Have we finally transformed into the FC Dallas model?

No sarcasm from me today

 

Boo! But it's a new day so there is still hope.

 

Update: it's only one person's opinion, but Quakes are #3 here... FC Dallas not in the top 10

3. San Jose Earthquakes: Another team with 10+ relevant names. I’d probably say 12 relevant. Not sure they have enough goals in the team, and many of their better prospects are raw or 09’s, but they overwhelm teams by having no real weak links on the team at any position.

— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) December 16, 2022

 

They'll probably go to the filth.

 

we are transforming ourselves into whatever will allow Fisher to spend the least possible amount of money on players while peddling the illusion that this team cares at all about winning soccer games.

it's the great San Jose soccer swindle.

whatever you do...

#dontfeedthefish

 

It is effecting the current product now. Too many very talented players are getting away to college or other pro avenues. They need to commit to being a development club. With the talent base they have, they have the players needed to be the best development club in the country.

— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) December 16, 2022

 

Burned by some kids in the past who misbehaved? Really? Such as? Was it Fuentes buying a Mercedes or something?

And I don’t think that “feeling burned” is really the reason. If you want to make the commitment you have to be willing to take some lumps in the short term. Matias was not the worst in terms of playing young guys (Dom was easily worse) but he’d go into this “they need 50 games before they’ll be able to do what I want them to” thing. Well OK are you going to give them a chance to get there or not?

We’ve only had one year of Quakes II and that’s going to help grease the wheels between development and 1st team.

 

if you're good at something it only makes sense to lean into it

Full list:

26. Minnesota
25. Nashville
24. Colorado
23. Portland
22. SKC
21. Columbus
20. Seattle
19. FCC
18. NYCFC
17. LAG
16. NER
15. STLC
14. RBNY
13. Houston
12. Austin
11. Orlando
10. FCD
9. Charlotte
8. LAFC
7. Atlanta
6. Chicago
5. DC
4. SJE
3. Philly
2. Miami
1. RSL https://t.co/pak7mjkyUO

— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) December 17, 2022

 

If I was running an MLS club, every season I'd go to San Jose Earthquakes and ask them which of their young academy players they aren't going to sign I can trade for my draft picks.

You'll acquire more valuable players using that way than trying to participate in the MLS draft.

— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) December 20, 2022

 

Will the Quakes actually learn how to do this? Some teams do struggle with it...

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/where-mls-western-conference-depth-charts-rosters-stand-for-2023

And for what it’s worth, I suspect they’ll eventually take that offer. Kikanovic is good, but hardly irreplaceable, and imitating the Union doesn’t end with developing players. You develop and then sell players.

San Jose haven’t done much of that in their MLS existence, but it’s time.
​

 

Benji is worth more than two million Euros.

 

The first step for the Quakes is to develop homegrowns they can sell on the international market for millions of dollars. Cowell / Tsakiris / Medina / Ochoa are the first wave of guys with that potential... Kikanovic not a homegrown but a young local kid that the Quakes did develop.

The second step for the Quakes is to sign promising young prospects from Latin America (or elsewhere), develop them, and eventually sell them on the international market for millions of dollars. Marcos López was the first of these, but pretty low level relatively speaking. The current MLS rules allow for up to three "U-22 initiative" signings...


As for what is possible, just in the last year the Chicago Fire have sold 19 year old Colombian foreign signing Jhon Duran for $18m + 4m add ons to Aston Villa, and 18 year old homegrown Gabriel Slonina for $10m +5m add ons to Chelsea… that's up to $27 million for two guys who really only started for one season, that’s quite a decent chunk of money by MLS standards. The Fire paid a transfer fee of around $1.8 million for Duran and a year later flipped him for over 10x that.

Aston Villa have announced an agreement to acquire wonderkid Jhon Duran from the Chicago Fire. Deal pending medical and personal terms. Deal is $18m + $4m add-ons, per source.

Duran, 19, is already a senior Colombia int'l and had 8g/3a in 1,363 minutes for the Fire. pic.twitter.com/IugqXs99FQ

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 16, 2023

 

Duran is a stud.

Slonina should be next in line behind Turner.