The 2017 Major League Soccer Thread

[Senator Donut]

San Jose hired a new GM this winter who was probably looking for a reason to make his own imprint on the club and move on from the relentlessly average and boring Kinnear.

If only the Revs also had a change in leadership...

In any case, SJ immediately announced a new permanent manager, Chris Leitch, who has been in SJ's front office since he retired after the 2011 season. He doesn't have any previous coaching experience, even as an assistant.

Thanks for that additional detail; the ESPN scroll didn't specify that Leitch didn't have the interim label. I've always wondered if MLS was being held back by the quality of its managers. Managers like Mastroeni, Olsen, and Heaps got their current jobs almost immediately after their playing careers ended. Although you would almost never see someone that inexperienced get a top job in England, it's not unheard of in places that favor a technical director model, like Italy. Maybe the league has outgrown the idea of hiring college coaches, but I'd rather my club hire someone with a track record.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Dempsey ties it on a header in the 94th in Portland. Seattle lost Evans to a red card in the 42nd.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Some summer transfer have already been announced, effective July 11 when the transfer window opens.

• San Jose signed 24 year old Georgian attacking midfielder Valeri Qazaishvili from Vitesse. He had back-to-back seasons with double-digit goals in 2014-15 and 15-16, but fell out of favor with the club last year and was loaned out to Legia Warsaw. Interesting case...SJ has a track record of underwhelming international signings and this guy looks like he could go either way.

• Portland attempted to shore up CB by signing Larrys Mabiala, who spent the last five years in the Turkish league. 29 years old, born in France, plays for DRC. Liam Ridgewell has missed some games with injury and the rotating cast of Roy Miller, Lawrence Olum, and Amobi Okugo aren't particularly great. Gbenga Arokoyo is out for the season.

• Brian Bilello said the Revs would like to bring in "a couple of higher-end roster guys". [Ron Howard voice] But they won't.

In NASL news, a new team in San Diego was announced for 2018. Primary investors include...Eden Hazard, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, and Moussa Sow. ~9 months to a club's first game is a very aggressive timetable. Hopefully for their sake their local partners know what they are doing.

The NASL is expecting to add SD and Orange County next year, which in theory would take them to 10 clubs, but they are still on tenuous ground. The new club in San Francisco isn't doing well, Jacksonville's owner is trying to leave, Edmonton is potentially a flight risk for the new Canadian Premier League. Then it's minor league soccer so you never know what new problems will pop up...or if anyone else will defect to the USL.

San Diego is the most interesting market in the US that does not have a pro team on any level, though.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Some summer transfer have already been announced, effective July 11 when the transfer window opens.

• San Jose signed 24 year old Georgian attacking midfielder Valeri Qazaishvili from Vitesse. He had back-to-back seasons with double-digit goals in 2014-15 and 15-16, but fell out of favor with the club last year and was loaned out to Legia Warsaw. Interesting case...SJ has a track record of underwhelming international signings and this guy looks like he could go either way.

• Portland attempted to shore up CB by signing Larrys Mabiala, who spent the last five years in the Turkish league. 29 years old, born in France, plays for DRC. Liam Ridgewell has missed some games with injury and the rotating cast of Roy Miller, Lawrence Olum, and Amobi Okugo aren't particularly great. Gbenga Arokoyo is out for the season.

• Brian Bilello said the Revs would like to bring in "a couple of higher-end roster guys". [Ron Howard voice] But they won't.

In NASL news, a new team in San Diego was announced for 2018. Primary investors include...Eden Hazard, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, and Moussa Sow. ~9 months to a club's first game is a very aggressive timetable. Hopefully for their sake their local partners know what they are doing.

The NASL is expecting to add SD and Orange County next year, which in theory would take them to 10 clubs, but they are still on tenuous ground. The new club in San Francisco isn't doing well, Jacksonville's owner is trying to leave, Edmonton is potentially a flight risk for the new Canadian Premier League. Then it's minor league soccer so you never know what new problems will pop up...or if anyone else will defect to the USL.

San Diego is the most interesting market in the US that does not have a pro team on any level, though.

With the Rowdies switch from NASL to USL, I thought it was becoming clear that USL was becoming more desirable than NASL. How do you compare the quality of play in the leagues as well as infrastructure and fan experience (if you have any)?

 

[Titans Bastard]

With the Rowdies switch from NASL to USL, I thought it was becoming clear that USL was becoming more desirable than NASL. How do you compare the quality of play in the leagues as well as infrastructure and fan experience (if you have any)?

I don't think there is a big difference between the leagues in quality of play or infrastructure. The USL's bottom end in terms of quality may be a bit lower than NASL because some of the MLS reserve teams are slanted towards youth and don't worry too much about winning a lot of games. (Although winning shouldn't be prioritized above everything, I'm not sure a weekly beatdown is the ideal way to develop players, but that's another issue.)

The vast majority of teams in both leagues don't have their own stadium.


I think the USL is more desirable than the NASL and we've seen that over the last few years in the quality and quantity of new ownership groups. The USL-MLS partnership and advent of MLS reserve teams filled out the map enough to regionalize travel schedules. Travel is a major driver of costs at the minor league level, so this was huge. And this, in turn, spurred more independent clubs to join, creating a virtuous cycle. MLS actually went to the NASL first about a partnership; it was a huge mistake to turn it down.

The NASL has been hurt on multiple fronts by the fact that it was run by a blithering idiot until he was recently replaced.

The NASL has had a hard time with ownership recruitment and has tended to be stuck with less desirable groups - shady locals and foreign investors with a questionable grasp of the US soccer landscape and what it takes to be successful in the minor leagues. The NASL's declining fortunes and rising desperation also lead them to take risks; they aren't afraid to throw shit against the wall to see what sticks. Rayo OKC is a great example of both factors.

San Diego would be a good get for any league that establishes itself there, from MLS on down. Any minor league effort would be crushed by MLS expansion, if it ever happens, but the NASL will worry about that later. They need numbers now and they're going to rush into markets with less than 9 months to go in order to beat USL to the punch if they have to.

 

[Zososoxfan]

I don't think there is a big difference between the leagues in quality of play or infrastructure. The USL's bottom end in terms of quality may be a bit lower than NASL because some of the MLS reserve teams are slanted towards youth and don't worry too much about winning a lot of games. (Although winning shouldn't be prioritized above everything, I'm not sure a weekly beatdown is the ideal way to develop players, but that's another issue.)

The vast majority of teams in both leagues don't have their own stadium.


I think the USL is more desirable than the NASL and we've seen that over the last few years in the quality and quantity of new ownership groups. The USL-MLS partnership and advent of MLS reserve teams filled out the map enough to regionalize travel schedules. Travel is a major driver of costs at the minor league level, so this was huge. And this, in turn, spurred more independent clubs to join, creating a virtuous cycle. MLS actually went to the NASL first about a partnership; it was a huge mistake to turn it down.

The NASL has been hurt on multiple fronts by the fact that it was run by a blithering idiot until he was recently replaced.

The NASL has had a hard time with ownership recruitment and has tended to be stuck with less desirable groups - shady locals and foreign investors with a questionable grasp of the US soccer landscape and what it takes to be successful in the minor leagues. The NASL's declining fortunes and rising desperation also lead them to take risks; they aren't afraid to throw shit against the wall to see what sticks. Rayo OKC is a great example of both factors.

San Diego would be a good get for any league that establishes itself there, from MLS on down. Any minor league effort would be crushed by MLS expansion, if it ever happens, but the NASL will worry about that later. They need numbers now and they're going to rush into markets with less than 9 months to go in order to beat USL to the punch if they have to.

Awesome insight TB, thanks.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Toronto won the Canadian Championship in the 5th minute of stoppage time for the second year in a row:

 

[OCST]

FC Cincinnati just beat Chicago Fire in the US Open Cup 0-0 on penalties. Their keeper, Mitch Hildebrand, had the best game I've seen a keeper have that I can remember - standing on his head several times and stopping THREE (!) penalties. Capacity crowd going nuts. Both Hildebrand and Cincinnati look ready for prime time.

 

[Titans Bastard]

A fairly weak Revs XI slipped by DC United at Harvard's Jordan Field last night, 2-1. A Watson/Herivaux combination at DM/CM was always going to have a hard time, but Fagundez provided some stability to the attack and scored a FK goal that DC's backup keeper probably should have saved. Rookie forward Brian Wright showed some nice hold up play at times and scored the winner on an excellent turn, but his movement looked pretty static overall. The Revs overhit about 90% of their crosses for some reason.

NYRB is up next.

The two surviving non-MLS clubs, Cincinnati and Miami, are drawn together in one QF.

 

[Senator Donut]

The Revs overhit about 90% of their crosses for some reason.

Starting USL-quality Donnie Smith and London Wodberry as fullbacks probably has something to do with that.

The Revs only had five bench players for this match due to injury and national team call-ups. The Revs have the shortest roster in MLS by a significant margin.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Starting USL-quality Donnie Smith and London Wodberry as fullbacks probably has something to do with that.

The Revs only had five bench players for this match due to injury and national team call-ups. The Revs have the shortest roster in MLS by a significant margin.

For those counting at home, what @Domer is referencing is that the Revs have 24 players in the squad. MLS rules allow for 30. Many clubs leave a slot or two open for the summer window, but just about everyone has at least 26-27.

 

[Titans Bastard]

FC Cincinnati just beat Chicago Fire in the US Open Cup 0-0 on penalties. Their keeper, Mitch Hildebrand, had the best game I've seen a keeper have that I can remember - standing on his head several times and stopping THREE (!) penalties. Capacity crowd going nuts. Both Hildebrand and Cincinnati look ready for prime time.

Amazing stuff in Cincinnati here:



Apparently the attendance was the second largest in modern USOC history, just behind Seattle's crowd for the 2010 final.

 

[OCST]

Front page in Cincy today:

The atmosphere at this game was tremendous. I've seen NFL and MLB playoff games that were less electric. That a US Open Cup game for a USL team generated that kind of buzz, and is getting this kind of press - wow. MLS should move yesterday to get these guys in the fold.

And maybe Hildebrand played over his head and this was a one-off - I can't say I know much about USL keepers - but again, he was insane. The last 15 minutes plus extra time and the penalties was Howard-against-Belgium good. From a marketing standpoint- he had star quality too - charismatic guy. Everyone in the crowd knew they were seeing something special.

Just great stuff.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Front page in Cincy today:

The atmosphere at this game was tremendous. I've seen NFL and MLB playoff games that were less electric. That a US Open Cup game for a USL team generated that kind of buzz, and is getting this kind of press - wow. MLS should move yesterday to get these guys in the fold.

There are 12 cities with expansion bids gunning for four slots. I don't think anybody will be considered if they don't have deep-pocketed owners and a stadium, no matter what. Proof of big support like FC Cincinnati is a plus, but not necessary. If enough bids check all the boxes, some perfectly good bids from less attractive cities will lose out. That's a danger for Cincinnati, who are a relatively small metro not all that far from Columbus, and who wouldn't fill an important hole in MLS geography.

That being said, I think plenty of bids will fail to check all the boxes. Saint Louis, who I believe was possibly #1 on the MLS wish list, narrowly lost a key stadium financing vote and now look unlikely. San Diego, another prime choice, is having trouble even getting a vote in the first place. Most other bids are still trying to figure out a stadium plan, too. AFAIK only Sacramento has everything sorted out and are basically waiting for the green light from MLS.

Cincinnati put out some renderings earlier this month, but there's no funding plan in place yet. If they can work something out, there will probably be enough attrition elsewhere that they'll be fine.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Has the US Open Cup always been sneaky-fun and I've only just noticed this year, or is it a better year than usual?

Seems like it's been a satisfying mix of fun amateur stories and feistier USL teams than usual along with the typical MLS B-squads.

 

[steeplechase3k]

I loved the USOC when the Timbers were in the USL because it was a chance to see MLS teams come to town. Now? The Timbers get pairt with MLS teams to start regularly, and also have to play Seattle AGAIN in the cup. So it's lost a lot of the luster it once had for me.

As a neutral fan? It's awesome.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The USOC needs to find a way to bring back Cal FC to make the tournament more interesting for Timbers fans!

But seriously, it's true that if amateur teams don't upset the usual NASL/USL crowd, the draw can get a little stale due to regionalization of the draw. I feel like the Revs have played Rochester or Harrisburg a million times, though we've played the Carolina teams and Richmond a few times too.

Of course, the little guys don't want to have to fund a plane trip somewhere and MLS teams are happy to skip a cross-country midweek road trip. Regionalization isn't going anywhere, but more expansion could make it a bit better.

It can get even more stale on the West Coast, where was a period of really weak minor league presence after the departure of Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. The USOC tries to set it up so that the first round is all amateurs and the second round has amateur vs. minor league pro games. The numbers don't exactly match up and the west usually gets a few amateur vs. amateur games due to the paucity of minor league teams.

Since the NASL was founded in 2011, there hasn't been a single West Coast team until the San Francisco Deltas launched this year...and there aren't many reasons to feel great about that club's staying power.

The USL added:
2011: LA Blues (now Orange County SC)
2013: Phoenix (not West Coast, but take what you can get)
2014: Sacramento, LA Galaxy II
2015: Sounders 2, Timbers 2, Whitecaps 2
2017: Reno (not really West Coast, but close enough in terms of travel)

Reserve teams can't play in USOC so that's not much to work with.

NASL has announced teams in Orange County and San Diego next year. There are rumors that USL is going to Fresno and Boise. It'd be nice to fill out the map a bit more, but there just aren't as many markets out there. Bakersfield is reasonably big. Someone could try to make it work in Oakland. I'd love to see someone try to do something in the Inland Empire.

Getting increasingly farther away from the coast, there's Las Vegas, Tucson, Albuquerque, and El Paso. That's about it, unless one of the proposed new D3 leagues gets off the ground and finds a model to make pro soccer work in significantly smaller metros than what's currently found in the USL. Then you could, in theory, eventually make a local division with a similar footprint to the California League.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Also in the realm of minor league growth: Sacramento signed a 16 year old from their academy today. It's hard to know if the kid is a legit prospect or more of a symbolic signing (MLS clubs were guilty of doing this in the early academy years), but he did get a call up to a U16 NT camp last year. It would be a real positive if minor league clubs started getting seriously involved in development - more pathways to the pros. Of course, Sacramento isn't a normal minor league club and should be feeling reasonably confident they'll be heading to MLS sooner or later.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Revs just sent $175k of GAM to San Jose to move up the allocation order.

That usually means another shoe is about to drop. The list of players subject to the allocation order is here. Villafaña would be a good get - the Revs need a LB really badly.

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

That would be a really good get.

 

[Senator Donut]

Villafaña and Ream would be great, but considering it's the Revs it's probably Sporting's spare part (Oriol Rosell) as they move closer to their ultimate goal of starting 10 defensive midfielders and Cropper.

The Revs just sent $175k of GAM to San Jose to move up the allocation order.

That's a little misleading, as the complete trade is $175k of 2017 GAM in exchange for $175k of 2018 TAM and GAM as well as swapping positions in the allocation order.

 

[steeplechase3k]

I'd love to see Villafaña back in MLS even if it's not with the Timbers. He's a ton of fun to watch.

 

[Titans Bastard]

That's a little misleading, as the complete trade is $175k of 2017 GAM in exchange for $175k of 2018 TAM and GAM as well as swapping positions in the allocation order.

Thanks. I missed that part. I think this somewhat reduces the likelihood that there is an incoming allocation order player heading to NE. It may be that NE is simply swapping 2017 cap space for 2018 cap space and opportunistically moved up the allocation order for their troubles, rather than orchestrating a move to get their ducks in a row for an imminent signing.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The LA Galaxy organization is having a rough week. They just lost 6-2 at home to RSL, who had the worst record in the league coming into the game. The day before, LA II lost a USL game in Reno by an amazing 9-0 scoreline.

LA is missing some key players (dos Santos, Zardes, Lletget, Jones), but in the offseason they pursued the dubious strategy of signing way too many of their USL guys to MLS contracts. As a result, they don't have enough top-line talent or reasonable depth and all of the overly aggressive promotions have left their USL cupboard bare, too. They are throwing in lots of academy kids, but their age 18-20 guys have limited upside and their 17-and-younger crowd can't be relied upon to do well against grown men. Giving kids opportunities to play in the USL is a good thing, but it has to be done carefully; letting them all get blasted every week isn't good for development.

--

More summer moves:

• Matias Perez Garcia has departed Orlando. His contract expired on June 30 and he and the club couldn't come to terms.

• Likewise, Alvaro Fernandez has left Seattle after his contract expired. Seattle has brought in Kelvin Leerdam, a 27 year old Dutch right back, on a free from Vitesse. Brad Evans has really struggled to stay healthy this season, which has left the Sounders with a rotation of an unsatisfactory cast of characters at the position.

• Houston waived Spanish CB Agus and brought in English CM Charlie Ward from RGV, their USL affiliate.

• KC waived fullback Igor Julião, who had been on loan from Fluminense. He played for them extensively when on loan in 2014, but Zusi's conversion to right back left him third on the depth chart this year. KC signed Cristian Lobato, a 28 year old Spanish winger who has mostly played in the Segunda. He is the third former Barcelona B midfielder they have signed in the last few years.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Sounders picked up an important three points on the road last night, but lost Chad Marshall and Ozzie Alonso to injury. No word on how serious.

Dempsey scored twice, including this filthy volley for his second goal:

It's also fun to watch 20-year-old defender Nouhou Tolo come into his own. His presence in the starting lineup made it so Joevin Jones could play on the wing and use his speed to create problems. He had a nice assist on Dempsey's first goal.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Revs blew 1-0 and 2-1 leads at home against NYRB last night, ultimately losing 3-2 on a late Gonzalo Veron goal
That's how you miss the playoffs.

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

Have to say the first half was pretty enjoyable soccer, but God they make some horrible passes out of the back.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Have to say the first half was pretty enjoyable soccer, but God they make some horrible passes out of the back.

Yep. The Revs really need a good left back. Tierney just isn't an every game 90 minute player any more. It also turns out that you can't fuse three mediocre DMs into one really good DM, unfortunately. I'd be more critical of the CBs, but I'm still scarred by the 2016 CBs. Cropper better keep developing because he's a below average starter at the moment.

I could get behind trading Kamara and Nguyen for whatever the Revs can get next winter, strengthening DM and the defense, and building the attack around Rowe, Fagundez, and Agudelo. I've been really impressed with Fagundez lately and I think that trio could really create some magic. Kamara's game is about physicality and he isn't suited to the others' short passing and creative strengths. Nguyen is less of a stylistic misfit, but he's basically become an unbenchable player who tends to slow the attack down too much at times and I think he is blocking Rowe and Fagundez from becoming the main playmakers on the team. I'll always be a fan of Nguyen, but the Revs need to be strategic about roster building instead of accumulating useful parts without considering how they fit together.

 

[Senator Donut]

The transfer window is open from today until August 9. The Revs front office has been bragging about carrying the shortest roster in MLS with the goal of roster flexibility in this window. Unfortunately the results to this point and the strong Eastern Conference may have already ended their contention for MLS Cup. They are, however, only three wins away from the Open Cup, which comes with extra allocation dollars and a full year and a half to prepare for Champions League. (Hopefully they are focusing on foreign players who are not cup-tied.) Combined with extra money for missing the playoffs and the deferred money from San Jose, they can begin to assemble a decent roster for 2018 (and maybe even 2019 CCL). Most importantly, they should move Kamara if they are able. There are not many teams with DP slots available, but hopefully a team can by down the prorated portion of his salary that exceeds the maximum.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The transfer window is open from today until August 9. The Revs front office has been bragging about carrying the shortest roster in MLS with the goal of roster flexibility in this window. Unfortunately the results to this point and the strong Eastern Conference may have already ended their contention for MLS Cup. They are, however, only three wins away from the Open Cup, which comes with extra allocation dollars and a full year and a half to prepare for Champions League. (Hopefully they are focusing on foreign players who are not cup-tied.) Combined with extra money for missing the playoffs and the deferred money from San Jose, they can begin to assemble a decent roster for 2018 (and maybe even 2019 CCL). Most importantly, they should move Kamara if they are able. There are not many teams with DP slots available, but hopefully a team can by down the prorated portion of his salary that exceeds the maximum.

Too bad this account isn't exactly reliable.

 

[wilked]

ANyone going to see the Revs play at Harvard stadium tonight?

 

[Senator Donut]

ANyone going to see the Revs play at Harvard stadium tonight?

I wish I were there as this match represents the Revs' last chance at winning silverware, but a nasty fever has me watching this from my couch. The Revs are playing their best 11, excepting Cropper and the Gold Cup crew, and the same is true for Red Bull as far as I can tell. The games at Harvard make it feel like we have an actual stadium.

 

[Titans Bastard]

I just got home after being out of town for a few days. I thought about buying tickets last minute, but fatigue + the weather dissuaded me.

 

[Senator Donut]

I hadn't seen this elsewhere, but the winner of this match gets to face a NASL or USL team in the semifinals.

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/07/13/22/20/20170713-news-usoc-broadcast-us-open-cup-draw-determine-semifinal-final-hosting-scenarios

 

[Titans Bastard]

Bunbury in behind the defense and....it's wide!

He is a rather poor man's Gyasi Zardes.

 

[Titans Bastard]

I hadn't seen this elsewhere, but the winner of this match gets to face a NASL or USL team in the semifinals.

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/07/13/22/20/20170713-news-usoc-broadcast-us-open-cup-draw-determine-semifinal-final-hosting-scenarios

Seems like a bad time to get sent off for mouthing off to the referee, then, like Angoua just did.

 

[Senator Donut]

Seems like a bad time to get sent off for mouthing off to the referee, then, like Angoua just did.

I'm just not accustomed to witnessing that lack of discipline from a Heaps-managed team.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Felipe's pass finds BWP in the channel between Tierney and Delamea, 1-0 NYRB. Way too easy and that's pretty much game over for what is arguably the last meaningful Revs game of 2017.

 

[Senator Donut]

I have to hand it to this club. I knew they were going to blow it, but no one could have predicted "straight red for dissent in players second language" as the culprit.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Farrell was lucky not to be sent off for that studs-up-from-behind challenge.

 

[Senator Donut]

Farrell was lucky not to be sent off for that studs-up-from-behind challenge.

If you want to see some more reckless challenges, it's been announced Je-Vaughn Watson is starting against El Tri tonight.

 

[robssecondjob]

Delamea was also saw straight red, post match, for dissent. We have lots of depth at CB, right....

 

[Senator Donut]

We have "roster flexibility" at CB, which is far more important. Brian Bilello said so himself.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Delamea was also saw straight red, post match, for dissent. We have lots of depth at CB, right....

USOC red cards carry over to next year's competition and don't count in MLS, right? Not 100% sure about that, but if so....hopefully we have some reinforcements at CB by next spring.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Summer transfer window happenings:

• Minnesota has made a pair of signings: 22 year old Hearts winger Sam Nicholson and 28 year old Kiwi RB/CB Michael Boxall. Boxall spent a few years with the Whitecaps in 2011-12 before heading to the A-League and South Africa. Minnesota will also be looking for ways to dump some of their bad offseason signings like John Alvbage, Bashkim Kadrii, and especially Vadim Demidov.

• LA signed 26 year old Dutch right back Pele van Anholt from Willem II. Robbie Rogers is out for the entire season, leaving a whole bunch of inadequate alternatives like Nathan Smith, Bradley Diallo, and Rafael Garcia. It's no surprise they added someone at this position.

• RSL signed 28 year old Uruguayan CB Matias Silva from Real Zaragoza. Their best CB Justen Glad has just returned from the U20s and from being injured. All their other options are middling at best and/or constantly injured.

• Toronto signed 26 year old Liechtensteiner right back Nicolas Hasler from FC Vaduz. Toronto is the deepest team in MLS, but they need help at RB after Steven Beitashour was fouled so hard by Montreal's Kyle Fisher that he needed surgery for a damaged pancreas.

• San Jose traded Jamaican left back Shaun Francis to Montreal. The Impact need help at that position since losing Ambroise Oyongo for the season. SJ is now very thin at fullback, but I wouldn't be surprised if they add someone soon. The Quakes, btw, have all of a sudden been playing some pretty soccer after replacing Kinnear with Leitch.

 

[OCST]

Caught a bit of the Galaxy-ManU friendly.

It was... ugly. Men against boys.

One shouldn't expect different, even in a friendly, but... still.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Development Academy season wrapped up this weekend.

At the U18 level, there were three MLS teams in the semifinals, but the champion turned out to be the non-MLS club. Texans SC Houston beat LA Galaxy 2-1 in the final. LA's group will probably turn out to be better, as more than half of their starters were U16-eligible (born in '00 or later). LA has a boatload of academy products on their MLS and USL rosters, but most of them aren't very high upside prospects. The younger generation looks stronger. Efrain Alvarez ('02) is particularly highly touted and has been impressive against U18s despite still being U14 eligible. Unfortunately, he's chosen to play for Mexican youth teams right now. Uly Llanez ('01) is another big LA prospect who just came back to the US fold after a dalliance with El Tri, which is good to see.

I don't know much about Texans SC Houston, but I'm pleased to see someone from that area do well. Houston is a bizarrely unproductive region. A Best XI of players from Houston would probably comparable to Dallas' 3rd or 4th XI.

At the U16 level, Atlanta United beat FC Dallas 2-1. Both teams started a pair of players who are already pro (Andrew Carleton '00 and George Bello '02 for ATL, Jesus Ferreira '00 and Bryan Reynolds '01 for DAL) who didn't have much else to do while MLS is on break. The bulk of Atlanta's academy came from absorbing existing local club Georgia United, but it is still impressive what they are doing.


Some encouraging signs:

• The number of minutes going to 20-and-under American players in both MLS and USL in 2017 is already larger than in 2016 despite being only a little past the halfway mark of the season (and despite the fact that many of the better guys missed a lot of time with the U20 NT)

• The number of reasonable U20 pro prospects under contract in MLS or USL has risen considerably over the past few years even while many elite players have gone overseas

• Every year there are incremental improvements in the developmental pathway for players. In 2013, there were four MLS-USL affiliations. Year five into the partnership, there are now 10 full-fledged reserve teams and everyone else has an affiliation. College soccer and especially the four-year NCAA player have never been less relevant.

We can still fuck this up with widespread poor coaching, but I think it's a real positive to see some of the structural barriers to development in the US being addressed. Playing 2400 minutes a year in the USL is such a better option than having to choose between the NCAA and rotting on an MLS bench. Getting a chance, as an amateur, to play in pro games against men in the USL is a nice kick in the ass for top youth players in MLS academies.

In the years to come, the objective has to be to invest, invest, invest in coaching quality, add more MLS2 teams in the USL as needed (Dallas, Atlanta, DC, Chicago especially), and see how the re-introduction of D3 pro leagues goes. It may make sense to bump down the MLS2 teams a division; the organizations that are going really young with their USL teams are getting pasted a bit too often when 17 year olds go up against hardened D2 pros every week.

 

[Senator Donut]

Year five into the partnership, there are now 10 full-fledged reserve teams and everyone else has an affiliation.

You might find this hard to believe, considering how well the organization is otherwise run, but the Revolution do not have an USL affiliate. Their last USL loan spells were to San Antonio, an affiliate of NYCFC.

 

[Titans Bastard]

You might find this hard to believe, considering how well the organization is otherwise run, but the Revolution do not have an USL affiliate. Their last USL loan spells were to San Antonio, an affiliate of NYCFC.

Huh, I thought their useless affiliation with Rochester still existed on paper.

I guess not. There are some damning quotes from the Rochester manager in there:

https://www.thebentmusket.com/rochester-rhinos/2017/4/21/15369634/new-england-revolution-rochester-rhinos-usl-affiliation-bob-lilley-donnie-smith

 

[Titans Bastard]

This from today is what I am talking about:


He's a 17 year old from Philly's academy who was able to get his feet wet playing for the organization's reserve team in the USL as an amateur. Now he gets a full MLS deal and he'll get regular USL minutes with Bethlehem until he's ready to play for the first team.

Now I really don't know how good Fontana is supposed to be, but five years ago he'd be looking at going to college, signing an MLS deal for a team that didn't really have a developmental plan for him, or trying to go overseas (which is tough without the right connections; the US is also more heavily scouted now than it was in the recent past).