All of this really is the next front in the Warsz. USL clubs can cherry pick some prospects and they get more meaningful playing time than NextPro. NP is still filled with very young playere, who face each other and don't move forward as quickly, IMO.
The other thing I'm starting to see is players at 20-22 years old that haven't really caught on in USL, and were previously in NP, being basically discarded. We're going to see more and more players with decent experience just sitting without a club
Great article! I have commented elsewhere on this blog that it seems like a NO-BRAINER for a U.S.-based young player to play for a USL League One or Two team (and certainly USL Championship) over the MLS Next Pro, as the quality and toughness of play and exposure is superior in the USL. The movement between USL Teams and levels is far easier as well, not to mention the new benefit this article describes.
Related, in the ongoing U.S. Cup, we've seen USL League One teams all go through the opening round (except for one that lost to an US League Two team), whereas half of the MLS Next Pro teams have already been humiliated by NISA, NPSL, or amateur teams and out of the tourney!!
All of this really is the next front in the Warsz. USL clubs can cherry pick some prospects and they get more meaningful playing time than NextPro. NP is still filled with very young playere, who face each other and don't move forward as quickly, IMO.
The other thing I'm starting to see is players at 20-22 years old that haven't really caught on in USL, and were previously in NP, being basically discarded. We're going to see more and more players with decent experience just sitting without a club
Great article! I have commented elsewhere on this blog that it seems like a NO-BRAINER for a U.S.-based young player to play for a USL League One or Two team (and certainly USL Championship) over the MLS Next Pro, as the quality and toughness of play and exposure is superior in the USL. The movement between USL Teams and levels is far easier as well, not to mention the new benefit this article describes.
Related, in the ongoing U.S. Cup, we've seen USL League One teams all go through the opening round (except for one that lost to an US League Two team), whereas half of the MLS Next Pro teams have already been humiliated by NISA, NPSL, or amateur teams and out of the tourney!!