Does anyone have a list of where SKC Academy player are playing this season? I know UNC still has Zach Wright and Andy Lopez.
Here's a list, although half way through last season they dropped Lopez's little brother. It also doesn't list Will Little, who I thought committed to NC State. http://www.sportingkc.com/academy/alumni
So Little was in the 18 for SPR tonight when most college kids have reported and NCAA season starts on Friday. Last I knew he was still under an academy contract though.
Nevermind, I'd been working under the assumption that his academy contract with SPR would expire and allow him to go to NC State this fall. Apparently that's not how it work.
Regarding those "academy contracts". I thought there was a limit of 5? Aren't the 4 new guys putting us over that limit? Or am I making the "limit" up?
5 won't count against your roster limit. Any over 5 will count on your 30 man roster. http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/628858-usl-announces-competitions-rules-for-2016
That makes sense. Glad to see we're using this to be honest ... and that they're getting game time. So if Little is missing time at NC State, assuming he finishes the season with Swope Park since it would be difficult to start class's mid semester?
Between Wright and Lopez at UNC and the guys at West Virginia ... not a bad start to the college season. How realistic is it that we sign some of these players as HG's. Don't they need to train with us during the college offseason (or ideally be playing for a SKC U23 team in the PDL)? Wright and Lopez aren't from KC so the draw isn't necessarily as strong to come back, but not sure about some of the others with a shot to come in as a HG ... or even as a Swope Park Ranger player.
I think all of the evidence is that Lopez is no longer attached to SKC. And as good as he looks when he plays, he's a Junior and not starting at UNC. He does have some skills, though.
Agree ... more interested in the overall "process" and logistics of keeping a player HG eligible through college vs the specific players involved. I agree, though being a "first off the bench" type of college soccer player for the #1 team in the league is still nothing to sneeze at. I'd be really interested in seeing Z Wright and J Piatczyc (West Virginia) develop more with Swope Park in the next year or so.
I like Wright, but I'm not sure if he's more of a Chris Brown/Ryan Pore type player or a Dom Dwyer type player.
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...ry-from?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter The same reason SKC argued to keep Rosenberry's HGP Status away from the Union may prevent them from putting claims on some of their talented players in college. Not sure how many of these players come back to train with SKC over the summers.
Also not sure how many of those HGP were actually considered worth signing by the senior club. Considering the lack of success at the MLS level by guys like Duke, Sweetin, Lee, and De Julio I doubt the team feels like they missed.
Completely agree ... I was looking more into the "future" as our Academy gets better (It is getting better I believe). Guys that are getting looks by the youth national teams, by swope park rangers, etc. I think Wright and J Piatczyc are having arguably better college careers than those Academy graduates before them. It's really why I'm shocked we don't have a U23 team playing in the PDL during the summers for those types ... to at least keep that HG Status on players that may continue to develop in college.
Now that it's a year later and it looks like we are signing Wright, let's hope your latter guess is the correct one...
It seemed like he spent time on the wing for UNC, at least from some of the highlights I've seen, for example this game in the NCAA tournament this year where he had a goal and an assist.
Wright and Alan Winn (who was a US U17 poster boy) would routinely interchange. They started as a second shift top two (or top three with David October). Over the years you see an SKC style top three at UNC more and more. I would say that Wright has been the pivot, or central player, about twice as often as he's been on the wing. Of course through last year, they had the complicating factor of having the 6'5" Walker Hum and Tucker Hume twin brothers on the field as well as a couple of other 6'2"+ players. That really impacted the way the team played with the shorter Wright and Winn more involved in run of play, but set pieces all being about high balls in the box. And Andy Lopez was a bench creature this year. Earlier in his career he would come in with the second or third shift and often be "that guy" with the ball, sometimes in a central Feilhaber role, other times a top/wide Zusi role, and definitely the preferred corner/free-kick option when he was on the field. But I guess with the Hume's gone, his free kicks weren't needed as much.