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Editors' Roundtable: Holding On To The Youth Of MLS
The Goal.com USA editors discuss the talent dispersal from Major League Soccer.
Jul 20, 2010 3:04:00 PM
Allen Ramsey: Sal Zizzo just signed for MLS. How important is it for the league to become the first choice of players like him, who may not be quite ready for top level European soccer, but are extremely talented young players?
Andrea Canales: Frankly, I'm not sure if it's that important for MLS to be the first choice. I think a lot of young players need to go abroad and realize how valuable playing time really is, and also realize that the level of MLS is quality. That's what Robbie Rogers and Landon Donovan did - they tasted life abroad and came back with an appreciation for MLS. The young players that don't have that, I'd just as soon they leave and find out.
Zac Lee Rigg: Do you worry that disrupts their development?
Canales: There's always that risk, but the players who tend to act above MLS - like say, Freddy Adu, I don't think the league benefits them.
Shane Evans: Like they belong abroad even before they're ready.
Canales: They never seem to give their all because they have a superior attitude. The players who have been most successful abroad really earned their MLS stripes. From McBride, Howard, to Dempsey, Bradley, they performed for their league teams before leaving.
Ramsey: I'm not as worried about the individual players. They're getting top quality training, especially in Zizzo's case, but I think it hurts MLS. These young guys are the best way to raise the quality of play in the league. Sign old superstars, surround them with young talent and see what happens. Plus, it would be nice for American fans to see more of their top youth products playing at home.
Canales: It's good to watch the players who are hungry and want it. Omar Gonzalez, Andy Najar, Jonathan Bornstein - those are great young players to watch right now. It's not as if MLS isn't attracting some quality. Besides Zizzo, who has now come back to MLS, who has MLS missed out on that could have make the league better and helped himself as well? Benny Feilhaber?
Ramsey: Lee Nguyen
Evans: Jozy Atidore!
Ramsey: Michael Parkhurst.
Canales: But only Nguyen didn't play in MLS - the rest did - they launched from the league.
Ramsey: True.
Canales: That's not too bad of a ratio for MLS. Can't get them all. And I think with the Development Academy talent coming up, the league will get more of their young players.
Ramsey: I hope so. It's good to see Zizzo coming back, even if it's only for a few years. I think the young American talent is what will make MLS worth watching, if the league can ever pay well enough to keep them around for more than a few years.
Canales: Maybe that's the bigger question - why can't MLS keep its young talent in the league? Like Kljestan, Parkhurst, Bornstein, Holden?
Ramsey: Money. That's the simple answer.
Evans: Solid point.
Ramsey: Why play in MLS for 70 thousand when you can play in Belgium for 250 thousand?
Rigg: There's more that that, though. Fans don't particularly begrudge players who move to Europe because it's a good career move. Usually the standard of play is higher, plus you're more likely to get noticed by even bigger leagues.
Ramsey: I would agree if there were a lot of examples of this, but I don't. Most of the guys from MLS that are in big leagues went from MLS to big league. Tim, Clint, Carlos, Stu. The ones who went from MLS to smaller leagues are pretty much still in smaller leagues. There are a few exceptions of course, like Michael Bradley, but for the most part moves to small European leagues don't give them a better chance at moving to a bigger league than MLS does. Nor does it further their national team hopes.
Evans: I wonder what Danny Szetela thinks about all this.
Ramsey: Seriously. There are several others who should be doing the same thing. Sometimes it'll work out, sometimes it won't. But for the sake of MLS, having bright young American stars is nothing, but a positive.
Canales: I agree, but I still say they have to make the most of it. If they act like they're doing the league a favor by staying, they're doomed.
Ramsey: MLS will chew them up if they have that attitude.
Canales: Yeah, if MLS chews up designated players with that attitude, it'll be no different for the youngsters.
The Goal.com editors have had their say, now it's your turn! Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The Editors' Roundtable runs every week on Goal.com
Check out all of Goal.com's feature articles by clicking here.
Andrea Canales: Frankly, I'm not sure if it's that important for MLS to be the first choice. I think a lot of young players need to go abroad and realize how valuable playing time really is, and also realize that the level of MLS is quality. That's what Robbie Rogers and Landon Donovan did - they tasted life abroad and came back with an appreciation for MLS. The young players that don't have that, I'd just as soon they leave and find out.
Zac Lee Rigg: Do you worry that disrupts their development?
Canales: There's always that risk, but the players who tend to act above MLS - like say, Freddy Adu, I don't think the league benefits them.
Shane Evans: Like they belong abroad even before they're ready.
Canales: They never seem to give their all because they have a superior attitude. The players who have been most successful abroad really earned their MLS stripes. From McBride, Howard, to Dempsey, Bradley, they performed for their league teams before leaving.
Ramsey: I'm not as worried about the individual players. They're getting top quality training, especially in Zizzo's case, but I think it hurts MLS. These young guys are the best way to raise the quality of play in the league. Sign old superstars, surround them with young talent and see what happens. Plus, it would be nice for American fans to see more of their top youth products playing at home.
Canales: It's good to watch the players who are hungry and want it. Omar Gonzalez, Andy Najar, Jonathan Bornstein - those are great young players to watch right now. It's not as if MLS isn't attracting some quality. Besides Zizzo, who has now come back to MLS, who has MLS missed out on that could have make the league better and helped himself as well? Benny Feilhaber?
Ramsey: Lee Nguyen
Evans: Jozy Atidore!
Ramsey: Michael Parkhurst.
Canales: But only Nguyen didn't play in MLS - the rest did - they launched from the league.
Ramsey: True.
Canales: That's not too bad of a ratio for MLS. Can't get them all. And I think with the Development Academy talent coming up, the league will get more of their young players.
Ramsey: I hope so. It's good to see Zizzo coming back, even if it's only for a few years. I think the young American talent is what will make MLS worth watching, if the league can ever pay well enough to keep them around for more than a few years.
Canales: Maybe that's the bigger question - why can't MLS keep its young talent in the league? Like Kljestan, Parkhurst, Bornstein, Holden?
Ramsey: Money. That's the simple answer.
Evans: Solid point.
Ramsey: Why play in MLS for 70 thousand when you can play in Belgium for 250 thousand?
Rigg: There's more that that, though. Fans don't particularly begrudge players who move to Europe because it's a good career move. Usually the standard of play is higher, plus you're more likely to get noticed by even bigger leagues.
Ramsey: I would agree if there were a lot of examples of this, but I don't. Most of the guys from MLS that are in big leagues went from MLS to big league. Tim, Clint, Carlos, Stu. The ones who went from MLS to smaller leagues are pretty much still in smaller leagues. There are a few exceptions of course, like Michael Bradley, but for the most part moves to small European leagues don't give them a better chance at moving to a bigger league than MLS does. Nor does it further their national team hopes.
Evans: I wonder what Danny Szetela thinks about all this.
Ramsey: Seriously. There are several others who should be doing the same thing. Sometimes it'll work out, sometimes it won't. But for the sake of MLS, having bright young American stars is nothing, but a positive.
Canales: I agree, but I still say they have to make the most of it. If they act like they're doing the league a favor by staying, they're doomed.
Ramsey: MLS will chew them up if they have that attitude.
Canales: Yeah, if MLS chews up designated players with that attitude, it'll be no different for the youngsters.
The Goal.com editors have had their say, now it's your turn! Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The Editors' Roundtable runs every week on Goal.com
Check out all of Goal.com's feature articles by clicking here.
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