For some clubs it's also a money grab

by okerland , The right side of the Bay Bridge, Monday, July 06, 2026, 20:33 (15 days ago) @ HullieAndMikes

We live within 10 miles of 3 soccer clubs. Each club has 2-3 teams per age group. Some of the kids on the lowest team are lacking basic skills but the club needs to fill the team so instead of just having two teams, they keep the third team.

Tryouts ended a month ago and one of the local clubs said "Hey, we still have spots open"

Some of the older teams are carrying 17-18 kids for 11 v 11 with unlimited subs.

The travel soccer in certain areas is just watered down.

and MLS Next and MLS Next 2 are just things clubs do to get more people to tryout but if the top 30 kids who tryout aren't ubertalented, you have a club whose number 2 team is playing other club's #1 team and getting routed each week.

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Complete thread:

Some takeaways from this game. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 18:57
- Having stopped to think a bit, a question for all - Greg, 2026-07-07, 13:06
  - And France only beat 1-0 - Chris, 2026-07-07, 14:01
- Flashbacks to 2012 ND Football - ndbk32, 2026-07-06, 22:53
  - Nails it. Weaknesses exposed - Jack, 2026-07-07, 05:38
  - That's how I felt too. - oviedoirish, 2026-07-07, 04:54
- Tonight was January 7, 2013 all over again - HCE, 2026-07-06, 20:35
  - Nah - Charles, 2026-07-08, 13:22
  - Beat me to it - ndbk32, 2026-07-06, 22:58
- Some super basic questions... - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:08
  - Some observations. - PMan, 2026-07-06, 20:43
    - I don't know from anything - Greg, 2026-07-07, 07:24
    - Is there truth to the idea we have adverse talent selection? - Mike (bart), 2026-07-07, 06:58
      - Need a path to big money as a teenager - TSchlidt, 2026-07-07, 09:20
        
        It's not the story anymore, if it ever was - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 09:39
        
        is that money, or genetics? - KGB, 2026-07-07, 12:32
        
        It's actually hard to say - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 12:46
      - I don't buy that anymore - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 07:45
        
        The game knowledge thing is fascinating to me - Regular Joseph, 2026-07-07, 18:44
        
        Worth noting, our guys play in the world's best leagues - HCE, 2026-07-07, 20:03
        
        This is on Poch as manager more than “knowledge” - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:00
      - Sort of? - HCE, 2026-07-07, 07:37
      - For elite athletes with aptitude in soccer and one of the - BillyGoat, 2026-07-07, 07:05
        
        I agree - IrishGuard, 2026-07-07, 09:32
  - On #1 - it’s so much better than it was - Dylan, 2026-07-06, 19:27
  - To go along with your #1... - domer.mq, 2026-07-06, 19:21
    - I haven’t researched this issue too much. - San Pedro, 2026-07-07, 05:58
    - That's a good point. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:26
      - AAU basketball doesn't seem to hurt - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:29
        
        There is no greater authority on this than Kobe Bryant - hobbs, 2026-07-06, 20:40
        
        Maybe - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 05:10
        
        Can't argue with any of that. - hobbs, 2026-07-07, 07:27
        
        Our best young players go to Europe or MLS academies. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:35
        
        Right - bobbywal, 2026-07-06, 20:01
        
        AAU isn't necessarily a net plus though. - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:32
        
        I’d like to read a deep dive into the differences - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-06, 19:43
        
        There's the rub - Domer99, 2026-07-07, 09:55
        
        Travel expands and expands until public leagues all die - MattG, 2026-07-07, 07:32
        
        Euro soccer elite are already vacuumed up by then - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 07:38
        
        Maybe this is too shallow - Domer99, 2026-07-07, 10:04
        
        For some clubs it's also a money grab - okerland, 2026-07-06, 20:33
        
        not only that - Pat, 2026-07-06, 21:24
        
        But I'm sure corollaries of this exist over there too - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 05:17
        
        I forgot that we are part of the same soccer club :) - okerland, 2026-07-06, 21:40
        
        I don't know that I've ever seen one definitive comparison. - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:53
        
        My guess is coaching and training. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:52
        
        I'd buy that - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:39
  - PMan and HCE are better sources but I'll do my best. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:17
    - Thanks. Would not have guessed (1) - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:18
      - I think the reason many countries have seemingly - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:25
- Nobody else gave up 4 goals in round of 32 or 16. - Mr. Natural, 2026-07-06, 19:07
- Where is USMNT in CFB terms? - HumanRobot, 2026-07-06, 19:00
  - JMU or Texas Tech - Charles, 2026-07-08, 13:31
  - West Virginia - they both play Almost Heaven…. - PasadenaDomer, 2026-07-07, 13:44
  - I was thinking TAMU - HumanRobot, 2026-07-07, 13:43
    - Sweden. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:58
  - Boise State - PMan, 2026-07-07, 13:37
    - I used BSU as a comparable to my LSU buddy who knows nothing - cdawg, 2026-07-07, 14:44
      - That's the new PAC-12 to you. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:53
  - Nebraska. - omahadomer, 2026-07-06, 19:19
    - Uruguay. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:56
      - But the early hype and then celebrating going - omahadomer, 2026-07-07, 18:03
        
        Nobody of worth considers this Cup a “success.” - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:07
  - Michigan St.? - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:02
    - Scotland? - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:12

the Polo Grounds

For some clubs it's also a money grab