Chivas USA Make Gerson Mayen First MLS Youth Callup

[rwhunter4]

Looks like Chivas USA may be the first team to sign a player from their youth academy. Gerson Mayen, a midfielder/defender, is listed on their roster on MLSnet.com

http://chivas.usa.mlsnet.com/players/roster.jsp?club=t120

Anyone know any definative details?

[Stan Collins]

Well, there's a story about it here:
http://chivas.usa.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080327&content_id=145718&vkey=news_cdc&fext=.jsp&team=t120

Not too much detail other than to confirm that yes, he has signed, and yes, he did play for Chivas U18. In the Matt Kassel thread, mention was made that Chivas had been looking at three of their youth players for callup and would be calling up one. Guess Mayen won.

Also interesting is that he apparently took a Developmental Contract. This is also a contrast from Kassel, who will apparently be signing GenAd and who, with a commitment to play in college at Maryland in his back pocket, would probably never have taken a Dev deal.

--

There have been guys who have come close (Rodrigo Faria had played for MetroStars youth befor eplaying for the senior team, but they had to draft him. Toure may be signed as a 16 year old for Dallas, but they had to use a discovery on him), but I do believe this is the first direct youth callup. (Accordingly, I made it a new topic).

[Smithsoccer1721]

To be honest I wish this got more fan fair here on BS. This is hopefully the start of a trend. I am thrilled that the youth systems may start to churn out players. Granted its only 1 but there always has to be a first. I wonder if MLS will ever bargin for a special contract for academy players?

[Nidal Baba Superstar]

I'm putting some last touches on the roster thread I'm making for N&A, and was just addressing the Mayen issue.

From what I can tell - based on some google digging and his Myspace - he hadn't been with the Chivas Youth teams long enough to qualify as an academy signing...though I'm not sure of the details and may be wrong there. He may have actually been some sort of discovery-style signing.

Arnaldo Salazar was another u-18 trialist, but I don't know who the third was.

EDIT: On a second look, his Myspace seems to confirm this. He was apparently a part of the US youth player pool before he was ever part of the CDCUSA youth academy, which I think would disqualify him as an academy signing.

[rwhunter4]

Well, there's a story about it here:
http://chivas.usa.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080327&content_id=145718&vkey=news_cdc&fext=.jsp&team=t120

In the Matt Kassel thread, mention was made that Chivas had been looking at three of their youth players for callup and would be calling up one. Guess Mayen won.



Aside from Arnaldo Salazar who, along with Mayen, appeared in many of Chivas-USA's preseason games, I would guess that the next youth players to sign with the senior side for Chivas-USA would be (in no particular order) F Mario Ledezma (previously called into a US U-20 camp), D Omar Elmasri (called into same camp as Ledezma) and F Leopoldo Morales (who just plain scored a bunch of goals for Chivas's U-17/18).

[USvsIRELAND]

Chivas USA have signed several of their youth players before.

This guy is like the 4th or 5th.

[FCmagic01]

this guy along with Flores has been called into the U-20 camp in Portugal.

[CyphaPSU]

this guy along with Flores has been called into the U-20 camp in Portugal.

And to me this is a great benefit of having MLS youth academies for US Soccer.

[Soccerglue]

Toure is not 16, he was a 18 last year here in Georgia, so, unless he is aging in the reverse he cannot be 18.

[ATLGunner]

He might have been playing up soccerglue, which I'm pretty sure he was, or you may have heard from the "he's African and he's good and beating our kids, therefore he is lying about his age" group.