Philadelphia Union remains the top academy in the country for the third straight year. No other U.S. club is producing more high-level prospects. They maximize their MLS Next Pro team as a development tool, consistently fielding one of the youngest rosters while still achieving on-field success. That said, critics argue — and I agree — that the first team could give even more opportunities to its top young talent. The upcoming age groups aren’t quite at the level we’ve come to expect, so it will be interesting to see how they leverage their strong scouting and recruiting network to strengthen those classes. They’re not perfect, but they’re still the standard everyone else is chasing.

New England isn’t often seen as an academy powerhouse, largely because they rarely contend for academy trophies. But what they do best matters more — developing top-end talent. In recent years, they’ve ramped up scouting and recruiting, bringing in deeper, more competitive classes. Homegrown integration at the first-team level has been mixed, but Peyton Miller has been a standout success. Overall, this is an academy trending strongly in the right direction.

Chicago Fire’s academy has seen a clear resurgence since Gregg Berhalter took over as the club’s top decision-maker, and the renewed focus is paying off. They now trail only Philadelphia Union in the amount of quality young talent, and Berhalter has shown a real willingness to give homegrowns first-team opportunities. While they do little recruiting outside the greater Chicago area, the local talent pool is rich enough that they don’t need to.

NYCFC remains one of the nation’s best at developing technically gifted, possession-oriented players. They’re among the most aggressive in MLS at signing academy prospects early — sometimes, arguably, a bit too early. Their record of moving homegrowns into the first team is mixed, with lingering questions around the pathways for Maximo Carrizo and Drew Baiera. Like Chicago, they lack infrastructure for out-of-area recruits, but their local talent pool is strong enough that it’s not a major hurdle.

The Red Bulls prioritize young talent and their academy as much as any club in MLS, with a strong track record of moving players through their pathway. They scout aggressively, both locally and nationally, and invest heavily in bringing talent into the system. Still, questions remain about how well they prepare players for the modern game, and the younger age groups aren’t quite at the standard we’ve come to expect from RBNY — a key reason for their drop in this year’s rankings.

Real Salt Lake continues to pour significant emphasis and investment into their academy, anchored by one of the best residency programs in the country — a setup that enables them to recruit nationally. On the field, their U-16s had a banner year, winning both the GA Cup and MLS Next Cup. Development results have been mixed, with several early standouts fading over time, though Zavier Gozo looks like a major success story. Class quality has been inconsistent recently, and the decision to drop their U-15 team last year was, in my view, a misstep. The good news: it’s back for this season.

LA Galaxy’s academy has been trending sharply upward over the past few years and now sits as the top program in Los Angeles. They excel at developing the tactical side of the game and have scouted the Southern California market effectively. The main hurdle to climbing higher is consistently integrating players into the first team. They’ve done it at times — most notably with Julian Araujo and in flashes with Jalen Neal — but questions remain. They also deserve credit for their role in developing Mathis Albert, one of the top USMNT prospects, who departed for Borussia Dortmund last year.

Columbus has built a strong youth system that, while not as aggressive in scouting and recruiting as some peers, chooses its targets wisely. Each class typically produces one or two homegrown-caliber players, and there’s top-end talent in the pipeline that could make a major impact on the first team. The club has shown a willingness — but not a full commitment — to integrating homegrowns at the MLS level.

Orlando City’s academy is trending in a strong direction, fueled by aggressive scouting and recruiting that’s producing increasingly strong classes. The 2011 and 2012 groups, in particular, look promising. The main criticism has been their reluctance to fully complete the pathway by integrating homegrowns into the first team, but Alex Freeman’s success is a major positive. There’s still more to prove, but his story should give decision-makers confidence that they can develop talent and still win games.

After years as the gold standard for MLS academies, FC Dallas has been sliding down the rankings. They haven’t produced a true top-end talent since Ricardo Pepi and have struggled to secure all of North Texas’s elite prospects. Their 2011 class could be a turning point, with one of the strongest groups they’ve had in years. To their credit, player development remains a strength, and they continue to sign homegrowns and give them first-team opportunities. The emphasis is still there — but to reclaim their spot among the league’s best, the overall talent level needs to rise.

With the talent in the Atlanta area, this academy should be a consistent top-five presence. Retaining top prospects remains a major challenge, but even so, the talent level in the system is still high. For a club that spends heavily on its first team, Atlanta has shown a commendable willingness to bring homegrowns through. Their use of the second team this year has drawn fair criticism, but historically, their player pathway has been one of their strengths.

The Rapids are an academy on the rise, becoming one of the more aggressive scouting and recruiting operations in MLS with a growing national reach. They have strong infrastructure for out-of-area players and a first-team coach who’s comfortable giving homegrowns meaningful minutes. With an average local talent pool, continued success will depend on maintaining and expanding their regional and national scouting. If they do, this program should keep climbing the rankings.

The Sounders have taken a notable drop in this year’s rankings for several reasons. A fractured relationship with local powerhouse Crossfire Premier has cost them top-area talent, and the decision to pull their U-15 team from MLS Next last season didn’t help. There’s also been some stagnation in the development of key academy players. On the plus side, they continue to produce homegrowns for the first team, albeit inconsistently, and their work with Obed Vargas has been excellent — though it may be time to move him on to Europe.

Cincinnati is a good example of an academy working to overcome a weaker local talent pool. They scout as diligently as any MLS academy, recruit aggressively, and think creatively to land quality players from outside their territory. Even so, a talent gap remains. The second team is used effectively to bridge top academy players toward the first team, and while there are signs of commitment to homegrowns at the MLS level, questions persist. They’re still searching for a flagship success story that completes the pathway from academy to second team to first team — but the intent is clearly there.

Inter Miami continues to underperform relative to the talent in their territory. Some point to the Leo Messi era as a factor in the academy’s decline, though the bigger issue appears to be a drop in scouting and recruiting effectiveness in South Florida. The 2010 class is weak, but the 2011 group shows promise. Development results have been mixed, though they’ve integrated Noah Allen, Ian Fray, and Benjamin Cremaschi into the first team to varying degrees — with Cremaschi’s reduced role this season particularly disappointing.

San Jose should be much higher on this list given their place in a top-five MLS territory, but years of underinvestment have cost them, and they haven’t done enough to secure Northern California’s best talent. There are reasons for optimism, though. New Academy Director Luchi Gonzalez — a key figure in FC Dallas’ academy glory years — knows what success looks like and how to build it. Early signs are promising, with high-end talent set to arrive next year, including the return of Marcelo Avalos. Development and integration remain concerns; KK Spivey, their top prospect, signed a homegrown deal this year but hasn’t seen as much second-team action as expected.

LAFC has been trending downward in recent years, losing key recruitment battles in Los Angeles to the Galaxy and struggling to retain top academy talent — most recently with the significant loss of Tyson Espy. Like many big-spending MLS clubs, they’ve lacked a consistent commitment to giving homegrowns meaningful first-team minutes, though Nathan Ordaz has been a bright spot. All eyes are now on how they handle Jude Terry, the club’s top young prospect in a position that’s typically easier for integrating youth.

The Dynamo are one of the tougher academies to evaluate. Recent classes have been strong, and they’ve done a better job tapping into their rich local talent pool. They also make excellent use of their second team to give top prospects opportunities. The challenge is bridging the gap from second team to first team — an area where they’ve consistently fallen short. Over the years, they’ve lost too many talented academy players, struggled to develop first-team-ready graduates, and haven’t brought a homegrown through to the senior side in quite some time.

Charlotte looks poised to climb the rankings in the coming years, with a few strong young classes moving through the system. While their results have been inconsistent, they do well to identify top talent early and push them quickly through the pathway. As a young academy, they’ve yet to produce a true first-team success story. Nimfasha Berchimas was expected to be that player, but injuries have slowed his progress. The foundation is there — now it’s a matter of time to see if it all comes together.

Sporting Kansas City face an uphill battle with a limited local talent pool. They were once pioneers in national scouting, but with most MLS academies now recruiting nationally — and often more effectively — competition is far tougher than it was five years ago. They still tend to produce one or two quality players per class, and with Peter Vermes gone, there appears to be a greater willingness to give homegrowns first-team minutes. However, their second team has struggled badly this year, reflecting weaker classes from 2004 to 2007. To climb the rankings, they’ll need to follow the model of clubs like Colorado and Real Salt Lake.

D.C. United have no shortage of local talent, but too many top prospects still leave for other programs. Historically, strained relationships with local clubs have been a factor, though efforts have been made to repair them. As the only American MLS club without a second team, their pathway is limited, and first-team instability has made it difficult to integrate homegrowns consistently. Even so, there’s exciting young talent in the pipeline — the question is whether they can create the structure and stability to maximize it.

The early returns from St. Louis City’s academy were promising, but the trajectory is starting to raise concerns. They’ve remained focused almost exclusively on the local market, and the pathway from academy to second team to first team has faced challenges. While St. Louis has a rich soccer history, the territory alone isn’t strong enough to sustain a top-tier academy. To reach that level, they’ll need to ramp up scouting and recruiting beyond their backyard.

Nashville is doing many of the right things but operates at a disadvantage in a talent-poor territory. Their younger age groups are stronger, and they’ve been effective in national scouting, particularly in Northern California. They’re working hard to bring in quality prospects and have been signing their top young players. The major hurdle is the location of their second team, which is far from club headquarters and makes it difficult to integrate academy players. Solving that logistical issue will be key to unlocking their pathway.

Austin’s academy is in a puzzling spot. The emphasis on scouting and recruiting is there, but the talent level in the system remains low — likely the fewest viable future professionals of any MLS academy. At present, there’s no clear prospect who looks capable of making a meaningful first-team impact. Contributing factors include a weak local talent pool, competition from San Antonio FC, and perhaps an overreliance on a narrow “Spanish” player profile that isn’t producing results. The effort is evident, but there’s a long way to go before Austin becomes a competitive player in the MLS academy landscape.

The Timbers are one of MLS’s most scrutinized academies — and for good reason. Unlike many clubs near the bottom of this list, they’ve been around long enough to be further along, but a lack of full support from senior sporting leadership has slowed progress. There are positive signs: a strong staff, solid infrastructure, and a head coach committed to prioritizing homegrowns. Still, they need more backing from the front office. Talent levels remain in the bottom third, and while their territory is average, they’ve begun scouting and recruiting beyond it. Improvement is possible, but it’s a wait-and-see situation.

Minnesota is making progress and showing real effort to bring more talent into the academy, highlighted by positive additions and the homegrown signing and debut of Darius Randell. However, they’ve lost a significant amount of talent over the years, and there still appears to be a lack of full commitment from top decision-makers to provide the resources and priority the academy needs. With a solid local talent base, Minnesota could be a middle-of-the-pack academy if the staff received stronger support.

While it wouldn’t be fair to rank San Diego FC at this stage, it’s time to start paying attention to what the club is building from an academy perspective. SDFC’s academy is operating under the “Right to Dream” model, a global academy system focused on holistic player development. If you’re unfamiliar with that approach, it’s worth learning more.

SDFC is building what should become one of the most ambitious and well-resourced academies in the country. Their world-class residency and infrastructure are still in development, but the commitment is already clear. They’ve assembled one of the largest and most active scouting departments in MLS. At any MLS Next event, SDFC often has more personnel present than any other club.

From a launch strategy standpoint, they’re taking a slow and deliberate approach. While I would have liked to see a broader rollout, they’ve chosen to start with a single U-13 team (2013 and 2014 birth years) for the 2024–25 MLS Next season and will add one age group each year. I would have preferred a more aggressive approach. With this process, they won’t have a fully operating academy for five years. With the talent that is available to them in their market, they could scale much sooner. 

In the meantime, they are leveraging the MLS Academy Protected List to retain rights to older local prospects who continue training with other clubs. SDFC is monitoring those players’ development closely and may begin signing some to professional contracts to open up additional protected list spots.

SDFC is also active in identifying undervalued American players—both domestically and abroad—and providing them with real opportunities. They’ve brought in Luca Bombino, Oscar Verhoeven, and David Vazquez on loan from LAFC, San Jose, and Philadelphia respectively. They also added Aiden Harangi on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, signed Pedro Soma from Spain, and brought in Anisse Saidi from the Union’s academy.

Bombino and Verhoeven have become starting fullbacks for one of the top teams in the Western Conference, a clear sign that SDFC is committed to giving young American players meaningful opportunities. There appears to be strong alignment across the front office, scouting department, and coaching staff.

From what I’ve been told, SDFC does not plan to launch an MLS Next Pro team in the near future. That raises questions about how they’ll manage younger players who are not ready for the first team but have outgrown academy competition. Duran Ferree was loaned to a sister club, and it will be interesting to see how they approach similar cases like Anisse Saidi.

All signs point to San Diego FC quickly emerging as one of the premier academies in the United States. If the project continues on this path, it could become a model for how to build a modern American academy. It’s a project worth watching closely.