Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union
MLS NEXT Pro, the new “bridge” league where Philadelphia Union II will compete in 2022, has announced its roster rules and regulations. Click here to read the civilian version of them in full.
As expected, an underlying principle is maximum flexibility. The league includes both wholly-owned MLS “stepping-stone” sides and independent clubs such as Rochester New York FC (formerly the Rochester Rhinos). Next year 29 MLS clubs will have league members, so the league must accommodate 29 different player development philosophies as well as the needs of the independent(s).
The player salary regulations would make 18th century economics theorist Adam Smith — he of “laissez faire” fame — proud. There is no salary cap, and neither are there salary minimums or maximums.
MLS NEXT Pro will have its own contracts that players must sign. The existence and use of options is up to each club.
From an ownership point of view, a laissez-faire salary policy mitigates the roster size (35) that is five more than MLS. The roster subdivides into professionals (24) and amateurs (11). Unofficial reports have given a minimum number of professionals as 13, but the league’s own document says nothing on the subject.
Amateurs must sign “zero-dollar” contracts to provide health insurance and other benefits, must be under 21 on roster compliance day, must never have played college soccer, must never been signed or recognized as a pro by the NCAA or FIFA, and must play or have played for the club’s MLS NEXT academy or other affiliated team.
For professionals there are no age restrictions, aside from national labor law rules.
Each club starts each year with seven (7) international slots that are tradable for specific negotiated periods of time during that season. All international slot trades expire at the end of a deal’s season.
Green card policy follows the MLS change that was implemented last year. This year, the initial one, a green card acquired before the close of the secondary transfer window will count for this year. In subsequent years the card must be in hand on that year’s roster compliance day. Historically green cards for minor league teams have been difficult to get.
Long-term injury policies and the definitions of international or domestic roster categories closely follow MLS examples.
Aside from providing roster updates to the league and opponents on the last business day before a match using electronic media, no restrictions are given on loaning players down from a first-team to a “stepping-stone” game . The document does not say whether season-long loans exist or whether — if they do — they relieve an MLS-contracted player from counting against his first-team’s active roster. Nor does it say how many such loans, if any, may be made for any one season.
MLS NEXT Pro roster compliance day for 2022 is March 18. That suggests league season openers may happen March 19.
What must Keystone Sports do prior to March 19 to create Union II’s roster?
Finding 11 YSC Academy amateurs should be easy. The U17s are playing in MLS Next’s 2021-2022 season already. And although last year’s Union II roster disappeared from the club’s website January 14 to make way for the new one, who was on it is known.
The uncertainty will be whether any of those players are being signed as professionals. YSC Academy player goalkeeper Damian Alguera, who will turn 18 on February 11 and therefore become eligible to sign a contract in his own right, has been on the actual matchday bench for three of El Salvador’s January – February matches. We illustrate the possibility of signing as a pro with him. Nelson Pierre, Bajung Darboe and Jack Jasinski also illustrate the possibility since they played for the Union against Cincinnati in the recent preseason scrimmage, albeit without their names on their shirts.
Finding the 13 professionals is more challenging.
We do not know whether season long, or part-season loans of first-team players to the developmental league still exist. So guessing that third-string Union left back Anton Sorenson might be one of the necessary 13 pros remains just that, a guess.
West Chester United Predators have tweeted congratulations to Conestoga HS and Drexel University striker Chris Donovan for signing with Philadelphia Union II after having been drafted but let go by the Columbus Crew. Predators’ coach Blaise Santangelo is a trustworthy source. There is no official Union announcement.
There has been sufficient credibility to the Tweets about Venezuelan striker Jose Riasco that Jonathan Tannenwald of the Inquirer asked Ernst Tanner about him during the media availability surrounding the Mikael Uhre signing. Tanner smiled and replied that he was not allowed to tell the Inquirer reporter anything about that. Riasco turned 18 on February 2. Whether he is a first-team or a Union II candidate remains officially uncertain and depends in part whether the reported transfer fee can be believed.
There are other somewhat credible Twitter reports of two Venezuelans and a Colombian. And there is an ephemeral one about a Ghanaian.
Were all these rumors to prove true, along with the Sorenson guess and Donovan they would total seven players, so six would remain to be found.
Might the six include first-team homegrowns Cole Turner and Brandan Craig on a loan-per-game basis at the beginning of the season? We don’t know the details of MLS NEXT Pro’s game-by-game loan process, and we don’t know whether such loans would count against our unofficial but assumed minimum requirement.
The Union front office and technical staff have a busy few weeks ahead of them if Union II is actually required to have 13 professionals. In addition to whatever other international players may be in the works, young MLS cuts might fill out the numbers. After all, Drew Skundrich (see photo) did not make the LA Galaxy when drafted, but is now with DC United via Bethlehem Steel FC, the Sacramento Republic, and Loudoun United of the previous stepping-stone league.
After the article was published i read an interesting detail from Brian Strauss of SI that each team will hold the contracts of its players, not MLS or MLS NEXT Pro the league. That would seem to be one of the new ideas being experimented with. Under the general principle announced when the
New league was announced.
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All first team contracts are held by the league.
I would think that some academy kids being signed at 14,15… Years old might become more of the norm going forward. With USL now selling players to Europe it might make sense to not lose promising prospects for free.
child labor laws vary a bit state by state, but in the U.S. they are strict., and at least a few years ago the league checked compliance carefully. at one Bethlehem practice purely by chance I met one of their compliance officers.
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Both parents have to be present at the signing and the child’s school must also give permission.
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I know that in those older days the club did not try to sign foreign players until they were 18, and I suspect that policy continues.
There are also FIFA rules on registering players under 18 who are foreign nationals. Basically you’re only allowed to do it if the parents have come to the country for reasons that have nothing to do with soccer (e.g. a child of immigrants). There are a couple of other minor exceptions but they’re unlikely to apply very often.
For that reason it makes sense the Union isn’t signing under 18 players.
Well with the child’s school for the Union being part of the academy that should be a plus for the team. With MLS territorial rules I believe the parents have to live in the area a anyway but I was thinking more about American players although going forward foreign players could be more prevalent much like they now are in the college draft.
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Interesting quote from Leon Flach in an article by Brian Sciaretta from American soccer now.
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“Here you don’t have the relegation,” Flach said. “I think that’s a huge difference because especially in Germany with relegation, coaches are sometimes a bit scared to play young people because if the young player makes a mistake, the coach is blamed. If the experienced player makes the mistake, the experienced player gets the blame. I think it’s a perfect league for young players to make the first steps and also to improve themselves to a certain level where they can say, now I’m ready to go to Europe. I think it’s a perfect step, especially if you’re looking for play time and also for development.”
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Now with this second league in place and the chance at getting time on the field, you can see how this might be a pipeline for teenagers like the rumored striker from Venezuela.
I really wish the Union would make more of a big deal about Union II – in the Tanner era it has become much more of just an afterthought when it comes to any sort of marketing.
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Part of this is definitely due to the lack of league stability, but I really hope by this time next year we know a LOT more about the team. I miss the days of being able to watch these kids play in the Suub!
TO someone whose primary responsibility is to cover the farm team, the absence of information is frustrating.
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The Sporting Director’s considerable experience has taught him caution, understandably.
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And the League is creating itself right now, still.
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That being said, I am jealous of my counterpart(s) in St, Louis who have a publicly announced preseason schedule, a squad roster, and a technical staff all known.
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Coach LeBlanc seems to be sailing as close to the wind as he probably dares on Twitter. Union II parents trying to have their children earn athletic scholarships for college have to be as frustrated by the information blackout as we are.
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Since Rochester New York FC is an independent club trying to make money by selling tickets and advertising we can safely expect information to flow once the season has begun. And Roster compliance day has been announced as Friday March 18th.