If the big prize in youth soccer these days seems to be the elusive scholarship to a good NCAA college. . . Why can't MLS get more creative and use this tremendous motivation to its own player development advantage? MLS should make their academy system a no brainer for parents who are chasing a free ride college scholarship for Junior. Parents shouldn't have to think twice about accepting an offer for Junior to play for an MLS youth academy. It should be a jumping for joy - jackpot type of celebration for two reasons: 1. The MLS youth academy would offer Junior the best training (personal/professional) and possible chance to help him catch the eye of a good college coach 2. The academy would also give Junior a great chance to realize the dream making a career out of soccer - while still having the safety net of an MLS college scholarship should he put college on hold for a few years. HOW THIS WOULD WORK: 1. Kids who participate up through high school wouldn't earn squat - but they also wouldn't have to pay squat - saving parents thousands of dollars in travel money, coaching fees, and hassel. 2. Once a kid graduated from high school or turned 18 - the club would offer a contract to the player. If they accepted they would earn the developmental salary plus a 4 year college scholarship that vests 25% for each year they are an active developmental player. So if you are 18 and you try your best for 4 years to make it as a pro - you will end up having been paid a developmental salary for those 4 years - plus at the end you will be fully vested in a 4 year ($12.5k per year) scholarship at any accredited school that will take you. If you only stick around until you are 20 and crash out - you were paid for your time - you almost realized the dream - you gained a world of experience and got to see the entire US - and you are 50% vested and have 2 years of college scholarship opportunity thanks to MLS. WHO WOULD PAY FOR THIS: 1. The USSF could provide seed grants. $3.0 million a year would provide 12 MLS teams with $250k a year. Given that the USSF spends more than $3.0 million on Braedenton alone - this should be a no brainer as it would expand the U17 player pool from 40 to 500 and keep the kids in their local communities with mom/dad. 2. MLS is already paying part of the tab with what 4-8 developmental slots per team - so graduating players from academies would simply slide into these already funded development slots - and get games in the Developmental league already in place. 3. MLS Generation Adidas is also paying part of the tab already MLS is supposed to also plow the Adidas uniform sponsorship money into development so some of the inkind and real dollars from the deal could go to the travel/admin for the youth teams. 4. Sponsorship A. MLS should find hotel/airline partners and reduce it's own overhead in the process by getting better deals B. In the long run - the program sponsors itself - with players transfering out of MLS and earning MLS a transfer fee. Alternatively, by developing home grown talent - MLS would benefit with higher quality players who would make MLS games more exciting (drive up attendance etc.) and also lower the mid range transfer fees paid for comparable foreign talent. Not saying MLS won't use that savings to spend more on higher priced top shelf talent - but at least you would save some money on the less than $100k transfer fees you'd pay to get the mid range talent that seems to fizzle (Canero, Cabalero, Naldo, etc.).
Unless they are willing to guarantee contracts for 4 years (which they are reasonably not), parents would still rather have their kids go to college.
College scholarships aren't guaranteed for 4 years either - but I see your point. It's OK though for some people that the MLS alternative will be compelling but not compelling enough. We want these people too. The real goal is to use whatever is motivating our best youth players and the parents who support them in other words a free college ride. So for the ones who insist on going to college - fine - the MLS value proposition is the following: 1. We'll make Johnny a better soccer player, and increase his chances of using soccer to cover his eductation cost (whether through a college scout or us), and we'll do all of this at no cost to you compared to the thousands that you are putting the pocket of the camp directors, ODP, club coaches etc.. 2. We'll also be giving Johnny the chance to see how far he can really take his talent. WHATS IN IT FOR MLS? 1. The longer and earlier the kid is in the program - the better he will be as a player. This helps raise the leve of both MLS and the college game should he opt to go to school at 18. 2. The longer the kid is in the program the more likely he will be to want to turn pro - and not close the door on a pro career. 3. Club soccer and MLS will find their own niche - i.e. for the super elite players - their choice will be simplified. For the recreational players their choices will be obvious. Eveyrone know where they stand and the right focus can be brought to each segment.
The chances of a scholarship being pulled is a lot lower than the odds of a developmental kid being cut after season two.
But they already do what you are describing. It used to be the Project 40, not sure what they are calling it now. In this they receive a salary and a fund that can only be used for education. The league signs younger players and college undergrads to this program. Alot of the U 17 national team players have entered the league this way.
I like the idea. However, I believe the kid wouldn't be eligible for a scholarship at this point because has lost his amatuer status by being paid to play soccer.
I think your plan definitely works. College soccer programs won't be too happy about it but I know parents will. By getting more of these players to go to MLS, you free up more money for boys who might be 2nd tier players who might have a chance for a soccer scholarship.
The scholarship doesn't have to be for soccer. It would just be a fund to pay for the kid's education.
Bingo. So yes - he gives up his college eligibility - but he still gets a free ride or partial free ride depending on his vesting. And while this system partially exists right now - the whole P40 process seems very arbitrary right now - being offered to select kids out of the USSF Braedenton academy with different deals for different players. It's much more of a negotiation - and I would wager very few kids at 14 would even know what to expect. By having a vertical MLS academy structure - you enter the system and you know what you can expect and what is expected of you each step of the way. If you're serious about using your soccer talent for either a college scholarship or possibly as a professional - the MLS Academy option would be the hands down best choice. That's the no brainer value proposition that MLS needs to present to parents and kids. It's doable even on a limited scale: Ex. $250k buys you 20 $12.5k scholarships per year. And assuming that at any given point in time you'd have that many graduates taking the deal - that would be the per team exposure to players who flameout. It's not a lot of money. I think the real money would be spent on the training grounds, the travel schedules, the coaching and gear - but again this is where MLS can realize savings by having their own assistant coaches pulling double duty or sharing a 4th asset. Also with the previously mentioned sponsorship and investment repayment options - it could work financially.
Generation adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation aimed to raise the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry (without college graduation) of American players into MLS. Until 2005, the program was sponsored by Nike and was called Project-40. Carlos Parra was the first Project-40 player when he signed with the league and was allocated to the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1997. Since then, the program had its shares of successes (Tim Howard, Josh Wolff, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Bobby Convey, Eddie Gaven, and numerous others) and failures (Jamar Beasley, Nino Da Silva, Barry Swift, Maurizio Rocha, Judah Cooks, Martin Klinger, etc.). It is now called Generation adidas. Generation adidas players do not count against the MLS senior roster and usually earn a salary not much higher than the league minimum (although in several cases, most notably Freddy Adu, that is not the case). Entering into the program automatically classifies a player as "professional" and thus, disqualifies them from playing college soccer. As a result, Generation adidas players are also guaranteed scholarships to continue their college education should their professional career not pan out. From 1998 to 2000, MLS entered a team of Project-40 players, supplemented by other MLSers who did not get much playing time, into the USL First Division.
Correct - but the idea is that once you chose the pro path at 18 it will be clear that you will be turnign your back on "playing" college soccer. You won't however be walking away from having your college education paid for. I think the lure for most kids/parents is that all this time and energy having fun playing soccer could finally amount to something. And right now most people think it's having the high cost of college covered. The MLS Academy program would deal with that - since for every year you are a pro you'd earn a 25% vesting right to a 4 year college scholarship. If you flame out after 3 years - you would have $37.5k (three years of school) paid to you in a scholarship. So what if you cna't play college soccer - you are still getting the free ride and can better focus on school now. After all - if you flamed out of a pro career - your education should be what you are focusing on as that will be your meal ticket. On the other hand - if you are 18 and you really want to play soccer have fun and have a great opportunity because UCLA is dangling a free ride infront of you. . . Go for it. Obviously you aren't committed to being a pro right now - and despite your great talent it's going to take more commitment to make it as a pro and that's not something you want. Thank you for your effort in the Academy - see we told you it would pay off - now you have achieved your goals - we'd gladly welcome you back if you decide to leave college early. Go give them hell - and raise the level of the college game by showing them what we taught you. Everyone wins.
One question I have with this plan (and I guess any kind of MLS youth development plan, WITAI) is what's to prevent a kid, once hitting 18, to get poached by a foreign club (or another MLS, for that matter)? Wouldn't they technically be out of contract if they don't accept their club's offer, thus being able to sign wherever? I think this would be somewhat similar to the whole Leeds/Chelsea bruhaha going on right now...
I'm quoting this mostly to reiterate it. THIS PROGRAM ALREADY EXISTS. Perhaps not to the extent proposed here, but it does indeed exist. A couple of years ago, Soccer America took a look at Project 40 to see how its recruits were shaping up, on the field and off. What I recall was that few players were using the scholarship money -- Brian West was the most notable exception. I recall a couple of players saying they were planning to take courses online, but I have no idea how that's going. The program makes perfect sense to me. If I'm a parent, I'm not turning over my kid to an uncertain future in professional sports unless I know college is still a viable option. (Actually, I AM a parent, but this isn't something I'd have to worry about for a good 10-15 years, if at all.)
It's not integrated though Beau. There isn't a ladder for kids to climb - knowing which rung to grab as they move up. Generation Adidas is offered to the few Bradenton kids who come in through the various club systems that are scouted by the ODP programs. USSF runs Bradenton the clubs run the youth teams and the MLS scouts and ODP scouts do the evaluation. We need structure and more dollars to make the concept really sing. I agree the bones are there in some shape. With the scholarship model - MLS would drive everything during the 14-18 phase then let the player chose whether to take a break (short-term or permanent) from the pro route. If they go to college at that point - they retain their eligibility and can always come back later. IF they try the pro life - they get matching scholarship dollars and can go year by year. The only thing the USSF does in all of this is provide the $3 million grant - and if they can do more that would be even better - why not $3 million from the Braedenton budget and another $3 million from the US Soccer Foundation? That would mean $500k per MLS team. In terms of the U17 World Cup - USSF could scout the MLS Youth Academy system and pick an all-star team that would take a month off to compete assuming we qualify. Should be much easier to scout an academy system where you have 500 kids at the U14-U17 level who are plaing in MLS run teams against eachother etc. Imagine the scouting reports - the real data on how each player does in their club environment - we'd really be able to pick the best and brightest v. how that process unfolds. More importantly - you'd be creating a model where you'd have 12 Bradentons - all for the low USSF price of $3 million from their operating budget (diverted from Bradenton) and another $3 million from the US Soccer Foundation. Once MLS is making money - the grants would stop and would be redirected back to the usual Soccer in the Streets and field improvement programs.
Nice thread, bora fan. I have posted a couple of times that MLS should just start up a youth academy and just pay kids outright. This is predicated on two principles. 1. The purpose of the academies is that MLS wants to sign 16, 17, 18, 19 year old talent to contracts. 2. There is not a lot of college soccer scholarship money out there now and for the foreseeable future. Based on point 1, if you can't cut it in a youth academy, MLS will not want you in the future. MLS wants Donovans, not Cilas. So why not give up your college eligibility: the academies are your one shot for a professional soccer career. Based on point 2 - it doesn't really matter from a financial point of view if Johnny gives up his eligibility because there isn't that much soccer-related financial aid anyway. Just enroll 15, 16, 17, and 18-year olds in an academy and pay them $1000/month in return for exclusive signing rights through age 20 that belong to the team (or MLS in general). I prefer outright salaries because a successful academy will cut (drop) kids every month or two and this makes the paperwork easier.
Which doesn't preclude them from going to college and having their education paid for by a scholarship (which is not, in this case, the same as a grant-in-aid given by the university). Players in question wouldn't be able to play college soccer because they would have already been a professional in that sport (though the NCAA does allow you to be a pro in one sport and an amateur in another, it just doesn't allow you to be on scholarship in that sport in which you are still an amateur), but they'd be able to go to college and have their tuition and stuff paid for by MLS. The fact that they'd been a pro would in no way impact their eligibility to attend college. But, as Beau mentioned, this type of program already exists. If players aren't taking advantage of it, then adidas is making out even better than they thought they would because they're not having to foot the bill for players' educations to the extent they thought they would. But, as with anyone who doesn't take advantage of a free education, the players in question are only hurting themselves down the road. Blow out a knee and see how quickly they want to go back to school.
On the other hand, if you flame out after 1 year, you've only made $12.5k, and are now ineligable for college soccer, meaning no scholarship. This leaves you $37.5k worse off.
A lot of MLB draftees have a full ride built into their contracts. I've known people from my town who had this in their contracts and one was drafted as late as the 19th round. It's usually offset by very low salaries their first few years (or they contribute to the scholarship fund much like I had to pay into the GI Bill), but the baseball clubs provide room and board so it's not like they're on foodstamps. MLB's minor league system is seen as a superior way to develop players while the colleges do provide quality players here and there. For MLS, college is the major contributor of talent although a youth development system is needed. This scholarship suggestion may be necessary to fully implement this system.
See my post. D-1 schools have only between 9 and 10 scholarships for their entire program. Kids have come out of the regional ODP teams and not gotten a scholarship as freshmen, much less a full ride.
The whole college soccer issue will be better off in this country when people stop trying to change the immense cultural focus on a college education in this country. There may be a youth development system affiliated with the pros, but if anyone thinks for a minute that there will be an extensive paid development system that jeopardizes college eligibility, you're stoned. Because as much as you promise Mom and Dad a chance to develop Johnny, them and Johnny are going to be pissed if he doesn't make it and has to play in a rec league instead of trying for an NCAA title. And the second he accepts a dime from a pro team for training purposes, that's what happens. Because to millions of Americans, going to college is more than about getting money to compensate you for giving pro soccer a shot. College soccer is here to say, kids. Solutions have to work with it, not around it. There are youth development structures that don't involve paying large numbers of kids. That can be replicated underneath the pro team without having to jeopardize college eligibility, something that millions of Americans hold very dear to their heart. And I don't think the pope dreams of a small set of soccer fans will override that reality.
With all due respect monster, I disagree. College soccer does not have the prestige and glamour that college football does. And I do have a teenager (albeit one who does not want to go on with soccer) so I know something (OK - a little) of what he and his pals are thinking. Nguyen is only the beginning: spend one year in college and leave for the big bucks. It is a short step to forego college entirely. I for one would not mind if my kid signed up for an academy at $1000/month. If he washed out after a year it would be because he did not have the skills or dedication to make it. Better to learn early than late.
As far as the NCAA is concerned what is the definition of pro? To be paid? to have a contract? To be paid in the future? Could teams get around all of these issues by having High schoolers sign a 12 year contract? (High yes but let me explain) 4 Years durring high school unpaid but accruing scholarship money. Possibly even gaining guaranteed salary increases when they go pro. Another 4 years while in college either allowing them to play for a college team, or having them take summers off and play with the pro team for that time while not in school. Finally another 4 years after they are out of school to guarantee that no other team swoops in and steal your investment.