The List...

Loyal readers and new followers...if there are any. For the past couple years I've written this blog quoting some list, a database of players I keep. I've not really shared it with too many people to this point thinking there is some proprietary knowledge held in it. Well, I've realized there isn't. It is a list of players and some information I've added to each player's history as I can find it on-line. However, as the world of soccer has expanded in the US, so too has my list and my ability to keep up with updates and tracking down players has dwindled. With that fact I realized that it is time for Bonji to harness the power of the Internet by crowd-sourcing my list.

So here it is folks, all 1,220 rows of names. As I make updates, they'll get updated on here. The permanent link will be on the right margin.

I know some of these kids have quit playing, left college for the pros, or just fallen off the face of the earth after an unimpressive career. I slowly weed them out. But that is where you can help! If you know something, tell me. I've got an email address published on the right, email me. If you like doing updates and tracking this stuff, maybe you can work with me. I just want to get this info out there and improve it. So help me do that. If you do have some new information, please send me a link to a source. I want to keep some academic rigger.

Let me remind you, players get on the list by doing something like winning an honor, getting a call up to a US Youth Team, playing on a foreign national team before coming to college in The States. So, please don't send me players to add because you like them, or because they're your brother, etc. If someone wins the Golden Glove at the adidas esp camp and then enrolls in Harvard...tell me about it.

Thanks and enjoy!

Enjoying the MLS Season?

Hello folks. Sorry for the slow rate of posting recently. In many ways life has prevented me from focusing a lot of attention on FCTP recently. Apologies.

If you don't know about the MLS Confidential blog, you should learn about it. It is run by Soccer America, the longest serving American Soccer media outlet I know of. The blog features the thoughts of Ridge Mahoney, a great soccer journalist. In his most recent post Mahoney talks about young American players moving to Europe.

I find the following quote particularity interesting.

MLS, and U.S. Soccer, regularly take broadside hits for their efforts to find, develop and groom players, but ours is not a soccer culture, where being steeped in the game nurtures understandings and appreciations most American players need to be taught. Just about every player who heads overseas talks about feeling out of place, surrounded by so many teammates for whom so much about the game is second nature, learned by absorption as much as instruction.

That is the truth, isn't it? American kids who have lived soccer for their first 18 years are living in a "new" soccer nation if you listen to MLS. However, this isn't a soccer nation. MLS is still the outsider to the American sports landscape. Maybe in 50 years people won't remember a time when there wasn't professional soccer on our shores but even then there will not be the history the sport has in Europe. Will American kids ever grow up with the sport at a level where it is "learned by absorption as much as instruction?" That is really the difference between our young players and the rest of the world.

I hope that will change someday. I hope my kids grow up with an understanding and appreciation of the beautiful game. Anyway, be sure to subscribe through Google Reader or a similar service to MLS Confidential. It is one of the best blogs out there.

FCTP Hits The Airwaves...

From College to the Pros will be getting some airtime tomorrow evening on From The Pitch, hosted by Marcelo Balboa. We'll be talking about college soccer, up and coming players and more. If you're in Denver you can listen to yours truly waxing poetic on soccer over the airwaves - AM 1060. In fact, many Colorado residents will be able to hear my beautiful voice over terrestrial signals.

AM-1060 in Denver
AM-1580 in Colorado Springs
AM-610 in Vail
AM-1450 in Buena Vista

I want to hear from all you Buena Vista residents!!!

Call in 303-485-2152 or 800-531-3815.

For those outside Colorado, listen on the Internet.

The show starts at 6 pm mountain time and runs until 8 pm. I don't know exactly when I'll be on, so you're stuck listening to Marcelo and the rest of the crew before they let me speak.

Folks, the last time I was available on live radio was 1995 in Lafayette, California. You'd better make sure you tune in this time because who knows if Marcelo will ever invite me back. Talk to you tomorrow!

If you're on myspace, check out the show's page and become their friend.
www.myspace.com/fromthepitch

FCTP 2007 MLS Rookie of the Week….Week 1...

I’ve decided to start a MLS Rookie Of The Week award around here. Since there are thirty games per team there will be thirty awards. On those weeks where there is strange game timing or a couple teams won’t play, those players may not be eligible. I’ll decide on a case by case basis.

Voting will be between me and my FCTP contributors. After we post our winner we welcome you to post your comments.

In fact, I’ve made it easier to post your comments here. You no longer need to be a member of Blogger to comment on any post. That was the default setting and until this past week no one questioned me on it. I figured out how to change that so let the comments fly. I hope that is what has been holding back many of you.

At the end of the season I’ll figure out how to host voting open to the public for the 2007 MLS FCTP Rookie of the Year award. Only those players who won weekly awards will be nominated for the final award. It will be interesting to see how we compare to the annual MLS awards.

Rookies will be defined as players with no previous professional experience. Playing in the PDL is not considered professional experience.

This weekend 161 different professional soccer players took the field in MLS play. 10 (6%) of those players were rookies while only 6 rookies (4%) started their games. 3 rookies started and finished their games while the rest were subbed off before they could finish the game.

Starters:
Ty Harden – Full Game
Dane Richards
Adam Cristman
Gary Flood
Wells Thompson – Full Game
Andrew Boyens – Full Game

Subs:
Robbie Findley
Sinisa Ubiparipovic
Brad Evans
John Cunliffe

None of the above rookies scored a goal, but in five minutes of playing time John Cunliffe did make an assist on Sacha Kljestan’s booming strike. However, it is hard to give Cunliffe too much credit as it was a simple layoff that Kljestan positioned and blasted into the back of the net.

For some reason I find myself leaning towards the players who started and finished their first matches for this inaugural award. Harden was part of a Galaxy defense that didn’t surrender a goal, however they did allow Houston to get off eleven shots. He also made it onto the match play-by-play only twice, for committing fouls. Thompson was a wing midfielder who got a couple shots off, however none were troubling to the keeper. Boyens was part of a defense that gave up two goals. I can’t say any of these performances jumps out as ROTW material.

Richards played almost an entire match and got one shot on goal while his offensive unit couldn’t break the scoring deadlock, nothing inspiring. Christmas was on the loosing end of a 1-0 match and didn’t finish any scoring opportunities after only taking one shot. Flood played almost the entire match but his defensive unit gave up that one goal.

Findley played about 30 minutes of the game after coming on for legendary Cobi Jones. However, his speed on the wing couldn’t break the deadlock and he only managed one shot which missed the goal completely. Ubiparipovic played six minutes, unless he had won the game for New York he isn’t under consideration. Evans played all of two minutes, he’s out.

This is a tough one when reading about games online, but comments from FCTP contributor sealed the deal. “Wells Thompson had a great game for me in the losing effort for New England. He'd be my pick hands down.” I’ve got to go with M - Wells Thompson. Thompson started and played the entire match on a team deep in midfield talent. He got some shots and suffered some fouls showing that the opposing defense wasn’t easily shutting him down. He must have been doing enough for manager Nicol to keep the faith. I’m the first to admit that I questioned Steve Nicol’s draft choice of Thompson a few months ago. At the time New England seemed to lose the plot taking Thompson ahead of names such as Colaluca, Wallace, Arguez, Igwe and Dalby. If Thompson can solidfy a starting spot and help New England back to the playoffs then it looks like Nicol got another over on the rest of the league at the draft.

Congratulations to Wells Thompson, our FCTP Rookie of the Week for MLS Week 1.

MLS and Youth Development...

Since the official announcement by Don Garber that MLS teams would be required to enter youth teams in competition in 2007 details have been few and far between on how the actual set up will work. In limited meetings with Rapids Assistant Coach John Murphy I’ve tried to figure out what my club is doing and Mike Woitalla at Soccer America put together a nice piece outlining what much of the rest of the league is doing.

You can go ahead and read Mike’s article, I don’t see a need to regurgitate it here or give my opinions on much of it. There is one point that I am going to puke all over. Please read the following a second time:

“Chivas USA's Southern California rival, the Los Angeles Galaxy, has not formalized its plans. The Galaxy has been offered a partnership by the Coast Soccer League whereby select players make guest appearances for the Galaxy while remaining with their CSL clubs. But if the Galaxy goes its own path, CSL Premier Competition chairman Gary Sparks says their teams will not be welcome in the CSL, the area's most competitive league.

Moreover, Sparks says the Galaxy would risk losing 40,000 competitive youth players and their families as Galaxy customers if it recruits players from CSL teams.

''The coaches in California make a living by how well they do in state competitions, national competitions, tournament competitions,'' says Sparks, ''and if their best players are continuously recruited away by MLS, their chances of winning reduce, their income reduces. They won't be happy.''

I’d like to meet this Gary Sparks and slap him a couple times. What is he thinking? Is he really trying to blackmail the Galaxy into a partnership by saying 40,000 ticket purchasers will not attend Galaxy games if they don’t partner with his CSL league? Gary, you’re kidding right? The Galaxy just signed David Beckham…they’re going to sell out their 22,000+ seat stadium all season long. Your 40,000 southern California kids are not going to make a difference in 2007 and they probably won’t listen to you anyway. By the time Beckham mania wears off the Galaxy will have moved passed you and CSL.

This kind of competition for youth soccer players has astounded me since I first learned of it from Coach Murphy. In a group presentation recently he said that Colorado and specifically Denver has one of the most competitive atmospheres for young soccer players he has ever seen. There are actually clubs that don’t support their kids going to Rapids events because they fear losing the players to an eventual Rapids youth team. I see where these clubs are coming from. They have multi-million dollar operating budgets from corporate sponsorships and club fees. They don’t want to lose their meal ticket and nor would I. However, they need to stop protecting themselves and focus on what is important; youth soccer player development.

We all have the best interests of the sport and our kids in mind, right Gary? Ohh, I guess we don’t. If coaches truly want to see America become a soccer nation, the kids need to see professionals up close and they need to emulate them. When the kids want to be the next Pablo Mastroeni, Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones, Eddie Johnson, or Justin Mapp or whomever, then we have a soccer nation. That won’t happen so long as guys like Gary Sparks are throwing up road blocks. Gary, let your kids love the Galaxy or Chivas USA no matter what happens with your youth league. I bet if you changed your outlook a little, you’ll figure out how to get more kids into your program to fill the holes left by the ten or so players “stolen” by the Galaxy. Remember, MLS teams are going to be looking for the best and brightest and as the kids get older, they’ll be fewer and fewer staying with the professional team. Those cut players will no doubt want to keep playing and they’re going to have professional training helping the club they end up with.

The Rapids are kicking off their third season of Colorado Rapids Soccer Academy. At Academy events players are coached by Rapids coaching staff and players. They get to meet guys like Pablo, Hunter Freeman, Jacob Peterson, Terry Cooke and Aitor Karanka. Yes, your child last year could have been coached by European Champion Aitor Karanka. This year the Academy will be held 100% at the Rapids' new home, Dick's Sporting Goods Park. However, the first two years were a little slow going in terms of attendance. For one thing, the Academy had to find available fields all over the metro area to hold their camps, making scheduling tough and conditions not ideal. Another thing getting in the way was coaches at area youth organizations thinking the Rapids were trying to steal players. The coaches would actually discourage participation in events that would have improved the soccer skills of their players. What? Does that make sense?

Let’s get something straight...the Rapids were not trying to steal any players and they didn’t even field a youth team at the time. These were clinics and events to help get kids interested in soccer so more kids would want to attend Rapids games. I suppose this can be seen as selfish on the part of the Rapids but in the long run they are just trying to help the growth of the sport in the final frontier. Isn’t that what American soccer fans want; soccer to be a major sport here in the USA?

That is what I want and I can see that MLS is trying to take us there. Youth development is a huge component of that but so long as clubs are fighting over players and trying to keep them away from the professional environment, we’re not going to reach our full potential for producing quality players. Our kids need to get the best coaching, the best access and the best exposure to quality soccer to learn and grown inside the sport. It is time for selfishness amongst youth soccer organizations, which are making far too much money off these kids by the way, to end.

FIFA U-20 World Cup Groups Are Set...

This afternoon FIFA conducted the draw for the final groups at the U-20 World Cup 2007, being hosted by Canada. Canada, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria were the top seeded teams and will each be in their own group. Play starts June 30th in Montreal and Ottawa. The tournament wraps up July 22nd in Toronto.

6 groups contain the 24 teams competing in the summer 2007 event. Group D will host the Americans in addition to Brazil, South Korea and Poland. Replace Brazil with Portugal and you've got the American's 2002 World Cup group. The Americans will no doubt with they didn't have to play the always dangerous Brazilians in the first round, however in the past they have shown they can play with anyone. Poland and South Korea will surely be the underdogs while Brazil and the young Americans are my favorites to advance beyond the group stages. Simply by having a group with Brazil and the Americans you could call D the Group of Death. However, I think the groups are for the most part evenly weighted.

As an American fan I'd rather see the young Nats play in Group F with Japan, Scotland, Nigeria and Costa Rica. Group E should be exciting with Argentina, Czech Republic, North Korea and Panama. Group C could be the most contested group with Portugal, New Zealand, Gambia and Mexico. I know Portugal and Mexico are strong but the Kiwis and Gambia are big unknowns. Group B should see Spain and Uruguay advance past Jordan and Zambia, but African countries showed they shouldn't be overlooked at World Cup 2006. The hosts will play against Chile, Congo and Austria in Group A, the easy as pie group in my opinion.

American fans should start looking at flights to Montreal. Watching Brazil and the US fight it out will be a great match! I might have to see how I can swing that one...unfortunately it is doubtful.

This tournament should showcase some of the future great players. Stars like Lionel Messi, Javier Saviola and Landon Donovan have made their presence known in the past.

Adding to the excitement of the event is the fact that tickets are selling fast, even before people knew where teams were playing. Canada announced recently that over 500,000 tickets had already been sold for the event, ensuring some great crowds following the action.

Kyle Davies Skips College...goes straight to the pros...

Soccer America reported earlier this month that California high school student, Kyle Davies, has signed a professional contract with Southampton Football Club of the English League Championship. Davies, 17, of Ballistic United in the SF Bay Area spent time in the Bradenton residency program and was one of my favorites to go to college a year and then sign with MLS. Davies has earned All-American Youth honors in 2005 and became an instant fixture with the US Youth setup. His mother is English and his father Welsh so soccer is in their blood and a work permit is not an issue.

Southampton's youth system is well known for developing solid professionals and with Theo Walcott's move to Arsenal last year they have proven to be a link to the big time. Southampton are currently trying to earn promotion back to the Premier League so we could see another American in the top flight in another year or two.

This is great move for Davies as it will continue his development in a top system. We all know that the US has a long way to go to catch up to the level of coaching in England. While I would have preferred to see the young player give the US system a go, I can appreciate the desire to test skills at the highest level. Having another young prospect in England will only help the American National set up.

Good luck Kyle!

The Boomerang Effect – Young Americans Returning to MLS...

After every college season we see a rush of players trying to go to Europe to start a professional career. Many MLS fans see this European flight as a big problem. Many American “Eurosnob” soccer fans see this as the only way to build a noteworthy professional career. I personally see it as another aspect to the World’s Game that will help the growth of American soccer over the long term.

The first time I put any thought to the topic my knee jerk reaction was one of fear for MLS. After all, how can our young, domestic league grow and prosper if all of the talent moves to Europe before ever putting on a MLS kit? Well my friends, that last sentence has a lot of flawed logic in itself and we’re starting to see more young American players return from their European adventure still preferring to play professional soccer at home.

First, let’s think about the above statement with the flawed logic. The statement that “all of the talent moves to Europe before putting on a MLS kit” implies that those players staying in MLS as opposed to going abroad are not talented. Jonathan Bornstein, Bobby Boswell, Jimmy Conrad, Joshua Gros, Chris Albright, Brian Carroll, Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, Chris Rolfe & Eddie Johnson will probably disagree with you. What do they have in common? They all played against Mexico last week, beat Mexico despite being underdogs and started their careers in MLS as opposed to a foreign league. Let’s throw Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey & Bobby Convey into that mix. What do they all have in common? They’re all playing in the English Premier League after starting their careers in MLS and featured in the above mentioned Mexico – US friendly. I think you see where I’m going…MLS is signing plenty of talent every year. The league has also become a strong developer of talent as their pupils go onto National Team and foreign league success. After all, without MLS we probably wouldn’t know Bobby Boswell’s name. Please stop thinking that MLS is sinking into an abyss when players like Charlie Davies and Tally Hall sign with a foreign league right out of college. There is a good chance they’ll return like a boomerang in a few years. Why do I think that? Read on….

As the 2007 MLS season approaches I have enjoyed reading all of the pre-season info on various websites. Most stories are about the veterans coming back to camp to gear up for another season. However, rumors of young Americans leaving Europe behind for MLS began to surface last week and that started to raise my interest. As I looked around more and more, it seemed that the swell of talent people were so horrified to lose to Europe a few short years ago could be headed back to MLS this season.

We can all remember when Peter Philipakos bolted for Europe after a great career at American University ended in 2004 when the young Greek-American signed for AEK Athens, right? Ok, if you missed it there were scores of American soccer fans lighting up BigSoccer with claims of the demise of MLS due to this defection and so on and so fourth. Same goes for Daniel Karbassiyoon leaving for Arsenal the same year. Erik Hort was another recent young American to sign with a European club in the Czech Republic. Well folks, these players are all rumored to be returning to the US and hoping to sign with MLS after their European adventures didn’t turn out the way they had hoped. While Conor Casey’s return hasn’t been made official yet, he is also on the way back and is the most substantiated of all these rumors.

Over the past few years MLS has seen a couple players returning from Europe each season. Taylor Twellman came back to the US after a period in Germany. He’s gone on to become one of MLS’ most prolific goal scorers. Then there is John Thorrington who was the youngest American to sign with an English Premier League club when he signed with Manchester United and flopped around Europe a few years before returning to MLS to play in only ten matches over the past two seasons. Jovan Kirovski’s name used to make American soccer fans extremely excited but now he’s looking at the end of the Colorado Rapids’ bench…if that. We all know how John O’Brien’s once promising career is going these days after a mythical start at Ajax of Amsterdam. Landon Donovan is one of the best known successes of this boomerang set up.

You see folks, just because a young American soccer player starts his professional career in Europe, it doesn’t mean he won’t end it here in MLS. Similarly, heading to Europe after college/high school doesn’t guarantee a great career. Guys like Twellman and Donovan have built on their European adventures to build solid professional careers. Careers that may take them back to Europe in the future. Other players who once had limitless potential and inspired dreams of World Cup glory in American fans are now riding the pine in MLS.

This boomerang of American players crossing the pond and returning will continue so long as the sport exists on our shores. There is no reason to fear it. No reason to think MLS is in trouble. No reason to pin your hopes of World Cup success on the next youngster who jumps the Atlantic. Some will go onto glory while some will return to start over. Some will return on high while some come back unknown. All I’ve got to say is….get used to it, the boomerang always returns.

***Edit 2/17/07*** I just read that Danny Karbassiyoon who had returned to the US to try and sign with MLS after developing in England has been forced to retire due to knee injuries.

Arsenal invade Denver...What Does The Partnership Mean???

The dust is settling on the big announcement out of Denver. For the past week rampant speculation had the Rapids changing their name to Arsenal, Kroenke Sports buying a piece of the historic club and the Rapids signing some really high profile player for their vacant Designated Player spot. Well my friends, none of these things happened. However, the Colorado Rapids and Arsenal FC of London did sign an historic partnership agreement.

The partnership agreement has three main points. 1) Inception of a Center of Excellence (COE) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park 2) Development of the Arsenal Cup 3) Arsenal building their brand in the US.

If I am connecting the dots correctly, points 1 & 2 could be very big for the development of the game in the US, especially at the youth level.

1) Inception of a Center of Excellence at Dick's Sporting Goods Park: This will no doubt be multi-faceted and can either be great or a disappointment. I see it being great if coaches from London come over and help the Rapids with coaching techniques for all levels. Since MLS is starting youth teams at each club this season, now is the time for international help coaching the youngsters. If this COE is successful the Rapids could have a couple home grown players joining the senior team in five years or so. Arsenal has one of the top youth systems in England and the Rapids will do well taking that system and adapting it here.

The COE will also have an impact on college soccer in the US. If the Rapids youth system graduates one player a year to the senior team, there are going to be ten or more other guys going to college. Training at a professional level will no doubt benefit the college programs signing Rapids academy players. In some ways it will be like another Bradenton is opening up in Denver, but the best from the region will join the Rapids, not the best from the entire nation.

After a recent conversation with Rapids coach John Murphy I was shocked at the level of competition for young players in Denver. Hopefully having Arsenal knowhow in the Rapids Academy, more and more players will be interested in joining the club as opposed to staying with their current clubs.

2) Development of the Arsenal Cup: This is going to be great. Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado will host a youth invitational tournament under the name of Arsenal. The winner of the tournament will go to London to play against the Arsenal U-17 team. This makes the tournament seem focused on U-17 clubs but who cares. I've been waiting for a Dallas Cup type of event in Denver and now we're getting the start. Hopefully this is something that can grow into a great soccer event.

On the youth development side of things it will be exciting for these kids to play at a great complex with the prize being a trip to London. The winners of this cup will have an amazing life experience which will serve as motivation for teams from around the US. A great prize!

There are some Rapids fans out there who are disappointed with the result of the big news we waited over a week for. At first I was surprised to hear Jeff Plush say, "Colorado Rapids." I really had gotten used to the new rumored name of Colorado Arsenal or Arsenal Colorado. As a Tottenham fan I didn't want to, but I had been in Arsenal territory the day they won the Premiership in 1998, so I could get used to that name. Since the dust has cleared on the whole deal I am excited to keep the Rapids name and gain the things I wrote about above. Overall I do think this is the dawning of a new age of the Colorado Rapids. Here's hoping some of this sharing will equal wins on the field and more fans in the stands.

Cheers Arsenal, you're going to help the Americans catch up to your high level of football and I am thankful for it.

MLS Pre-Season Kicks Off...

The 2007 MLS season continues to inch closer. By my count there are sixty (60) days until the opening of Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Colorado Rapids and MLS season. As you can imagine...I'm very excited. The MLS 2007 season schedule was just released. Now you all know when David Beckham will be coming to a city near you.

As you probably have read there is a lot of head scratching here in Colorado as to the name of our great club, and at this time I have no comment. After all, as my friend William once said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet." Here's a big FU to the fans of other MLS clubs. As if I care that you don't like the rumored name change, I know you don't like the Rapids and I don't care. I think my club likes being the bad boys of MLS, right Pablo?

Back to FCTP. I hope you all enjoyed the Carnival. I think all the pieces were well thought out and the league would benefit reading them. Maybe they will incorporate some of them to build a great youth development system we all want. I continue to wait for more information on the new youth set up and what youth teams will be suiting up for the club this season. However, I'm not holding my breath since I know how bad MLS is at giving us the information we want. I need a contact at MLS HQ if anyone wants to volunteer.

At this point I don't have a lot to talk about with you all. MLS pre-season is kicking off and most teams are releasing little bits of info on their camps. The best I can do is point you to the MLS website. My Rapids have chosen to spend the pre-season focusing their PR efforts on the name change as opposed to the actual preparations for the upcoming season. I guess I can't fault them...too much.

I'm working on some player interviews. We'll see how that request goes. Hopefully as some camp rosters are announced some news will start to trickle out about this new rookie class. Until then...