...the Michigan Bucks. http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/home/129238.html Not sure what Columbus gets from this except more info on player scouting. I wonder if Columbus can "suggest" which regional players will be on Michigan's roster.
The Bucks are 2-0 this season, playing in the oft-feared Great Lakes Confence with every chance to meet a USASA team in the Open Cup. They are also running a season promotion clearly not geared to most Chinese families. http://www.buckssoccer.com/Articles/article_200605004.html The game is at 7:30 in Detroit and is located here: http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...ll=42.711705,-83.133888&spn=0.058778,0.159645 Sign up for the newsletter. Win some swag: http://www.buckssoccer.com/bucksinsider.html So, who's going?
You have to remember these are mostly college kids with eligibility remaining. The Bucks starter (Dom Cervi) is only going to be a junior this upcoming season. Therefore a call up is a big nein-nein unless you want to kiss the rest of your collegiate career vaya con tacos. Thus, I think Sigi is going to be eyeballing sources other than the PDL. I thought the Chinese families joke was poor. Based on China's one child policy: http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/onechild.htm
Assuming that Sigi and Ernie felt that this Dom Cervi guy was the second coming of Peter Schmeichel, we still couldn't "call him up" Our "arrangement" with Mid-Michigan does not make them our minor league affiliate. Their players are amateurs, and are not under a FIFA or USSF professional contract. They cannot be bought, sold or traded. Their player agreement is between them and the club they are with. Period. In any case, since this is an American college player, the only way he could enter MLS would be through a player draft. Normally you'd have to ask for a GenA deal and then pick him next February in the Superdraft. I suppose you could ask for a "special" player entry draft, like they did with Young Daniel. But let's get serious: the kid is the backup keeper at SMU for heaven's sake. Wanting to put him between the pipes for the Columbus Crew is ridiculous.
I'll be there. It used to be the Mid-Michigan (Saginaw) Bucks. I have to admit, the name is quite ironic now. I don't expect it to be much of a game, with Michigan playing the day before (in Cleveland, Dave) and Columbus two days before. Many of the players are new, although I recognize the Big Ten players. I am going to take a good look at Rauwshan McKenzie. The Bucks website just took on an MLSnet-style menu. Hmmm.
I thought the big family promotion vs. the one child theory might have been it, but it just seemed like such a stretch. I was looking in the article for something blatant. Sorry I didn't jump on the subtlety right away
I haven't got to see the Bucks due to recent back surgery, but they are playing some excellent footie from articles and talk I have heard. I really want to go to the match this thursday, but am skipping it because the trip to Cleveland the next is prolly gonna due hell on my back anyways. The Bucks owners are the heads of the group trying to bring the MLS to detroit and want a big turn out to help further the cause of MLS expansion/relocation to michigan.
Of course I simply didn't think the scenario all the way through. I blanked and considered the situation as though an MLS team was purchasing an A-League player (USL1) as opposed to a collegiate PDL player.
Hey, someone associated (in whatever way) with the Crew has been winning. http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/home/143035.html The Michigan Bucks are in the PDL finals. A little surprising, as they never seemed to look that good either time I saw them, but thats why they play the games. The game will be televised. Read within for more.