This page will be designated for questions, comments and sharing information related to youth soccer academies in NY, NJ and PA. All age groups and boy / girls will be included here.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Academy Soccer
This page will be designated for questions, comments and sharing information related to youth soccer academies in NY, NJ and PA. All age groups and boy / girls will be included here.
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If your kid is a 99, they will have teams for him next year. Most try outs are in the spring, starting April, but you should consider emailing the coaches to get him in on a practice now.
It can't hurt to get him trying out with an academy during an open practice, but you need to take the first step.
Academy is different than club teams, so if your son does really well, he might be asked to join the team now without threat of poaching.
For March 4, 2013 at 9:04 AM: ever since Chelsea got involved with Matchfit, Matchfit has gone downhill. It might be coincidence, but on both the girls and boys sides, the reputation of the club and many teams has dropped far below that of PDA, and RBNY on the boys side.
MF is no better than NJSA, and they are posers using TR's name recognition to have academy status that was not deserved.
What a PR nightmare for MF. Chelsea has not ended their partnership with any of the other US based club they have across the country. This can’t be a positive signal about their continued status as an academy. I’ve heard many academies have been formally sanctioned with an action letter over the past 2 years and have to make changes or they will lose academy status. With the clubs being able to apply for USSF academy status for their 13/14 teams next year, maybe the USSF will be eliminating the MF & Met Oval’s of the world to make room for those clubs. No fields for MF mean no way they can have a 4:1 ratio of practices to games. Poor showing in the USSF winter showcase and futsal this past weekend shows their inability to compete. The affiliate club model shows that they can’t develop players rather they take them from established clubs to improve the current teams. It also allows them to charge for training in those clubs which grows their profits rather than develop their program and the players within the MF academy.
Other academies have issues but Chelsea dissolving their partnership tells many that MF might be losing their Academy status. I'm sure that is what your parents are thinking right now. At least Chelsea might be thinking that.
CASL has also ended their affiliation with Chelsea. This appeas not to be an issue with Match Fit, but rather, with Chelsea. Not sure what the benefits were except a cool sounding name.
1:17
do have a link of any sort that we could read about other academies being formally sanctioned?
That is not correct about CASL, they are still affiliated with Chelsea. Bays, Solar & Sereno still have the Chelsea partnership.
Any comments on what the Matchfit affiliated club program is about? Our local club just joined, and the press release says that they will "train like the DA teams" and have a "10-months schedule". Will HS be allowed? Any town club that has done this previously?
We are confused because we know that a lot of club teams from MF were disbanded/jettisoned this past year.
March 8, 2013 at 9:23AM is not correct. CASL is ending their relationship with Chelsea, http://www.caslnc.com/Default.aspx?tabid=268197
It would not surprise me if Sereno and the Bays announce the end of their affiliation prior to the Fall of 2013.
So let me get this straight, MF '99 team is undefeated in USSF league play and '00 recently got beat for the first time. You guys think they are going to get dropped from the league?? Sounds like continued bitterness to me...
Son is looking at academy teams. Based on previous experience, he would not fit on a RBNY team but we are looking at MF and NJSA. As a 1997, which team would have better coaching and training? I think it would be next year's U15/U16 team.
Will all academies have four practices per week for the 10 month season? And if a player is selected in May or June, will they start in June or will they start in August or September?
World Class FC is holding tryouts for its USSF Pre-Academy and USSF Academy teams from April 30 - May 3. Go to www.wcsocceracademy.org for complete details on dates and times for each age group.
MFC is a joke. They've been able to recruit good players, but have been unable to generate and train good players. And the politics are insane.
World Class FC is a well run program with good coaches, the 99 Academy team improved tremendously after getting rid of Santiago due to his lack of character and leadership.
Pardon my ignorance, but is the last post referring to the World Class U13 A team? I thought they did not play NE Academy League? Do they refer to themselves as an academy like TSF, but really play EDP etc.? At least that was my understanding. Not to diminish their success. I thought WC was very good across many age groups and assumed politics of some sort kept them out of Academy leagues because their teams seem to be able to contend with anyone. Also, who is Santiago and what does (or did) he have to do with the program or '99 team? What is the new USSF Academy League and how does it compare to the NE Academy League?
WC just got accepted into the academy league, so while they have not been part of the academy league, they will be. This will only be offered to the 99/00's and hopefully older groups will be added in the future. NE Academy league is only one division of the USSF A.L.
Thanks my understqanding anyway...
So WC is now going to be a US Development Academy like Gottschee?
Yes
WC has only the one academy team, the U13/U14 team. They do not have U15/U16 and U17/U18 teams. They will have younger pre-academy teams.
They and others are misrepresenting themselves as true DA programs, and they are not. The USSF would be wise to make some kind of distinction, because it is very confusing to players and parents.
The World Class FC program is very spotty. They have some great coaches like Aviv Volnerman and some really lousy coaches. There are coaches who demean the players, don't communicate with or instruct players, curse at players and refs alike, and do not allow equal development opportunities. Be careful, there are coaches who will ruin your child's development. The organization does not address these issues. They don't monitor coaches and only superficially look into problems.
Are there going to be any big shake up's or moves between the academies this year?
Who is going to be the biggest winners & losers for the 2000 pre-academy?
We are looking at MF and NJSA for U16 Academy teams. Anyone know about the costs? My son is currently at a non-academy club, and it is getting near $4,000 between travel, hotels, extra money for crappy tournaments, etc. Starting cost was $2,000.
And I though all USSF academies would be free for the true academy teams.
U18 will be 95/96.
U16 will be 97/98.
U14 will be 99/00.
2000 birth year boys will be eligible for U14 academy teams. There should still be U14 pre-academy teams, but according to tryout information, there will not be a 97 pre-academy team, just a 95/96 pre-academy team as a reserve for U18, and then 98 (U15) and younger pre-academy teams.
NJSA 04 runs about 2700 for reg and uniform. Another 250 or so for fundraising events. Travel and hotel depends on coach/team manager and how they are able to schedule away games. Some clubs are adamant about playing home in the morning forcing you to either get a hotel room the night before it leaving at 4 or 5 in the morning for the 4-6 hour trek. Oakwood and MD teams are notorious for this. But when they cone to you they want 4pm starts. It's all about gamesmanship with some clubs.
Son is 2000 - cant figure what the difference will be between him playing pre academy with 2000 or academy with 99/2000. do you get exposure if you play pre academy?
Besides birth year what is difference?
"Who are going to be the biggest winners & losers for the 2000 pre-academy?"
I have only one word for you.
NYC FC.
Which means there is only one place to go.
QUEENS.
Since your precious darling is 2000 then he is probably the 1st age group that will get some benefit from this. Perhaps you have visited NJ and seen the parents scratching and clawing and climbing their way over the dead carcasses of the merely very good players to get their little chosen one a potential spot beside Conner Lade playing for an over-caffeinated soft drink company. (Yes it is more than a little silly given how limited the dream is, but it is shared by so many parents in the area). Imagine what these people will do when the pot at the end of the rainbow could be a spot alongside the likes of Tevez or Toure playing for a world-class organization? I see some good Lifetime movie plots in the making.
Keep Dreaming!
I want to know if NJSA04 is a good academy team for my son that will be playing on the U 10 team. How is NJSA 04?
Play offs around the corner. Looks like Match Fit will walk away with the U13 boys or will Gotchee come good? Red Bulls are fading fast. Delco can always spring a surprise. Albertson are decent. West Chester are also runs. PDA are pathetic at 99. Any predictions?
I think you need to look at recent PDA results before making such a statement.
MF & NJSA04 are 7th (8th) and 8th (6th) out of 12 teams in U15/U16 (U17/U18). Met Oval and FC Westchester are 10th (12th) and 11th (9th)out of 12 teams in U15/U16.
Met Oval's report card is worse than the other three academies.
CASL and MF have the same line about "American soccer developing on its own now" as to why they ended their Chelsea affiliation. Would love to hear if anyone on the other side of the pond has heard anything. Chelsea website still mentions the clubs.
What happens to a 99 in places like World Class or Met Oval fielding only a U13/14 Academy team. Does that team stay Academy the following years as they grow in age??
Red Bull 99s ranked 2 knocked out of the playoffs in the first round against the 7th seed. Matchfit ranked 1 knocked out by the 8th seed. Strange days.
Single game elimination
Upsets happen!
Not such a surprise that PDA beat Matchfit. The won 5-1 the week before and have been on a good run for a few weeks now. Also RB started to slip some weeks ago. Banging in 10 against a team that failed to win all season is a very different proposition to playing a team like Westchester who on any given day can win tough games like this. I will say though that in watching all the teams this season RB do play the most attractive soccer. They have very talented kids but they are somewhat let down on the physical side.
Should be an interesting U13 semifinal weekend Winner of FCD / PDA takes the title. Both teams red hot.
What was the Delco score today? Westchester did very well to beat RB 3-1. I would not rule them out. Gotchee still in the mix and pretty strong.
Delco won 3-0. Gotchee play Baltimore tomorrow to determine the final spot
Gottschee defeats Baltimore Bays 3-0.
"Not a surprise PDA beat Match Fit."
Agreed. MF are nothing more than a kick and run team for this level. Any team that knows them will check their one player up top and try to play out of their attempt to squeeze defensively. Away from that they do not really play top quality soccer. RBA and Gottschee have the size and fitness to match (no pun intended) as well as superior skill to play around MF which is why they beat MF and look to be on another level entirely. Now add PDA to that list. Congrats!
The unfortunate and rarely stated truth is that "Academy" league is really a split proposition. Many of the teams are not very good and would likely get a beating in EDP 2nd division. That helps pad the record for teams that get the physically dominant players....NYRB, Gottschee, PDA, MF etc.
What changed at PDA? How did they suddenly go from a middle tier academy team to defeating NYRB and MF? That is HUGE. I'm surprised there isn't more talk of it here. Anyone close enough to know?
Will see this weekend who comes out on top. I think PDA have a decent chance but will have to beat a very good Gotchee team to progress. They have played well recently and have a lot of self belief now. Other semi final is a toss up between Delco and Westchester. Either could win.
Agree with the comment above. There are probably 4 teams that should not be in the league. The rest are decent.
Just goes to show one player can make a difference. PDA brought down a 99 player from the 98's and they suddenly start to win. This player is a hard worker who controls the midfield, wants the ball, and can score. Something their forwards couldn't do.
just wanted to know if pda brought down the 98 player just for playoffs or was he brought down during the season?
Probably doesn't matter by the rules if they are anything like state cup. MF and other big clubs do that at NJ Cup regularly. No roster cut-offs...part of same club so not considered guest player etc. ..all allowed by the rules. Maybe not fair given the kid(s) don't really play for that team every weekend, but all within the rules I suspect.
wow...interesting. thank you
Think you need to get your facts correct. 99s had won 5 in row before the 98 player came down. He is a great player and has played on numerous occasions during the season for the team. Forwards are doing just fine and scoring plenty.
I'm genuinely sorry if your little Johnny didn't make the playoffs. At the end of the day a number of the teams at the top of the league were not very consistent in the end. The top team didn't even play Red Bulls - what's that all about? If Johnny did make it I'm sure the boys will enjoy playing against him this week-end. whoever wins will be a deserving winner...
What is turnover at RBNY Academy? Is a new U13 player likely to stay all the way through to college? Half turn over every year? I'm guessing it is pretty cut throat given RBNY is paying the tab rather than parents paying big bucks to the academy. Any insight appreciated. What becomes of the ones let go?
Turnover is high at the top academies. About 50% turnover on average sounds right. Not everyone is cut though; kids move on for all sort of reasons as well. Turnover could be even higher at Red Bulls with it being free and attracting top talent from NY, NJ, CT and PA. Your son would have to earn his roster spot every year!
If ur son gets cut, u try to find another team. What else can he do if he wants to continue playing? Unfortunately, if u live in north NJ, Red Bulls is probably the closest, PDA is a manageable distance but if you don't make the cut at either of those (two of the hardest teams to make), then it's a hike to keep playing at that level.
Forwards are doing just fine and scoring plenty.
You may want to re-do the math.PDA ave about a goal a game without the 'Big Two' they brought down and have averaged three goals a game since. Huge difference.
Doesn't matter though, they are still quality and deserve to be there with their slightly above .500 record and TWENTY EIGHT GAMES PLAYED. Barely squeaked by weak NJSA and Seacoast eams to make the playoffs. But hey! It's not about DEVELOPMENT at a developmental academy. It's about winning! I guess the parents
whose kids were asked to stay home to make room on the roster didn't mind, did they? And how does a club justify bringing players who are capable of playing at the '98 and even the '97 level down? How does this help in the player's development. Its not PDA's fault as we all (academy) do this. It's well within the rules. But if NJ youth soccer is ever going to make any headway into being true quality, the muti-rostering should be abolished. Make a team, play for that team and look be rostered up, not down.
PS we are one of the teams who are in the playoffs. Not the little Johnny who didn't.
We're your lips moving when you wrote the above post? For someone who has a player in the playoffs you are very interested in what is happening at PDA. Was your Johnny cut from PDA a few years ago? Does this explain your bitterness or did your mommy not love you when you were growing up? Instead of counting the goal averages of other teams and analysing their rosters go get a life and preferably a real job. Let your son do the talking this week end and enjoy what promises to be some great soccer.
As far as I am aware PDA have only been playing one of their 98s. As Delco and Westchester do not have other teams in the semi finals I wonder if they will bring down any of their 98s to play this week end?
Playoff is about winning folks! Whatever development there is occurred during the reg season. I'd bet not even the 98 or 97 red bulls will be rostering or giving much (if any) playing time to their weaker players this weekend. There were 24+ plus games for development during the reg season! Now, it's about winning; why else have a playoff?
blame the league. if they cared about development, all the teams would be going to PA this weekend for a few more games. instead the top 4 r going to semis and finals. now all the coaches want to pad their resume with their team winning a championship. all the clubs want to put out press releases and postings on social media and their website about winning the regional and advancing to nationals. great way to promote development us club soccer.
Well it sounds like the DA system is not the right environment for your child. Why take everyone to the regionals? It's typical of the US mentality of making all the kids feel good about themselves. Same as schools sports days. Everyone is a winner. Fact is life is not all roses and we need to teach our children to be competitive. Most clubs had 20+ games this season. The top 4 are at regionals. That's the way it should be.
I agree. I see nothing wrong with a club bringing down a 99 that typically plays with the 98s for the playoffs. It's all about winning this time of year. It may or may not be ideal but it is what it is.
I'll be home this weekend like a lot of other 99 academy parents but I don't feel bad since the pretenders will also be home. Yes, I am talking about you Match Fit 99 with your conveniently easy schedule and avoiding red bulls all year so you can enhance your points per game average and appear as if you are great team only to get beat 5 - 1 one week by the 8 seed and 2 - 0 in the quarter finals to the same 8 seed the very next week. Yes, I am talking about you Red Bulls 99 with your walking around as if you are the next coming of Messi and Ronaldo all because you play in the academy of a MLS team that has won NOTHING for its fans and play such low quality football that the stadium is half empty on game days. Easy to run up the score on Seacoast, Metoval, etc. with classless 10 goal victories but can't beat a 7 seed in the quarter finals.
Fair play. It needed to be said. Wonder how many RB 99s will be looking for a new club? I'm sure the kids will take the blame for their poor showing and not the coaches.
at least 10 of the 22 or so; the 98s last year were also great before losing in the playoffs. half of those kids were on different teams this year. no loyalty at the academy level. u are either better than the kids trying out for your spot, or u will get cut.
Parents..
Get a life.
This is 13 yr. old soccer!
PDA v Westchester in the 99 final.
PDA v Red Bull 98 final
PDA v Red Bull 97 final
Well done PDA. Great job by the 99s. Written off and they now play in the final. Beating the #1 ranked team in the country in a great game of soccer. Westchester will be very tough. Looking forward to a another good game.
PDA 99 regional champs! 2 -1 over Westchester after falling 1 - 0 down.
Red Bulls 98 regional champs with 2 - 0 win against PDA!
Red Bulls 97 regional champs with 3 - 0 win against PDA!
Unbelievable run by PDA 99s. 12 wins in a row beating every top team on the way. Never say die attitude.
A note to the poster on June 14th at 2:10pm - hope little Johnny wasn't too upset!
Can't we keep the dialogue on the academy website a bit more civil? Save all the nastiness and vitriol for the other blogs. Great run by PDA, they were a totally different team than the one that started the season. Great job to the Red Bulls too! Can't wait for my kid to compete against the best again next year.
"a bit more civil?"
Why? Academy soccer is more cut throat than the rest. Look right. Look left. One of those kids won't be there next year. Why wouldn't this thread be expected to mirror that?
That is what academy soccer is all about. It is a very difficult environment for all. If you don't ever want to face the possibility of being cut, which may happen to my son someday, then stay with your town team. I knew what we were getting into when we made the decision to go for academy soccer.
Agree it's a very tough environment for kids. There is absolutely no loyalty at the academy level. This time of the year is very stressful for those players that are not in the starting line up. Most clubs have an option for those that don't make it but oftentimes the quality of that team is just not at the right level.
"Red Bull 99s ranked 2 knocked out of the playoffs in the first round against the 7th seed. Matchfit ranked 1 knocked out by the 8th seed. Strange days."
1997 Matchfit beat BWG in the first round of playoffs. BWG was ranked 1st, MF was ranked 8th. In the semifinals, MF lost to PDA and then PDA lost to RBNY as noted above. MF won the third place game over 97 Albertson.
As for "little Johnny being upset" I'm not that poster, but my son tried out for PDA, was invited back about 8 times during the season. Missed first cut of regular tryouts. They picked four players out of about 100 to go on to another round of tryouts. The next week, they cut it down to two. Two to go on to tryouts in July with kids from other academies that were trying to "move up".
RBNY won't even give some players a chance. I know some players who emailed and never got a response.
Both PDA and RBNY have extremely variable practices. It is well-advised to have your kid attend as many practices as possible to see what they think a practice should be.
If your kid is invited to try out for PDA or RBNY, you can expect some kind of commitment, maybe two years instead of one. But I know many more former RBNY academy players than current RBNY academy players. And they aren't going back to their old club team that still managed to be top five without them.
If your kid is on the BNT, expect RBNY and PDA to treat him like gold and wait on him hand and foot. Otherwise, he's chopped liver unless he is good enough for him to be recommended to the BNT.
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