The Homegrown Prospect Almanac

I can't figure out how to embed tweets, but Goff wrote this the other day:

Anyone know what gives?

 

With the first HG signings of the winter being announced today, it's time to keep rolling. Next up, the Los Angeles Galaxy. The academy system is a gift to the Galaxy, who have the luxury of sitting on the biggest soccer hotbed in the country. While in theory they'll have to share the spoils with Chivas USA, there is plenty of talent to go around. The youth club scene in LA is hardly limited to the MLS academies, of course -- there are a number of proud clubs in SoCal with impressive lists of alumni. Because the youth soccer scene in SoCal was more developed than average, perhaps that's why LA hasn't yet been able to reap the rewards of geography.

Despite all that, this certainly looks to change in the near future. LA signed the very first homegrown player, Tristan Bowen, back in 2008. After receiving some playing time during an injury crisis, there was a brief boomlet of enthusiasm for Bowen, but he hasn't done much since. More recently, the signings of Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal have had promising starts and LA just announced the signing of Oscar Sorto today.

I can't speak to the quality of teaching in LA's academy or any other academy, but I do get the sense that the natural recruiting advantage of MLS clubs is really starting to manifest itself. LA absorbed a number of key players from the Pateadores team that won the 2010-11 USSDA, including Villarreal and Sorto. Their current team also includes a few former US U-17s like Paul Arriola and Nathan Smith, although I'm not sure if they are eligible to sign with LA under current rules. Who can say how the rules will change in the future, though.

In terms of tracking players, LA did suffer some attrition due to players seemingly quitting soccer in college, players who didn't go to college, or players who went to JC and called it a day.

Seniors
GK -- Eric Shannon, 1991, Cal State Bakersfield
GK -- James Stroud, 1991, Chico State (DII)
GK -- Billy Thompson, 1990, Loyola Marymount (redshirt)
DF -- Everett Pitts, 1990, UC-Irvine (redshirt)
MF -- Dersu Abolfathi, 1991, Stanford

Pitts earned an All Big West Honorable Mention. Abolfathi earned an All Pac-12 Honorable Mention.

Juniors
GK -- Omar Zeenni, 1992, UC-Davis
DF -- Joe Kearney, 1992, Harvard
MF -- Jorge Cervantes, 1991, Chico State (DII)
MF -- Alejandro Covarrubias, 1991, MIA
MF -- Ritchie Gonzalez, 1992, Cal State Fullerton
MF -- Spencer Johnson, 1991, Cal State Fullerton
FW -- Christian Alvarado, 1992, Loyola Marymount
FW -- Trent Clifton, 1992, Loyola Marymount
FW -- Ivan Garcia, 1991, UC-Riverside
FW -- Ruben Valencia, 1992, UC-Riverside
FW -- Reed Williams, 1991, UCLA
FW -- Gyasi Zardes, 1991, Cal State Bakersfield (redshirt)

Zardes is a name most reading this thread will be familiar with. He's the big one on the list and from all accounts, LA's biggest HG target at present. The Galaxy reportedly went after him last winter with a sizable offer, but were rebuffed. Zardes is almost certainly leaving school this winter; the only question is whether he'll get a more lucrative offer from Europe. LA is making no secret of the fact that they are eager to sign him. In 2012 Gyasi scored 15 goals, assisted on 9, and was the MPSF Player of the Year.

Reed Williams was named to the All Pac-12 First Team after a 7 goal/4 assist season with UCLA.

Zeenni was tabbed for the All Big West Second Team.

I mentioned Covarrubias because he was supposed to transfer from Cerritos to UCLA, which I thought was notable. Cerritos mentioned that he didn't qualify academically and instead was heading to Cal State Dominguez Hills, but he didn't show up on their roster in 2012.

Sophomores
GK -- Vince Paldino, 1992, Loyola Marymount
DF -- Gabriel Rivera, 1993, Cerritos College (JC)
DF -- Drew Lind, 1992, Boston University (redshirt)
DF -- Matt Mardesich, 1992, Cornell
DF -- Mark Vasquez, 1992, Cal State Fullerton
MF -- Lucas Dall'Orso, 1993, Cal State Bakersfield
MF -- Alan Rovira, 1992, Tyler JC
MF -- Cameron Souri, 1993, Boston University
MF -- David Velasquez, 1991, Cal State Bakersfield (redshirt)
MF -- Riley Wolfe, 1992, Duke
FW -- Angel Ayala, 1993, Cerritos College (JC)
FW -- Neil Ignacio, 1993, UC-Riverside
FW -- Dylan Seedman, 1992, Loyola Marymount

Dall'Orso scored three, assisted on nine, and was named to the All MPSF Second Team.

Wolfe is a name who has popped up on various YNTs over the years; he's now a starter for Duke.

Freshmen
GK -- Juan Cervantes, 1994, UCLA
GK -- Alex Padilla, 1993, UCLA (redshirt)
GK -- Adam Zepeda, 1993, Cal State Fullerton (redshirt)
DF -- Grady Howe, 1994, UCLA
DF -- Sagar Jambusaria, 1994, Northwestern
DF -- Mamadou Kebe, 1994, Cal Poly
DF -- Jacob Laporte, 1993, Air Force
DF -- Matthew Tilley, 1994, UC-Irvine
DF -- Javan Torre, 1993, UCLA
DF -- Derek Vogel, 1993, Navy
MF -- Jose Bautista, 1993, Cerritos College (JC)
MF -- Justin Kim, 1993, Army
MF -- Abel Leon, 1994, Cerritos College (JC)
MF -- Francisco Magallon, 1993, Long Beach City College (JC)
MF -- Juan Mendoza, 1993, UC-Riverside (redshirt)
MF -- Nati Schnitman, 1993, UCLA (redshirt)
MF -- Ludwing Vargas, 1994, Cerritos College (JC)
MF -- Eric Verso, 1992, Stanford (redshirt)
FW -- Dyllan Stevens, 1993, Cal State Fullerton (redshirt)
FW -- Pedro Velasquez, 1994, Loyola Marymount

Howe was a regular starter for UCLA. For whatever it is worth, College Soccer News named him to the national All-Freshman Second Team.

Vogel was Patriot League Rookie of the Year and also earned All Second Team honors. He was called in to one of Tab Ramos' U-20 camps as well. This all sounds like a promising start for a potential pro, but at the Naval Academy he might have other priorities.

Pedro Velasquez led Loyola Marymount in scoring with six goals.

Javan Torre is a player who has had some U-20 involvement, although he was not a regular starter in his first season at UCLA.

 

I was surprised when I didn't see Velasquez's name on the All WCC Freshman team. I should have been less surprised; checking again, I was looking at the 2011 list.

 

Let's check in on the Houston Dynamo. According to the Dynamo's website, their academy began play in 2007. However, they didn't entered the USSF Development Academy until the 2009-10 season. Three of their four homegrown signings (Tyler Deric, Josue Soto, and Alex Dixon) left the academy for college prior to the 2009-10 season. I'm not sure if there are any other pre-DAP prospects still filtering through college -- I don't know where to find rosters from those days.

Anyway, Houston's array of post-academy college talent is fairly weak, although there are bright spots. The 2009-10, 10-11, and 11-12 U18 teams yielded a TON of Hispanics and others who fell off the radar immediately after HS. Of the players who did make it to college, there just aren't many guys who are even regular DI starters.

Right now, there's only one surefire HG target, along with a couple of interesting freshmen worth following.

Seniors

I've only seen academy rosters for the past three seasons, so I don't know of any seniors.

Juniors
GK -- Patrick Wall, 1991 Notre Dame
DF -- Sebastien Ibeagha, 1992, Duke
FW -- Mark Donohue, 1991, Drexel
FW -- Steven Salinas, 1991, Our Lady of the Lake (NAIA)

Ibeagha is the crown jewel of the Houston system right now. He's well-known from his days on the U-20 national team. In 2012, he was the ACC Defender of the Year and named to the All-ACC First Team. Houston will probably try to sign him, but based on past history Ibeagha may be reluctant to leave college before getting his degree.

Sophomores
GK -- Kevin Suarez, 1992, Houston Baptist
DF -- Leonardo Ayala, 1993, Central Florida
DF -- Alan Hernandez, 1993, Rhode Island
DF -- Yannick Iwunze, 1992, Valparaiso
DF -- C.J. Odenigwe, 1992, North Carolina (redshirt)
DF -- Uchenna Uzo, 1992, Coastal Carolina
MF -- Miguel Zapata, 1992, Tulsa
FW -- Chance Bergen, 1992, Oregon State
FW -- Martin Fiemawhle, 1993, Duquesne
FW -- Abe Matamoros, 1992, Tulsa
FW -- Adrian Mendoza, 1993, Houston-Victoria (NAIA)

Uzo was named to the All Big South Second Team.

Ayala was a regular starter for UCF and had been on the conference All Freshman Team in 2011.

Freshmen
GK -- Fernando Pina, 1994, Akron
DF -- Bradley Bourgeois, 1994, Tulsa
DF -- Hector Ramirez, 1993, Houston-Victoria (NAIA)
DF -- Orlin Ramirez, 1993, Lincoln Land CC (JC)
DF -- Christian Camera, 1994, Tulsa
MF -- Jose Cubillan, 1993, Georgia Perimeter College (JC)
MF -- Isaiah Noreiga, 1994, Duquesne
FW -- Juan Lopez, 1993, Purdue-Calumet (NAIA)
(FW -- Bryan Celis, 1994, Kentucky) -- spent time in the Houston academy but finished his career at Texans SC Houston

Bourgeois made the All Conference USA Freshman Team.

Pina redshirted this year, but he's a "name" from the US U-17 national team. Akron's incumbent GK is graduating, so he may get his chance in 2013.

 

Baladez was a junior in 2012. I agree that it's concerning that his output decreased from his sophomore year to his junior year. However, South Carolina posted a much worse record in 2012 than in 2011. Perhaps that's in part due to an off-year from Baladez, but it's also quite possible that he had a weaker supporting staff.

I think the reality is that you are going to see some HG players signed as serious prospects and others signed as a free second round pick, which as we know are hit-or-miss. Not sure where Baladez falls on this spectrum.