Academy league questions

Is there any difference in the quality of the various academy leagues in the area (i.e. SDL vs. UAL vs. PrimeTime)? I've compared some of the standings and there are some teams that play in multiple leagues yet they may be in a "Gold" division in one league and a "Silver" division in another. I had one coach tell me his team was advanced yet they played in the "Bronze" division. My son is thinking of making the jump to an academy team but we don't want to waste time looking at teams that are super competitive where he won't fit in. I know there are a ton of teams out there so I'm hoping to gain some insight into the competitiveness of the leagues to narrow down my search. Also are there any teams that encourage players to play both Rec and Club (since it's not select yet) or is this frowned upon?
Thanks!

Academy teams can have multiple rosters; one version of the team could be Gold; the 2nd, Silver. Usually its the same core of kids with some additions/subtractions or players trying other positions. May not necessarily be a signal one group of teams in a league is stronger than another...

Don't worry about what the club frowns on. Play both for as long as you can.

Narrow down the search by geography; then go out to practices and see how your son stacks up. Trying out for various teams is fun and you will typically receive the best feedback from coaches you are going to get. Once you are a paying customer getting feedback can be tough.

Allen04 is right. Narrow down to geography. Go to practices and you can see how you son fits in with his ability. Talk to parents and get their feedback. At this age, you want to find a place where your son likes the coach and kids and where he will get on the field. You will find some teams that are continuously bringing in players trying to get in the fold(get your $), which can take playing time from players on the team. I speak from experience because my kid was one of those that guest played alot.

Play rec as long as you can. Playing with friends is what it is about, especially at this age.

Once on a team, still visit other teams practices. My son when he was in academy, played on a team, played with his buddies in rec, and from visiting other teams, guest played in games and tourneys for other teams. When at this level it is like you are a free agent, he loved it, made a lot of new friends and played a lot of ball.