Timbers Discovery Program

[Unregistered]

it is a nightmare

Lets be honest. PTFC isn't looking to good these days. We have an old stale first team roster, likely will make the playoffs like last year, but it is MLS everyone makes the playoffs.

T2 - is that still a thing?

PDL - Why is this a thing ?

The Thorns academy has lost the battle to the ECNL

The Timbers academy not producing players.

The Thorns are good in a very bad league.

It was telling how many people left the Minnesota game early. Did they leave early for just that game or did they checkout for the season. Personally I checked out for season. The past is playing and their is no future on the horizon.

[Unregistered]

The problem is coaching.

So true. Is there anything about the Timbers DA coaching staff this is higher quality than what you could find at most clubs?

[Unregistered]

Here's the reality. The TA has almost all of the best players in the area. The best player support in the area. They regularly play against the best players and teams in the country. It's completely free.

Your alternative is to pay $2000-5000 for a local club who will travel half as much at best. Lower quality in player pool = lower quality of training. No medical training staff. Very few if any games against the best players and teams in the country.

Could they do better? Probably every MLS academy find ways to be better. Are they a better option than any local club team? Absolutely yes, provided your player is good enough to be earning minutes.

Here is the reality versus your spin:

"The TA has almost all of the best players in the area"
TA has very few local best players in the TA after age 16, literally you could count how many of the besties are left after age 16 on two hands, sometimes one had. The TA above the age of 16 is filled with non-local talent these days.

Claiming that a 10,11,12,13 or 14 year old is 'the best in the area' for Oregonians means they have developed early and will be passed up by other locals eventually or imported youth talent and out of the TA by age 16. If you consider that support, you are beyond help and perspective.

At the younger ages below the traditional u15 & u17 TA/DA level, these little ones regularly end up playing themselves, local clubs and take carpools to Seattle for club fare matches. Hardly an indictment for a dream they regularly play against the best players and teams in the country. Maybe on a videos console of FIFA they play the best of the best.

Considering the younger TA/DA a better option than club is not an opinion that is backed by any evidence or by boots on the ground. Sorry. For each their own.

Not worth much if it's free, seems to fit in this case.

[Unregistered]

So true. Is there anything about the Timbers DA coaching staff this is higher quality than what you could find at most clubs?

***** kissing
&
sucking up
to
GW

[Unregistered]

Here is the reality,you should pay the 2.5K. You kid will get to play in a ton of games and they are only a kid once. With the Timbers they will play maybe a few games and get cut. Most kids coming from this program end up hating soccer, just a fact. At the end of their club soccer they will play college soccer just like the academy players.

If your kid isn't getting minutes in TA games, then yes, they should leave to find a club where they will play. However, if your kid is in the top 30 in the area then it is the best place to find where their limit is. Top colleges start here and work their way down when recruiting. The college doors have to open before you can make a choice on whether or not to walk through them.

[Unregistered]

Less games, fewer minutes, no high school soccer, no room for other sports, roster uncertainty, and a proven track record of not producing 1st team talents...

Honestly, club vs TA is apples and oranges mate.

Lower quality of training often comes down to the coach imo, not necessarily the players.

Not really sure if medical training staff is a determining factor for when I sign my kids up to play, but maybe that's just me.

I feel like you're talking about the best path for kids who aren't among the top 30 in their age group for any given year. Not producing players who can replace one of the Chara's isn't an indictment of a program. Even if they were perfect with their player development, maybe only 1 or 2 additional players would have been good enough to push for a 1st team spot.

If coaching really was the problem, then why doesn't the 3rd team from a local club train with the 1st team from the club? A good coach should be able to solve the lower skilled player limitation problems, right? Show me a local club where this is happening while still benefiting the top players through multiple age groups.

[Unregistered]

The problem is coaching.

No, the problem is our local players just don't have the perfect combo of natural athleticism, work ethic, and skills to replace a pro on the first team. Every player at the TA level should know where their shortcomings lie. 99% of them won't work hard enough on their own to fix them. Unfortunately, a lot of times the players willing to put in the effort just don't have the natural athleticism to get to the highest levels. Life isn't fair and there isn't a coach out there who can just magically make somebody faster or have a better left foot without 100's of hours of training just the left foot.

[Unregistered]

No, the problem is our local players just don't have the perfect combo of natural athleticism, work ethic, and skills to replace a pro on the first team. Every player at the TA level should know where their shortcomings lie. 99% of them won't work hard enough on their own to fix them. Unfortunately, a lot of times the players willing to put in the effort just don't have the natural athleticism to get to the highest levels. Life isn't fair and there isn't a coach out there who can just magically make somebody faster or have a better left foot without 100's of hours of training just the left foot.

LOOOL! Sh!tty coach spotted. Blame the kids. The problem is you. You’re not good enough. You’re the problem.

[Unregistered]

So true. Is there anything about the Timbers DA coaching staff this is higher quality than what you could find at most clubs?

It's the combination of best player pool x equally good or better coaching x best competition that makes it the best place to be for the highest level players in each age group.

[Unregistered]

LOOOL! Sh!tty coach spotted. Blame the kids. The problem is you. You’re not good enough. You’re the problem.

Haha...I'm not a coach. Just a parent who has seen it and has the ability to be objective. I'm not promoting any local club or format over another but MLS academies simply have more to offer and expect more from the player pool. The turnover at the older ages is just the reality for an organization competing at that level. It's not the same as even the top local clubs.

[Unregistered]

So true. Is there anything about the Timbers DA coaching staff this is higher quality than what you could find at most clubs?

Most of them came from local clubs. Soccer in Oregon is full of the same inbred coaches recirculating through clubs and Timbers DA.

[Unregistered]

Haha...I'm not a coach. Just a parent who has seen it and has the ability to be objective. I'm not promoting any local club or format over another but MLS academies simply have more to offer and expect more from the player pool. The turnover at the older ages is just the reality for an organization competing at that level. It's not the same as even the top local clubs.

There are more than enough athletes in Oregon to produce top players and teams. The problem is coaching which is just bad in Oregon.

[Unregistered]

There are more than enough athletes in Oregon to produce top players and teams. The problem is coaching which is just bad in Oregon.

Coaching might not be great. But a lot if it is on the kids/parents/culture. Look at the top performers in sports, music, etc. Concert violinists never reflect on their childhood and say they practiced twice a week with an instructor then the violin stayed in the case the rest of the time. Kids aren't going to pick up the skills, creativity and understanding of the game with two or three structured practices a week regardless of how great the coach is.

[Unregistered]

Coaching might not be great. But a lot if it is on the kids/parents/culture. Look at the top performers in sports, music, etc. Concert violinists never reflect on their childhood and say they practiced twice a week with an instructor then the violin stayed in the case the rest of the time. Kids aren't going to pick up the skills, creativity and understanding of the game with two or three structured practices a week regardless of how great the coach is.

Think of a good coach as a teacher who also defines a team culture of accountability and sets expectations for players during and outside practice. Think of outside practice expectations as homework. A good coach will hold ALL of their players accountable. Easier said than done but this is what top coaches do and committed players respond to it. Look around Oregon, all you see are lazy coaches strutting around leaning on their best athletes to carry their teams. What does that produce? Lazy, low skilled and low IQ soccer everywhere. It starts with quality coaching and we have very little of that in Oregon.

[Unregistered]

Coaching might not be great. But a lot if it is on the kids/parents/culture. Look at the top performers in sports, music, etc. Concert violinists never reflect on their childhood and say they practiced twice a week with an instructor then the violin stayed in the case the rest of the time. Kids aren't going to pick up the skills, creativity and understanding of the game with two or three structured practices a week regardless of how great the coach is.

This.

The problem is multi-level:

1) Timbers and Thorns don't really seem eager to commit to running a professional academy, and have been half-assing it. Perhaps they view the local player pool as unworthy of much investment, and strictly based on population they have a point.

2) Lots of local club coaches regard the MLS and NWSL academies as competition for "their" players, and actively discourage participation.

3) Soccer pickup culture is still weak. In the areas where it is strong, financial and logistical barriers make club soccer difficult--and while the Timbers do go scout in the unaffiliated Latino leagues and the futsal gyms, most of their players come from the club scene.

4) Many coaches focus on the wrong thing at the wrong time. Lots try to teach advanced tactics and organization to players who are technically immature. Some basically treat practices as an opportunity for pickup games--pickup games, while important, should be something that is done in ADDITION to organized training, and facilitating free play is not how a coach best adds value. Others focus too much on fitness. Others focus not enough on fitness--if a team cannot hold its shape for 80 minutes (or however long the games are at the age in question), then that's something that should be worked on (and probably this is best led by an agility trainer, not by a soccer coach).