(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

Agree that universities have a niche with student-athletes. Partly from US soccer academies, but also from foreign born players who want higher education. The difference is that colleges used to get the very elite US players 30 years ago…colleges have recognized that they needed to change their aspirations and recruiting strategy.

I can see USL teams using college players. Assuming they want to stay in the US to play soccer. College soccer could be used as a team on a lower tier of the football period to get players if they can't form a academy team. It can help other bigger clubs potentially mainly because it offers tape for players potentially skipped over somehow.

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

It is something that MLB is doing abroad in places like the Dominican Republic and South America; providing education, place for kids to live and get quality baseball instruction. I play golf at the Sycuan resort where the RtD campus is being built and they are making quick progress and, reportedly, will be open in January. Nice thing about being built on Indian property is how quick they can get things started. Fortunately, the resort already had hotel rooms that will be used as campus housing (the main Sycuan casino/resort) is just down the road. I believe this is just the fourth RtD campus - started in Ghana, and I think the next two were France and Egypt. It will make San Diego the leader for youth soccer in the US. The major owner of the SDFC is the Mansour group who started this in Ghana. They have partnered with Sycuan for ownership of the MLS franchise.

(04-14-2024 11:41 PM)Frontierman Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 07:44 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 07:02 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 06:52 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Playing in college is an indicator that you are not good enough to play at a high level professionally. Top 18 year olds are grabbed up by European clubs and put on their young developmental squads. If you are not making appearances in their top level team by age 21, you are probably on your way out. Mediocre 18 year olds are sometimes picked up by MLS for development (MLS level of play most closely resembles 3rd level leagues of major European countries). If you are below that but have some academic ability, then you play college.

Men's soccer is almost certainly going to be one of the sports which will be carefully crafted into non-employee status sport by even the most elite schools.

Pay is now almost exactly on par with the English Championship. Perhaps the play is closer to 3rd tier, but I'd expect it to get better over time with salaries skyrocketing.

No, it really is closer to the 3rd tier. Money is used to pay over the hill players, much like China pays washed up NBA players to come over for the names. They are slow. The entire pace of MLS looks like half speed compared to the top level in Europe, and even a bit sow compared to the 2nd level.

That's a pretty spot on analysis of MLS in 2010. Nowadays MLS rosters are trending younger every year and they are mostly using the money on young south American players that they can turn around and sell to the top european teams for big money. This year only 14 of the 70ish designated players in the league are over 30. There may be a couple third tier teams in Europe that would have a winning record in MLS because Europe doesn't understand the concept of parity but it's not many. Those teams are generally functioning on half the budget of a bottom tier MLS team and can't afford the caliber of players that MLS has been signing lately.

I don't know how MLS can move above this level.

The best players still want to play in Europe.

I have been a Chicago Fire FC season ticket holder for about 15 years, during which time I have watched some bad soccer. The club tries. The club should be more successful.

The best players want to play in europe because the best pay is in europe. When that changes the best players will come here. The idea of living in the US and actually getting an offseason is very appealing to players but few of them are going to take a big pay cut to do it.

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

I wonder how NIL is impacting baseball players going to college rather than straight to Class A ball. I'd suspect that the money available to go to an SEC school is greater for many kids than a minor league contract today.

(04-17-2024 05:59 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

It is something that MLB is doing abroad in places like the Dominican Republic and South America; providing education, place for kids to live and get quality baseball instruction. I play golf at the Sycuan resort where the RtD campus is being built and they are making quick progress and, reportedly, will be open in January. Nice thing about being built on Indian property is how quick they can get things started. Fortunately, the resort already had hotel rooms that will be used as campus housing (the main Sycuan casino/resort) is just down the road. I believe this is just the fourth RtD campus - started in Ghana, and I think the next two were France and Egypt. It will make San Diego the leader for youth soccer in the US. The major owner of the SDFC is the Mansour group who started this in Ghana. They have partnered with Sycuan for ownership of the MLS franchise.

Maybe they can use their vast sporting influence to get SDSU a Pac12 2 invite.

(04-18-2024 10:02 AM)Frontierman Wrote:  The best players want to play in europe because the best pay is in europe. When that changes the best players will come here. The idea of living in the US and actually getting an offseason is very appealing to players but few of them are going to take a big pay cut to do it.

Awesome post. It's all about the money. If and when MLS salaries reach the same level as La Liga and the Premier League, we'll see where the best players want to play. It seems like a faint hope today, but it's a bit less faint of a hope than it used to be.

(04-18-2024 12:52 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

I wonder how NIL is impacting baseball players going to college rather than straight to Class A ball. I'd suspect that the money available to go to an SEC school is greater for many kids than a minor league contract today.

Even before NIL, more and more high schoolers that were drafted in later rounds were choosing college over signing with a team since so many schools were investing heavily in facilities, nutrition and other quality of life improvements that put minor league baseball to shame. That's why MLB teams started using those late draft picks on college players instead of high schoolers and shortened the draft from 40 to 20 rounds. High schoolers drafted in the first 10-15 rounds in the draft are almost always going to sign because the signing bonuses are usually too big to pass up but guys drafted in the 15-20 range have pretty regularly been taking the NIL money.

It's starting to become a positive feedback loop where more of the top high school players are choosing college which raises the quality of play and prepares them better for the next level. This causes MLB teams to draft more college players because they are the safer choice causing more high schoolers to choose college. We've had two college position players from the last draft that were called up to MLB already which has never happened before. I don't think the dynamics are similar enough for this trend to happen in soccer though.

(04-18-2024 12:52 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

I wonder how NIL is impacting baseball players going to college rather than straight to Class A ball. I'd suspect that the money available to go to an SEC school is greater for many kids than a minor league contract today.

Don't see that. Collegiate baseball is not generating enough revenue to justify big NIL deals.

Title IX is a big drawback to expanding men's college soccer.

Texas is in a pretty big soccer area and UT and A&M don't have men's soccer. I believe SMU and Houston Christian are the only men's soccer programs in Texas. Even UTA with no football doesn't have it.

(04-18-2024 12:56 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 05:59 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

It is something that MLB is doing abroad in places like the Dominican Republic and South America; providing education, place for kids to live and get quality baseball instruction. I play golf at the Sycuan resort where the RtD campus is being built and they are making quick progress and, reportedly, will be open in January. Nice thing about being built on Indian property is how quick they can get things started. Fortunately, the resort already had hotel rooms that will be used as campus housing (the main Sycuan casino/resort) is just down the road. I believe this is just the fourth RtD campus - started in Ghana, and I think the next two were France and Egypt. It will make San Diego the leader for youth soccer in the US. The major owner of the SDFC is the Mansour group who started this in Ghana. They have partnered with Sycuan for ownership of the MLS franchise.

Maybe they can use their vast sporting influence to get SDSU a Pac12 2 invite.

Wow, what a douche comment. Really happy that the PAC died and with it, SDSU's chance at getting into a P5 conference died with it, are you? I don't have anything negative to say about San Antone, even have said that UTSA would be a good add for a newly built PAC and even in the PAC9 when that still existed. But, yeah. I live in San Diego so understand the jealousy. It is mid 70's today, sunny with a nice ocean breeze so I cannot complain. It is expensive, and the politics stinck but I could sell my place here and buy rather significant place in San Antone or anywhere else in the US that I would want to move to. I don't like tornados and the heat and humidity would limit when I could play a round of golf, so San Antone ain't on that list.

(04-20-2024 02:56 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-18-2024 12:56 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 05:59 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

It is something that MLB is doing abroad in places like the Dominican Republic and South America; providing education, place for kids to live and get quality baseball instruction. I play golf at the Sycuan resort where the RtD campus is being built and they are making quick progress and, reportedly, will be open in January. Nice thing about being built on Indian property is how quick they can get things started. Fortunately, the resort already had hotel rooms that will be used as campus housing (the main Sycuan casino/resort) is just down the road. I believe this is just the fourth RtD campus - started in Ghana, and I think the next two were France and Egypt. It will make San Diego the leader for youth soccer in the US. The major owner of the SDFC is the Mansour group who started this in Ghana. They have partnered with Sycuan for ownership of the MLS franchise.

Maybe they can use their vast sporting influence to get SDSU a Pac12 2 invite.

Wow, what a douche comment. Really happy that the PAC died and with it, SDSU's chance at getting into a P5 conference died with it, are you? I don't have anything negative to say about San Antone, even have said that UTSA would be a good add for a newly built PAC and even in the PAC9 when that still existed. But, yeah. I live in San Diego so understand the jealousy. It is mid 70's today, sunny with a nice ocean breeze so I cannot complain. It is expensive, and the politics stinck but I could sell my place here and buy rather significant place in San Antone or anywhere else in the US that I would want to move to. I don't like tornados and the heat and humidity would limit when I could play a round of golf, so San Antone ain't on that list.

Don't make comments when you are ignorant about an area. San Antonio doesn't have a problem with tornados and humidity in San Diego is as high or higher than San Antonio. Look at a map-San Diego is on an ocean. San Antonio is not.

However, San Antonio is hot.

What is San Antone and since when did it have tornadoes?

(04-20-2024 02:52 PM)bullet Wrote:  Title IX is a big drawback to expanding men's college soccer.

Texas is in a pretty big soccer area and UT and A&M don't have men's soccer. I believe SMU and Houston Christian are the only men's soccer programs in Texas. Even UTA with no football doesn't have it.

I guess if Texas and Texas A&M wanted to add it, they'd probably be looking at adding something like women's lacrosse, although field hockey could be a potentially strategic play in recruiting students from the northeast. Gymnastics may also be a smart add, given the strength of the SEC in the sport. If those two schools start having attendance numbers that rival Alabama, Georgia, etc., it might even be possible to turn a profit from the sport.

(04-20-2024 04:18 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  What is San Antone and since when did it have tornadoes?

It's some place from a Garth Brooks song:

Amarillo by mornin'
up from San Antone...

(04-20-2024 02:56 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-18-2024 12:56 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 05:59 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

It is something that MLB is doing abroad in places like the Dominican Republic and South America; providing education, place for kids to live and get quality baseball instruction. I play golf at the Sycuan resort where the RtD campus is being built and they are making quick progress and, reportedly, will be open in January. Nice thing about being built on Indian property is how quick they can get things started. Fortunately, the resort already had hotel rooms that will be used as campus housing (the main Sycuan casino/resort) is just down the road. I believe this is just the fourth RtD campus - started in Ghana, and I think the next two were France and Egypt. It will make San Diego the leader for youth soccer in the US. The major owner of the SDFC is the Mansour group who started this in Ghana. They have partnered with Sycuan for ownership of the MLS franchise.

Maybe they can use their vast sporting influence to get SDSU a Pac12 2 invite.

Wow, what a douche comment. Really happy that the PAC died and with it, SDSU's chance at getting into a P5 conference died with it, are you? I don't have anything negative to say about San Antone, even have said that UTSA would be a good add for a newly built PAC and even in the PAC9 when that still existed. But, yeah. I live in San Diego so understand the jealousy. It is mid 70's today, sunny with a nice ocean breeze so I cannot complain. It is expensive, and the politics stinck but I could sell my place here and buy rather significant place in San Antone or anywhere else in the US that I would want to move to. I don't like tornados and the heat and humidity would limit when I could play a round of golf, so San Antone ain't on that list.

You're reading too much into my sarcastic comment. Can you blame us if we all think that you get a bit too overenthusiastic about SDSU and the city of San Diego at times?

(04-17-2024 04:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 03:06 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  We already have soccer academies in the US that are skimming the cream. Thirty years ago, the entire USMNT roster consisted of players that had played in colleges. Now, the overwhelming majority of the USMNT roster consists of players that were developed in academies. Playing in college, for the men’s game, is no longer the preferred approach for the truly elite players.

iMO, the change in MLS rules isn’t going to change the advantage that soccer academies have over colleges.

Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

Agree that universities have a niche with student-athletes. Partly from US soccer academies, but also from foreign born players who want higher education. The difference is that colleges used to get the very elite US players 30 years ago…colleges have recognized that they needed to change their aspirations and recruiting strategy.

If the proposed college season restructure were to go through, one potential avenue for an improved college soccer development experience would be to raise the ceiling on available summer play by USL Championship and USL One establishing a summer Cup competition where they can each sign a set number of college.players to NCAA compatible deals, so the best college players can compete at a higher level than USL 2.

(04-20-2024 02:45 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-18-2024 12:52 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-17-2024 01:12 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-15-2024 07:21 PM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  

(04-10-2024 08:28 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  Right - the academies already exist in the US. If anything, the MLS changes may accelerate the formation of even more academies and take even more talent away from the college level.

San Diego's new MSL owners are building a $50M "Right to Dream" academy here in the East County. It will prepare players for both college and the pros.

Just as in baseball, the draw to go into college rather than sign a professional contract actually is the degree. IOW, the most talented of college baseball players are (shockingly) student-athletes, otherwise they would have signed a pro contract and gone into the minor league system.

Similarly, promising young players coming up through MLS club academies are going to feed both a cohort of academy alumni who have no interest in going to college and a cohort of academy alumni who do.

Indeed, part of how a US-based academy like the San Diego chapter of Right to Dream is going to talk parents into encouraging their children to pursue a place at the Academy is the quality of the education being offered.

I wonder how NIL is impacting baseball players going to college rather than straight to Class A ball. I'd suspect that the money available to go to an SEC school is greater for many kids than a minor league contract today.

Don't see that. Collegiate baseball is not generating enough revenue to justify big NIL deals.

Big is relative but there's definitely a decent amount of NIL money flowing in the SEC and some of the other P5 schools. Enough to convince lower draft picks to choose college over minor league baseball.