LAFC ACADEMY

[Myleftfoot]

I've heard a couple of rumors about LAFC's Academy for next season, maybe someone here knows what's really going on.
1. Slammers is going to be the team that is going to become LAFC's Academy 03 team.
2. LAFC won't have a 03 Academy team next season.

Any idea on what's really going to happen?

 

[younothat]

I've heard a couple of rumors about LAFC's Academy for next season, maybe someone here knows what's really going on.
1. Slammers is going to be the team that is going to become LAFC's Academy 03 team.
2. LAFC won't have a 03 Academy team next season.

Any idea on what's really going to happen?

No plans for a U15 team (03) for the next 17-18' season according to the directors. They are focusing on other age groups and will have some announcements in feb 2017.

LAFC is going to have some more announcements about what they are doing in OC
https://lafc.com/lafc-orange-county-blues-fc-announce-multi-year-partnership/

"Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and United Soccer League’s (USL) Orange County Blues Football Club today announced a multi-year partnership that will expand player development and create a pipeline that will foster top-class players competing at both the MLS and USL levels."

 

[JackZ]

I've heard a couple of rumors about LAFC's Academy for next season, maybe someone here knows what's really going on.
1. Slammers is going to be the team that is going to become LAFC's Academy 03 team.
2. LAFC won't have a 03 Academy team next season.

Any idea on what's really going to happen?

CDA Slammers HB Black? That's what has been discussed by some over there.

I figured LAFC will add in teams behind their original 2004s, which makes more sense to me.

 

[Myleftfoot]

CDA Slammers HB Black? That's what has been discussed by some over there.

I figured LAFC will add in teams behind their original 2004s, which makes more sense for now.

That's what the coaching stuff from Slammers have told the parents.

 

[mahrez]

I figured LAFC will add in teams behind their original 2004s, which makes more sense to me.

They are 2006,2005, and 2004 are their dev set of teams for 17'-18.

Mls academies don't take team, they build them so couple players from each from different teams is what is likely.

 

[JackZ]

They are 2006,2005, and 2004 are their dev set of teams for 17'-18.

Mls academies don't take team, they build them so couple players from each from different teams is what is likely.

Cool. That makes sense to me.

The non-MLS Strikers did move a majority (10,9?) of their 15/16 BU13 to their 2003 Academy team, so maybe that's why folks have that idea.

 

[Myleftfoot]

There's lots of talented 03's and 02's to make very competitive teams, I wonder if not having a MLS team next season is the reason for not making older Academy teams.

 

[galaxydad]

That's what the coaching stuff from Slammers have told the parents.

The Black team will not be an LAFC academy team. From what I have heard LAFC will not be looking to field an 03 team (despite being very tempted with the talent on the balck team alone- Ive been told they have up to 9 or so academy level players on the roster) and CDA is not looking to become a DA club despite what has been said here. They will have an ENCL (or whatever the name is) boys team that will be made up of the top players from ALL CDA Slammers teams with many of the Black team playing on the ENCL team. The ENCL team will likely be coached by several of the CDA coaches with the head coach not being a current 03 coach to ensure that selection is less bias.

 

[mahrez]

The Black team will not be an LAFC academy team. From what I have heard LAFC will not be looking to field an 03 team (despite being very tempted with the talent on the balck team alone- Ive been told they have up to 9 or so academy level players on the roster) and CDA is not looking to become a DA club despite what has been said here. They will have an ENCL (or whatever the name is) boys team that will be made up of the top players from ALL CDA Slammers teams with many of the Black team playing on the ENCL team. The ENCL team will likely be coached by several of the CDA coaches with the head coach not being a current 03 coach to ensure that selection is less bias.

Is there going to be a southwest conf for ECNL boys in 17-18? All the other ones have announced all ready.
https://www.boysecnl.com

The traditional sc encl girls clubs: arsenal, eagles, real so cal, surf, west coast haven't mentioned anything about encl boys for 17-18 so far.

 

[JJP]

The Black team will not be an LAFC academy team. From what I have heard LAFC will not be looking to field an 03 team (despite being very tempted with the talent on the balck team alone- Ive been told they have up to 9 or so academy level players on the roster) and CDA is not looking to become a DA club despite what has been said here. They will have an ENCL (or whatever the name is) boys team that will be made up of the top players from ALL CDA Slammers teams with many of the Black team playing on the ENCL team. The ENCL team will likely be coached by several of the CDA coaches with the head coach not being a current 03 coach to ensure that selection is less bias.

Interesting . . . You usually have great inside info so I'm inclined to believe you.

But I heard that selected players on the various Slammers teams together with some outside players were asked to tryout for LAFC Academy 03. From those tryouts, I heard that most, but not all, of the Godinez black team together with some outside players were selected to be the 03 LAFC academy team, and that they are already training with LAFC trainers.

I think it makes sense to take the Godinez team as the base for an academy 03 LAFC team because, as I've said many times before despite criticism from people who have never even seen that team play, they are easily one of the top teams in this age group.

But if LAFC does make the Godinez black team the academy team, in my mind it raises a lot of questions. I understand LAFC has a an 04 team in LA. Is LAFC going to move the 04 team to OC so that the teams can play on the same fields and the coaches see all the academy players, which is what's supposed to happen. Or are they going to move the Godinez team to LA? LAFC is going to have to move one of these teams to comply with USSDA regulations requiring all academy teams and coaches on the same fields. Whichever team is moved, are those players going to want to commute to LA from OC, or to OC from LA? Are the coaches going to want to do the commute?

How is this coaching staff going to be assembled? LAFC has 04 coaches. I'm guessing the Slammers wouldn't give up their top 03 team to LAFC unless their coaches get in the LAFC organization (completely understandable). How does LAFC plan to get the Slammers coaches and their 04 team coaches to work together with a shared system and shared means of evaluating players. You don't want a situation where each team is running different styles of play, recruiting different styles of players.

 

[mahrez]

Interesting . . . You usually have great inside info so I'm inclined to believe you.

But I heard that selected players on the various Slammers teams together with some outside players were asked to tryout for LAFC Academy 03. From those tryouts, I heard that most, but not all, of the Godinez black team together with some outside players were selected to be the 03 LAFC academy team, and that they are already training with LAFC trainers.

I think it makes sense to take the Godinez team as the base for an academy 03 LAFC team because, as I've said many times before despite criticism from people who have never even seen that team play, they are easily one of the top teams in this age group.

But if LAFC does make the Godinez black team the academy team, in my mind it raises a lot of questions. I understand LAFC has a an 04 team in LA. Is LAFC going to move the 04 team to OC so that the teams can play on the same fields and the coaches see all the academy players, which is what's supposed to happen. Or are they going to move the Godinez team to LA? LAFC is going to have to move one of these teams to comply with USSDA regulations requiring all academy teams and coaches on the same fields. Whichever team is moved, are those players going to want to commute to LA from OC, or to OC from LA? Are the coaches going to want to do the commute?

How is this coaching staff going to be assembled? LAFC has 04 coaches. I'm guessing the Slammers wouldn't give up their top 03 team to LAFC unless their coaches get in the LAFC organization (completely understandable). How does LAFC plan to get the Slammers coaches and their 04 team coaches to work together with a shared system and shared means of evaluating players. You don't want a situation where each team is running different styles of play, recruiting different styles of players.

There is no LAFC u15 (03) team nor have any tryouts been conducted. No plans for either in the future.

Galaxydad covered the slammer's age group training where one or two LAFC personnel showed up in the OC to talk, they have been doing this mostly in the LA area for many months.

For next season all LAFC dev teams (06,05,04) will be training and playing in LA per the application that was submitted. LAFC is considered a residence program for the older boys in the future but that's down the road aways and needs some infrastructure bulid out.

 

[galaxydad]

Interesting . . . You usually have great inside info so I'm inclined to believe you.

But I heard that selected players on the various Slammers teams together with some outside players were asked to tryout for LAFC Academy 03. From those tryouts, I heard that most, but not all, of the Godinez black team together with some outside players were selected to be the 03 LAFC academy team, and that they are already training with LAFC trainers.

I think it makes sense to take the Godinez team as the base for an academy 03 LAFC team because, as I've said many times before despite criticism from people who have never even seen that team play, they are easily one of the top teams in this age group.

But if LAFC does make the Godinez black team the academy team, in my mind it raises a lot of questions. I understand LAFC has a an 04 team in LA. Is LAFC going to move the 04 team to OC so that the teams can play on the same fields and the coaches see all the academy players, which is what's supposed to happen. Or are they going to move the Godinez team to LA? LAFC is going to have to move one of these teams to comply with USSDA regulations requiring all academy teams and coaches on the same fields. Whichever team is moved, are those players going to want to commute to LA from OC, or to OC from LA? Are the coaches going to want to do the commute?

How is this coaching staff going to be assembled? LAFC has 04 coaches. I'm guessing the Slammers wouldn't give up their top 03 team to LAFC unless their coaches get in the LAFC organization (completely understandable). How does LAFC plan to get the Slammers coaches and their 04 team coaches to work together with a shared system and shared means of evaluating players. You don't want a situation where each team is running different styles of play, recruiting different styles of players.

I actually live outside the state but have a buddy in the organization that I speak to a few times a month. I have had a big interest in club soccer my whole life.

What I heard from him was that there have been a few tryouts/ training days with the LAFC coaches and the directors of coaching from all of Slammers (newport etc.) This team will be know as the select team and most of the players selected were from the Black HB team with a couple from the other groups scattered in. The LAFC coaching staff loved the 03 group but a true academy at that age is not the direction they planned on heading when they developed their long term plans when forming the club, thus no 03s. CDA would have had no problem releasing all the players to the academy had LAFC determined to have an 03 group. The 03 Select team will play in major tournaments throughout the world (often against academy teams in those environments), play in the boys ENCL and have several coaches training them. One of the DOCs will be the head coach and make all final decisions on player personnel along with a former academy coach and another assistant.

CDA has also decided not to go the academy route. They have always desired to have a affordable club fee and do not want to pass the tens of thousands of dollars it would cost per DA team onto the the lower tier players/parents as almost all the other DA groups do (Think pyramid scheme). They will direct all players with professional potential to the LAFC at the younger ages (several of their players have been selected at the younger ages) and the national stage at the older (a few of the 03s have some amazing opportunities coming their way) CDA will focus on the college going players as they have solid connections with universities throughout the country and a college education is the most realistic route for most high end players.

That's the clean scoop on what I have heard.

My personal opinion- It makes sense and CDA has grown to one of the larger clubs around while improving the quality of the teams they field at the same time which is no easy feat. I don't think anybody could have predicted the success they have had in such a short amount of time. If they continue to treat the families well, provide quality training with open lines of communication and dont nickle and dime the families like other large clubs tend to do (several top players have come to CDA because they were constantly being hounded for more money from the other clubs in the area) they will keep having great success.

Should be interesting

 

[JJP]

Great post galaxydad, makes sense. There does seem to be some kind of affiliation with LAFC since LAFC trainers are working with the Slammers select team which is composed mainly of Godinez black. I heard that the Slammers select team will be at Dallas Cup as the LAFC team. We'll see what uniforms they wear and how they do vs Galaxy and GSA, which should answer a lot of questions.

 

[Box2Box]

League, crl, and possibly nationals and Dallas cup. What an accomplishment it would be if they swept the title on all.