But because their academy wasn’t at the level that it is today, manager Rick Schantz says now that, “We weren't quite ready at the time to make those types of signings.” Three years ago, for example, Rising had Caden Clark and Diego Luna in training. Related: For Rising FC, academy players training with first team is a symbiotic relationship They can’t offer a direct pathway to MLS, they have limited financial means and they haven’t been up and running as long as MLS academies. “I can tell you from being at all of these academies in some of the last few years, the MLS Next academy system, even the independent clubs, it's a much higher level,” Egner said.Įven USL clubs who are in MLS Next - like Rising - have disadvantages compared to their MLS counterparts. And although most of the other independent USL clubs do have fledging academy systems, many of those remain pay-to-play, which hinders their ability to attract players. While every MLS club has academy teams in the 132-club MLS Next system, only five USL clubs do. The problem with younger players, though, is that many USL academies still lag behind their MLS counterparts. With those constraints complicating the leap to MLS for older USL players, most of those who sign with MLS clubs are younger. The nationality and salary drawbacks - in addition to his slight frame - are the reason Asante never made the leap to MLS when he was named USL MVP in 20, according to Egner. While MLS is inherently appealing to players as the country's top-level soccer league, it becomes less so with a trade-off of less money and less playing time. The MLS veteran minimum salary this season is $84,000 whereas USL stars can make upwards of $100,000. “Outside of those guys, you're looking at a lot of guys who could be on rosters, but they're probably not gonna contribute much or play,” Egner said. The same logic holds true for players like Óttar Magnús Karlsson and Michee Ngalina, who have been among USL’s top scorers this season. Is it unlikely for him because he's an international player? Yes.” “Take Kyle Vassell at San Diego,” Egner said. While those roster spots are tradeable, their limited nature means that they’re often reserved for players who are expected to make an immediate impact. Among MLS’s 28 teams, there are only 224 international roster spots available - eight per team. “MLS can be very ego-driven and these are theoretically guys that you could've had at any point,” Egner said.īut there are plenty of legitimate reasons that USL players rarely make the leap to MLS.įor one, many of the best players in USL are foreign. And we got pushback from the league on that and we were gonna pay a transfer fee and it was minimal.” Ego-driven or legitimate reasons?Īndy Williams, a former MLS scout who now manages NPSL club FC Arizona, said that for him to scout a USL player, “it would have to be recommended by a coach.” Outside of the postseason, Williams added, it was rare for him to go to USL games.Īll of this may paint the picture of a league stubbornly set in its ways, one that won’t give USL players opportunities solely out of pride. On one occasion, Egner added, “We got pushback from the league office when we wanted to bring in a USL player to our MLS team. “It would be difficult for the first-team coaching staff to even bring up players from the USL team into training,” Egner said. “As a soccer nation, our second division shouldn't just be cast aside or overlooked by MLS sides because there's a lot of quality there,” Egner said.ĭuring his time at Real Salt Lake, Egner - who now works as an agent - experienced repeated disagreements when attempting to bring in USL players. He wanted to bring in more USL players, taking advantage of what he perceived as a market inefficiency. Having previously served as the general manager of Real Monarchs - RSL’s USL affiliate - Egner brought with him a unique perspective. Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and N’Golo Kante are among the sport’s superstars who began their professional careers in the second division.Īll of this was in the mind of Dan Egner when he became Real Salt Lake’s technical director in December 2019. In contrast, top European leagues are loaded with players who have spent time in those countries’ respective second divisions. Among the 20 starting outfield players in last year’s MLS Cup, only NYCFC’s James Sands had ever played for an independent USL club. It’s a trend that’s in line with the way MLS operates as a whole.
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