People are saying that the primary route for player development is via college supplemented by PDL play. In looking at this year's draft, I was surprised by how few players had actually gone the PDL route. Here's a look at the PDL experience of this year's draftees... (apologies for anyone I miss) As for the rest of them, how do they spend their summers? Round 1 3. Nate Jaqua, Portland Played only 11 games for the PDL champion Boulder Rapids, but he scored 6 goals and added 5 assists. 6. Todd Dunivant, Stanford Joined the Boulder Rapids during the playoffs, scoring one goal in two games. 9. Pat Noonan, Indiana 10 goals and 6 assists in 17 games for the Mid-Michigan Bucks. Round 2 15. Jason Thompson, E. Illinois A high school football star, he launched himself onto the national scene with his play for the title-winning Boulder Rapids. He scored 14 goals in 19 games. 16. Scot Thompson, UCLA Defender who played 14 games for Orange County Blue Star. 17. Tim Regan, Bradley A defender with 1 goal and 6 assists in 19 games for the Chicago Fire Reserves. Round 3 25. Ryan Mack, Indiana 7 goals and 6 assists in 20 games for the Mid-Michigan Bucks. 26. Phil Swenda, BC 8 goals and 2 assists in 13 games for the Jersey Falcons. Round 4 34. Mike Tranchilla, Creighton 9 goals and 5 assists in 11 games for the Memphis Express. 36. Josh Saunders, Cal Allowed 11 goals in 10 games for Orange County Blue Star. 38. Matt Crawford, UNC 2 goals and 5 assists for Raleigh CASL Elite. 40. Hamid Mehreioskouei, Bradley Scored 14 goals with 7 assists in 17 games for the Chicago Fire Reserves. Round 5 41. John Swann, Indiana Defender who played 18 games and scored 1 goal for the Mid-Michigan Bucks. 43. Mike Mariscalco, Butler Scored 8 goals with 6 assists in 14 games for the Kalamazoo Kingdom. 48. Casey Schmidt, BC Scored 5 goals in 13 games for the Cape Cod Crusaders. Round 5 50. Jimmy Frazelle, UCLA Appeared in 10 games for Orange County Blue Star without any goals or assists. Round 6 52. Joe Barton, Cal St.-Northridge Allowed 7 goals in 5 games. 54. Ryan Futagaki, UCLA Played 5 games for Orange County Blue Star without any goals or assists.
The PDL helps out some, but really the studs who are 17,18 and 19 are the guys who should be trying to play there.
Thanks, SeattleFan ... the guys from 2002 who I missed were all only part-time players for their PDL teams. Here they are: 2. Clark -- played 8 games for Fire Reserves. Didn't appear in playoffs. 5. Stokes -- played 13 games for Raleigh. Didn't appear in playoffs. 21. Comfort -- played 9 games for Richmond 24. Pause -- played in 9 games for Raleigh, scoring 4 goals. Didn't appear in playoffs.
I think you'll probably find out that Casey Schmidt's overtime goal gave the Cape Cod Crusaders the victory in the PDL Final over Boulder.
Of these, Jason Thompson was selected 2nd Team All League, while Tranchilla, Swann, Mariscalco and Mehreioskouei were 1st Team Selections.
Teen phenoms rule, but the PDL is still cool Actually there were quite a high number of PDL players drafted this year. It's just a matter of opinion I guess. The PDL is fast becoming what its name implies. It improves the quality of players who thought they weren't good enough to go pro after High School. They are then able to get a chance at a pro career through college and the PDL. Now with the number of teams increasing each year, the chances of more PDL players will surely increase even more. The main thing in the way is that MLS still only has ten teams, so competition severly cuts their chances down. -VON
Re: Teen phenoms rule, but the PDL is still cool The check from Frank Marcos is in the mail. Thanks. This USL propaganda has been slung around enough that some of it is starting to stick. The truth is that these players, to a man, play some PDL to keep in shape in the summer. As far as PDL "improving the quality of players" it's just not true, except in the sense that they get some more field time. In most of the cited cases, even THAT is in question. Bringing in a college stud for a few games during the playoffs as a "ringer" does not constitute "developing" him. "Using" him maybe. In virtually every one of these cases, the team mentioned needed him more than he neded them. They didn't "develop: him; they gave him a uni and tossed him out there. And the reason is simple: the budgets are miniscule, the coaches are part-time, often only marginally qualified and always short-handed. They aren't "developing" anything, just trying to win some games. And it isn't a case of a player "thinking" anything. If MLS offers you a deal after high school you can go pro. If they don't, you can't. It's not a matter of opinion, it's a fact. I think anyone would be hard pressed to say that any of these players were drafted, or drafted where they were, in any part because of their PDL experience. They are good players, and they chose to get into game shape over the summer playing PDL. Other guys play in their local men's leagues, or ethnic clubs or go overseas. Sorry to disagree, but PDL is only one step up from a beer league. A good, solid, fun beer league, but a beer league nonetheless.
Re: Re: Teen phenoms rule, but the PDL is still cool It's a large league with lots of variations. Some teams are very good, some teams are very average and some teams are very poor. With Columbus fielding a team this summer(possibly akin to theFire Reserves) , looks like you'll get to see it first hand.
How many games do you think these teams play? Stokes was not a "part-time" player. He was a regular starter who was not available for all games.
Re: Re: Re: Teen phenoms rule, but the PDL is still cool I've seen my share of PDL games, thanks. My point is not that it sucks, although there are some bad temas out there. Rather, my point is that it is not much of a development tool. What it IS very good at is getting around ludicrous NCAA rules that prevent good players from hitting a field somewhere and playing a semi-serious game. And the Columbus team will not bear much resemblance to the Fire reserves. It's just another in a long line of independent franchises by a local Restaurant owner. Crew is not involved, although they may be willing to take his money to let them play at CCS.
IMO, that exactly what the top college players need -- an opportunity to continue to play against good competition. They don't have that opportunity via the NCAA, so the PDL provides it. You have the very cream of the college crop that goes off each summer with one National Team or another. For the most part, the PDL is stocked with the rest of the top college players. Some PDL teams actually go a good job of doing some training. Chris Keenan at the Kalamazoo Kingdom, being a former IU player, has always had several IU players on his team. People list Noonan and Swann as being from the Mid-Michigan Bucks, but Noonan played the previous year with the Kingdom and Swann played the 3 previous years with the Kingdom. The Bucks have always had a little more money to be able to bring in a few foreigners, so as players like Noonan, Mack and Swann get better, the Bucks will get more of them than a team like the Kingdom or the Indiana Invaders.
What I see as good about the PDL is it gives people in small markets a chance to see soccer of a decent quality up close and personal. In my opinion, there is more of a connection between fans of these teams and young, developing players than with the few and distant MLS teams. It gets the grass roots soccer people - youth players and their families - interested in watching the game instead of just playing it. And the more of these PDL players that advance up the ladder to MLS, the more these people will start watching MLS. It's not an overnight process by any means, but there is no way that it's a bad thing either.
Frank Marcos, isn't he the guitarist for POD? Sorry about my post, even as I wrote it I was thinking it sounded like I worked for the PDL. Sometimes I let my love for writing go a little too far and try to sound official. I was only defending the PDL and pointing out that the list shown was a fairly long list, given of guys who supposedly play in, as you call it, a good beer league. I agree with you, but I do honestly believe the PDL gives many players a chance to increase thier skills and allows them to get drafted in MLS when they might not have been without the league. The PDL doubles the amount of games most college guys participate in and that alone is a good thing. It puts them in a pro atmosphere and the quality is usually considered just a bit better than college. Now I hope that didn't sound too official, no what i'm saying g-dog? -VON
This boils down to semantics, but Stokes missed 6 out of 19 games. If you only worked 25-30 hours a week, would it count as "full-time?"
Yes, but when he was available, he started. You're telling me Landon Donovan is a part-time player for the Earthquakes?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Teen phenoms rule, but the PDL is still cool Sounds exactly like the Fire reserves to me. Perhaps you aren't familiar with the specifics of the relationship (or lack thereof) between Chicago Fire and the Fire Reserves?
Actually when I worked at Wal-Mart last year they considered you full-time if you worked 28 hours or more. I think that is the law too, but retail sucks so who knows. -VON
The Des Moines Menace are a very well run team in the process of building their own soccer specific stadium. They will be the first PDL club to have one. They also happen to lead the PDL in attendance. Their ultimate aim is to become an A-league side.
One thing missed here is that movement does not only proceed upwards - as MLS gets further along, players will retire out and many of them will drop to the PDL to start their coaching careers, bringing with them their professionalism and experience. The one thing that will allow the PDL to succeed and provide the broad and strong base to the US professional soccer pyramid is stability, and having skilled and credible coaches - like former Quake Dario Brose at the Mid-Michigan Bucks - can only help.
This is also true at the college coaching level. Locally, I expect Paul Caligiuri and Dan Calichman will bring a certain level of professionalism to the colleges where they are now coaching.
Lets see, that NCAA players (like Schmidt and Stokes) can get another 8 games or so to supplement the 16 or so they play during the college season, it isn't considered development? NCAA players that play in the PDL get to play 20-30 times per year. That is the same as most Reserve and U19 teams play in Europe. The only question to debate is the level of PDL/NCAA compared to the Reserve and U19 teams over in Europe or South America. Of course you could argue that the training and playing is from May to December for a total of seven or eight months when it should be best for ten months as it is in Europe.
Oh how I long for days when Tyrone Marshall was putting the buldge in the old onion bag for my now defunct PDL Lexington Bluegrass Bandits.