Looking at the new reserve league setup I was thinking that it doesn't seem that effective to really develop those last ten guys on the the 30 man roster. 10 games is not really a season, with the changes in the NCAA rules would it not make sense for MLS teams to also field a team in the PDL? They play 16 games from May to August if the reserve schedule was weighted so that four games came between march and may with another four from August to October the players who are the furthest from breaking through to the first team could be getting in a full season of games without MLS spending the money to send them with the first team every week. The PDL team would also be a good place to keep an eye on the college aged homegrown players that each club has in their system. It seems like an idea MLS should consider if they are serious about creating a bridge between the first team and the academy if they aren't going to spring for a whole schedule of reserve games.
10 games is the official schedule. The MLS reserve teams are allowed to play friendlies with NASL/USL/College teams. Also, you'll probably see some of the MLS teams that are close together distance wise schedule some extra reserve games as well, Galaxy/Chivas being an obvious example.
Right it seems like it might be better for these younger homegrown teens and the rookies to get a season of competitive U23 experience where they have to perform week in week out as they will be expected to do for the first team. I noticed Portland and Chicago already do have teams in the PDL. Anyone know how many players from either team have made it to MLS? Also anyone know how much it costs to run one of these teams? I wonder if MLS would really save any money by having one. They tend to play most games within their region right? If nothing else it could be a good tool for MLS coaches to get a look at the top NCAA players every summer without having to travel, plus keep another 10-20 kids in their system.
Thing is, though, it's not just the last ten guys, it's the second ten guys as well. Having the first team and the reserve league coordinated means you can have a player train and scrimmage with the first team all week, sit on the bench or get a few minutes with the first team, and then also play a half or a full game in the reserve league. Once you go to the PDL, you're not training with the first team any more, and your travel isn't coordinated, so there's no guarantee you'll be available for home games, and you certainly won't be on away trips with the first team. Think about goalkeepers; a lot of teams will probably want their #2 keeper to be backing up their starter with the first team, and also getting minutes with the reserves. That probably can't happen if they're playing a PDL schedule. It makes more sense to me to schedule extra reserve team friendlies against local colleges, PDL teams, and so on.
In addition to this, players can always be loaned to PDL teams. LA G's loaned Bowen to the Hollywood Hitmen for a few games before.
Yes! That's why its so useful. That's why its going to be very helpful for the 15th-25th spots on the roster. Guys who don't get a lot of minutes in full games, but are really ready for semi-regular action and need it to improve.
I agree that it would be useful. It seems like the younger guys who really aren't going to see MLS action much if at all can be loaned out pretty often during the PDL season (IIRC domestic clubs can loan back and forth without the transfer window). As for training, if the PDL team is under the parent club presumably they would play with the same philosophy, I'm sure some of these 19-20 y.o. can do two a days a few times a week, play with the 1st team in the morning and go to a few practices a week with the u23s. If there is a reserve match they would play in away from home they travel with the first team. If there is no reserve game they play with the u23s. Week in week out experience for your guys, less risk for young players going pro wondering if 10 games a year is enough to develop them from academy players into first team players, and you get to keep your college HG prospects playing at the club in the summertime. The amatures on the PDL team would also be available for reserve matches as well in case of injuries or what have you.
I've been hoping for years now that MLS will have a setup similar to the NHL, where teams can draft a player in college, and retain his rights while he stays and plays in college. The MLS team's PDL team could be for their drafted players to get familiar with the big club while still retaining their college eligibility.
I think that can pretty much happen now, but for a few small differences. The way I understand the rules for NCAA eligibility and MLS HG rules as they stand now, it seems like academy products from an MLS club would be able to play for the PDL team and the reserves without losing any eligibility. If a player is not a HG prospect by the time he joins a college team, he would still be able to play for the PDL and reserve teams but the team in question would not own his MLS rights. Declaring for the draft would end a players eligibility.
Which is the crux of the matter. I'm not certain, but I believe that the NCAA is responsible for the loophole that allows NHL teams to draft a player and retain his rights, while he still plays in college. I'd like to know for sure, so if someone better versed than I in such things can weigh in, please do.
I think it can work well without the NHL junior hockey rule. You can play the graduates of your u-18 team that decided to go to college, your recent "project" draft picks, and even any other Amatures you want to bring into your system. The amatures don't lose their eligibility even if you have a few pros on the team.
Here's the thing, though: in either the NHL draft or the MLS homegrown system, all the team is getting is the player's rights. If a player signs with the NHL, his college eligibility ends immediately. The loophole is that an unsigned player can be drafted and not required to sign a contract; in that case, the NHL gives the team that drafted him 3 years of exclusivity. In other words, when the kid does come to the NHL, no other NHL team is allowed to sign him. We already have almost the same system in place for homegrown players. If a player is on a team's homegrown list, when they sign with MLS they can go directly to that team. (I don't know if a homegrown player could ask to go into the draft instead, which would be a difference). Thing is, though, if that hockey player decides to go play in Russia, he can. And if the soccer player decides to go play in Scandinavia, he can. And that's a much bigger deal in soccer than it is in hockey. The only way to solve that is to sign the kids and play them in your reserve team.
I see what you are saying, in the issue of retaining a players rights and to contratually bind him to your team you have to sign him to the first team. That's not really what I was talking about. I was just hypothosizing that a PDL team could be useful in the developmental structure of MLS clubs as both a supplement to the 10 game reserve season as well as a team that can host your developmental players who are past the u18 level and currently play in college.
Yeah, that's a good point. I can even see a situation in which being drafted by MLS in an NHL-style rights-holding scenario emboldens a player to seek employment overseas, knowing that the pay would almost certainly be better than MLS. Never mind.
If I read this correctly, if you are on an Academy team and head off to college (and play on the soccer team), and the Academy team does not designate you as a HG prospect before you join the college team, the Academy loses any MLS rights to the player? Is that right? What if the player heads off to Europe?
If you play for a year in the DA system for an MLS club you are considered a HG player. Obviously this has to happen before they go to college or get picked for a US national team. Even if you are a HG prospect, then go to college, you can go to Europe whenever if you have not signed a contract. It is an unavoidable situation for MLS, but if a player is that good they might think about offering a contract before he makes the jump across the pond.
That's the old system; the rules have apparently changed. Nobody knows exactly what they are at this point, but there is definitely a homegrown list kept by each team. If the list is limited in numbers, then a team might have players in its academy system that aren't "homegrown" prospects. The player has to have lived in the area for a year before they go on the list, and they can't join the list after starting college, but it may not take a year of training and it may not be automatic for academy players.
This is the rub with having the reserves IN the PDL. Thirty players isn't enough to have the first team playing an MLS match at home on a Saturday and having the resrves playing in Des Moines at the same time.