YNT-eligible lower-division pro players: 2018/19 Offseason thread

Orlando City B signed Jordan Bender, a 2001 midfielder.

https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/...-youth-national-team-midfielder-jordan-bender


D.J. Taylor re-signed with North Carolina FC.

Sebastien Des Pres signed with Orange County SC.

 

Didn't Orlando get rid of their reserve team or are they returning?

 

They're returning. I've read that there will be another signing from the academy but not sure who it will be

 

NEWS: Orlando City B Signs U.S. Youth National Team Forward Luc Granitur.

📰 https://t.co/rv5ZOHIBSQ#NextGenOC

— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) November 16, 2018

 

Good stuff. That's exactly what should be happening.

On a tangential note, does anyone keep track of these USL signings for youth players? I'd like to see a list of how many players are on pro USL contracts but are eligible for YNT games. From a quick count, I see:

Selmir Miscic
Wilson Harris
Aaron Cervantes
Roberto Hategan
Ethan Bryant
Eric Lopez
Harold Hansen
Alex Ocampo-Chavez
Danny Robles
Danny Leyva
Alec Diaz
Marlon Vargas
Ray Serrano
Sam Rogers
Azriel Gonzalez
Carlos Avilez
Jordan Bender
Luc Granitur

I'm curious if there's anyone else.

 

There are going to be a ton this coming year because many 97s will be done with college and moving into the pros at various levels.

 

98 Sebastien Des Pres signs with Orange County.

https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/news_article/show/966924

Odd fact. With Des Pres at OC and Christian Herrera at Swope Park, there are more RSL academy graduates playing for other USL teams than there are playing for the Monarchs.

 

And so it begins...…………

FC Dallas’ @USLLeagueOne team will hold two sessions of tryouts in the coming weeks in an effort to expand its recruiting pool and discover potential players for the upcoming season. https://t.co/msgiajuwZW

— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) November 27, 2018

 

With all of these soccer specific stadiums being built in USL - some nice, some basic - the league is becoming a more attractive and stable place for a young player to play in and possibly, in the future, make a decent living.

Louisville City's new stadium will seat 11,300 and looks like it will be a very nice USL level stadium in what is becoming an extremely nice part of town. The team very well could become an important part of the local culture once the stadium opens and that is the type of environment that you want young players playing in.

https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/971902

It is also the kind of example that you want other owners learning from and following in order to keep up. What happened in MLS, stadium-wise appears to be happening in USL. Awesome.

 

Love reading about stuff like this and further evidence of the continued growth of the sport here. Nicer stadiums lead to a nicer fan experience and better overall economics, which leads to the team being able to spend more money to improve the quality of the players, coaching staff and youth initiatives. Also important in getting more people in local markets engaged in soccer in general, and by extension the national team.

Very encouraging that it's happening in the lower divisions and not just at the MLS level. Well done Louisville!

 

I wouldn’t mind USL emerging in this way in communities in a lot of the underserved, sports-oriented states like Mississippi, Arkansas, Nebraska, etc. That is how you become a national pastime. For USL, and professional soccer in general, it appears to be stadium by stadium.

Little Rock, Omaha, Jackson - I hope you’re ready!

 

I wasn't sure where to post this, but this is an interview with LAG II coach Mike Munoz.

Check out @thebgnfm’s Tweet:

Time for an all new You Play We Don't from @theUSLshow featuring @MikeEMunoz, head coach of @LAGalaxyII!!! It's a great conversation covering everything from Galaxy standouts, to youth national teams, and more. Go check it out: https://t.co/lD686KXCU4 pic.twitter.com/XdJWBCLU3m

— Beautiful Game Network (@thebgnfm) November 29, 2018

 

pic.twitter.com/VmU4bD167P

— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) December 3, 2018

 

By the way, rumor has it that the name WILL NOT be FCD2.
It will have its own brand.

I smell FC Frisco!

 

don't understand the reasoning behind taking a different name from your first team. You are a first team feeder club and no reason to distance yourself from that in my view. (other clubs do it to but just don't see the need)

The FCD Brand can't get 6K in the stands for a playoff game so not sure a USL team will be able to do much in the way of fans or branding no matter what they call themselves. Hopefully the tickets for these games are free or at a very reduced rate like general admission for $5 to $10 or I could see the only fans being the parents of these young HG players from the academy.

I would like to see this team be marketed as the future FCD first team players and be an open atmosphere of free or very cheap entry and let them make money off concessions. Also hope the play some games at the Cotton bowl or in south dallas to bring the FCD name south of Dallas and out of the suburbs.

 

I don't think it really matters one way or the other what the name is. Real Monarchs and Swope Park Rangers do fine. The important aspect will be regarding how the team is used to develop young players. The Cotton Bowl? NYRB2, LAG2, and Swope Park Rangers averaged 1000 or less fans per game, and FCD2 (or whatever it'll be called) will be a division below that. I do encourage the team to play games around DFW to expand the team's footprint, but let's have some realistic expectations. I doubt they even play their games at Toyota Stadium, but in one of the outer fields fitted with some bleachers. An attendance of 500 fans per game is probably the best we can hope for. Friends and families...………………..

BTW, here's a column from yesterday with a hypothetical USL lineup for FCD this spring. In order to do this exercise the author had to make a lot of assumptions regarding HG contracts to NCAA players, academy players, etc...……...which is fine. Its all hypothetical at this point. I don't agree with some of those assumptions...………………….

A hypothetical #FCDallas USL game day roster https://t.co/QP8yQ4E7XS let the speculation begin!!

— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) December 3, 2018