You guys obviously know your stuff here, so I was wondering the following: 1. How does the MLS Supplemental Draft work, and how does it relate to the SuperDraft? 2. How does the Generation adidas program work? How long can a player be a member of GA? Thanks in advance!
Here's some rough answers. Im sure other people can help with the specifics. 1. I'm not sure about it's prior purpose, but right now the supplemental draft is just another four round draft a week or two after the superdraft. 2. GA players are signed before their senior year ensuring they stay in the league for a few years instead of going overseas. The GA players don't count on a team's senior roster for a certain number of years after they are picked.
1. I don't think it was introduced until the roster was expanded for the reserves. The draft was originally 6 rounds. 2. GA's also make a lot more then the other draft picks.
The supplemental draft is for all intents and purposes Rounds 5-8 of an 8 Round draft. It just happens a coulple of days after Rounds 1-4 and may, IIRC, be done by conference call rather than in a formal setting. The GenA players are college undercalssmen or U-17/U-20's that MLS signs (I believe at the request of at least one team) to contracts that pay better than regular Developmental Roster slots but nevertheless are still part of the Developmental Roster. Think of them as a way to get players you/MLS think will be Senior Roster quality but will have the advantage of being Salary Cap & Senior Roster exempt. Players also are promised scholarship help to go back to school if their pro career doesn't pan out. As for how long they last? It's a bit of a gray area. I believe they run until age 24 at maximum, however MLS will graduate players to the senior roster based on performance. For example Parkhurst signed a GenA contract, but after playing every game in 2005 he was bumoed to the senior roster last year. Willie Sims on the other hand also signed a GA contract, but played sparingly so he is still on that deal this year. Edit: Damn that was some pile on. That's what I get for tyoing so slow.
The perfect thread for me! Are jersey numbers pretty much pick whatever number you like if no one else has it..or is there some tradition associated with certain numbers? For example I've heard it said that the USNT needs a "true #10" Are they talking about someone who does/used to wear that number or is it reserved for a certain type of player?
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but it used to be associated with positions on the field. So the GK is usually #1, CM is #10 etc. Pepe's the closest thing we've had to a #10 on this team the last few years. We're not sure if we currently have one for 85 days from today.
A #10 is traditionally a central midfielder who is the main playmaker. A #9 is usually referred to as the striker/goal scorer. Players on club teams can choose whatever numbers they like....National Team players are numbered in order 1-24 or however many are allowed on the roster for that match...
If I remember correctly it was initially based off of a standard 433. So numbers assigned by position as: -9---10----11 -6----7-----8 2---3---4---5 ------1 then most switched to a 442 moving the "10" back into a creative midfield role. Thus assigning numbers as: ---9-----11 -----10 6-----7------8 2---3---4---5 ------1 hence 9,11 are your forward and 10 is the attacking/creative midfielder.
Try the really old 2-3-5. --------1-------- ----2-------3---- -4------5------6- 7---8---9--10-11 The front 5 typically morphed into an "M" ----8------10--- -7------9-----11 so the #10 was a withdrawn forward who looked more like a midfielder.
When I was playing 11/12 year old soccer in the late 70s, my coach played a 2-3-5 - which was the formation of favor when he was young. 7 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 2 3 1 That would agree with Wiki which indicates that wingers were typically 7 and 11. The central defender was 5. My friend, the coach's son, always wanted number 9. He was central forward and boy, could he score goals. Dan
Most of the more established leagues still try to hold to the tradition while others (including MLS obviously) do not. But, players who really strive to be great setup players usually strive to get the prized #10 shirt, just as those who aspire to be great scorers want the #9 (and goalkeepers the #1). And having a number <= 11 carries the "starter" prestige with it.
It's only been the last 20 or so years that "squad" numbers have come in to play at the club level. It used to be that whoever the starters were, they'd wear the 1-11 jerseys. The spare keeper would often wear 12 (notice how many keepers wear that # even now) and since 13 was unlucky, the subs would wear 14, 15 and 17. "Squad" numbers became more prevalent in International play, since there was a fixed roster for a tournament like the WC, and it was easier just to give each player a unique number. For some really weird reason, the Dutch keeper, Youngbloed, wore #8 at the 1974 World Cup. Believe it or not, that bastion of soccer traditionalism and purity in Central Ohio had the Crew keepers both being assigned to the jerseys 1 and 33. Whoever started would wear #1 and the other guy would wear #33, regardless of which keeper it was.
Same time period and age for me, but ours was more of a 3-3-4 or 3-2-5, I think for the same reason. My coach was Indian, don't know how he ended up being more of a soccer player than a cricket player.
Is Houston going to wear that scudetto thing this coming season or you think in all this SuperLiga Beckham Mania they already forgot about it?
I'd imagine they still are, along with the silver ball thing. Someone in Houston said they will be selling replicas with the wordmark and the authentic jersies will have the sponsor's logo and scudetto. I'm actually expecting the Revs to only sell authentic kits with a sponsor logo on it if they get one.
thats the formation i started off in, back in 75. two wingers, two Iners and a center forward. The worst kids on the team always played fullback. midfielders were halfbacks