|
|
Canales Daily: American Players Leaving MLS
One man enters, another leaves - it's the story of the Major League Soccer Circle of life.
Dec 19, 2008 12:27:38 AM
By Andrea Canales
It's that time of year, when, a hard-fought season over, a coach starts to look forward to planning for the new year. However, he also looks nervously back at the young talent that has grown under his care and wonders if it will be possible to keep them on the squad.
Will they stay and sacrifice to build a winning squad? Or will they be tempted to take more lucrative offers elsewhere?
Enough about NCAA college soccer coaches worrying about losing their players to Major League Soccer, however.
Pretty much everyone at the university level accepts that as the cost of doing business with the most talented out there. If a school brings in a youth national team regular who has traveled and played internationally with that program, it's also taking a bit of a gamble.
Such talented prospects want to experience college perhaps for a year or so, to prove themselves at that level, to enjoy the semi-sheltered step up in independence.
Many, however, are planning and working toward professional careers, and when the opportunity comes for that, they walk away from their scholastic endeavors and their college teams.
No coach who understands that this is a player's dream could really want that denied.
Besides, the circle of life moves on and the pipeline pops out other prospects.
It's the same situation higher up the soccer food chain. Obviously, despite impressive improvement, MLS is not by any stretch the top soccer league in the world. If a player is talented enough to realistically aspire to that higher level, it's no snub on MLS when a player leaves if an offer arrives to realize that dream.
After every such farewell, the cycle of readjustment and renewal continues. But the goodbye has to precede a new hello.
In Houston, the departure of Dwayne De Rosario to Canada opens the door for the development of an exciting young midfielder, Stuart Holden.
Who knows how much playing time young Sacha Kljestan would have gotten early in his MLS career if Ramon Ramirez was fully recovered?
Brad Guzan probably wouldn't have been a starting goalkeeper with Chivas USA in 2005 if Martin Zuniga hadn't gotten injured. When he did, Guzan stepped up to learn rapidly and improved to the point where he has now stepped out of the league altogether. Guzan currently backs up Brad Friedel at Aston Villa.
Kljestan, meanwhile, is also on the cusp of a move abroad.
It's true that it might seem disheartening, watching some of the most exciting young players in the league move on. Yet it's also encouraging that the league is drawing that kind of interest. It solidifies the notion that what the fans are currently watching in the league is a genuine level of quality.
If it wasn't, there wouldn't be this interest in the league's young players from clubs around the world.
It's dismal, perhaps, to think that in the matter of a few short years, Dynamo fans could be waving goodbye again to a fan favorite as Holden prepares for a big transfer to a club abroad. But every MLS fan will feel a little surge of accomplishment at that point.
The first step in making steel strong and tough is to anneal it in a furnace, forcing the heat to take affect. The game action that young players can get in MLS could be considered that trial by fire. Sure, rough edges might get pounded into place in Europe, but ultimately, the raw material often begins to form in the domestic league.
As such, MLS is a crucible, where experiments can develop brilliantly or go horribly wrong. Any fans with a credible tenure following the league can think of players who fit into either category.
No matter who enters or leaves, though, the validity of the process remains. An MLS coach shakes his head with resignation at the latest exit, but there's a bit of pride there whenever a player moves up a level.
Then it's back to scouting a college game, perhaps, to see if the latest prospect can be found.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com USA
It's that time of year, when, a hard-fought season over, a coach starts to look forward to planning for the new year. However, he also looks nervously back at the young talent that has grown under his care and wonders if it will be possible to keep them on the squad.
Will they stay and sacrifice to build a winning squad? Or will they be tempted to take more lucrative offers elsewhere?
Enough about NCAA college soccer coaches worrying about losing their players to Major League Soccer, however.
Pretty much everyone at the university level accepts that as the cost of doing business with the most talented out there. If a school brings in a youth national team regular who has traveled and played internationally with that program, it's also taking a bit of a gamble.
Such talented prospects want to experience college perhaps for a year or so, to prove themselves at that level, to enjoy the semi-sheltered step up in independence.
Many, however, are planning and working toward professional careers, and when the opportunity comes for that, they walk away from their scholastic endeavors and their college teams.
No coach who understands that this is a player's dream could really want that denied.
Besides, the circle of life moves on and the pipeline pops out other prospects.
It's the same situation higher up the soccer food chain. Obviously, despite impressive improvement, MLS is not by any stretch the top soccer league in the world. If a player is talented enough to realistically aspire to that higher level, it's no snub on MLS when a player leaves if an offer arrives to realize that dream.
After every such farewell, the cycle of readjustment and renewal continues. But the goodbye has to precede a new hello.
In Houston, the departure of Dwayne De Rosario to Canada opens the door for the development of an exciting young midfielder, Stuart Holden.
Who knows how much playing time young Sacha Kljestan would have gotten early in his MLS career if Ramon Ramirez was fully recovered?
Brad Guzan probably wouldn't have been a starting goalkeeper with Chivas USA in 2005 if Martin Zuniga hadn't gotten injured. When he did, Guzan stepped up to learn rapidly and improved to the point where he has now stepped out of the league altogether. Guzan currently backs up Brad Friedel at Aston Villa.
Kljestan, meanwhile, is also on the cusp of a move abroad.
It's true that it might seem disheartening, watching some of the most exciting young players in the league move on. Yet it's also encouraging that the league is drawing that kind of interest. It solidifies the notion that what the fans are currently watching in the league is a genuine level of quality.
If it wasn't, there wouldn't be this interest in the league's young players from clubs around the world.
It's dismal, perhaps, to think that in the matter of a few short years, Dynamo fans could be waving goodbye again to a fan favorite as Holden prepares for a big transfer to a club abroad. But every MLS fan will feel a little surge of accomplishment at that point.
The first step in making steel strong and tough is to anneal it in a furnace, forcing the heat to take affect. The game action that young players can get in MLS could be considered that trial by fire. Sure, rough edges might get pounded into place in Europe, but ultimately, the raw material often begins to form in the domestic league.
As such, MLS is a crucible, where experiments can develop brilliantly or go horribly wrong. Any fans with a credible tenure following the league can think of players who fit into either category.
No matter who enters or leaves, though, the validity of the process remains. An MLS coach shakes his head with resignation at the latest exit, but there's a bit of pride there whenever a player moves up a level.
Then it's back to scouting a college game, perhaps, to see if the latest prospect can be found.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com USA
Inside Goal.Com
-
RIGG: Anelka struggling against the current in Shanghai
Nicolas Anelka went against the grain when he moved to Shanghai. Now he's finding that coaching and gelling tactically is like swimming against the tide.
-
ROGERS: Bradley should command a bidding war among Serie A teams
Chievo is currently shopping the American midfielder and several Italian clubs have shown interest.
-
ISOLA: Neymar-led Brazil should be considered the 2014 WC favorite
Neymar was brilliant as Brazil easily handled the United States with early World Cup preparations officially underway.
-
LATHAM: Mexico using summer friendlies to build depth
With World Cup qualifying to begin in June, Mexico is using three U.S.-hosted friendlies to build squad depth.
-
McCARTHY: Harrisburg springs its wildest Open Cup upset to date
The City Islanders fought back from three goals down with nine minutes to play and won the game on penalty kicks in a stunning game on a wild night for the U.S. Open Cup.