That would be cool if he got good enough to play on the starting roster, or even sub. A local will always be a favorite .
That would certainly make for a good story (which the Merc may or may not decide carry, even if the Californian would). GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Uh yeah. Tell it to Ramiro Corrales, who won two MLS Cups for us. Some R-tard will start tossing rotten garbage at this post just because it includes his name.
Sorry i phrased the question wrong for you. I attended a few Frogs games the last couple of years and it seemed that A Smarte didn't have his heart in the game.
I didn't see any Frogs games, but that issue has been referenced several times over the last couple of days - including an indirect reference by Doyle. Obviously they're taking a chance on this kid. It's not clear to me why.
Even so, there are benefits to taking local players. The kids get paid squat... so if they already live in the area they may also have a part-time job or two they can keep; plus friends, relatives, etc. The kid can be more focused on trying to become a pro soccer player instead of trying to find living arrangements. (Probably nothing anyone didn't already know, but I'm bored and haven't posted in a while.)
For a newbie to post that kind of comment, he has to have some kind of agenda against the person he is posting about. So what is your agenda against Smarte? Smarte is probably the only Quakes draftee who has already scored a goal against a professional team in an official competition, as the Seattle Sounders and the current Earthquakes No. 2 keeper can attest: http://www.seattlesounders.net/cgi-bin/pressrelease.cgi?ID=291
I don't recall Smarte playing for the Frogs in 2007 though I admittedly didn't attend all matches. You might also note that he is not listed on the roster for last year. http://www.sjfrogs.com/Roster/index_E.html
Let's look at it from this angle: If this were in England, he should have been a real standout for the Frogs to make even the dev. roster. Let's pick two of my favorite clubs: Rochdale United (League Two) and Tottenham Hotspur (EPL). For a Rochdale player to make the Spurs roster or even train with them, he must be either: 1) a young prospect who is playing wayyy better than the people around him. Does anybody know if Smarte was a standout at Frogs or UCSC? 2) a proven scorer or organizer that is brought in the time of an emergency or desperate need (due to injuries or miscalculations).
He certainly has two things going for him: 1) He is damn fast. You can't teach speed. 2) He is young for a four-year college player-- 20 and won't turn 21 until May. This means he should be relatively more teachable/coachable and he has plenty of years of developmental roster eligibility (five years worth-- not that anyone should remain as an MLS developmental player for five years).