Ricardo Perez consistantly getting minutes for #1 ranked Creighton, avg ~50 a game for a freshman. Hope he stays for a few years unlike Serna did. http://www.gocreighton.com/fls/1000/stats/m-soccer/2013/teamstat.htm?DB_OEM_ID=1000
Absolutely agree that Serna made a mistake. At his size, time. maturity, growth & playing time was needed. What size, height & weight, is Perez? If he is undersized time in college is an asset. OTOH, if he is 5'10" or taller and strong, good technically a professional environment may be the best where his tactical prowess & physicality will be accelerated. With the impending reserve changes imminent in MLS advancing quickly to this environment is imperative for a real future pro!
I'm not sure I follow this logic. Wouldn't being a full time professional athlete help his development in terms of size, time, maturity and growth? He does not get first team playing time but he works out with the first team every day. It seems that playing 18 games in collage would be easily compensated for with 12 reserves games, full time training and maturity that comes from learning how to be a "pro" athlete. Is there any evidence that he is not improving?
Sanchez is probably about 5' 8" tall in 3" heels ... do you suppose he has any remaining college eligibility so he can develop? ;>) In soccer as in life much of what matters most can't be measured. Not to pile on (but to pile on) who gets the unenviable task of telling Sanchez he is too diminutive to play in MLS? Broad generalities generally prove to have exceptions one can drive a metaphorical truck through.
All of your points are valid. BUT! Firstly, I was comparing & contrasting Serna & Perez not generalizing. Great players are great players but Serna is not nor will he be a great player. I am hoping that Perez makes a more prudent decision. Is he a true professional prospect or not? That alone should determine his course of action, move quickly into a professional environment or earn his degree. Growing up playing soccer in USA is quite different than in any & every other country. Moreover, in the USA athletes are bigger & stronger earlier. Often USA athletes are prized for their size alone as in football, basketball, etc. Likely, many interior lineman can barely catch a ball but they can rattle your brain with a block or tackle. Shaquille O'Neal, a legendary USA basketball great, owes his career, charisma aside, to his size alone. He could not shoot beyond 5 feet, he could not dribble, he could not shoot free-throws. Indeed, the game accommodated him, allowing him to back in, smashing players backwards until he was within his range. Soccer is all about the ball, all about skill on the ball & all about one's tactical sense with or without it. Great soccer players are great irrespective of size, however, marginal players, such as Serna, need an edge, need to be able to compete in size, strength, maturity, etc. For him, getting a few years older may have improved his physicality in a far less demanding environment. Generally, I am very negative on college soccer seeing it as a detriment, as a waste of time, for the very few players with true professional talent &/or potential. To me, Serna is a very marginal professional talent. For him, college couldn't hurt. At least, he could have earned a college degree which would have been a lifelong advantage for him.
U-18 Camp announced, Rapids Youth team represented. Milk Cup still a long way off though. Defender Quentin Pearson (Colorado Rapids; Longmont, Colo.) http://www.soccerbyives.net/2013/09/calls-players-training.html U.S. U-18 SEPTEMBER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER GOALKEEPERS: Austin Aviza (New England Revolution; Medway, Mass.), Jeff Caldwell (NC Fusion; Todd, N.C.), Carter Richardson (Crew Soccer Academy; Dublin, Ohio), Justin Vom Steeg (Real So Cal; Santa Barbara, Calif.) DEFENDERS: David Chavez (De Anza Force; Redwood City, Calif.), Conor Donovan (Capital Area RailHawks Academy; Fuquay Varina, N.C.), Chase Gasper (Bethesda-Olney; Alexandria, Va.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake AZ; Tucson, Ariz.), Malcolm Jones (LA Galaxy; Chino Hills, Calif.), Elijah Martin (LA Galaxy; Fresno, Calif.), Shaquell Moore (IMG Academy; Powder Springs, Ga.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Quentin Pearson (Colorado Rapids; Longmont, Colo.), Pablo Pelaez (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Tommy Redding (Chicago Magic PSG; Oviedo, Fla.), Miles Robinson (FC Bolts Celtic; Arlington, Mass.), Peter Schropp (Omaha FC; Omaha, Neb.) MIDFIELDERS: Mukwelle Akale (Minnesota Thunder; Minneapolis, Minn.), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake AZ; Escondido, Calif.), Coy Craft (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Grant Hollkamp (Indiana Fire; Borden, Ind.), Maduabuchi Obinwa (Chicago Magic PSG; Orlando, Fla.), Amirgy Pineda (Fullerton Rangers; Santa Ana, Calif.), Martin Salas Jr. (FC Dallas; Dallas, Texas), Connor Smith (Baltimore Celtic; Clarksville, Md.), Ben Swanson (Crew Soccer Academy; Grove City, Ohio), Tyler Turner (IMG Academy; Meriden, Conn.), David Villegas (Chicago Magic PSG; Sacramento, Calif.) FORWARDS: Jeremy Ebobisse (Bethesda Olney; Bethesda, Md.), Sebastian Elney (Boca United; Boca Raton, Fla.), Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake AZ; Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Christian Lucatero (Houston Dynamo; Pasadena, Texas), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake AZ; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Alejandro Vergara (Chicago Magic PSG; Long Beach, Calif.), Alan Winn (Solar Chelsea SC; Garland, Texas), Dembakwi Yomba (Concorde Fire; Lithona, Ga.)
Round up of Academy players in College, Keep in mind that MLS might not give us James Rodgers as HG signee. Colorado Rapids Freshman MF Ricardo Perez played 58 minutes in Creighton’s 2-1 win over Old Dominion on Sept. 13. He also played 59 minutes in a 3-2 loss against William & Mary on Sept. 15. Senior D Patrick Slogic started and played 90 minutes in Cornell’s 2-1 overtime win over Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 13. He also played 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Loyola Marymount on Sept. 15. Junior F James Rogers started, played 70 minutes and scored a goal in New Mexico’s 1-0 win over Santa Clara on Sept. 13. He also played 79 minutes in a 3-2 loss against Cal State Northridge on Sept. 15. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/coll...cademy-alumni-weekly-roundup:-sep-18_aid30230
Article on why MLS chose French system to further educate our MLS Youth coaches We said, 'Let’s invest in our own people and their professional development.' We decided to go to the source. The French Football Federation really revolutionized player development in Europe." http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/...search-to-improve-young-players-france-101713 In order to enable such a shift, the French argue that the way we evaluate talent has to change rather drastically. “They talk more about not picking your best player at U-12 but picking the player that is aware and is capable of understanding concepts and grasping tactics and knowing how to handle himself on the field without the coach telling them what to do,” says Wolyniec. "If we want to be successful at the highest level of the modern game, you need players that can think for themselves, go out there in any situation and determine what’s the best course of action." Scouting players on vision and playing intellect above physical tools is very much a departure from the traditional American model as it’s still applied in many places. "In our rush to try to develop players I think we skip understanding the game first and kind of run to ‘Let’s see if we can take some good athletes and make them technical and see if we can make some good players,’” says Wolyniec.
If some of that is about telling volunteer and paid youth coaches (esp. at upper levels of play) to have a big bowl of STFU (esp. in matches), and I think it is, I'm all for it.
Right you are! Over the years my many team parents would chastise me for being too passive, for bringing a collapsible bench for my players and a folding chair for myself. I "coached" the players in practices, before games, at half-time and post game only. During the game I observed, analyzed, etc. without a word to my on-field players. I did offer hints and possible solutions to my bench players. Even my youngest players figured things out and created solutions to the best of their abilities. Never chastising the players for "failure" made them confident in trying new things and creative new solutions. Most of my players made me proud of them most of the time. Unacceptable was receiving a "mouth" card, i.e. criticizing or berating an official was cause for a benching for the remainder of the match. Soccer is a game of continuous problems that require immediate solutions. Always a "coaching" solution is after the fact when a new problem exists requiring a new/different solution. The players MUST think for themselves, recognized situations and solve problems without in-game distractions.
TopDrawer's Academy Round up (College) http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/mls-academy-alumni-roundup:-nov-27_aid32142 Colorado Rapids Senior F Zach Bolden started and played 105 minutes in Denver(m)’s 0-0 draw against Louisville(m) on Nov. 21. Freshman MF Ricardo Perez started and played 76 minutes in Creighton(m)’s 2-1 loss against Seattle(m) on Nov. 21. Junior F James Rogers started, played 74 minutes and scored a goal in New Mexico(m)’s 1-0 win over George Mason(m) on Nov. 24.
https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/...n-youth-updates.1867489/page-23#post-29124343 No surprise really but DU and Academy player Zach Bolden was among 50 Seniors invited to the 2014 MLS Player Combine. Very good talent from what I've witnessed but is he worth trying to sign to a HGP contract or is he even age eligible??? Side note -- two other locals who I don't have Rapids ties --- Akron's Robbie Derschang (Englewood) and New Mexico's Kyle Venter (Aurora) --- were also invited. Venter is a Generation Adidas caliber talent at CB and will no doubt be a 1st rounder. I would love the Rapids to somehow get their hands on him via the draft.
Just saw Zach listed as a "sleeper" pick and looked him up on DU's website, does say he played for Rapids Academy but no clue if he qualifies as HG. Would not expect him to be starter but if he wants to go Pro why not sign him (HG) and loan him to USL side? http://www.denverpioneers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=204965701
I'm not quite sure he qualifies under the current rules. It's my understanding that he played only one year for the U-18's. I know at one point HGP eligibility required a two year association with the parent organization. I don't know if that is still the case. The is some grey area, IIRC, and clubs have challenged the rules. In some cases the club won and in others they lost. Nonetheless, Bolden could very easily be a "sleeper". I saw him play twice this season and for me it was hard to exactly categorize his style of play. However, don't mistake that for underwhelming talent because it's clearly there. I don't know the exact words to describe his game. Bolden isn't a box-to-box midfielder or an outright playmaker (#10) but he does his fair share of scoring and creating. I guess the appropriate term would be "hybrid" midfielder where he drifts inside-to-outside, with little defensive responsibility, however, he's not exactly the guy pulling the strings in midfield but can have the same end results (goals / assists). I can see him transitioning into more of a link player in MLS. On the surface it may sound like a Dillon Powers but they have different styles. Actually, come to think about it he has a little Sacha Kljestan in him albeit now quite as polished as Sacha was from Seton Hall. Is Bolden worth (or even eligible) for a HGP contract?? That's the million dollar question. I'm unsure -- simply because I don't know where he would fit in. I do know that he does have the potential to have a nice career with the right club and system.
Yeah, no clue on HG but FSL just signed Jordan Allen a Top Prospect with less than 2 years. Unless resident Academy time counts more. Man their residency program is paying off with this Rochester, NY player signing. SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake announced on Tuesday that it has signed Jordan Allen to a Home Grown contract. Per league and club policy, further terms of the deal will not be disclosed. Allen, 18, played at the Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy from August 2011-December 2012.
Assessing young players is always very difficult! World wide no one has truly unlocked the secret to youth success on the big stage. Few "great" youth players ever maximize their potential & fewer yet ever advance to the highest levels. Most are technical deficient due to lack of appropriate early coaching & training. As a youth or in College they play with lotsa slugs and against lotsa slugs so development is hampered. Typically, the draft is little more than a crap shoot beyond the top dozen. While Home Grown Players are frequently a wishful stretch. If I recall correctly, to date, no Home Grown Player has achieve great success (Juan Agudela & Diego Fagundez may be on the brink), there are many more Davey Armstrong's then 1st choice signees! Only of 11 of 68 (16%) have been regular MLS 1st choice players (Shane O'Neill, Wil Trapp, Bill Hamid (GK), Kellyn Acosta, Jose Villarreal, Gyasi Zardes, Juan Agudelo , Connor Lade, Diego Fagundez , DeAndre Yedlin & Russell Teibert).
Well Top drawer had a bit more info and seems that MLS rules have changed yet again, used to be a player had to be in teams youth academy before any "exposure" to an USA side at any level youth or otherwise. Per Top drawer he was in USA residency program before moving to FSL's residency program. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/coll...freshman-jordan-allen-signs-with-rsl_aid32336 Allen played for Real Salt Lake’s academy from August 2011 to December 2012. The 18-year-old featured with the club’s residential academy in Arizona after spending one semester with the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team Residency Program in Florida in spring 2011.
Believe me, I know! Shit, if I was half as good as evaluating talent as I think I would be one helluva scout. Of course by scout, I mean "armchair scout"! Seriously, I try to be objective as I can but youth development is soooooooo hard to pin down. It's more than a science and only a few guys around the world ---- Wenger, Sir Alex, Pep and maybe one or two others are deemed successful judges. All of them have had their fair share of duds, too. In this country, unlocking the secret to youth development is damn near impossible, IMO. There are too many avenues and focus can't be properly spread out. Still we are trying and slowly but surely closing the gap. I knew percentages were low but this number is even lower than I anticipated. Wow. Honestly, I've always thought the have vs. the have not's would not be proportionate. I wonder what percentage of EPL/Championship and Bundesliga/2nd BL youth/reserve players actually make it to the 1st team. Probably similar percentage as HGP's if I had to guess. Oh, not disputing your list (just adding to it) but players like Ethan White (DCU), Landon Woodberry (FCD), Jack McBean (LAG), Scott Caldwell (NE), Carlos Salcedo (RSL), Maxim Tissot (Mon.), Doneil Henry and Ashtone Morgan (TFC) have been regulars or at the very least made some decent contributions to their clubs. Michael Seaton, of DCU, and barely 17 could make a Fagundez-like splash sooner than later. He made his senior debut for Jamaica recently and was very, very successful in his loan stint to USL-Pro side Richmond Kickers.
Way back we had some posting about La Masia (FC Barcelona's Academy) and their goal is 2-3 "above avg" players a year and 1 outstanding player every 5 years. Considering how many youth teams they field (Barcelona B [basically reserve side] as well as Juvenil A & B, pool is around 60 players), this is like 1 for 20 for an "above avg" player. Keep in mind "above avg" players are not much more than pratice fodder for FC Barcelona and generally get sold to other teams. Edit: even with all this they still desperately need CB depth.
Didn't Tesho Akindele get time with Rapids reserves as a guest player? He was just added to MLS combine invitees. Player Position Citizenship School Tesho Akindele F USA/Canada Colorado School of Mines (Division II)
Ha. I've played against Tesho a couple of times, during the summer, when he's subbed in for his dad's indoor team in Northglenn and in Westminster. His father, Tokes, is (was) a pretty respectable coach for Storm North. Tesho was a man among boys in those games. He's set all kinds of records at Mines. I think he owns nearly every offensive record at Mines and is probably up there in several D-II records. The kid can play. He is a handful --- great size, strength speed, handles the ball well, very smart, and is fearless and a little cocky (in a good way). However, I don't know if can handle MLS. It's a question mark for me --- USL-Pro and NASL, seem more likely. I question if he's just a good D-II player or a legit MLS prospect. Although, I will say, once upon a time, nearly a decade ago, I played for a decent, reputable D-1 school and Tesho would have walked into our starting lineup.
Missed that Patrick also added, first I have ever heard he is Brazilian (think Ives got that one wrong) Patrick Slogic D Brazil Cornell University http://www.soccerbyives.net/2014/01/tshuma-players-generation.html Previous years have seen players signed to HG deals even after playing in draft Combine, but one would think MLS would want this done before and player not particape.
It is finally official, the Galaxy announce they have a USL-Pro team. Announcement: http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2014/01/la-galaxy-announce-usl-pro-team-la-galaxy-ii MLS N&A Thread. The USL-Pro team will play at the StubHub. Still a big expense as they'll need to sign players and travel (more games than the reserve league). I still wonder what rights if any they will have to the USL-Pro players who are outside their usual 30-man roster.