MLS NEXT is the top youth soccer pathway in the U.S., but USL Academy often has better training and can signal Division 1 potential to colleges, especially at ages 15-16. A coach's connections and playing time matter more than which league you're in.
What are your thoughts on the USL Academy? Let's get into it. So the USL Academy has a lot of potential. So first of all, if MLS NEXT is the top, I would probably say MLS NEXT Academy comes ahead of ECNL in terms of the level. However, as we've talked about many times, it's all about exposure, and USL Academy teams as of today get less exposure than ECNL teams, even if USL is a higher level. The reason is because USL Academy teams tend to be more directed towards the youth group and the college level. USL Academies tend to be affiliated with some type of professional team, maybe a USL 2 team, which is like semi-pro, or maybe an actual USL team. So their focus is like, hey, we've got really good players, we're going to hopefully make them professional soccer players to some degree. Now, saying that, USL Academies that are going to showcases are really good. So USL Academy is a great place to be. Also, if you're emailing coaches that you're playing for USL Academy, that is a fantastic thing, and college coaches want to hear about that. If you can break into the USL 2 team at a young age, say 15 or 16, that is a game changer because USL 2 teams are filled with only, primarily only college players. So if you're playing for the USL Academy or the USL 2 team, so the first team, and you're telling college coaches that, that's a game changer. That means you're probably a very high-level Division 1 soccer player if you're playing USL 2 USL Academy at 16, 17 years old. So if you asked me what should you pick, I would pick MLS Next, I'd pick ECNL, then I'd pick USL Academy, then I would pick ECNL RL or Boys Elite Academy, I think is very good. And then I would pick EDP or NPL depending on your area. And I would start with that. But USL Academy in terms of getting better at soccer, forget college for a second, USL Academy arguably better than ECNL in terms of getting better at soccer. But all of this, remember, as much as I'm talking about like this club and that club or whatever, what if you have a great coach? Like, don't leave your team if you have a great coach. Your coach matters so much. What if your coach has connections? Then stay there. What if you go to another team, you don't play any minutes, and it's a better club team? That doesn't work either. So it's not as simple as which level is better, but it's good for you guys to know. So if you want more help, give me a call. Links in the bio. Bye.
