MLS Youth to Watch

- Mark my words, Chris Wondolowski is going to come on strong as the season comes to a close. I wrote about him a few posts ago and he's starting to get some full game time. His first goal of the season came last night against Chicago. Ok, it wasn't some stunning blaster from 35 yards out, but he was at the right place at the right time and got the job done. He knows how to put the ball in the back of the net, and those are the guys you want on your team.

In 2004 Chris was named the PDL Chico Rooks' MVP, scoring 17 goals and making 10 assists. You watch, you're going to be hearing more about him.

- By now you've heard that Jonathan Bornstein is going to win the Rookie of the Year award. The Chivas USA Defender/Midfielder/Forward has proven to be the steal of the 2006 SuperDraft, being selected in the fourth round. Every other team in the league is kicking themselves for not taking him. Bornstein wasn't a big name going into the draft but he'll be a big name the rest of his career. He's proven he can play anywhere on the left side of the field, can score cracking goals and can run with anyone in the league. This kid helped the US win silver at the Maccabiah Games in 2005. How many other MLS players can say they did that?

Keep an eye on him as Chivas USA rolls into the playoffs. Bornstein is helping his team as much as possible in this season ending stretch. He scored a goal and helped create another against division rivals Houston last weekend. With Bornstein being such a quality player, teams have to mark him more, opening up stars like Ante Razov & Juan Francisco Palencia. Bornstein is helping all over the place.

- Dasan Robinson is the sleeper Rookie of the season. He bided his time, waiting for an opening and when Jim Curtain went down injured, he slipped into the lineup perfectly. Dasan joined Chicago in the second round of the Supplemental Draft out of Dayton. While at Dayton he used his athletic abilities to fit all over the field, spending time at forward and defender. Chicago has used him as an able defender and he's helped keeper Zach Thornton compile a respectable 1.25 goals against average. I'm sure Dasan will continue to grow in a system known for finding unheralded youngsters and turning them into solid MLS pros.

- Jacob Peterson is starting to get regular playing time as the Rapids' lineup has been torn apart by summer transfers, injuries and suspensions. Rapids fans delight in Peterson's work ethic and sooner rather than later the goals are going to start falling for this Generation adidas player. Peterson was a standout member of the United States Under-20 and Under-17 National teams and that experience will surely benefit him as he gets used to the professional game. MLS is much more physical than college soccer, so he is certainly still getting used to that aspect. The Rapids have used him in both forward and wing midfield roles, so he's learning how to play on a lot of the pitch. With some confidence and further development he should be a solid pro.

- Kenny Cooper isn't your typical MLS rookie. For one, he hasn't hit his 22nd birthday and he's already bigger and stronger than much of this league. In addition Cooper is the son of a NASL veteran and he was scouted by Manchester United with the help of another famous English footballer, who happens to live in Dallas now after his NASL days ended. Finally, instead of American College, Cooper learned the ropes as a reserve player with English super club, Manchester United. He came back to MLS proving that not all American players who start abroad come back to MLS with their tail between their legs (Landycakes, I'm looking at you.) Cooper's eight goals and four assists have helped FC Dallas create a strong lead atop the Western Conference. He's going to be a leader in MLS for years to come...remember, he's not even 22 yet.

More young American soccer players going abroad...

15 years ago Alexi Lalas was a ground breaking pioneer going abroad to Italy. There were a precious few other young American players given chances at foreign clubs. Now American players are often seen as the final frontier by foreign clubs. In the US they can find talented young athletes who have the skill and can be had for bargain basement prices...often free.

There are two more young players who have decided to test the waters of foreign football. Sonny Guadarrama (Santos, Mexico) & Erik Hort (Sparta Prague, Czech Republic) are two of the American exports. Sonny is leaving his brother and Campbell University behind while Hort has been in the Czech Republic since January, 2005. They have joined the ever growing list of young Americans who decide to jump past American professional ranks in favor of foreign soccer. The difference? One went to Mexico and the other the Czech Republic. No, they weren't lured by the famous Premiership, Siere A or La Liga. They're going to leagues seen as feeders for the big boys. Wait, isn't MLS supposed to be a feeder for the big leagues?

My opinion has always been that as soccer popularity grows so will the player pool available in the country. I think we have all seen that. Every year there are new faces in college and going into the MLS SuperDraft in January. I am not someone who thinks MLS is going to die because Sonny and Erik have decided to play somewhere else. However, it does leave me to wonder...why are these kids leaving home to go to leagues that aren't the traditional high profile leagues?

These two players aren't the first to go to a second tier league around the world skipping or leaving MLS. Northern Europe has been signing young American players for a few years now. It looks like Mexico and the Czech Republic are just catching on. I wish fewer players were taking this route because I do believe MLS suffers by never having the chance to sign them. MLS needs more top quality, American players to raise the level of play. However, MLS first needs higher salaries for young players before they see more young talent staying in the US.

MLS is between a rock and a hard place on this one. On the one hand they want to raise the quality of play on the field to get more soccer fans through the gates. On the other, they want to keep a tight budget and have veteran players who have helped build the league and deserve to be rewarded. These kids are unproven talent, so why should they break the bank? Right? Additionally, if I believe my own arguement, they grow on trees and there will be a fresh crop next season.

As we've talked about here, the creation of the vertical youth development system will help some of these top talents develop within MLS and hopefully stay. (I'm still waiting for MLS' announcement on this one.) Until the league's development system is up and running for a couple years, we'll continue to see top prospects leaving the States for professional soccer abroad.

On the other hand, there is nothing saying these kids moving abroad are going to be successful. The foreign teams are taking just as much of a risk as the domestic clubs when they sign with MLS. For every DaMarcus Beasley, there is a John Thorrington. I'm sure we'll be seeing some of these guys back in MLS in the future.

US U-20 going to South Korea...

Awhile back I posted that the US U-20 team was heading to Busan, South Korea for another international tournament. The event is here, they're on their way today. This time around the US will play South Korea, Slovakia and then Argentina. Based on performance, they will play other matches.

This team is somewhat similar to the team that went to Northern Ireland earlier this summer. However, since college is just starting up, the college players have been replaced by high school or other professionals.

There are eleven professional players on the team. They're below:
Carlos Borja - D (Chivas USA), Erik Hort - D (Sparta Prague), Blake Wagner -D (FC Dallas), Tim Ward - D (Columbus Crew), Nikolas Besagno - M (Real Salt Lake), Miguel Gonzalez - M (New England Revolution), Sonny Guadarrama - M (Santos), Dax McCarty - M (FC Dallas), Josmer Altidore - F (N.Y. Red Bulls), David Arvizu - F (N.Y. Red Bulls), Preston Zimmerman - F (Hamburg SV).

If the coach wanted, he could field an entire squad of professional players, aside from the goalie. This is a big development in my opinion. The U-20 team is now a majority professional. Around the world this is common place, but here in the US, this is a big deal. It will be exciting to see how the professional training has prepared this team.

Good luck to them!

19 new players join the US Soccer U-17 Residency Program...

Today US Soccer announced the players attending the Bradenton, Florida soccer academy this fall. 19 new players join 21 who were there last year. They'll all naturally be added to my tracking spreadsheet that I hope to upload to an on-line data base soon (once I can identify one...hint, hint...nudge, nudge.

Coach Hackworth hopes this crop will be one of the most talented yet since they went about invitations differently. The coaching staff called 76 players into various camps in an effort to identify talent. Previously the coaches relied on seeing the players with their club teams. Let's hope he's right.

These kids are all competing to be a part of the next FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will take place from Aug. 18 to Sept. 9, 2007, in South Korea, except for Kyle Davies who is a hold over, just finishing up his studies.

Good luck boys!

An open invitation to blog on the status of youth soccer, college soccer and professional soccer in the USA...

This is an open invitation to a casting call of sorts. In an effort to keep this blog relevant and frequently updated, I'd like to add a few new writers. If you're interested in writing for the blog I'd like to get an audition piece from you. Please write something you'd be proud of posting on this blog. Whatever you send me will be your first post if you're selected. Take some time to read through my previous posts to get an idea of what I'm looking for. Think of a topic and write away. I'm not looking for a college thesis, but it must be well thought out and relevant.

Please email me your submissions. You can find my email address in my profile.

Hopefully with a few readers turned bloggers we can continue the discussion on a higher level attracting more regular readers.

Thank you!

The college soccer season is here...

The American college soccer season is upon us. The means, I'm madly updating my spreadsheet while reading all the latest pre-season polls and All-American lists. Instead of recreating these different lists, I'm going to link to them and then we can discuss.

College Soccer News pre-season All-Americans

College Soccer News pre-season top 30 poll

Soccer America pre-season top 25

NSCAA/adidas pre-season top 25

Soccer America top 10 scouting report

That is a solid list of the top publications I'm aware of previewing the upcoming season.

An interesting note, looks like people think the ACC will be unstoppable as a conference this season. Wouldn't it be interesting to see an all ACC final this fall. I'm sure the rest of the country wouldn't like that, but it could be interesting. However, as we've seen in other College sports, the pre-season polls mean nothing. These kids have to actually get out there and play the games and the difference between the on paper and on field performances are vastly different.

I'll throw this out there again. I have a spreadsheet with over 260 players I'm tracking as they make it through college to the pros. I'd like to put it into some kind of on-line database. If someone can tell me a good one, I'll have it on-line for eveyone to review. Thanks!

Roundup!

I've been swamped recently so the US Soccer Ladder has been neglected. Sorry folks. Today I'm going to highlight some interesting things going on that I've been paying some attention to.

- European clubs invade! I would love to see some Americans staring in La Liga, however, until that day arrives it is exciting to see Americans standing toe to toe with the best teams in the world. Yes, these are friendly matches that mean little. Yes, the European players are not at full, mid-season fitness. Yes, the players aren't going to play at full speed in friendlies. That being said, Chelsea did not like losing to the All*Stars and it doesn't hurt MLS to play these matches, in my opinion it only helps.

To me these games are cool for some different reasons. First, many MLS players are playing against top level talent for the first time. The average draft pick hasn't played in the World Cup, hasn't played in an elite league and hasn't been tackled by someone like John Terry. The average MLS rookie hasn't marked Ronaldo. In fact, it is probably safe to say no one in the league has delt with a player like Ronaldinho before. Playing these kinds of players will only improved the league and the players. I don't see how it can hurt.

Another reason I like these games is the exposure. People in the marketing business will often say, "all publicity is good publicity." Win, lose, draw the media loves to see David Beckham walking around Utah. This gets new people to come to MLS games and see that our league can play with the best. After watching the first half of the Red Bulls - Barca match, if you're a fan of the sport it'd be hard to say you're not intrigued by Edson Buddle. I bet there are some people who have sat on the sidelines who will now start going to more MLS matches.

Finally, I love it because I can DVR a match staring the best club in the world against a team I can watch any day of the week.

- The US U-17 squad didn't do too well in Japan, losing in the third place match to a local club team. A highlight is that they did beat mortal enemy, The Czech Republic. Don't fret folks, the results are not important. Yeah, hardware is nice, but at this age getting the international exposure and confidence is key. Those of these kids selected for the residency program will go into their fall semester with some big games under their belt. They learned things while on the trip and hopefully will continue to learn things while down in Florida. We should learn who is getting invited to Bradenton soon as the fall semester kicks off August 21. Later this month the kids in the 90's team will travel to to England to participate in the Pepsi International Tournament. There they will play Portugal, England and Turkey. Tell me that isn't a dream for a soccer loving kid. Again, results not important, learning very important.

- College dorms are filling up and that means one thing around here. I'm starting to make sure my college tracking spreadsheet is all up to date and I have the biggest list in three years of doing this. I have over 242 kids I'm following. Not all of them have entered college, and I know that isn't everyone, but at this time last year I think I had 80. I'm trying to figure out how to get an on-line database going, for free, so I can share this list with everyone. If anyone can suggest good, free, on-line database software please let me know.

- If the latest rummors are to be believed, MLS is turning into a bit of a soccer player boomerang. Word out there is that DaMarcus Beasley is thinking of coming back to the league to play for RSL. I don't know if this is wishfull thinking on their part or if he really is considering it. DaMarcus is a fun guy to watch and he will help any team he joins in the league. Selfishly I wish the Rapids could grab ahold of him.

This was the logical next step in the growth of MLS. First, league brings strong youth talent in with the Nike P-40 program (now sponsored by adidas and called Generation adidas). Second, player gets a starting job and impresses. Third, player makes the World Cup and gets noticed around the world. Fourth, player is purchased. Fifth, player has a career abroad. Sixth, player decides he's "been there, done that" and wants to be closer to home again, he comes back. We'll see this story played out many times in the future and that is fine. I think it only helps the league to have these guys who have been successful come home. In the short term they'll help the league raise the level of play. In the long term they'll become the leaders of the league on the bench or in the front office. We need our home grown guys to continue to play and work in the league. Hopefully we'll see more players follow DaMarcus' plan.

- Chris Wondolowski is sitting on the bench. So I take a look at the MLS reserve league standings every once and awhile. That is the place for those of us with such and eye to the future. To my surprise there is a kid with 10 goals in 9 games sitting atop the scoring charts. He has double the number of goals as the second place Thiago Martins of Colorado. Even more surprising, Wondo is listed as a midfielder. Somehow, Chris hasn't seen day light in a senior game this season. He played twice last season while leading the Earthquakes' reserve team. He has good size and he obviously can score. If he were in Colorado, he'd be all over the starting roster by now. Martins is.

I know why Chris isn't playing....Houston is deep at midfield. With Dwayne De Rosario, Brian Mullan & Brad Davis all starting ahead of you, it is no surprise he's playing in all the reserve matches. I haven't seen Wondo play in person, but I'd like to. Hopefully down the stretch he'll get some time so we can see what this Bay Area kid is all about.

This does show how great the reserve league is for the young guys. Chris is getting his chance to impress and his manager will use him when the time is right. Without the reserve league we wouldn't get to see youngsters like him outside of practice.


So that is about it for now soccer fans. Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Hopefully someone can help me find a free, on-line database so I can get my scouting stuff on-line to share. Right now it is a spreadsheet as well, so a database would help. If you know of one, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

The Face of American Soccer Player Development is About to Change...Part II

Ok, I'm entitled to a second thought on some topics, right? I say yes.

I've been thinking more and reading other people's thoughts about the upcoming creation of a vertical development system in MLS. When I wrote my last post on the topic last Friday, I was of the mind that college soccer will suffer because top talent will no longer enroll in American universities to play top level soccer. Basically you'd get guys like me who love the game and can run, but don't have the skill to play against the best, or the second best...ok, I can't play with the 20th best. Anyway, back on topic.

I don't think that is true now. If anything, having a better youth development system in the States will further advance the college game. The kids entering college who participated in MLS youth teams will have better skills, have more passion and will be overall better players because they've grown up in a professional system. Hopefully.

Why do I say hopefully? Because my worst fear is that the [insert MLS club here] start a youth system in name only. I fear they will see this as a marketing tool where they can charge parents who can afford it hundreds of dollars a year to have their kids, "Train with the Rapids!" I'm affraid of MLS clubs creating a fantasy camp.

This would be terrible. This vertical development system needs to be funded by the team in an effort to identify quality talent not currently being spoted by the current system. As I've said many times, the current system is too often tied to how much a parent is willing to invest in the child's sport. The new MLS system needs to include the best players, from all walks of life. It needs to include the kids from the poor parts of town who take the bus to practice as opposed to those who can drive a few hours each way to practice in their mom's Lexus. This is how the college game will be helped.

This new system will hopefully include a lot of kids who currently love to play and have the natural skills but don't get the coaching they need and don't get infront of the scouts who need to see them. When these kids get to 16 or 17 years old, and the club team doesn't think they're at the point where they've earned a professional contract, hopefully college scouts will be able to see them and offer them college scholarships. This is how I see the college game improving. MLS will enter the youth development market and will help raise the level and enlarge the player pool available to colleges. Sure the cream of the crop will get professional contracts, but I can't see that being more than five kids a year, per team. So then you have over ten other guys who have benefited from the advanced coaching, training and competition who need somewhere to play. College will become the third division of American soccer.

Additionally, I hope some of the best young players like Lee Nguyen and Jonathan Villanueva will not be tempted to go abroad because they'll start playing for their local MLS club and will sign professional contracts before heading overseas. I have no doubt many young kids will continue to dream about playing in Europe, but as more and more of the top talent is developed by and stays in MLS, the league will improve and kids will stay here to earn a good living and prove they can play.

I eagerly await the offical MLS announcement of the new vertical development system. I believe this to be a watershed event in American soccer and in the growth of MLS. Project-40 was started by Nike in the 90's to help the league and American soccer develop the best of the best with the goal of winning the 2010 World Cup. However, I see vertical development in MLS as the real boost to our chances of lifting the Copa Mundial. Here's to MLS finally seeing the light.

US U-20 Finishes Second in Milk Cup...Members of Team Trying Out in Europe...

Well, the Americans couldn't retain the Milk Cup trophy. They lost 2-0 to Paraguay. By the way, Paraguay has won three of the past five Milk Cup trophys, so at least we lost to a strong opponent. I'm not going to try any analysis on this one, they lost, it sucks, I didn't see the game to get any additional insight. There is a link on the US Soccer page I linked to where you can watch the game if you like.

One of the by products of this tournament is always going to be a few young Americans joining the Yanks Abroad list. Word on the street was that Jonathan Villanueva had a trial at Ajax of Amsterdam before the competition. While the coach liked his skills, he isn't getting a deal this time around. I'd love to see him back in the US at the University of Virginia, where he has commited to play if he plays in college, but it seems like he's eager to join a European club before starting college. It sounds as if he has some more trials lined up.

One of the bright spots for the young American side at the Milk Cup was the play of Robbie Rogers. It sounds like this Maryland would be sophomore is going to sign with Dutch side Heerenveen, where Michael Bradley has been playing his club soccer since being sold by MLS in January, 2006. I hope Robbir and Michael like wearing a kit with hearts all over it.

I know a Colorado Rapids fan who loves wearing this kit. Maybe he can add Bradley or Rogers to the back since it doesn't make total sense when an Ajax fan wears a rival Dutch club's kit. BP will figure it out I'm sure.

We'll have to wait and see if the 2006 Milk Cup gets anyone else a European tryout. Personally, I'd like to see the team come back to the States and join the college and MLS ranks. However, I understand there are going to be guys who see the grass as greener over in Europe. Good luck to them.

The Face of American Soccer Player Development is About to Change...

I just finished listening to MLS' annual State of the League address. Don Garber gives this speach every year before the All*Star game. I wasn't going to listen this time around, but I decided I should. I was finishing up lunch, why not? I am glad I did listen.

First on the docket was the announcement of the new ABC/ESPN broadcast deal. The network will pay the league millions of dollars a year for the right to broadcast games. Blah blah blah, make money money, blah. It is worthwhile to note this is the first time the league has received a rights fee for their games. Check that, Fox Soccer Channel announced their deal last week, they're paying a fee, so FSC beat ESPN to the punch by a week or so. This is good for the league as they can get out of the television business and allow others to invest their money in the production of the television product. Hopefully the quality of the presentation will grow, helping Americans grow their interest in the game. Additionally, MLS will free up some much needed cash for things like player development.

Garber went on to talk about expansion, 16 teams by 2010. Toronto in 2007 to make 13. Then one more in 2008, then two more in 2010. This is positive because the footprint of the league is growing. From a player perspective, once expanded you will have 448 players (assuming roster size doesn't change) as opposed to 336. Those additional 112 players will be putting pressure on each other to improve. There may be a dilution of talent as many fear, but that will be temporary as better players join the league. Additionally, if this next bit of info is true, within 5 years there'll be quality players coming out of the woodwork playing in MLS.

So here is the big news from the press conference. MLS is "weeks away" from finalizing a vertical player development system. What does vertical development mean in soccer? Youth academys. For the first time, MLS clubs will be allowed to sign players to professional contracts without the player being subject to the MLS SuperDraft and strange back room draft processes. (see my post about Johnny X). This is a huge development. I've been calling for this kind of change for a few years now and I know many people share my ideas on it.

As I've been highlighting here, the current American youth soccer development system is a close knit group revolving around a group of coaches who control the Olympic Development Program (ODP) system. If you can't play ODP, you're not going to be noticed by adidas ESP, you're not going to be noticed by the youth national coaches, you're not going to be noticed by the best colleges and you're not going to be noticed by MLS. There are way too many kids who have the passion, drive and talent who can't afford to commute 3 hours round trip to ODP training sessions. Players who can't afford to be on the best regional club team that gets them a look on the local ODP team. We obviously don't have all of the details, but this opens the door to soccer as we know it in the rest of the world.

Here is my ideal scenario:
1) Each MLS club sets up a youth academy. The goal of the academy will be to develop soccer talent to win games on the senior side. The league will not limit the size of the academys.
2) To cast the biggest net, the club will have a couple teams in each age group, starting with U-11 or something. The teams will compete against other club teams in the region.
3) The clubs will be able to field teams at various USL levels, playing against each other and other top talent.
4) Clubs will see this as a competitive advantage. They will do their best to develop more players then the other MLS clubs.
5) Within seven years or so, each MLS side has three - five kids who they developed.

One big question...is this the death nail for college soccer? There is already a trickle of kids who leave the States to play soccer abroad. They skip college and it hasn't been a problem yet. Depending on the size of the league and the size of each club's academys, you could have a large majority of top soccer prospects skipping college or going to class while earning a professional pay check. Instead of college coaches recuiting the best club talent, MLS will be trying to buy them. The top college programs will no longer be able to compete on the soccer side of things. While I'm sure many kids will still go to college because they know professional soccer isn't in their cards, many will hope to make it big and will skip college. This will be interesting to watch.

So, to sum things up, MLS had a big State of the League address today. The league is going in the right direction and things apear to falling into the world mold even more. Thank goodness!

US U-20 Earns Chance To Defend Milk Cup Title...

The US played to a draw against Denmark yesterday, earning enough points to finish second in group play, behind Paraguay. The US will face Paraguay in the final tomorrow. A win and the US is back to back Milk Cup Champions. Raise the Roof!

The roster looked similar to the first match, but was not the same. This time around Blake Wagner was the only pro not to play. Robbie Rogers had a nice game getting on the score sheet as well as creating a goal. Looking at the numbers, which never tell the whole story, the US out played Denmark. The Yanks were up 2-0 by the 14th minute, but allowed the tying goal in the 78th minute.

Robbie Rogers had a solid freshman year at the University of Maryland. In 1400 minutes of playing time, Robbie scored seven goals and made five assists en route to the NCAA Championship. He is one to watch for the 2007 Generation adidas class in MLS, especially if he has a strong sophomore season.

Not much else to say on this one. Good luck to the US in the final tomorrow.

U-20 Win Milk Cup Opener...

The US U-20 team won their first match in the Northern Ireland based Milk Cup yesterday. The Young Yanks scored three goals and conceded zero in their victory over Wales. Future UVA midfielder, Jonathan Villanueva, opened up his tournament account in the 5th minute. His star is certainly rising with performances like this. Yanks Abroad reported recently that he has been trying out with Ajax of Amsterdam and a solid performance in this competition could seal his move away from the US college system.

Wales made a mistake putting in an own goal in the 10th minute, making any chance of a comeback a tough road to hoe. In the 35th minute, FCD professional Dax McCarty finished off Wales with a third American goal.

The American starting XI included four of the seven professionals and before the match ended, Blake Wagner, Dax McCarty, Carlos Borja, Preston Zimmerman, Rodrigo Lopez and Johann Smith all logged some playing time. The rest of the roster was filled out with current and soon to be college players.

The US faces Denmark tomorrow and a win will assure a place in the final this Friday. A draw will see the US through to the final so long as Turkey doesn't score 3+ goals against Northern Ireland while the US doesn't get any. A loss would most likely put the Americans in the third place match.

It will be interesting to see which of this group decides European club play is a good option at this point in their career. The list of Americans playing football abroad seems to grow every day and young prospects playing well in this event are sure to draw the attention of foreign clubs.