So...did we learn anything about how the mls next versus ecnl comparison looks based on the man city cup results?
Keep in mind that only younger ages, U15 and younger, will play actual MLS Academy teams, not olders.My take- the MLS teams are and should be much better that almost all other teams. I know- that’s a given
They can’t afford to travel to only other MLS clubs so they need target practice- thus MLS Next
The younger former DA teams are not any better than most other well run clubs top teams
Ego driven move-Strikers- don’t like that they don’t get to call the shots in ECNL
non ego driven move- want a chance to test themselves Vs MLS teams now and then
Keep in mind that only younger ages, U15 and younger, will play actual MLS Academy teams, not olders.
Not this season. The MLS only tourney was reserved for the olders this year. And... isn't there some Pro+ iteration?Keep in mind that only younger ages, U15 and younger, will play actual MLS Academy teams, not olders.
when is this league going to happen?Galaxy and LAFC U15 and above will not compete in MLS next, they will compete in an MLS only league.
when is this league going to happen?
That was pretty informal. I think there were only 10 MLS clubs with teams playing in Atlanta and it was on a weekend when there were no MLS Next league games scheduled. The MLS clubs that traveled a more significant distance are the ones that are more well-financed/ambitious (e.g., Dallas, Galaxy, NYCFC, Philly), while the rest were what would pass for local to Atlanta in MLS terms (Atlanta United, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami, Cinci, Columbus). That was organized by Atlanta because it really has very few MLS Next teams in the area and entered teams in ECNL this year to try to get its players more games.It's already happening. Galaxy just competed in a MLS only tournie over the holiday weekend.
So...did we learn anything about how the mls next versus ecnl comparison looks based on the man city cup results?
I’ve seen that match. A friendly back in mid-March as Surf was prepping for Dallas Cup. Good game. FRAM 04s were definitely one of the better non-DA/ECNL/MLS teams I’ve seen play. Some very good players. Well coached. They are better than many MLS-Next and ECNL teams I’ve seen. Talent isn’t always found in the “best” leagues.But I would love to see a recent match of, say, SD Surf ENCL B04 vs FRAM B04. Would be interesting.
Olympiacos b05 had a good run in the Dallas Cup, and have seen CSL Prem teams scrimmage ECNL teams that were former DA teams with good results.From a BU17 perspective, I'd say the similarities between MLS Next and ECNL teams are more notable than the differences. My son's team was "league-less" during fall 2020-spring 2021. This worked out great, as we got to play a number of MLS Next and ECNL teams in the age group in an informal "coach-calls-coach" kind of way. Not a bad way to organize it actually. We were also in Phoenix Cup so we got to play against some AZ MLS next teams like Barca, then Man City then just got done with Nationals. From those games, I guess I'd say that for MLS Next and ECNL teams, the rule seems to be the bigger the brand, the deeper the bench, the more likely they are to play a modular sort of 4-3-3, shifting different players into a pretty set system. MLS Next Chula Vista was an interesting exception, playing a 3 in the back line up. In Man City, we needed to tactically adjust and it took us awhile to break them down. As one might expect, we found LAFC to be the most successful in implementing their 4-3-3 ball, having on the whole more dangerous penetration in the final third. But really, by and large I'd say these teams are all pretty competitive against each other, with the less branded teams compensating by emphasizing big and fast.
Rather than a MLS Next vs ECNL comparison, I think a more interesting comparison for BU17 might be MLS Next/ECNL teams against the top remaining USYS-oriented teams, such as those advancing far in National Cup. In National Cup we played a very interesting Strikers team and a really superb FRAM team. These teams were more like a coach going "I have these pieces, what can I build around them" rather than "let's throw talent at a system and see who rises to the top". They were more complicated machines. I suspect that distinction may shape the landscape going forward.
But I would love to see a recent match of, say, SD Surf ENCL B04 vs FRAM B04. Would be interesting.