Youth development in Major League Soccer remains very much a work in progress.
While significant strides have been made, the overall talent pool of U.S.-eligible players is worth acknowledging right off the bat. Across the age groups, COVID's impact left its mark on the overall quality of the 2006 and 2007 age groups. Things pick up in terms of quality across the board for players born in 2008. At this point, it looks like there could be several special talents born in 2009 and 2010, even if time will be the true test of that opinion.
In that backdrop, MLS has made plenty of moves over the past few years to bolster development. Along with running its own youth league (MLS Next), it also has feeder league MLS Next Pro in place to provide the bridge to the first team. The level of that league leaves a lot to be desired, even if players are starting to come through and contribute via that pathway.
While the youth development landscape continues to search for its footing, we’re wondering: how does each MLS academy stack up?
Enter: Backheeled’s MLS Academy Rankings.
For this latest ranking of MLS Academies, the entire picture has been taken into account: history of prospect development, current talent pool, how successful organizations are at moving players to the professional level, and last but not least, national team development. Along with that, we’ve highlighted the top domestic prospect for each team (signed or unsigned) that is U20 eligible – born in 2005 or earlier.
Let’s get to it.
