It is what it is, no doubt, the strongest teams aren’t in the Piedmont league. It’s definitely a lower level than NPL.
Your information on club based vs team level is correct and the same can be said for ECNL, DA, USL Academy etc.
Be glad that the USL Academy will be club based as that would be the only reason CBSC will have access to the USL league, their current crop of teams have no business playing at a level beyond classic / challenge.
Who said anything about NL-Piedmont?
U8-U12 CBSC Boys and girls top teams will beat USAMP top teams 80% of the time at minimum due to this past year's training alone. Lets us play and see. But the club focus is long term development of all kids, even of the "crop" of you kids that you just threw under the bus. I would argue that that mentality is one of many reasons USAMP "has no business" teaching kids anything.
Also lets keep in mind that it was the local government subsidies and exclusive contract that set the Booster Club(USAMP) up to become the once dominant force. That and partnerships with better organizations like SCU and Tormenta FC. Now that the field subsidization is gone, competition is open, and those relationships are in the rearview, the dominance is over. It might not take effect immediately at the older ages, but U12 and below it has.
And that is why you won't let 2nd graders play each other. The fear of something better.
