National Academy League

Can’t be in addition to. That would be insane because if you look at the schedule teams like the bolts play double games already and the mls academies would never stand for their cannon fodder to not be available. Looks like a revolt or second team thing. If so this is huge…mls next lasted as the undisputed top tier what three years including the pandemic year??? More alphabet soup. Ridiculous. Us soccer really needs to step in or if it refuses to do so fifa. It impacts talent now because proper sorting becomes information based: “he did you hear the la bulls joined mls next for our age group???” I can’t imagine committing to an img tuition and then this happens.
 
Grace T. said:
Can’t be in addition to. That would be insane because if you look at the schedule teams like the bolts play double games already and the mls academies would never stand for their cannon fodder to not be available. Looks like a revolt or second team thing. If so this is huge…mls next lasted as the undisputed top tier what three years including the pandemic year??? More alphabet soup. Ridiculous. Us soccer really needs to step in or if it refuses to do so fifa. It impacts talent now because proper sorting becomes information based: “he did you hear the la bulls joined mls next for our age group???” I can’t imagine committing to an img tuition and then this happens.
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Jacksonville clarified on their Twitter. It is second team. Looks like it’s a ea rebellion. That means second tier is now split nal, ea, usyl (where the academies are sticking their reserves), ecnl. Third tier is split ea2 (expanding this year), e64, ecrl, npl. What a mess.
 
Grace T. said:
Can’t be in addition to. That would be insane because if you look at the schedule teams like the bolts play double games already and the mls academies would never stand for their cannon fodder to not be available. Looks like a revolt or second team thing. If so this is huge…mls next lasted as the undisputed top tier what three years including the pandemic year??? More alphabet soup. Ridiculous. Us soccer really needs to step in or if it refuses to do so fifa. It impacts talent now because proper sorting becomes information based: “he did you hear the la bulls joined mls next for our age group???” I can’t imagine committing to an img tuition and then this happens.
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We are excited to announce that we will be joining the National Academy League starting next season. The league will provide high level competition that will further enhance the development of our players.” Technical Director Este Maldonado SYC Soccer will continue to be an important member of the MLS Next, USYS National League, VA Union FC, EDP League, UPSL and NCSL. About the National Academy League: 5 Conferences - > 50+Clubs -> 400 Teams. The National Academy League has been running very successfully for two years within the Northeast, New England, Southeast and Florida conferences. The next two conferences to join this year will be the Mid Atlantic and Midwest.
 
Socal-Soccer-Dad said:
what was their main problem with EA?



ugh too many leagues... too many divisions...
it should just be academy teams in MLS and USL... and then flight 1, 2, 3....
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Given the size of our country, the MLS academy teams need cannon fodder so they can scrimmage daily, and the new usys also seems to show, given how large of a roster they have (e.g., 3 goalkeepers), that the benchers need a place to play too. The only reason MLS Next exists is to provide a scrimmaging fodder for the academy teams. And if you look at the quality of most of those games, with the exception of the top 3 in the MLS Next Tier, most of the MLS Next Teams don't do so good or provide much of a challenge for the academies, particularly as they get older, so it's no real surprise in the olders league standing is determined with reference to other academy teams, and not the MLS Next teams.
 
Grace T. said:
Given the size of our country, the MLS academy teams need cannon fodder so they can scrimmage daily, and the new usys also seems to show, given how large of a roster they have (e.g., 3 goalkeepers), that the benchers need a place to play too. The only reason MLS Next exists is to provide a scrimmaging fodder for the academy teams. And if you look at the quality of most of those games, with the exception of the top 3 in the MLS Next Tier, most of the MLS Next Teams don't do so good or provide much of a challenge for the academies, particularly as they get older, so it's no real surprise in the olders league standing is determined with reference to other academy teams, and not the MLS Next teams.
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sorry weekly (usually both on Sat and Sunday)
 
NATIONAL ACADEMY LEAGUE - HOME
Our club in the Midwest just joined this. There are still many unanswered questions about this league and what level of teams will play in it. The word from our director is that many things concerning this league in past week have changed leading to many questions from other directors and coaches. There are lot of rumors and chit-chat going on about this league, its purpose, and teams that will play in it. Our club is in E64 this season (you can read about how ended up here in my December 20th post in the E64 thread justabystander | Socal Soccer ). Long story short - we partner with the local MLS club for MLS Next and they keep a handful of our players on the MLS Next Roster and then recruit nationally for the rest of the roster. Politics gets our club rejected from joining ECNL because one of the local ECNL teams has a founding member director and rejects our application and other local club applications. Anyway...so now this National Academy League is created.

There are a lot of well known clubs in this new National Academy League (NAL). So far, no teams or conferences west of the Midwest. All conferences are from New England down to Florida and the eastern half of the Midwest teams. The questions concerning this league include which level of teams will be playing and is this league meant to replace or compete with any other leagues. Their website is still being built, but it also has a link for a Regional Academy League (RAL). Rumors also state that the NAL and RAL are meant to be a league designed to overtake ECNL and ECRL - but I don't know the source of any of the rumors.

What is known according to their press release is that teams will be able to participate in the IMG Cup College Showcase and a NAL Championship in June.

Thoughts anyone?

Twelve additional clubs join National Academy League for inaugural season - SoccerWire
East Coast based MLS NEXT clubs lead launch of National Academy League - SoccerWire
 
justabystander said:
NATIONAL ACADEMY LEAGUE - HOME
Our club in the Midwest just joined this. There are still many unanswered questions about this league and what level of teams will play in it. The word from our director is that many things concerning this league in past week have changed leading to many questions from other directors and coaches. There are lot of rumors and chit-chat going on about this league, its purpose, and teams that will play in it. Our club is in E64 this season (you can read about how ended up here in my December 20th post in the E64 thread justabystander | Socal Soccer ). Long story short - we partner with the local MLS club for MLS Next and they keep a handful of our players on the MLS Next Roster and then recruit nationally for the rest of the roster. Politics gets our club rejected from joining ECNL because one of the local ECNL teams has a founding member director and rejects our application and other local club applications. Anyway...so now this National Academy League is created.

There are a lot of well known clubs in this new National Academy League (NAL). So far, no teams or conferences west of the Midwest. All conferences are from New England down to Florida and the eastern half of the Midwest teams. The questions concerning this league include which level of teams will be playing and is this league meant to replace or compete with any other leagues. Their website is still being built, but it also has a link for a Regional Academy League (RAL). Rumors also state that the NAL and RAL are meant to be a league designed to overtake ECNL and ECRL - but I don't know the source of any of the rumors.

What is known according to their press release is that teams will be able to participate in the IMG Cup College Showcase and a NAL Championship in June.

Thoughts anyone?

Twelve additional clubs join National Academy League for inaugural season - SoccerWire
East Coast based MLS NEXT clubs lead launch of National Academy League - SoccerWire
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The point of it was to give mls next teams a place to park their second teams (without having to worry about non mls clubs showing them up) and to give more roster flexibility so nal members can try up in next and the players that don’t have play time due to sub limits and over 18 rosters a place to play (can also coordinate schedules if both leagues loosely managed together). Img is one of the places pushing it not just for the cup but their tuition is expensive to be playing just the second team with no shot at the first. If it becomes something to replace the ea its success or failure comes with what SoCal does. If non mls teams like surf Santa Monica and surf riverside break ecnl they may inadvertently strengthen ecnl while killing ea. depends what ecnl does with it
 
Grace T. said:
The point of it was to give mls next teams a place to park their second teams (without having to worry about non mls clubs showing them up) and to give more roster flexibility so nal members can try up in next and the players that don’t have play time due to sub limits and over 18 rosters a place to play (can also coordinate schedules if both leagues loosely managed together). Img is one of the places pushing it not just for the cup but their tuition is expensive to be playing just the second team with no shot at the first. If it becomes something to replace the ea its success or failure comes with what SoCal does. If non mls teams like surf Santa Monica and surf riverside break ecnl they may inadvertently strengthen ecnl while killing ea. depends what ecnl does with it
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Ps am I the only one getting tired of the clubs engaging in blatant exclusionary behavior? I think mls next lost me on the meritocracy argument when they hopped over several established clubs to admit the Red Bulls which didn’t even have an ea and didn’t service an underserved area.
 
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