How much does nepotism/favortism/cronyism factor into going pro in the US?

Dude - you're way off base. It's possible that a player with family connections make get a look but it has no bearing on getting signed.

For Jordan Morris, he was a Seattle Academy product, they had HG rights. Was he one of the best FWDs, yep and that too.

He's a USNT member but if not for an injury, he would be 100% going to the WC.

What about Michael Bradley? You'd have a better case arguing Sigi Schmid (sp) kids, had an inside track getting into scouting/coaching because of their dad. But players, nope.

 

Jordan Morris was a tour de force as a youth player. His dad became the Sounders team doctor because his kid was so good at soccer, not the other way around. Morris starred for the Sounders academy then got capped by the senior team while still in college, won a national title and the Hermann Trophy and then turned downed Werder Bremen to sign with the Sounders.

Morris is a terrible example to make your hypothesis around.

As to that hypothesis, nepotism and cronyism might earn you an invite to camp. But you gotta earn it from there. There's a finite amount of jobs in pro soccer in the US and few folks are gonna jeopardize the one they got by signing a kid who isn't good enough just to help a buddy.

That said, word of mouth does help. Scouting is limited in the US so a network is required to get tips. If a coach calls up a dude he knows and says take a look at player X, that can make a difference. But the person making that call will lose all credibility if he vouches for someone who turns out to suck. So, cronyism can help get a chance but that's about as far as it goes.

(Except for Kenny Arena.)

 

I think it's more having your coaches have the connections.

If you play for a college coach, or assistant coach, who has played with or went to school or worked with someone on an MLS staff and your coach thinks you might have a shot, he can call the people he knows. But he's not gonna waste his reputation with that call if you don't have a legit chance.

As for nepotism, it's usually stuff that goes back a ways. Bruce Arena didn't suddenly become friends with people in MLS to help Kenny get a look. He called people he's known for 30 years. And if you think that only happens in soccer, have I got some news for you. You want to see some nepotism in sports? Look at the all the kids of NFL and college coaches who get assistant gigs they haven't exactly earned just because of who their old man is.

 

This is feeling a bit personal, what did the Morris family do to you??

If you want us to admit that Jordan Morris isn't the best american soccer player, then I'll give that to you.

To suggest the only reason the Sounders wanted Morris was Nepotism is as others suggest, way off. He dominated the college scene, and as a wake fan, gave me a few years of post season dread.

You can continue your tirade on Morris, but no one that watched him in college is going to agree that nepotism was the reason he ended up in the pros.

 

All in the game, Yo!

 

Yeah, Jordan Morris killed us today!

 

Arriola came on for an injured Reyna, DOUBLE NEPOTISM!

 

Clearly you are pushing an agenda (which is fine). But instead of bashing the problem over and over, what do you suggest be done differently? Do you have a better scouting system you can suggest? Do you have specific players you feel should get a look?

 

If you honestly think that Gio Reyna only plays for one of the biggest clubs in one of the best leagues in Europe because his dad was a pro AND you think he would have capped out at college, I'm going to chalk this up as a troll and remove myself from this conversation.

 

Good grief please do your homework and get your timelines accurate. Your arguments are actually upsetting me because you're trying to drive home a point using some of the worst examples possible. Your examples with Jordan Morris and Gio Reyna are chock full of revisionist history. When the bases behind your opinions are weak, the opinion seems more weak.

Morris joined the Sounders academy right before college. They wanted Morris 100% on merit and were trying to secure his homegrown rights because it was looking like he was going to make it as a pro. Arguably, the Sounders offered his dad a job so they could secure homegrown rights over one of the top youth prospects.

Lets take a step back, Jordan Morris was one of the best attacking strikers of his youth age group. He had pace and he had a clinical ability to find the back of the net when he was coming onto the national scene. This was at a time when Jozy Altidore was the USMNT's main striker and we desperately needed more clinical finishers in the USMNT. Morris was successful at the youth club level, where he was literally the top player at the US Youth Soccer National Championships when he was U16 or U17. You don't just get invited to USYS Nationals, you need to earn it and qualify. His Eastside FC team (NOT the Seattle Sounders) won a bunch of state titles with him scoring goals constantly. He played with the Sounders Academy for like 1-2 years, after he was already an elite youth prospect. Morris earned a D1 scholarship to a top school based on performance. Then, at Stanford, he scored boatloads of goals and was named to the All-Pac 12 team his freshman year. He then led the team to a national championship, scoring in the final. He was the most clinical striker in college soccer at the time he played (keep in mind that's slightly different than technical ability). Also, around that time Morris scored a fantastic goal against Mexico in one of his first caps, which further rose his stock. Let's not pretend that Morris's ascendancy was anything other than scoring boatloads of goals at a time where there was a dearth of clinical strikers.

Morris never really exhibited technical dribbling ability at the world class level, his skills have been his pace and his finishing composure. He was a better fit into a USMNT side transitioning from Jozy Altidore as a main striker than compared to the style of play the US is attempting to play currently. Then he suffered two ACL tears and, IMHO, is a different player now. I don't get the desire to include him in the national team anymore, which is unfortunate for him.

The point I'm making is that Jordan Morris is not a good example of nepotism influencing opportunities. He earned his opportunities based on consistent performances throughout his development period. IMHO, injuries derailed his ultimate potential.

Gio Reyna is not a good example of nepotism influencing opportunities either. Gio was clearly a stud from an early age and was absolutely dominant at the youth academy level. Everyone could see it. The NYCFC teams Reyna was on were consistently strong across the DA and Reyna ran that midfield. Reyna led NYCFC to two DA national championships before he was sold to Borussia Dortmund. He wasn't sold to Borussia Dortmund because of who his dad was....

Then, at Dortmund, Reyna rose through their academy based on merit and earned his way into a top European side at the age of 17. He was competing against internationals like Emre Can, Julian Brandt, Axel Witsel, Thorgan Hazard, and Jadon Sancho (himself a stud at the time). Reyna had an assist in a champions league knockout stage against PSG as a teenager. Do you seriously think his dad's "influence" had anything to do with that? Using him as an example is ridiculous because every scout, opponent, and referee who saw Reyna at a youth level could see he had the potential to be a professional. Who his dad was just didn't matter (except, maybe, to explain his abilities).

Reyna (and Erling Haaland for that matter) are better examples of how genetic offspring of elite athletes have arguably more potential than their parents if given the opportunity to succeed.

Now, to get back to your main thesis, does nepotism influence opportunities at the D1 college soccer level? Absolutely. It plays some role. But it realistically influences opportunities at the margins...not with the top players. Nepotism doesn't really influence MLS opportunities either anymore. Some guys get lucky by being elevated with who they are playing with and make it to a level they realistically shouldn't (with too many examples to name of guys who had only 1-2 years in the MLS). But, generally, there's too much other competition for unworthy players to make it over time.

Your later question of how the US's scouting system works raises a whole host of other issues that can't really begin to be addressed on this soccer forum.

 

Mic drop!

 

As if Borussia Dortmund cares, remembers, or even realizes who Claudio Reyna is/was. Laughable, Man!!