Comments: The Beckham Experiment...

I believe there is little chance that someone reading this blog would not have heard of this book by now. Right? 1% chance. If in all honesty you have not heard of the book pictured above please leave me a comment. Anyway, I just finished it and I am posting some quick comments for two reasons. 1) I really enjoyed it. 2) I got the book for free from Press Box Publicity so I want to give them a shout out.

Back to reason #1; I really enjoyed the book. When I first heard of it and agreed to accept an evaluation copy I was skeptical. I wondered about how much access Wahl would have to Becks and the Gals. I wondered what kind of dirt could there be about the most celebrated soccer player to land in a US soccer league since Pele. Let's just say I had my doubts and I didn't think I'd learn anything I didn't already know.

Well, I was wrong. Before I received my book I started reading clips on blogs and then the whole controversy started up between Becks and Landycakes...I started to get excited. Once I received the book I dove right in and I finished it in a couple weeks. Recently I haven't finished a book in under a month so you can see I was drawn in. Despite some of the most juicy tidbits showing up on countless blogs, there was still more for me to discover during my read.

The biggest things I came away with; Alexi Lalas isn't as big a nut job as I once thought and didn't destroy the Galaxy on his own, Landycakes has bigger balls than I once thought but the hummingbird tattoo still drags things down a bit, Beckham brings a lot of baggage and hangers on everywhere he goes, if MLS ever makes this kind of signing again I hope they learn that just because your a famous player doesn't mean you should be allowed to make team decisions, and some other things I can't remember now.

I encourage you to check out The Beckham Experiment, by Grant Wahl if you are a fan of MLS, want to learn the behind the scenes of Beckham's signing and the further destruction of the LA Gals, or just want to see a book that doesn't paint David Beckham as a god in his MLS kingdom. Well done Grant Wahl, a great book.

Now This Is What I Like To See...

Climbing the Ladder has done it again. If you're not familiar with the blog, get familiar. Scaryice rules that roost and is the best at tracking and analyzing MLS and US Soccer stats. Seriously, I don't know any other blogger/writer doing what he's doing over there.

This time he's putting together college teams who have graduated and gone onto MLS. I love this kind of stuff and frankly I wish I had done it before scaryice, but I can't and didn't so go check his story out.

Sorry about the lack of posting recently (for the past three months or so). "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." — Ferris Bueller

Right now my life is moving too fast to stop and look around, or blog. But take heart, I've been busy updating my lists and I'll have those ready before the college season kicks off.

How about those Rapids too? The team is finally clicking after years of hearing how much talent is on paper. Looks like Smith was the right piece in the puzzle to get the most of these guys. Omar Cummings, an American college product, is coming into his own and roasted DC United. Although, seeing their goals against number on the table begs the question...how on earth are they top of the Eastern Conference? It is funny how the balance of power switches between conferences. Wasn't it last year that the West sucked and the East dominated?

Other American college players leading the Rapids; Nick LaBrocca, Jordan Harvey, Cory Gibbs, Ugo Ihemelu, Matt Pickens, Conor Casey, Colin Clark and Pablo Mastroeni. The Rapids have struggled since the signing of John Spencer to find an International player who can fit into the team and really help it succeed. Now it seems like they don't need that and can go it alone with the college kids supported by select other signings. I also believe we're seeing the proof in the pudding of what Fernando Clavijo and John Murphy always said, that these kids can play, and I'll add, just not under those two coaches.

And how about those Nats? Did anyone out there believe they would move onto the semi-finals after seeing the first two performances? I did not.

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.

New MLSnet.com Feature...Rookie Life...

Looks like MLSnet.com is coming out with a new on-line video feature, Rookie Life. This is right after the hearts of our readers here at FCTP. Check out the trailer and support this cool new feature once it comes out next week.


MLS Rookie Life from The Offside Rules on Vimeo.

Thanks to The Offside Rules for pointing this out.

Former #1 Pick Available On Waivers...

As I am a Colorado Rapids fan you can assume this post has a component of bias in it. On the other hand, is there any bias? Doesn't Real Salt Lake deserve some heckling for taking Nikolas Besagno first overall in their first MLS SuperDraft? Hindsight is always 20/20 but at the same time most outside observers knew RSL was taking a big risk. After all, Brad Guzan, Chad Barrett, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley, Chris Rolfe and other current MLS players were available in this draft and there to help the expansion club.

At the time Besagno was 16 years old and coming straight from the US U-17 residency program. While some players have come from the residency and flourished, a seemingly equal number have struggled. To give RSL credit, 2005 was one year after Freddy Adu was drafted and drew big numbers to see the young phenom...but did RSL actually think Besagno was another Adu? That is the judgment I fault. The club was clearly trying to pick another youngster with tons of potential that could grow into a starting role. But with 16 year olds how can you really judge professional potential. Foreign leagues are riddled with former phenoms who never quite panned out.

It looks like another young American who didn't live up to his promise will be headed to the USL to try and resurrect his career as Nikolas Besagno was waived by RSL yesterday and is available in today's waiver draft. If another club doesn't take him, he'll be looking for work elsewhere.

Here are the other players available in the waiver draft with the club they're leaving in parentheses:

Kai Kasiguran (Chicago Fire)
Tyler Kettering (Chicago Fire)
Kraig Chiles (Chivas USA)
Anthony Hamilton (Chivas USA)
Roberto Nurse (Chivas USA)
Keith Savage (Chivas USA)
Brian Grazier (Colorado Rapids)
Justin Hughes (Colorado Rapids)
Kwame Sarkodie (Colorado Rapids)
Cesar Zambrano (Colorado Rapids)
Sean Bucknor (FC Dallas)
Andrew Daniels (FC Dallas)
Jamie Watson (FC Dallas)
Chase Wileman (FC Dallas)
Pat Carroll (D.C. United)
Ryan Cordeiro (D.C. United)
Craig Thompson (D.C. United)
Rod Dyachenko (D.C. United)
Mike Zaher (D.C. United)
Stephen Wondolowski (Houston Dynamo)
Vardan Adzemian (LA Galaxy)
Charles Alamo (LA Galaxy)
Michael Gavin (LA Galaxy)
Mike Munoz (LA Galaxy)
Sam Brill (New England Revolution)
Brandon Manzonelli (New England Revolution)
Brandon Tyler (New England Revolution)
Joe Germanese (New England Revolution)
Gary Flood (New England Revolution)
Nik Besagno (Real Salt Lake)
Kevin Reiman (Real Salt Lake)
Brennan Tennelle (Real Salt Lake)
John Cunliffe (San Jose Earthquakes)
Michael Ghebru (San Jose Earthquakes)
Ned Grabavoy (San Jose Earthquakes)
Kilian Elkinson (Toronto FC)
Derek Gaudet (Toronto FC)
Joey Melo (Toronto FC)

Above I highlighted some players I think could end up back in MLS. I think this list has more quality than in the past due to the elimination of the reserve league. MLS teams are having to discard "project" players for those who can play on the first team and contribute now. That is a mistake in my opinion because not all players reach their full potential in the first three years in the league. Unfortunately at this time the USL will become the player development grounds, outside of MLS' control. If these players improve after a season or two in the lower divisions, hopefully they'll be able to pop back up to the big leagues. Time will tell.

MLS Draft Rules...

Each year MLS fans around the country look at the college SuperDraft and get excited to see who is joining their team through this annual event. However, each year training camp comes and not all of the drafted players are with their team. Some have gone to Europe, some have gone to the A-League, some have just dropped off the face of the planet. The MLS SuperDraft is an imperfect process that needs improvement. Soccer America has a great blog post about it today and I thought I would call some attention to it.

MLS needs to learn how to increase the talent pool in the league both with international players and domestic players. Many good soccer players are playing in American colleges and MLS still has not found the best recipe for how to bring them into the league and help them grow. Top underclassmen are woowed with Generation Adidas contracts but then top seniors are asked to play for next to nothing. MLS seems to be saying finishing your college education is a bad thing.

I don't need to go off on a huge rant about this. The net net is that MLS hurt itself by removing the reserve league this off-season. The 2009 draft is going to have a lot of talented players who are going to be competing with guys who have already been in the league a couple years for fewer slots on teams. That is going to force more quality young players into the USL or abroad. Read SA's article for more.

2009 MLS Combine Class Announced...Commentary...

Yesterday I posted the 2009 Combine list as quickly as possible to get the MLS press release on the street. Now we've all had some time to digest and think about it. First off, so everyone understands these are all of the seniors who are invited to the combine. As the college season wraps up and under classmen decide whether or not to leave school for a shot in MLS, this list will expand.

Speaking of later additions. Soccer By Ives took a stab at potential Generation Adidas players for the '09 class yesterday.

If you are in the area of the combine, head over and check it out come January. I went last year and it is a fun event to watch. There are some velvet ropes between fans and coaches but some of the coaches leave the protected area and you never know. I ended up talking to Paul Mariner and Steve Nicol briefly.

Let's dig into the list and some of the honors I've been tracking for these guys over the years. This isn't in any kind of ranking or order, just as my thoughts come to me.

Before I start, isn't it interesting that the list has GK, D & M/F. The league isn't trying to classify the forwards as compared to the midfielders this year. I think that is interesting. We've seen in the past that college forwards turn into attacking midfielders and vise versa, so now the league is acknowledging that coaches will decide where they play in MLS, not college experience.

Mike Grella - Duke University - M/F: Mike Grella has been on my list basically since I started it; his 2003 Parade Magazine All-American honor put him on my list. At the time I think there were 100 kids on there. Each year he has been in college I have looked at the list of honors and wondered if he was going to leave early. He hasn't. He's had a solid college career and has stacked up the following honors: 2003, 2004 Parade Magazine All-American, 2004 ESP All*Star, 2004 NSCAA National High School Player of the Year, 2005 StudentSportsSoccer.com #1 top prospect, 2005 All-ACC Freshman team, U-18 & U-20 National Team, 2006 Soccer America POTW, 2006 ACC All-Conference, 2007 CSN Pre-Season 2nd Team All-American, 2007 NSCAA/adidas All-America 2nd Team, 2008 CSN 2nd Team Pre-Season All-American, 2008 Hermann Trophy Watch List, 2008 All-ACC 1st Team, 2008 ACC Offensive POTY, 2008 Hermann Trophy Semifinalist
I am sure I am missing some of the things he's accomplished. This year he led the Duke Blue Devils in scoring with 14 goals and 8 assists.

Doug DeMartin - Michigan State University - M/F: DeMartin his my list last year when he was added to the 1st team in the Big Ten. This year he had a great season and won the honor of Big Ten Player of the Year. Here are some more of his honors I've tracked: 2007 1st Team All Big Ten, 2008 Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, 2008 Big Ten All-Conference 1st Team, 2008 Big Ten Player Of The Year
I don't know a whole lot about him but given that he played well in a tough conference, leading his team to a top 10 ranking at the end of the season, I've got to imagine he could get some attention come January. He led his team in scoring this year with 17 goals and 3 assists.

Yohance Marshall - University of South Florida - D: Marshall is an athletic defender with good size and strength. He has quickly moved up the scouting lists after having a strong senior season leading the USF back line to a season where they gave up multiple goals in only two games. The young player from Malabar Arima, Trinidad will certainly be looking to have an impressive combine performance. I didn't hear about him until this year when he earned the following honors, but if you look at his USF profile you'll see I simply missed many other honors: 2008 CSN 1st Team Pre-Season All-American, 2008 ESPN.com Preseason All-American Starting XI

Tosaint Ricketts - University of Wisconsin – Green Bay - M/F: Ricketts hit my radar when he played for Canada in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. At 6'0" he has good size for MLS and in high school he was one of the top short distance sprinters in Alberta, meaning he's got wheels. This season he led his team in scoring with 8 goals and 2 assists. Being a Canadian player he makes perfect sense for FC Toronto but a good combine performance could draw the eyes of other clubs looking for a quick striker. Honors: Canada U-17 Team, 2007 Canadian U-20 World Cup, 2008 Canadian U-23 Team.

Sam Cronin - Wake Forest University - M/F: Cronin is another player who has featured on my list since I started it or soon thereafter. He's had a great career at Wake being in the center of a team that has won the National Championship and is looking to repeat. This year he's continued to score goals and set them up with 10 scored and 4 assists. His honors list is long: 2003 NSCAA Youth adidas All-American, 2003 - 2004 ESP, 2007 TDS 3rd Team TOS, 2007 NSCAA/adidas All-America 2nd Team, 2008 CSN 1st Team Pre-Season All-American, 2008 ESPN.com Preseason All-American Starting XI, 2008 Hermann Trophy Watch List, 2008 All-ACC 1st Team, 2008 Hermann Trophy Semifinalist

Marcus Tracy - Wake Forest University - M/F: Marcus Tracy seems to be the complete package. He's skillful on the ball, fast and can put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis. This year he had an impressive double double of sorts scoring 13 goals while creating 10. His honors list is also impressive and you can add the fact that he was heavily recuited by Duke, Maryland, UConn and Notre Dame before choosing Wake. Honors: 2004 NSCAA/adidas All-American, 2004 Connecticut Player of the Year, 2008 CSN 1st Team Pre-Season All-American, 2008 ESPN.com Preseason All-American Starting XI, 2008 Hermann Trophy Watch List, 2008 CSN POTW, 2008 All-ACC 1st Team, 2008 Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.

Richard Jata - Campbell University - M/F: If nothing else Jata is an interesting case study in Internet self promotion. I've received comments and emails from Richard's brother who is his foremost cheerleader. Jata's brother has created a blog to follow Richard's quest for a professional career. Kudos to the Jata brothers for chasing a dream and using today's technology to get noticed. I hope it works out for you. Honors: 2007 1st Team All A-Sun Conference, 2008 A-Sun POTY, 2008 A-Sun 1st Team.

As I said earlier the combine class will be supplemented as Generation Adidas players sign with the league. Buzz is doing a great job keeping on top of that market.

There are some highlights of the combine class. I'm sure I missed some honors. Who are some of the players you are interested in seeing at the combine?

MLS Rule Changes and Player Development...

Back in October I posted an update to a theme I had blogged about in the past. Player development is of great interest to me so you can understand why it hits the blog on a somewhat regular basis. Now comes more news on this front. MLS is doing what it does every year while crowing a champion, changes the rules.

In the past there have been important, great rule changes that have brought the league closer to the World's Game. One in particular signaled that MLS finally gets it, that was when they moved from a count down clock to a count up. This time around I'm not sure what the league gets.

Here is a summary of the 2009 adjustments:

- Roster size decreases from 28 to 24 players
- Schedule changes
- How to qualify for the playoffs
- International club competition qualification

As you can see from the detail in the above list, and as you might expect, I really only care about one of those. The rest I think the league did the right thing. I will say, I'd like to see the league have fewer teams in the playoffs, but that is for another blog.

So, the roster shrinks from 28 to 24. Read the following text to learn the details of the change directly from the horse's mouth. Bold is my own.

Following an extensive review of the operation of the Reserve Division over the past four years, MLS has decided that it will be more efficient to cease operation of the Reserve Division and to divert funds from its operations to more directed programs such as a bolstered senior roster, increased commitment to the Generation adidas program and focused initiatives to provide leading prospects with game experience, whether in MLS or elsewhere. These options are currently being reviewed by an MLS working group.

Each team will be permitted to carry 18, 19 or 20 senior roster players (at its option) within the overall salary budget (the limit in 2008 was 18 senior roster players). In addition, teams will be permitted to carry up to four developmental players (including Generation adidas players) outside of the team salary budget. Any team with more than four Generation adidas players carried forward from 2008 will be grandfathered with respect to the size of their developmental roster.

Bonji's Analysis: Senior roster spots go up to 20 from 18, developmental spots go down from 10 to 4. Sure, a team could keep 18 senior players and 6 developmental and I'm sure some will to save money. But lets look at the worst case scenario for player development. 4 developmental players without a reserve league to play in.

While deciding this change MLS must have ignored the success the Rapids have had with the reserve league, or they decided they aren't getting the quality of player from that system the league needs to thrive. The league also might have looked down the road at the youth systems teams have set up and thought those will fill in eventually as the sport grows. Either way, I am disappointed to see the league fold the reserve league. After all, it is the only trophy the Rapids have been able to win recently.

Back to the Rapids success with the reserve team. The Rapids have used the set up to get young players ready to play in MLS matches. Starters for the first team started out with the reserve team. See below:
Bouna Coundoul: 315 reserve minutes in 2005 before standing in for injured Joe Cannon in 2006. Those performances while backing up Joe Cannon opened the door for the Rapids to trade Cannon making Bouna the starter in 2007. Would the Rapids have felt comfortable with Bouna as a backup without the reserve team experience?
Jordan Harvey: 2006 missed only one reserve game. 2007 started 10 out of 10 reserve league games. 2008 became the starting left back for the Rapids down the stretch under Gary Smith, playing in 15 matches.
The list goes on; Stephen Keel (6 first team matches in '08), Omar Cummings (26 first team matches in '08), Nick LaBrocca (30 first team matches in '08) even went so far as to get a call up to a US National Team Camp this fall.

I think you get the point. The reserve team was working for teams who drafted well and took the reserve league seriously. The Rapids prided themselves on the reserve league and they got a group of players who went 5-4-1 under a good coach this fall.

This will change the draft as well. Instead of 15 teams drafting for potentially 10 development spots, they're now looking at 4. It is going to be a lot harder for a young college grad to find a spot on a roster since they'll be competing with second and third year pros who are also watching their prospects fizzle. Its a player cram down basically.

For me it was a mistake to cancel the reserve league and showed MLS is focused on signing players from abroad or Americans who have developed up abroad. The league is cutting off a good source of players so move the funds somewhere else. I guess the guys with the money didn't want to figure out a way to expand the senior roster and keep the reserve league which would have been the best of both worlds. What do you think?

Let The 2009 MLS SuperDraft Chatter Begin!!!

Anyone reading this blog knows what I get excited for every year. As the college season wraps up, as snow starts falling, as it gets cold out, my mind turns to the MLS Draft. The show is starting to pop and Buzz has updated his Generation Adidas tracking list. He did it a month ago, I'm a little behind. Check the right hand margin regularly as I'll post new links with resources for the 2009 Draft as I find them. Have one, email me.

MLS 2008 Rookie Of The Year Nominees....

MLS award nominees are out and as you should expect my eyes went first to Rookie of the Year.

Rookie of the Year: Sean Franklin, Geoff Cameron, Kheli Dube

As always I like to take a look back, see where they came from and the like. Here is some bio info.

Sean Franklin was the highest draft pick of the three. He was taken #4 overall by LA after playing college soccer at Cal State Northridge. He was the first non-generation adidas pick in the '08 draft. He first hit my list in 2007 when he got some time with the US U-23 team. He was also selected to the 2007 All PDL team after a strong summer playing in the amateur league. The defender was one of the lone bright spots on a terrible LA defensive line and you have to wonder if he would have earned those 26 starts on another team. I'm not trying to knock the kid, he played well and had a good rookie year, but he was part of a defense that gave up a staggering 62 goals. A stronger defensive unit, not starting a rookie almost all season, would have probably helped the Gals make the playoffs seeing as that they scored the most goals in the league. Obviously not all his fault, but something to think about.

Geoff Cameron was a total unknown to me when he was drafted 42nd overall by Houston. The young midfielder played his college ball at the University of Rhode Island and was the 2007 A-10 midfielder of the year. That award should have put him on my list, but I somehow missed him. I must have been busy with work when those were announced. Geoff played 921 minutes for the Houston senior team in 2008 making him a somewhat unknown commodity to those of us who don't attend/watch every Houston match. Frankly I'm somewhat surprised to see his name on the list, but like I said, I didn't get to see him play much. I'm starting to worry about this class selected by the league.

Last but not least; Kheli Dube. The forward had a strong rookie year for New England scoring four goals and making four assists. He played over 1,200 minutes for the Revs which is good on a team with such talent. Dube was drafted 8th in the 2008 Supplemental Draft out of Costal Carolina University. At CCU he earned the 2007 Big South Conference Player of the Year award. He is a quick SOB and I'm excited to see more of him in 2009.

Of all the players nominated I'm having a tough time picking my favorite. Franklin seemed to live up to his high draft pick while Dube came out of a less known college program and made the best of his opportunity and the same can probably be said for Cameron. However, I am surprised these are the Rookie of the Year candidates and I fear this is a sign of things to come as MLS signs more players directly from academies and foreign leagues. The young Americans players coming out of college are not always ready to play the pro game in their first year and this list shows it.

Should they be ready to make the jump? That is up to individual opinion. My opinion is as follows. The expectation should be different for each player. In the case of an eighteen year old GA player, you can't expect him to jump into a man's game right away. Kids like Jozy Altidore are the exception. If they can play well in their rookie year, great...but I don't expect them to. Twenty-three year old men like Franklin are a different story. They've developed mentally and physically and need to be ready upon joining MLS to battle and play hard. MLS is signing them hoping they can contribute from day one. As the player pool expands in the coming years rookies are going to get more chances and they need to be ready. The fact that Franklin's back line was so porous is due to his inexperience and lack of leadership, yet he is a rookie of the year candidate?

I fear for the future of American college soccer and the players it produces when this list is the pick of the litter. In foreign leagues twenty three years olds have been training professionally for a few years. They are ready to capitalize on given opportunities to start in the best leagues around the world. The kids coming to MLS from college are hindered by NCAA rules. Therefore, I see more and more future pros coming from Academies and other leagues, not college unless NCAA changes their rules and allows more training and game time. Time will tell.

As for my Rookie of the Year? He isn't on this list and I'm not sure there is one. Rookies in 2008 had a tough time and the breakout players were coming from reserve leagues having gotten some pro time under their belts. I'll look for the success stories out of the 2008 draft next year.

Steroids In MLS...

Young ones reading the blog, let this be a lesson to you.

SECAUCUS, NJ (Thursday, October 16, 2008) – Major League Soccer announced today that New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke have been suspended for ten MLS games, including regular season and playoffs, effective immediately, and each has also been fined 10 percent of their annual salary. The suspension and fines are the result of testing positive for androstatriendione (ATD) and boldenone metabolites -- performance enhancing substances.

“Jon and Jeff have been valuable members of the Red Bulls organization, both on the field and in the Greater New York community,“ said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover. “This is a sad day for our club and our fans. We are extremely disappointed that Jon and Jeff have tested positive for a substance banned by MLS’s policy. We have met with both players and they informed us that they ingested an over-the-counter supplement that unknowingly contained a banned substance. However, the Red Bulls support MLS’ policy and believe that performance enhancing drugs have no place in professional sports.”

MLS isn't messing around when it comes to 'roids. Baseball may dodge and weave on the topic, who knows what football does, WWE...let's not kid ourselves...but MLS is taking the hard line with soccer players letting them know that the rules are firm. I applaud MLS for sticking to their policies despite the fact that both players said they were just taking an over the counter supplement. That may be true, but the fact of the matter is that athletes need to be careful what they take. Just because GNC sells it doesn't mean it will be good for you.

I've always been skeptical of those mall stores hawking all sorts of milks and powders. In college friends were taking Creatine like it was their job so they could look good over spring break. I didn't understand it then and I don't now.

Kids: Work hard, eat right, train, play, kick the ball. Just don't think that taking something is going to help you be a better pro.

MLS Receives Expansion Bids...What Does That Do To The Player Pool...

In the past I've blogged about the expanding pool of players in MLS as expansion teams are brought into the fold. Well folks, here we go again.

NEW YORK (Wednesday, October 15, 2008) – Seven prospective ownership groups from markets throughout the United States and Canada have submitted an application for a future Major League Soccer expansion team, MLS President Mark Abbott announced today on the League’s official web site, www.MLSnet.com.

MLS intends to add two more clubs in the next few years, bringing the League to 18 teams. Seattle Sounders FC begin play next year as the 15th team in MLS, and Philadelphia will join in 2010 as the League’s 16th team.

Recap of the player rules:
• 28 total players on the roster
• 18 senior players
• 10 developmental players
• 8 International Player slots per team, and the distinction between Youth International and Senior International has been removed

Remember Canadian teams (only TFC right now) play by different rules since they're in Canada, ehh.

Let's do the math:
14 current MLS teams * 28 players per team = 392 players currently playing in MLS. Expand by an additional four teams (which is how many are currently being discussed if the league is going to 18) and you get 504 players in MLS at the end of expansion. A 29% change.

Where are those additional 112 players going to come from? If rules don't change, 32, roughly 30%, are going to be international, coming from different countries. 40, or 36% will be developmental (recent college grads and other youngsters) and the remaining 40, again 36%, will be other American players presumably with some playing time under their belt in Europe or other foreign leagues. Hopefully by 2010 more players will be joining MLS teams out of their development academy.

Another aspect to consider is the youth development league below the MLS club roster. Here is the Rapids' pyramid of soccer development. Just think of all the kids who will get a chance to play the game in a club environment with this expansion.





As I've said in the past, I'm not sure College Soccer is producing enough players to meet this demand. There will certainly need to be more done to keep young pros in MLS as expansion occurs. There will also need to be more done to encourage boomerangs.

All in all I am for expansion, however MLS will need to be careful that it is bringing along players to fill the available roster spots without diluting the quality of play.

Rapids Playoff Push...

This has been an up and down year to say the least for Colorado Rapids fans. I'm not going to do a season run down, this is a call to all the soccer fans in the Denver metro area to make sure you come out and support the playoff push. The Rapids are back in the swing of things. Coach Smith has the team back on the right track and they're playing great soccer. If you missed the Connor Casey game winning goal in New York last week, head over to the MLS website to catch the highlights. It was a world class service and goal.

This weekend Houston comes to town. The Dynamo are coming off a wild mid-week game in Mexico. They got a draw down there and are probably feeling good about themselves. The Rapids need to stamp them down.

This week the Rapids have launched a new campaign called Together We Rise. I like it. Here is the video.



You get the point, a packed house will help the team perform. Beating the first place team in the west this weekend will certainly help lock up a playoff spot in the tightest MLS playoff race ever. Three teams are currently tied for third in the west. A win and we make some breathing room while also closing in on 1st place Dallas Houston.

Come on out to Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids hopefully won't disappoint. Add to that the Supporter's Tailgate chili cook off in lot AA, starting at 5:30, and what more can a soccer fan hope for? See you there.

2009 MLS SuperDraft...

It may seem awhile off to most of us, but over at WVHooligan - Soccer Blog you can sink your teeth into the first projected draft order I've seen. Nice work by Drew Epperley on this one.

2008 US Soccer U-17 Residency List....

Another year another fresh crop of kids at the US Soccer Residency program in Bradenton, FL. Congrats to those who were selected, you've been added to my list. Ohh, and you'll be playing in the most prestigious soccer development environment in the country. There's that. I for one think there needs to be a second academy elsewhere in the country so increase the number of participants getting this kind of great soccer education. Say somewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region to take attract the west coast crew. Say in Commerce City, Colorado on some of the best fields in the country. Just a thought Rapids...cough cough...call US Soccer and help build a dorm for the kids on all that spare land you have...cough cough....

Anyway, want to know what I noticed while perusing the list? Take a look, see if you can guess.

GOALKEEPERS ( 4): Samir Badr (Fairfax, Va.), Earl Edwards (San Diego, Calif.), Jonathan Kempin (K.C. Wizards Juniors), Spencer Richey (Crossfire Premier)

DEFENDERS (13): Michael Ambrose (El Paso, Texas), Julio Arjona (D.C. United Academy), Zachary Herold (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Perry Kitchen (Chicago Magic), Jordan McCrary (Concorde Fire), Boyd Okwuonu (Edmond, Okla.), Emilio Orozco (Oxnard, Calif.), Shaquille Phillips (D.C. United Academy), Tyler Polak (Lincoln, Neb.), Alberto Rosas (Real So Cal), Alex Shinsky (York, Penn.), Jared Watts (North Meck), Eriq Zavaleta (Westfield, Ind.)

MIDFIELDERS (17): Jonathan Canales (Santa Ana, Calif.), Dustin Corea (Milwaukee, Ore.), Andrew Craven (St. Simons Island, Ga.), Sean Davis (Matchfit Academy), Bryan Duran (Duncanville, Texas), Victor Garza (Edinburg, Texas), Luis Gil (Pateadores), Joseph Gyau (FC DELCO), Donovan Henry (Schulz Academy), George Malki (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Carlos Martinez (Las Vegas, Nev.), Alex Molano (F.C. Dallas Juniors), Joel Nash (Birmingham, Ala.), Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire Academy), Charles Renken (Scott Gallagher), Dominic Sarle (BW Gottschee), Erik Stephenson (Surf)

FORWARDS (6): John Agudelo (N.Y. Red Bulls Academy), Jonathan Brown (Clinton, Miss), Jaime Gutierrez (West Coast FC), Stefan Jerome (Davie, Fla.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Red), Jack McInerney (Alpharetta, Ga.)

Any guesses? I see six kids already associated with MLS clubs. Thanks to the new development rules, it looks like MLS clubs are helping to get the best and brightest young players noticed and into the US Soccer system. Add to that the fact that we already know what MLS club will have first crack at these guys and I'm excited to see US Soccer and MLS growing up. We're finally getting to that international style development system where kids are associated with clubs from a young age and are coached by the top coaches, not just their local soccer parents. Well done MLS and US Soccer, keep it up.

Boomerang: Nate Jaqua

Not sure how I missed it, but you can all add Nate Jaqua to the Boomerang list. He got an assist over the weekend and should help the Dynamo retake the lead in the West.

Seems like more and more young Americans think MLS is the place to be.

Boomerang: Pat Noonan

Soccer By Ives is reporting that Pat Noonan is on his way back to MLS. Is this the quickest boomerang to date? I guess European soccer in Norway isn't all it is cracked up to be. I wonder if as the league expands, MLS will be able to use more stories like this one to highlight why young Americans should stay in MLS as opposed to trying out second and third tier European soccer? After all, there will be more playing time available as there are more roster spots to fill.

Noonan's destination is still unknown. With some fresh allocation money in their pockets can the Rapids make a run at him? Colorado needs a proven goal scorer like I want a Porsche.

Boomerang: Robbie Russell

Just saw on The Original Winger that we have another Boomerang. Robbie Russell is returning to the States after a successful career in Norway. Welcome home, Robbie.

Rapids Win Bruno Guarda Lottery...

The weighted lottery comes Colorado's way...for once. It almost always looks like MLS favors the local team in these cases, add to that the fact that his college coach is now FC Dallas coach and in my eye's, Bruno was going to FC Dallas. But, things don't always work out the way you expect and the Rapids won the lottery. According to Director of Player Development, John Murphy, Guarda will be joining the Rapids.

We are very happy to have Bruno join us. He is a very skillful player and will join our team at an opportune time. We think very highly of him and expect him to have a bright future in our league.

I'm sure if FC Dallas really wanted Guarda, the Rapids will listen to offers. As a Rapids fan I'm excited to know they have another young, skillful midfielder in the ranks. They certainly are creating the best stable of midfielders with potential in MLS.

**Edit**

The Rapids have officially announced the signing and will not have to cut anyone as young goal keeper Justin Hughes has been put on the season ending injury list.

Bruno Guarda Joining MLS...Late...

Bruno Guarda has decided to forgo his senior season at SMU and join MLS, in late July. He's been on my watch list since a solid freshman year earned him 2nd team All-Freshman honors in 2005. For the past two seasons he has been a semi-finalist for the Herman Trophy at the end of the fall seasons. He was on my short list for Generation Adidas.

Why all of a sudden has he decided to go pro when he could have signed a Generation Adidas contract back in January? Speculation here at FCTP is that former SMU coach and head man in Dallas, Schellas Hyndman, had something to do with it. However, MLS has said that Guarda will be put in a special weighted lottery to determine who will be able to sign him. If Hyndman did approach Guarda about signing with FC Dallas, I wonder, and if I were a full time journalist I would try to find out, if Coach Hyndman knew how MLS would allocate the player when he first made contact.

This is one of those arcane processes MLS still holds onto when they should probably just get rid of it. I know, I know...if MLS allowed teams to just sign players out of college the whole draft would be worthless. But isn't the draft going by the wayside as teams develop their own youth academy?

Climbing The Ladder has a nice look back at previous "special" weighted lottery draft allocation processes. Here is my question for readers...what do you think of this process. If Guarda was convinced to join MLS by Hyndman, should he be able to sign with FCD? On the other hand, do you think it is important to give other MLS teams a crack at signing the youngster?

Furthermore, Dallas recently traded for two additional international spots. There are lots of rumors about FCD signing two South American players, but could Guarda be one of them? He is of Brazilian birth. I'm not sure how MLS will classify him.

The weighted lottery is later today. Based on Climbing The Ladders work it looks like FCD is second in line to sign Guarda. Will they get their man? Is he joining MLS because of his former coach leaving SMU? Time will tell.