Benbow analysis

[USAF]

This is your post - "you use the opportunities that you have to develop your players. MLS is one of the opportunities we have."

1. Development, REAL DEVELOPMENT of soccer players is done at the YOUTH level.
2. Unless you know differently, I haven't seen groups of Jamaican youth players at MLS youth academies & I haven't heard of any plans for this.
3. The youngest Jamaican players to enter the MLS were Powell & Lewis, and both were 18 & a part of your senior team.
4. When it comes to DEVELOPING players, American youth are the TOP priority of MLS, because without a steady supply of American players the league & the national program will be in trouble.

This is just my opinion, but at 18 & signed to a pro contract, development should be done & the GROWTH phase should now be the focus (building on/reinforcing what was done in development).

[Assasin]

Development doesn't stop at 18 years old. Even if we develop quality youths, at 17, 18, 19 and 20, they will need places to go to further develop theirs skills. That is what the MLS and other leagues can provide.

If you notice even Man City is now using the MLS as a development league.

No doubt American kids are their first priority but having a inexpensive relative quality players from our region has also been part of the MLS from interception and will continue to be. I don't see why we shouldn't take advantage of this.

I do not expect the MLS to develop our 10 and 12 year olds.

[Rockman]

Longevity Bricktop,why is Bibi our most acclaimed baller ....?
Relax,the USA is known for great goaljeepers,how did Ricketts fare in the MLS?

[USAF]

Assasin!!! Stop looking to MLS or any professional league outside Jamaica to develop your players......That is Jamaica's job. If Jamaica is serious about developing very good or great players they have to accept that responsibility, because, in my opinion, you have to instill the correct fundamentals, techniques, discipline & tactical awareness before your players are 18.....At 18, professional clubs are looking to build on the fundamentals, techniques, tactical awareness & discipline that should have been instilled in the development phase.
***As I've posted before, I look at the quality of the midfielders, especially the creative midfielders (the engine/director of the team), as a benchmark for the development of footballers.....The reason is that I think the fundamentals, technique, tactical awareness & discipline of very good creative midfielders need to always be at a high level to be successful, while other positions (defenders & forwards) can use athleticism to compensate for any weaknesses in those areas......How many Jamaican creative midfielders have been successful in a top professional league???...... As far as I know, Whitmore didn't make it in a top league (I think he could have if Jamaica had a good youth development system), & only Williams had any success in MLS.......Look at Andre Lewis, who has been a part of your senior team setup since 2012. Vancouver is fighting for a playoff position & he hasn't played 1 minute for them, since the start of the season he's been loaned to Charleston in USL Pro, and reports suggest that the raw talent is there but there are deficiencies that should have been addressed during his development.
"If you notice even Man City is now using the MLS as a development league." - You do know that Man City is a club & has their own MLS club???

[Mosiah]

Look at Andre Lewis, who has been a part of your senior team setup since 2012. Vancouver is fighting for a playoff position & he hasn't played 1 minute for them, since the start of the season he's been loaned to Charleston in USL Pro, and reports suggest that the raw talent is there but there are deficiencies that should have been addressed during his development.

Lewis has been injured (ACL) and wasn't able to play for much of the season.

[Assasin]

A few things. What does it say that Jamaica had 3 players in the MLS draft first round? and the number one pick. What does that say about Lewis talent compared to that of the American kids?

How many creative mid of world class caliber has the US produced over the last 10 years? You think Creative mid are just trained to do what they do?

The fact is even if we put more effort into youth development and even if we develop our league(which I support, read my other development post), we will need second tier leagues and other places to send our youngster. Maybe you see big clubs come knocking but it is a process by gradually sending your players to second tier leagues and having the talent speaks for itself, then you improve the chances of them going to bigger clubs.

If you teach the correct fundamentals, you still need output. You need somewhere for those skills to be displayed, and the MLS is one such avenue. Too many of our talent have no outlet and die because of this. This outlet is what the MLS is there for. You think MLS is doing charity? No because they see some talent in our players why they draft and buy them.

Man City, does it matter if it is country or club? The fact is they are using MLS as a developmental league for their players. The whole idea is to get their youngsters in and get them playing time in a pro league that is pretty competitive.

[USAF]

Was injured July 19.

[Mosiah]

The only reason why Lewis was able to impress all the coaches at the combine was because he was coming straight from Jamaica football. Jamaica can supply many more Lewises as such talent abounds!

Had Lewis gone thru the college ranks, he would have become mechanical, robotic and predictable, like every college player out there.

[USAF]

MLS Draft??? You're seriously asking me about the draft after our discussions???......The draft is primarily there as a bridge between the NCAA & MLS, & I've clearly stated that the NCAA should not play a major role in the national program.

As I've stated before there's only one U.S. midfielder I consider a creative midfielder, & that's Claudio Reyna. The U.S. development system was producing a bunch of hard working midfielders (box-to-box), with some masquerading as creative midfielders......I'm thankful that the system has made changes to development & I can see a difference in the quality, which is why you have Barcelona, Seville, Borussia Dortmund, Fiorentina, PSG, etc. signing these youngsters.

If Jamaica develops & implements a comprehensive football program, aimed at the development & growth of world class footballers, then the focus should be La Liga, German Bundesliga, EPL & Italian Serie A.....You don't see a big problem when the last youth player to be signed by a major club was Keith Kelly, in 2000???

If MLS sees the talent in Jamaican players, then why doesn't Jamaica invest in their development & growth.....A diamond is worth more when it's cleaned, polished & cut.

The player that Man City sent (17 years old) to Columbus Crew is get some playing time.....Do you think a club like Man City would send one their top prospects to Columbus Crew to be developed, where they have none of their coaches to supervise???......PLUS the foundation of his development was done in Nigeria.

[USAF]

I agree with what you said about the college system, but I don't think Assasin will agree.......That's why I agree with Klinsmann & Ramos, about not having the college system be part of the development of our best players.

[Assasin]

You have dreams. How much years it takes for US to develop a credible program that clubs coming to take a look? It is still not even there. MLS/College/Academy is still the main driver. You don't go from 0-10. Your goal for Jamaican football in the short term is not realistic.

How many kids does the US have in these academy that are not of European decent? That are not residents of those countries? How many end up been top class players. Remember you had a player at Manu Academy not so long ago, where is he now??? Before Jamaica can start getting into top leagues, we have to get in second tier leagues and start dominating, prove ourselves just like other countries. I see no reason why MLS shouldn't be a part an outlet for many some of our players. Real Madrid, Barca etc. can only be a plan for few if you know FIFA laws, only a few players can get in unless you related to Craig Butler .

Mancity realize that having a second team in the MLS is much better than having him play for their second team plus certain players who do not qualify for entry in Europe can still come to the states and play for a while.