San Jose Earthquakes Academy is on its way!

Morton wasn't signed by the Quakes to a homegrown contract, but was just added to the combine:

https://www.prosoccerusa.com/other/mls-player-combine-begins-in-orlando/

Also added to the Combine are seven college seniors – Luis Argudo (Wake Forest University), Alex Bumpus (University of Kentucky), Jose Carrera-Garcia (University of California), Diego Campos (Clemson University), Xavier Gomez (University of Nebraska Omaha), Josh Morton (University of California) and Thomas Vancaeyezeele (University of Charleston) – and youth International Issaka Nyemewero.

 

Former @QuakesAcademy defender Josh Morton added to the @MLS Player Combine roster, making it less likely that the #Quakes74 will offer the four-year starter at @CalMSoc a Homegrown Player contract. https://t.co/wJDpOf3qWS

— Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) January 11, 2018

Been told there is another homegrown contract on the table for an undisclosed player, though it's unlikely he will sign. #Quakes74 https://t.co/SZ8PMQ4IIY

— Joel Soria (@soriajoelfutbol) January 11, 2018

 

Having a successful development academy program that catches all the prospects in our area (Jonathan Gonzalez is from Santa Rosa and only had offers from Chivas USA and LigaMX clubs ) so we can turn them into successful first team players and then sell them on for big $$... that is the future of MLS.

History of MLS Clubs getting transfer fees over the last 15 years.

Some may think this is the start of MLS as a selling league. Maybe, maybe not. It wouldn't be the first year we had a few prospects go out for some cash. pic.twitter.com/3eIOzGFlep

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) January 26, 2018

Can confirm that Homegrown player sales now net @MLS teams 100% revenue share. Previously, teams received 75% percent. That means @impactmontreal will bank all of the fee from Ballou Tabla's transfer to @FCBarcelona. Positive step as league continues to evolve.

— Andrew Wiebe (@andrew_wiebe) January 26, 2018

 

Now that @MLS clubs get 100% of transfer fees for Homegrown players (with up to $750k in GAM), keeping track of all the HGs (104 presently) seems particularly important. Here they are: pic.twitter.com/8uL1tHyMmJ

— Steve Fenn //\\ Mast: StatHunting@skrimmage.com (@StatHunting) January 26, 2018

 

I listened to Grant Wahl’s podcast today, where Brian Strauss pointed out a problem with MLS selling players. Even if a team sells its players for a profit, the salary cap prevents them from plowing that back into getting better players. So you can only put the money into infrastructure or staff.

 

I don’t think there would be anything stopping them from spending it on a $10 million DP instead of a $2 million one.

 

Hmmm good point

 

Just reading that they can also “purchase” GAM. If it’s only $650K it’s not a lot, but it’s enough to matter.

 

I think a key point to remember is that these states of affairs last 6 months or less in MLS. They will change the rules again soon when either an Important Team (you know who you are) needs it or when the overall MLS ecosystem has adjusted to the current state. I don't mean this in a negative way, at least not the second part. If a few teams are finding themselves truly limited by this they will find a way to change it. If the number of teams is too few they may have a luxury-tax-type provision to try and maintain a rough competitive balance, if it is more general they'll just increase amounts across the board. Then they'll wait to see how it shakes out again.

 

Interactive...

https://public.tableau.com/profile/fennsk#!/vizhome/MLSHomegrowns/Dashboard1

( needs to be updated to add our fifth hgp)

 

Nice, we've gone from near last to at least mid-table in one full Jesse offseason.

 

NEWS: Earthquakes Launch Partners in Development Training Program

 

Earthquakes teen Homegrown acquisitions run deeper than signing a pair of gifted 15-year-olds

Aside from the once proposed 44-acre, $37 million academy complex, that has vanished from the lips of Quakes officials, Fioranelli and Co. have been ticking all the boxes​

So aside from the most important thing?

 

I think that was always going to be a long shot. The Guadalupe Gardens land is leased from the airport, not owned by the City, so there are a bunch of factors not in the Quakes' hands to control. I don't think that means the plan to build an academy complex is dead, only that they need to look for a proper location and it probably won't be next to Avaya.

 

Maybe they should build the academy in Fremont, Milpitas, Hayward or East Palo Alto.

 

The driving force to propose the academy site at Guadalupe Gardens was the Coleman Highline developers' desire to recapture the area nearly adjacent to Avaya Stadium allocated to future training fields and incorporate it into their mixed use development.

Mission accomplished. The impetus is gone, so the Academy facility with its sometimes publicly available soccer fields will wait even longer. How many years since voters passed the bond measure for public soccer fields? I think the vote was in the very early 2000's.

 

Yes, Measure P passed in the early 2000's to establish new park facilities and improve existing ones.
I read at one point that the Coleman Highline developers were having trouble leasing office space because prospective companies felt the site did not provide the security they needed. There was too much access, and the Quakes do have the right to use any parking on the site. Having the academy/public fields there just added to that pressure. I think they wanted the soccer complex out of there more to better market the site, rather than just coveting the land.
I did read recently that hi-tech company 8X8 recently signed a huge lease for the entire Building 1 at the site.
http://www.costar.com/News/Article/...in-Coleman-Highline-Development-for-HQ/197707

This article gives a glimpse of what else is coming to the site.
"8x8 (NYSE: EGHT) will consolidate its corporate headquarters at 2125 O'Nel Dr. in San Jose as well as a satellite office at 2665 N. First St., also in San Jose, at the 162,557-square-foot, five-story office building, an expanded space better able to accommodate the firm's anticipated growth.

8x8 is the first to commit to The City of San Jose's Coleman Highline project, which is being developed by Hunter Storm minutes from Avaya Stadium, the Caltrain-Santa Clara station and Santa Clara University on Coleman Ave. At full-build-out, the expansive campus will include 1,300 apartments, a hotel, more than 7,500 square feet of retail space, and dining highlighted by a Food Market Hall, in addition to 1.5 million square feet of office space."

8x8 is expected to take occupancy of it new space by early 2019.

 

Yeah, but sadly they would only occupy 64 square feet!

 

Measure passed in the year 2000, as in Y2K, before the Quakes' first MLS Cup, and the soccer fields should have been built even before the return of the Quakes in 2008.

 

Curiosity got the better of me about the Guadalupe Gardens site, apparently now dead.

"Ever wonder what happened to the plans to build a soccer complex on Coleman or at Guadalupe Gardens? Two years after agreeing to sell the Coleman land to the Earthquakes and pursue another site--there's nothing and staff will let council know later in 2018 what ideas they have. The official details follow."
https://www.facebook.com/SJParksAdv...540272531278/1998375357047764/?type=3&theater

An earlier update: https://www.facebook.com/SJParksAdv...829.1443540272531278/1927350954150205/?type=3 included:

"Plans for a Guadalupe Gardens soccer complex appear to be on hold. Because the site is an airport safety zone, Caltrans Airport Division issued a letter of opposition last spring which was announced at an Airport Commission meeting. Work on the first steps of an EIR has stopped. No public status report has gone to council."

 

I didn't feel all that great about that site, because it just seems like it's directly under the flight path. The proximity to Quakes stadium complex is great, but other than that, not ideal. They need to find a location though, this is ridiculous.

 

Wolff's iStar parcels in Edenvale is still empty. Since the City rezoned it for him to make him some money which he promised to plow into the stadium skin, he should use it now to build the facility since he and Fisher has reneged on the stadium skin, thereby dealing a low blow to San Jose taxpayers.

 

Considering it was rezoned residential, I would think that land is way too valuable to turn into a soccer complex.