Doesn't that already happen, though? What are you suggesting should change? Many players have chosen to stay away from MLS academies so that they can go to Europe unhindered.
My son plays at a MLS academy. One thing some of the non MLS clubs do is provide variety in styles of play. Many teams, MLS or not, play what I call the DA press, that is where you press all over the place. My sons team had success against non DA teams that played standard DA soccer. It was the teams that played a tight low block that stymied them. It gave the team something else to look at to try and break down. They struggled with that, stuff they would see if they are pros.
It may happen here and there, but I don’t think there is an established model that is followed on a consistent basis. Yes, there are players (Ferri, Hoppe) that took this route, but I don’t think non-MLS clubs outwardly state this is their model. I’ve actually been told by a non-MLS Director that USSF specifically stated they could not openly advertise this model as competition with MLS clubs.
Question. If you had a 15-16 yr old kid, YNT regular, non MLS DA. Goal is to get to Europe as close to 18 as possible. But knowing that the development between 15-18 is essential to that being an option. Based on the set up for this year, and working under the assumption the u19 league will become even more closed off to non mls players, what would you advise the kid to do? And does the kid need to worry that the YNT call-ups will dry up if they don’t get to an MLS academy?(This is working under the assumption the kid is still good enough, only reason is bias towards mls). Thoughts?
I’ll try to answer this as best I can. If it were me, I would want my non-MLS club to be reaching out to as many European clubs they can by sending film and keeping lines of communication open. I would want them to arrange extended training stints with European clubs (at least 10 days), even if it means missing a few matches. I can tell you for a fact, if a European club likes what they see, it doesn’t matter if he’s on a YNT or not. I would want him training with the U19 team when feasible to challenge himself, while mixing in a trip or two a year to clubs in Europe. It really comes down to what his true goal is. If he wants to play in Europe, the earlier you can develop relationships and the earliest they can see him and begin to track him, the better. If his goal is to play in the YNT set up, then he probably needs to be at a MLS Academy. If missing out on YNT camps isn’t something he’s willing to give up, then he doesn’t want to play in Europe that badly. Tough choices for a 15/16 hear old. Also, if he’s ever told he won’t be called into a YNT camp unless he’s plays for a MLS Academy - we want you to plaster that shit all over Twitter and any other outlet you can.
There are some agents that might give you much better advice. I'd try to contact the guy who sent the kids to Schalke (Moore?) or Corry Gibbs. https://www.theringer.com/2018/2/28/17046268/soccer-christian-pulisic-rob-moore-agent-usmnt-america And no matter what don't post any negative shit on Twitter of course.
Ummm...did you miss the 15/16 year old part? I wouldn’t advise any kid of that age (unless he’s a world class talent) to hook up with an agent. Families can have an adviser, that’s fine, but this is too early in the process to bring an agent in. At this age, it’s about getting in front of clubs and having one fall in love with the kid. I’d he continues in an upward trajectory, they will have their pick of agents without having to solicit one.
Good agents are getting paid to know a lot of the ins and outs of selecting youth teams and then pro clubs. IIRC, Cory Gibbs was interviewed about what he looks for in clients and what he tells them. He assesses a client's mindset to see if he's better suited for Europe or for MLS. Talent alone won't determine this. Landon Donovan clearly had the talent to move to Bayer Leverkusen. Obviously, the move didn't work out. Some of that is on Donovan's mindset. However, in hindsight I wonder if he got all the proper mentoring and guidance. Pulisic, on the other hand, was blessed with a perfect storm- a dad who not only had a pro soccer background, but also mentored Christian in many ways, and then accompanied the youngster to Dortmund and got a job coaching youth there.
Been said a bunch in here - mentality is a huge factor. One of the first questions you have to ask when scouting is “How will this kid/young man handle being in a changing room full of professionals, that many times speak a different language.”
The agent of Cory Gibbs level might not even want to work with the kid, but he still might suggest some general direction and mistakes to avoid. And you are right about Donovan and Pulisic.
I'm not sure what people want here. It's been a constant criticism of our youth setup that elite players don't get enough games against other elite players. The only way to do that in the US is with extensive travel. It sounds like we're moving towards a system where most of the MLS teams will be in the top tier and can fund the travel. If the issue is that there is too much travel in the second tier, my guess is that will be sorted out over time as the clubs complain about the expense (if it actually is a problem). But I don't think we can get away from the fact that being an elite program is going to require expensive travel.
Why can't you do what Uly Llanez, Alex Mendez, Taylor Booth, Richie Ledesma, Sebastian Soto, Chris Gloster, etc. etc. etc. just did? Maximize your domestic development opportunity as much as possible. If a kid lives in an MLS market, then that's likely the MLS club (not necessarily true in markets like Chicago and others). You don't need to sign a contract or even really tell them your intentions. Then like Weston McKennie, as your 18th birthday approaches, you start to explore potential opportunities. Now that MLS is part of the training compensation/solidarity payment structure, they will get paid when the next Weston McKennie leaves. I'd also add that as the years go on we're going to see more and more and more of the Chris Richards style transfers. Kids being sold abroad before they've played one game for the MLS club. If kids have faith that the MLS club will sell them for an appropriate fee should Euro interest appear, then they'll be more likely to sign contracts. And this whole debate changes. In 2019 the gap between the Sounders and Crossfire isn't monumental. But 20 years from now? After millions of dollars a year in continued investment in the facilities, coaching staff, development pathways thru the USL, etc, maybe more residential facilities, etc occurs..................................I think the gap is going to become increasingly monumental. Crossfire doesn't have revenue streams. There's very little growth that can happen. I mean folks are complaining about the cost of travel for these clubs. If a club can't afford travel, then they can't be part of an elite national league. Sorry. No matter how much they thrash about in terms of wanting solidarity payments/training compensation, that's very unlikely to happen. They are not in FIFA recognized league. If Crossfire wants to start a USL team or something, then go for it.
So I guess that’s my question. If the club offers a contract and you decline, will the club continue developing? Also, developmentally how much difference does it make to be in a professional (mls) environment from 16-18 as opposed to one of the best non MLS da’s? One potentially offers training with adults, other does not but gives the flexibility to travel abroad with frequency.
This really is a case by case, player by player, club by club decision. There have been some clubs that have been rumored to let the kid continue to train and play DA after turning down a contract. There are others that will remove the player from the club as soon as the contract is turned down. As for development, I would say it’s case by case as well. At 16/17 it’s probably not hurting a kid to train/play with a good level U19 squad, unless the kid is just miles ahead of all the other players. Again, each situation is different. If you can mix in high level training in Europe, even better. So much of this depends on the kid and his training habits. Some can make the most of training no matter who they are training with, while others struggle to push themselves and need good players around them to be pushed. In short, the 17 year old year should not ruin a kids European chances, even at a non-MLS club. It might actually help his chances if they are flexible to let him go away on training stints during that year. You can always get a kid in a pre-contract situation where he could be at a European club and train for a period of time while awaiting that 18th birthday.
A great example of this is JT at Solar this year. He was at the Solar U17DA all year and now at an EPL academy and no involvement from the FCD MLS club. It did not hurt his development to be in a non-mls environment and in fact may have made it easier to get over to Europe. Add to the fact he is getting call ups on the UYNT and looks good to go to the U17WC. There are a lot of way to get there for a young player and MLS does not hold the monopoly if you want more freedom.
Yup. It's a case by case, club by club, player by player basis. Solar has improved to the point that there isn't that much of a gap. That's not true in many markets. In some markets, say Houston for instance, I think the non-MLS club may actually be better for development than the MLS club. See Chris Richards and Chris Cappis coming from the Houston Texans. In other markets the MLS club is clearly superior. Not even close. 25 years from now as MLS clubs continue pouring millions into their youth academies and development pathway, this isn't even going to be a question. In 2019 its not cut and dry. Obviously. Players like Pulisic and Sargent didn't come from MLS academies. Why would people say that youngsters have to be at MLS academies in 2019? I would just argue not to assume Europe from the outset as the goal. Maximize development opportunities in your market, be honest with your club's management about your goals, and explore opportunities when the time is right.
Jared Micklos, DA Director for USSF is leaving his post. I find this very odd given the announcement that was just made regarding the tier system. This is according to Soccer America - I won’t post a link since it’s behind a pay wall.
You keep insinuating FC Dallas hinders players going to Europe while they had a young defender who did exactly that recently while never playing a minute for FCD and McKennie also went from FC Dallas to Europe and while he didn't do it with their blessing it started the ball rolling on them signing players at younger ages and either playing for the MLS team (and then going to Europe which we will see if this happens) or bypassing MLS and going to Europe while FCD collects some cash.
There seems to be a slow house-cleaning at US Soccer. At least a couple of youth coaches, Ryan Mooney, now Micklos. i have no idea if it is people leaving who don't like the new boss (Earnie) or it is a targeted, subtle house-cleaning. But I will note that the resumes of those leaving tends to be fairly in house and domestic.
Looking ahead to the 2019-20 #FCDallas U19 Academy season https://t.co/npoRjljXCy #DTIDThis is team is going to be pretty fluid with the up and down from #NTXSC— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) August 8, 2019 If all age eligible players were in the XI this would be the lineup Amazing to consider that Roberts and Reynolds are still going to be DA eligible NEXT season.
Now that's the kind of lineup I'd like to see in the GA Cup, facing off against the top foreign sides.
What's interesting about that lineup is that 3/4th of it may never play for the U19 academy again. That's an NTSC lineup with some MLSers thrown in. The actual U19 academy team will look much different than that. Hence why U19 results for all MLS squads should be taken with a grain of salt. An FCD fan would think/hope that the leading scorer on this U19 team this season isn't actually listed there. USYNTer Beni Redzic. Note that the author hasn't included Justin Che in his analysis. I wonder if he knows something we don't in terms of a Germany opportunity being finalized.
I don't think I've seen anyone post this on here, but Nelson rodriguez addressed them dropping their U-19 team for this upcoming season on the Athletic. It's a good interview/article. https://theathletic.com/1126176/201...esses-academy-team-decision-ken-lolla-rumors/ Nelson says the reasoning for not having a U-19 team is essentially because a bunch of kids left to play for other DA clubs in the chicago area 3 years ago. So their 03's have been playing up a year for the past two years, but this year Nelson wanted them to play in their actual age range. Nelson said they could scrounge together a U-19 team, but them and US soccer came to the conclusion that isn't necessary. So they will have a U-19 team next year, but not this year. As for Las, supposedly Nelson says they have given Damian a "individual development plan" twice a year and now it's up to Damian what he wants to do. Nelson says he wants to keep college eligibility open... Literally every question about this decision is answered in the article, but I don't want to post all of it. Still not a good look, but at least we know why now. By the way, the teams that got those players are probably Sockers FC and FC United...