MLS: 3 potential pitfalls of Elite Player Development Platform

1. Is it just the same?

The problems with the DA were vast and varied. From the poor quality coaching standards to the sons and daughters of the rich being ushered into teams that they were not capable of playing for; from the poor standard of competition to political agendas behind the scenes, all wrapped up in a pay-to-play environment that rarely benefitted the development of the players.

In reality, the plans for the MLS Development Platform do not look that different. The Athletic reports that it will be split into two leagues, with the MLS teams playing solely amongst themselves and the non-MLS clubs in a more localised second tier. This is a change from the DA, of course, but on the whole, the proposal looks very similar to what was there before.

That does not mean it will be, of course. The execution could be very different and MLS will be eager to ensure that the system is churning out high-level professional players that improve their senior teams — the USMNT, CanMNT and other international teams will then benefit as a result. But the broad landscape looks very similar to the DA, and there were serious issues there.

MLS, then, must differentiate themselves from the problems of the Development Academy that went before. And at present, they have not necessarily made those improvements clear.