ATLGunner
28 Nov 2008, 11:00 AM
Well this offseason should be exciting for us, because this board will have its first round of youth promotions!
One catch all thread should do the trick.
So the question is, who?
We already have Tristan Bowen. Luckily, our brave trailblazer will be getting action in NZ friendlies with LAG, and we should get some initial reports.
But where else should we look?
I think we will know better following the U-18 mega camp that will include many MLS youths, but here is the little bit I can add:
New York: This seems quite obvious. Matt Kassell was TDS' freshman of the year, and almost got a call up before the season. Plus, NY is in need of an AM. Would be a top five draft pick, but NY should snap him up once the signing period opens. Only thing stopping that would be if Europe came calling, and that would really make NY look stupid (and maybe call attention to MLS' guidelines).
Obviously second call ups aren't too likely, but we can't completely overlook them. Hines and Exantus (though his status seem strange) are also respectable players. However, the man to watch is John Agudelo, who has been performing very well with the U-17's. He has the inside track to be NY's 2010 promotion.
Chicago: Ian Christiansen is the most prominent player in their system. Tall, skilled midfielder. He has the size to make the leap. Chicago probably has other options as well with a talented academy; Ian is the name that comes to mind though. I wouldn't be surprised to see them call someone up.
RSL: Not an illustrious youth program, but they did win the youth academy tournament behind the 7 goals of James Rogers. Rogers may be too short however. If they do make a call, I would still suspect it to be him.
DC: DC's top two players seem to be their U-17 defenders Arjona and Phillips. They will be getting looks following the World Cup. However, Travis Pittman has been making a name. Chris Hegni (sp?) and Shane Cooke (sp?) have also been bandied about. DC surely will promote in 2010, and maybe this upcoming season as well.
Dallas: They have plenty of fantastic players. With the 18's, Josh Hernandez and London Woodberry. The better team, however, are the 16's. Bryan Leyva and Robert Luna are both future stars, while there is one name I forget a friend mentioned (starts with a B...). Unfortunately, if that rule about an Academy needing to be two years old is still around, we might never see these players in the league.
LAG: Tristan Bowen
Chivas USA: Their best player I heard was Mario Ledezma, but he signed with the mothership. Supposedly they will be looking at other members however, and I have a gut feeling they choose someone (and I bet he is Latino.....).
Houston: There were four names last year that were mentioned with Houston, and supposedly they were challenging the one player rule. I wouldn't be surprised if they did make a call, especially considering how they are aging.
Columbus: They are in a very intriguing situation. They have the rights on a lot of talent. One player, Michael Green I believe, played very well with UNM. He might get a call. However, they have a couple of younger players. I believe Ben Speas is under the columbus umbrella, and Brian Span I know is. They have the players, and I bet they at least approach one or more about the possibility.
I don't know much about the other teams, and this is just basics. But if anyone has any info to share, I'd be most grateful. Cheers!
One catch all thread should do the trick.
So the question is, who?
We already have Tristan Bowen. Luckily, our brave trailblazer will be getting action in NZ friendlies with LAG, and we should get some initial reports.
But where else should we look?
I think we will know better following the U-18 mega camp that will include many MLS youths, but here is the little bit I can add:
New York: This seems quite obvious. Matt Kassell was TDS' freshman of the year, and almost got a call up before the season. Plus, NY is in need of an AM. Would be a top five draft pick, but NY should snap him up once the signing period opens. Only thing stopping that would be if Europe came calling, and that would really make NY look stupid (and maybe call attention to MLS' guidelines).
Obviously second call ups aren't too likely, but we can't completely overlook them. Hines and Exantus (though his status seem strange) are also respectable players. However, the man to watch is John Agudelo, who has been performing very well with the U-17's. He has the inside track to be NY's 2010 promotion.
Chicago: Ian Christiansen is the most prominent player in their system. Tall, skilled midfielder. He has the size to make the leap. Chicago probably has other options as well with a talented academy; Ian is the name that comes to mind though. I wouldn't be surprised to see them call someone up.
RSL: Not an illustrious youth program, but they did win the youth academy tournament behind the 7 goals of James Rogers. Rogers may be too short however. If they do make a call, I would still suspect it to be him.
DC: DC's top two players seem to be their U-17 defenders Arjona and Phillips. They will be getting looks following the World Cup. However, Travis Pittman has been making a name. Chris Hegni (sp?) and Shane Cooke (sp?) have also been bandied about. DC surely will promote in 2010, and maybe this upcoming season as well.
Dallas: They have plenty of fantastic players. With the 18's, Josh Hernandez and London Woodberry. The better team, however, are the 16's. Bryan Leyva and Robert Luna are both future stars, while there is one name I forget a friend mentioned (starts with a B...). Unfortunately, if that rule about an Academy needing to be two years old is still around, we might never see these players in the league.
LAG: Tristan Bowen
Chivas USA: Their best player I heard was Mario Ledezma, but he signed with the mothership. Supposedly they will be looking at other members however, and I have a gut feeling they choose someone (and I bet he is Latino.....).
Houston: There were four names last year that were mentioned with Houston, and supposedly they were challenging the one player rule. I wouldn't be surprised if they did make a call, especially considering how they are aging.
Columbus: They are in a very intriguing situation. They have the rights on a lot of talent. One player, Michael Green I believe, played very well with UNM. He might get a call. However, they have a couple of younger players. I believe Ben Speas is under the columbus umbrella, and Brian Span I know is. They have the players, and I bet they at least approach one or more about the possibility.
I don't know much about the other teams, and this is just basics. But if anyone has any info to share, I'd be most grateful. Cheers!