Competition for US youth players

[scoachd1]

Yanks in Mexico: Pros and cons of the southward pipeline (http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=26369)

I know several kids that have either gone down south or are planning to go. Most are in the US national pool at one age group or another. So far they have been mostly tire kickers, but we'll see. Once they are good enough for first team play in Mexico, they are very likely not going to come back to play at typical MLS wages.

On the European front, I also heard the USL is planning to set up programs designed to funnel kids into foreign programs. Anyone else hear this? Anyone care?

[Stan Collins]

Yanks in Mexico: Pros and cons of the southward pipeline (http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=26369)

I know several kids that have either gone down south or are planning to go. Most are in the US national pool at one age group or another. So far they have been mostly tire kickers, but we'll see. Once they are good enough for first team play in Mexico, they are very likely not going to come back to play at typical MLS wages. Yeah, it's going to be tough, because most of the Mexican-American kids playing soccer have a cultural pull to Mexico, and when Mexican clubs or the Tricolor come calling, I think few will say no. We have gotten lucky and gotten Orozco for our Olympic team, who looked quite solid as a center back, though it's too early to say if he's a future full Nat. Sad to say, but if we get one or two we'll be doing well.

Slightly better odds on the club front, though, if Chivas USA can develop their youth team, which is stocked with some decent Latino prospects, some of whom are already on the senior team now.

On the European front, I also heard the USL is planning to set up programs designed to funnel kids into foreign programs. Anyone else hear this? Anyone care? Well, the new Austin team is going to be owned by Stoke City, and Crystal Palace has an affiliate team in Baltimore.

Trouble is, "foreign clubs" tends to mean English clubs, where the work permits are the hardest to get of any league in the world. So far, there hasn't been any kind of direct amateur-to-foreign-club pipeline set up (except perhaps to Mexico), and I think other than in that case it will be difficult to set up.

[PERFDBDAN]

I would not make the assumption that English clubs are looking for American talent for their own teams or for play in England. They can take the best prospects from here, finish them at their own Academy, sign the player to a contract, and sell the player on the transfer market to a team in a nation with less restrictive regulations on work permits. Eh, maybe, but that would be very much getting away from the core business model for them.

[quote]Also, though tightening, many European countries have liberal rules on what is required for citizenship. If one fits as a citizen of such a country and if that country is in the EU, many doors open. True, but we don't have an example of it working yet in the form of a regular pipeline.

[devioustrevor]

On the European front, I also heard the USL is planning to set up programs designed to funnel kids into foreign programs. Anyone else hear this? Anyone care?


The Canadian USL teams have been doing that for awhile. Many Canadians in Europe at one time or another played for either Montreal, Vancouver or (the now PDL) Toronto. The teams have always been quite content to let players move to Europe. Just last week Vancouver let two players (Chris Pozniak and Adrian Cann) out of their deals to move to Europe. Cann ended up in the Danish Superliga, I don't recall where Pozniak went.

Players like Paul Stalteri (Tottenham) and Julian de Guzman (Deportivo la Coruna) are both former members of the Toronto Lynx.

[devioustrevor]

I would not make the assumption that English clubs are looking for American talent for their own teams or for play in England. They can take the best prospects from here, finish them at their own Academy, sign the player to a contract, and sell the player on the transfer market to a team in a nation with less restrictive regulations on work permits.[quote] Eh, maybe, but that would be very much getting away from the core business model for them.

True, but we don't have an example of it working yet in the form of a regular pipeline.

Speaking of which, how exactly did Tim Howard get a Hungarian passport?

[stryker889]

If I remeber correctly, Tim's mother is Hungarian. Also Julian Deguzman never played for the Lynx. He went to OM in France in their youth team.

[whip]

Yanks in Mexico: Pros and cons of the southward pipeline (http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=26369)

I know several kids that have either gone down south or are planning to go. Most are in the US national pool at one age group or another. So far they have been mostly tire kickers, but we'll see. Once they are good enough for first team play in Mexico, they are very likely not going to come back to play at typical MLS wages.

On the European front, I also heard the USL is planning to set up programs designed to funnel kids into foreign programs. Anyone else hear this? Anyone care?

Why are we piping our kids into FOREIGN SOCCER PROGRAMS...?:rolleyes: Answer: Because MLS/USSF do not have enought brain to figure that we are able to bring foreign coaches on those programs and train more kids right here in USA.... :rolleyes: Duhhh....