Makes sense. He couldn't play in official games at Barcelona for about another three years. It's probably much better for his development to go somewhere where he can play official games. Maybe he goes back to Barcelona at age 18.
So, and which academy is going to spend valuable time and resources on a kid with the prospect of doing all the work for Barcelona?
Its pretty delusional to think there's any likelihood that Barca will sign this kid in there years. It will have its own internal crop of top talent at that time--the vast majority of players from this age group will be forgotten, even those remaining at La Masia for now. That's how the factory works. Lots of throwaways, one or two gems.
Get him into the Galaxy academy asap. If Lederman really is all that, maybe he can get USL minutes at the end of next season, he'd be 16 by then, correct?
Correct. I think he's going to join Bradenton though for the new U-17 cycle, which should start at the beginning of 2016. Maybe he joins LAG's academy until then, but I think there's a good chance that he'll be at Bradenton for almost two years.
I dunno. I remember seeing those articles when Lederman's family moved with him to Spain regarding the emotional and financial struggles they went through. Might be best for Ben and everyone involved to get him into familiar surroundings in the So Cal area....although I have to say I'm extremely biased since I'm an LAG fan
Is a 15 year old going to be playing games for LAG or LAG II? Long term, you might be right, but even the best players of a U-17 cycle (Haji, Zendejas, Adams) aren't seeing their first pro minutes until later on in the cycle. He'd only be 17 when the next U-17 cycle ended. Plenty of time for him to sign with LAG.
With the Kleiban experiment fully underway at LAG DA, this isn't a bad prospect. That note was ambigious as to whether Lederman was actually out for me.
He can play with the Galaxy academy for now, who will actually play consistent games and get better coaching than he would at Bradenton. If he's that good, he can play with the Galaxy U18's. I don't want to see any Galaxy Academy players at Bradenton. They'll get better coaching with the Galaxy, play on a much more consistent basis, and can go to classes at SHC.
I hope so, but do any of the top players in the country turn down Bradenton? The U-17 team next cycle could be so good with mini Messi, Lederman, Weah, Konrad, Blaine etc.
English translation Doesn't say Ben is leaving... http://www.sport-english.com/en/news/barca/two-more-barcelona-youth-players-banned-fifa-4443395
I agree with the sentiment on the other 4 - but I'm curious who you mean by "mini Messi"? (Not saying you don't mean that tongue in cheek by any means; just curious which player you're referring to.)
Carleton. He's already my favorite player of the next cycle. I recommend everyone watching the recent highlights from the U-18 team. He played up a year, and from the highlights was by far our most impressive player. He was constantly making things happen and the ball is glued to his foot. His close control is , in a good way. He also was tremendous for Georgia United playing up two years this past DA season. For such a young player to constantly play up for club and country and perform so well is a sign of how good he is. Maybe I'll be wrong, but Carleton is my early prediction for best player of the next U-17 group. I even want him on this current U-17 team.
Josh Deaver @JoshDeaver 11h11 hours ago Re: On Ben Lederman. Barca is gradually dropping sanctioned youth players. Lederman is one of the few who is still under contract...for now. Josh Deaver @JoshDeaver 12h12 hours ago American Ben Lederman remains at Barcelona for the time being. Several reports saying he could part of the next group affected by sanctions.
Unless they can find an EU passport somewhow, I don't know how they can justify him continuing to be there.....................................especially since he can't actually play in matches. They have a lot other prospects that can actually play for them to concentrate on. At some point they'll decide to part ways. We have a lot of LA fans on this board, so of course there's a push for him to go to the Galaxy It makes sense, but we'll see what happens.
Plus, if Barca can't register him, they possibly aren't due any training compensation. Time to move on.
Not only does it make sense, but the ties he has had to the Klieian bros makes it make even more sense.
And if you're Barça then why risk pissing off FIFA any further by keeping Ben or any of those non-EU kids around? What do they have to gain by it? It just doesn't make sense. Kindly tell them 'thanks', bid them farewell and move on to the next crop.
Really, really wish he could find a way to stay, even to just have access to their coaching/training. I just hope that if he comes back to the states, he goes to a well run academy. Watching the MLS academies get slaughtered in Mexico a week ago makes me cringe a little bit.
The rules are fairly simple............ According to the FIFA, 'Under-18s can move to a club in a different country if their parents move there for non-footballing reasons, if they are from another nation within the European Union or European Economic Area and aged between 16 and 18, or if they live within 100km of the club.' Barca clearly and repeatedly violated these rules with Lederman and countless others. Their defense was "BUT WE'RE BARCA!!!!!" Fairly comical..................... When you read that you'll note that even if he had a UEFA passport he wouldn't qualify to play for Barcelona. So now people are saying "well, he should just stay there and try convince them only to go to training." Why on Earth would Barcelona do that? Why would they spend the resources at La Masia on a youngster they can't play for them? I don't get it.
Because quite often Barca get away with murder. Typical clubs would be trying to look for a legal angle. Barca will do what they want until a really big gun forces them to follow the law.
The rules don't make much sense though. I think they were originally created so teams couldn't take advantage of African youth players who might not have stable families or living situations. Lederman is a North American player though who is not dealing with that situation that these rules were made to protect against. Maybe its time to revise the rule.
I agree. The spirit of the rule is what really matters. It's not always black and white. That's why I like the Dutch (KNVB) "membership" program alot for youngsters.