More on James Rogers and the Youth Academy System

Many of you probably read the recent article by Dan Rasmussen from the Deseret News on Highland High's James Rogers. The 15-year old sensation is one of a few players within RSL's Youth Academy system that the organization has it's eyes on. Because of his performances in the U-15 system, and especially last year on the U-17 team that won the SUM Cup, he has become the most well known of the group.

So how does James Rogers potentially fit into RSL's future? How does the Youth Academy system work and what is the so-called "home grown talent" designation? Also, what about the upcoming Trofeo Quixote tournament in Spain?

About three years ago MLS announced plans for each team to potentially create Youth Academies that would allow them to pluck talent from after a 2-year period of certifying their programs. RSL developed programs in Arizona, Florida and of course Utah. I believe that now most, if not all, MLS clubs have a program in place that now allows them to add one player to their roster that has been designated as "home grown talent". To this point, I believe that the New York Red Bulls may have been the only team to use this designation.

The other advantage of the program is that it also can be used to keep other teams "hands off" the players within these academies. This may become an important aspect of the league over the next several years barring major changes to the rules as a result of the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement after the current one is set to expire in January.

These "home grown talent" players become a special designation of developmental players similar to Generation Adidas players and do not count against the roster.

So how does all of this fit with Rogers? First of all keep in mind that there are other quality players. The Sum Cup championship team consisted of 11 RSL-Utah players, 4 RSL-Florida players, and 3 RSL-Arizona players. One of the RSL-Arizona players, Adrian Saldana, saw action against Real Salt Lake reserves for a couple of weeks last season. Despite being superior to most of his competition at the youth level, by all accounts he struggled against the MLS competition. This wasn't a sign of his talent level, but he just didn't have the experience and the exposure against that level of competition. Thanks to this video, we also know about 18-year old Gaby Okito currently playing for Yavapai College (a soccer powerhouse in the junior college ranks).

Saldana's experience shows why RSL has a vision of bringing along youth players more slowly. As Lagerway described it, their vision is essentially a pyramid:

• The base of the pyramid being youth clubs, such as the RSL Youth Academy.
• The middle tier being a PDL club (Ogden Outlaws) where the players would play against older players in a more structured program. This is the reason that RSL is investing time, energy and money in the Outlaws program. Appointing RSL assistant coach Jeff Cassar to oversee this, and bringing in former Dallas Burn player Ted Eck to coach the team are signs that they view this as an important step.
• The final tier is still being developed by RSL, as they are looking to partner with a USL-1 team to help continue this development. While there is no arrangement in place, RSL recently hosting the Austin Aztex may be a first step that could lead to a future partnership between the two sides.

So where does that leave Rogers? Well according to RSL GM Garth Lagerway he is going to have a very busy year this year. He has the Highland High soccer season to finish up. He'll be playing in the Trofeo Quixote in Spain in June. He's also eligible to compete in another year of the U-17 SUM Cup tournament taking place this year, and he'll be seeing time with the PDL's Ogden Outlaws. This is all a step in his development, and it's by design. As Lagerway pointed out, "the idea of going from a Youth Team directly into the first team is just not realistic."

The Trofeo Quixote tournament in Spain will be a good test for Rogers as he may compete against the future stars of professional soccer around the world. The tournament is setup to unofficial determine the world's best U-17 club team, of which RSL's team will be the representative from the US. There were some concerns that he may have travel restrictions because of his political asylum status, but those have been worked out.

The team will be coached by Utah Youth Soccer Association Technical Director Greg Maas who is a key figure in RSL's Youth Academy in Utah. In addition, RSL assistant coach Brian Johnson will make the trip to Spain.

While we may not expect Rogers in a an RSL-MLS kit right away, he is definitely a player to keep your eye on.

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Friday Real Salt Lake Updates

I was able to sit down with Bill Manning today and can pass along a few updates:

All-Star Game:

One thing I did not realize is that the All-Star Game opponent is actually chosen and negotiated with by the team hosting the event. I assumed that the league was the one driving this, but it's Bill Manning and team.

There are actually still two teams in the mix for this. One team was close to being contracted, but there have been issues regarding TV rights. If these cannot be worked out, then there is a second option. Both teams are top tier European teams, but neither are one of the "Top 5", simply because those teams are too expensive.

Real Madrid Relationship:

This is currently in limbo because of the resignation earlier this year of Real Madrid's President Ramon Caulderon. Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checkett's had a very good relationship with Caulderon, and his departure was likely an initial blow to the team. However, Checkett's also has a relationship with various board members of Real Madrid, and as soon as a successor is in place discussions about the relationship will likely resume.

Ogden Outlaws Relationship:

Real Salt Lake will have a close working partnership with the Ogden Outlaws this season and beyond. RSL Coach Jeff Cassar will be involved with scouting and mentoring players during the season. The team will provide some sponsorship to the PDL club, and also helped the Outlaws land former Dallas Burn player Ted Eck as their Head Coach. Also look for young RSL prospects such as James Rogers to potentially play with the team as a way to further enhance their soccer training in an effort to get them ready to take the step up to Major League Soccer. Update: Here is the press release on the Outlaws/RSL relationship. And another one on the hiring of Ted Eck.

Austin Aztex:

As was widely speculated, the rumored USL-1 opponent for the March 21st exhibition match will be the Austin Aztecs. Contract was recently finalized and this has been confirmed.

Season Tickets:

Season ticket sales died during the Dec/Jan period after a strong renewal surrounding the stadium opener. However, new sales have picked up in recent weeks. The team is expecting to be at 7,000 season tickets sold (outside of corporate sales). Comparing to previous years is a bit difficult as they previously counted corporate/sponsorship tickets in the season ticket count. Now especially with the suites it's important to break these out. Either way this represents a healthy increase over 2008. The team also is projected to be 3rd in the league for ticket revenue (behind Seattle and Toronto presumably).

Charleston Tournament:

This upcoming Charleston Tournament is crucial for Luis Escalada who has reportedly lost 10 pounds and has improved his fitness. He is a back to the goal player who stays primarily in front of the goal. He can knock the ball down and distribute. If he can get into proper form and fitness the team feels that he would potentially be a good complement to either Yura Movsisyan or Robbie Findley on the pitch. This upcoming tournament will be a key to see where he is at.

The tournament is also important for Clint Mathis who showed last season that he has the ability and will put in the effort. He was shut out from scoring last season, but that doesn't necessarily deter the RSL staff from relying on him. However, this Charleston Tournament may bring to light how Mathis may fit in during the upcoming year.

I was also able to get some insight from Manning on the current economic environment and the impact on RSL, and the rest of the league. I will share those thoughts in the near future.

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