I don't know. If this were just about any other academy I could maybe see being a bit more indifferent. But I can't help but come back to a post made by @Susaeta a few years ago: "The 1 in a million shot is getting into La Masia. Getting into La Masia as a central midfielder is more like 1 in 5 million. Coaches do not give a kid an extended run there unless they think highly of him. That alone speaks well of his potential." If Ben can manage to pick up where he left off with them then I think that's something to be pretty excited about, although I'm not sure how plausible of a scenario that is after a year and a half away.
Apparently Lederman is is the main reason why FC Barcelona have not signed any other new CM's for the Juvenil B team. Es el motivo principal por el que el @FCBarcelona no ha fichado a ningún MC/Interior para el Juvenil B 16-17— Carles Aguilar Catalán (@charlyplanter) October 28, 2016
http://www.espnfc.us/barcelona/stor...arcelona-academy-with-polish-passport-sources U.S. youth international Ben Lederman has returned to Barcelona's youth academy, having acquired a Polish passport, sources confirmed to ESPN FC. Spain-based journalist Josep Capdevila first reported the news. "[Lederman] obtained the passport last month, but currently is only training with Barca and not playing until January," said a source with direct knowledge of Lederman's situation.
If Barcelona believes in this kid so much that they didn't even bother going to get another CM, then that speaks volumes. I think Barcelona has been doing okay with producing midfielders before
I am hopeful but unconvinced. I really don't mean to rain on anyone's parade but Lederman is going to have to more than get a passport to get me excited.
He's going back to Barcelona. That in and of itself should excite you. Getting the passport was what he needed but the big thing is that Barcelona kept a spot open for him and I imagine helped him get the passport worked out so he could return to their club. There cannot be anything bad about this or reason for disappointment.
Yep. Lederman's family aren't poor, but the "detective" and legal work involved in getting him eligible for that Polish passport after so many generations and with so much documentation destroyed or lost would be considerable, and expensive. I would't be surprised if Barca had chipped in once it was clear this route could work.
American Ben Lederman, banned from Barça by FIFA, watched his former Juvenil B teammates today. Hopefully he can return soon. https://t.co/7BPpyiU30B— La Masia (@Youngcules) November 5, 2016 😄 pic.twitter.com/Ks4SphQ23c— Ben Lederman (@Ben_Lederman10) November 5, 2016
(in Spanish) http://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbo...082/ben-lederman-barca-regreso-pasaporte.html This is not a courtesy visit. Ben Lederman has yet to solve some bureaucratic issues that would allow replayability with elastic Barca in January. Specifically, Lederman is handling the Polish passport. Thus, at age 16 and with European nationality, it may be enrolled in the Junior B club again next winter market opens. Today everything seems quite on track. So much so that Ben and relives inBarcelona with his family and from the week of October 10 trains on the orders of Quique Alvarez, fully integrated into the discipline of Juvenil B squad. Not only that, Lederman studied at La Masia . The young American born in Los Angeles attends first high school in the FC Barcelona academy. Every evening, from 15 to 20 hours, he receives their classes with other classmates of his team.
It is impressive that Barca are sticking it out with him to this extent. They must have high hopes for the player, which is a reflection of how good he might be. 1 or 2 more young attacking players at a high level club will really put us in the next level of national squads.
2022 World Cup (in the USA IIRC Edit 1; Quatar ) with Brooks, Palmer-Brown and Carter-Vickers as CB rotation, Yedlin as an attacking RB, an emerging Lederman and a seasoned Pulisic in midfield and a wily Bobby Wood up top, all playing for top CL clubs . . . That's the core of a team that could reach the semis if they're lucky. Just - "just" - add a few quality players from an improved MLS that's reached parity with, say, Ligue 1 and if the team clicks the WC final isn't out of the question, is it? Edit 2: Just add a coach who knows what he's doing . . . (ducks and runs for cover)
You can get booze all over the place in Qatar. It's one of the enduring hypocrisies of our time. I have a feeling Qatari officials are going to give a wink and a nod to folks walking into games with brown bags.
Nice article in Mundo Deportivo from last week: Ben Lederman, pendiente de volver al Barça con pasaporte polaco El centrocampista se entrena desde hace casi un mes con el Juvenil B y cursa 1º de bachillerato en La Masia Ben Lederman is close to returning to Barça with a Polish passport The midfielder has been training for almost a month with Juvenil B and is studying as a freshman in La Masia. (that's him in the middle) Ferran Martínez Barcelona Redactor Ben Lederman está cerca de regresar al FC Barcelona. El jugador estadounidense levantó la liebre este sábado, cuando colgó en Twitter una fotografía presenciando el partido del Juvenil B ante el Mataró (4-0) junto a Labinot Kabashi, Imad El Kabbou, Lucas de Vega y Arnau Comas, miembros de la plantilla de Quique Álvarez. Ben Lederman is close to returning to FC Barcelona. The American midfielder made news on Saturday when he posted on twitter a picture of himself at the Juvenil B game with Mataró (4-0) together with Labinot Kabashi, Imad El Kabbou, Lucas de Vega y Arnau Comas, members of Quique Alvarez' squad. No se trata de una visita de cortesía. Ben Lederman está pendiente de resolver algunos asuntos burocráticos que le permitirían volver a jugar con la elástica azulgrana en enero. Concretamente, Lederman está tramitando el pasaporte polaco. De esta manera, a sus 16 años y con nacionalidad europea, podrá ser inscrito en el Juvenil B del Barça una vez se abra el próximo mercado de invierno. We're not talking about a friendly visit, either. Ben Lederman is close to finalizing some bureaucratic matters that will allow him to play again with the elastic blue and garnet in January. Specifically, Lederman is getting a Polish passport. In this way, at the age of 16 and with European nationality, he will be able to be registered in the Juvenil B of Barça once the next winter market opens. A día de hoy todo parece bastante encarrilado. Tanto, que Ben ya vuelve a vivir en Barcelona junto a su familia y desde la semana del 10 de octubre se entrena a las órdenes de Quique Álvarez, integrado plenamente en la disciplina del Juvenil B azulgrana. No solo eso, Lederman estudia en La Masia. El joven norteamericano nacido en Los Ángeles cursa primero de bachillerato en la academia culé. Cada tarde, de 15 a 20 horas, recibe sus clases junto a otros compañeros de su equipo. As of today everything seems quite on track. So much so, that Ben has already returned to live in Barcelona with his family and since the week of October 10, he is training under the orders of Quique Álvarez, fully integrated in the routines of the Juvenil B. Not only that, Lederman studies in La Masia. The young American born in Los Angeles attends the first year of high school in the culé academy. Every afternoon, from 3 pm to 8 pm, he takes his classes with his teammates. Ben Lederman empezó en la cantera azulgrana a los 11 años, en categoría alevín. El Barça lo invitó a visitar La Masia después de verlo despuntar en California. El proyecto culé le convenció y tanto Ben como su familia se trasladaron a Barcelona. Todo iba bien, el centrocampista cumplía con las expectativas depositadas en él, hasta que en 2014 la sanción FIFA le impidió seguir jugando al fútbol en el Barcelona. Al ser americano sólo podía jugar en los EE.UU. “La FIFA está matando a mi hijo, él solo quiere jugar a fútbol”, dijo en una entrevista al New York Times Danny Lederman, padre del futbolista, que quiso llevar el caso hasta el TAS. Ben Lederman started in the Barca youth at age 11, in the juvenile category. Barca invited him to visit La Masia after seeing him take off in California. The culé project convinced him and both Ben and his family moved to Barcelona. All was well, the midfielder fulfilled the expectations placed on him, until in 2014 the FIFA sanction prevented him from continuing to play football in Barcelona. Being an American, he could only play in the USA. "FIFA is killing my son, he just wants to play football," Danny Lederman, the father of the soccer player, said in an interview with the New York Times that he wanted to take the case to the TAS.
Even if he never makes it at Barça, Ben will always have this: #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/f7rsKRUxzt— Ben Lederman (@Ben_Lederman10) December 3, 2016 I'm not sure why it's sideways.
A translation of the linked article: Patrice Soussi and Ben Lederman return to be players in FC Barcelona . The two players affected by the sanction imposed by FIFA in 2014, signed a contract with the club and join discipline Juvenil B once considered to be eligible to play according to the rules of the Statute and Transfer of players FIFA. Soussi, aged 18 years and Lederman, aged 16 and a naturalized citizen of the European Union, will train under the orders of Quique Alvarez and will hopefully be resolved paperwork and processing for federal listing play official matches.
However, if Lederman got his EU passport after discovering Polish roots then it's not really accurate to say he was naturalized, right?