YNT-eligible lower-division pro players: 2018 In-season thread

We need to see some of these players produced in lower leagues move onto MLS and the NT. How many countries around the world do all their best players come from only the first division clubs?

A country is not coming close to maximizing player development if the only league producing NT players is the first division.

 

Travis Clark mentioned that NYCFC has considered a USL team before. There were reports in late 2017 they wanted to have a team in Long Island by 2019. I’m sure Sands, Haak, and Scally would appreciate that.

 

Some already do or are affiliated with a local academy but this is encouraging.

Credit to @theUSLshow for flagging this, but a Louisville City FC exec apparently said this week that USL is going to eventually mandate that the league's clubs have academies https://t.co/3FVQ2TYb5V

— scuffed (@scuffedpod) July 25, 2018

 

Really excited about this, with the only caveat being that I don't want the cost of an academy to unduly stress USL teams that are barely economically viable now. If this can be done in an economically sustainable way then it'll really help in terms of coverage and should generate more prospects for the USL, MLS and the national team.

 

Most will probably just co-brand with existing academies in most cases like NCFC did with CASL in Raleigh. Nothing has really changed with CASL, but it is now called NCFC Academy.

A few more opportunities with the first team perhaps, but CASL players already did that on occasion, perhaps some more scholarships, etc., but not a huge change.

 

Note that the announcement didn't say anything about *free* academies...

 

Agreed. I did see some comments on Reddit saying that if they run it right, they could make their money back on their academy with the pay-to-play model being just right. Does that mean a lot of kids will be priced out? Sure. But I'd hope that the academies can maybe be pay-to-play to start and then become free as time goes on and for it to be more viable.

 

I believe the NCFC (formerly CASL) academy teams are free because their club has so many pay-for-play teams in the umbrella that it covers the costs for their DA teams. I wouldn't be shocked if some of the other non-MLS DA's with tons of boys and girls teams do the same.

 

Fair points. I'll consider it a relative improvement if:

1) They provide an opportunity for the most promising academy players to train and/or play with the first team (similar to Ethan Bryant at San Antonio). Good players need the ability to play-up and everyone would benefit from exposure to higher-level and more professional training.

2) Use their "professional" brand to improve the economics and visibility of youth development in their respective areas, which could help them offer more scholarships, provide better coaching and even subsidize the parent USL team.

 

This would have to be one of the differences between Division II and Division III clubs. I see the Division III as a more scaled down down league. Also, I would imagine that there would be huge differences in academy expectations from MLS. Honestly, running a minor league team is super tight financially. The vast majority of minor league teams lose money. I wouldn’t expect too much initially from this. It sounds good in theory.

The movie Slapshot was funny because most of the stories in it actually happened in real minor league hockey. A lot of Bull Durham was based on real minor league baseball characters. Luke LaLuche was based on a guy who came up through the Orioles system. Minor league sports can be a wild ride. I wouldn’t look to minor league soccer to build our national academy system. It is great that USL is finding success lately, but most clubs are hustling just to meet payroll. It is great league for 18 - 23 year olds who need a higher level than college, though.

 

The reddit comments talk about how the academies actually help the USL teams since they aren't free. I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to that.

Pricey academies > No academies, and they can always provide scholarships for players they actually see as pros.

 

In the AUFC2 match Miles Robinson and Lagos Kunga played 90 while Will Crain, Goslin, and Kissiedou (who probably isn't USYNT eligible but whatever) all came off the bench. And just from a cursory glance at the stats from the game, Kunga had 5 key passes(!) in the game, yet they could not score any on the night.

 

All these non-MLS Acadamies at least break-even, so a USL Academy run the same way should as well.

FCD makes plenty of coin off their Academy despite spending a ton on travel and tournaments for a DA level that is free. You have hundreds of players paying on other teams including a huge girls program and you can make money.

 

No Uly Llanez or Alex Mendez for LAG2's game against T2.

#LosDos XI: Vom Steeg; Requejo, Traore, Hilliard-Arce, Zanga; Vera, Acheampong, Alvarez, Aguilar; Dhillon, Zubak (c) | #LAvPOR pic.twitter.com/tsdocYCa3G

— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) July 28, 2018

Are both players still trialing in Germany?

 

Many top players from USL do move up to MLS. The problem is not enough of them get serious minutes in MLS after they do. But then maybe they're not good enough and they shouldn't be getting those minutes, depends on the talent gap between the two leagues... Dom Dwyer's USL success translated to MLS, but is Dane Kelly not getting a fair chance or simply not good enough?

 

Either there or the U19 tournament in Norco.

 

Servania starts for Tulsa again.

 

Ethan Bryant played started and went 82 for San Antonio today, this is an interesting one.

 

so... just like every other Atl 2 game this season?

 

Garces isn't in the lineup or on the bench for ATL2. Does that mean he's trialing somewhere or has UCLA preseason started up already? He turns 18 in late August.

Diego Lopez got his first minutes, too.

 

As did two Atlanta academy players, Dylan Gaither and Victor Pereyra-Zavala. Goslin, Kunga, and Samuel started, though Samuel came off very early with an injury (hence Gaither playing 82 minutes).

Brenden Aaronson started at the #10 for Bethlehem, played 90, and had a goal and an assist. He's an '00 committed to Indiana, but he has one more year of HS left. No Real, Fontana, or Jones for some reason.

 

By the way, Tulsa is strug-ga-ling.

They are the worst independent USL team by quite a margin. One win all season............

That was a big and important win for San Antonio. They beat OKC energy 2-1, who were on an 8 game unbeaten run.

San Antonio's goals were scored by former USYNTer Mikey Lopez and former Mexican YNTer Ever Guzman. I think Guzman was a member of that Mexico U17 team that won the title in 2005.

I personally think San Antonio should be an MLS market. But once the league goes to Austin (if they go to Austin), then that's probably out the window.

 

Yes, it's very much a different group.

NPSL Chattanooga's owner is not interested in USL. If he were interested, CFC would be in USL already, I think.