http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2012/11/daily-doop-valdes-training-big-east-and-more-adu-stuff From today's Daily Doop - Ricardo Ansaldi seems to have taken Diego Gutierrez's former role in the Hackworth regime. Today, we congratulated Ricardo Ansaldi to the fold as our new director of international player development. In layman terms, Ansaldi will head our scouting of international players as he already has 30 years of expertise in that department. We’re told Ansaldi career in soccer started in the 1980’s when he created the first Argentine venture organizing tours for youth soccer teams from Argentina to play in the U.S. Here’s hoping he brings us the next Messi… Ansaldi is the president of Miami-based Premier Soccer Tours which organizes soccer team tours in South America, Central America and the USA. He attended Florida International University. In charge of the logistics and operation aspects of Soccer teams on the road. Since 1993, helped with the logistics of top National teams, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Paraguay, Salvador, Uruguay and USA among others; MLS teams; Universities; Leagues; Associations and Club teams, adding hundreds the teams which trusted Premier Soccer Tours with the design of their Soccer Tours. http://www.pstargentina.com/ I imagine that we will see our South American pipeline continue with perhaps Argentina replacing Colombia as the most favored nation. In the picture of Argentine press conference, he is second from the left (next to him is Thomas Rongen, former DCU and US U20 coach - now TFC academy director).
Now what are the chances the Union want to hire some college kid to scout Africa for them? I promise I won't take any bribes on any signings. Though on a more serious note, it is good to see the Union make this signing quickly. I was really worried we would just be looking in the MLS and college levels to build our team for next year.
The real questions here are: a) How is Ansaldi connected to Crouch, Cassano, Malbranque, Grafite, Baros, and/or Messi? b) Can he convince any of them to sign with the Union?
At some point, the Union will assumedly issue a public press release in regard to Ansaldi's hiring - for now, here are some other reports of his hiring (his soccer tour organizer and game promoter background seems to indicate that his network of contacts are a bigger asset than his actual player evaluation skills): http://www.csnphilly.com/soccer-phi...aldi-for-front-off?blockID=799593&feedID=4267 The Union tabbed Ricardo Ansaldi as the new Director of International Player Development on Thursday. Ansaldi has been involved in soccer for over 30 years. Ansaldi founded Premier Soccer Tours in the 1980s, which aims to give Argentine youth soccer teams the chance to play in other countries. The company expanded in the late 1990s when they started sending U.S. teams to countries in South America. Ansaldi was also involved in organizing international tournaments that included various countries, including the United States. He will be responsible for seeking out player talent for the Union. "I had the good fortune of working with him numerous times when I was working with the U.S. National teams and I was always impressed," Union coach John Hackworth said in a press release. "He has contacts at every level and we are confident that his knowledge and expertise will help bring the world's top talent to the Philadelphia Union." http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/201...lly-announced-18-years-and-no-cups-more-news/ The press release says Ansaldi has worked with “the national teams of Brazil (1998 Gold Cup), Argentina (2003-04 U.S. tours), Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and El Salvador.” He has also worked with “U.S. teams traveling to South America (mainly to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay), working with all levels of U.S. Soccer, various Major League Soccer teams and countless college, club and state association teams” and has also organized tournaments “featuring the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Australia, Peru, New Zealand and Venezuela.”
http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2012/11/qa-ricardo-ansaldi Kerith Gabriel does a Q&A with Ansaldi. One note - he thinks that the Union's $$ are best spent in South America not Central America.
Multiple. Swell. Striker/Striker/LW or, as John Belushi once said to Fran Tarkenton on SNL: "Belgium,.............. Belgium..............and Kansas City!" Now; just create a Kempes in a teapot................
An e-mail (in today's Daily Doop) from Ansaldi to Kerith Gabriel shows that Ansaldi is laying the basis for him doing most of his scouting in South America but more of the south/central part of it (i.e. lots of rumors form Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Peru - not so much from the Union's favorite, Colombia). Hello Kerith, My pleasure talking to you today!... adding to what I was saying, I went to check the exact figures to see how far from reality I was when I told you that “the majority of the World Cup Finals had a team from this region (in reference to Argentina; Brazil and Uruguay)". Here are “the numbers”: There were 19 World Cups; hence, 19 Finals. On 11 Finals, there was a team from this region (that is close to 58%) On 15 semi-finals there was a team from this region (that is 73%) Considering that FIFA has 209 National Associations represented among its members in all 6 Confederations, we can safely say that “more than half of the World Cups went to a segment of 1.4 % of its members” So, it is safe to say that this is indeed a soccer-rich region!... I am glad to confirm that my statements were not too far away from reality! Thank you and All the best! Ricardo
I think that the player pool is much more proven in South America but I don't know that the money will go as far. There's a lot more competition for the players coming out of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, etc. and from what I know the leagues pay more competitive salaries than central American and caribbean leagues. I don't think the Union, or any MLS team, can afford to give up on CONCACAF when looking for talent. Houston is getting it done with CONCACAF talent (Boniek-Garcia (Honduras), Watson and Taylor (Jamaica), Hainault (Canada)). Luiz Camargo (Brazil) is the lone South American on their roster. However, DCU, Seattle, and LA (the other 3 teams that made the conference finals) all feature multiple South American players prominently.
In fairness, Ansaldi did mention Honduras as a good CONCACAF region for talent and Garcia is the best player on that list. Hondurans have a good track record in MLS.
I wonder if he had one of those accountant visors on and used one of those old timey calculators with the big crank on the side when he came up with those percentages.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/28/unions-so-american-scout-players-want-come-here Another Ansaldi article.
He's been brought in specifically to convince Diego Maradona to come out of retirement. The Union will finally have a true #10 playmaker.
Can I be a South American scout too? go on vacation to south and central america, pick players, hype them and talk the club up to them and then have the club look in a completely different direction making my job pointless but still get paid for it?
You'd be doing it wrong. Clearly part of the job description is skimming off the top of all transfer fees.
I'll keep that on the hush. but if I can't sign them, what is there to skim? I'm satisfied with paid vacations.