Olympic Qualifying Coming Soon To CONCACAF...

The US is preparing to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. They're holding a camp this weekend in Florida and their first match is 10 days later against Cuba. The most interesting thing to me? Not a college player in the group. That is a real evolution for the US. All players trying to get us into the Olympics are professional soccer players. In 2004 we had a good group of professionals who lost to Mexico in the final round of qualifying, keeping them from the '04 summer games in Greece. Eddie Gaven, who was on that team too, will want to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Top 20 Youngsters In MLS…

Last week Martin Rogers posted his top 20 players in MLS. This has started a lot of discussion on Big Soccer and other forums. Heck, even From The Pitch is going to have a portion of next week's show dedicated to it. Whether you agree or disagree with his list, Rogers has a fun idea for a topic. Since this is From College To The Pros we’re going to talk about the best young players in MLS.

This type of exercise always requires some ground rules. #1, “youngster” to me means under 25 years of age. So, anyone born before February 22, 1983, you’re out! That is the rule. It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been in the league, or how many national team caps they have or whatever. Over 25, and you’re out. Also, rookies who haven’t yet played in a league game will no be considered, so don’t expect to see Tony Beltran or Chance Myers on my list. Also, a guy with a boat load of potential but who hasn’t played in more then 5 games, isn’t going to make the cut. We need to see what these guys have done to rate them.

Here are the guys who just missed the cut off by already celebrating their 25th birthdays this year: Guy-Roland Kpene, Jerrod Laventure, Chris Rolfe, Ricardo Clark, Paulo Nagamura, Aaron Pitchkolan & Bobby Boswell. Sorry guys. Younger then them there are around 140 guys, so we’ll have plenty to choose from.

Let’s get into it.

#1 - Sacha Kljestan – Chivas USA – 22 yrs: Since joining the league in 2006, Kljestan has played a big role in Chivas USA’s success. Last year he really blossomed and instead of having a sophomore slump, he scored 4 goals and made 13 assists. Guys like Razov and Galindo don’t look as good without him. He’s a typical box to box midfielder who is as comfortable defending as he is controlling the attack. Having Jesse Marsch as a partner in the Goats’ midfield can only help.

#2 - Michael Parkhurst – New England – 24 yrs: Parkhurst has showed in his MLS career that size doesn’t matter when it comes to center backs. It is kind of funny to think of, because he’s not short at 5’ 11”, but somehow he has this “short” aurora around him. Whatever it is, he’s the centerpiece of the defense that makes Matt Reis look good and has gotten New England to MLS cup three straight years. Parkhurst understand how the game works and uses that knowledge to shut down MLS offenses.

#3 – Justin Mapp – Chicago – 23 yrs: Some of you are probably surprised to see Mapp this high on the list, or on the list at all. Yes, he’s just 23 entering his 7th season in the league. Take 2007 out of the equation and you’ll agree with me. He’s the best young winger in the league. He’s got ball skills, passing skills and understands the game. He’s played in over 100 games in his MLS career and until the injury bug got him he was knocking on the US national team door. During 2005 and 2006 he was a Chicago regular and a reason for their success. Here’s hoping he can reignite that Fire in 2008.

#4 - Juan Toja – FC Dallas – 22 yrs: I loved watching him in '07. I hope to see more quality out of the youngster in '08. If they're going to win MLS Cup, Toja is going to be a big part of it. His creativity and skill on the ball is nice.

#5 - Jozy Altidore – New York – 18 yrs. The youngster has to make the top five of this list, right? He's loaded with potential and I hope we get to see another full season of him in MLS, however I fear he'll be gone in July. Learning from Juan Pablo Angel will keep improving his game. He’s shown he can score on all levels, now he has to sustain the form and grow his game.

#6 - Brad Guzan – Chivas USA – 23 yrs: Guzan has quickly established himself as the third goalkeeper on the US National Team and first choice at Chivas USA. His third season in the league was by far his best and he shows great ability in the nets. I wonder if having a good team in front of him made him look good enough to move him up this list, but you can’t take away some of the amazing saves he’s made on national TV.

#7 - Kenny Cooper – FC Dallas – 23 yrs: Cooper has already been there, done that when it comes to playing in Europe. We’ll see if he ever wants to go back. While his 2007 season was cut short with injury, now that he is top dog in Dallas the pressure will be on to lead the team in goal scoring. From what I’ve seen, I think he can do it. He’ll need to work hard to keep healthy but he has a nose for goal and should become the next target forward for the US National Team al la Brian McBride.

#8 - Maurice Edu – Toronto – 21 yrs: Edu had a great rookie season on the way to earning the Rookie of the Year award. His team had the typical expansion team blues and didn’t perform up to the level he was playing. He’s got a bright future in the game both in MLS and at the national level.

#9 - Francisco Mendoza – Chivas USA – 22 yrs: The young Mexican player started with Chivas and then moved to the American outpost when the expansion team looked terrible. In 2007 he continued to be the engine of the surging club’s midfield and helped them to one of the best records in the league. During the off-season it sounded like he was headed back to Chivas’ mother ship, but right now it looks like MLS fans will get to watch him another season.

#10 - Arturo Alvarez – FC Dallas – 22yrs: Alvarez is another youngster where it is hard to believe he’s been in the league for five seasons. In 2007 he solidified himself in the Dallas midfield and showed why there was hype around him when he joined MLS. He’s been on most if not all of the US Youth national teams and should get a shot at the left side of the senior team one of these days.

#11 - Facundo Erpen – Colorado – 24 yrs: Erpen is quickly approaching our cut off date but he made the list. The young Argentinean has been a consistent starter the past two seasons, for two different teams. In the second half of the 2007 season he helped calm Colorado’s defense which was the centerpiece of their unsuccessful push to the playoffs. While Bouna Condoul gets most of the credit for one of the league’s top defenses, Erpen’s ability to play center back and outside back helps his value to his employer. In 2008 he will be a key figure in Colorado’s back line.

#12 - Stuart Holden – Houston – 22yrs: Holden has scored some amazing MLS goals storming forward from his midfield position. As a Rapids fan, it feels like I have seen too many of them against my team. This kid has what it takes to be the next Steve Ralston in MLS. He knows how to play his position and he does it well.

#13 - Dane Richards – New York – 24 yrs: Soccer coaches like to say, “you can’t teach speed.” They’re right, it is a god given talent. With Richards this really comes home to roost. The kid is so fast it is sometimes frightening. He’s the type of winger who can run down anything, including an over hit long ball and the left back. In his rookie season he became a mainstay on the right of the New York midfield. He needs to learn a couple more tricks to continue his development, but look for him to continue wreaking havoc at full speed on the right side.

#14 - Robbie Findley – Salt Lake – 22 yrs: Findley was traded mid-season from one bad team to another just when he seemed to be getting his rookie grove on. The trade benefited Salt Lake a lot as he helped them win some games. In 2008 Salt Lake has made some good moves and Findley should benefit from a more established team/head coach. Coach Kries is the perfect person to teach Findley how to become a league leading goal scorer.

#15 - Ryan Cochrane – San Jose – 24 yrs: Cochrane has established himself as one of the top young defenders in MLS having helped Houston to MLS Cup twice. Now he’s back in San Jose to try and help the expansion club get off the ground. He’s a solid guy to build a back line around. In his four years in the league he’s undoubtedly learned how to marshal the defense and should help San Jose.

#16 - Jonathan Bornstein – Chivas USA – 23 yrs: Bornstein had a dream rookie year and suffered a bit of a sophomore slump in 2007. He’s had experience at all levels with the US Nats and will look to reassert himself at the left back position in 2008. He is certainly one of the best young utility players in MLS as he is able to play anywhere on the left side. His rookie year he showed he can contribute to offense and defense. Hopefully Preki’s system isn’t taking away from his ability.

#17 - Chad Barrett – Chicago – 22yrs: Whenever I see a picture of Barrett I think of Wayne Rooney. While they’re not the same players on the field, I think Barrett does play a little like him. Barrett can score goals and as he is maturing he is fitting into MLS better and better. His production has gone up each season and Chicago fans want to see him become the game winning goal scorer he seems to be. With the addition of Tomasz Frankowski the front line in Chi-Town becomes more crowded and Barrett will have to step up to keep on the field.

#18 - Eddie Gaven – Columbus – 21yrs: Gaven is another one of those guys when you see his age you don’t believe it because he seems to have been in MLS for so long already. As you can see, his career is ahead of him. I like him as a winger, and I think if he was playing for DC, Chivas, New England or Houston he’d probably be higher on the list, but he hasn’t been able to change the fortunes of his teams. Each season he puts up nice numbers but doesn’t win anything. I’d like to see what he can do with solid players around him.

#19 - Ugo Ihemelu - Colorado – 24 yrs: If I had to guess I’d say that Ugo is one of the only defenders who can run down speedy Landycakes. Really, I remember the Rapids playing LA last season and Ugo caught up to him, making up about 10 yards. That is not an easy feat. Ugo suffered a big injury in 2007 and will have to rebound to keep his starting place, as the Rapids backline is crowded. He has shown well at both center back and right back. I’m looking forward to watching him in 2008.

#20 - Dax McCarty – FC Dallas – 20 yrs: Dax really came into his own in 2007. He showed he can control a game and dictate play from the midfield. Dallas will rely on him more in 2008 now that we’ve all seen what he can do. He should also get more chances with the National Team and a trip to the Olympics is certainly attainable.

Ok folks, there you go. This is a lot harder then it looks. Before you come up with all your carefully worded slams of what I’ve done, do it yourself. You start looking at this list of players and #14 vs. #19 becomes a lot harder. Obviously, a lot of these guys mean different things to different teams and could move up, or down, a few spots depending on personal opinion.

One of the most interesting things for me is seeing how many players have Chivas USA next to their name. Chivas USA has been doing well in the draft. DC, LA and KC didn’t have anyone make the list. Michael Harrington was close, he’s probably my #21. In terms of the other two teams I think it is more a statement that they try and bring in older, more established players as opposed to growing their own.

Finally, I have to apologize to Mr. Rogers. I was critical of his original list, but having done this myself, I now know how hard it is. Enjoy!

Houston Doing Things Right…Again…

Sometime after the moving van unpacked the San Jose Earthquakes in Houston, and their name changed to Dynamo, they took the reigns from DC United as the class soccer club in MLS. DC United led the way, and San Jose slowly chipped away as Landycakes won a trophy or two but Houston has taken it to a new level and two championships later are the top of MLS.


This off-season they lost two young goal scorers when Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya signed contracts with European clubs. I thought for sure Houston would crumple back into the Western Conference pack. However, early pre-season matches show other signs. Last night they thumped Sydney FC 3-0 with youngster Chris Wondoloski showing he can finish. Dominic Kinnear told Glen Davis on air that Wondo is the best finisher on the team. Remember when I pointed out Wondo? Yeah, that is right, I saw him coming…

Now news comes that Houston is close to signing 21-year-old Franco Caraccio. I don’t know Caraccio from Adam, but this is what professional soccer clubs do in the rest of the world. They try to find the best talent at a young age so that the kid can grow and help the club. To this point most MLS clubs have focused on signing international players who are established names and generally on the down side of their career. However, you don’t see Barcelona doing that, do you? They sign Messi when he is a youngster based on the potential shown and the faith that their good coaching can improve his natural skill. That is what MLS needs to do with both young American players and young international players.

I’m not saying Caraccio will be a superstar, but imagine if this kid does become a great young striker in MLS. If John Spencer can coax the right stuff out of him, MLS could have an Argentinean Olympic player, or a multi-million dollar player who earns a real profit when sold to Europe. This is the direction MLS needs to move. Who knows if he will be successful with the Dynamo. His time with Argentina's under-20 national team and an Argentinean first division club points to future success. Who knows, MLS may have scooped Europe on the next big thing, or they may be signing a 21 year old has been. Whichever it is, I’d rather see 21 year olds joining MLS with their careers ahead of them as opposed to 35 year olds looking for a good retirement starter…cough… Juninho …cough…Claudio Lopez…cough…Joao Pinto….

Ohh yeah, he’s hung with Maradona, that must be worth something.

Who Is Getting The Strongest Class Of Freshmen???

As I'm sure you can imagine the debate on the above question is taking place on-line. College Soccer News gives us an overview of the classes. It is no surprise that ACC Powers Maryland and Wake Forest have the best groups assembled. Other traditional powers are up there too with Indiana, UCSB, Notre Dame & UCLA bringing in solid groups. Some of the surprising classes are coming in my neck of the woods with both the University of Denver and New Mexico signing a couple All Americans. Hey, even my alma mater is mentioned in the round up!

College Recuiting Classes Coming Into Focus...

To be honest, I don't know when "commitment" day is for college soccer, but news on recruiting classes is coming into focus. Today Steven Goff points out that Maryland got Red Bull's rising star Matt Kassel's commitment, if he actually makes it to a college class before turning pro. Looking at the rest of Maryland's class, they'll be stocked for the 2008 season even if Kassel doesn't show up.

Goff brings up an interesting component of American soccer today. This is the first off-season where some MLS teams have the ability to sign young players directly from their academy system into the senior/developmental team. If you believe Ives and Goff, Kassel could be the first to sign with a MLS team directly as opposed to going through the SuperDraft process.

MLS and its' teams have created a system where the MLS team can claim rights to young players who have developed under their system. However, there is a limit to how many, I believe two per year, so teams will be stingy using this ability. That leaves a lot of kids who have been professionally trained in line to go to college and play in the NCAA. As coaches learn how to recruit in this new paradigm, I'm sure they'll be pleased with the level of talent of some of their newest players. Add a summer of playing on a PDL team associated with the MLS club and you've got some accelerated development going on.

Naturally, there is the chance that, once up and running, each year all MLS teams will exercise their rights to two players from their youth team and 28 or 32 or 36 (depending on the final size of the league) kids will skip college, but think of the rest who are better prepared to make an impact on NCAA soccer.

Right now it looks like Maryland has the class to beat, but I'm just getting going on tracking all these kids down so things will change. Keep an eye on where the MLS club's youth are headed, those schools will no doubt have an edge when it comes to freshman.

Development Academy Winter Showcase...

US Soccer's Development Academy was in full swing this weekend with their Winter Showcase. Not too many names of players in there, but take a look and see how your team did.

Here is a lot more information on the entire academy set up.

FCTP Updates...

Wow, a whole week has already flown by and I never finished what I started on the national team...sorry about that. Work/life has been crazy and a weekend skiing in Vail didn't help. On to better things.

Remember to click on the "What Bonji Is Reading" link to the right. I try to share all of the blog posts I find about young players in the pros.

On that note, training camp is culling some of the recent additions to the pro ranks. A couple years ago Randi Patterson was high on my list, now he's been cut. Good luck to him. Hopefully he can catch on with another MLS club or USL. Remember, this is the first year where if a player is waived, other MLS teams don't have to trade for their rights. It will be easier for these guys to catch on other places...hopefully.

Elsewhere, it is good to see some young MLSer's helping their home countries work on World Cup qualifying. MLS teams should be scouting these matches to see who else could help raise the level of play.

MLS training camps are in full swing and the newly drafted kids are getting their chance to shine. Second and third year developmental players will have targets on their back because the new young guns will want their roster spots. If you haven't broken out of the dev team by year three, USL may be calling your name. Good luck in camp guys!

As rosters firm up we'll post which draftees make it and which don't. If posting is too slow for your liking, remember to read my Google reader share feed to the right.

US Takes on Mexico...Tonight...Part II

Ok folks, back at it. I’m losing time so I may not be able to get through the whole list. We’ll see.

Ricardo Clark – M – Jonesboro, Ga. – Houston Dynamo (MLS): Clark is another MLS player who left college early to join MLS. In 2003, after only his sophomore year, he signed a Project-40 deal with MLS and Nike and was selected 2nd overall by New York. Clark struggled with the Metrostars and was traded to San Jose where he flourished. Similar to many of his team mates tonight, Clark played in what is now called the U-20 World Cup in 2003.

Bobby Convey – M – Philadelphia, Pa. – Reading FC (England): Do you remember when young Bobby Convey joined MLS and DC United? I do. I remember watching the first game of the season on ABC and eagerly awaiting his debut. Bobby was the first Freddy, way back in 2000. He was drafted at the end of the first round by United. Fellow 1st round draft classmates include (in order selected); Steve Shak, Nick Garcia, Adin Brown, Carlos Bocanegra, Aleksey Korol, Danny Califf, Wes Hart, Travis Mulraine, John Wilson, Alan Woods and Sasha Victorine. Hindsight is 20/20, right? Convey came out of Bradenton and probably ended up in DC because it is close to his hometown of Philly. After shining in a Bradenton class full of stars (Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu) Convey was a top prospect. After four successful years in DC, Bobby Convey was sold across the pond to English side Reading where he is today.

Ramiro Corrales – D – Salinas, Calif. – SK Brann (Norway): Corrales was a trend setter, a first of his kind. Back in 1996, at the age of 18, he decided to forego college soccer for MLS. This was THE FIRST MLS draft, before the league even got going. Similarly, the league hadn’t created the Project-40 program with Nike’s help and didn’t have any special incentives for young players. Corrales paid the price. He was selected 81st by Columbus and was immediately traded to San Jose. He played a couple seasons before moving to Miami in the expansion draft. By 1998 he was traded to New York and in 2001 he was traded back to San Jose. By his fifth year in the league he was one of the top defenders and helped the Quakes win some good hardware with then and current national team teammate, Landon Donovan. He has played overseas in Norway for a couple of years but rumors have him heading back to Houston for the 2008 season. Another stint with what was the San Jose Earthquakes.

Brad Davis – M – St. Charles, Mo. – Houston Dynamo (MLS): Hey, guess what. What? Brad Davis is another American soccer player who left school early. The Missouri native played locally for St. Louis University before bolting for the pros in 2002. He was selected third overall by New York. Another veteran of the U-20 World Cup (2001) Davis has been groomed for a senior team spot on many levels of the youth national team program.


The Game is quickly approaching so it looks like I’ll have to finish this tomorrow. I will, I promise.

US Takes On Mexico…Tonight…

But by now, you knew that if you read any US Soccer blogs on a regular basis. Today the blogoshpere is abuzz with US – Mexico thoughts. I’ll give you mine as well. However, I’m going to look through the typical FCTP lens…how did they get here? This is kind of like the Where Are They Now series I did awhile back, but different.

Some of the below are graduates of the Bradenton Residency program. Some played in college. Some have been well known names since they were 14…others were relatively unknown until they were selected in the MLS draft and even then didn’t announce themselves until their rookie campaigns.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Freddy Adu – M – Potomac, Md. – SL Benfica (Portugal): Freddy Adu joining MLS was the biggest story pre-Beckham. Freddy didn’t go to college, but he did spend some time in Bradenton, FL at the US Soccer Residency program. After leaving the residency set up, DC United made him the #1 pick in the 2004 SuperDraft. (Ask Dallas fans what they got in exchange for “trading” the pick. If you don’t recall this was one of the worst cases of league tampering to make sure Freddy could join DC.) The 14 year old drew record crowds to watch him sit on the bench in his first season. The next year he was dubbed a failure by mainstream press and it proved American’s weren’t ready to understand the World’s Game.

Now Freddy is 18 and playing for Portuguese powers Benfica. The fact that the 18 year old is getting minutes for one of Europe’s storied clubs means he is a success in my mind. However, no matter where Freddy gets in his career, I can’t wish the trip on anyone else. Here’s hoping MLS can develop a fully integrated club model in the future so the next phenom can develop slowly and properly, as opposed to being thrust onto the senior team at 14 with huge expectations. 14 year olds around the world with similar expectations have been total flops so Freddy has already crossed that hurdle. Here’s to his continued success and a bright future.

Josmer Altidore – F – Boca Raton, Fla. – New York Red Bulls (MLS): Altidore is another product of the Bradenton system. Possibly because of the result of the Adu draft nightmare, no one wanted to take a gamble on the 16 year old in the first round of the 2006 SuperDraft. While Altidore didn’t come with the same hype or required city as Adu did, he still slipped into the second round. New York took the plunge with the 17th overall pick and teams that drafted ahead of New York are still scratching their heads wondering why they didn’t gamble on young Jozy. I’m sure Columbus would much rather have Altidore today then Jason Garey who they selected 3rd overall. For those Alexi Lalas bashers, let me point out that Lalas and Mo Johnston were in charge of this draft for NY. Good on ya Alexi.

Carlos Bocanegra – D – Alto Loma, Calif. – Fulham FC (England): Way back in 2000, before there was Generation Adidas there was Nike Project-40. A similar program the league decided to ditch when Adidas came along with a lot of cash. Carlos left UCLA after three seasons to join MLS on a Project-40 deal. Chicago took him 4th overall and he didn’t fail to impress. He went on to win Rookie of the Year honors and MLS defender of the Year a couple times before transferring across the Pond. ‘Los is the first on our list to not go through the Bradenton set up although he did play in the 1999 World Youth Championships, now known as the U-20 World Cup.

Michael Bradley – M – Cedar Grove, N.J. – SC Heerenveen (Holland): Wow, the first 75% of our list went through the Bradenton Residency Program. I guess you can argue it is working. Maybe it is time to expand the program, again. Anyway, it is true, Michael Bradley is the son of the head coach. However, if you think he hasn’t earned a spot on this team you’re on crack. He’s been on a goal scoring tear for club team Heerenveen and is getting attention from higher level Euro club teams. In another case of clear nepotism, Bradley was selected by the NY Metrostars in 2004 while dear old dad was coach. Yeah, right. His sick skills just eluded the rest of the MLS coaches who drafted ahead of the 36th overall pick. While Freddy got all the attention down I-95, Bradley worked hard and earned his stripes in NY. 2 years ago to the month Bradley was sold by NY to the Dutch club and as they say, the rest is history.

Let’s take a break, digest the above. Yes, 75% of the team to this point went to Bradenton. Additionally, only one of the above was not born in the 80’s and two were born in 1989! I’ll post more as the day goes on and before the match kicks off, you’ll have your whole list….

MLS Schedule Is Coming...

The madness that is creating the MLS schedule is coming to an end for whomever is tasked with that terrible job. I've learned that MLS will announce the regular season schedule this Thursday, 2/7/08. All you waiting to see your favorite recently drafted college player will get their chance this week!

Stay tuned.