All, pleased to be here. We are new to the MLS Next scene and our son has just been designated as Future Player. Is this a 100% indication that he'll be a player next season? We are thinking about getting the uniform kit but anxious about the possibility of our son not making it. He's a starter in his old team and right now still a bencher.
MLS Next Future Player
- Thread starter a0z0ra
- Start date
a. There's no guarantee of anything even after you sign a contract. At that highest level, your player can be cut at any time even after the season has started. You aren't really safe until a roster freeze period. Even then there's usually 0 guaranteed you'll be played (some 2nd and 3rd GKs for example don't see time on the field during regular games).
b. If you concern is starter v. bencher MLS Next Teams (especially once they pull past U13) carry far more number of players than are able to even dress for a game. At my son's old club, for his age they carried 29 including primary, future, guest and reserve rosters (reserves only brought in if someone is on injury list).
c. Primary players are hard capped in numbers, can play all MLS Next games and cannot play for another team down
d. Future players are capped at the number of games they can play (I think 12) in MLS Next but they can go to MLS Next Tournaments and can be borrowed down in certain instances (it's why second teams of MLS Next Clubs sometimes perform irregularly....it depends who they have on any particular day).
e. If he remains a future player instead of being brought up to primary, depending on his age either you or he will have to have a discussion with the coach about where he'll get the play time (unless he's happy riding the bench full time with just a few minutes here and there)l
p.s. in my experience the future players are either the ones that show promise but aren't there yet (and they are keeping around in case someone gets hurt) or the club is trying to appease a second team star that's threatened to walk but there's no room in the primaries. From the rules a future player is "not ready to contribute at the MLS Next Level" full time. At any other level, it would be a lousy no good deal, but players are so desperate to play on these teams, they'll readily take a future player or even a reserve spot.
I think the op means "Future Player" and not "future player" as you assume. Many MLS Next squads carry rosters of up to 30 kids, far more than can dress for even a game. The players are designated in several specific categories that mean something and which impact the number of games you are allowed to play and if you are allowed to also play down or play high school. IIUC the categories are "Primary", "Future Player", "Guest" and "Reserve". The question when you are assigned to a team is which of the 3 roles you are assigned to and if it's your only commitment ("Guest" IIUC is usually limited to kids being tried out or reserve players moved up due to injuries/illness/unavailability)
Not on MLS Next teams. A number of players (I think usually 4) can play part-time for a club's MLS Next team and the rest of the time on their second team (EA or wherever their second team plays). In my experience, most of these kids end up dropping down entirely because of lack of playing time at the MLS Next level.
My opinion is based on 5 years with the DA/MLS Next program; however, I'm a cynic when it comes to club soccer so maybe take it with a grain of salt. IMO the Futures thing is basically just marketing to keep your kid and your $$$ in the club's program. Clubs market certain programs like Futures and EA as the stepping stone to the MLS Next team. In reality, a MLS Next team is far more likely to take a player from another MLS Next club, than they are to bring a kid up from Futures, or a lower team, within the club. I'm not saying that they will never bring a lower kid up, but MLS Next players are always switching clubs, so the odds for a Futures kid just aren't great.
Also don't assume that training with MLS Next team will be better than say the EA team. Coaches and training are a crapshoot, although your son will be training against better competition. But then again the game is the best teacher and if he's not getting minutes then its not worth it.
What does your son want to do? IMO, without knowing your kid and his mentality, I would play EA and Futsal.