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

Very good player, IMO.

 

Again, it seems to be becoming a common theme that the only players who are willing to sign USL deals are young hispanic players. Albeit a stereotype, it seems like a USL contract is becoming an option over college for low-income players.

 

Of the 13 01s and 02s signed to either MLS or USL teams, all but one are black or Latinx.

This is part of a greater trend. Look at the US players who either skip college or leave early to go pro, and most of them are either black, Hispanic or immigrants or the children of immigrants. Or a combination thereof.

Most of the players in MLS who played four years of college soccer are white.

 

I am painting with a broad brush, but all most all white players come from backgrounds where the family puts a premium on college and doesn't need money from their children to improve their situation.

I think that precludes many of them from taking a USL deal. They would rather go to college at this point. I wouldn't be surprise if that starts to change because their is a perception now that is spreading that college soccer is bad for development, leads to injuries due to compressed schedule and subsequently the player is falling behind by playing it.

I think MLS contracts are different and a player from any race or background will sign it at roughly the same percentage. USL contracts that lack both the prestige and monetary windfalls of MLS deals will skew lower-SES.

 

Very young lineup for Sounders 2, most notably Gonzalez, Malone, and Serrano. Azriel contributed to their first goal.

Introducing your Sounders FC 2 Starting XI for tonight’s match against @RealMonarchs. pic.twitter.com/bjcO6niRRb

— Tacoma Defiance (@TACdefiance) April 12, 2018

 

Here's a fun way of looking at that.
---------------88------------
01------------95---------02
-----00---------------00----
99-----93----------01---93
---------------89-------------

And that's with '99 Rogers, a usual starter, on the bench alongside '00 Fowler, who has played for this team this year. '00s Threadgold and Brisco have appeared also, as have '99s Rudy Stretch and now full-time first teamer Handwalla Bwana. They also just signed '02 USYNTer Ocampo-Chavez.

I mean, I don't know if any of these guys are top level prospects, but I'm glad Seattle is showing this ludicrous amount of commitment to their academy.

As an aside, this is exactly what Dallas should be doing with their USL team next year. There's too much talent in their academy to not have their whole USL team be from the academy. Seattle has the right idea here.

 

Is that official?

 

Ledezma made his debut:

82' - SUB:

In: Ledezma
Out: Kacher

— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) April 12, 2018

Congratulations to Richard Ledezma on his professional debut at 17 years old ⚽️ Im 10 years older than him even tho I look likeq a baby 😂 Massive win in Seattle tonite and thankful for the assist ⚽️ 4 wins in a row to start the season 🤙🏼#RealMonarchs #USL #Blessed pic.twitter.com/yTWqcogFqJ

— Sebastian Velasquez (@TiaN_Futbol) April 12, 2018

 

As the main conductor of Richie's hype train, I support @zlebmada shoveling coal into the furnace.

Ledezma is quickly becoming one of the top US prospects. Watch out. Played the 6 for Tab Ramos at the U20 camp in Spain and was a revelation. Looked ready for professional soccer last night in his debut for #RealMonarchs, slotted out on the wing for 10 minutes. https://t.co/EOC7qFegFR

— scuffed (@scuffedpod) April 12, 2018

Also, Sebastian Soto should be next, considering he has *checks stats* 34 goals in 21 games for the U19s.

 

Ledezma is playing as an academy player, still, right? He hasn't signed with RSL or Royal Monarchs yet, correct?

 

Justin Vom Steeg, Hugo Arrellano and Ethan Zubak all started for LA Galaxy 2 in a 1-0 loss to Phoenix Rising last night. Ulysses Lanez played the second half.

Collin Fernandez started for Phoenix.

 

Correct, although I wouldn't be surprised to see him get an MLS/USL deal soon. Once he learns how to play with adults, he has all the tools to succeed in a Jona Gonzalez role.

He's literally on the same path right now. I'm not saying that Richie is going to be in the MLS best XI next year, but he's technical defensive mid that the youth teams use at winger. Just needs to work on his defensive positioning and ball winning and he's a really good prospect.

 

As far as I know.......................not official.
FCD brass (Hunt, Clavijo, Pareja) have alluded to it repeatedly.

https://www.fcdallas.com/post/2017/...espn-soccer-today-talk-hall-fame-usl-team-and

“The partnership in Oklahoma City has been good, but it’s also been a bit of a challenge…we’re bringing players back and forth, and that’s not fair to that organization too because they need to train players all week,” Hunt told the show. “We believe that having a USL team is key to our ongoing success and so we have been working on that I would say we’re much further down the road. It’s not just bringing a USL team, it’s talking venue too and whether Toyota Stadium is the right place or somewhere else in the Metroplex.”

With even more Homegrown talent on the horizon, it’s something that needs to happen sooner rather than later.

“We’re really at this tipping point of having young players, or professionals come through in mass quantity. We’ve been projecting out with our 16s and 14s teams in our academy system and a couple of those teams have as many as 8 to 10 young men we project to be professional soccer players,” Hunt said. “We’re going to wind up taking a big step in USL, it’s just a matter of where we’re going to have that team. We’re there.”

 

Those are pretty strong words from Hunt. And that's from 2017. So surely they will finally have a USL team in 2018. Wait what year is it now?

 

'01 Gonzales scores the game winner for S2 -

How's that for your first professional goal? #OneOfOurOwn pic.twitter.com/Mqhm3CSqli

— Tacoma Defiance (@TACdefiance) April 15, 2018

 

Ocampo-Chavez was on the bench for Sounders 2. I don't know why he's not at the U-17 camp, if he's healthy. He's one of the best players on the team, and has played a big role so far this cycle.

 

What's the deal with Malone? He isn't as good as he looked at Adidas Cup?

 

I would love to find out that Seattle didn't release him because they wanted him for this S2 game. Give me a game against adult professionals over the India U17s any day.....................

 

Well, whatever the reasoning was, he didn't get into the S2 game.

 

Sure. And FCD wouldn't release Pomykal for the U20 camp because they wanted him on the first team roster. They didn't end up using him either.

Count me as somebody who has no problem with any MLS club rejecting a callup for a youngster because they want him on the gameday roster of an MLS or USL game.

[I don't actually know if that was the case here. I'm just sayin']

 

Where are you getting that from? Did he struggle in USL?

 

No, I just expected him to be called to NT. He looked like the best player on his Seattle team.

 

Malone is too old for the U17s