Since we last spoke (or, you know, whatever you might call this means of discussion — I suppose "since I last wrote" would be more appropriate.) — we've seen three players released from camp, two of whom were with Real Salt Lake last season.
Donny Toia, Chris Agorsor, and Austin da Luz were released from camp, and while we don't have any information specifically pertaining to their departures, we can speak briefly about the three.
Donny Toia was our first homegrown player, having signed early in 2011, but never saw the pitch for the senior side. He started as a forward but more recently was moved to left back. It was perhaps deemed that he simply wasn't good enough right now to make the club, and there perhaps were other reasons. Speculation is really all we've got here, and while it's awfully unfortunate that our first homegrown signing hasn't yet made it as a player, we don't know much aside from that.
Chris Agorsor signed with the club in mid-2011 when we were a bit short on strikers, but after he broke his hand (or, you know, some hand-or-wrist injury) and had to spend time on the sidelines immediately after joining the club, his chances quickly disappeared as our squad returned to something closer to full-strength. He's a fast kid, but in recent weeks, the back room staff — it was either Jason Kreis or Garth Lagerwey — has remarked on his deficiency of on-the-ball ability. Those statements proved to be particularly damning.
Austin da Luz is a 24-year-old midfielder who's played at New York and D.C., but his pre-season trial has been cut short. While it is likely because he either didn't show enough or another player has shown significantly more, there are certainly other things that could play into the decision.
Now, removing da Luz from the conversation — I don't know much about him, honestly, and he hadn't already been deemed worthy of consideration — there is something interesting at play here. We've dropped off two players who've been seen to have some very real potential, and the hope was that Jason Kreis and Garth Lagerwey could develop the pair into effective players for the club.
For whatever reason, that wasn't the case. Whether it was a lack of desire, a lack of ability, or squad needs that led to their dismissal, they're gone — but let's assume for a moment that it was because the squad needs weren't being met, and given the limitations the MLS places on rosters, this isn't a far-fetched consideration.
So, with that assumption in mind, I'd like to look at a series of points. They're general enough, though, that even if it's not the case, they're still quite applicable.
- Given the increased focus on academies in Major League Soccer, we can assume that we'll be seeing more players coming into the league.
- Some of those players will come straight from high school, skipping over the college route. This might be because it'll give them a better chance to develop, they aren't interested in college, or simply feel ready to make the leap to full-time play.
- Few players are ready to play regular first-team soccer between the ages of 18 and 21. Certainly the very best will, but there will also be some who don't reach that level until they're into their 20s. Player development occurs at different rates.
- Major League Soccer puts significant restrictions on rosters, limiting the number of players that can be registered. A maximum of 30 players can be registered, though most will register 28 to capitalize on salary cap issues. Only five of those players can make the minimum salary of $32,600 (in 2011), and two of those slots can be used for allocation money — again, salary cap issues abound.
- Realistically, players aged 18 to 21 who aren't going to make many — if any — first team appearances don't fit into this schema. Clubs looking to make the most of their allocation money could have limits of 26 players — leaving essentially no room for "project players."
Here's the question: Can the MLS leverage the increasingly useful developmental academies without changing roster limitations? Will we have to see players shifted to European academies for further development before the league will realize they're running head-first into a situation that will see promising players never reach potential?
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