Yeah your right Beasley isn't *#*#*#*# compared to THE Mike Banner.... *rolls eyes* I'm happy for the kid, but if you really think there is were better players than Beasley who were overlooked at his age level I think you have another thing coming.
This page seems to be the fan page of Atletico PR http://www.furacao.com/base/juniores.php He is in it, he plays in what they consider a "base team" and I believe that the one that he is in "juniores" is right under the 1st division team. It also shows another american kid "Richard Stephen Kukwa" from Ohio.
DanRod78, Thanks for that. I've started another thread on Rick, as I've found some more information on him.
As a strictly mathematical question, our Nats are disproportionately HIGH in minorities. I mean, they're called "minorities" for a reason. Pope, Stewart, Beasley, Mastroenni, Sanneh...they all started against Portugal. Reyna later played. Jones was a key sub.
If Banner is playing for the reserve team, isn't there a way to track his progress? And on a releated note, what ever happened to Zach Archer (1986), who was noted in this thread as playing with the reserve team of Corinthians and apparently doing quite well as a 6'2" forward? Can anyone dig out some info on these boys' progress?
There are some odd inconsistencies in the story that is liked by Chhhea. Atletico Signs first American player And... that's Michael "Juka" Banner, the first African-American to play with a Brazilian soccer club: Clube Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba, Brazil. (BTW, didn't both Cobi and Des Armstrong play for clubs in Brazil in the early-mid 90's?) DELIMA SOCCER offered to arrange training for Michael in Brazil for one year. And... Michael has maintained his collegiate eligibility. After completing his year of training, the coaches and DELIMA SOCCER will evaluate his performance. "He'll be standing at a fork in the road at that point. Either he will move on to the professional level or return to play NCAA Div. I soccer... " It sounds like EITHER the kid is just down there training with the club for a year OR he has put pen to paper and the parents don't understand the NCAA rules. If he's playing alongside other pros and the club is paying for him to travel, etc.. - and by the reports about him playing in Dallas and being on the reserve team, it sounds like that's the case - in the eyes of the NCAA he is considered a professional. The NCAA is pretty clear about this. I really hope the kid makes it. In part because it's a great story and I'd like to see the kid do well down there. But I also hope he makes it because from the way things sound I don't think he'll be able to come back and play college ball. And, what is DELIMA SOCCER? I don't think they're agents in the classic sense of the word, but if they're brokering deals for him with a pro club, it is getting into a very gray area that the NCAA frowns upon.
Now coaching high-level girls in the DC area: For many who spend their lives working to help keep kids safe on the playing field or in the gym, it’s a notoriety that is long overdue. “When I was growing up, there was not a lot of information about concussions,” says Mike Banner, who played professional soccer before becoming a coach. Banner, who now coaches Ashdown’s team in the Washington Area Girls Soccer League, says he believes all coaches should get training in dealing with concussions — especially those who work with leagues or traveling teams that don’t have team doctors or trainers. He says the bottom line is the health of children is paramount. “Sports for me is all about life skills training — and you don’t want to risk your life playing sports,” Banner says. http://wtop.com/health/2015/12/d-c-leads-nation-in-youth-concussion-prevention-awareness/ He had a decent pro career overall: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banner