How do you know when ATL United’s academies team lose.....

American Football (re: Buford, Grayson, IMG) has nothing on the craziness that is Association Football in the US.

Sorry for the delay in responding, life got in the way. Also apologies for the long post, but wanted to make sure I hit on all the points to get my thoughts across…

To begin, let me reiterate my emphatic agreement with a lot of what beentheredonethat has stated. The way some of the players who don’t measure up (according to AU) are discarded is disheartening purely because they are still early teenagers and sometimes pre-teens. I cannot imagine how a parent even begins to walk back the psyche of a child who has been cut. Additionally, many have brought up loads of very valid points that may warrant the stake-holders to take a look and see how we can improve the overall system from tiddlie-winks footy all the way to the top echelon of youth soccer.

At this time, I also think it apropos for me to remind most on here my stance when it comes to the AU Academy. I grew up where, we, the community supported the local pro Academy. Last I checked, most of the lads on the team are made up of OUR kids. For me, a lot of what I’ve noticed is that there are many on this forum and out in the real world who just have it in them not to support the AU youth academy. Clearly for some it’s hurt feelings based on their kids not making it or sadly being let go. But for many more it’s not having a clue as to what really goes on within the Academy(not slyly referring to you btw), or disparaging AU because they are funded by our Uncle Arthur. I just don’t agree with that. AU is in their 3rd or 4th year. They’ve made a lot of strides in such a short time and they keep learning and working to improve on what works and what doesn’t. Case in point, TA has pledged to try to eliminate having to cut any more kids unless it is absolutely necessary. AU also has a rule to never cut injured players but instead to oversee and nurse them back to full fitness. It has also been the mandate of the club to try and help a kid cut from the academy find a home to land at. I know of many instances where AU has reached out to other DOCs to find a suitable fit for a kid no longer with AU. Now, that is easier said than done, when you factor the emotional feelings a kid and his family have to deal with right after being let go. If you look at the “standard” in England, there are what 12K+ lads playing in pro academies across the United Kingdom. Yet, less than 200 will actually play a minute in the Premier League. That means over the years 12,000+ have been funneled out of soccer. As this article shows [https://nyti.ms/2isaQli] many of these well known pro-clubs in Europe are savage when it comes to cutting these kids, some who have been there since 7 years old 😱 WoW

Which brings me to the issue of letting kids go. Less we forget, AU has one real true mandate – develop and train lads to make the 1st TEAM or be sold to other pro-clubs. If they fail at making your kid a pro, you get a really good chance at going to a really good college for free and still ply your love of the game. I reiterate, this is not a charity but in fact a business. If a kid was a superstar at 10/11/12, and by 15 for a myriad of reasons doesn’t cut it anymore, should they really keep him on the roster? That’s not for me to decide but does keeping that kid at the expense of someone else who was overlooked at 10/11/12 the right thing to do? We in the United States are first and foremost too obsessed with WINNING!!! AU has publicly and privately stated that they are more about developing players and making them better as individual players since they don’t sign whole teams (think IDP). But we decry them when they don’t win or we denounce them even louder when they beat someone by 7, 9, 11 goals (just look at the title of this post). Being in the AU Academy is a smorgasbord of potential pitfalls and pressure for these young boys. You’re expected to win every game, you’ve got a microscope on you at all times, you’re no longer allowed to be a kid and learn from mistakes, there is the added pressure of fighting every day, every minute for you position knowing the “axe” might be around the corner or just another kid who may be better than you. You’re at the beck and call of the AU juggernaut, you still have to do well in school, all for an eviscerated social life… I could go on but you get the gist.

So I say all this to ask the question – Where are the Parents/Guardians? We are sometimes the biggest obstacles to our kids advancement and success. We do lots of research on where to go on vacation or where to go for dinner, but do we really sit down and weigh the pros and cons of going to AU? We have a friend whos’ kid was offered a spot at AU the very first year. The quietly and politely declined because they recognized that their kid was JUST NOT READY. So your kid was the superstar at (insert club here), who played in position X, but now he’s not starting and has been put in position Y. What’s the first thing parents do, chime and discuss in front of their kids. Then the parents call a meeting with the Coach, then TA, then if all doesn’t go to their liking, they call the DOC from (insert club here). There are players who actually leave AU on their own, in the middle of the season because of positional and allotted time of play. We see that all the time, ergo why we have Super Y, ECNL, DA, DA2, SCCL, NPL, NL, etc. I can tell you that in my opinion deserting your team and leaving in the middle of the season is not the way to teach your kids life. We parents have to have more patience, see where the kids are falling short and close that short-fall. AU can’t have the kids there 24/7, parents and players have to take the onus and fill that void. Hell, AU has meetings with each player 3-4 times a season, so don’t tell me you don’t know where you stand.

Having the option of a Pro Club Academy like AU is a double edged sword. It’s a great gateway to the world of professional soccer. I know what it has done for the local male soccer players. There are 8,9 and 10 year olds, who have aspirations of playing at the highest level who unprovoked by their parents go out and work on their craft. I think that is great to build the game locally and hopefully nationally & internationally. However, there is the underbelly and ugly side of this system. Europe has been dealing with it for over a century and they too are yet to figure ish out…

One comment on this whole issue of how they respond to getting cut by AU...why does getting cut by AU matter any more than being cut by UFA, CF, GSA, TH, AFU, SSA, AFC, etc. Any kid that gets cut that REALLY loves the game and wants to be THE BEST THAT HE/SHE CAN BE is going to take a psychological hit that they got cut from whatever team and level that they are trying to achieve. I understand that most of these kids feel like they are the best since they got picked up by AU to begin with, but very few people go through life without any setbacks and disappointments. We are putting kids on teams with "levels" starting at 7 or 8 years old (sometimes 6). They are getting cut or dropped to lower teams even then. I hate it when my kids get cut or don't get promoted to the next team or whatever and my heart bleeds for them, but I tell them that if they love the game then they have to keep trying and working and fighting for it! They will be the stronger ones in the end.
We have a female neighbor that quit soccer after years of playing top level (DA and ECNL, ODP region etc) because she got cut for the first time at U17 after seeing some slight decrease in playing time the 2 years prior to the cut. She said that she just couldn't take the rejection because she had never had to deal with it before...sad, but it happens.

I guess only time will determine the true cost/ benefit of the MLS Academies. Will they generate long term revenue with dozens of homegrown players by millions in solidarity payments and transfer fees or will the programs run a deficit year after year. The cost can probably be subsidized somewhat by fees from running camps and other associated programs.

Its a business, they will be able to sell the talent. I think they know what they are doing.

Futsal Gawdess- yep. showing the product. Creating a list of potential and looking around for club. Win, win.

Huge honor to go and represent the 5 Stripes. 1st to show the UK and now in South America.