TFC Academy

[T_Mizz]

Does anyone know where I could find the roster or any info on TFCA I mean I'd like to be a fan but it's hard when I don't know who I'm cheering for. I mean you can find the rosters of any other CSL team so easily yet they have like half the fan base.

Also I heard Danny Tannous is on the squad which is excellent as he was our U-17 captain last U-17 WCQ tourney, and is also a current U-20 player. (Giving us 4: Melo, Attakora-Gyan, Gala, Tannous) However, the University of Maine seems to think he's going there in the fall so unless they perfect cloning soon, is he leaving or staying? If he leaves we'd have to get him in the draft but that'd be a while from now and not guarenteed.

Also we all know Carver and Mo want this to be as european as possible so does that mean that when these kids signup they sign some kind of contract stating that their professional footballing rights belong to TFC and TFC must be involved if a team wants them. Also can we just sign them whilly-nilly left, right and centre?

Thanks for any info guys,

sincerly,
a confused guy

[Red Baron]

They handed out team sheets at the game. Tannous is on the squad. Was entertaining and will make it out again.

[T_Mizz]

Yeah so is he going to maine or not? because if he has a choice it might not be a difficult one: University or 12 grand a year?

Also could anyone type up theiur team sheet or scan it and post it that would be awesome thanks, I'm sure we're all curious and when this happens, someone update wikipedia

[denime]

Well MLS has some stupid rule about kids develop in Clubs Academies.I think club has right for 1 or 2 tears and than it goes to draft.Thats how very talented kid develop by NYRB was signed by some other club this spring.It is retarded you spend time and money and than suddenly everybody can sign him.
MLS really looks like a BUSH League because of some stupid rule they have.

[rocker]

does that mean that when these kids signup they sign some kind of contract stating that their professional footballing rights belong to TFC and TFC must be involved if a team wants them. Also can we just sign them whilly-nilly left, right and centre?

the kids in the academy can leave at any time. they don't sign a contract for their pro rights. But I do believe if TFC wants to sign a kid they can without that kid being available to other MLS teams (no draft or free agency there). But there are limits on how many can be signed in this manner (I guess it's sorta like that discovery signing thing MLS has). So all these kids playing on the academy are not locked up by TFC. If Columbus saw a kid they liked, they could sign him. But if the kid said "no, I want to sign with TFC" and if TFC wanted to do that, then the kid could choose TFC.

[T_Mizz]

That is absolutely bush league they need to change this in order to give teams an incentive to develop better academies and therefore better domestic players which is one of their mandates.

[TFC07]

But the good thing is that Canadians count as International for American MLS teams, so I highly doubt they'll sign one of our boys and lose an international spot.

[T_Mizz]

Best news I've heard all night, OH CANADA

[Rudi]

Well MLS has some stupid rule about kids develop in Clubs Academies.I think club has right for 1 or 2 tears and than it goes to draft.Thats how very talented kid develop by NYRB was signed by some other club this spring.It is retarded you spend time and money and than suddenly everybody can sign him.
MLS really looks like a BUSH League because of some stupid rule they have.

Actually, NYRB offered the kid a contact and he passed, opting to go to NCAA instead.

the kids in the academy can leave at any time. they don't sign a contract for their pro rights. But I do believe if TFC wants to sign a kid they can without that kid being available to other MLS teams (no draft or free agency there). But there are limits on how many can be signed in this manner (I guess it's sorta like that discovery signing thing MLS has). So all these kids playing on the academy are not locked up by TFC. If Columbus saw a kid they liked, they could sign him. But if the kid said "no, I want to sign with TFC" and if TFC wanted to do that, then the kid could choose TFC.

Not really. Columbus wouldn't just be able to sign a kid out of the TFC Academy.

The rule is that any kid signed outside of the draft must be within the club's youth system for the previous two years. If a kid "graduates" from the academy (gets too old to continue playing) and remains unsigned by the parent club, if he wants to sign with another MLS club he needs to be drafted.

[Red CB Toronto]

[quote=Rudi;8857]Actually, NYRB offered the kid a contact and he passed, opting to go to NCAA instead.


Was that the kid who could not travel to a tournement that the RBNY Academy was playing in out on the West Coast or something, due to the fact he wanted to protect his NCAA status? Does anyone know his name.

[Rudi]

Best news I've heard all night, OH CANADA

[quote=CBlake;8867]

Actually, NYRB offered the kid a contact and he passed, opting to go to NCAA instead.


Was that the kid who could not travel to a tournement that the RBNY Academy was playing in out on the West Coast or something, due to the fact he wanted to protect his NCAA status? Does anyone know his name.

Matt Kassell.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

I think that once the Academy team gets more established we’ll see an online page with pictures and profiles of the U18 squad. Something akin to what they have on the NY Red Bulls and Manchester United sites:

http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/t1...nt/roster_u18/

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pa...8-9EF74A45166F}

I agree with T Mizz that it will be easier to get into following the Academy team if we know a little something about the players. I also agree with the point above the some of the MLS academy rules are messed up. I think it’s a product of the league trying not to undermine college soccer in the US as their main source of players. It’s a little ‘having your cake and eating too’.

[rocker]

Not really. Columbus wouldn't just be able to sign a kid out of the TFC Academy.

The rule is that any kid signed outside of the draft must be within the club's youth system for the previous two years. If a kid "graduates" from the academy (gets too old to continue playing) and remains unsigned by the parent club, if he wants to sign with another MLS club he needs to be drafted.

According to Ives that's incorrect in certain circumstances (see blow). But if you have a different source, please post the link so we can clear it up? I'm just going by what Ives has reported. Rules seem contingent on the team using their 2 spots, leaving other players open.

Not sure what you meant by "not really" in your post. These points seem correct:

1) the kids in the academy can leave at any time. -- true
2) they don't sign a contract for their pro rights. -- true
3) if TFC wants to sign a kid they can without that kid being available to other MLS teams (no draft or free agency there). -- true
4) But there are limits on how many can be signed in this manner (I guess it's sorta like that discovery signing thing MLS has). -- true
5) If Columbus saw a kid they liked, they could sign him. But if the kid said "no, I want to sign with TFC" and if TFC wanted to do that, then the kid could choose TFC. -- note this depends on Toronto signing two of their own first. See below:

From Ives:

Once a team has identified the two youth players it intends to sign, the rest of the players in a particular graduating age group become available for other teams to sign. In other words, let's say the Red Bulls have three top prospects in their final years of participation (Matt Kassel, Walter Hines and Johnny Exantus) and choose to sign Kassel and Hines. That means another team can sign Exantus while paying the Red Bulls compensation. Just what the compensation is remains unclear.

Also:

An added twist to the new player development initiative also allows qualified teams to select players from other qualified programs once those teams have signed two players in a calendar year. So if the Red Bulls signed Kassel and speedy forward Walter Hines to the senior team, Chivas USA and DC United could theoretically sign Haitian-born striker Johnny Exantus, another top prospect in the Red Bulls youth system, assuming DC hasn't already signed two of its own players.

What i didn't realize before is that given the international rules that apply to the development rosters, it's highly unlikely an American team would grab TFC's Canadian academy players... American teams are much more likely to grab American academy players since they can fit easily into the domestic slots and probably would accept the low dev salary.

[Rudi]

...

Ah, ok. I thought you were suggesting that Columbus (for example) could just sign a kid out of TFC's academy at any given time. Which is what my "not really" comment was directed at.

I was aware that anyone from a graduating class after the two that had been signed would be "restricted free agents" to any other team in the league. I simply thought you were suggesting that other teams could cherry pick opposing academies at any time, which is not true, of course.

It seems we were arguing two sides of the same coin.

[T_Mizz]

Yeah just settle this on one side of a boxing ring like men who agree with each other
I really like this because now TFC has the first dibs on virtually all good young canadians assuming the americans don't use one of their two picks on our 3rd best player, or unless they go to university which is quite frankly a much better option than a developmental contract of $12,900. But it does seem like MLS is slowly making itself more credible.
So if I understand this correctly, we have exclusive rights to our favourite two kids, but what happens after that? Can we sign more kids too, or is it just two? I understand that the other teams then have the oppurtunity to sign them but can we still sign them too or is it just the two?

[Bender]

Once all the clubs have established their own academy's.. will they all play in a league together or will the remain dispursed in their own leagues? 2nd, is there some sort of annual tournament for them to all meet up and play each other at this point?

[T_Mizz]

I think they're all just getting started at this point obviously not as new as TFC-A but close and there should definitely be a MLS youth tourney

[Red CB Toronto]

There was some sort of youth tourney last year during the All-Star break in Denver, 12 teams played in it, every team except Toronto and New England had an entry in it and Colorado had two. I am not sure if it is being played in Toronto this year.

[leedsutd85]

I've posted the roster from Friday night's program on Wikipedia. I've only put positions for those players who started as well as the backup Goalkeeper. A couple of players hadn't been assigned numbers yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFC_Academy

[Red CB Toronto]

There was also a player wearing number 46, who was not listed in the roster in the program.

[leedsutd85]

There was also a player wearing number 46, who was not listed in the roster in the program.

I think Donovan Wilson was incorrectly marked in the program as wearing number 26 instead of number 46. I'll change that on wiki.

[Red CB Toronto]

OK, that was why 46 was not listed in the program, thanks for bringing that up, also there is a TFC Academy logo, you might want to replace the TFC logo with it, you might be able to get it off the TFC and/or CSL site.

[T_Mizz]

Thanks so much Leedsutd85 that's what I was looking for

[T_Mizz]

BTW the fact that we have Jarek Whiteman brings the total U-20 Canada players to 5: Melo, Attakora-Gyan, Gala, Tannous, Whiteman

This is what we can realistically expect more of in the future right? I mean we're taking the best players from all over Canada and giving them better training all year round and presumably better competition which will only make them better.