, to me, is TRUE development & proof that you can recognize talent, when you see it. Parents really need to pay attention to these things, IF you want your kids playing at the highest level, in the long run. You need to develop the brain, as well, as the physical skills to play high level soccer. Development of our brains, take years, not a soccer season. Cmon LAFC, don’t live in the moment, live in the future. Give LA a MLS academy to be proud of, if you don’t.....maybe LA Galaxy will. Believe in your coaching skills & those kids you’ve chosen for your academy, by keeping them long enough than a year or 2. We all know you can’t develop a kid that quickly, you’re banking off some other coach’s hard work, at that point.
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This strikes me as tremendously naïve. The MLS academies are trying to emulate the academies for professional clubs elsewhere. They are interested in having the best kids in them, not the kids who were the best at the beginning of last season or at U12.

Read a little about, say, Ajax's academy. It is a brutal environment from the time the kids enter at a young age. It's an environment where every kids quickly learns that their spot is up at the end of every season if someone better comes along.

If they can ID a kid and develop him through the ranks, then they will. If they find 11 better kids at the end of a season, then they will replace 11 kids. Every parent who goes into a DA environment should be 100% cognoscente of that. Zero of those academies are trying to impress a single parent with their Yoda like coaching skills.
 
whatithink said:
This strikes me as tremendously naïve. The MLS academies are trying to emulate the academies for professional clubs elsewhere. They are interested in having the best kids in them, not the kids who were the best at the beginning of last season or at U12.

Read a little about, say, Ajax's academy. It is a brutal environment from the time the kids enter at a young age. It's an environment where every kids quickly learns that their spot is up at the end of every season if someone better comes along.

If they can ID a kid and develop him through the ranks, then they will. If they find 11 better kids at the end of a season, then they will replace 11 kids. Every parent who goes into a DA environment should be 100% cognoscente of that. Zero of those academies are trying to impress a single parent with their Yoda like coaching skills.
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This, 100%. And it happens at all level teams. Soccer is a pyramid.

BTW - Soldana's interview, while interesting, seems not to be in execution mode. Just look at LAFC's DA roster's for the coming season (and I know they are preliminary), but there is only 1 player playing up a year currently. And that is a 2008 who has been playing up the last 2 years there. So while they may play up players for individual games, doesn't seem they are committing to play those players up a whole season.
 
I don't think LAFC or Galaxy really develops players. What LAFC offers is a more competitive training environment and it is up to the player and parent to do the rest. You have 9 month season to perform and develop, a lot of the "development" comes from working on your weaknesses on the outside. At LAFC you have consistent coaching, top players at training and the players will to be the best.
At the end of the 9 month season you will be replaced with a better player, if you are not up to par.
 
Ed Ho said:
This, 100%. And it happens at all level teams. Soccer is a pyramid.

BTW - Soldana's interview, while interesting, seems not to be in execution mode. Just look at LAFC's DA roster's for the coming season (and I know they are preliminary), but there is only 1 player playing up a year currently. And that is a 2008 who has been playing up the last 2 years there. So while they may play up players for individual games, doesn't seem they are committing to play those players up a whole season.
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There is also an 06 playing 05 and has been for several seasons but I get your point. They have had players start off with their age group and then permanently move them up for the remainder of the season.
 
I call Bullshit. T and E are afraid of losing their jobs. I’ve seen plenty a kids who are great players get the axe only because they were undersize. LAFC is full of giants even at their youngest squads. It’s all about winning. Ive come to this conclusion from watching what premier leagues do in Europe when they enter a tournament here in the states. They bring their younger ages and play up.. and guess what??.. they lose, get their asses kicked, but they develop, they hang in there, they keep their little kids around cause they know it all starts in the mind. European clubs enter knowing they’re gonna lose on purpose. LAFC only plays their biggest kids in tournaments.. so someone explain to me then.. is this about winning or developing? I’ve seen u13 Concacaf streamed live, I’ve seen Manchester City cup tournament streamed live, I’ve seen G.A. cups etc.. goes on and on. Little boys don’t play in the big games if you’re LAFC. Goodnight
 
Iknownothing said:
I call Bullshit. T and E are afraid of losing their jobs. I’ve seen plenty a kids who are great players get the axe only because they were undersize. LAFC is full of giants even at their youngest squads. It’s all about winning. Ive come to this conclusion from watching what premier leagues do in Europe when they enter a tournament here in the states. They bring their younger ages and play up.. and guess what??.. they lose, get their asses kicked, but they develop, they hang in there, they keep their little kids around cause they know it all starts in the mind. European clubs enter knowing they’re gonna lose on purpose. LAFC only plays their biggest kids in tournaments.. so someone explain to me then.. is this about winning or developing? I’ve seen u13 Concacaf streamed live, I’ve seen Manchester City cup tournament streamed live, I’ve seen G.A. cups etc.. goes on and on. Little boys don’t play in the big games if you’re LAFC. Goodnight
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LOL ! Take a look at the U16 squad. Perhaps you’ll notice a few 04’s the size of 05’s. But ballers on the fields. If you get the “axe” it’s because the real work starts when you make the team. It’s harder to stay in the team then to make it. And ALL of the ones that move forward have NO time to whine. Work hard and don’t stop. Hard work pays off. LAFC recognizes.
Todd and Enrique pay attention.
 
Fishme1 said:
LOL ! Take a look at the U16 squad. Perhaps you’ll notice a few 04’s the size of 05’s. But ballers on the fields. If you get the “axe” it’s because the real work starts when you make the team. It’s harder to stay in the team then to make it. And ALL of the ones that move forward have NO time to whine. Work hard and don’t stop. Hard work pays off. LAFC recognizes.
Todd and Enrique pay attention.
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Iknownothing said:
I call Bullshit. T and E are afraid of losing their jobs. I’ve seen plenty a kids who are great players get the axe only because they were undersize. LAFC is full of giants even at their youngest squads. It’s all about winning. Ive come to this conclusion from watching what premier leagues do in Europe when they enter a tournament here in the states. They bring their younger ages and play up.. and guess what??.. they lose, get their asses kicked, but they develop, they hang in there, they keep their little kids around cause they know it all starts in the mind. European clubs enter knowing they’re gonna lose on purpose. LAFC only plays their biggest kids in tournaments.. so someone explain to me then.. is this about winning or developing? I’ve seen u13 Concacaf streamed live, I’ve seen Manchester City cup tournament streamed live, I’ve seen G.A. cups etc.. goes on and on. Little boys don’t play in the big games if you’re LAFC. Goodnight
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JW get over it already. Stop whining! Let your boy enjoy playing somewhere else without your meddling.
 
3leches said:
I don't think LAFC or Galaxy really develops players. What LAFC offers is a more competitive training environment and it is up to the player and parent to do the rest. You have 9 month season to perform and develop, a lot of the "development" comes from working on your weaknesses on the outside. At LAFC you have consistent coaching, top players at training and the players will to be the best.
At the end of the 9 month season you will be replaced with a better player, if you are not up to par.
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Agreed on (almost) all points! Consistent coaching is questionable.....as they seem to replace coaching staff almost as quickly as the players. 9 month development, at most, totally agree.
 
Iknownothing said:
Pretty shitty call someone out like that. Yea it’s me. What? What do you want? Do I know you?
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I dunno you're the one calling BS when surf does the same things..

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