2022-23 MLS NEXT Season Thread

Are territory rules for unsigned youth players gone?

 

I think you can move academies pretty easy. It's that an MLS team can't sign you to a pro contract.

And since the rumors are that the rules are changing, if you aren't going to sign soon, there's no rule.

 

Yes, there is a rule. You have to go through the club for any player within their territory. It is then up to that club when they decide to enforce the territory, it could be immediately not allowing you to approach the player or family, it could be when you want to sign the player to a first team deal, or it could be nothing at all

Territory rules still apply to players in MLS academies as well if their home address is within the territory. If it is not, per MLS Next rules you have to go through the club director if you want to recruit a player from any club, whether MLS academy or not. If you approach a player without the territory club’s approval, unless they took too long to respond to your inquiry, they can file a tampering charge or make you buy the player’s rights

 

This makes it even more ridiculous what Houston did with Cappis then. They let him play with Dallas but then when Dallas wanted to sign him, they pulled some crap?

It seems to me there's a bunch of kids already moving.

 

This does not sound pretty easy. I've read United Nation Resolutions simpler than this.

 

It’s pretty simple:

1. reach out to MLS club who owns the territory
2a. If MLS club allows you to reach out to the player, reach out to the club director/coach of the player you want to inquire about. The MLS club may let you get the player now and request money if you sign them to a first team contract, request money up front for their rights, or they’ll just let you take the player with no stipulations
2b. If MLS club denies you and protects the player, either forget about the player or reach out to the player/player’s club and break league rules, risk tampering charge
2c. If MLS club doesn’t respond to your inquiry, wait a few days then go to the club director/coach of the player you want to recruit. The MLS club has to respond to your inquiry or you’re free to pursue the player


Some clubs follow these rules, some clubs vary based on where the player is from (sometimes a club historically doesn’t enforce their territory), some clubs blatantly ignore the rules

 

RSL with a smart move here. I’m a big Jon Spencer fan.

https://www.rsl.com/news/rsl-academy-embarks-on-tour-of-germany

 

Isn't there also a rule that, even if during the summer break, that a player who has spent X amount of years at CLUB A, CLUB A must also be contacted by CLUB B before meeting with.

 

It’s pretty flexible. A general rule of thumb for that is unless you have direct parent contact already and it’s summer and they haven’t signed for next season you go through the current club anyways

 

Chicago Fire U-17 on pre-season tour of Switzerland. Of course, a Lugano stop is included.

The schedule for the Academy Tour in Switzerland. 🇨🇭

August 3 - FC Lugano @ 7:30pm
August 6 - Grasshopper Club Zurich @ 4pm
August 9 - FC Luzern @ 5pm
August 12 - RC Strasbourg @ 11am

Keep it locked in here and we'll provide updates! 🔥 #CFFA https://t.co/HSZ3rNDYZ4

— Chicago Fire FC II (@ChicagoFireFCII) August 2, 2022

 

MLS NEXT U14 Best Of Match (2009s, 2008s) East vs West
Anyone have a roster or know of who these numbers are. Thanks in advance.

 

I found one, Jorden Moore (LATDP) is #17 in blue and a better angle for the first half.

 

Looks like games for sure starting 9/25
Seen Breakers vs Ballistic United on the schedule. Not seen full schedule.

 

Yup. Shaun moved down about a month ago. His wife will oversee the LAG School. Their 08 will be at the LAG academy. LAG also brought back Ian Feuer. They return all their 07s except 3.

 

I have the roster, if you want to know the name of any player let me know. Most of this group is 09’s

 

Seems more and more clubs are doing this. Dan Lock moved from Charlotte to Columbus for the same role

 

No

 

All of them? (sheepishly) Just have your people type/scan it in.

 

I won’t just in case someone freaks out about it and I get in trouble. Most of the players in this game aren’t at MLS academies and sometimes the directors get mad when people hype up their players so much that they wind up at MLS academies and now that player’s team just lost their best player. Obviously we all want to see players trickle up to the professional academies but we still have to understand that for some of these directors, every player matters

 

Yeah, who would ever want a their player get seen to be able to advance their passion and enhance their options and improve.....
Despite the fact they were already at an event paid for by MLS for the expressed purpose to increase their talent and allow them to be seen by MLS academies.
Accepting an invitation to an all-star game for that very purpose.
Sometimes the pettiness and hypocrisy astounds me. I thought this weight on our development system didn't exist anymore.
They are just delaying the inevitable anyway. They should encourage and celebrate it. Oh well. Rant over.

 

There is still a lot of pressure on non MLS academies to win games. If they lose their top players that team’s results will suffer, if the team’s results decline then players they’re interested will look elsewhere and it could have a long term effect for the club in a negative way. Not every parent thinks about, or even knows about, what clubs send the most kids to professional academies, they see which teams win the most games and gravitate to the strongest clubs. Obviously I want every coach to be on board with letting the talent trickle up but I 100% understand why some coaches are hesitant to do so

 

If MLS wanted the best players to trickle up to the professional academies, they would remove the territories rule. Clubs are still bringing in players from other team's territories (and presumably getting a waiver, paying or agreeing to pay if and when they sign them to a pro deal), but it's definitely an obstacle, especially in a big metro area where the local team can only sign so many local players.