Initiative In The Area of Player Development In The U.S.

[King Deese]

Question for Tiny Tim AndSon Cornmeal, TTFF President and so called Technical Director. Another USSF, in conjunction with MLS and the FFF, initiative in the area of player development. How is your player development program going? On second thought...how is yor money development program going?

Meanwhile........

MLS announces partnership with French Football Federation
FEBRUARY 25, 2013
MLSsoccer.com

Major League Soccer and the French Football Federation (FFF) have announced a partnership aimed at providing MLS academy coaches with world class training through a 16-month development course and earning their Elite Formation Coaching License.

The FFF will host the MLS delegation at its Clairefontaine national training facility and guide the youth directors through the same program as the one it provides its domestic coaches; however, the EFCL program will include customized features developed by MLS, the United States Soccer Federation and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA).

"We are incredibly excited about this new partnership with the French Football Federation,” said MLS executive vice president of player relations & competition Todd Durbin in a statement. "As part of our vision to be among the top leagues in the world by 2022, we are committed to becoming leaders in the area of player development. This initiative will provide an important learning opportunity for MLS youth academies."

READ: MLS Commissioner Don Garber to go Digital with "March to Soccer" address on YouTube, Weds., 6 pm ET

The course will feature eight weeks of coursework, a two-week immersion at the academy of a number of major European teams, including Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Paris Saint-German and an eventual integration into the MLS academy system.

“Through our partnership with MLS, The French Football Federation is proud and excited to be engaged in such a marvelous project,” said FFF technical director François Blaquart in a statement. "The expectations of MLS are very high and the FFF technical department is greatly honored to be selected in this area. Our commitment with MLS will be the foundation for concrete and great development between US and French football, as it mirrors the long term friendship between France and the United States."

Each MLS club, along with US Soccer and MLS, nominated one coach from their academy to participate in the program, which will be spread out over eight sessions between February 2013 and May 2014, culminating with the integration of the program into MLS academies starting in July 2014.

I am curious to know the answer to my question.

[Observer]

They will basically come in and say. MLS is good, but you need another League or two (divisions), where your Academy players can play on a regular basis and then move to the first team. The majority of players developed in the "pre formation centers" in French Clubs actually find jobs in lower teams or lower leagues and then move up. Busquets & Pedro played for Barca B in the Third (just an example).
Which incidentally, as a side note, they (the French & Spanish) have been preaching to the English Club Academies.


MLS Academy problem is whee to place the players that they develop, if they are not ready for the first team. IMHO, they should strike a deal with NASL or USL. However, just as an outsider looking in, MLS may view these Leagues as competitors and may hesitate to venture within.

[King Deese]

They will basically come in and say. MLS is good, but you need another League or two (divisions), where your Academy players can play on a regular basis and then move to the first team. The majority of players developed in the "pre formation centers" in French Clubs actually find jobs in lower teams or lower leagues and then move up. Busquets & Pedro played for Barca B in the Third (just an example).
Which incidentally, as a side note, they (the French & Spanish) have been preaching to the English Club Academies.


MLS Academy problem is whee to place the players that they develop, if they are not ready for the first team. IMHO, they should strike a deal with NASL or USL. However, just as an outsider looking in, MLS may view these Leagues as competitors and may hesitate to venture within.

You are right. I beleive that deal was struck sometime ago between MLS and USL Pro.

USL PRO & MLS Announce Partnership
MLS Reserve teams to compete in interleague play
USL PRO News Release

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

TAMPA, Fla. – Major League Soccer and USL PRO announced today a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership that will enhance the development of professional players in North America, strengthen the competition in both leagues, and establish a solid foundation for future collaboration.

For 2013, the partnership will include interleague play between USL PRO and MLS Reserve League teams, and the establishment of several exclusive team affiliations. These initial programs will immediately improve professional player development in the United States and Canada. Additional technical and commercial initiatives between the two leagues will be announced as they are finalized in the coming months.

“This partnership represents the first step in a long-term alliance between MLS and USL PRO to connect domestic professional soccer through a system that benefits player development, competition and the overall business of our sport,” MLS Executive Vice President of Player Relations & Competition Todd Durbin said. “Over the past several years, USL PRO has made great strides in restructuring in a manner that serves to complement the objectives of MLS. This is a win-win for all involved and it demonstrates our strong commitment to growing North American professional soccer at all levels.”

Each club affiliation will be customized to meet the needs of the respective teams, but all will include at least four players on long-term loan from the MLS parent club to its USL PRO affiliate. Those MLS teams with formal USL PRO affiliates will not participate in the 2013 MLS Reserve League. Neither MLS nor USL PRO clubs are required to enter into an affiliation, and specific affiliations will be announced in the coming days.

Each of the 13 USL PRO teams will compete in two interleague games against MLS Reserve teams. With the exception of Antigua, which will play both of its games at MLS Reserve teams, USL PRO teams have been paired with a single MLS team to play a home and home series. All interleague games will count in both the official USL PRO and MLS Reserve League standings. Details of the fixtures will be announced in conjunction with the forthcoming release of the official 2013 USL PRO schedule.

“USL PRO has for the past several years been the most sophisticated and competitive professional soccer league under MLS,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “This new partnership with MLS will elevate and strengthen the level of competition for domestic professional soccer while simultaneously creating a more sustainable financial model for team owners. As a result, we expect this partnership will forge a seamless system for the development of players and coaches, and promote the expansion of professional soccer into new North American markets.”

So the steps are being built to make sure the league realizes it's goals.
   

[grimm01]

Even taking it a further level down to the youths, the USSF has these development academies partnerships with clubs to deliver top tier training and feed the national setup. National coaches work with clubs on player identification and development. Academy clubs have their own league and only play amongst themselves. Academy players can't play for any other teams except the National team (no playing for their high schools).

There's an Academy club in my town and 2 weeks ago they had the US U15 coach give a presentation to coaches from the area. I doh know what other countries do for national youth development but to me the US setup is impressive and makes sense in its scope and evolution. Results is another thing but they have the sense of urgency, desire and money to keep chipping away at it.