New San Diego MLS Team will have massive Right to Dream Academy

With Jim Curtin and Vanni Sartini among the coaches who are now available, I wonder who has more regret over pulling the trigger on their coaching hire so early, Austin FC (Nico Estevez) or San Diego FC (Mikey Varas)...

MLS coaches who have been fired/left this season:

1. Gary Smith - Nashville SC
2. Gonzalo Pineda - Atlanta United
3. Nico Estevez - FC Dallas
4. Luchi Gonzalez - San Jose
5. Bradley Carnell - St. Louis City
6. Josh Wolff - Austin FC
7. Frank Klopas - Chicago Fire
8. Jim…

— MLS Moves (@MLSMoves) November 29, 2024

 

This is for the San Diego thread?

 

San Diego FC (Mikey Varas)

 

Though I'm not appreciated here in this forum, I can tell you that the "old" (more than 22 year old) players purchased or otherwise being from Nordsjælland are most likely going to San Diego, because they have no future in that young an European environment. It's no disrespect of your league, but just being honest.

 

Welcome back! Interesting take and I’m curious how it will pan out. If the lesser 22+ year old Nordsjaælland players do in fact go to San Diego will they be successful in MLS? Time will tell.

 

San Diego's first order of business is building a full roster. That's so important for any new MLS team and it sets the tone for the next few years. Nordsjælland's surplus players will help building depth with either none or favorable transfer fees.

Another takeaway from this is that whatever players they choose now are not indicative of any further strategy beyond the need to fill 20+ spots in the next couple of months.

 

San Diego FC have acquired Colombian youth int'l forward Tomas Angel from LAFC.

Deal is $200k GAM + a 2nd round SuperDraft pick.

Angel, 21, was with Atletico Nacional before LAFC. He is the son of former RBNY star Juan Pablo Angel. pic.twitter.com/TAbxE7FFCK

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) December 9, 2024

 

Apparently Tomas Angel isn't US-eligible despite having lived in the US for many years...

Alex Mighten on the other hand

Alex 🔜 SD pic.twitter.com/m72kFfB8Ug

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) December 10, 2024

 

Joining Mikey Varas' staff in San Diego. https://t.co/zNUgUolQK5

— Marcus Chairez | US/SC (@USSoccerColl) December 11, 2024

 

Lots of interesting players for San Diego to sign in the expansion draft today.
Not a ton of young guys but there are some. Ben Bender was a surprise on the list. They exercised his option to keep him at the club for the 2025 season, but there he is exposed to the draft.

Also.....................a plethora of keepers available. I suspect that by the end of today we'll realize Duran Ferree is far down the depth chart.

 

Lots of interesting players indeed. 5 selections from:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/2024-mls-expansion-draft-eligible-players-how-to-watch

DeJaun Jones would be a good call IMO as he can play both FB positions. You also have to be good down the spine so maybe they get a striker or two w/ some experience to put the ball in the net and hold up play... E.g. Ebobisee and/or Kamara. Then go CM/CB.?.? Very interested to see what happens.

 

Speaking of Right to Dream...

Sources say 27 year old Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah to be selected for San Diego FC in tonight’s MLS expansion draft.

Yeboah was an MLS Cup champion with Columbus in 2023 and is a graduate of the Right To Dream Academy system. pic.twitter.com/aJaHn0m75F

— SanDiego.Futbol (@SanDiego_Futbol) December 11, 2024

The Quakes should give them Bouda who is also from Right to Dream, in exchange for one of their five selections...

 

ok

1867062780245008658 is not a valid tweet id

 

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼, 𝗖𝗝.

San Diego FC acquires goalkeeper @CJ_dos_Santos from @InterMiamiCF in exchange for $100,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM).

Details ➡️ https://t.co/g58hzv22nh pic.twitter.com/6mujUEczNN

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) December 12, 2024

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱.

We have selected San Diego native goalkeeper Jacob Jackson in Stage 1 of the 2024 @MLS Re-Entry Draft.

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) December 13, 2024

Duran Ferree is now below... two of the three worst goalkeepers from the 2024 MLS season

 

He might not be. It might just be competition.

 

SD assistant coach

Thank you, Luciano Fusco! ⚫️🔵

U15 Head Coach (2018-2021)
U17 Head Coach (2018-2020)
Earthquakes II Assistant Coach (2021-2022)
San Jose Earthquakes Assistant Coach (2022-2024)

Wishing you all the best in your next chapter! 🙌

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) December 18, 2024

 

He's played so sparsely in the past three years. I'd be shocked if he's good enough for a decent role

 

I’ve appreciated your contribution to the thread.
I feel you are ignorant of MLS teams and their willingness to play and sell young talent to Europe. Just looking at my team OC, every time we get a young player we get excited about, they are sold. Larin, Michel, Dike, and now Torres have been sold either to Europe or now Brazil in Torres’ case. Good young talent doesn’t stay in MLS for long. If they are good enough, they are gone. Do yourself a favor and look at what the Philadelphia Union are doing/going through before making more ignorant statements about MLS teams. The development part is what is lacking in lots of teams, my team for example Is dreadful at producing players capable of moving from our 2nd team to our 1st team. On the other hand we’ve done pretty good at drafting young talent and buying young SA players to play, that end up in Europe.

On the other hand you’ve brought a wealth of knowledge on what’s been happening in the Danish league and the development model we should expect to see in SD. I also agree with you that SD could fill their needs with players above 22 yrs of age that didn’t make it to top 5 league teams and want more time to prove that they can make it to a top 5 league. Some players mature later than others, and this could help SD and the player. If they can make an MLS best 11, they’d likely get offers from Europe. This would allow SD time to ramp up their development model.

 

Update:

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼, 𝗣𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗼.

San Diego FC signs free agent goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) December 27, 2024

San Diego FC announces Duran Ferree will rejoin @FCNordsjaelland on loan through June 2025.

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) December 27, 2024

This may be the worst group of goalkeepers ever assembled by an MLS team?
Pablo Sisniega
CJ Dos Santos
Jacob Jackson
Duran Ferree (sent away on loan again to play 0 games in Denmark)

 

OFFICIAL: 16-year-old forward Anisse Saidi has been signed by new MLS club San Diego FC from the Philadelphia Union ✅

Saidi scored over 20 goals for the Union academy last season and has previously participated with the U.S. and Tunisia National Teams 🤩 pic.twitter.com/qTY9QUBEYJ

— Footy Access (@footy_access) December 29, 2024

 

I do not have any opinion about the development of the MLS, but only about the fact that the MLS is never going to attract young foreign talents who believe they have a future in the top 4 leagues of Europe, and for good reason, because MLS clubs are not participating in the Champions League or in any of the European tournaments.

It's not about being bias, but about understanding the realty of the soccer hierarchy, where MLS and the USMNT are nowhere near the top of the food chain and is never going to be, because soccer is never going to be the most important sport in the USA unlike everywhere else in the World.

 

I can tell you that my club OC has signed many young S Americans who looked to develop here and make the jump to Europe. Oddly, it’s been the young Americans and Canadians that have actually made it to Europe from our club.

 

I dunno...... coming to MLS seemed to work out VERY well for Jhon Durand, Taty Castellanos, Miguel Almiron, & Julian Carranza to name a few non-Americans.....

 

Wishing this guy success given he's a young American but the SD roster looks like it will be contending for the wooden spoon even if they add Brandon Vazquez so not sure how long he'll last...

Heading into 2025 as a Mrs. 🎉 Congrats, @LindseyHoran! pic.twitter.com/6AgnakAAIN

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 30, 2024