One modest correction, Angking is with the Revs, and scored the lone goal against NYRB this weekend in a 5-1 drubbing.
Honestly, by asking this question I'm convinced you've already put more thought into it than the rules-making people at MLS. We've seen over and over that they don't have rules in place that anticipate these scenarios, they just make something up when someone forces the issue. We know that MLS has a certain number of "USL Priority" (I might be getting the jargon wrong) slots where they can assert MLS rights over a certain number of USL players. I don't see why Portland couldn't assert USL Priority on Hanson and just sign him to an MLS deal through that established mechanism. It's an obvious loophole to the two primary pathways to MLS for amateur domestic talent (draft + homegrown). Thus far it has been quietly tolerated for obscure players. Maybe prospect watchers in SoCal knew Hanson, but I doubt he was known even to most of us freaks on this forum prior to signing with T2. No one is going to try the USL backdoor method on a potential top draft pick or well known U17 NTer, but eventually teams are going to get bolder and bolder until the need for a clear resolution becomes unavoidable. FYI, Portland also pulled this stunt last winter with an NCAA underclassman: Lamar Batista from UCSB. But again, not a huge name player so it went under the radar. Neither Batista nor Hanson have made it to MLS yet, so we'll see. Regarding Holcomb, I'll also say that while going to a good developmental environment in the pros would be best, I don't view spending one season at Wake Forest as a death sentence. When you do the one-and-done thing in the NCAAs, you are really just spending 4-6 months in college soccer and then moving on to the pros - if you are able to get a contract after one season. It's 2+ years in college soccer that's more of a problem. Too much down time in the spring and summer and because you are getting older, NCAA soccer itself becomes progressively less of a challenge with each passing year.
The likelihood is that he'll enroll at Wake, but it's not etched in stone. If any of the coaches around him, like Teddy Chronopolous, think he has the ability, both physically and mentally, to play in Europe he can arrange for trials through contacts. Maybe they've explored that. Who knows?
Well, he did debut for the Timbers over the summer under the "extreme hardship" rule, for whatever that's worth.
My theory on the demise of my childhood club; for 10/12 years there was a Rochester JR. Rhinos youth club that used the same patch as the professional team & was embraced as the main premier youth club in the area. If you were a youth soccer player, you wanted to play Jr Rhinos https://t.co/xNIqYbr5ww— J. Allen (@jayalllen) November 20, 2017
Holcomb was with the Galaxy academy previously, but left for Pateadores a couple seasons ago. Not sure why he left. Maybe because of guaranteed playing time as Galaxy also had Negrete and Kleiban's group moved to the Galaxy from Chivas USA. His hometown is listed as San Marcos. So that was definitely a trek to Carson everyday, but central Orange County isn't exactly a few miles away either.
Is it just me or do a LOT of kids leave the Galaxy academy? I know some kids had other opportunities, but doesn’t it seem like there are more “former Galaxy academy” players than other academies?
A lot of kids leave the FCD academy too. If they're going to commit to the Development Academy schedule, they want to be starters and key contributors. And in places like DFW there are a lot of options. An example was USYNT goalkeeper David Abonce. He left FCD for Solar, and is now a freshman at Ohio State I believe. So the traffic moves both ways, which is fine. Guys like Paxton Pomykol and Reggie Cannon were recruited by FCD from the Texans and Solar.
SoCal also has multiple academies to chose from in the area, especially if you extend from LA down to San Diego, so academy level players have options. Also, I don’t believe any of these academies are residential, which also makes moving a bit easier then uprooting a player from a dorm / onsite school situation.
ACADEMY: FC Dallas Academy Does Not Have Barriers https://www.fcdallas.com/post/2017/11/22/academy-fc-dallas-academy-does-not-have-barriers
When it comes to ages 17-22 there is not a viable place to develop for 95% of prospects in the US/MLS this is the main reason why Pro/Rel is so important. We need to have second and third division clubs where our young players can get "game time". Europe and Mexican systems are five times better for our youth players. We can talk about what's wrong with our system all day long. The overnight easy fix is an organic PRO/REL environment that lets the following happen. 1.) A massive increase of professional environments across the country 2.) Increase of playing opportunities for our prospects 17-22 3.) Eliminates the "boys club" that is MLS/ US Soccer 4.) Provides more opportunity for the development of our coaches 5.) Increase in financial investment from the business sector across the board. Right now there is no reality of a ROI for business investors. 6.) Simple biology - The strong survive and the sick die, the heard will survive. It is a simple fix that our cartel of a soccer federation won't allow.
I've been efforting to figure out what in the world is going on with US U17 Blaine Ferri. Apparently he's back to playing Development Academy games for Solar down in DFW. Which, of course, doesn't make the slightest lick of sense. Blaine is actually a 2019. Surely he's not going to play for Solar, who are currently in 10th place in the Frontier Division, until he graduates. His 18th birthday isn't until this time next year. Surely, surely, he's not going to spend the next year at Solar. Surely. We'd heard a rumor he has access to a Euro passport. If that's the case, get a move on it. If not.......................surely training at FCD for a year would be a better opportunity for development. Surely. Sometimes there are youngsters so dead set against going the MLS route that they actually hurt their development. He's got one of the best MLS academies in his backyard. Come on son! Who are you learning from at Solar that's better at your position than Oscar Pareja?
I seem to remember @didi11 seemingly having some inside knowledge of Ferri’s situation. I wonder if he/she has any insight?
I'll predict what he says for ya. "Blaine has decided to go the European route, so he doesn't want to get tied to an MLS academy. FCD also don't want to have a kid in their group that has no intention of signing with them. Despite what just happened with Weston McKennie, FCD demands that kids give them first crack at signing them." All of that is understandable, but not at the expense of a kid's development. What if the right Euro opportunity doesn't materialize and you don't have MLS homegrown signing potential? Then what are you doing? Either pray that MLS gives you a GenAd offer or you're off to the NCAAs.................... Solar isn't chopped liver, but they're also not FC Dallas.
Agree, no better illustration of that than seeing Cappis and Richards leave defending champion Houston Texans to go to FCD. On Ferri, I suspect that he's headed to Europe in the new year, once he's fully healthy. I believe he had some dings in U17 WC and may be enjoying some home time before heading overseas. And I'm sure his agent has been in touch with FCD as well as other organizations.
I'm not sure that it's really that worrying. I'm 99.9% sure George Acosta is signing somewhere in Europe/South America because his "amateur" contract with NCFC over the summer pretty much mirrors the one that Taitague had, and Acosta's birthday is in January, so he must be signing then, and even he has been playing games with Weston recently. Unless I'm completely wrong on Acosta, maybe it's normal to practice with their DA clubs before moving abroad, or maybe just easier for them, but I will say that it is somewhat worrying that they aren't fully pushing ahead in preparation. Even Sargent said he barely knows any German, and is waiting until he gets there to really start learning.
The problem that Ferri has (if he doesn't have a Euro passport) is his 18th birthday isn't until September of 2018. So he's got a full calendar year, or what we can refer to as the "Junior Flores Gap." Playing for Solar is different than training with a professional club in the way that Taitague, Haji Wright, and others did. I guess Jose Carranza's doing the same now with North Carolina. Playing the Lonestar U19 academy team really doesn't take his development to "the next level." If he's got the Euro passport and is just working things out now, then that's fine. Hopefully we get news shortly.
To be in Southern California and invest real money into the academy but have almost nothing to show for it in more than a decade is embarrassing. But the Galaxy did that and everyone responsible is still in place.— Ryan Rosenblatt (@RyanRosenblatt) November 27, 2017
Which begs the question, why are national writers still thinking Jose Villarreal is some sort of superstar who had been trapped the last few years? Do they really watch him so seldom that they don’t see how inconsistent and... meh he is?
Who thinks Villarreal is a superstar? I've only seen suggestions he could be a useful MLS player in another situation.
My comment was inspired by this tweet 935296375016837120 is not a valid tweet id But I’ve seen things throughout the last few years that made me think the national soccer media watches about 2 galaxy games a year and complains that they don’t play their kids. There have been other players who people complained about, too. If you want to say they aren’t developing their academy players, that’s a separate argument that I wholeheartedly agree with.
Rob is the definition of 905 of soccer bloggers in this country..... they're talent clueless and then they bash 3four3. When 3 four3 is on the ground developing talent. When you're on the ground developing talent you can see the holes in our system plan as day.
I'd agree that that rhetoric is totally overheated. However, Villarreal has 5g and 9a in less than 2500 minutes in his MLS career. There are starters in this league at his position with worse numbers. I do think someone in MLS could definitely use him, but I'm with....everybody, I think, in saying that I don't think he has an NT future and shouldn't be hyped as such. Brian Kleiban is on the ground developing talent, but isn't his brother mostly just being a douche on Twitter?