Breakout Youth Player in MLS / USL 2025

Bummer. Poreba was MVP and the Golden Boot winner in MLS Next Pro last season.
Signed a homegrown deal with the Fire in December.

Can now confirm that David Poreba has torn his ACL. The injury happened in training a few days ago. 😕

He will undergo surgery in the coming weeks.#cf97 #vamosfire pic.twitter.com/zQIbzqMXuq

— Alex Calabrese (@amcalabrese12) February 7, 2025

 

Geoff Cameron and Brek Shea discuss the lack of opportunities for American players in MLS

Video of discussion

 

Thanks I will be adding that to the list of videos I will NOT be watching

 

Some day a rookie MLS contract will be like the $2-4mm/yr NFL drafted punter. For now, the drop out soccer players get paid thirty times more than their MLS counterparts!!! Just the way it is this side of the pond!

 

Chris Cupps

Sources: Chicago Fire sign USYNT center back Chris Cupps to a homegrown deal.

Cupps, 16, already has 15 apps in MLS Next Pro

Cupps is currently with US U17s pic.twitter.com/jTa5QorgLx

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) February 8, 2025

 

Matthew Corcoran officially signs with Nashville from Birmingham Legion. Corcoran is a fairly highly rated prospect

 

Did / does FCD get anything?

 

We could soon have a few more D1 teams for players to break out from...

BREAKING: USL intends to launch a 12- to 14-team Division One league in 2027-28. USL believes the U.S. is more than capable of accommodating more D1 teams.

USL owners were informed of the decision about the new first division late Wednesday evening. The expectation is that multiple teams will move from the USL Championship into the new first-division league, including markets like Louisville, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Unsurprisingly, those USL Championship markets have previously either been directly involved with MLS — Sacramento was announced as an MLS expansion team in 2019 before the prospective owner, Ron Burkle, pulled out of the agreement — or have had open flirtations, in the case of Indianapolis, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

“What’s naturally happened for us over our conversations with owners is there is a desire for a higher standard, and we’ve leaned into that,” McDonough said. “When you look at the size of the country, and you look at what can happen in a place like Louisville or Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they’re doing so well with attendance and growing the game, our feeling is that if we can execute this well, with the size of our country, this can help soccer by providing more top-tier soccer in markets that traditionally wouldn’t see it.”
​

NEW: The USL is officially pursuing a first-division splinter league, but can it succeed?

I break down the mechanics of D1 compliance, the thorny reality of pro-rel, and potential day-one clubs that could join the new USL competition.

(Link below!) pic.twitter.com/TLrV9kCii7

— John Morrissey (@USLTactics) February 13, 2025

 

I don't see that doing anything. It's not even as backed by money than the X league or USFL against the NFL. Reminds me of the Cosmos revival.

 

What a pointless holdout in the end. Probably stagnated his game playing at a lower-level than he knew he could for years, just like most players when they don't leave from MLS for seasons after establishing themselves as a good starter there.

If you can't go abroad into an academy whenever you want, & an MLS team wants you, just sign there, get the pro minutes at a decent level, make millions, & hopefully they move you (w/ a transfer fee) after a couple good yrs. It's the best option you have, even if you have European dreams.

 

It should be noted that MLS is openly competing with the USL by expanding its MLSNP league to challenge openly as a 3rd tier with USL League One. Sanctioned third tier.

So, this competition goes both ways.

More opportunities at more clubs (aka more soccer jobs in the country) can only be a good thing. MOre places for kids to develop. A rising tide lifts all boats.

For a while there the USL had embraced its identity as a developmental league. But once MLS pulled all of its reserve teams out, they've now had to reframe their identity.

 

It was. Especially since I think it was basically spawned by Dallas being honest with him about what he needed to improve and telling him he was going to North Texas and not straight to MLS.

There's definitely a hype culture in US youth soccer where I think these kids would benefit from understanding there's a big world out there and the competitive set here is very limited.

 

Yeah just calling it division one isn’t going to do much on its own.

 

Without a European passport that allows you to go at 16 almost everyone else is better off signing with an MLS team.

 

I would say that injuries did impact Corcoran's ability to show what he could do at Birmingham. And thus perhaps garner more interest from Europe.

I also think that ever since Weston McKennie, Dallas has been pretty insistent that they get first shot at signing a young player. He probably was offered homegrown deals with Dallas/North Texas, kept turning them down, and there was a mutual parting of ways. His heart was set on Europe and never signing with Dallas. If that's the case, so be it. Go play somewhere else until you're 18.

The move to Europe didn't materialize. He ends up in MLS anyway, though.

 

As far as domestic CB prospects go, Pierre is at or near the top.

✍️ 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: Neil Pierre ('07, 🇺🇸 🇭🇹 )

💭@jrietikerwright takes a detailed look at Pierre, a physical central defender who excelled in MLS Next Pro last year and is on the radar of European giants.

🔗 Read more below pic.twitter.com/86aLIWQJcF

— 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐭𝟏𝐧𝐠 (@YouthScout1ng) February 13, 2025

 

Even if you have the passport, I wouldn’t rush abroad to any old place. I don’t see any evidence that guys are being better developed in Europe. MLS 19 year olds seem to be doing fine when they transfer. I don’t know if Dortmund did anything more for Pulisic than Red Bull NY did for Adams.

 

Hard to tell whether he was right or wrong. He is in MLS at 18 despite all the injuries. I believe he is still severely underrated and will play in top 5 leagues by age of 20.

 

Why are you looking at just two players? What if we compare the top 30 players in the current USMNT pool, and what percent spend more than say a year and a half in MLS?

MLS: Adams (2 years), Turner (4.5 years), Pepi (1.5-2 years), Ream (2 years), BAaronson (2 years).

Not sure Busio is top 30, same for Tolkin. Tessmann Paredes Paxten might barely qualify for top 30 and barely qualify for 1.5 seasons in MLS... on the other end of the spectrum Scally only played 70 minutes!

Aside from Turner who is an outlier in so many ways, most of the top USMNT guys got out of MLS pretty fast, usually after really establishing themselves over one season the year after their debut.

Who am I missing?

What's the "rush abroad" list, Pulisic, Weah, McKennie, Richards, Reyna, Sargent, Wright, Scally...
In other words Adams the one guy you named is the one who keeps it from being a blowout!

Also I would guess it's tough for a lot of guys to get out of MLS by age 19 unless they are really hyped up, what's the average homegrown contract, like three years with an option year? Not too many Slonina Reynolds Wiley types getting bought for big money at that age, and even out of just those cream of the crop prospects only Pepi has really "hit" so far (I realize they're all young) in terms of top USMNTers.

Edit: Mark McKenzie (2.5-3 years), forgot about him

 

You listed a bunch of guys who were in MLS academies until they were at least 18.Thet doesn’t contradict the point that, having a passport means that you should go over younger. None of Scally, McKennie or Richards went over at 16, the age that passport holders can go.

I didn’t do a laundry list because anyone who’s been following the team should know the players and see how little going over at 16 or 17 has done for anyone.

 

MLS didn't pull its' reserve teams. USL told MLS to either move their development teams to USL League One or go kick rocks. USL and its' owners wanted more their league. It's too bad, but that's the way things go when two business entities have competing goals.

 

Talent finds a way.

We are having guys leave MLS academies, sign contracts in the USL.......................and then go back to MLS. Luna, Raines, Barajas, Corcoran, and others.

Why didn't they stay with their MLS clubs in the first place? Lots of reasons. Maybe they weren't offered the HG deals or opportunities they wanted at their first club. Lots of reasons.

It goes without saying that Corcoran wouldn't have gotten much playing time as a 16-18 year old with Dallas the last couple of years. So he did get playing time, injuries aside, in the USL.

I would contend that a 16-18 year old is MORE in the shop window by signing a HG deal in MLS, and playing in a mixture of MLSNP/MLS...................than by signing with the USL. [Without a Euro passport, of course.] And if you're at an MLS club, the development oportunities are better. The facilities are better, the coaching is better, the teammates you're practicing with are better. The list goes on. Particularly if you're at the PHI, FCD, NYRB, etc. level of clubs that have a track record.

But if the relationship with your club breaks to the point that its better going somewhere else, then go somewhere else.

 

I can't speak for all of the the people you listed but I've heard enough people say that Luna and Barajas were San Jose being incompetent more than anything.

It is funny though that 2 years ago there was a loud part of the only community talking about how more prospects would leave MLS academies for USL cause they could go to Europe quicker but... that really hasn't happened nor did I think it would. There will always be outliers, but I don't think essentially getting signed for reserve teams at 18 will really be as appealing as MLS pointing at guys in recent years who have gone to Europe

 

I'm not sure this is true. I believe FCD did tell him what he needed to work on to make the full team and he disagreed and left. In the alternate world where he listened and stayed if he's as good as Pepi was he would have left N Texas fairly quickly and established himself on a FCD team that didn't have great midfielders. If he didn't do that he's not in the Pepi class range and he won't be in a top 5 Euro league in two years as someone speculated above. I thought at one time he was that good but watching from afar and seeing how often he gets US youth callups and how he plays when he gets them my opinion of him has lessened. He will be around the Aidan Morris career instead of the McKennie - Adams career.

 

Not sure if either is "breakout" eligible but it'll be interesting to see who has a better season, McGlynn or Gutierrez... McGlynn got more January camp hype but I'm placing my bets on Gutierrez being more USMNT relevant going forward

Screamer from Brian Gutiérrez! 1-0 Fire against the reigning MLS champion.#cf97 #vamosfire pic.twitter.com/SvrL5pXzdl

— Alex Calabrese (@amcalabrese12) February 15, 2025