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Football/Soccer - NYRed Bulls: Johnny Exantus can now be sign as a MLS youth academy player
Red Bulls ahead of the curve
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Take a peek inside the practice bubble at Giants Stadium on some nights and you will see soccer players dressed in Red Bulls gear going through drills and playing games. Whistles and shouts from coaches provide the soundtrack as both players and soccer balls dart around in a precise symphony of movement.
To the casual eye, it would be easy to mistake this for a practice session for the Red Bulls, the area's Major League Soccer team. If you look closer, though, you will see the young faces of children who have not made the transition to professional soccer. At least not yet.
Thanks to a series of policy changes by MLS, these aspiring professional soccer players have a far more direct path to the pros than ever before. The league's new player development initiative, launched last fall, will now allow MLS teams to sign players directly from their own league-approved youth programs. As one of the few teams in MLS to already have a qualified player development system in place, the Red Bulls will be one of the first to be allowed to sign their own youth team players, beginning with one player next year.
"The hope is that, not too far down the road, you can see a Red Bulls lineup with a handful of players we helped develop," said Red Bulls technical director Jeff Agoos. "It was a great move by the league and we were in a good position to take advantage of it because we already had one of the best programs in place and now we have that head start."
"We have always operated as if the new policies were already in place," said Clifton native Stan Lembryk, a coach in the club's youth system since its inception. "Our goal has always been to try and develop talent and prepare players for soccer on the next level, so we haven't had to change much in the way we operate."
The club launched its first player development teams back in 2000, when the team was known as the MetroStars, and eventually established youth teams by 2003. In the four years since, the club's youth program has been lauded as one of the best in the nation and the best among MLS teams. The Red Bulls currently field U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-18 teams.
"You can definitely say that about their program," said former MetroStars head coach Alfonso Mondelo, now the MLS technical director for player programs. "They're at the front of the line and teams who had that in place already, like the Red Bulls and DC United, have hit the ground running."
By already having a qualified youth team set-up that met the requirements of MLS' new program, the Red Bulls will be able to sign players identified as home-grown prospects as early as the 2008 season. This means players developed by the team will no longer have to go through the MLS Draft in order to enter the league.
To further entice MLS teams to invest in player development programs, the league also changed its policy regarding player transfer fees. Under the league's old guidelines, if a team sold a player, the profits from that sale went to the league, with the team receiving a set allocation of money. The new guidelines give MLS teams 75 percent of profits generated from player sales.
These changes have led to a rapid response from the league's teams to establish youth programs that meet league requirements. Twelve of the league's 13 teams have already established some sort of player development program (expansion club Toronto FC has not but is expected to soon) and six of the 12 teams have programs that meet the league's new player development requirements, meaning they are now moving closer to the date when they can start signing their own youth players.
The new guidelines could be a boon for a Red Bulls program that is already succeeding at drawing some of the best talent from New Jersey and New York. The allure of providing a fast track to the pros will only help a program that has already produced one standout professional prospect in U.S. U-20 forward Gabriel Ferrari, who is now playing for Italian club Sampdoria.
The players already in the Red Bulls program are fully aware of what the changes mean for them. It has become common to catch Agoos attending youth team practices, watching closely to see which young players will merit the call from the big club.
"It's definitely something we talk about," said Red Bulls Under-18 midfielder Matt Kassel, regarded as the Red Bulls' top youth prospect. "When we see Jeff Agoos on the sidelines watching us we know what he's looking for. It's great because it makes us even tougher on ourselves because we're all fighting for that chance to impress and maybe have a chance to be that player who gets a contract."
The race to uncover new talent should lead to an increase in the quality of talent in MLS and the Red Bulls, with their resources and the deep talent pool at their disposal in this area, stand poised to reap the rewards of the league's policy change and their own hard work in the player development field.
* * *
Red Bulls Top Youth Prospects
Here are the five top prospects in the Red Bulls youth soccer program:
1. Matt Kassel, midfielder, Bridgewater, 17
This U.S. Under-18 midfielder can score and set up goals with ease. One of the nation's top college prospects, he should receive a serious offer from the Red Bulls.
2. Walter Hines, forward, Brooklyn, 17
Speedy New York-based striker has a nose for the goal and was the star of the Red Bulls' Under-17 team last year.
3. Johnny Exantus, forward, South Orange, 17
Most well-known prospect after impressing in training sessions with the senior team in 2006. Exantus is strong on the ball and can finish with either foot.
4. Travis Ives, goalkeeper, Bridgewater, 14
Still a few years away from consideration for the pros but Ives is already one of the nation's top young goalkeeping prospects. He's 6-foot-3, very aggressive in the penalty area and quick for his size.
5. Oscar Gonzalez, forward, Clifton, 15
Not quite as developed as Hines and Exantus but Gonzalez is fast, physically mature, and a good finisher. He will be a Freshman for Clifton in the fall.
EAST RUTHERFORD -- Talk to most 17-year-olds about the possibility of making the jump from high school to professional soccer and they'll either laugh at the unlikelihood of such a move or gush over the possibility of living a dream.
Matt Kassel simply smiles and speaks confidently when asked about turning pro, in part because it is a question he hears more and more each day. Kassel hears it not just because he's regarded as the jewel of the Red Bulls' youth system, but because changes in MLS policy will allow the Red Bulls to sign Kassel right out of high school in time for the 2008 MLS season.
A versatile midfielder equally adept at attacking from a central role or from either wing, Kassel is the best player on the Red Bulls Under-18 and a starter for the U.S. Under-18 national team despite being a year younger than most teammates.
"One of the first things we as a coaching staff see in Matt is that he looks like a pro right now in almost every facet of his game," said Red Bulls Under-18 head coach Paul O'Donnell. "We're basically dealing with kids but everything (Kassel) does is moving him in the right direction."
Kassel is hardly a stranger to the world of professional soccer. Being the son of former MetroStars vice president Tim Kassel gave the younger Kassel access to things most young fans could only dream of. Whether it was watching World Cup matches as a 4-year-old (his father ran the Giants Stadium venue for the 1994 World Cup), making his way into Real Madrid's locker room for some autographs or having family friend Charlie Stillitano organizing a training session with Manchester United that left the English club genuinely interested in him, Kassel knows he has already enjoyed a charmed soccer life.
"Some of the things I've gotten to experience have been really fun and they've made me love the sport even more," said Kassel. "Being around it and seeing it at high levels just makes me hungrier to get to that level.
"It's definitely a dream for me to play the game at the highest levels and make a career off it. That's what I want to do."
Kassel's first exposure to being a player in a professional environment came two summers ago when he went on a 10-day training stint with Manchester United. He trained and played alongside the likes of Roy Kean, Paul Scholes, Tim Howard and Clifton native Giuseppe Rossi and did well enough to earn an offer to join Manchester United's youth system as a 15-year old. The only problem was that he couldn't secure a work permit or European passport.
"When you're walking in to have lunch and Roy Keane is standing in front of you in line it's pretty nice," Kassel said of his England experience. "It was a dream come true.
"It was tough missing out on that but it was understandable," Kassel said of not being able to sign with Manchester United. "I knew if I kept working I would get another opportunity and that's what I'm hoping to do here with the Red Bulls."
In the two years since, Kassel has blossomed into a well-rounded attacking midfielder who can score from anywhere on the field. He has emerged as the leading scorer on the Red Bulls' highly regarded Under-18 team, scoring goals in each of the team's three games at the Region 1 championships last weekend.
"He will do exactly what you want him to without asking a question," O'Donnell said. "Not every player is like that unfortunately. By being coach-able, that's one step in the right direction. We've told him that there are certain parts of his game that need works and he takes that and works on those parts of his game."
Kassel will enter his senior year at Bridgewater-Raritan High School knowing he will have the choice between playing in college or embarking on his professional career right away. He has already committed to play for Maryland, but college soccer is far from a sure thing at this point.
"It's definitely going to be a real tough decision for me," Kassel said. "I know people tell me college is the greatest time, but if I'm going to college then I'm going for soccer to be honest. That's my focus."
Kassel won't have to wait too long to see what it would be like to be on the Red Bulls' senior team. Plans are under way to get him some training sessions with the club to see just how close to ready he is. Kassel can't wait.
"For any guy my age you're going to get a little nervous in the first couple of sessions," Kassel said. "But I think I'll be able to fit in fine with the guys and show people that I can play with these guys and do my thing."
Major League Soccer's changes in policy, which were implemented to encourage teams to invest in player development, will allow the Red Bulls to sign two players from its youth system before the 2008 season. While there are a handful of prospects who could be considered candidates, Kassel is the clear front-runner to be signed. Listen to him talk and it sounds as if he is leaning strongly toward making the jump and going from fan to pro.
"If I can get a good offer and a decent contract then I would definitely jump at the chance to be on a team with these guys and train with people like Claudio Reyna and work with Bruce Arena then that would be a great experience," Kassel said. "I've learned so much and had a great time playing for the Red Bull on the youth level and being the first to make that job would be something special."
Listen to Red Bulls youth coaches and they insist Kassel is the perfect player to make that jump and be the first official graduate of the best youth program in Major League Soccer.
Szetela gaining attention
Clifton native Danny Szetela is back on the radars of European clubs and has helped his cause after scoring the U.S. Under-20 national team's lone goal in its 1-1 tie against South Korea on Saturday.
Italian club Parma, Scottish club Glasgow Rangers and Turkish club Galatasaray have made contact with Szetela's representatives and the Columbus Crew midfielder looks like a safe bet to sign a pre-contract at some point this summer.
Szetela is in the final year of his current MLS contract and has been free to negotiate with other teams as of July 1. One team that hasn't been in contact yet is English club Everton, which came close to signing Szetela before he signed with MLS in 2004.
"If he has another two games like his first game then he's gone," one source close to Szetela said on Monday. "He had a good first game and teams are definitely interested."
Szetela and the U.S. Under-20 national team will face Poland today in Under-20 World Cup action.
]DC, Red Bulls and Chivas USA can now sign youth academy players
DC, Red Bulls and Chivas USA can now sign youth academy players
January 03, 2008
Some 14 months after Major League Soccer announced initiatives that would allow MLS teams to sign players they develop through their own youth programs, three MLS teams are set to take advantage of those initiatives.
Chivas USA, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls have been identified by MLS as having players who qualify to be signed to the senior teams directly. This means that players who have spent at least two years in the youth programs of these teams can be signed directly to the senior roster without having to go through the MLS draft.
According to Alfonso Mondelo, MLS technical director of player programs, Chivas USA, DC United and the Red Bulls have had programs that meet the league's current standards for at least two years(all three had established programs before the league's official initiative in November of 2006), meaning that these teams can now sign as many as two players from their youth set-up.
Will these teams take advantage of this opportunity? The Red Bulls are still in the preliminary stages of considering the option, with highly-rated midfielder Matt Kassel regarded as the top prospect in the Red Bulls' program and most likely to be signed.
"It is something we are looking into but we are more likely to seriously pursue that closer to the season," said Jeff Agoos, Red Bulls technical director. "We need to see if there are players who are ready to step into the first team and contribute.
"Obviously with Matt, you have a quality young player who we have seen closely and he's certainly someone we will consider."
An added twist to the new player development initiative also allows qualified teams to select players from other qualified programs once those teams have signed two players in a calendar year. So if the Red Bulls signed Kassel and speedy forward Walter Hines to the senior team, Chivas USA and DC United could theoretically sign Haitian-born striker Johnny Exantus, another top prospect in the Red Bulls youth system, assuming DC hasn't already signed two of its own players.
The catch there is that teams who do not have qualified programs cannot participate in the signing of other team's youth players. Currently, eight MLS teams have set up player development programs that are now running. The only two teams that have yet to launch a program? The New England Revolution and Toronto FC, both of which are said to be in the planning stages of establishing programs in 2008. Both teams will essentially be a full two years behind the rest of the league in terms of being able to develop and sign their own talent.
Here is my Herald News article from last summer on the MLS player development initiative. And here is my piece on Kassell , who stands a good chance of becoming the first player signed under the new MLS player development guidelines.
UPDATE- Just to clarify a few things. The two-player limit on signing youth academy players is for the first three years of the program (two PER year). Also, there is compensation involved if one team signs another team's academy player.
Lastly, going through the youth academy setup of an MLS does not, in any way, tie up a players rights. If a prospect decides he doesn't want to sign with MLS he can go wherever he wants (ala Gabriel Ferrari).
He played for our U-17 when he was younger and scored 4 goals against Jamaica. He should have been called for the World Cup U17, don't know what happened. My guess is that he was overlooked.
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Kassel's professional future coming into focus
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