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Canales Corner: MLS Needs To Invest In Its Own Future
Young players are league resources.
May 31, 2010 12:58:00 AM
By Andrea Canales
I have a friend who likes to offer hypothetical "Would you rather?" scenarios and he presented one to me about Major League Soccer recently.
"Would you rather have Thierry Henry join the league next year or have the reserve division of MLS return?" he questioned.
I pointed out that as a journalist, the signing of Henry would be better for me personally in terms of public interest, visibility and article options. For the league, however, I told him the choices weren't close - the return of the MLS reserve system was far more important.
"Look at it this way," I told him. "Think of the league as a gardener. Think of Henry as a zucchini, already grown, maybe just a bit past prime. He needs to be picked and cooked. Think of the young players in MLS, the ones coming up in the youth teams, as little zucchini seeds. If you have a good place to plant those seeds, such as the reserve league, then they'll grow into a far bigger and productive crop. If you're trying to make any money at the farmers' market, or the world soccer market, more is better than one, by far."
Right now, without a structured ladder of advancement for youthful players to develop, an already hit-or-miss chase to establish a professional career in sport becomes even more fraught with difficulty.
Consider the case of Tristan Bowen, who at 16 became the first signing of the LA Galaxy's new youth academy. That was back in 2007, when Frank Yallop was the coach of the team. Since then, the club's logo has changed, Ruud Gullit has come and gone, and now Bruce Arena is in charge of the Galaxy.
Without a reserve division, yet outgrowing the Galaxy's youth teams, Bowen bounced around on loan to the San Fernando Valley Quakes and the Hollywood United Hitmen.
The tall, athletic youngster had a few things in his favor, however. Bowen had talent, and he was also versatile enough to play as a striker or midfielder. It also helped that through the coaching changes, Trevor James was one constant. The Galaxy assistant coach was also in charge of the club's youth teams, tracking Bowen's development and helping him progress.
Though Bowen was officially signed by the Galaxy's senior team in 2008, it wasn't until this season that the teenager made more of an impact with the squad. He scored the winning goal for the team earlier this month in a friendly versus Boca Juniors, then added an assist in league play against FC Dallas on May 20th. This past weekend Bowen scored his first league goal, helping the Galaxy defeat the previously unbeaten Columbus Crew.
Now, the fact that Bowen has succeeded without the assistance of a reserve league would seem, on the surface, to argue against the importance of having such a system in place. What is really revealed, though, is that the league has talent in the youth ranks that needs only a little help to take the next crucial step to contribute to the team.
Instead of just throwing seeds into a vacant lot to see if any take root despite the odds, MLS should provide that fertile environment for players to flourish.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America and is trying to remember to update her Twitter account.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
"Would you rather have Thierry Henry join the league next year or have the reserve division of MLS return?" he questioned.
I pointed out that as a journalist, the signing of Henry would be better for me personally in terms of public interest, visibility and article options. For the league, however, I told him the choices weren't close - the return of the MLS reserve system was far more important.
"Look at it this way," I told him. "Think of the league as a gardener. Think of Henry as a zucchini, already grown, maybe just a bit past prime. He needs to be picked and cooked. Think of the young players in MLS, the ones coming up in the youth teams, as little zucchini seeds. If you have a good place to plant those seeds, such as the reserve league, then they'll grow into a far bigger and productive crop. If you're trying to make any money at the farmers' market, or the world soccer market, more is better than one, by far."
Right now, without a structured ladder of advancement for youthful players to develop, an already hit-or-miss chase to establish a professional career in sport becomes even more fraught with difficulty.
Consider the case of Tristan Bowen, who at 16 became the first signing of the LA Galaxy's new youth academy. That was back in 2007, when Frank Yallop was the coach of the team. Since then, the club's logo has changed, Ruud Gullit has come and gone, and now Bruce Arena is in charge of the Galaxy.
Without a reserve division, yet outgrowing the Galaxy's youth teams, Bowen bounced around on loan to the San Fernando Valley Quakes and the Hollywood United Hitmen.
The tall, athletic youngster had a few things in his favor, however. Bowen had talent, and he was also versatile enough to play as a striker or midfielder. It also helped that through the coaching changes, Trevor James was one constant. The Galaxy assistant coach was also in charge of the club's youth teams, tracking Bowen's development and helping him progress.
Though Bowen was officially signed by the Galaxy's senior team in 2008, it wasn't until this season that the teenager made more of an impact with the squad. He scored the winning goal for the team earlier this month in a friendly versus Boca Juniors, then added an assist in league play against FC Dallas on May 20th. This past weekend Bowen scored his first league goal, helping the Galaxy defeat the previously unbeaten Columbus Crew.
Now, the fact that Bowen has succeeded without the assistance of a reserve league would seem, on the surface, to argue against the importance of having such a system in place. What is really revealed, though, is that the league has talent in the youth ranks that needs only a little help to take the next crucial step to contribute to the team.
Instead of just throwing seeds into a vacant lot to see if any take root despite the odds, MLS should provide that fertile environment for players to flourish.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America and is trying to remember to update her Twitter account.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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