The defending PDL champions, Portland Timbers U-23's kick off on Saturday against Victoria at Jeld Wen. Without Gleeson and Braun there are no guarantees, but it could still be a solid club. I hope we get to see Richards. Anybody seen a roster yet?
HELLS YES!!! ONE T and SHORT SHORTS are playing for the U-23's. Great news. STOKED to take my son to some U-23 action this summer and see a bonafide Timbers legend.
Got so stoked I hit post, and since I'm so stoked again I'm not going to edit, but energize! Tracy Hasson, Brent Richards among the returning as well as a few new faces... It's all here... http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2011/05/timbers-u-23s-announce-2011-team-roster
Camas HS is, ya know, about a magnitude 170 times closer to the Oregon border than to Seattle. The Timbers Home Grown area includes SW Washington.
I'm well aware of the geography, thank you. My point is that Seattle already had him in their Academy program and could lay claim to him as a HGP. I have since learned that the U23 PDL team does not affect HGP status and he is still property of the Sounders.
Thanks for the info on HG status. I expect this situation will never happen again. Palodichuck is under a great coach right now.
I'd be interested to know where you heard that because we've been told that 2 players from last year's U-23 squad do qualify for HGP status because of their participation on the team, Brent Richards and one other that is slipping my mind at the moment.
There are some NCAA rules that could prohibit a college kid from playing for Seattle. No more than five players from any one institution can play for any one amateur team. If UW has other players, that may be a reason. Also a player can't play for any of his college coaches. I don't know who the Seattle U23 coaches are, but somebody might be moonlighting. But maybe the guy just wants to be close to home for the summer. A college player can't actually sign another contract if he signed a letter of intent. It's right in the LOI. So while there may be some policy of HGP it can't apply to him while he is a college player, strictly speaking.
Kitsap 0-0 Portland http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/may/21/pumas-timbers-play-scoreless-draw/ Bummer the U-23's couldn't pull off the win and have a likelier chance of making the USOC. At least it's still up in the air, and that 6-0 win at Washington could be a big difference maker.
Several results since the nil nil draw with Kitsap. North Sound 0 - 2 Portland Tacoma 0 - 2 Portland Kitsap 3 - 2 Portland Portland 4 - 1 Tacoma Given the the loss to the Kitsap the U23's didnt qualify for the USOC and do not control their own fate in determining the champion of the conference.
ok. you guys all realize that the PDL team has NO bearing on homegrown status and that none of these PDL players are able to go straight from the PDL team to the MLS team without going thru the draft right? the Fire have had a PDL team for ages and those are the rules that apply to them. so unless you think the Timbers are somehow super special the same rules apply to them. IF you get a youth academy up and running and IF you start qualifying homegrown players thru that academy BEFORE they go to college THEN some of those ALREADY qualified homegrown players MIGHT play for the PDL team in the summers off and THEN those particular players could still be signed directly to the Timbers as homegrown, thus avoiding the draft. but until you get a youth academy and qualify some homegrown players the PDL team is useless for getting talent straight to the MLS team ... again, ask Fire fans. the only reason a couple of former PDL players made the first MLS roster is because they were FIRST signed to the D2 Timbers and then signed as part of the D2-MLS exemption. and just for the record, Palodichuck is still a Sounder's homegrown qualified prospect and not a Timber. he was qualified by spending a year in the Sounder Academy before he went to college so unless they A. opted not to claim him as one of their homegrown products (pretty unlikely given that he has been a top 20 age group prospect for 4 years) or B. pass on exercising their homegrown option and allow him to enter the draft (possible depending on how he progresses in college) the Timbers are just keeping him warm for the Sounders. and somebody should call Mao and John Strong and clear up their misconception that the PDL team is a way to qualify players as homegrown or that Palodichuck is magically a Timber all of a sudden. they have to be qualified BEFORE they enroll in college ... not after.
I can guarantee you that you are incorrect. I believe MLS is giving us some leeway regarding our PDL team and players receiving homegrown status since we are an expansion team. We had no prior mechanisms in place so we are just supposed to sit on the sidelines with our thumbs up our rears? As well its not like kids have a lot of options past the U18 USSF development age group. If we can bring kids into our club and continue their development while they are not at college i see that as nothing but a good thing. Our academy plans are currently being fleshed out and certain details have been released. So once again, we are just supposed to sit around and wait until someone in MLS decides the time is right? Dont forget that MLS has made exceptions before. Some pretty straightforward, others pretty strange. As for Palodichuk. I have seen several of our PDL games and i am less then impressed.
you are wrong. every other expansion team had to get an academy up and running before they could sign any homegrown players and so will you. you are not a special and unique snowfalke. and you are not the first team to have a PDL team. Chicago Fire were ... and they have had many good amateur players go thru that PDL team and not one of them was ever allowed to sign directly for the Fire (unless they were already classified as a homegrown BEFORE they went to college and subsequently played for the PDL team). there have been more than one interview with technical directors of MLS teams (including brian bliss of the Crew) and they have been very explicit about the homegrown rules. the player must play in the youth academy system of the MLS team for at least 1 year (and there is a number of days practiced during that year minimum requirement too) PRIOR to either enrolling in college OR starting residency with a national team program (in Bradenton). if a player qualifies they can then be added to the team's homegrown prospect list and then signed at any time prior to their draft class. a team can of course pass but even after they have gone to college as long as the qualified as homegrown before they enrolled they are still under the aegis of that team ... see White, Ethan (DCU) and Soto, Josue (HOU). until and unless don garber or some other MLS suit comes out and explicitly says "we are going to give just the Timbers a pass on the whole homegrown rules thing and let them sign their college aged PDL players directly as homegrowns despite never having allowed any other team to do this even those who had a PDL team like the Fire" you are really just hoping in vain. MLS is not going to set the precedent that the draft is now utterly useless because any college amateur player can simply go play one 3 month season during the summer with the PDL team and presto bango the MLS team gets him. if those were the rules EVERY MLS team would have a PDL team and they would simply be luring top college draft picks to their PDL team so they could avoid the draft. what you are talking about throws the entire MLS system of parity and amateur draft out the window. as great as your fans are (and they are no doubt great) MLS isn't going to throw the entire structure and philosophy out just for your team. ask Vancouver how that worked out with Cody Arnoux .... here's a hint ... he's playing for RSL now. from what i hear you have a completely kick ass youth academy that spans the whole state in the works anyway. and after a year you'll have your own homegrown prospects under the rules ... patience is a virtue. but guys like brent richards will be going thru the draft. ask red bull how it was to lose Dilly Duka if you are wonder what that will feel like.
http://www.portlandtimbers.com/u-23s/timbers-u-23s-schedule 2013 fixture list Im looking forward to some of these games.
Big US Open cup game vs Charlston Battery of the USL PRO, a difficult but winnable game only $10 entry and should have a big crowd, unlike the previous round of the competition, also two league wins so a very good start.