A person at the event in Guatemala City reports that there is an MLS person, I think Sunil Gulati, on hand to try and make sure Freddy does not get too cozy with any international scout/agent types. Now I'm not making this up and our person is pretty well-placed, but at the same time this is clearly classified as rumor. Somebody help me out here with my understanding of international signings. Am I correct in thinking that a player cannot sign outside of his country until he is 17? The source indicates that while this is the case, a club may try to sign Freddy on some kind of youth or amateur form, enroll him in their academy and then let an agent or endorsement deal take care of him. That's the part of it that seems fuzzy to me. Do phenom prospects do that in Europe now? Someone posted on the March 5 forum that scouts from Europe were at this event, I think they may have cited a Guatemalan newspaper, anyone have the link for this article? What is believeable about the rumor is that MLS would want to try very hard to make sure he doesn't go somewhere else, because of what he would mean in terms of PR, attendance and, yes, a potential transfer fee someday. As I say, it IS a rumor, but it does seem to have some plausibility. Trying to check it out.
I don't think they can sign a 'Professional Contract' but I do believe Freddy could sign a 'Youth Development Contract' could be wrong.
MLS- if they are not already talking to Freddy's mom, advisers and negotiating deal.....they should toute de suite... Get him signed to a development deal within the next couple months....let him train with DC United this summer, and set up his Mom w/better job..He can start playing more regularly next summer.. Why take the chance (wait another year)...if what people say is true, this is an exceptional situation which requires exceptional thinking... Look, if somehow (?) MLS messes up, MLS profile not so big that it will have huge consequences...but if dude turns out to be real deal.....could be quatum leap that (may not come any other way) This consistent with my views on the MLS thread I started..
In an article titled "I'm just Freddy," Siglo XXI quotes the kid as saying that Inter want to sign him but his mom won't allow it (note the present tense). Ellinger is also quoted as saying that Freddy did ok against Jamaica, but he hopes that the kid plays a lot better as the tournament progresses!
yes beineke - he told us that about the whole team. Smart thing to say of course. Probably wouldn't be good to say "we've got it in the bag now baby! El Salvador???? El Who?!!!!!!"
Sunil is the perfect man for the job. Based on what he's done for the Revs, any agent who sees Adu hanging with him will assume that Adu's pure crap.
LD sign with BL when he was 16 didn't he? England has a rule about professional contracts. I believe Rooney, while able to play for Everton at 16, did so as an amatuer and had to wait until 17 to sign a professional deal. I believe 18 is the minimum age for international transfers, but for an unsigned kid, I would assume they can sign any where they like. Of course a parent has to sign the contract for a minor.
Re: Re: Freddy Adu being scouted, sheltered? It's a new (post-Donovan-to-BL) rule. In fact, I think FIFA instituted it specifically to deal with a projected upswing in future American superstarlet whining.
As I understand it, ManU is free to sign Freddy, they just can't play him with the seniors until June 2, 2007. If my understanding is correct, Freddy's gotta sign with MLS. Only sinner_ronald_monk would try to argue MLS isn't as good as reserve matches.
Nope. Under the new FIFA rule they can't even sign him. Unless his mother moves to England because of "compeling" reasons such as employement she can't get elsewhere or other compeling reasons that are not related to ManU signing him. He would not be able to play professionally anywhere but here and he's not going to wait 'til he's of age to do that.
Well, if Sunil is there shielding Freddy, it would appear he's got some major conflict of issues. We know he works for the Krafts so he's got ties to MLS. We know he's VP of US Soccer so he's go ties to that organization. Now, it turns out he is involved with a prominent sports marketing firm in England that happens to reperesent several American and a lot of prominent European (and European-based) players. http://www.proactivesports.co.uk/pages/company/company3.html Like I said, this seems like a major conflict of interests.
I would be very surprised if Adu doesn't start his pro career in MLS. I'd expect him in the MLS till at least 18 years old. Then I guess if he wants he will hold MLS hostage and demand that they accept an offer from Europe (we've seen how unwilling MLS has been to sell American stars in the past). dcc--I think the Rooney thing might have had to do with him finishing school.
I would hope MLS is doing all they can to recruit Adu; the amount of money they can make promoting him, and eventually selling him, is expotential. They would be complete and utter fools to let him go to Europe without doing absolutely everything in their power to keep him.
Spector's parents are both British. They live there and have for many years. They came here and Jonathan was born and they returned home. He doesn't come under the new FIFA law.
I could have sworn I was reading about him when I read those facts but I could have my England US youth signings mixed up at the moment. I do know it was one of the high profile kids we have been talking about recently who got a British contract. I know his parents are and were always British citizens and he was born here. I've been looking for the info. It was recent news. It came up in the discussion of this whole "Donavan Rule" biz. I was thinking of Jay Denny of the U17's. He was signed by Stoke City.
Someone added the little article about Denny to a long Spector article and I goofed cause I had Spector on the brain. Sorry. I corrected it. My only point was that people who keep trying to say Freddy will be signed by a foreign team and cite other Americans as having done it aren't looking at each case. The law is new, also.
Spector Every British kid in the Chicago area starts there youth soccer experience playing for a German club (Schwaben)
Wanderer Great question?? With his family history you would think that would have been an option. The local kids from Chicago Magic tend to get looks from Germany. Grabavoy went for a trial a couple of years ago, I think Jed Zaynor went this year. BTW, Zaynor signed with IU/ If you had your choice, where would you like to take your game to the next level? Man U and the English speaking UK or the Bundesliga?