The relocation cap must have been waived last year because the whole team needed to relocate. Certainly? (he posted, uncertainly.)
Looks like Sebastian Soto is likely to move up to the first team. Maybe he'll get a Bundesliga debut before the end of the season. Für #Wood und #Walace dürften laut #NP neben Chris Gloster auch die Jugendspieler Sebastian #Soto und Nikita #Marusenko in den Kader aufrücken. #h96— RedRevolution96 (@RedRevolution13) March 5, 2019 Hannover are almost certain to be relegated this year, but that may actually be OK for Soto. He may have more opportunities in the 2. Bundesliga.
Milan Iloski is one of the academy grads I keep an eye on. He was a star for our U19s, has played for a couple different YNTs, and has been a key player for UCLA for two years. He just signed with Ogden City SC: PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT #3!Milan Iloski (@milaniloski123) is a Sophomore at UCLA and played at the Real Salt Lake Academy. Last season he was named All-PAC-12 Honorable Mention and has competed with the U-19 and U-18 Men's National Team. Welcome Milan! pic.twitter.com/pl4XqeNGKw— Salt City SC (@SaltCitySC_USL) March 21, 2019 My understanding is that USL League Two is a semi-pro league so he's probably on an amateur contract, not sacrificing his NCAA eligibility.
Erik Virgen is much the same boat as Iloski. Standout for the academy teams, had a bunch of YNT callups, but no first team contract. He's at UNM and is also joining Ogden City. PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT #2Erik “Gallo” Virgen (@erikvirgen1) is a freshman at the University of New Mexico and has competed for the U.S. U-15 & U-18 national teams. Welcome Erik! pic.twitter.com/Wx0Oi4CQME— Salt City SC (@SaltCitySC_USL) March 28, 2019 Virgen and Iloski are both fun examples to use in case certain people say that there was a lull in academy talent the last couple of years.
And there's the Bundesliga debut for Sebastian Soto. Bundesliga debut for Sebastian Soto! pic.twitter.com/OOYf4YzuIo— scuffed (@scuffedpod) April 6, 2019 Apparently he forgot to spread the word... @Sebastian9Soto my bro 🤙🏼 congrats! Thanks for telling nobody that you were in the squad 😂😂😂😂🤦🏻♂️— Taylor Booth (@TBLaRoca23) April 6, 2019
I guess this is the right thread. MLS has announced its doing a 180 on its Solidarity Payments Policy and hot that impacts academy players. Basically MLS will now pursue claims against academy players who sign with foreign teams instead of the MLS club that trained them. This is a big deal. If anyone has a subscription to The Athletic, they have a good piece on it as far as I could read it. I was unable to read the entire story.
Did you get an idea if that means MLS clubs will be making solidarity payments to non-MLS academies when they sell players on? Edit: Nevermind. They will be. http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-le...ments-after-league-agrees-to-follow-fifa-rule
So now MLS clubs have an even bigger incentive to get all the good players into their academies. I wonder if this will also extend to the colleges? Will the colleges be entitled to payments when on of their players gets signed to an MLS contract?
This is the other important flip side of the policy. This helps RSL land the best players from their academies. It also might make younger foreign signings less appealing. Maybe in the future, a Savarino or Pablo Ruiz may be less attractive as a signing.