The Multi-Eligible Player Recruitment Thread (2026 WC Cycle Edition)

We're gonna lose some it hurts to lose. And that too will be to the credit of our development system.

 

But most of the dual nationals who were born here and grew up here also had positive soccer influences through one or both of their parents. I agree that we can take credit for their development but that's easier when they have a built in attraction for the sport. Remember the legend of Johnny Appleseed? We can use a Johnny Soccerseed to help spread the word.

 

The thing is pretty much everyone on our team is a dual national of some sort. And it’s true that alot of the guys who do make it had a parent that played at some level whether they are a dual national or not. But as our development system continues to improve we’ll start to see more guys with different sorts of back stories.

 

Nats who had a parent who played at a high level: Reyna, Pulisic, Weah, Jedi.

Anyone else? That doesn't strike me as a high percentage.

 

What parent of Jedi's played at a high level?

Not that he's getting called up anymore (fortunately), but Shaq Moore is the son of former T&T player Wendell Moore.

And of course tri nat that we're losing to Morocco Amir Richardson is the son of NBA legend Micheal Ray Richardson...

 

Jesus Ferreira as well. The Aaronson's dad and Tyler's stepdad were both coaches at some levels, though neither were high level players, I don't think. Tyler's almost certainly not a USMNT player if his stepdad doesn't come into his life.

 

Father played soccer at Duke.

 

Adam's stepfather Daryl Sullivan is a college soccer coach
Rusty Aaronson played at Monmouth and semi-pro in the early 90's.
Dest's dad played at Division III SUNY Canton.
Scalley's mom was a U-16 national champion

There also seems to be an interesting relation to basketball and CBs with Richards and CCV having Pro Basketball fathers. Miles was a top player in his high school.

 

Height, athleticism and footwork.

 

Plus basketball has a lot of similarities to soccer regarding ball circulation, defense and anticipation. Typically, the only big footwork change is to keep your feet narrow instead of wide.

 

Former athletes are likely to have kids that are also athletic. A good chunk of athletes across all sports have at least one parent that played sports at a high level especially if that threshold is low-level college ball versus high level college much less pro.

Soccer being more technical likely benefits from having a coach as a parent versus other sports, but obviously growing up around the game is a big factor as well.

 

I'm just learning that Julian Hall who is now the second youngest player to debut in MLS has a Polish passport. Thankfully he has been provisionally cap-tied in the U-15 C'CAF championship.

 

Is anything really established until FIFA rules on it specifically?

 

While I can't research it right now, the fact they played 80 minute games with more than 5 subs should indicate it wasn't an official competition.

 

The basis is that under the newer rules official youth confederation tournaments are now provisionally cap-tying when before it was only FIFA World Cups and their qualifiers.

 

Per the FIFA explainer:

18 A player is tied to a “sporting nationality” where they have:

18.1 participated in a match (in full or part); and
18.2 that match was in an official competition, regardless of age category or type of football.
​

20. The phrase “official competition” is defined in the FIFA Statutes as “a competition for representative teams organised by FIFA or any confederation”.

20.1 Friendly matches are therefore not matches in an official competition.
20.2 Similarly, matches played as part of a representative team competition not organised by FIFA or a confederation (e.g. a regional association), are therefore not matches in an official competition.​

Notice that a futsal or beach soccer cap is just as binding as a soccer cap. The language is so encompassing that, on the face of it, the U15 Concacaf tournament is binding. Certainly, CONCACAF does list the boys U15 tournament as a very prominent official tournament in their website.

The issue might still exist because UEFA does not have a U15 tournament and we know that FIFA is mostly ruled by European context and expectations.

 

The question to ask is "would an official competition played with friendly rules *still* be considered a competition?"

 

Per IFAB, the duration can be changed

Regarding substitutions it is a little incoherent. It starts off with a very solid statement that there is a maximum of five substitutions but at the very end it says you can have 6 subs senior "A" matches but for other matches there can be more if the teams are in agreement. It is very specific that only youth tournaments or other special categories allow return substitutions.

Again, this IFAB and not FIFA. I am having some issues finding FIFA's 22/23 rules under which the U15s fall.

I think, though, that the big issue is that there may be countries that would find cap-tying a very young age illegal. Given the the latest flagrant flaunting of youth cap rules I am thinking that everything is currently unsettled.

 

He did play in a WCQer for Romania, right?

 

While Daryl Sullivan has no doubt played a big role in Tyler's life, Tyler was already a part of the Red Bull Academy system when Tyler's mom married Mr. Sullivan.