YNT-eligible MLS players: 2020 In-season thread

So much star power. 🌟

The #MLSisBack Tournament Best XI pres. by @DrinkBODYARMOR! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/oAv0m2drBb

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 13, 2020

 

The Philadelphia Union have signed Paxten Aaronson to a Homegrown deal, sources tell https://t.co/QqWAi38GbI.

Paxten, 16, is the younger brother of Union rising star Brenden Aaronson and made his USL debut last month. He's an attacking midfielder #doop https://t.co/486KiayANS

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 14, 2020

 

A lot of kids are now not signing HG because they don't want to be stuck in MLS until 22-23. You wonder if Paxten has some inside knowledge that Philly is going to be a club that moves players when the player is ready...

 

Or maybe his family has close ties to the club and he wants to play for them.

 

The amount of HG signings this club will be making over the next 2 years is ridiculous: Paxten Aaronson, Jack McGlynn, Selmir Miscic, Dante Huckaby, Patrick Bohui, Anthony Sorenson, Ben Ofeimu, Brandan Craig, Quinn Sullivan, and Sam Jones are all players that I am expecting to see potentially signed in the next 2 years.

 

now sign ofeimu to be mckenzies hier pls

 

I think it's mostly the other way around, especially with Aaronson. A lot of MLS teams are offering HG contracts earlier as they realize there's not nearly as much incentive for a player to sign when they are 18, and therefore the team risks losing the player for nothing.

Paxten Aaronson isn't signing now to get out of MLS earlier. He's signing now because he's getting paid two years earlier and his brother has been treated well. I have no idea his salary, but most 16 year olds don't turn down anything from $50k-$200k/year when their other option is McDonald's.

In the past, the MLS team would have slow played the player, knowing they didn't have other options. But then when the player was close to 18, suddenly Europe is a real option, so there's competition.

MLS has simply realized that their best advantage over Europe for most kids is that they can start getting paid two years earlier. It's not insubstantial.

I'm sure what you mentioned is a consideration, but if a player is hell bent on getting to Europe right away, I don't think 23 versus 21 is much of a difference.

 

Jackson Conway working to earn Homegrown deal with #ATLUTD in #MLShttps://t.co/bm0p1pGHpM

— Doug Roberson (@DougRobersonAJC) August 14, 2020

 

scotland FA is also monitoring him fwiw

 

Important for everyone to understand that this crop is coming through 7-10 years after Philly started investing heavily (not just money) into youth development. Long term perspective is important when considering expectations for this stuff.

 

I think this is the case. I also think it's the case that staying in a familiar environment has benefits. There's stability, you are at a club with staff that you know and that values you (in most cases). When players go to a new place, there are new obstacles that some players are better suited to deal with than others (language, culture) and sometimes the player quickly realizes that he's just an organizational soldier and not viewed as a valued prospect.

Obviously there are risks to signing with MLS clubs too, which are well documented here.

But we have to keep in mind that kids are trying to navigate a complex situation and generally aren't hardcore dogmatists about the Europe vs. MLS pathways.

 

Long overdue. I see all this speculation about whose going to be the McKenzie replacement. It's clearly Ofeimu IMO. The guy has been amazing in USL this year.

 

There have been so few players who've done well in the Union USL team, so keep all of that in mind, but Aaronson has been one of the better players among the younger academy guys. It's also a small sample, but he looks improved.

The signing might seem a little strange because he's not the most MLS ready among the players (clearly Ofeimu, also Harriel, Picazo to a lesser extent) or the best long-term prospect (Sullivan and Craig), but his brother has been a big success as an academy product for the first team so there might be a hint of doing the Aaronson's a favor, the player and family are probably more willing to commit his future to the club immediately than some of the others who might take more of a wait and see approach, and he's looked better in USL than you would've expected.

I'm still not sure he ever becomes any better than an MLS squad player, but there's little harm in signing the kid. The only potential problem is what happens when the Union run into the problem FCD did with having more players they want to sign to contracts than HG spots available.

 

I like this. Nashville doesn't have a starting caliber keeper. Scott should be able to earn some starts.

Nashville SC have signed US youth national team GK Brady Scott, sources tell https://t.co/QqWAi3qh3g.

Scott, 21, was with FC Koln in Germany and was on the last two United States squads at the U-20 World Cup. #EveryoneN https://t.co/9Wvj4tEjzh

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 14, 2020

He could do a lot better than a bad Championship club, but if this is the only offer, he should take it. Better chance of moving up the ladder from the Championship than MLS.

https://t.co/AirLQa7XFy

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 14, 2020

@bshredder can clarify, if he wants, but this would indicate there are others offers received by FCD for Cannon.

I’m hearing that there are offers in for FC Dallas & #USMNT right back Reggie Cannon and that both sides are considering the situation

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 14, 2020

 

*2 years

 

cannon level of interest being barnsley feels like a real kick in the crotch

 

Buzz has weighed in. I suspect that if a club has met FCD's valuation for Cannon that this will be resolved pretty quickly...........................

This particular interest was French, by the way.

And I know of previous interests from multiple clubs in Germany.

So things could be heating up for Reggie to move this summer. https://t.co/VVed06fOVA

— 3rd Degree (@3rdDegreeNet) August 14, 2020

 

I hear what you're saying, but these Championship clubs always tend to try to bring in players that are probably beyond their level. If a German second division club or Spanish second division club put in an offer for Cannon, I would be a little skeptical of how he's viewed in Europe, but these Championship teams think they can (and they often do) compete with clubs in Belgium, France, Germany (1st division), Netherlands for players.

 

By the way, in the discussion of that tweet...................Buzz indicates the asking price is ~3 million. That puts a lot of clubs in a lot of leagues in the picture.

FCD could hold out for more. I expect that all parties want to get this done, though.

 

According to Philly people he is as good as Brenden at his age. I feel that Sullivan is overrated here, and he is a less prospect than Aaronson, don't know about Craig.

 

I don’t know who you mean by Philly people, but I’ve seen all of them more than enough to form my own opinion, so I’m going to go mostly with what I think. If you can show me what the team thinks, I’ll take it into account. I respect other views, but just don’t see Paxten’s impact as being anything great right now. Brenden’s wasn’t either at the same age, so maybe he’ll improve at a similar pace. He’s shown some minor improvements already, but I wouldn’t put too much weight on it yet.

I never completely disregard what teams think, but Paxten is not even a YNT level guy right now IMO. I don’t even think Paxten is among their best 03’s. I like McGlynn and Sorenson the most among their 03’s. Huckaby, Bohui, Aaronson, Stafford, Pariano, Budler are in the next tier. The 04’s who’ve been playing with the USL team (Sullivan and Craig) are better prospects IMO than all their 03’s. Neither have looked good in USL yet, but they’ve both been used out of position, and I’ve yet to see any ‘04 look good in USL yet, so I’m not holding it against them.

 

He may want that move to come ASAP. He has become quite a polarizing figure in DFW.

 

Fair and $3m shouldn't be an obstacle for most. FCD would probably just ask for half up front and take payments for a year or two. Reggie should have expected that in Texas and I think he wants to move anyway so I expect this to be resolved before the end of the window.

 

Truthfully if the number really is 3 million its had to believe that a bunch of clubs aren't interested. Its a pretty low sum for someone with his track record.

 

i mean this has been the mls reality for quite some time right?