I am referring to the stadium. When did they replace the turf at the Starfire stadium? When I was there in 2010 it was rubbish. They had a beautiful turf field (it was clearly brand new) at the back of the park next to the Sounders grass pitches - which were also stunning!
June/July time frame. http://blog.thenewstribune.com/soccer/2010/07/06/new-turf-installed-at-starfire-stadium/
Esteban "Stevie" Rodriquez was turned down for a HG contract with Chivas USA and signed with Club Tijuana instead. Chivas USA Academy Director Teddy Chronopolous isn't happy: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/play...733/Esteban-Rodriguez-signs-with-Club-Tijuana "In an exclusive statement to TopDrawerSoccer.com, Chivas USA Academy Director Teddy Chronopolous conveyed frustration both with Rodriguez for leaving the Academy and the obstacles that prevent clubs from signing Academy players to Home Grown contracts. 'Chivas USA has invested a lot of resources into Esteban and we are disappointed with his decision to move elsewhere,' said Chronopolous in the statement issued on Wednesday." harvcat did some twitter research, contacting the author, and posted in the Youth National Team thread on "Post U17WC player destinations" but it seemed particularly relevant here: https://twitter.com/#!/JREskilson/status/165354525459353600
I imagine more HG player requests have been turned down than we realize. Stevie is undoubtedly a weird case. If we combine the fact that former Cosmos West player Iraheta was handed to ChivasUSA, and Villarreal was accepted as a Galaxy HG before a year's worth of service.............it's hard to understand why Stevie would get turned down. What makes Stevie unique in this case is that he's a former Bradenton player. If we assume that training with Cosmos West pre-merger doesn't count as training time with ChivasUSA (somehow ignore the Iraheta case)................then what the league is saying is that Stevie Rodriguez was identified and developed by Cosmos West and Bradenton, not ChivasUSA. He's been there for mere months (ignore the case of Villarreal).
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/play...-Grown-rule-is-not-for-your-eyes?desktop=true On Homegrown list/requirements: "You can put them on the list, but that is just a placeholder, and for the sake of clarity, to let everyone know that this kid is part of our program," said Lagerwey. "But he is not eligible until he completes the training, which is effectively a year - the exact wording is 80 training days, which includes games, practices, and team functions."
Rumors continue to intensify that San Jose is about to sign their first homegrown. http://www.centerlinesoccer.com/san...regular-season-opener-just-over-a-month-away/ After being released by the Earthquakes Tuesday afternoon, goalkeeper Chris Blais took to Twitter to say goodbye to San Jose fans. He also mentioned that he was cut to make room for a homegrown goalkeeper signing. While team officials couldn’t comment on that possibility, the contract status of the two likely Academy graduates that Blais may have been referring to was clarified. Jesus Guzman, the 2011 U.S. U-17/18 Development Academy Goalkeeper of the Year as a member of the Earthquakes Academy, has spent the better part of the last six months training with Mexican Primera side Santos Laguna and has signed a deal with their developmental squad. Meanwhile, Kendall McIntosh, a standout goalkeeper for the U.S. Youth National Team in 2011’s U-17 World Cup, is currently enrolled at Santa Clara University. Of the two, McIntosh appears to be the only goalkeeping candidate that might possibly be signed by the San Jose Earthquakes to a home-grown player deal.
More on another possible Homegrown for the Galaxy: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/...-homegrown-player-andy-johnson-houston-020912 What is the biggest signing the LA Galaxy didn’t make this winter? It was the attempted signing of Homegrown Player Gyasi Zardes. The CSU-Bakersfield striker was one of the best college players in the nation and was considered by some to be the best pro prospect. The Galaxy saw enough in the goal scorer to offer him a $100,000-per-year contract only to have the offer rejected. Zardes is planning to return to CSU-Bakersfield in the fall, but his future professional options are very much up in the air. Sources tell FOX Soccer that Zardes was looking for a contract closer to $200,000-per-year, an unprecedented amount for an MLS Homegrown signing, and a figure that only Philadelphia Union forward Danny Mwanga has managed to secure as a rookie. The next paragraph is interesting so I might as well add that: If Zardes was hoping to cut ties with the Galaxy in the hope of landing a big-money Generation adidas contract while entering the draft, he will have to consider a different avenue to the pros. Sources say the league would not sign Zardes as a Generation adidas player for the 2013 MLS Draft, even if Zardes no longer trained with the Galaxy and cut all ties with the club. The league has no interest in having homegrown players passing on solid team offers in order to grab one Generation adidas contract (and this situation surely helped MLS solidify its new strategy of closing the gap between Generation adidas contracts and Homegrown Player contracts).
Good for MLS to stiff him on the GA option if he turned down a LAG contract. This kid, if the reports are true, just sounds like the nonsense Manchester United tossed aside in the version of Ravel Morrison. Unproven kids demanding coin. Ridiculous.
Another potential HG is Christian Hernandez (2011 U18 academy player of the year) who is in camp with the Union.
Now this is the discussion I'm looking for! Other rumors bandied about: Chivas USA: Word is Dalgado and Spencer may get offers. Spencer may not be eligible for Chivas USA, but rather RSL. RSL: Players in camp. Jordan Allen and Maikon Orellana (SP?) probably high on list) FC Dallas: No rumors to the effect, but have to think Garcia and Acosta considered. DC United: I believe Collin Martin has been discussed a couple of times as a signing, largely as he seems to be looking to go pro, whether in US or Europe. I'm sure there are more, those are just the names I've accumulated from various sources outside those listed above.
Maikon Orrellano is an interesting case. I thought he was the best RSL player during the Dallas Cup match I saw against Tigres. National signing day came and went, and he didn't commit to a school (as far as I know.) He's one of the few top rated "ESPN 150" 2012's that didn't. Christian Hernandez, the possible Union homegrown mentioned above, didn't either. My gut tells me Daniel Garcia will be go to the NCAAs, not sign a homegrown contract right away with FCD. He's committed to UNC. The next FCD homegrowns will probably come after the next NCAA season when they pick up London Woodberry (Maryland fullback) or Boyd Okwuono (UNC centerback). Just a gut feeling. Acosta's a 2013, so still has another year to go before needing to make that decision. As does Jordan Allen of RSL. (Although both have already verbally committed to NCAA schools in Maryland and Virginia) I could see Acosta getting poached from the FCD academy like Emerson Hyndman was. He's already been on one trip to train in Germany. Freiburg I think it was..................
RSL had Jordan Allen and Carlos Salcedo in camp. Orellana was with the El Salvador U23s. Salcedo is playing in RSL's scrimmage today.
My bet is he'll be signed by mid-summer. He's been in RSL's sights for over a year, and played in most of their reserve matches last season. I've talked to him a few times and don't think he's interested in the college route, but wants to sign professionally.
For performance or behavior reasons? Seems harsh to sign a kid after one year of college and then let him go a year later when he has no eligibility left.
^that's the decision the kid made when he decided to try his hand at pro soccer. His options now are still plenty. There are leagues such as USL Pro, NASL, or various overseas leagues he could go to. Or he could simply go back to university as everyone else does and pay however he can - or start a career in field or another. RSL has no such requirement to "feel pity" and keep someone if they aren't good enough.
Talking to Donny - he didn't like school and it didn't sound like he was going back whether RSL was involved or not. His release was about performance. They tried to convert him to left back. He seemed to be doing okay, but they brought in some guys at that spot this year that they apparently liked better - more naturally suited for that position. They tried him at forward this preseason, but I guess that just wasn't in the cards.
I think MLS clubs were pressured to sign homegrowns by the league office before last season. Kids like Donny Toia and Francisco Navas Cobo never seemed good enough to. It wouldn't shock me if we some more homegrown cuts on the way. FCD signed Bryan Leyva to a contrct in 2009, and he still has only made one appearance for them. I think it was ~13 minutes of garbage time. How much longer is he going to stick around? As time goes on, MLS clubs will get better at determining what kinds of youth players are worthy of homegrown contracts. There's no point signing an average youth player to a homegrown contract as simple roster filler.
Good point. If you're pressured into only signing young players that are the best in your youth team as opposed to the best in the country, you're going to have these type situations.
I don't know about Navas Cobo, but that wasn't the case with Toia. RSL had been looking to sign him for a couple of years, but he turned them down until last season.