Is it just me or is Arlington Heights, Illinois becoming a hotbed for English Footballers? Jonathan Spector and Brian McBride.
That was interesting. Micheal Bradley, son of NY/NJ head coach Bob Bradley is training with the U-17s. Arena's boy plays U-20 and now Bradley's son has a chance with the U-17 team? Cool, goes to show that hanging around in the right circles can get you places (if you're paying attention and learning....)
You also have to wonder how much more he's going to grow. He's still only 16 years old and already 6'1".
Anyone think it's possible he could see some first team minutes on Man U's tour this summer? I'm quite certain he will not have earned first team minutes by then, but they might be under the impression (rightly or wrongly) that playing an American will attract some interest here, especially considering the line about how Man U will be taking the USA games "very seriously" is clearly a load of crap.
Foreinger/work permit/labour laws. Non Brits (or is it EU) must be 17 before signing a professional contract.
sometimes it is favoritism and sometimes not .... off topic - but you should see just how damn fast Daryll Green's son is .... Dave Saracchan's sons are also extremely good players - top flight at a young age already .... is is exposure or is it understanding what it takes to be successful?
It's for everyone. Wayne Rooney couldn't sign his pro contract until after he turned 17 on Oct. 24. before that, he was on a youth contract making 80 pounds a week. Now he's making somewhere in the realm of 10K pounds a week.
Getting way off-topic, but it's an interesting phenomenon. Along with Arena, Bradley, and Sarachan, here's info on some other prominent coaches: Bob Gansler -- son Peter played for Mil. Rampage Jerry Yeagley -- son Todd played for Crew Sigi Schmid -- son Kurt is reserve for nat. champs UCLA Bobby Clark (ND coach) -- son Jamie played for Quakes and Raith Rovers Steve Sampson -- his kids are still young
but they are all waiting for their chance to become mnt coaches and tell claudio reyna that he is captain for life.
so is it nepotism or exposure? I will give you another name: Megaloudis - Rongen's son/stepson - currently plays for UVA.
Ouch! The scourge of it all! This statement is one that I hope appears less and less as our sport takes hold. Soccer players who love soccer should and can keep playing soccer!
Why did Kurt Schmid transfer -- I thought he was at Wake Forest? And can't it be nepotism AND exposure? In most sports, saying someone "plays like a coach's son" is generally considered a compliment but for some reason it's a dirty word on BigSoccer -- at least for Arena-bashers. Of course, "plays like a coach's son" is also sometimes code for "has no athletic ability".
mls needs to scout these young uns and sign them early before the man u's and arsenals and milans take them from right under our noses and we get no transfer fee for them - as is happening here and probably with karbassiyoon as well. or am i barking up the wrong tree?
It takes two to tango and if they don't want to sign for MLS they cannot be made to. MLS wanted to sign Donovan (they did sign Beasley at the same time) but he had a dream of going to Europe. Others have that same dream and some times it turns instead into a nightmare and they return and are then very happy with MLS and not someone who wonders if they made the right decision.
And don't forget the Lagos boys-- father Buzz the coach with the Minnesota A-League side, and Manny with the Quakes... there's one other Lagos son who is playing in the A-League, but his name escapes my memory. I don't know if it's good bloodlines as much as it is nepotism. If you can play, then you can certainly play-- at least I hope it all comes down to talent. Cheers, William
Not only a 16-year-old Donovan, but also John O'Brien at the same age going to Holland, lest we forget that. If the kids have dreams of playing in Europe, they will pursue those dreams given the right situations and circumstances. But having said that, as the level of play and the stature of MLS has improved in the eyes of 16-year-olds now as opposed to when O'Brien and Donovan were at that age, there are more teenagers who would prefer to stay home and play in MLS than go overseas. Cases like Karbassiyoon, Spector and Zak Whitbread are exceptions to that rule, but it's not like there's a mass exodus to Europe by our teenagers. Cheers, William
another yank abroad/Europe Don't forget Frankie Simek from St. Louis, who signed on with Arsenal at the end of the summer 2002 I agree it's nice to groom world-beaters here at home, but for anyone who's been to Old Trafford can you imagine what went through Spector's head when he walked out onto the Theater of Dreams? That's no mostly-empty Arrowhead Stadium.