NCAA 2nd Round Stars…

I decided to take a look at my player list compare it to who just played in the NCAA Tourney 2nd round and call out some players who distinguished themselves. After all, this event and the MLS combine are the two events where most if not all MLS coaches are watching. A bad performance can sink a player and a solid performance can get a top selection in the draft.

Joe Lapira – F – Sr – Notre Dame: Last year’s Hermann Trophy winner scored a goal and assisted on the other to get Notre Dame into the next round. While he hasn’t scored as many goals as last year, he is leading the Fighting Irish in goals and assists this season. Lapria has shown he can create offense in college soccer. A NCAA championship is going to find Notre Dame if he can keep it up. At 5’ 8” he’ll be the second coming of John Spencer if he can make the cut in MLS.

Ryan Cordeiro – M – Sr – UConn: Cordeiro was credited with an assist in the 2-0 victory over Vermont. His control of the midfield also helped limit his opponents to only 4 shots. Ryan had a strong senior campaign scoring 8 goals and registering 10 helpers. That kind of production would certainly help MLS sides.

Matt Allen – GK – Sr – Creighton: Allen saved six shots to preserve the shutout against a tough SMU squad. Meanwhile, 2007 U-20 World Cup participant, Steve Sandbo, gave up three goals while facing the same number of shots in the other goal. Creighton was able to use a lot more of their bench and the game went their way.

Michael Zaher – D – Sr – UCLA: The senior defender scored a goal for his Bruins but he couldn’t keep 3 from getting into his own net. I didn’t see the game, but the Bruins must have been overwhelmed by a team using a lot of substitutes as Santa Clara used 7 compared to UCLA’s 3. Zaher will need to have a good combine since he couldn’t make it to the College Cup for a second year in a row to showcase his skills.

Julian Valentin – D – Sr – Wake Forest: Jules helped keep a clean sheet and scored the winning goal in Wake’s 1-0 victory over Furman. Julian missed much of the season due to injury but he wants to help his team win a championship before leaving school. If he continues his strong performances he’ll be able to secure a high draft position.

Those are the players I chose to single out. Who are you seeing out there playing well in the tourney?

Upsets Galore In NCAA Tourney…

We all love November Nuttery for the upsets, right? Right! Well folks, you want…we’ve got.

#1 Boston College…gone. They lost to UMass of all teams by a score of 2-1. I knew their top ranking was too good to be true. Yes, they won the ACC but they weren’t dominant like Wake Forest or UConn in the regular season. Both of those teams did advance by the way.

#4 Indiana…gone. They lost to Bradley in penalty kicks after drawing through regulation and overtime 1-1. The Hoosiers have won the tourney many times and will no doubt be disappointed to lose this one. A few Indiana seniors are on my list and will no doubt make the combine but will this loss mean coveted underclassmen Eric Alexander, Daniel Kelly, Brad Ring or Ofori Sarkodie? Or will they decide to stay in school and push for a championship in 2008? The Hoosiers have a talented group and this season can only be seen as a disappointment.

#6 Brown…gone. They lost to Old Dominion by a score of 2-1. I think this is another case where Brown was ranked too high and Old Dominion too low. Old Dominion’s defense is tough, led by 6’ 4” Senior, David Horst who is sure to get attention at the MLS combine. Old Dominion meets Virginia Tech in the next round and VT shouldn’t overlook this match up.

#9 Northwestern…gone. They lost to the University of Illinois – Chicago 2-0. Will UIC become our 2007 Cinderella team? #8 Creighton hopes not.

#14 Akron…gone. They lost to South Florida 1-0. USF always seems to have a lot of talent and should probably get a little more respect from the NCAA ranking folks. Senior Simon Schoendorf could be one of those kids who benefits from MLS allowing 7 foreign players in 2008 because MLS teams won’t have to worry about him taking up a senior international spot. Should USF upset #3 UConn in the next round, you know he’ll get more attention.

#16 Tulsa…gone. They lost to Central Connecticut State by a score of 3-2. Yes, you read correctly….CCS. Not sure what to say about this one other then Tulsa certainly misses the days of Ryan Pore.

So folks, how does your bracket look compared to the real one now? I bet you feel kind of like that Sunday in March when Duke just lost to George Mason…or worse, Lafayette College. Enjoy the next round! The Third Round kicks off this Saturday.

NCAA Men's Soccer Second Round Underway...

No results yet. You can "watch" all the action here on their scoreboard web page. Louisville and Ohio State deadlocked at zeros. Loyola and Maryland deadlocked at zeros. A majority of games kick off later tonight with the last starting at 10 pm est. Enjoy the November Madness!

Ok, let's give the NCAA Tourney a better name...November Nuttery...What do you think?

MLS Board Votes To Raise Salary Budget in 2008...

That is the good news. The bad news is that they are only going to raise it by 4% to $2,300,000. I have discussed salaries a lot around here and I can't go back right now to link to all of the posts. However, I firmly believe that teams needs to be able to spend more on their players to improve quality on the field. This plays into the top college players being more interested in joining the league as opposed to going abroad, etc.

As we all know the league is expanding quickly these days and needs a larger pool of players. The higher the salary budget the more flexibility each team has to bring in talented soccer players who will help draw in more fans.

A higher budget is good news, but I am an advocate for even more. I'd like to see more players on the roster and more money being spent on the players. With only one team joining in 2008 (San Jose) the player pool isn't going to be overly taxed. However, as we get to a 16 - 18 team league, teams will need to be able to attract more talent outside the current MLS player pool and teams will need to be able to retain more talent to keep the level of play increasing.

At the end of the day, we all want to see quality soccer on the field.

First Round Of 2007 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tourney In The Books…

As with any single elimination tournament upsets will happen, the 2007 NCAA soccer tourney is no different. I was lucky enough to catch the Cal – UC Davis first round match since my parents live 20 minutes from Berkeley. In that match, Cal was able to pull out the win and preserve their dignity, but upstart UC Davis was working hard to keep the rival Bears from moving on to the second round. I was shocked to see 3,500 other soccer fans in the stands. Bay Area residents, time to start supporting the Cal Soccer program. It was a lot of fun!

Take a look at the bracket as it stands today. Second round matches take place this Wednesday and are hosted by the team with the asterisk next to their name.

So who fell to the mighty underdog?

Harvard for one. Harvard was riding the back of US U-20 team member Andre Akpan. Andre is on my potential Generation Adidas list and this kind of loss could either keep him in school to prove he can win or push him towards a pro contract. Andre’s team lost to Central Connecticut State by a score of 3-2. Akpan did get on the scorers’ sheet, but couldn’t save his team from dropping out of the tourney. Now Akpan gets to decide if he stays in college or goes pro.

Another big name to drop out early is St. Louis. The St. Louis men were taken to penalty kicks by University of Illinois – Chicago team after both teams couldn’t find the back of the next. St. Louis had a good run through the regular season, winning 12 games, but regular season doesn’t count now.

Duke had an unimpressive season posting 7 losses and were no doubt hoping to redeem themselves in the tourney. Louisville put that hope to a halt.

A similarly unimpressive Washington (8-7-4) side emerged from the Pac-10 and showed up local rivals the Portland Pilots.

Oakland University took down Michigan State by a 2-1 score line. Oakland had an above average regular season record (11-6-3) and was able to take down the home team.

UCLA came out of the stronger Pac-10 but their record this season (8-8-3) doesn’t inspire confidence. The Lobos on the other hand had a strong 2007 in the Rocky Mountain region (12-4-2). They were able to defeat the New Mexico Lobos 1-0. However, UCLA was the home team so I don’t know if we can call it a total upset.

The second round kicks off tomorrow, 11-28-07. Maryland takes on local rival Loyola. Creighton and SMU should be a good match. As I said earlier Cal is the underdog traveling to Virginia Tech. South Florida should be able to give Akron a game. UCLA and Santa Clara should be a fun one since UCLA can’t complain about unbearable travel. Will Notre Dame be able to handle upstarts Oakland? Boston College hosts UMass who have already upset one Boston team.

One disappointing thing about this year’s bracket is that it becomes obvious NCAA seeding folks are more worried about travel costs then true match ups. I understand why they are doing this, but I’d like to see some true seeding in the future. UMass against BU and then BC? We can see through that.

An Open Letter Response To Jeff Plush’s Colorado Rapids State of the Club Address…

As my dedicated readers know, I am first and foremost a Colorado Rapids fan. When I started blogging I decided to focus on college players moving on up the ranks, but on hot summer nights I’m at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park watching my ‘Pids. So, sometimes I have to digress of my main subject area and today is one of those days.

As you may or may not know, Jeff Plush has posted his State of the Club Address on-line.

I don’t agree with everything going on over there at Rapids HQ and I’m going to take some time to dissect this address and respond to Jeff Plush. In my humble opinion, this type of conversation between club and customer will help the Rapids look at things from another perspective. This is not intended as a personal attack on the Rapids, coaching staff or players. It is constructive criticism and a fan’s perspective.

I will take certain sections of the address and provide some counterpoints to Mr. Plush, I am not going to transcribe the entire address, as it is lengthy.

Away we go….

CRC: What do you see as the areas that need improvement?

JP: “Clearly the biggest need for improvement is on the pitch. We failed against every goal we put in front of ourselves from the team side this year. It is time for reflection and time for us to figure out how to improve in virtually every area on the team side...

Certainly there are also still other areas for growth for the club, with selling more tickets and sponsorships and getting more media coverage and exposure…”

FCTP: What is being done to improve on the pitch? The coaching staff is still in place minus a goalkeeping coach and fitness coach (as readers will find out later in the address). Goalkeeping was a bright spot this season, what good does firing the keeper coach do? At this point in the year I think a team has an obligation to the fans to make changes if things aren’t working. The Rapids have not made adequate changes.

In regards to the second paragraph. I think it is common knowledge that fans and sponsors follow winners. Denver is a competitive sports environment and to get noticed you need to win. Look at the Rockies, they made it to the World Series and had tremendous support. Look at the Nuggets, they’re winning right now and people are excited. The Rapids have NEVER finished higher than 3rd in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. That is a problem not being addressed right now.

CRC: What is the status of the Rapids' coaching situation?

JP: “Fernando will be back for 2008. He has one more year left in his contract. We know that it is a controversial decision and that some people don’t agree with it at all. We respect everyone’s opinion on the subject, but at the end of the day Mr. Kroenke believes in honoring the contracts that we sign, and he believes in honoring his word. I think there are some positives to be learned by that.

"Clearly there is some work to do to recover some of our fan base that we may have lost with this decision. We will work diligently to do that and that work has already started. However, the reality is that this organization can win with this coaching staff and this current team. We did make it to the Western Conference Championship game in both 2005 and ’06. I’m confident that if we can get some things shored up, demand more of ourselves, train more effectively, and add a little bit of talent, then we can make steps forward next year for sure.

"As far of the rest of the coaching staff goes, John Murphy has been doing a great job for us, had led the Rapids Reserves to back-to-back championship titles this year, and is helping build the future of this club with all the work he is doing with the Rapids Academy. On the other hand, a couple of subordinates on the staff have been let go. We will move forward next year without Goalkeeping Coach Leo Percovich and Fitness Coach Hector Ifran. We are in the process developing a plan on how to fill those positions now.”

FCTP: Fernando Clavijo has shown over six years in MLS that he does not know the recipe for success. Yes, he made it to the Western Conference Finals two years in a row but in all competitions he has compiled a 35% winning percentage. I do not know a single other sport where a winning percentage of 35% is accepted. It is admirable that team owner, Stan Kroenke wants to honor a contract but this is professional sports. If your team is not winning you make changes that help you win. I do not believe that Stan has not fired another contracted employee before the end of their contract for poor performance.

The fans will return when there is a winning team on the field. More soccer fans will come when there is a winning team on the field. Why aren’t you doing what needs to be done to get a winning team on the field? Fernando doesn’t know how to win in MLS.

A final comment on coaching. The entire coaching staff is made up of defensive minded coaches who either played as defenders or coaches. I think the results on the field bear that out. Consider getting an attacking minded coach on the bench this off-season if nothing else.

CRC: How have the Colorado Rapids stacked up against other MLS teams this year? How do you think we fared both on and off the field?

JP: “You go back to how we didn’t hit any of our objectives, but when you look at some of the specific games and how we stacked up, it makes it that much more frustrating. If you look at it, we split the points with the East. We beat DC, New England, and New York, tied all four games with Chicago and Kansas City. So all the playoff teams from that conference, we split the points with.

"Where I think we really struggled was against Dallas and Houston, two of our main rivals in the West. We beat some good teams; in a five day period we beat both of the Cup finalists in Houston and New England. Clearly we have the ability to compete at the highest level in this league. It made it difficult to be a bystander at MLS Cup this weekend. I also think that when you start looking at 2008 we know we have the ability and the talent.

FCTP: Facts are facts here, Jeff. The team did not stack up against the rest of the league. They missed the playoffs and only won 30% of their 2007 games in the league. The Rapids lost 43% of their games…a majority. Splitting points or not, a win is a win and a loss is a loss. The Rapids had more losses then wins. I don’t think they stacked up well against the league. Furthermore, the Rapids bombed out of the US Open Cup with a 5-0 loss against a lower division club, Seattle. So the Rapids didn’t stack up well against the USL-1 at all.

CRC: There are two camps currently divided about the importance of signing a designated player. What is your vision?

FCTP: Since I agree with Jeff’s response I won’t post the whole thing here. However, I will add that the DP slot has a lot of trade value. If you’re not going to use it, trade it to New York, Chicago or Los Angeles for some value.

CRC: The Rapids have been accused of being content with mediocrity...how do you respond to that?

JP: "Nothing could be further from the truth, but I also acknowledge that it is just rhetoric unless the results change. We have made mistakes and we will set out to change them. At the end of the day, I take responsibility for our failings. If anything, I have been too deferential to others, but no longer.

"We will change the way we conduct our soccer business effective immediately. If we make changes on our roster, it will be based on character and integrity in addition to technical skills. I no longer will tolerate people who do not want to be here. We will move forward with a 'Club First' mentality, and with a group who wants to play for the shield on the front of our jersey, not the name on the back."

FCTP: Since I am one of the people making this claim I feel obligated to respond. This is all good on paper but I think the biggest problem of the past three years is the coach. He’s who brought the players here. He’s who shipped out certain players. He’s responsible for the play on the field, not you Jeff. Make him own up to his mistakes and get someone in who will perform.

CRC: What do fans most have to look forward to for next year?

JP: “Our fans right now are needing to know they can look forward to a quality product next year, one they can be proud of. A product we believed we would put in front of them this year, be we didn’t do it. We need to make it happen, there are no excuses.

"We have a platform to be proud of. We have a fan base that wants us to be successful and will support us. We have players who want to play in Denver, and other players who aren’t here but would love to come play here.

"We can be very successful. We have made the playoffs most years in this organization. Since KSE has owned the Rapids, we have made the playoffs three of the four years and have made it to the conference final twice. That should be the expectation and not the goal.

"I have met with the coaching staff and players, and my expectation is that we will play an attacking, pressing brand of soccer in 2008, especially at home. We want to take advantage of the altitude, the big pitch, a fun and raucous crowd to make teams dread playing here at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. That is our responsibility to ourselves and to our fans. That is what we will set out to achieve in 2008.”

FCTP: Your lack of action in the clubhouse is sending a clear message to fans that they can expect the same in 2008 as 2007. Words are one thing, actions are another. Take action. Let the coaching staff and players know that 2007 was not acceptable. Bring in a new manager who can find success. Who knows what success tastes like in MLS. For example, an assistant coach who just won MLS Cup for the second year in a row. Or an assistant coach who won the US Open Cup this season and has been to three MLS Cups in a row. They know the recipe for success in MLS. Coach Clavijo clearly does not.

I do not think Coach Clavijo knows how to play attacking, beautiful soccer. Why wouldn’t he have played that brand of soccer in 2005, 2006 or 2007 if he knew? He is a defender by trade and that is what he knows how to coach. It is time to bring in someone who understands how to play and coach attacking, fluid soccer…not disrupt it. I am sure at the beginning of 2007 Clavijo didn’t intend to score less then 1 goal per game. But his team did. That is the problem and he isn’t the person to fix it.

In closing, I appreciate that Mr. Plush took the time to address the fans. I think too often MLS and the Rapids are too closed door, hush hush. However, I have to point out that while the questions were difficult, they were asked by someone on the Rapids staff. This wasn’t unbiased journalism. As I posted yesterday, the Rapids need to open up and allow some real press coverage, not controlled PR. We’re in the spin cycle here people, that needs to stop.

While it was a nice thought and effort, at the end of the day the play on the field has not been addressed. This is all lip service. The fans want action, Jeff, not words. Until the club takes an action that firmly says, “We want results now” that fans are not going to support you. Until the team is winning games, there will be a lack of quality at Rapids games and your revenues will suffer. This is sport, it is about winning. You need to make the changes that bring a winning culture to the Rapids. As I said earlier, the Rapids have NEVER finished higher than 3rd in the Western Conference. True, they did win the conference once…in 1997. And they did get to the final of the US Open Cup, once, and lost. Those are the only two bright spots in a 12 year history. You should be able to see why people believe your organization is content with mediocrity. You should be able to see why fans think decisions are made on the balance sheet as opposed to the field. You should be able to see why fans are demanding change.

It should also be pointed out that successful clubs in MLS have stable rosters year after year. 16 starters in this weekend’s MLS Cup rematch were also on the field in 2006’s final. The Rapids made so many roster changes this season everyone’s heads were spinning. Instill some consistency in the roster in 2008. Clavijo’s in/out policy where he trades for a player in the off-season and then ships him out mid-season is not going to lead to success.

It is now clear that we are not going to see a new coach in 2008. It is now obvious that the Colorado Rapids and Kroenke Sports Enterprises accept the status quo. I have a hard time believing that there will be any difference in the play on the field in 2008. You have done nothing to make me feel differently. I have no faith in you as a leader of my club.

Sincerely,
From College To The Pros

For those thinking I am hiding behind a false name, I do that only to protect my identity in this cyber theft world. Mr. Plush knows who I am, has talked to me on the phone and has emailed with me.

2007 NCAA Soccer Tourney Field Set…

The bracket is out and it is time to start filling in your picks as if it was March. The biggest shocker to me? Boston College is #1. Yes, they won the ACC…Yes they beat Wake Forest twice…but how do they leapfrog UConn who went 18-2-1 during the season compared to BC’s 15-4-1. Yes, the ACC is THE soccer conference but let’s give credit where it is due…UConn should have been #1.

Enough about that. Games start this weekend. The top 16 teams get a bye into the second round which won’t be played until a week from tomorrow. Teams in the first round will need to watch their turkey intake, especially if they are playing on Friday following Thanksgiving.

Looking at the bracket we’ve got some good games in the first round. UCLA is hosting New Mexico who has a far superior record but plays in a much weaker conference. Duke has to go on the road to start off the tourney and could be knocked off by upstarts Louisville. SMU is hosting the Zags. Many of the games were obviously chosen to reduce travel time as there are some regional pairings.

Here is the list of seeded teams who get to skip the first round all together:
#1 Boston College
#2 Wake Forest
#3 UConn
#4 Indiana
#5 Ohio State
#6 Brown
#7 Santa Clara
#8 Creighton
#9 Northwestern
#10 Notre Dame
#11 Virginia Tech
#12 UCSB
#13 Maryland
#14 Akron
#15 West Virginia
#16 Tulsa

What do you think of the seeding? Which games are you going to check out? Who do you want to see go all the way?

A New Route To The Pros...

Last year Chivas USA held what seemed to be a publicity stunt. They allowed 2,000 kids try out for the team, taped it and put it on TV as yet another reality show with a prize. One kid won, and he actually played a game in MLS. Jorge Flores's 2007 statistics don't say a whole lot. He only played in one game for 14 minutes. However, Coach Thomas Rongen has decided to include him in an upcoming US U-20 team traveling to Argentina. Good for Flores. He's gone from High School player, to reality tv show winner to professional footballer to US U-20 player. That sounds more like living the American dream then a lot of other stories about how kids got to the pros. Good for the Chivas USA coaching staff for taking the competition seriously and helping a young kid live his dream.

MLS Losing Media Coverage...

In what I can only term a detriment to the growth of soccer in the US, ussoccerplayers.com is not going to cover MLS in the future outside of their coverage of US National Team players. After reading the article announcing their decision I am horrified that MLS continues their closed door, positive spin, Bush Administration type policies to the point of losing press coverage.

I have run into this same thing on a smaller scale. In an attempt to give American fans and Rapids fans more insight into young MLS players, I attempted to gain press credentials from the Colorado Rapids this season. Each of my attempts was rebuffed with a polite email telling me the application wasn't ready yet. Well, after the season started I gave up. The Rapids and MLS don't want a critical eye on them or in their locker room. I assumed it was because I am a blogger and a fan of the sport. Today confirms that it is not just bloggers being put off by the league.

Ussoccerplayers.com has some of the best soccer writers in the country writing for them. As highlighted in the above article they actually edit their articles, unlike Major League Soccer's new rag where I found 10 mistakes in one article. Folks, I was an engineer in college...and I found mistake in a magazine that I paid money for. Do you see something wrong here? Well Major League Soccer magazine is just another PR tool for the league. While you'll find some interesting topics in there, you can tell that the league is feeding them access where they want to have access. Want to know why Sports Illustrated isn't doing stories on MLS too often? I have a feeling USsoccerplayers.com can tell you. Good media doesn't just want to act as a PR monkey for a league.

MLS, it is time to take the wraps off. It is time to look in the mirror and see the zits. We are all out here hoping for your success but if you keep hiding behind smoke and mirrors to protect yourself, there will continue to be issues preventing progress. The NFL, MLB and NBA didn't get where they are today by only allowing positive media stories. You know MLB isn't happy with all of the spotlight on Barry Bonds. However, that is what makes you a real league. You're going to have to take both good and bad publicity.

I don't know who wants to hide. Don Garber gets out and does interviews so it can't be him. I have a feeling it is reclusive billionaires like Phil Anschutz and Stan Kroenke who are behind this stance. Boys, it is time to let your sports project leave home. If MLS were Jewish and male, the league would become a man next season. Let's stop pushing media outlets away with closed door, secretive policies. Embrace the media and let them help you grow. Transparency is the only way in the information age.

Selection Monday!!!

Today is Selection Monday for the NCAA tournament. From 5:30-6:00 p.m. ESPNews will carry the bracket selection show.

Over the weekend Boston College captured their first ACC title. Personally, I thought the departure of Charlie Davies to Europe would hurt BC, but congrats to the Eagles who fought through the toughest conference in college soccer to capture the title. BC beat Wake Forest 2-1 to take the title. The loss certainly throws a wrench in the works for Wake. They've rolled through the season and certainly wanted to win the power conference to take a firm #1 ranking into the tourney. Things are a little more open knowing Wake can be defeated.

2008 MLS SuperDraft Order Set...

As reported by Climbing The Ladder, the 2008 MLS SuperDraft is now set with the conclusion of MLS Cup. We won't know the official order for a few weeks, and there is a chance conditions of a trade were never made public, but this order servers as a great guide for preliminary draft discussions.

Climbing the Ladder has also compiled the total number of selections each team has in the draft. At this point LA is by far the leader in that category with 9 total selections. They'll have a big hole to fill with Cobi moving from on the field to the sidelines. However, they also need to find a second designated player spot to keep Landon Donovan. Without a change in league rules, they'll have to trade for it. For a team that is not going to use the DP, getting the number 4 overall pick would be worthwhile if LA coupled a Chris Albright, Peter Vagenas or Ty Harden with the pick. Additionally LA has three picks in the second round which could be used as trade bait.

It will be interesting to see how LA's new management team goes into the draft with so many picks, especially considering Ruud Gullit has never participated in one. Director of Soccer, Paul Bravo, will certainly be calling most of the shots come draft day.

Dallas looks to be in the cat bird seat come draft day. They have 6 total picks with 4 coming in the first two rounds, including the #2 overall selection. 4 picks in the first two rounds will certainly yield some dividends. The 2008 draft looks like it should have a solid crop of defenders and Dallas will certainly look for back line help after 44 goals in 2007.

The ACC Has Been Turned On Its Head...

At least the 2007 ACC Men's Soccer Championship has in terms of historical performances. Virginia Tech beat Maryland 3-0 today. Boston College beat Virginia 1-0 today. There go two traditional ACC powers in the first round of the ACC Championships.

Come tourney time it is always fun to watch the ACC. Keep track of all the fun here at their website.


Duke vs. North Carolina is being played right now. Wake Forest vs. Clemson kicks off at 8 pm est. Friday the semi-finals will kick off.

2007 MLS Expansion Draft...

Steven Goff is reporting that the 2007 Expansion Draft will take place next Wednesday, 11-21-07 pending final league confirmation. It should look like the 2006 version held a year ago where Toronto FC selected 10 players from 12 teams. For some reason the number has been elevated to 11 players this year for the San Jose expansion. Each team can only lose one player and two teams will not lose anyone. Teams are allowed to protect 11 players and those lists will be made public on Tuesday, 11/20/07.

Who would you protect on your favorite team keeping in mind that only 1 senior international is allowed to be unprotected and Generation Adidas players are automatically protected.

Depending on the team, I think many of the young guys are safe. For example, I don't see Stephen Keel or Colin Clark being selected from the Rapids. I think Yallop will prefer to fill those developmental roster slots through the draft, local tryouts or "off-market" deals with un-drafted rookies and USL players.

It is always interesting after the expansion draft to see who the building blocks of a team will be. However, you'll notice that not one of Toronto FC's expansion selections are still with the team.

Below is the complete list of players selected in the 2006 MLS Expansion Draft (taken from club) including where they are now.

1. Paulo Nagamura (Los Angeles Galaxy) - Chivas USA
2. Danny O'Rourke (New York Red Bulls) - Columbus
3. Jose Cancela (New England Revolution) - Colorado
4. Adrian Serioux (Houston Dynamo) - Dallas
5. Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire) - Houston
6. Rod Dyachenko (D.C. United) - DC United
7. Jason Kreis (Real Salt Lake) - Coach RSL
8. Tim Regan (Chivas USA) - New York
9. Ritchie Kotschau (Columbus Crew) - RSL
10. Will Hesmer (Kansas City Wizards) - Columbus

If nothing else the expansion draft in 2007 will reallocate journeymen soccer players in MLS.

Dane Richards…How Do We Find Another?

Red Bull NY had a good draft in 2007 despite not having a first round pick. NY traded their first round pick to Colorado for Jean Philippe Peguero who was later sold, so they got a little allocation money for the first round pick. Colorado drafted Nico Colaluca who hasn’t done much yet, so in my opinion the trade worked out for NY. In the second round NY drafted Dane Richards, the speedy winger who worked his way up through Junior College to Clemson and then to MLS.

One of the best rookies of 2007 was still in the draft pool by the time NY selected with the 19th pick. The Rapids took Greg Dalby, a guy who already told the league he wouldn’t sign their contract because it was too low a salary, ahead of Richards. Colorado took one measured risk and NY took a different one. NY’s risk was that the young player would be slapped with a Senior International tag once he turns 25. Since MLS teams only get 4 SI’s and 3 YI’s they are valuable. I’d say NY did the right thing.

How did they know Richards would be successful in MLS? Naturally they couldn’t be sure but I’d say that his national team experience would be a good indicator. Richards grew up in Jamaica and has been capped four times by the Reggae Boyz. His first cap came in 2002 at the age of 18. Richards went on to score 68 goals between San Jacinto Junior College and Clemson. Another call up to the Reggae Boyz for Richards was announced today. His career is certainly off and running.

MLS coaches, here is a recipe for success in the future based on Dane Richards and NY: Look for college kids in the draft who have been identified as quality by their home country’s national program. Below are some kids coming up through the college ranks who have been playing for their home country’s youth/senior national teams who are now starring in American college soccer:

Greg King – FR – D – Uconn – The freshman defender has started 19 matches for UConn during this great run through 2007. He’s played for the Aussie U-20 team.

Adam Lang – SO – D – Washington – The defender has worked his way into the Huskies defense and has helped Washington compile 7 shutouts in 2007.

Tomislav Barisic – SO – F – Rutgers – The young Croatian started his career with his nation’s youth national team set up. This season at Rutgers he is the leading scorer with five goals while only starting 56% of the games he’s played in. Highly skilled on the ball.

Shaun Taylor – SO – F – Boston University – The 6’ 3” forward from England has represented the three lions at the U-18 level. This season his is second on the BU scorers chart with five goals and two assists.

Michael Boxall – FR – D – UCSB – Played for native New Zealand at the FIFA U-20 World Cup this past summer. He’s also already been capped at the senior level for New Zealand. He’ll make sure Andy Iro won’t be missed too much next season. This season he stepped right into the defending national champ’s lineup starting 10 games in the back.

O’Brian White – JR – F – Uconn – Has played at every level for the young Reggae Boyz and grew up in Canada. The talented forward has size and speed on his size and will be a top pick in MLS should he earn a Generation Adidas contract. He’s had a great season at UConn scoring 41 points.

Julius James – SR – D – Uconn – The talented back has played for the Trinidad and Tobago U-17 team and has stared in his senior season as the Huskies have dominated the Big East. Will certainly be a solid pick for any MLS side but could face the same fate as Richards due to his international status.

Bernardo Anor – FR – F – South Florida – The talented attacker from Venezuela has played for the up and coming nation’s U-20 team. He’s worked his way into the starting lineup at USF and scored 7 goals and made 2 assists.

MLS coaches need to be more welcoming to young international players, especially as the American pool is further tapped with more MLS expansion as we discussed yesterday. Perhaps MLS needs to make a new player category for American college players not born in the US. Teams can have a total of 7 internationals (4 senior/3 youth) and need to embrace these roster spots. Instead of bringing in high priced internationals who are getting old and are over the hill, MLS coaches should be investing in the above youngsters who have tons of potential and strong national team training behind them.

MLS Expansion and the Effect on American Soccer Player Development and MLS quality…

Earlier in 2007 we learned that San Jose will rejoin MLS with a new franchise starting play in 2008. Today the worst kept secret around MLS becomes official and MLS will expand to Seattle in 2009. The news means two new teams over two years. It means thirty six new senior roster spots of which eight may be foreign players. It means a potential for two more designated players. It means twenty more developmental players playing soccer in MLS. The 2009 MLS SuperDraft will need more players to be available for selection.

If you go to www.bigsoccer.com and search through the MLS discussion areas you’ll find plenty of topics going over the pros/cons of expansion. One of the biggest issues people point out as a con is talent pool dilution. So let’s take a closer look.

First off, lets look at the make up of the team in terms of the current MLS rules (keep in mind, current MLS rules are different for FC Toronto):
• 28 total players on the roster
• 18 senior players
• 10 developmental players
• 4 senior international players who are foreign
• 3 youth international players who are foreign and must be 24 years old or younger.

Based on the above seven out of twenty eight roster spots may be filled by foreign players (25% of the roster). The other 75% must be American players. Right now there are twelve American MLS teams and one Canadian. As stated above the Canadian team plays by different rules. FC Toronto has four SI spots and three additional American SI roster places. The rest of the team is made up of players eligible to work in Canada. I am going to go through the remainder of this analysis assuming FC Toronto’s roster is the same as an American MLS side since the number of players isn’t going to create a huge disparity.

In 2007 there were 364 players in MLS (assuming each team has all twenty eight player spots filled). 75% of those were American and 25% were not (assuming teams maximized the number of foreigners they had on their roster). That means 273 Americans and 91 foreigners on MLS rosters in 2007.

In 2008 the addition of the San Jose Earthquakes will increase the total league roster size to 392 players, an increase of 7.7%. 294 of those players will be American and 98 foreign.

In 2009 the addition of Seattle will increase the total league roster size to 420 players, an increase of 7.1%. 315 of those players will be American and 105 will be foreign.

The league has stated their goal is to grow to 16 teams in 2010. Adding a sixteenth team in 2010 will take the total player count to 448 players of which 336 are American and 112 are foreign.

With the addition of two teams there will be 56 new players in the league; 42 Americans and 14 foreigners. In my opinion it doesn’t seem too hard to find 14 new foreign players to join the league. As the league grows and revenues increase, salaries can go up and more players will be interested in playing in MLS. The bigger issue is American talent which is compounded by the 2010 potential expansion. Growing by three teams over the next three years will require 23% more players or 63 Americans and 21 foreigners.

Where will the 63 Americans come from? To this point a majority of American players are joining MLS through the SuperDraft and Supplemental Draft. In 2007 103 players were selected through the two drafts. Many of those players are not on MLS teams’ rosters today and only a handful contributed to their teams this season.

As the league expands so too will the number of drafted players. In the 8 round draft one new team in 2008 will add 8 more players selected. In 2009 we’ll see the same additional 8 players selected and again in 2010. So that is 128 players drafted in 2010 and increase of 25 players over 2007 (an odd number because New England passed on their final pick in the Supplemental Draft). We are a long way from the draft being able to yield enough quality players to make up for this expansion.

Each expansion year a team will fill eight of their roster spots through the draft, but they need 28 players. Where do the other 20 come from? They’ll get one from each other MLS team via the expansion draft and then the rest will come from other countries or the lower American divisions. Heck, by 2010 one or two home grown players may make it onto the field. But that won’t be enough to bridge the gap.

At the same time that MLS is expanding their player roster, American players playing well in MLS are leaving for foreign leagues. Not only does the league need to fill more spots through expansion but they have more spots due to attrition (retirement as well). This type of attrition will compound the problem. Imagine, Cobi Jones just retired from the LA Galaxy. Landon Donovan could leave for San Jose or Europe since LA will need a second designated player slot to pay for his high salary. Between the two of them LA is potentially losing 50 games played in 2007, 12 goals scored and 18 assists. Then they’ll lose another player through the expansion draft in 2007, another in 2008 and potentially a third in 2009. That is a huge drain on a struggling team. Trust me, LA is not going to be able to fill those holes through the draft and signing players from the USL. Foreign and American talent currently playing abroad is going to be needed to backfill.

I am not convinced that American college soccer can produce the additional soccer players at the rate that MLS will need to keep the current level of play. The league is going to have to work hard to retain quality players, find higher quality foreigners and do a better job scouting college players to ensure the quality of play in the league doesn’t drop. Additionally, MLS teams will need to sign the cream of the lower division crop to help backfill.

Friends, look for MLS’ on field quality to suffer over the coming three years. To help cope with the expansion I’d like to see MLS raise the salary budget dramatically to help teams lure quality American players back to the US. I can’t help but think that guys like Eddie Lewis, Carlos Bocanegra, Nat Borchers, Adin Brown, Danny Califf, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Brad Friedel…(you get the point) wouldn’t be tempted to come back to the US with the promise of a real wage. There are a lot of American players out there who have had solid careers in Europe but who must miss home. Pay them a reasonable amount and they’ll want to help grow the game in the US. MLS needs to help insure future success by raising their top level wages for domestic players. No KSE, Borchers won’t draw fans based on name alone, however he will help increase the level of play on the field and success on the field will translate into success in the stands.

Back to the first part of the title of this post which I got away from. This expansion will certainly give more young American players the chance to shine on the professional stage. It will also create more roster spots for developmental players to grow in the reserve league. However, it takes a few years for some young players to develop into starters and many young American players will not advance past the journeyman stage. So expansion will create more opportunity, but no more guarentees of success.

Sexy Football In LA...

Announcing the new LA Galaxy coaching staff: Ruud Gullit and Cobi Jones. Yes, you read correctly, newly retired Cobi is Ruud's assistant. Jones wasn't part of the package I read about and I think his inclusion on the staff should help Ruud's transition. Smart move Alexi.

What will Ruud mean to American soccer and MLS? There is some potential for great things but I think the bigger potential is for disaster. Hopefully Cobi can help Ruud navigate the waters and not flame out.

Ruud grew up in the Dutch total football system of the 70's and 80's, its strongest period. Hopefully he can come to LA and instill some of that into American players. Imagine if the young members of the Galaxy pick up some tricks that Ruud has up his sleeve. There is the potential for greatness in this coaching appointment.

The problems will come when Ruud realizes he has a $2 million budget and Alexi Lalas as a boss. If the sexy one can't manage those issues, he'll be gone is a season.

Now that the coaching staff is in place, what will become of Landycakes McDonovan? Will he want to stick around because he is comfortable with Cobi and interested in learning how to be a top class forward from one of the best? Or will he stick his tail between his legs and follow Frank Yallop up north? With an open mind Landon should be able to learn from Ruud. However, we've seen Donovan shy away from challenges in the past and he may do it again.

This off-season is an exciting one already, isn't it folks? What do you think of the new LA coaching staff?

Credit for the above photo goes to Andrea Canales who attended the press conference.

Maryland Gets Hot At The Right Time…

Similar to Chicago in MLS, Maryland has gone on a nine game unbeaten streak to move up the college rankings and put them in a solid position for the upcoming ACC tournament. Their most recent result, a 4-1 upset drubbing of the Virginia Cavaliers, was led by the three seniors taking their final bow at home.

The most notable senior on the Maryland team is certainly Stephen King. King is breaking all sorts of records in his senior season and his professional stock is rising as his last college season comes to a close. First off, King has started every game of his college career to this point. That is 89 consecutive starts. What an iron man. That kind of stamina and work rate should benefit a MLS team. He is expected to start tonight when his Terrapins visit North Carolina in their regular season closer. King will no doubt add more games to that impressive record once the ACC and NCAA tournaments get going. Additionally, King has racked up the assists and is moving up the list of all time Maryland players in terms of points. A strong performance in the post-season and then at the combine will put King in the first round of the MLS draft.

Can Maryland go on to give Wake Forest a run for their money in the ACC tournament? In September Wake blanked Maryland in the last game before this nine game unbeaten streak took off. Since then Maryland has put up some impressive results including an impressive 4-0 win over Villanova, a 5-0 defeat of NC State and the recent 4-1 win over UVA. However, the entire nine game streak was played at home. Maryland hasn’t traveled since September 29th when they lost to Wake. It will be interesting to see how they do on the road tonight.

For those of you with Fox Soccer Channel there is another great match up available tonight. Wake Forest will be taking on UVA at 8 pm est. Let’s see if Wake can do what Maryland just did. Or can UVA bounce back and beat the top team in the nation?

2007 MLS Rookie Of The Year....Maurice Edu

As many expected Maurice Edu was named the 2007 Rookie of the Year by MLS today. His only real competition was Dane Richards who's speed terrorized MLS defenses all season. This is the first time in history where the SuperDraft #1 pick has won the award. Let's hope this means league coaches are getting better at scouting as opposed to Mo Johnston and his staff getting completely lucky. Edu looks like his star will continue to rise with this award adding to his first US National Team Cap. Should Edu's rise continue don't be surprised to see him follow past MLS ROTY winners to Europe (Demspey, Ralph, Bocanegra and soon Parkhurst if Internet rumors are trusted.)

Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!

Readers, the reason I started all this blogging is the MLS SuperDraft process. At the time I started following college players back in 2003 I didn't think there was enough information available to the casual soccer fan regarding players moving from college soccer to professional soccer. Thus, From College to the Pros was born on February 15, 2006 based on a spreadsheet I started three years earlier. Today that spreadsheet has over 1,000 players in it and those in college are listed in the right margin here.

Folks, it is that time again. I can smell that special time in the air as the leaves fall to the ground. College soccer is wrapping up conference play and moving into conference and NCAA tournaments. MLS playoffs are eliminating teams. American soccer fans need the next thing to concentrate on.

To help all of you, I've created a new section in the right margin, right near the top, where I am going post all the resources I like and stories I've written on the topic. I'm sure I'll miss some things so if you find something you like, email it to me. Remember you can read blog posts I've read through Google Reader in the What Bonji Is Reading... section and I will be sure to share all the blog posts I come across. Additionally, I'll be updating the player lists more frequently so check back often.

2008 CONCACAF Final Olympic Qualifiers In The US...

If you live in Los Angeles, Tampa or Nashville you now have plans March 11-23, 2008. During that period the US and the rest of CONCACAF will be trying to make it to the Olympics. While not a FIFA World Cup, the Olympics are a thrill for any young soccer player. The American roster will no doubt have a similar look as the 2007 U-20 World Cup squad. In addition expect to see some new faces who impressed during the 2007 MLS season but was too old for the U-20 WC.

Interviewed...

It seems to be a form of rite of passage for a blogger to be interviewed by another blogger. Well folks, here is my first blogger/blogger interview. Nothing juicy about me, just passing some info from my brain to Mr. Baker's brain. Enjoy.

Anyone else interested in getting some quotes from me for their blog can email the address to the right.

The Deamon Deacons Are Rolling...

Ok, I'm a little behind the curve on this one because I've been settling into a new job all week. That being said, better late then never, right?

The Wake Forest Deamon Deacons are rolling along through this 2007 men's soccer season. The are #1 in the polls with a 12-1-2 record. Their first loss came this weekend to #8 Boston College. However, before that loss they went on a 25-0 goal scoring spree. That is right, in five wins the Deacons averaged 5 goals per game. Outstanding!

Wake has three more game before the ACC tournament starts but they should go in as the #1 team in the conference. While freshman sensation Corben Bone has cooled off of late, fellow Deacon prospects Cody Arnoux and Marcus Tracy are lighting up the old onion bag with 16 goals between the two of them. Both are underclassmen so we'll see if they jump ship after productive seasons for the professional league.

Looking at the other end of that great run, five games and zero goals allowed, we see that senior keeper, Brian Edwards, has improved his GAA to 0.47 and has 8 shutouts. I doubt we'll see Brian drafted as high as Brad Guzan a couple years ago, but he should be a good goal keeper prospect for any MLS team, like Chivas USA who could be losing Guzan to Europe in the future.

Julian VValentin has been showing his skills during this run as well. He started the season injured but has returned to put 4 points on the board and anchor a great defense. Paired with Pat Phelan in the back, Jules is showing why he's been on so many youth national teams. The two senior defenders will certainly leave a hole in Wake's team as they move on after this senior season.

Watch for Wake going into the NCAA tournament. They'll be the early favorites with the biggest target on their back.