http://www.3rddegree.net/comment/120F/index.htm I thought this list on 3rd degree's site was pretty neat. 3rd, any thoughts on Ryan Latham from SMU/Rockwall as a forward/midfielder on this team? My kids are 8 and 2, so I don't know much about the high school kids in the area. Are there any studs out there that could make this team?
Glad you liked the piece. Ryan Latham I have heard of, and since we are talking hypothetical... why not. If this kind of team were to really happen, it would likey have more players than I listed anyway. I put together a list to field a team... If it were to be opperated as a seperate group it most probably would have a roster in the range of 22 players anyway. For the purpose of my piece I included players I have seen personally (usually when they are guest Burn practice players or play for Spurs) and players with local connections on US youth National teams. I still needed one or two more, so I asked some poeple who cover high school soccer in Texas to fill it out. Specifically I was given Zindell's name at SMU, but that doesn't mean Latham isn't a good player as well. And the GK from Brenham who looks legit (and is going to Boston U next year). I am not a high school expert, but locally I am hearing that this years senior class is not offering a lot of individual stars... yet. Some good teams sure, but no players to make you droll. although to be fare, it's early.
Here is what little I know about Latham: Freshman year: played a little bit, but with Luchi and Fahim in front of him, it was understandable. Sophmore year: As far as I can tell, he was a consistent starter, but I don't know his stats. I am guessing his junior year will be kind of a make or brake year for him. Not too much to go on, but as I said, I don't know a whole lot about the college and high school players around here. I was hoping for some insight from our fellow Dallas area posters.
6 goals in 12 starts as a sophmore doesn't sound to shabby. If MLS would institute these reserve teams for all the clubs, I think it would not only help develop talent, but just as importantly, it would generate more interest in the league from the teams communities. Would it be better to have the reserve games right before the MLS games to generate more attendance, or would it be better to have the reserves play the day after?
Karma rules.... The following press release has Burn implications since hunt looks to be taking over in Dallas. Although it doesn't seem to have a direct Crew connection to Hunt, the release came from the Crew. Wonder what is really going on here... ---------------------------------------- Columbus Stars announce PDL, W-League & Super-Y League Teams to Strengthen Columbus' status as "America's Soccer Capital" "We want to continue making Columbus the model for American Soccer" - Joe Milano, Jr. COLUMBUS, OH- Joe Milano, Jr. unveiled the name, logo and coaches for the Columbus entries in the United Soccer Leagues' amateur levels at Villa Milano today. The Columbus Stars will field squads in the top men's and women's amateur leagues in the country, the Premier Development League (PDL) and the W-League respectively, beginning with the 2003 season. The Stars will also field sides in the national Super Y-League offering the best competition at the youth level (U19-U14). The teams will share a logo, name and desire to bridge the gap between the highly-successful youth soccer clubs in Central Ohio and the wildly popular Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, in which Mr. Milano is an investor. The Stars offer a chance for the highest level of play and competition for elite soccer players in the region without moving away from the greater Columbus area. "The Columbus Stars will fill in the pyramid of soccer and truly make Columbus the soccer capital of the United States," said Milano, who is excited about what the Columbus Stars mean to the soccer community in Central Ohio. "Soccer's stars of tomorrow are Columbus Stars today." The red, white and blue color scheme of the Stars serves as a visible reminder of the All-American story of the Stars' founder Joe Milano, Jr. A member of an Italian immigrant family, Milano takes great pride in his civic contributions. Milano has been a fixture in the Columbus business community for over 20 years. After being born in Central Ohio and working in the restaurant business as he matured, he founded Villa Milano in 1982. This business in now one of the premier banquet, meeting and catering facilities in the region. A sports fan and a family man, Milano has dedicated himself to providing good entertainment and a place for special moments in peoples' lives. Milano is not a stranger to ownership of sports franchises. He owned the Waco Wizards of the Western Professional Hockey League for three seasons before divesting in 2000. He is also an investor in the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. "We are very excited that Joe took this step for soccer in Columbus," said Crew President/General Manager Jim Smith. "Beginning with his initial investment in The Crew, Joe has been committed to the growth of soccer in Columbus." The Columbus PDL entry, the Shooting Stars, will play in the Central Conference's Great Lakes Division. The historically strong division features established PDL franchises the Indiana Invaders, Kalamazoo Kingdom, Mid-Michigan Bucks and West Michigan Edge. The Stars will not be the only new kid on the block in 2003 campaign with the expansion Fort Wayne Fever and a Toledo franchise (details to be released in the weeks ahead) rounding out the Great Lakes division. Intrastate rivalries and great regional opportunities are hallmarks of the W-League as well as the PDL. The Columbus Lady Shooting Stars W-League side will play in the Central Conference, Midwest Division. An intrastate rivalry for the Lady Shooting Stars could come via the Cincinnati Ladyhawks. The Stars will also compete with the Northern Kentucky TC Stars and two Chicagoland squads, the Chicago Cobras and the Windy City Bluez. Perhaps the most compelling element to Mr. Milano is the opportunity to unite the region's excellent youth soccer organizations under the Columbus Stars banner in the Super-Y League. Teams featuring the best youth players from all over the Columbus Metro area will compete on six teams over five age brackets. (U19, U17, U16, U15 & U14 Boys and U14 Girls) "The Stars Super-Y structure will continue the process of making Columbus the model for American soccer," Milano said. "Our youth programs are incredible. The Stars Super-Y teams will give Central Ohio clubs a chance to shine through their best and brightest." The Super-Y League allows the most advanced players at the youth level a chance to compete against the elite in the region with an opportunity to compete for national honors in late August. The Super-Y League has several programs that have been granted Olympic Development Programs to allow for all-season scouting of the nation's finest young players. The PDL is the top amateur level in the US Soccer pyramid. Major League Soccer is the top of the chart, followed by the A-League, Pro Select League and the PDL. On the women's side, only the WUSA is set above the W-League. The Super Y-League supports both structures. Dates, times and ticket prices will be announced in the coming weeks for all the teams in the Columbus Stars organization. Stadium commitments and player announcements will also be made as the season nears. For more information contact Packy Moran at 937-238-4268 or e-mail info@columbusstars.com. Columbus Stars Name Columbus Soccer Fixture, Lesh Shkreli, to Head PDL Team COLUMBUS, OH- The expansion PDL Columbus Shooting Stars have named Central Ohio soccer fixture Lesh Shkreli their first head coach. A native of Yugoslavia, Shkreli has been involved in numerous youth, high school, college, club and soccer camp programs since his days with the Columbus Capitals indoor team in the mid 80's. Currently an assistant coach at Ohio Dominican University and the director of the Northern Columbus Athletic Association's Blast Soccer Club, Shkreli holds a USSF "A" level coaching license. Shkreli (Sh-krel-ee) has professional playing experience in the Red Star Belgrade system, the Greek First Division, the American Soccer League and the North American Soccer League. His professional career brought him to Central Ohio as the American Indoor Soccer Association's leading scorer with the Columbus Capitals for the 1984-85 season. Shkreli shared all-AISA honors with former Crew assistant coach Oscar Pisano. Shkreli has had success as a coach. In his five years on the staff at Ohio Dominican, the Panthers have posted a 57-32-5 record and his Blast Soccer Club Boy's 81 team captured the 1998 Ohio South State Championship. In 2000, Shkreli was honored at halftime of the Major League Soccer All-Star game for his ongoing dedication to the development of the Columbus youth soccer programs. He lives in Westerville with his wife Jovana and their daughter Adriana. The Columbus Premier Development League entry will play in the Central Conference's Great Lakes Division. The historically-strong division features established PDL franchises the Indiana Invaders, Kalamazoo Kingdom, Mid-Michigan Bucks and West Michigan Edge. The Stars will not be the only new kid on the block in the 2003 campaign, with the expansion Fort Wayne Fever and a Toledo franchise (details to be released in the weeks ahead) rounding out the Great Lakes division. Thanks to the SID office at Ohio Dominican U. and the Blast FC for informational support. For more information contact Packy Moran at 937-238-4268 or e-mail info@columbusstars.com. -30- Mohamood Razack Tapped to Be Columbus Stars W-League Head Coach COLUMBUS, OH- Mohamood Razack has been named the inaugural coach for the W-League Columbus Lady Shooting Stars. Razack, a native of South Africa, is the director of the Northern Columbus Athletic Association's Blast Girls' Soccer Club and is a former professional player. Razack (RAH-zak) has coached boys and girls at both the club and high school levels in the Columbus area for 18 years. Most recently he led the Blast Girls 83's to their second consecutive Ohio South State Cup Championship and to the title at the prestigious Dana Cup in Denmark. Many of Mohamood's former players have gone on to play Division I college soccer, with some now taking coaching positions in the area. Mohamood is head coach of the 83's, 85's, 87's and 91's, and is coordinator of the older age teams in the Blast. Razack has also served as an assistant coach for the Ohio Dominican University varsity women's team. His coaching philosophy emphasizes basic skills and midfield play. An important point of emphasis is for players to learn how to read and also enjoy the game. Razack is also the director of the local organization of TOPSoccer that puts on an annual day of soccer activities for young people with disabilities. The Lady Shooting Stars' side will play in the Central Conference, Midwest Division. An intrastate rival exists in the Cincinnati Ladyhawks. The Stars will also compete with the Northern Kentucky TC Stars and two Chicagoland squads, the Chicago Cobras and the Windy City Bluez. Thanks to the Blast FC for informational support. For more information contact Packy Moran at 937-238-4268 or e-mail info@columbusstars.com.
Nice work. This sort of begs a question I hadn't thought of before, but how does the league treat injured P40 players relative to a team's developmental roster? Jason Thompson's ACL injury will likely keep him out for most, if not all the season. Granted he may not have gotten much playing time, but could have been used in a pinch, especially with the U20 WC coming up and the loss of a couple of other P40 players.
As a P-40, the Burn can afford, if that is the right word, to keep Thompson around. The initial report was that he will be out 6 months and as a P-40 he doesn't count on the full roster, so there is no problem of letting him rehab. Thompson will have to stay on the dev roster, but since that roster expanded to 6 there should be no question of keeping him. He is a "player for the future" any way. I think you are correct, with Eddie out with the U-20's he might have seen a more increaed role. Hypothetically, since it is really a moot point. If Thompson was not P-40 the situation would be very differnt. It would be doubtful the Burn would carry him injured that long, he is not a Chris Gbandi. The positive in this might be for Mike Tranchilla. He sould have a better chance of making the Developmental Roster now, if he is willing to sign as a Dev player. Thompson's injury opens that door wide, and Eddie's absence will give him a real chance to play. You hate to have a period of the season with only 3 forwards in camp. http://www.3rddegree.net/season/dance.htm
I've read on these boards (and in news articles, I believe) that MLS is not allowed to waive an injured player. So even if Thompson were not P-40, I think he'd stay on the Burn's roster as long as he remained injured, though, perhaps there's some period (6 months?) after which an injured player can be waived. If, at a particular time in the season, a team has 3 or more players injured, the league has in the past allowed the team to sign a replacement player. Also, if a GK is injured, the team is allowed to sign a temporary replacement GK.
That has been posted but I don't think that is true. Ivan McKinley was just released by DC while injured http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/6159412 I would want to see documention of this rule if it is true. If Thompson were not P-40 then he would not have been signed at all. There are very few seniors in the draft pool who are signed before the draft. If he was injured without signing, then that would be his tough luke. At this point the only draft pick under contract is Thompson. In the case of field players, the injured players must be out for a long periond of time, maybe even the rest of the season. WIth the GK any time one is out, teams could bring in USL callups. But in both cases the USL deal is dead, which is why the Developmental Roster was expanded to 6 players.
Who knows if we'll ever see documentation. But the rule does appear to be true. Note the following in the article you posted a link to: "D.C. United announced the club has opted not to retain defender Ivan McKinley for the 2003 season. United, Major League Soccer and McKinley reached a mutual settlement regarding his release." Knowing how cheap MLS can be, why would they reach a settlement with McKinley if they could have otherwise waived him in the normal fashion?
The reserve team idea is a good one, however, you have to look at the logistics of all of this within the league. 1)If a player is on your reserve team but not signed with the league, then Dallas doesn't own his rights. He'll be thrown into the draft, and someone else can reap the benefits of the Burn having developed him. 2) PDL teams are great, but amateur players have to pay their own way in order to not lose NCAA eligibility. The USSF really has the right idea when it comes to youth set-up. They take the top 15 and 16 year olds and immerse them into year round training through the Bolleteri Academy in Florida. They play against U18 teams, U19 teams, MLS back-ups, other international teams etc. Out pops--Donovan(San Jose), Onyewu(Metz), Akwari(Columbus), Yi(Royal Antwerp), Trembly(Colorado), Beasley(Chicago), Convey(DCU),Beckerman(Colorado), Countess(Dallas). Those are the only ones I remember from the 1999 class, and that was from ONLY 18 players. Now USSF takes 30 players. The kids start the year before in '98 and train through most of '99. How is this relevant to MLS? MLS teams could do the same thing except the kids wouldn't have to go and live in Florida for a year and half. They could live with their families. Hell, let the USSF take their 30 players, and IMHO there is still enough talent left in the U.S. to take an additional 18-30 per MLS city. After a year and a half Dallas takes their best players from this team and graduates them to the Dallas Burn reserve team, signing them to a professional/developmental contract P40 style in the process if they so desire. Washouts can play college ball in Div II since they changed their rules regarding professional development. Still worried about hurting kids' amateur status with Division I schools? Let USSF 'hire' Dallas'(hypothetical) coaches and 'give' money to USSF. Of course that money would be used for developing Dallas' U17 team, but it would be totally 'amateur' since USSF would be the ones doing it. This system could be morphed into any variation necessary to suit the needs ot the team. I know that we've got to take baby steps, but really the above method is proven by not only USSF, but also top teams around the world like Manchester United, Ajax, River Plate, etc. The golden generation of Becks, Scholes, Giggs, Neville, and Kirovski were brought up in a system like this. All 5 are not so coincidentally playing in the Premiership this year. In almost every place around the world the bulk of development money is placed on U19 players, and that's where I feel the league should look long term. Players 20,21,22 years old have limited upsides when compared with a promising 15,16,17,18 year old prospect because so much development occurs at these ages. The vast majority of 20,21,22 and 23 year old players can only develop so far and then they hit a wall. Are there exceptions? Sure. But college will still be there for those kids who don't make it into the Burn/USSF Dallas reserve team, much like colleges pick up the leftovers of the USSF U17 national team. Long term, the league has to look at doing this in order to improve the quality of play. I mean it's a given that it has to be done if MLS ever wants to join the European Big Four(EPL, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga). How do you get MLS to that level? Well, since it's a league full of Americans, you take those Americans and train them like ALL of the players in those leagues were trained. It's definitely not rocket science, and one day I would love to be able to watch in-depth analyis of MLS on ESPN's Sportscenter.
Very well thought out post Wanderer. Hopefully, one day there will be some type of academy set up within each MLS team. If it could be worked out where the players that don't make it all the way to MLS are given money for college, it would be great. For the most part it would kill college soccer, but for now, college soccer is in a way killing US development.