Controversy Surrounds MLS' Home Grown Rule | College Soccer Recruiting News

This is part two of a two part series with Real Salt Lake's GM and an agent that has negotiated an HGP deal. More light is getting shined on this rapidly developing portion of the American soccer system every couple of weeks.

Minneapolis, Minn., – 02/06/2012 The University of Minnesota women's soccer team has announced the 2012 signing class with the addition of six new student-athletes to the Gopher program. Head coach Mikki Denney Wright has snagged five Minnesota preps stars in Ellie Arvesen, Mehan Bolton, Elle Dykema, Kristen Knutson and Allie Reinke while also pulling in [.

Darwin Jones was among the Seattle Sounders' recent cuts from preseason training camp, but that doesn't mean he'll be going very far. The 19-year-old has joined the University of Washington's 2012 recruiting class, giving the Huskies four Sounders Academy products in this class alone. Jones will be accompanied by Michael Gallagher, Ian Lange and Dominique Dismuke.

While the Gophers have not yet released information on their signings for the 2012 season, three players have committed to the University of Minnesota while another, Mehan Bolton, said last fall that she had made a verbal commitment to the team. Elle Dykema from Northfield High School, Kristen Knutson from Eagan and Allison Reinke from [.

Today is National Letter of Intent day where high school student athletes sign with their colleges of choice for fall sports. It's a very exciting day in the lives of student athletes and their parents. The process can sometimes be difficult with many options and choices. With the choices lie opportunities that will shape these [.

how appropriate

Happy mad-libbing!

_______________ (Possession/4-3-3/Passing out of the back) like __________________ (F.C. Barcelona/Spain/Ajax) would never work for a __________________ (Mid-low table Premier League/Major League Soccer/NCAA Division I) team. The __________________ (British/American/American College) game is too ____________ (Fast/Physical/Aggressive) for a ________________ (British/MLS/College) team to play like that.

The North Dakota State University Women's Soccer team has a new head coach. Mark Cook, who has been director of coaching for both Bangu and the Minnesota Thunder Academy for the past 11 years, was announced as the new head coach of the Division I school filling the void left by outgoing coach Pete Cuadrado [.

A name familiar to the Minnesotan soccer community has been appointed to the top coaching position with the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America). Ian Barker, former MYSA Director of Coaching and currently Region II US ODP Assistant Head Coach and Macalaster College Men's head coach has been named Director of Coaching for the [.

The United States Soccer Federation announced on Friday its end of year awards, with the highest honors of Male Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year going to US nationals Clint Dempsey and Abby Wambach. Young Male Athlete of the Year and Young Female Athlete of the Year, which can only be [.

Photo: Earl Gardner

The Philadelphia Union announced on Wednesday morning that they have declined the contract options on Levi Houapeu, Morgan Langley, Ryan Richter and Joe Tait.

The release of Levi Houapeu and Joe Tait frees up two international spots on the Union roster, a key concern with the recent offseason signings of Gabriel Gomez, Nizar Khalfan, Porfirio Lopez, and Josué Martinez.

*If, like me, you took advantage of the holiday weekend and headed for areas of the state less traveled this weekend, here's a quick look at local soccer happenings over the weekend: *First off, the MLS Supplemental Draft gets under way at 11 a.m. today. *The Galaxy's Landon Donovan got

To the outside observer, the 2012 MLS SuperDraft seemed to be breaking almost perfectly for the Seattle Sounders. Despite holding the No. 15 pick in the first round, three Generation Adidas players were available to them when their turn finally came around.

Forward Dom Dwyer, who many seemed to think was high on the Sounders' list, was one of those players.

Kansas City, Mo. – "Ever since I've been a little kid thats all I wanted to do was become a professional soccer player. So it's a dream come true for me. Today was a great day." Those were the words of Calum Mallace on Thursday after he was chosen the 20th overall pick in the MLS [...]

The Philadelphia Union select Raymon Gaddis with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. This pick was originally acquired from Sporting Kansas City in 2010 in the Shavar Thomas trade.

Gaddis was considered by some to be the best right back in the draft, even ahead of Aubrey Perry.

You can follow the MLS SuperDraft here. The highlights so far: *Chivas USA, picking fifth, need a goalscorer or two in addition to Juan Pablo Angel, so they picked up a striker who had 17 goals in 22 games last year, Casey Townsend. That's the entire draft for the Goats

Philadelphia Union assistant coach John Hackworth spoke to reporters via conference call on Wednesday night ahead of today's SuperDraft. He discussed the Union's approach to the Players Combine, the possibility of trades, particularly for an international spot, and how the Union are in a different position going into the 2012 SuperDraft compared to 2010 and 2011.

photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com

After uncertainty clouded his future with Toronto FC, Joao Plata is staying right where he is.

One of MLS's most technically-gifted players, Plata has agreed to re-sign with Toronto FC on a multi-year deal.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The 2012 MLS Combine has come to a close, but not before several players used the event to help their stock while others did not.

In a class dominated by attacking talent, several forwards and creative midfielders enjoyed strong combines, showcasing their goal-scoring and playmaking abilities.

As expected, the Columbus Crew signed two-time National Champion and Soccer America's College Soccer Player of the Year for 2011 Ben Speas as a homegrown player. Speas won the 2010 College Cup with the University of Akron before transferring to UNC and winning it again in 2011. Speas scored the only goal in the 2011 final, winning the MVP award.

It's the biggest excuse to throw a mid-winter party in MLS: the SuperDraft. The annual gathering of coaches, executives and personnel directors all huddled under one roof to select the next crop of can't-miss collegiate prospects.

Sure, it may be a crapshoot. For every Steve Shak, there's a Nick Rimando.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- If you were to ask MLS coaches which players at this year's combine helped their cause the most, David Silva would surely be among the more common names mentioned.

The Mexican-born attacking midfielder from UCSB was one of the brightest spots at the combine, showing the playmaking ability that his him considered a top prospect.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Dom Dwyer did not know he was heading to the 2012 MLS Combine until a day before the event kicked off, but that did not stop him from having a decent showing at the event that he capped off with a goal.

Dwyer helped adiZero (blue) to a 3-1 win over Prime (green) on Tuesday morning, scoring an insurance goal in the 52nd minute of the game when he pounced on a rebound and knocked the ball into the back of the net.

Photo by Steven Limentani/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Historically, players typically improve with each passing day at the MLS Combine, and that was certainly the case for Charlotte forward Evan James this year.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Most of the positive talk during the 2012 MLS Combine has surrounded the forwards and attacking midfielders, but one player who has performed well and does not play either of those positions is Chris Blais.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound goalkeeper was one of the more consistent performers through the event, showing good command of his area and making a handful of fine saves in the process in all three of his team's games.

The Phoenix New Times has an in-depth look at some events in Arizona a few years ago that highlight some of the problems inherent to youth soccer and how youth soccer has changed recently. A successful coach at Sereno Soccer Club named Les Armstrong was suspended from coaching after he forged a parent's signature to drop a player from his roster before the State Cup championships.

Duke standout Andrew Wenger and Stanford senior Teresa Noyola were named winners of the Hermann Trophy on Saturday in recognition of being the top players in Division I NCAA soccer.

Wenger, who signed a Generation Adidas contract after a stellar junior year at Duke, led the ACC with 17 goals and eight assists.

The Hermann Trophy winners announced Friday night in St. Louis had something going for them: precedent. Senior midfielder Teresa Noyola is the third Stanford player in as many years to win the women's trophy; Duke junior forward Andrew Wenger followed in the footsteps of his head coach, John Kerr, who won the men's trophy while [.

University of Redlands Coach Ralph Perez, a former Galaxy assistant coach, is a class act. He (gently) coached me when I participated in a Galaxy fantasy camp for a column. He is often an analyst on Galaxy radio broadcasts with Joe Tutino. And he has assumed numerous coaching roles

Clearing up a few odds and ends before the weekend (that would have posted hours sooner had our soon-to-be-replaced blogging software not freaked out): *Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens, Chivas USA's Jorge Villafaña (formerly Flores) and UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe were named today to the U-23 camp set for Sunday through

3four3 camp pic (12/28/11)

There is nothing high-level available for this group of players during their off-seasons. That hurts, and it must be fixed!

During the holidays we held a 4 day camp for them.

It was a pilot program really, as we have never done such a thing, but I was pleased with the turnout.

The fate of Eric Miller's soccer career hung in the balance at just the tender age of five years old. The deciding factor of one phone call could have made Minnesota, and the nation as a whole, miss out on one of the most promising young talents in the sport. "I was supposed to play [...]

Back in November, the New England Revolution made a major step by hiring former defender Jay Heaps. The assistant coaching staff of the previous regime was kept on until Heaps could hire his own crew, and as news about various drafts circulated, one question has remained: who will Heaps bring in to support him?

I'll be the first to admit that I don't watch much college soccer, sorry. There's simply too much out there for me to consume to give a great deal of attention to a version of the sport where the clock runs the wrong direction and there are infinite substitutions. That said, I do try to watch the playoffs and Final Four every year to at least have some idea of the potential names that could be coming to MLS.

If you are like me and didn't grow up in a college football hot-bed, you are probably amazed at the level the teams in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) are able to compete at.
Terms used in the media phrases like 'major' and 'mid-major' were coined to describe the top college football conferences, which are now 'BCS' (Bowl Championship Series) and 'non-BCS' schools - the have's and the have-not's when it comes to revenue and resources.

Happy New Year to all... A guest post today chronicling the last month in the Premier League by Griggers. Former high school and college soccer star in the United States, he's currently completing his coaching badges and managing on the ... Continue reading →

*The Galaxy announced this morning that the club has re-signed starting defender/midfielder Sean Franklin as well as Bryan Jordan of Temple City and reserve striker Adam Cristman for the 2012 season. The Galaxy also announced they have signed MLS veteran Pat Noonan and goalkeeper Nick Noble. Here's more on the

New England Revolution midfielder and member of the 2010 U.S. World Cup Team, Benny Feilhaber will make his return to the U.S. National Team for its January camp after being left out in the cold since head coach Jürgen Klinsmann took over in July.

Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber will make his return to the U.

One of college soccer's top attacking talents is headed overseas.

After not being offered a Generation adidas deal by MLS, University of Virginia winger Brian "Cobi" Span signed with Swedish club Djurgarden on Tuesday. Djurgarden had also offered former Akron and current GA striker Darren Mattocks a deal before he ultimately signed with MLS.

After winning the 2011 MIAC Men's Soccer Player-of-the-Year, Burnsville, Minn., native David Rosenthal has now collected another honor. The St. Olaf sophomore has been named to the NSCAA DIII All-American First Team as a forward. Rosenthal was the only player selected that was not a junior or senior.

A coaching change at FC Ingolstadt led to an early winter break for Edson Buddle, who was sent home until the new year. The U.S. national team striker isn't going to lay around doing nothing during the German winter break though. He has headed to London, where he will spend a week training with West Ham United.