Dallas is ground zero for the youth movement behind the USMNT (not my story, just sharing)https://t.co/N6XKVWpDPI— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) November 14, 2022
Yeah -- I think the missed assumption might be that they can just snap him right up if he's good. I'm not sure that's true. But your overarching point is right -- I think that is why we are seeing a lot of players push to Next Pro contracts even if they are going to get limited senior team PT. Teams don't want to waste that value. I think MLS should think about some level of rejiggering of the rules to allow for more benefit of long term retention. If Pro isn't hard enough, you don't want players stashed there for contract reasons. But I totally understand teams struggling with putting the time in on say, a Brandon Servania, and then him getting expensive literally just as he's useful?
Shrug. I think the bigger issue is that a HG player's first contract takes up a developmental roster slot. His second needs to take up a senior roster slot. At some point you have to make a decision on the trajectory of a player like Redzic. People reading Buzz' FCD roster dance over the years know that the club with a lot of HGs has difficult choices to make regarding them. If you want to sign more, then you have to move players off of those developmental roster slots. You either need to elevate to senior slots, loan them out to bide time, or cut them. Even after all of their maneuvers, FCD currently has only two senior roster slots open. If FCD signs the two homegrowns (Nolan Norris & another), then they're down to only 3 off-budget developmental/supplemental roster slots. [And this assumes Sealy and Che don't return.] So you have to make difficult decisions about a player like Redzic. Where do you see him going, and do you want him to take one of these roster slots? Cuz if you want to sign draft picks, for instance, they have to take up those spots. Do you want to elevate Hope from NTSC? Presumably you don't cut a cheap player like Redzic from those slots unless you have a plan for them........................
I hope the pathway is there for him to take a step down, show improvement the next five years at lower levels, and then be signed to slowly move his way up to the ladder to be Paul Arriola level in five years. He might not be. Not all will pan out, but there will be some who take longer and are not MLS caliber at 20. The end of a player’s career that signs pro out of the academy can’t be age 20. The pathway needs to be there for a player like this to continue on until he’s in his mid 30’s. So far, it hasn’t been there because once a player takes a step down to USL, they can rarely advance past USL.
There aren't many that do that trick, but there are some that do. Keepers do. Jimmy Maurer of FCD is an example. Drafted by the Red Bulls. Didn't get a chance and dropped to the lower levels. Played well enough to work his way back to MLS with FCD. Started for a couple of years. Of course, keepers can peak later. Field players, not so much. Former FCD HG signing Aaron Guillen was just named to the USL All-First team after being on the 2nd team in 2021. So demonstrably one of the best defenders in the USL. What are the chances of him getting back to MLS? Pretty slim I'd say.
The chances are always low, but it’s uniquely low in the USA. This country doesn’t have an established transfer system between the various leagues that exist in other countries. That needs to be something that exists by the time Redzic could make that improvement. Doesn’t mean he will. Few do, but some will, so it needs to exist.
It'll slowly happen. The talent at the lower levels needs to improve, and we'll see it happen more. We saw a pretty significant increase just last year.
Cut day leaves an awful taste in the mouth, particularly for clubs that end up having to cut a lot of younger guys. Its one of the worst days of the year. FCD has to cut younger guys at times to make room for the next group of younger guys. .......................and you know that for many of these players, the dream is over. That's the hard part. Yes, some can try to latch on in the USL. The average salary in the USL is $44k a year. You're better off working to become an assistant manager at Applebee's. After leaving MLS, a guy's trajectory to making a good living in the sport starts to really fade. Yes, there are examples of guys that can still work hard to do it in the long term. Aaron Guillen is now 29 and still doing it. But the vast, overwhelming majority of guys FCD cuts are never heard from again in any capacity. Even those that were USYNTers. What is Danny Garcia doing? He was released by FCD, was able to play one year for San Antonio in the USL.............and then retired. That is sorta the norm. You can run down thru virtually all of the former FCD homegrowns/draft picks, and there are very few that lasted more than a year in the sport after getting cut. Its even a lower success rate for MLS Next Pro guys who didn't get first team deals. Imanol Almaguer might make it. He went LAFC, but didn't latch on there. Went to Las Vegas, and was a regular. The same might happen for Nicky Hernandez, who just won a USL title on loan at San Antonio. So fingers crossed for Thomas Roberts, Blaine Ferri, Khalil ElMedkhar, Eddie Munjoma, Lucas Bartlett, Beni Redzic, etc. etc. The road gets tough from here if they want to stay in the sport. We all know it. By the way, the only one I'm surprised about is Lucas Bartlett. 6th overall draft pick in 2022. Cut already. Look at the 2022 draft. How many of those guys even look like they're going to make it to a 2nd year. The first round is a horror show much less the rest of it.
I have had discussions with many folks that the day you go to play college soccer, your chances of being a pro take a huge hit. It's hard for the guys that have been in college to get any traction and getting harder each year. The window is very short to prove you can be on the first team or else you wind up like El Medkhar, Bartlett, Munjoma et al. Having said that, its not a bad place to be. You got free college, a cup of coffee in the pros and should have a track to a good regular career. The problem is the guys that took pro deals young, didn't make that much money and now they have no chance at a free education because they took the 75K a year intro MLS salary. Good news is they always need good youth coaches and with the resume of even being near a first team roster, these guys could walk into coaching little kids teams and make a very good living. You coach enough teams and you have a six figure job, over 150K for some of these guys depending on how many teams they coach, and you don't go to work until about 4pm each day.
College soccer should consider some kind of professional amnesty for short runs of pros. I suppose that just squeezes out other kids, though. I know MLS has a partenrship with UNH, but I'd love to see more partnerships with local, in person colleges.
I have seen kids have to make the tough decision between an almost full ride at the Duke's or Clemsons of the world (worth over 250K) vs a shot at being a pro, taking the small salary and losing NCAA eligibility. With NIL now in play, I agree, a kid like Beni or Thomas that played a few years pro on a small contract should retain college eligibility. If a football player at UT can make 5 million in NIL money then a small contract pro, or hell even a kid that signed a big deal, should keep NCAA eligibility. It's crazy that Jesus Ferrara making the millions he is would not be near the highest paid kid on the Longhorns football roster.
No. 3️⃣4️⃣We have signed forward and Academy product Tarik Scott to a three-year Homegrown contract with club options for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) November 15, 2022
Surprised they didn’t wait until the summer, but he’s been the best ‘05 in Academy play since last fall, imo. Lot of tools to be a ST, but I worry about him ending up too small for MLS - he’s a wiry 5’10” if I had to guess. Not a physical dominator, and his older brother isn’t much bigger. Cool that he’s been with the club since he was 5, tho.
I don't think so....................... In all of the announcements about Scott, the club is stressing his involvement in that Bayern World team. I wonder if there's something going on. Like how the second FCD signed Richards they shipped him out on loan to Bayern reserves. It seemed like it anyway. Homegrown through and through.From the Academy, to North Texas SC, to Bayern World Squad, to FCD, Tarik Scott followed every step in the pathway. pic.twitter.com/TAac1tireg— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) November 15, 2022
This also makes it sound like NTXSC is in his rear view mirror. I anticipate if he stays here, he will be playing for NTXSC for the next two years and won't see the first team. (like Colin Smith) I guess they could sell Velasco and Jesus after the WC but doubt that happens.
You're completely right. It's a topic a lot of people don't think about, but I wish the NCAA could change their rules to allow for players who didn't make it as pro soccer players to get college scholarships to play soccer. I think it would make the decisions that these kids have to make a lot easier. Should 26 and 27 year olds be playing NCAA against 19 year olds? Probably not, but I think thats a better solution than these kids falling out of the pro game at 23, and then not being able to use their best skill (soccer) to use to earn a college scholarship. Many of them can't afford college, so they end up in other professions, and as most know, your earning power is on average much higher by getting a college degree. What I would personally advise someone and what I like to see as an American soccer fan conflict. It's a difficult dichotomy. Unless you're like Christian Pulisic or Gio Reyna, I wouldn't think on average it makes sense in the long-run to turn pro. Most players do not make it, and even for the players the caliber of Pulisic or Reyna, there are those like Carleton that haven't made it at that level yet. The downside with this path is very low. The upside is high. I think thats why it makes sense when you consider the full situation for players that are top 20-25 in their age group to take the gamble. They've worked their whole life for this and their dream is probably to play UCL, the World Cup, and for the best teams in the world. They have a realistic chance once they are a top 20-25 player in their age group to reach that, if everything goes right. Doesn't mean they will, but its a risk for anyone. I think thats the line where it makes sense to take the gamble. I get asked this question often, which I'm not sure I'm an expert on, but people do ask my opinion. Thats what I've settled on as my default opinion. There is no sure-thing, and many of these kids will eventually end up passing up a college scholarship that could better their life in the long run for an unsuccessful attempt at a pro soccer career, but the upside is so high (higher than most other outcomes in life) that if you have a realistic chance, I think it's a worthy gamble. What I'd personally advise to someone, I wouldn't tell them to take that sort of risk at that age, but I think the current construction makes it a worthy gamble for about 20-25 per age group. All of this would go away and wouldn't be a discussion if the NCAA could allow for those who fail out of pro soccer to play college soccer on a scholarship. It would take the difficult choice away, and improve American soccer without a doubt.
We have been discussing this for years and the old narrative doesn't change with the new information we get and yet we keep the same inaccurate narrative. We of course should find ways to encourage education but we're assuming facts not in evidence, not true, or improved significantly through the years. I've been involved in these conversations for over 20 years. 1-I still haven't figured out why young inexperienced pro players can't play in competitive games vs NCAA players in season or out of season. It's stupid, out dated in days of NIL, and can't figure out why NCAA is so out of touch. More integration between NCAA and MLS. 2-With that said no one has definitively indicated if all D1 soccer players play on full scholarship paying nothing. We assume so in our argument but don't really know. 3-MLS has offered free online course through SNH around 2015, someone before that, University of South Carolina since 2021, offering MBA program with Indiana University. So for someone to complain that they can't get a free education after playing, when it's available now in a sport with alot of down time and off season, is ridiculous. In fact to complain for a free undergraduate degree when Graduate access is available is eye opening. 4-I'm onboard if they can still play NCAA after signing with MLS but how many first team minutes or maximum salary would make them eligible, at what point do we say you made 500K over your 5 yr contract so pay for it yourself. 5-Most 16-17 yr olds are being paid 67K or 85K with many over 100K and average college graduates who are responsible for their own finances average 65K and you want soccer players to plead poverty? Is that fair? 6-Post Pandemic online options are abundant with almost every brick and mortar college with an elaborate online presence. Penn State World Campus, Purdue Online....Options are abundant 7-Most young players have room and board paid for or live at home and supported by their parents as minors should be, leaving the ability to squirrel away 5K a year to pay for online, trade school, or community college, and a few years to receive bachelors. Not every one has to go to Harvard for 4 years at list price. 8-Many players are using USC, putting educational options in their initial contracts, can get scholarships for academics or on a needs basis. Not all options are outrageously expensive. California CC option avg $2137/yr with Promise Program for free for eligible students; NYS has the Excelsior Program with household making less than 125K gets free tuition for 2-4 yr colleges. There are options despite the narrative that everything should be free for 'failed' professional soccer players, what ever that really means. 9-I'm all for having them access college soccer for free scholarships despite the realities that exist. Selfishly would love to see these players again which would increase the quality of NCAA soccer at the expense of younger, less experienced players getting pushed aside. It's highly unlikely to happen but at least let's present the overall situation with complete accurate information and not a fully informed narrative based on emotion and an incomplete and outdated set of facts.
I can partially answer this one. D1 men's programs are only allowed 9.9 athletic scholarships per year max for the full roster. Rosters actually tend to be large, but I suspect that the average player that gets help gets somewhere between 1/3rd and 1/2 scholarship with a decent number of walk-ons. That said, I don't believe the football and basketball rules apply here to aid. In those sports, any money given is counted as scholarship money and a player either has a scholarship or not. There are no partial rides. In soccer, players can get need-based or academic financial aid separate from the athletic aid. Which means that a person could get maybe 20% in need-based, 10% in some local academic grants or aid and 30% in athletic aid for a 60% funded or something. Or like in the Ivies, it's all "academic/need" based, but athletes tend to get full rides. In short, I don't know the real numbers. But it's not all full rides.
I believe so (or at least Transfermarkt thinks so). I've been expecting both he and Malachi Molina to end up with their U20s in 2024 (because I think they're good but probably not good enough to make the US team).
Next year is a big year for Colin Smith. With the recent cuts, Colin should be able to step up a rung on the depth chart. Enough to get onto 1st team benches and some playing time. But, of course, that's what Redzic did without ever taking the "next step" to a regular contributor. With the recent departures (Munjoma, etc.), right back is actually fairly thin. They'll want to address that in the off-season. If they want to play Colin at that position, there's at least a path to the 1st team. Right now it looks like Twumasi and that's it on the depth chart. ..................I will say we don't need help at right back on the Texas national team. Hopefully he becomes a winger. [And no, I don't think Texans claim Leon Flach. Nice try, though.] That midfield, though. I would say that Tessmann should be considered an Alabama player along with Chris Richards and Brandon Servania. I wouldn't put the Funes Mori brothers on it, that's for sure. They're cap-tied!!! The Texas World Cup squad, an offseason project by FCD's Team Administrator. All players were either born or raised in Texas. Does this team make it out of the Group Stage? pic.twitter.com/s7urkse54q— Garrett Melcer (@GarrettMelcer) November 15, 2022
Julian Gaines must be on that Texas National Team. Smith looked improved to me this season. More athletic, more assertive, and a little better defensively. I think he’ll be ready for MLS playing time next season.