That's a separate issue to the ability of the league to develop players. CBs take longer to develop. Imo, a CB should leave at 18/19 or just put in 3-4 years in MLS to get at least 80 league games under the belt. Worked for Nelsen, Cameron, and Bocanegra. Miazga only had 34 league games. Left too soon. But he's still playing in a league that's significantly better than MLS. Academies are part of MLS. McKennie, Adams, Reyna, Davies, Yedlin, and Llanez are doing well, so far. That's solid track record for what is a fairly low level sport in the US.
I'd quibble with this part - DAs are about a combination of identification and development of talent and I'd argue that for the players who leave early, it's probably more about identification rather than development. Let me be clear that I'm happy to give MLS credit for it but I do think there's a world of difference between the credit deserved for Adams/Davies (full soup-to-nuts credit as they were able to step into a high level direct from playing as a senior in MLS) and the others on the list, who could be argued were correctly identified and then were mainly passing through.
Wonder if somebody could explain to me how Reyna is playing at Dortmund at 17 when Sargent could not sign a contract in BL til age 18 and Pulisic had to have his father residing with him in Germany when he played for Dortmund?
Good old EU passport. The Dortmund boys had one, Josh does not therefore has to be an adult to work in the EU. Pulisic’s dad was only there to help him live and transition to life there as he went at a younger age. Was not a requirement for him to have a parent there to be part of the youth teams.
Good point and one that needs to be looked at again. The rule was a good idea to address kids from poor countries that were brought in and abandoned if they didn't make it to the pros. Horror stories of homeless former players without enough money to go home. They should change the rule to allow kids well enough off or with perhaps parents or a guardian to be with them to go there at 16 like those with a Euro passport (what is the difference really between a 16 year old American with or without a Euro passport?).
fair enough - it was a general statement not meant to cover everyone. I love Weston (I’m the anti- @Excellency) but he’s more of an athlete and competitor right now than a tactical nous player. That being said, I do love his ability to shield and turn with the ball and I don’t think Schalke taught him that.
the three things USSF should push for are: what you mentioned Get MLS to remove home grown areas Allow Youth players to have some form of an out at around 19 years old on their first contract. Not one that screws MLS but just forces them to allow our rising players to move up the ladder as teenager (where there’s the most demand for them). The 3+2 is quite bad for our young players although I don’t feel strongly about it on second contracts I’d be interested in hearing a contrary take as to why the USSF shouldn’t push for this. I’m sure they exist here on BS....
Back to Yanks Abroad.................. 1230533520130543619 is not a valid tweet id Also Luca de la Torre has now been at Fulham since 2013. Can't seem to get consistent first team playing time. 1230524578985844738 is not a valid tweet id
LDLT is the new version of Lletget. He needs to move on even if it's to MLS. Like Lletget if he becomes a starter somewhere he still has an outside shot with the national team. Unfortunately for him other midfielders young than he are already starting and more are on the way.
Their only incentive is to get kids earlier into their academies than they are now. Two years might make a big difference sometimes.
Why would the EU care? They don't care about American kids, and the impact of Americans in EU academies to the larger EU concerns is so incredibly minimal... The rule was put in place because of abuse on the level of human trafficking. No one cares that some American kid has to wait two years to go to Europe.
So Pulisic and Reyna were minimal huh? Hard to say who else could have reached that level had they been able to go two years earlier. With the pipeline getting better all the time there's bound to be more. Already Dortmund is looking at another American who's not yet 16.
Yeah, and with a flick of a pen, they can allow parents and teens to make an informed decision regarding their playing careers instead of hamstringing teens opportunities in Europe by accident of birth. The "abuse on the level of human trafficking", which is a little hyperbolic, is still encompassed completely by a sport in which you kick a ball for money. Governments get involved and take that stuff plenty seriously.
the USSF should care. A lot. And use its muscle to make it happen - the clubs benefit too. who gets hurt here?
Lletget had moved to MLS just before he was badly injured by a Honduran's nasty tackle. I wonder whether that ended Lletget's trajectory even though he already left Europe. I'd have LDLT stay where he is and compete for a spot, or take a transfer.
Pulisic and Reyna were two of the top talents in their age groups even at 14 and 15. They didn't become the players they are because they went early to Dortmund; it has a lot more to do with genetics, hard work and parents who played. Dortmund helped, no doubt. But yes, Pulisic and Reyna are WILDLY insignificant in the scope of the European Union. Even European soccer -- if they didn't exist, they would be replaced in the grand scheme of things. The European Union does not give a crap about American soccer players when the offset, amazingly, is literally child slavery. I'm not talking about European soccer teams, I'm talking about the European Union -- the economic trade organization spanning 600 million people and thousands of industries. And if the rules were to be relaxed, do you think the goldrush would be on American talent? Or go back to African? This isn't changing to benefit American teenagers.
Yes, it is a FIFA rule. The EU free movement of labor necessitated FIFA to allow 16 yos to move within the EU. There is another exemption for living within 50 miles (km?) of a border. So, a 16 yo American in San Diego could go to Tijuana, but not to Vancouver or Germany.
Other countries who don't get that same opportunity to send their players to Europe early. They're not going to make an exception for the USA and exclude every other developed nation.
It's not hyperbolic. A big reason the age limit was instituted because there were player brokers conning players from African that they had a chance in European teams, taking money to bring them over, then abandoning them with no money, jobs, homes, etc., literally hundreds at a time. People can argue all they want. It's not changing to benefit American teenagers.