MLS youth league

[watfly]

I 100% agree with your assessment but my experience is limited to the Quakes academy. @vegasguy seems to think the Quakes aren’t a top club and the US soccer landscape is full of great talent going to Germany for a promising future. How prevalent is this lack of soccer IQ that you and I speak of in the US soccer landscape?

This is what someone said about the U17 women's performance at the 2018 World Cup and the author seems to apply to all the YNT's. Whether the author was applying it to the boys IDK, but based on what I have seen it does apply.

"It does seem apparent that YNT coaches have emphasized finding players who are quick, have good feet, and look first to attack 1v1—and that these selectors have cared less about on a player’s awareness, off-ball movement, or willingness to pass cleanly into pressure and receive and return cleanly under pressure. And it also seems apparent that the YNT coaching staff has struggled mightily to fit the players they do find into a coherent, mutually supportive tactical structure.

The result? Failure. Repeated, consistent, failure."

Why it matters that the U17 women’s national team lost again

This is just the latest in a string of failures by US Soccer’s youth program.

www.starsandstripesfc.com

 

[whatithink]

The second biggest oppty next up is supporting the vast number of promising late dob/late developers to continue playing at high levels thru u17/u18.

How this is done? Not sure, but the MLS league and the ECNL, both look like - right now - big steps backward.

IMO, you change the age grouping back to the pre-calendar year one. You have the Aug-Jul date range with the Aug-Dec playing with the Jan-Jul. Generally, they are then same grade & peer group, which is positive. The Jan-Jul kids are being challenged vs older kids - which has always helped when being selected based on the FIFA rule (calendar) and the Aug-Dec kids who are late developers have a shot. Today the top teams are dominated with Jan-Jul birth dates.

There was a study I read, and this was youth sports, not just soccer, and it had something like 75% or more of elite players in youth sports were Jan-Jun and only 25% or less Jul-Dec. There was an extended finding that something like 30% of the Jan-Jun played elite after while 80% of the Jul-Dec did. Basically, early developers always get the nod. Big, strong, fast & athletic always trumps technique, brains etc. in a push - its like buying IBM back in the day from a coach perspective. The clubs & coaches will never change this.

 

[whatithink]

I guess my conclusion is that coaches don't seem to favor Soccer IQ, whereas I don't think Soccer IQ can be overrated. Maybe coaches think they can teach Soccer IQ to the physically dominant players...I just havent seen much of that occuring.

From what I've seen I can only agree. I've heard coaches saying some really dumb stuff and reject players with clearly superior IQ, awareness and ability to execute for athleticism because they can teach the athletes the rest.

Take some players who never were 1v1 specialists or "athletic" or fast and think what could/would have happened to them in some of the top US clubs/academies, like Iniesta or Xavi or Pirlo ... would they have made it? I'd hope so, but ...

 

[Kante]

IMO, you change the age grouping back to the pre-calendar year one. You have the Aug-Jul date range with the Aug-Dec playing with the Jan-Jul. Generally, they are then same grade & peer group, which is positive. The Jan-Jul kids are being challenged vs older kids - which has always helped when being selected based on the FIFA rule (calendar) and the Aug-Dec kids who are late developers have a shot. Today the top teams are dominated with Jan-Jul birth dates.

There was a study I read, and this was youth sports, not just soccer, and it had something like 75% or more of elite players in youth sports were Jan-Jun and only 25% or less Jul-Dec. There was an extended finding that something like 30% of the Jan-Jun played elite after while 80% of the Jul-Dec did. Basically, early developers always get the nod. Big, strong, fast & athletic always trumps technique, brains etc. in a push - its like buying IBM back in the day from a coach perspective. The clubs & coaches will never change this.

yup, usa had two cycles - the school year for domestic play and then the calendar year for international play.

was an advantage we had that we gave away.

brilliant.

 

[vegasguy]

I 100% agree with your assessment but my experience is limited to the Quakes academy. @vegasguy seems to think the Quakes aren’t a top club and the US soccer landscape is full of great talent going to Germany for a promising future. How prevalent is this lack of soccer IQ that you and I speak of in the US soccer landscape?

The Quakes are not Top Quality and others are.. NYCFC is becoming top quality.. but maybe Columbus FC is not. Xolos maybe but Tiburones may not be. We do have a ton of talent moving abroad. That is not to say our IQ is lacking but we thirst to jump to more competition and honestly we skip Mx to go to EU. MX and US development is on the same curve line. It isn't 20yrs.. it is 2yrs and we are pushing to Europe as Mex stays pat. As Bobby Brown said, That's My Prerogative.

Again @MacDre look at the players. They want US not Mex. Men and Women at apples and oranges but the game evolves too.. Look how it is played.. look at pace and style.. There will always be a Marta, a Messi, a Ronaldino but the game evolves and they move within it. Even the Triangle has gone away.

 

[vegasguy]

yup, usa had two cycles - the school year for domestic play and then the calendar year for international play.

was an advantage we had that we gave away.

brilliant.

We all agree DA did not meet the objective. But within the scope, there were great successes.

 

[MacDre]

From what I've seen I can only agree. I've heard coaches saying some really dumb stuff and reject players with clearly superior IQ, awareness and ability to execute for athleticism because they can teach the athletes the rest.

Take some players who never were 1v1 specialists or "athletic" or fast and think what could/would have happened to them in some of the top US clubs/academies, like Iniesta or Xavi or Pirlo ... would they have made it? I'd hope so, but ...

NYCFC's Andrea Pirlo: MLS has too much running, too little play. Former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo said that U.S. players are not taught technical skills at an early age and that ultimately affects the quality of play in Major League Soccer. ... "It's a very hard league to play in.

 

[watfly]

NYCFC's Andrea Pirlo: MLS has too much running, too little play. Former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo said that U.S. players are not taught technical skills at an early age and that ultimately affects the quality of play in Major League Soccer. ... "It's a very hard league to play in.

IDK if its so much that our youth are not taught technical skills, its that they aren't learning how to use the appropriate skill for a particular in game decision.

 

[texanincali]

IDK if its so much that our youth are not taught technical skills, its that they aren't learning how to use the appropriate skill for a particular in game decision.

"Skills" is such an overused term in today's soccer. To 90% of people, having skills has turned into doing stupid tricks. In reality it is such a broad term and encompasses many parts of the game. Very few of our youth know how to strike a ball properly, with the correct weight. That is a skill. I don't see many being able to turn with the ball into space. That is a skill. I don't see many being able to find that extra half yard of space to receive the ball. That is a skill. I do think the US youth league probably lead the world in step overs performed in a match, but we can't do the other things well.

 

[Dargle]

for the non-mls clubs, sounds like many will be still stuck at u13/u14. likely not Barca or TFA, maybe not LAUFA, but the rest.

for those u13/u14 non-MLS clubs, new MLS league seems like window dressing. better, more honest option for those clubs' families would have been to play in leagues where there would be pro/rel now, which is what their option will be at u15.

I'm not sure "stuck at" is the right term. In DA, they were out of the league at the higher age groups. In the MLS league it sounds like they will still be in the league, but they will just have fewer opportunities to play the MLS teams (but still some, especially in SoCal, where there are two teams and they want to get lower cost games).

And, I'm not sure "honest" pro rel actually exists in Socal youth soccer. ECNL doesn't even pretend to have it. There's a reason why "club" is in the name. Definitely not SCDSL, which mostly doesn't have it and where the big clubs influence what they do have because they run the league. Coast says it has it, but SCDSL's presence has put pressure to limit it over the years and Premier is by application and isn't automatic.

 

[watfly]

"Skills" is such an overused term in today's soccer. To 90% of people, having skills has turned into doing stupid tricks. In reality it is such a broad term and encompasses many parts of the game. Very few of our youth know how to strike a ball properly, with the correct weight. That is a skill. I don't see many being able to turn with the ball into space. That is a skill. I don't see many being able to find that extra half yard of space to receive the ball. That is a skill. I do think the US youth league probably lead the world in step overs performed in a match, but we can't do the other things well.

My pet peeve...coaches that teach that you have to shoot with your instep. How many shots do we see well within the box that are sprayed wide because the kid powered it with their instep instead of simply "passing" into the goal with the side of their foot.

 

[Husky13]

US Soccer was trying to take early physical growth into consideration. At the three U14 regional camps last year, each kid was measured for peak height velocity to see where they were in terms of physical growth. When the kids went back to their teams, the teams administered the same peak height velocity testing.

I am not sure what US Soccer or the teams did with that data. Presumably they took into consideration boys who may not have hit their growth spurts yet. But looking at the selections for the next U14 camps and then the single U15 camp before the shutdown, it was clear the US YNT still favored more mature and physically dominant kids.

This is exactly right. They talked the talk. (I even spoke with one of the leaders, who seemed very in tune with these issues without me even raising them.) But, when it came to player selections for Poland, even positioning/playing time at the camps, it was clear they weren't walking the walk and were just reverting to the physical eye test. One coach even gave my son feedback that his biggest weakness is beating players 1v1. My son has weaknesses as a player, no doubt, but this feedback was laughable and showed me that he favors someone who can run past others with pure speed as opposed to players who can dribble and keep p

I agree there is no shortgage of great atheletes playing in the US. We have more youth playing soccer than any other nation, the only other nation remotely close is Germany I believe. I'm going to divert a little bit from your opinion, but yes we focus too much on size and raw athleticism. I also believe coaches in the US favors the 1v1 player and creative dribbler too much, at the expense of other skills. What US coaches don't seem to understand is that the ball can travel much faster than one can run and that one can dribble. Soccer is primarily a decision making sport (aka Soccer IQ) and speed of play is critical. We're very poor at decision making, particularly at speed. Its a tremendous skill to be a creative dribbler but it has to be combined with Soccer IQ other wise you're just slowing down the game. It seems we make our decisions after we receive the ball and were not proactive, ie we lack field vison and awareness, or the technicall term is "scanning".

'Football vision' as important as ball skills, experts reveal

Learning to read the game is as important to young footballers as kicking a ball. A new study, which highlighted Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard as stars who incorporated the technique into their gameplay, calls on coaches to spend more time training young players to scan the field and less on...

www.sciencedaily.com

I also believe we've distorted what it means to be a great 1v1 player. Its now been boiled down to someone that can beat someone on the dribble...actually its evolved into someone that can sometimes win a 1v2, 1v3, 1v4. In my mind, a 1v1 player is one that can defend the dribble, win 50/50 or less balls, can out position or outsmart their opponent to receive the ball, etc. These "new age" 1v1 players that take on two or more players are not only slowing the game down but they are also not taking advantage of their teams numerical advantage that has been created. That's something else I don't see very often is coaches teaching the importance of gaining a numerical advantage where play is occuring. Coaching of movement off the ball is improving but we still have a lot of room to improve.

I guess my conclusion is that coaches don't seem to favor Soccer IQ, whereas I don't think Soccer IQ can be overrated. Maybe coaches think they can teach Soccer IQ to the physically dominant players...I just havent seen much of that occuring.

Couldn't agree more.

By the way, it is amazing how WRONG some coaches and scouts get "soccer IQ". I have seen scouts/rankings praise highly ranked players for tremendous soccer IQ, when the players who play with those players will tell you that they have a hard time playing with those players because they never make the pass on time, telegraph what they are going to do, put the receiving player in a tough spot with the pass, etc. Is that high "soccer IQ"? Some of these same players are known for receiving the ball and then taking a few dribbles to figure out what they are going to do with the ball. That is not going to be unlearned at the high school ages. Yet, those players get promoted upward ….

 

[Kante]

I'm not sure "stuck at" is the right term. In DA, they were out of the league at the higher age groups. In the MLS league it sounds like they will still be in the league, but they will just have fewer opportunities to play the MLS teams (but still some, especially in SoCal, where there are two teams and they want to get lower cost games).

And, I'm not sure "honest" pro rel actually exists in Socal youth soccer. ECNL doesn't even pretend to have it. There's a reason why "club" is in the name. Definitely not SCDSL, which mostly doesn't have it and where the big clubs influence what they do have because they run the league. Coast says it has it, but SCDSL's presence has put pressure to limit it over the years and Premier is by application and isn't automatic.

Was thinking of CSL re: pro/rel but am taking that at face value.

(so for example, you're saying that DTLA South Bay who finished 1st in Gold South in Fall 2019 is not a lock on getting promoted up to prem? Don't have experience here so honestly don't know).

The word am getting from a couple of different DA clubs is that former u13 and u14-only DA clubs will stay u13 and u14. It's possible to apply for more but ... (same as before essentially).

System benefits the MLS clubs, which is fine since it's an MLS league (and better than when US Soccer did same but represented something else...) but non-MLS clubs shouldn't represent any different to families...

 

[BIGD]

No one wants to hear this but you have to be willing to lose games, at least at first, to teach soccer IQ. It takes patience and time and I don't think the coaches feel that they have that luxury as the parents put so much value in winning games. I see our coach really trying to teach soccer IQ and really getting the kids to understand decision making in the game but the parents don't get it, they don't like losing and they question every decision the coach makes and coach their kid to do something different than what the coach is telling them to do. We need parents to either really learn the game of soccer or give the sport back to their kids and let them play and be coached and not be so controlling over their kids sport experience.

 

[texanincali]

But, when it came to player selections for Poland, even positioning/playing time at the camps, it was clear they weren't walking the walk and were just reverting to the physical eye test.

There is no doubt that it plays a role in selection. I think its a little unfair to say it played a role for everyone. In that age group there are 2 kids (Jenkins and Jacobs) I think are viewed as good players now, but I don't see them doing much, if anything as a professional. Some other bigger(ish) kids but they are also phenomenal soccer players. Hernandez, Norris and Ramirez with FC Dallas are very small and in that team, as was one of the other midfielders.

When YNT are put together, especially for a tournament, they are done so to win. Your son is obviously talented to be in these camps, so I would keep encouraging him to find solutions against these bigger faster kids, especially as a U16. If he is going to grow, it will come and his talent will show. Sometimes its just a waiting game and sometimes its unfair who grows early. I don't think the solution is playing his own age if he is of this talent level.

 

[Son]

This is exactly right. They talked the talk. (I even spoke with one of the leaders, who seemed very in tune with these issues without me even raising them.) But, when it came to player selections for Poland, even positioning/playing time at the camps, it was clear they weren't walking the walk and were just reverting to the physical eye test. One coach even gave my son feedback that his biggest weakness is beating players 1v1. My son has weaknesses as a player, no doubt, but this feedback was laughable and showed me that he favors someone who can run past others with pure speed as opposed to players who can dribble and keep p

The coaches are under a lot of pressure to win internationally for this age group as well all the other YNT age groups. It is tough for coaches to get away from the big physical players, especially if these bigger players were the ones doing well at the camps during the scrimmages.

What I have noticed though some of the physically imposing players that stood out at the U14 camps did not have strong U15 seasons. So in one year, their physical superiority was already less a factor as other players may have closed the gap physically.

 

[Husky13]

There is no doubt that it plays a role in selection. I think its a little unfair to say it played a role for everyone. In that age group there are 2 kids (Jenkins and Jacobs) I think are viewed as good players now, but I don't see them doing much, if anything as a professional. Some other bigger(ish) kids but they are also phenomenal soccer players. Hernandez, Norris and Ramirez with FC Dallas are very small and in that team, as was one of the other midfielders.

When YNT are put together, especially for a tournament, they are done so to win. Your son is obviously talented to be in these camps, so I would keep encouraging him to find solutions against these bigger faster kids, especially as a U16. If he is going to grow, it will come and his talent will show. Sometimes its just a waiting game and sometimes its unfair who grows early. I don't think the solution is playing his own age if he is of this talent level.

To be clear, my statement didn't apply to all players. My concern goes way beyond who is selected to go on a trip, because if showing well is a factor (which it always is), then constructing a competitive team usually involves choosing some kids with size.

My concern revolves around certain players who are being propped up at the top - discussed as part of the great youth movement of U.S. youth soccer - who display some of the (in my view fatal) shortcomings that I described in my prior post.

One of the challenges with soccer is that player evaluation is far more subjective than sports like basketball and baseball. Soccer is more dependent on scouts and coaches to identify the best players because of this. When some of the coaches who are responsible for these decisions can't even form a coherent thought in a conversation, it makes it harder to find room for optimism ….

 

[Dargle]

Was thinking of CSL re: pro/rel but am taking that at face value.

(so for example, you're saying that DTLA South Bay who finished 1st in Gold South in Fall 2019 is not a lock on getting promoted up to prem? Don't have experience here so honestly don't know).

The word am getting from a couple of different DA clubs is that former u13 and u14-only DA clubs will stay u13 and u14. It's possible to apply for more but ... (same as before essentially).

System benefits the MLS clubs, which is fine since it's an MLS league (and better than when US Soccer did same but represented something else...) but non-MLS clubs shouldn't represent any different to families...

Premier is by application only, while first in Silver Elite is automatically promoted to Gold under CSL rules, but I was thinking more about relegation and promotion in the discretionary zone (not first or last, but second or third to each), which can be affected by club influence.

I've heard differently about MLS age groups, but it's possible that what you're hearing just means former DA clubs will promote their existing age group teams and not field totally new teams at the higher age groups that weren't DA previously. So, a team like Chula Vista that was only U13 last year in DA, might be U13 and U14 in the MLS league this year, but they're not going to scramble and enter teams in the U15 age group until next year when the U14 team moves up.

It's also possible that the tier system starts in U15, so Chula Vista might field a U15 team this year, but it will be in the "Elite teams" tier and not the MLS teams tier (although it sounds like crossover play between MLS and Elite teams will happen), while its U13 and U14 teams would be in the same division as the MLS teams because they don't have a tier system yet.

In any either case, there's no question the MLS league will prioritize players they care about, which doesn't necessarily mean all the current players on a MLS academy team. If a club enters teams in this league, they have to know the MLS teams will scout and try to cherry pick the other teams' players and the clubs have to accept that since that's part of the league's attraction for the players. Might even be some kind of "discovery list" since MLS teams were supposedly ending territorial restrictions.

 

[Kante]

Premier is by application only ...

Got it. Makes sense. There's several clubs that had u14 last year, got shot down by USSDA on their u15 application this Spring and now will only be fielding u13 and u14 again w/ the MLS league, despite having a graduating u14 team who could be available for u15.

Am sure MLS league is whispering sweet nothings/club DA directors are hearing what they want to hear about the "opportunity" to add age groups later on.... Alas, am cynical about this piece.

In other news, MLS just announced a partnership w/ USYS which sounds promising. Lots of deets tbd (and will withhold opinion until deets follow) but makes a lot of senseon surface.Your thoughts and/or any additional insights? (also, jpeter, any thoughts or insights?)

For example, how does this announcement affect ODP and/or is this ODP but w/ MLS help?

Here's link to announcement: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020...ership-offer-new-identification-opportunities.

MLS and USYS Announce Strategic Partnership to Offer New Identification Opportunities for Domestic Players​

May 15, 20209:41AM EDT​

MLS Communications​

​

MLS and USYS Announce Strategic Partnership to Offer New Identification Opportunities for Domestic Players​

​

MLS partners with largest youth soccer organization in the country to create inclusive and accessible pathway to the professional game​

​

MLS & USYS to collaborate on professional development, coaching education and talent identification resources for members of the USYS soccer community​

​

NEW YORK (May 15, 2020) – Major League Soccer today announced a groundbreaking partnership with the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYS), the largest youth sport organization in the country, to collaborate on initiatives that support and engage individual soccer players, as well as soccer communities, throughout the United States.​

​

The collaboration will support enhancements in player identification and monitoring, coaching and scouting education, competition and fan engagement throughout the USYS community that includes more than 3 million boys and girls soccer players across 55 member State Associations. In addition, the partnership will create a clear pathway for boys and girls to be seen and scouted, regardless of location or financial resources.​

​

“We are very proud that USYS and its 55 member States Associations have decided to make MLS their league of choice,” said Gordon Bengtson, Senior Director of Player Development. “The State Associations are crucial partners in creating more meaningful connections to the professional levels while supporting the overall growth of the game. This is particularly important in communities that have not historically had access to elite development environments or professional pathways. This is a first step towards our goal of making the size and diversity of our country, our biggest strength.”​

• CLICK HERE for photos, logos and graphics around the partnership.

MLS today announced, in partnership with USYS, a new regional competition platform to provide talented young boys and girls players with the ability to participate in regional competitions in front of professional club scouts. This strategic partnership will help build on the foundation provided by MLS’ announcement of the new elite youth development platform.​

​

By empowering the technical leaders at the local and state levels, players who excel in high school programs, on club teams, or in local soccer leagues throughout the country will be recommended for the regional competition platform.​

​

MLS will collaborate with the technical leadership of all 55 State Associations as well as the USYS National Office to develop best practices in talent identification in each region. As part of the commitment to enable access and remove barriers for talented players to reach their highest potential, MLS will absorb all expenses for players attending and participating in the regional competitions in select age levels. Eliminating financial barriers for young players throughout the country is critical to ensure talented players can be seen and scouted during their formative years.​

​

“This is not a short-term vision, but rather one in which we realize the opportunity to truly connect the whole system of soccer in our country. For too long the professional and youth systems have been working relatively independent of each other and with this MLS partnership, we start down the path of true collaboration. This will not only expand resources to grow the game at the grassroots level, but also reveal to players and families that there is a clear pathway to any level of soccer they want to achieve,” said US Youth Soccer CEO Skip Gilbert.​

​

“Our goal is to ensure that every player throughout the country has the ability to reach his or her highest potential,” said Fred Lipka, Technical Director of Player Development. “There are so many young soccer players in this country that do not have the ability to access elite travel soccer programs that offer greater opportunities for talent identification. We want to ensure that every player has a clear pathway to achieve their dream of playing at the collegiate or professional level, regardless of location or financial resources.”​

​

Additionally, as part of the broader partnership, MLS and USYS are committed to creating educational and development opportunities for USYS parents, coaches and volunteers.​

​

“It is vital that we continue to eliminate barriers for promising players,” said Alecko Eskandarian, former MLS player and current Director of Player Relations and Competition. “Every player deserves the opportunity to showcase his or her hard work and individual talent in front of top scouts, regardless of club affiliation or location.”​

​

​

 

[lafalafa]

Got it. Makes sense. There's several clubs that had u14 last year, got shot down by USSDA on their u15 application this Spring and now will only be fielding u13 and u14 again w/ the MLS league, despite having a graduating u14 team who could be available for u15.

Am sure MLS league is whispering sweet nothings/club DA directors are hearing what they want to hear about the "opportunity" to add age groups later on.... Alas, am cynical about this piece.

In other news, MLS just announced a partnership w/ USYS which sounds promising. Lots of deets tbd (and will withhold opinion until deets follow) but makes a lot of senseon surface.Your thoughts and/or any additional insights? (also, jpeter, any thoughts or insights?)

For example, how does this announcement affect ODP and/or is this ODP but w/ MLS help?

Here's link to announcement: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020...ership-offer-new-identification-opportunities.

MLS and USYS Announce Strategic Partnership to Offer New Identification Opportunities for Domestic Players​

May 15, 20209:41AM EDT​

MLS Communications​

​

MLS and USYS Announce Strategic Partnership to Offer New Identification Opportunities for Domestic Players​

​

MLS partners with largest youth soccer organization in the country to create inclusive and accessible pathway to the professional game​

​

MLS & USYS to collaborate on professional development, coaching education and talent identification resources for members of the USYS soccer community​

​

NEW YORK (May 15, 2020) – Major League Soccer today announced a groundbreaking partnership with the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYS), the largest youth sport organization in the country, to collaborate on initiatives that support and engage individual soccer players, as well as soccer communities, throughout the United States.​

​

The collaboration will support enhancements in player identification and monitoring, coaching and scouting education, competition and fan engagement throughout the USYS community that includes more than 3 million boys and girls soccer players across 55 member State Associations. In addition, the partnership will create a clear pathway for boys and girls to be seen and scouted, regardless of location or financial resources.​

​

“We are very proud that USYS and its 55 member States Associations have decided to make MLS their league of choice,” said Gordon Bengtson, Senior Director of Player Development. “The State Associations are crucial partners in creating more meaningful connections to the professional levels while supporting the overall growth of the game. This is particularly important in communities that have not historically had access to elite development environments or professional pathways. This is a first step towards our goal of making the size and diversity of our country, our biggest strength.”​

• CLICK HERE for photos, logos and graphics around the partnership.

MLS today announced, in partnership with USYS, a new regional competition platform to provide talented young boys and girls players with the ability to participate in regional competitions in front of professional club scouts. This strategic partnership will help build on the foundation provided by MLS’ announcement of the new elite youth development platform.​

​

By empowering the technical leaders at the local and state levels, players who excel in high school programs, on club teams, or in local soccer leagues throughout the country will be recommended for the regional competition platform.​

​

MLS will collaborate with the technical leadership of all 55 State Associations as well as the USYS National Office to develop best practices in talent identification in each region. As part of the commitment to enable access and remove barriers for talented players to reach their highest potential, MLS will absorb all expenses for players attending and participating in the regional competitions in select age levels. Eliminating financial barriers for young players throughout the country is critical to ensure talented players can be seen and scouted during their formative years.​

​

“This is not a short-term vision, but rather one in which we realize the opportunity to truly connect the whole system of soccer in our country. For too long the professional and youth systems have been working relatively independent of each other and with this MLS partnership, we start down the path of true collaboration. This will not only expand resources to grow the game at the grassroots level, but also reveal to players and families that there is a clear pathway to any level of soccer they want to achieve,” said US Youth Soccer CEO Skip Gilbert.​

​

“Our goal is to ensure that every player throughout the country has the ability to reach his or her highest potential,” said Fred Lipka, Technical Director of Player Development. “There are so many young soccer players in this country that do not have the ability to access elite travel soccer programs that offer greater opportunities for talent identification. We want to ensure that every player has a clear pathway to achieve their dream of playing at the collegiate or professional level, regardless of location or financial resources.”​

​

Additionally, as part of the broader partnership, MLS and USYS are committed to creating educational and development opportunities for USYS parents, coaches and volunteers.​

​

“It is vital that we continue to eliminate barriers for promising players,” said Alecko Eskandarian, former MLS player and current Director of Player Relations and Competition. “Every player deserves the opportunity to showcase his or her hard work and individual talent in front of top scouts, regardless of club affiliation or location.”​

​

​

Yes that was behind the earlier USYS / MLS inclusion announcements, now w/ some of details are being out worked out the national league for MLS-EYDP with have regional tournaments brackets where the regular USYS club teams can also play. One stop scouting and I'm sure college will turn out also.

Non-MLS clubs can optionally enter teams in other age groups they may have not had in DA if certain conditions are meet, still working out the details but its not a closed/shut type of deal like da was every year.