Oscar Sorto was also HG signing for LA in 2013. I don't know how much he is making though. Its possible that Zardes and Sorto could have occupied those two spots. Raul Mendiola hasn't officially signed yet, but I remember reading somewhere that he was close to a HGP deal. It might have been a decision between signing Arriola and Mendiola.
McBean is the other. But players also graduate from HG status kinda like graduating from Generation Adidas. The rule is just dumb in regards to the limits on the $$ MLS can spend on HG players, and my guess that will be changed soon.
Another 95 from the current U18 YNT pool has signed with MLS. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...na-academy-forward-benji-lopez-homegrown-deal
As far as players developing in Mexico..... Are they really that much better off in the long run ? The number of top-class players that were developed from Mexico academies is not very high considering their 100 Million+ population and the amount of money they put into their system. Mexico can never get past the quarterfinals with their mostly domestic league based squads. for whatever reason they style of play that is taught in Mexico does not transcend to the Champions League level as a whole outside of a few special players (Chicahrito, Vela, Gaurdardo, etc.). What if the best period for Mexican-American players to go to Mexico is from 13-18, but once they become 18 they to go Europe. Mexican academies for the moment will give better all-around yearly soccer for the 13-18 year olds but past 18, i don't see the point of staying in Mexico anymore when the better teachers are in Europe.
Is the league minimum for HGs different than non HGs, which is $35,125? The Union have three HGs all over $60,000.00. One is on loan so that may be part of the explanation but if all three were under the U umbrella, would the U just have to take a cap hit for one of them?
Who knows. I was interpreting the 2012 rules when I wrote that post, or trying to, but ... it's MLS. (And I could have read them wrong.)
Isn't Collin Martin eligible for the next U-20 cycle? And Goff tweeted last week that Michael Seaton would be switching from Jamaica to the US... https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/357251172232462337
McBean and Martin are too old for this team. Please discuss your thoughts in the 2013 U20 qualifying roster thread.
Arriola started off with a great assist yesterday on his debut with Xolos. Really promising start from him not many prospects 18 yr old get so much time right off the bat and contribute right away.
Bailey is on U23 roster and playing friendlies against bundesliga 2 teams. Apparently played Vitesse in Holland today. There is no doubt that the 2015 roster is going to be all pros in the true sense ie kids that have been playing pro for almost 2 years as opposed to pseudo pros for 2013 cycle that were just drafted from college with little pro experience. Even the 2015 MLS kids are going to be seasoned with the more playing time thru uslpro/nasl/reserve games. 2015 is going to be an exciting promising cycle, cant wait to see how it shakes out.
Exciting stuff from Julian Green and Paul Arriola. Green with 2 more goals this morning. I think I'm officially past the 2013 cycle and excited about the 2015 one.
We already have a large pool of players in pro environments. As we can see from the Milk Cup roster, there are also some players heading to college who might turn pro after one collegiate season (assuming they have standout seasons) thus adding to the pro-oriented pool. And we also might be surprised by players in Mexico suddenly popping up on the horizon, similar to what happened with the '13 pool. However, once again the strength of the pool seems to be with MFs and Fs, so I'm concerned about having enough quality defenders, esp. with some pro experience. On paper, at least, this cycle looks even more promising than the '13 cycle.
You're right. I expect the roster to be entirely pro. The italicized names are those who could be playing in a college environment by the time WC qualifying rolls around. FW: Julian Green, Kosta Koukladas, Romain Gall, Ben Spencer, Amando Moreno, Paul Arriola, Benji Lopez, Rubio Rubin, Caleb Calvert, Jason Romero, Daniel Olea, Andrija Novakovich MF: Junior Flores, Joel Sonora, Marky Delgado, Emerson Hyndman, Kainoa Bailey, Russell Canouse, Kai Henkel, Zach Pfeffer, Omar Thompson, Chris Lema, Kellyn Acosta, Brian Iloski, Kris Scott, Lynden Gooch DF: Jordan Allen, Matt Miazga, Trevor Haberkorn, John Requejo, Tommy Redding, Desevio Payne, Shaq Moore, Michael Amick, Suli Dainkeh GK: Zack Steffen, Ethan Horvath, Jeff Caldwell, JT Marcinkowski, Santiago Castano
Really hope Romain Gall isnt one of those that goes to college. He's already one of the best we have in a pro environment in France and playing ncaa ball would be a setback imo. The thing for me this cycle most of the attackers have more size and pace than last so thats good. But yes only worrying part are the defenders...again. Maybe we can find a kid in Mexico or Germany to fill in the gap Also Torre's not eligible this cycle so theres that. Lol
Steffen, who presumably enters the cycle as Tab's number 1 based on his involvement in the 2013 cycle, could be one of those guys still in college, due to the presence of Zac MacMath on the Union. There's always of course Europe or the option of loaning him to Harrisburg if and when he signs his HG contract. We will see, I'm just hoping for serious competition at all spots.
Agreed, I wouldn't discount the possibility of a small handful of college players on the team. In fact, I think that 1-3 college/amateur players is a healthy sign for the U-20 team. Although I'd rather our best players move to the pros, there are a few realities: 1. Not every pro-ready kid gets a pro opportunity immediately. If nobody has your HG rights and you don't have a foreign passport, a college player is dependent on a GA offer or an offer from a select group of countries (Germany, Norway, Sweden, etc). Many times, these offers will not be forthcoming, at least not immediately. 2. Every year, some youth players will improve suddenly by leaps and bounds. It's helpful to catch these as soon as possible instead; we want our squad to be the best 95s and 96s in 2015, not the best 95s and 96s in 2013. The reality is that the fall 2014 college season will feature some breakout freshmen and the U-20 coach would do well to keep them in mind, especially players who may be able to help an area of weakness among the pro player pool. All that being said, our pro group looks strong for this early in the cycle. Some players are beginning to see minutes already and others have recently been picked up by big clubs. The sad/cynical way to look at it is that there's still plenty of time for many of them to fail. But the starting point just seems a little higher than normal.
In fact, it hurts us if we're not getting top amateurs into the U20 system. It's such a great way to expose an amateur player to a higher level and help him decide whether or not to make the leap.