Offseason's moving along. Training camp starts in a couple of weeks. Let's talk about some MLS flavors.
Lots of questions this year. Will K Acosta and Adams move abroad? Will Roldan and Mihalovic continue to take steps forward? Will young guys like Carleton, Goslin, Durkin, Sands, Pomykal, Ferriera, M Farfan etc actually receive tangible opportunities for playing time? Will the influx of foreigners with TAM and DTAM take opportunities away from US players in the league? Will Bitcoin and Ripple continue to rise? So many questions
Same question I had last season. Will our younger players who are a more talented generation than the mid 20's/early 30's players get the playing time they need to develop further?
I'm excited for this season. I'm excited to see which young Americans can rise to the top of their clubs and earn their playing time. Not so long ago, young Americans were given chances because there was no one else, talent-wise, to stop them. Now, they have to earn their spot and continue to train and learn against solid talent from other nations. Also, MLS youth have the pressure from young yanks abroad who are establishing themselves in the Bundesliga, Liga MX, La Liga, and Primeira Liga (to name a few off the top of my head). If the goal is to make the USMNT, to get a chance abroad, to play in the World Cup, these 16-24 year olds are going to have to show a lot of fight in MLS. I'm excited to see if they have it.
for this season i hope- -Adams bosses MIDFIELD for rbny, and gets sold in the summer to a bundesliga club -carleton not attend any usynt camps, and try to be a viable bench option- especially is almiron gets sold -Mihalovic recover fast, and homegrown cam lindley get minutes -Steffen and Gonzalez battle for best MLS keeper -Dallas to actually play their young players -Roldan and/or Delgado emerge as a summer transfer target -durkin and sands to get minutes
Will there be more US-eligible teenagers that earn significant MLS playing time in 2018 than there were in 2017? In 2017, I can only think of 5 - Brooks Lennon, Danilo Acosta, Tyler Adams, Brandon Vazquez, and Djordje Mihailovic - of whom, only the last 3 will remain teenagers at the start of the 2018 season.
might as well get this show on the road. With the draft's increasing irrelevance, I think Hillard-Arce at the Galaxy is probably the only guy that has a chance to go in and start immediately thats a US citizen, thereby making him a flavor.
Already created this one. Here it is: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/mls-flavors-of-the-week-2018-edition.2080204/#post-36208195 @bungadiri or @Real Corona, can we merge these 2 threads? Thanks!
Seriously? There is zero chance of any one "drafted" today that will be in the National Team picture for at least the next 2 years.
With so many domesticc NCAA players going the homegrown route.........................the draft has become significantly influenced by the foreign players. If players like Cam Lindley and Marcinkowski were available in the draft, they would have gone in the 1st round.
Can someone take a stab all of the draft eligible HG's and show how the draft would have fared had they been in it?
Not surprising really. Especially with the acquisition of Barco. Could Carleton get more minutes elsewhere in MLS? Tata on Carleton and Goslin: “Goslin will see a lot of time with the second team. Carleton could earn minutes with both teams.”— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) January 22, 2018
Carleton is 17. If he earns minutes with both teams as Tata suggests, then that would be meeting expectations.
There are as many American teens receiving significant minutes in the Bundesliga as MLS, and if Sargent were eligible it'd be more. There's no rationalization that's anywhere close to justified. MLS is a couple levels below the Bundesliga, are positioned to vacuum up disproportionate Americans, should have a built-in incentive to develop them, and Carleton is a blue-chip talent in the U.S. system. Going up and down between the reserves and 1st team where he comes off the bench for spot minutes is simply unacceptable. People who accept this practice are doing the sport in this country a disservice.
Carleton is 17. He's going to see first team playing time as per Tata above. How about we wait until the season actually gets underway before bitching about it?
The question would then be are the ones there better than the ones in MLS. If you switched them would the minutes stay with the league or player?
Doyle ranks top 10 and puts RSL 6 and says "thought they were the West's best team after Justen Glad got healthy, but when your form is so reliant upon one player that's kind of a red flag. They've addressed that by adding meaningful depth all over the backline, and hit their biggest need by picking up Spanish No. 9 Alfredo Ortuño. Truth is, sixth might be too low for RSL." Wonder who will get more minutes against Bosnia, Opara because he has "earned" it per MLS soccer site or Glad who is one of our best hopes for the future.
That's not the question, because as pointed out the Bundesliga is the much better league, while MLS houses exponentially more American prospects.
I don't even think the abroad prospects are better than the MLS prospects. I think there are different strengths and weaknesses in the abroad pool and the MLS pool. Domestic: GK: Vom Steeg, Marcinkowski, Garces DF: Cannon, Lindsey, Glad, Redding, Robinson, Trusty, Acosta, Farfan MF: Adams, Durkin, Sands, Goslin, Mihailovic, Carleton, Pomykal, Lennon, Lewis, Kunga FW: Ebobisse, Vazquez Abroad: GK: Klinsmann, Scott, Austin DF: Fossey, Olosunde, EPB, CCV, Dest, Esparza, A. Robinson MF: McKennie, Scott, Zelalem, Parks, Torres, Pulisic, Perez, Amon, Akale, Taitague FW: Wright, Sargent, Weah You also have to consider that some of the abroad players haven't lived in the USA or started in MLS and moved abroad.
I don't expect younger players to get serious minutes. As there is no incentive to have young American stars in MLS post Donovan.
I don't know. I feel like they hyped the heck out of Morris when he came into the league, but maybe that was a unique situation...wanted by the Bundesliga and already getting USMNT caps while in college. I can't really think of any other young American players who've gotten that sort of push from the MLS marketing people recently.
The incentive to play young Americans is that they are generally cheaper than imports; however, teams are not going lower their competitive standards more than budgets necessitate. Donovan won the U-17 World Cup's Golden Ball and World Cup's Young Player of the Tournament. Performance, rather than marketing needs, likely earned him early MLS minutes.
that wouldn't happen in today's MLS. EPB was in the running for a Best of Tournament award for U20's and KC refused to play him. The one getting minutes and all the media hype is the guy who did the least on that team, Adams. The Donovan policy was a winner. He drove attention to the league when it needed it. Today's policy seems intended to dispirit people and drive them away from soccer stadiums.