YNT-eligible lower division-pro players: 2020 In-season thread

Discussion in 'Youth National Teams' started by ckajMonet, Mar 7, 2020.

  1. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    Absolutely.

    And Texas, too. I know the RGV Toros play in the Championship in Edenburg, just outside McAllen, but you could also have teams in Laredo and Brownsville along the border, Corpus Christi. Galveston Port Arthur/Beaumont up the Gulf coast and then in the middle of the state in places like Waco, Tyler, Amarillo, Lubbock and Midland/Odessa.


    There could easily be 100 third division teams in the US in the next 10 years.
     
    Winoman and Peter Bonetti repped this.
  2. Peter Bonetti

    Peter Bonetti Member+

    Jan 1, 2005
    1970 WC Quarterfinal
    I think there will be - especially after the 2026 World Cup.
     
  3. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You guys SAY you want a 100 D3 clubs, but have you really thought through how daunting that will make following threads like these?
     
  4. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't know all the teams in Texas but near Dallas there minor league teams in Forth Worth, Denton, I think Waco and others I can't remember. I'm very surprised by how many in a football state. I hope they all make it through this virus without going bankrupt.
     
  5. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    I for one look forward to the 4,000-word weekly updates informing us that 21-year-old Jack "Jacko" Jackson, who passed on his senior year of eligibility with the NAIA Jacksontown Jacks, played 8 reserve minutes for Schmeckelburg United FC. Stuff like that is half the reason I visit BigSoccer in the first place!
     
    Sandon Mibut, Winoman, Luksarus and 3 others repped this.
  6. TarHeels17

    TarHeels17 Member+

    Jan 10, 2017
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Does all this lower division soccer really help if these guys play for unaffiliated teams without pro/rel? I don't see it hurting, but it seems like such a marginal benefit at this point. There's so little player movement between MLS and the USLs right now and if I'm a 4 year senior at the type of schools that are good at soccer, which are almost all very good schools, I'm almost certainly going to make more money getting a desk job than I am playing soccer.

    The only success story I can think of off the top of my head is Mark-Anthony Kaye, and he's Canadian.
     
  7. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's a chicken and egg issue.

    MLS clubs don't sign young players on indy USL clubs because the best young players don't sign with indy USL clubs. Historically, there just haven't been good YNT-eligible players to sign.

    The best young players don't sign with indy USL clubs because MLS clubs don't have a track record of signing young players from indy USL clubs. It's a risky career move.


    The question is: if an indy USL club actually lands a top young talent, how will MLS clubs respond? Will they actually spend a worthwhile fee to acquire him?

    Jose Gallegos feels like the big test case right now.
     
  8. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Yeah, the answer is we don't know. It's too new. Is it optimal now? Of course not.

    But generally, more paid jobs for pro soccer players in this country is a good thing.
     
  9. pwip

    pwip Member

    Jul 10, 2004
    Dallas
    #7 bossing some minnows in his HS state final.
     
  10. Peter Bonetti

    Peter Bonetti Member+

    Jan 1, 2005
    1970 WC Quarterfinal
    https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/85375/peter-wilt-fans-must-be-included-in-the-process-o.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=23541&hashid=gQkyRnmzcImx5817_j8UkV2zFdE


    USL actually have Peter Wilt traveling across the country, from town to town, helping potential ownership groups organize, mobilizing potential supporters groups, and preparing towns in general to start up sustainable USL franchises. Developing a culture of successful ownership groups as well as well run supporters groups will only help our players with more well run pathways to reaching their potential as a pro.

    A kid like Hercules Gomez was on absolutely nobody’s radar. After being discovered by the Galaxy while he struggled in the lower divisions, he went on to win the golden boot in Liga MX and play for the US in the 2010 World Cup. We need more stories like that and every new, well run franchise with a strong supporters culture is potential incubator for that kind of story.

    The key is that USL clubs need to be intentional about developing players for the purpose of selling them.

    On another sad note, the real Peter Bonetti has passed on to that big pick up game in the sky.

    https://www.socceramerica.com/publi...aign=23545&hashid=gQkyRnmzcImx5817_j8UkV2zFdE
     
  11. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    If I were starting a lower-division pro club in the U.S. right now (in a general sense, coronavirus notwithstanding) I doubt I'd be building much transfer revenue into my business plan, though of course it would be great to have.

    And I'd be wary of committing to many of the expenses needed to make it a real possibility, unless perhaps my ownership is playing with funny money, which doesn't seem to be typical.

    More likely I'm watching to see if someone else does it first. If a non-MLS lower-division organization gets meaningful money for an American teenager, perhaps from its own academy, and especially if the principal source of his exposure isn't from being a core YNT player -- which is to say, he's being bought largely because of what he displays in the league itself -- then I think other organizations may try to steal the recipe, so to speak.

    Gallegos strikes me as a possible semi-test-case of this, though he may also soon become a core YNT player.
     
    ussoccer97531 repped this.
  12. Peter Bonetti

    Peter Bonetti Member+

    Jan 1, 2005
    1970 WC Quarterfinal
    USL are currently signing “Academy Signings” without actual academies, but they are trying very hard to get the Academy ball rolling with “Academy Tournaments”. They clearly see the value of academies, but it is such a sea-change in mentality for running a minor league club in this country that your description above represents a lot of the caution that a lot of people have at the moment.

    I think that this is changing. In ten years, particularly after the 2026 World Cup, I think the culture of minor league soccer will look dramatically different when it comes to youth academies.
     
  13. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    It's a safe guess that you're right. The big open question for me is what the domestic transfer market will look like, much more than whether foreign clubs will be falling over themselves to buy young American players. Of course, the latter would be great too!
     
  14. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Here's what I got. Let me know who I missed. Pro-contract players only. I included MLS loanees when players were loaned outside their organization, but not when it's guys playing for their own club's MLS2 team.

    Atlanta United 2
    GK Gabe Rosario 99
    CM Amir Bashti 97
    AM Daniel Steedman 00
    FW Jackson Conway 01
    FW Phillip Goodrum 97

    Austin Bold
    CB Brecc Evans 99 (loan)
    FW Roberto Avila 00

    Birmingham Legion
    RB Jonathan Dean 97
    CM Eli Crognale 97

    * There's a "holding the jersey" pic of Braxton Najib '02 on the internet but he hasn't been announced by the club

    Charleston Battery
    GK Paul Lewis 99
    GK Darian McCauley 97
    CB Kyle Nelson 97
    FW Jesus Ibarra 97

    Charlotte Independence
    CB Jack Maher 99 (loan)
    CB Casey Penland 97
    AM Luke Haakenson (loan)

    Colorado Springs Switchbacks
    GK Abraham Rodriguez 02 (loan)
    RB Sebastian Anderson 02 (loan)
    CM Will Vint 01 (loan)

    Hartford Athletic
    CB Alex Lara 98
    CM Conor McGlynn 98
    AM Noah Paravicini 97
    FW Dre Deas 97
    FW Alfonso Vazquez 02

    Indy Eleven
    CM Cam Lindley 97
    AM Andrew Carleton 00 (loan)
    FW Jeremy Rafanello 00

    LA Galaxy II
    RB Mauricio Cuevas 03
    CM Adam Saldana 02
    CM Adrian Vera 97
    AM Jorge Hernandez 00
    FW Augustine Williams 97

    Las Vegas Lights
    GK Angel Alvarez 97
    GK Edward Delgado 98
    CB Jaiden Waggoner 97
    AM Grant Robinson 98
    FW Rashawn Dally 97 (loan)

    Loudoun United
    RB EruMuse Momoh 97
    CB Jake Dengler 99
    DF/DM Nelson Martinez 01
    CM Tyler Gabarra 97
    CM Brandon Williamson 98
    AM Ted Ku-DiPietro 02
    FW Josh Fawole 98
    FW Christian Sorto 00

    Louisville City
    RB Akil Watts 00
    LB Jonathan Gomez 03

    Memphis 901
    CB? Jackson Morse 97
    AM Pierre da Silva 98
    AM Matt Hundley 00 (loan)
    FW Cal Jennings 97

    NYRB II
    GK Wallis Lapsley 97
    CB Joe Fala 97
    CM Samad Bounthong 97
    CM Caden Clark 03
    CM Barry Sharifi 97
    CM Kyle Zajec 97
    FW Sebastian Elney 97
    FW Jake LaCava 01

    North Carolina FC
    RB D.J. Taylor 97
    AM Manny Perez 99 (loan)

    Orange County SC
    GK Aaron Cervantes 02
    CB Kobi Henry 04
    CB Blake Malone 01
    CM Daniel Crisostomo 97
    CM Francis Jacobs 05
    AM Edson Alvarado 98
    FW Kevin Coleman 98
    FW Diego Lopez 02

    Philadelphia Union II
    RB Issa Rayyan 00
    CB Ben Ofeimu 00
    CM Jack McGlynn 03
    AM Selmir Miscic 03

    Pittsburgh Riverhounds
    AM Danny Griffin 98
    FW Lukas Fernandes 98

    Portland Timbers 2
    RB Harold Hanson 99
    CB Aedan Stanley 99
    AM Carlos Anguiano 99
    AM Gio Calixtro 00

    Real Monarchs
    GK Jimmy Slayton 98
    RB Steve Jasso 00
    CB Michael Wetungu 98
    CM Jordan Pena 00
    AM Christopher Bermudez 99
    AM Arturo Rodriguez 98 (loan)
    AM Ryan Sierakowski 97
    FW Joe Gallardo 98

    Reno 1868
    GK Sebastian Mora 98
    LB Yosimar Hernandez 97
    CM Jared Timmer 97
    CM Emilio Ycaza 97
    FW Benji Kikanovic 00

    RGVFC
    RB Andrew Samuels 97
    CB Robert Castellanos 98
    LB Jonathan Jimenez 97
    CM Isidro Martinez 97
    CM James Murphy 97
    AM Christian Lucatero 97
    AM Luka Prpa 98
    FW Garrett McLaughlin 97
    FW Juan Carlos Obregon 97

    Sacramento Republic
    CB Hayden Sargis 02
    AM Mario Penagos 02

    Saint Louis FC
    AM Nichi Vlastos 00

    San Antonio FC
    GK Carlos Mercado 99
    AM Jesus Enriquez 97
    AM Jose Gallegos 01
    AM Leo Torres 04

    San Diego Loyal
    CB Jordan Chavez 97
    LB Edwin Lara 99
    CM Morgan Hackworth 97

    Sporting KC II
    GK Remi Prieur 97
    GK Brooks Thompson 02
    CB Danny Barbir 98
    CB Sam Raben 97
    CB Kaveh Rad 01
    CM Jake Davis 02
    AM Will Little 98
    AM Bailey Sparks 02
    AM Jaret Townsend 98
    FW Wilson Harris 99
    FW Enoch Mushagalusa 99

    Tacoma Defiance
    GK Christian Herrera 97
    CB Eric Kinzner 03
    CB Sam Rogers 99
    LB Nick Hinds 97
    CM Collin Fernandez 97
    AM Azriel Gonzalez 01
    AM Jesus Perez 97
    AM Danny Robles 02
    AM Ray Serrano 02
    AM Marlon Vargas 01
    FW Alec Diaz 01 [still not cap-tied to Puerto Rico!]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Chattanooga Red Wolves
    GK Tim Trilk 98
    CB Jason Ramos 98
    CM Amirgy Pineda 97
    AM Alexi Jaimes 97
    AM Jonathan Ricketts 97

    FC Tucson
    GK Rafael Guerrero 02
    CB Charlie Booth 97
    CM A.J. Valenzuela 98
    CM Erik Virgen 99
    AM Josh Coan 98
    AM Gio Magana-Rivera 97
    FW Shak Adams 98
    FW Azaad Liadi 98
    FW Darryl Lingdon 98

    Fort Lauderdale CF
    GK Daniel Gagliardi 97
    DF Ian Fray 02
    CM Blaine Ferri 00

    Forward Madison
    RB Gustavo Fernandes 98
    CM Michael Vang 00

    NE Revolution II
    GK Keegan Meyer 97
    RB Simon Lekressner 98
    CB Nick Woodruff 98
    LB Jon Bell 97
    CM Dennis Ramirez 01
    AM Connor Presley 98
    AM Ryan Spaulding 98

    North Texas SC
    GK Luis Zamudio 98
    CB Lamar Batista 98
    CB Philip Ponder 97
    CM Imanol Almaguer 00
    CM Derek Waldeck 98
    AM Gibran Rayo 01
    AM David Rodriguez 02

    Orlando City B
    GK Austin Aviza 97
    CB Juan Monticelli 97
    LB Nick O'Callaghan 97
    DF Jonathan Rosales 98
    CM Austin Amer 00
    AM Adam Ozeri 98 (loan)
    AM Teddy Ndje 01
    MF Raul Aguilera 99
    MF Ignacio Poplawski 98 (loan)
    FW Aleksandar Gluvacevic 97

    Richmond Kickers
    CM Ryley Kraft 98
    AM Jonathan Bolanos 98

    Tormenta FC
    GK Parker Siegfried 97
    CM Abuchi Obinwa 97

    Toronto FC II
    CM Fito Ovalle 97

    Union Omaha
    CB Daltyn Knutson 97
    LB Jacob Crull 97
    CM Kobe Perez 97
    MF Christian Molina 98
    MF John Scearce 97
    FW Evan Conway 97
     
  15. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    You are doing the Lord's work, Balerion.
     
  16. David Kerr

    David Kerr Member+

    United States
    Oct 18, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is beautiful.

    I forget his name but Phoenix signed a December 2005 born striker yesterday.
     
  17. WheezingUSASupport

    Dortmund
    United States
    Aug 28, 2017
    Would be great if we could get this stickied and updated monthly!
     
  18. abcdefghi

    abcdefghi Member

    Real Madrid
    Trinidad and Tobago
    May 31, 2018
    He was signed to an academy contract though and I think he only listed kids signed to pro contracts.
     
  19. NoHammiesAltidore

    United States
    Jun 28, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Props to you for putting it together, although I noticed a few errors, Bailey Sparks is on an amateur deal, Christian Herrera is on loan with Tacoma, and TFCII signed Fito's brother about a week ago, although I don't know if he's US-Eligible.
     
  20. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Correct. There are dozens and dozens more players who will play in USL on non-pro contract terms. Obviously, the majority will be with MLS2 teams, but there are a number of kids with indy teams.

    I also can't edit, but I realized that Bailey Sparks did not sign a pro deal; I missed that when I first read the release.
     
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  21. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks. I just realized my mistake with Sparks, forget about Herrera, and didn't know about Ovalle!

    Nicolas Ovalle has pretty bad timing. He signed two days before TFCII withdrew for the season.
     
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  22. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He's in the 18 right now. Still no announcement from the club, but third party accounts described it as a "pro" contract. Sometimes third party sources mistake academy contracts for pro contracts, but it seems likely he's a pro.
     
  23. NoHammiesAltidore

    United States
    Jun 28, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The commentators said he is on an academy contract when he subbed on.
     
  24. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thank you for validating my mistrust of overexuberant third parties exalting a "pro" contract that their ex-player signed!
     
  25. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Couple things here -- first off, where's Nathan Harriel? Not just that he's not a pro, but I don't see him on any Philly roster at present, and he hasn't been mentioned in any recent club write-ups. He might still be around, but seems odd given that he's college-aged (graduated HS in 2019 I think) and still an amateur as far as I can tell.

    Also of note, apparently Tyger Evans, who is heading to college, was the starting LB and Rayyan had stepped in there now that he's gone. It appears that it may just be a "he's versatile" thing rather than a career thing, but who knows... (And Rayyan's injured for their next game, so they'll need to find someone else.)
     

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