MLS and Whitecaps Residency?

[mednus]

Does anyone have any ideas as to what will happen to the Whitecaps Residency program if they get a MLS team?


The program as far as i can tell is outside MLS rules as they stand now. MLS teams can only have a total of 28 players under contract (18 Senior and 10 Developmental)

"The Whitecaps Residency program launch will include a three year development process (players sign 2+1 contracts) as follows:
1. Year: U17/U18 residency program in Vancouver.
2. Year: U19 German Bundesliga (apprentice arrangement)
3. Year: Professional team contract (mentorship) "
http://www.whitecapsfc.com/youth/residency/mens/
It looks like the PDL team is part of the the Residency program and therefore under contract to the Whitecaps.

I would hate to see a great idea such as this have to be abandoned because of MLS limited vision and rules.

Anyone have any insight?

[carnifex2005]

Does anyone have any ideas as to what will happen to the Whitecaps Residency program if they get a MLS team?


The program as far as i can tell is outside MLS rules as they stand now. MLS teams can only have a total of 28 players under contract (18 Senior and 10 Developmental)

"The Whitecaps Residency program launch will include a three year development process (players sign 2+1 contracts) as follows:
1. Year: U17/U18 residency program in Vancouver.
2. Year: U19 German Bundesliga (apprentice arrangement)
3. Year: Professional team contract (mentorship) "
http://www.whitecapsfc.com/youth/residency/mens/
It looks like the PDL team is part of the the Residency program and therefore under contract to the Whitecaps.

I would hate to see a great idea such as this have to be abandoned because of MLS limited vision and rules.

Anyone have any insight?

That's a good question. I'm not sure that MLS has ever picked up a team that had a full infrastructure or history already in place. That and Vancouver's Non-Profit designation will have to be discussed further. With Montreal and Portland soon to come in, this problem is going to pop up more and more.

[Johnnie Monster]

You are confusing Vancouver with Montreal.

The current Montreal Impact organization is a non-profit entity propped up by government and corporate sponsorship.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC, however, is a purely capitalist, for-profit business enterprise.

Here's where some of the confusion trickles in... in addition to the soccer club, owner Greg Kerfoot runs a separate non-profit, charitable entity called the Whitecaps Foundation, which aims to assist with the development of youth & amateur soccer in British Columbia. These are two completely separate things, and should not concern MLS.

[Kingston]

I've been impressed by what I've read on-line about Vancouver's residency program. Has it started producing any tangible results yet? Any players moving to the first team or to other USL/MLS/European teams?

[Johnnie Monster]

They've just concluded the first two years of the residency program...

The residency squad is mostly comprised of 16-18 year olds who are playing against much older competition in the PDL division, which is U-23.

This past season they went all the way to the PDL championship semifinals, losing to Thunder Bay.

They've also fared quite well against European competition, placing third overall in the INSEL Cup international tourney in Germany.

They've also drawn even with youth sides from Chivas (Mexico, not MLS), Frankfurt and Stuttgart, and have lost close ones to Benfica and 1860 Munich.

Players entering their third year of the residency do a season long apprenticeship in the Bundesliga youth system, but remain the property of the Whitecaps. Three players were invited to an outright trial with Energie Cottbus a year early.

Several PDL players have also seen action on the USL first team.

17 year old Ethan Gage saw considerable playing time on the USL squad towards the end of the season, and played the full 90 in the championship final at central mid. This kid looks extremely confident and poised out there, and we're lucky to have him.

22 year old Mason Trafford is the oldest on the PDL squad. He showed up at training camp for the first team, and asked for the coaches to give him a look. He immediately landed a spot on the PDL roster, but also played several games for the USL first team, earning him the nickname "Young Trafford."

A handful of others have cracked the USL line up, including Canadian youth international Randy Edwini Bonsu (age 18), and Jamaican youth international Dever Orgill (age 18). Both of these kids are going to be outstanding.

This program is absolutely unique to North America, and highly successful one at that, even in its infancy. I am certain the Whitecaps will work with MLS to continue the program, as millions have been invested in coaching and infrastructure to get the program off the ground.

[Kingston]

Johnnie Monster,

Thanks for the information. It's hard to get that sort of detail unless you're more involved with the specific team in question.

I'm trying overall to get an impression of how much Canadian soccer talent the big three clubs are developing. The Whitecaps are certainly the farthest along with their program. TFC's Academy looks promising, too, but is well behind the Whitecaps. Montreal has their farm team but it seems to be focussed on giving fringe Impact players a place to play rather than developing talent. (There's no apparent emphasis on youth, for example, and there's a much stronger foreign presence.)

I'm encouraged by what you're saying about the Whitecaps and I'm optimistic about TFC. Ideally, if we're ultimately going to have three Canadian MLS teams, it would be good if the big three clubs could produce (together) at least five MLS-starter-level Canadians per year. That would give each club one per year for their roster even if one or two went to Europe or elsewhere.

Run that through for five or six years and you have starting lineups that are half Canadian on three MLS teams. That can only help the national team player pool and, even more, provide national team players who've actually played together before.

[Johnnie Monster]

Sorry, also forgot to mention that the Whitecaps also operate an adult reserve / prospects squad in the Pacific Coast Soccer League, which is entirely separate from the PDL residency squad, which is focused on youth development for ages 16-18.

One step below the PDL squad you'll find an additional 30 male & female Whitecaps youth teams competing in all age divisions of the USL Super Y-League.

These teams consistently rank at or near the top of their respective divisions year after year.

[Kingston]

Sorry, also forgot to mention that the Whitecaps also operate an adult reserve / prospects squad in the Pacific Coast Soccer League, which is entirely separate from the PDL residency squad, which is focused on youth development for ages 16-18.

So then am I correct in my understanding that the PCSL team and TFC's MLS Reserve team are analogous while the residency program and TFC's Academy teams are analogous?

What rules govern the transfer of players between the USL1 team and either of the lower teams?

[JohnnyRanger]

Further to that...

In Case you didn't know...

The Whitecaps actually operate the old Delta Metro United VMSL Premier team now as well, calling themselves the Delta WFC. They had a slow start to this season but have hammered a few teams lately although their most recent game was abandoned with their competition being the Serbian White Eagles, fan, coaches and players behavious saw the ref abandon the match.
Week 1 they lost to West Van FC 4-0
Week 2 they lost to Westside 2-1
Week 3 they drew Columbus Clan 3-3
Week 4 they beat ICSF Inter 2-1
Week 5 they lost to Coquitlam Metro Ford 3-0
Week 6 they beat Surrey United Firefighters 3-1
Week 7 they beat Richmond Club Ireland United 2-0
Week 8 lost to Whitecaps alumi-laden Croatis SC (Sulentic, Heald, Sandhu, etc) 3-1
Week 9 they hammered defending BC Champs Sporting Club 6-0
Week 10 (last weekend) was abandoned vs Serbia
They have Norvan at Confederation park this weekend.

Marcus Johnstone and Navid Maschinin are in the top 10 for golden boot at the moment and they sit in 8th place of 12 pending the serbia result.

www.vmslsoccer.com (Bad website i know, but a good league as far as watching games)

[Kingston]

Further to that...

In Case you didn't know...

The Whitecaps actually operate the old Delta Metro United VMSL Premier team now as well, calling themselves the Delta WFC.

Is this the league where most of the BC teams came from when the BC teams participated in the Open Canada Cup in 2007?

[Johnnie Monster]

So then am I correct in my understanding that the PCSL team and TFC's MLS Reserve team are analogous while the residency program and TFC's Academy teams are analogous?

What rules govern the transfer of players between the USL1 team and either of the lower teams?

Let me research TFC's academy and I'll get back to you. I don't think the answer you are seeking is quite as simple.

[JohnnyRanger]

Is this the league where most of the BC teams came from when the BC teams participated in the Open Canada Cup in 2007?
Yes and no. You will notice that Delta WFC beat Columbus Clan FC in one of the weeks, they were BC's representative in the OCC.

I actually played in the Qualification tourney for BC, Clanbus (their Nickname) won that Tournament.

That tourney (The qualifier) was an open to all tourney. There were summer league teams, VMSL teams, FVSL teams, Office teams (only EA Actually), VISL Teams, and a team from North Shore League IIRC.

[piltdownman]

I have heard that the Whitecaps Residancy and Development program has a budget of about $2.5-3m a year. Which is more than the MLS's entire league development program,$2m

[JohnnyRanger]

The VMSL Caps won over Norvan 3-1 this week.

[Kingston]

Let me research TFC's academy and I'll get back to you. I don't think the answer you are seeking is quite as simple.

I think you'll find that TFC Academy (and TFC's MLS reserve team) aren't as well done at Vancouver's program. That said, I was looking for analogies and not for one to one comparisons. I'd still be very interested in hearing your impressions, though.