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<DIV class=pagetitle><H1>Top prospects beginning to opt for Europe over MLS</H1></DIV><DIV class=bylinebox style="MARGIN-TOP: 8px"><DIV class=bylinephoto>
</DIV><DIV class=bylinetext>Jeff Carlisle
Archive </DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: left"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: rgb(255,255,255) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
Remember the North American Free Trade Agreement? It was a deal that former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot promised would create a "giant sucking sound" as jobs headed out of the United States. While it's likely that he wasn't thinking of American soccer players when he made that statement, some anecdotal evidence suggests that the rate of players leaving the U.S., while not quite reaching NAFTA-like proportions, is at least accelerating. So will MLS change its ways to hang onto more homegrown talent? Not likely, which depending on whom you talk to, might or might not be a problem.<DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Tony Quinn/WireImage</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Hamburg's Benny Feilhaber, left, chose the Bundesliga and Champions League action over MLS.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
To some, I'm sure the issue is of little concern, the thinking being that the more American players there are in Europe; the better it is for American soccer. That might be true for someone like Clint Dempsey, who had three professional seasons under his belt with New England before transferring to Fulham of the English Premier League. Whether that's true for a player signing his first pro contract is debatable.
What isn't in dispute is that for all of the talk about star imports, MLS is a league built on the backs of its homegrown players, and in order for the on-field product to improve, it's imperative for the league to succeed in signing the best American prospects. If the rumblings at this year's SuperDraft are any indication, the league's ability to do that is being challenged.
That's because prior to the first pick even being made, the player pool had long since been shorn of some its biggest talents. Boston College forward Charlie Davies, deemed by many to be the top prospect in the draft, signed with Swedish side Hammarby. Current U.S. U-20 international Robbie Rogers departed five months earlier to sign with Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie. And UCLA product Kamani Hill signed with Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg last fall.
There were also the threats to go to Europe by players like Notre Dame midfielder Greg Dalby and Cal defender Steve Purdy (both drafted in the lower rounds of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft), which made them less desirable than their respective abilities would imply. In Purdy's case, he made good on his pledge, signing with German side 1860 Munich. Dalby is reportedly on trial with Italian Serie A club Siena.
Out of the players mentioned, the likes of Davies and Rogers were the biggest losses. Not only were they talented attacking players, but as underclassmen, they would have entered the league's Generation adidas program. This would not only have guaranteed them a roster spot, but also a relatively higher salary that would not have counted against the salary cap, increasing their value to MLS teams. And giv
</DIV><DIV class=bylinetext>Jeff CarlisleArchive </DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: left"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: rgb(255,255,255) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
Remember the North American Free Trade Agreement? It was a deal that former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot promised would create a "giant sucking sound" as jobs headed out of the United States. While it's likely that he wasn't thinking of American soccer players when he made that statement, some anecdotal evidence suggests that the rate of players leaving the U.S., while not quite reaching NAFTA-like proportions, is at least accelerating. So will MLS change its ways to hang onto more homegrown talent? Not likely, which depending on whom you talk to, might or might not be a problem.<DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Tony Quinn/WireImage</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Hamburg's Benny Feilhaber, left, chose the Bundesliga and Champions League action over MLS.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
To some, I'm sure the issue is of little concern, the thinking being that the more American players there are in Europe; the better it is for American soccer. That might be true for someone like Clint Dempsey, who had three professional seasons under his belt with New England before transferring to Fulham of the English Premier League. Whether that's true for a player signing his first pro contract is debatable.
What isn't in dispute is that for all of the talk about star imports, MLS is a league built on the backs of its homegrown players, and in order for the on-field product to improve, it's imperative for the league to succeed in signing the best American prospects. If the rumblings at this year's SuperDraft are any indication, the league's ability to do that is being challenged.
That's because prior to the first pick even being made, the player pool had long since been shorn of some its biggest talents. Boston College forward Charlie Davies, deemed by many to be the top prospect in the draft, signed with Swedish side Hammarby. Current U.S. U-20 international Robbie Rogers departed five months earlier to sign with Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie. And UCLA product Kamani Hill signed with Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg last fall.
There were also the threats to go to Europe by players like Notre Dame midfielder Greg Dalby and Cal defender Steve Purdy (both drafted in the lower rounds of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft), which made them less desirable than their respective abilities would imply. In Purdy's case, he made good on his pledge, signing with German side 1860 Munich. Dalby is reportedly on trial with Italian Serie A club Siena.
Out of the players mentioned, the likes of Davies and Rogers were the biggest losses. Not only were they talented attacking players, but as underclassmen, they would have entered the league's Generation adidas program. This would not only have guaranteed them a roster spot, but also a relatively higher salary that would not have counted against the salary cap, increasing their value to MLS teams. And giv
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