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Wenger, Mattocks sign Generation adidas deals with MLS

DarrenMattocks3 (ISIPhotos.com)

The 2012 MLS Draft is less than a month away and Major League Soccer has secured the services of the two highest-rated prospects coming out of college this year.

Sources have told Fox Soccer that Duke standout Andrew Wenger and Akron star Darren Mattocks have signed Generation adidas contracts, with MLS expected to announce the first of its Generation adidas signings on Tuesday.

The news comes after weeks of speculation that Mattocks would accept one of a trio of offers he was considering from Europe.

The signings leave the Montreal Impact with the option of selecting either player with the No. 1 overall pick. Montreal is believed to prefer Mattocks, but the Impact could also deal the pick.

Wenger and Mattocks joined UCSB forward Sam Garza as the first players to accepted Generation adidas offers.

Sources have also told Fox Soccer that standout college seniors Luis Silva, Casey Townsend and Tony Cascio have all signed contracts with MLS, while Nick DeLeon could be signed as early as Tuesday.

Here is a rundown of the Generation adidas prospects, including who has signed, and who else has been offered contracts:

GENERATION ADIDAS RANKINGS

  1. Andrew Wenger………SIGNED
  2. Darren Mattocks………SIGNED
  3. Kelyn Rowe…………..Offered
  4. Billy Schuler………….Offered
  5. Enzo Martinez………..Offered
  6. Chandler Hoffman……Offered
  7. Sam Garza……………SIGNED
  8. Dom Dwyer…………..Not Offered
  9. Dillon Powers………..Not Offered
  10. Tyler Polak…………..Not Offered
  11. Andrew Jean-Baptiste..Not Offered
  12. Brian "Cobi" Span…….Not Offered (set to sign w/Swedish 1st Division club)
  13. David Opoku………….Not Offered

The new name on the Generation adidas rankings is Tyler Polak. His name has been bounced around for some time, and I recently reported that he was planning to leave school. Now it appears Polak is back on the Generation adidas radar, and has at least one MLS team ready to make him a first-round pick if he signs.

Of the players who have been offered, but not signed, Hoffman is the safest bet to sign. As things stand now, if the top seven players all sign, MLS could wind up sticking with just a seven-player Generation adidas class. It should be noted, however, that every year there is at least one last-minute addition to the class.

What do you think of these developments? Which prospects are you hoping your team can draft?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Tyler polak is an incredible talent I could see him going easily to TFC…… Or even the revs. No way he makes if past dc. Simply no way. If he returned could he seriously go nber one overall?

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  2. Ives from a week ago “Akron University striker Darren Mattocks, a consensus pick to be among the first two players selected in January’s MLS Draft, is ready to pass on the Generation adidas contract offered to him by MLS to sign in Europe. According to Mattocks’ agent, Patrick McCabe, clubs in Norway, Sweden and Denmark have made offers to the Akron sophomore and he is set to select one of those options over the MLS Generation adidas offer.” Although it was just pure speculation, so like Ives said nothing definite was ever posted. Seemed like Ives was convinced he was heading to europe though..

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  3. Columbus Crew technical director Bliss on Speas: “He’s certainly jumped near the lead (of our list) because of what he’s done the last couple of weeks.” … He is a crew homegrown player and their plan is to try to sign him

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  4. ben speas spent time in the Columbus Crew academy … not sure if it is enough to qualify him as a HomeGrown or not but it is a possibility that he can sign with CCrew without going thru the draft at all.

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  5. What i wonder is, will mls do the same thing as last years draft. By that i mean guys like j.rooney and joao plata at the combine. I kinda liked that idea.

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  6. Brian Cobi Span is going to be huge, kinda sad he didnt sign with mls cuz i was looking forward to seeing him play, but dam freakishly athletic, if he stays healthy he will have an awesome career.

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  7. I imagine MLS teams really took notice of Speas during the NCAA tourney. When the reports came out about Schuler going to Europe, there was talk about Speas replacing him in the draft.

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  8. If I was an MLS team I would want Ben Speas. The guy shows again and again he performs when it matters. I’m surprised he’s not being mentioned.

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  9. Mattocks (and presumably his agent) did his homework and leveraged a better deal with the threat of going straight to Europe. Some players hold to that (Charlie Davies being one as he was offered a contract by MLS prior to his going to Hammarby) and some use it to improve their status.

    Well played Mr. Mattocks. Let’s see if you can back it up on the field.

    I

    I wouldn’t be sold on Enzo Martinez to United just yet. United doesn’t need another Umpa Lumpa running around midfield losing every 50/50 physical challenge. If anything they need more physicality in their team. My guess is United will go after either Casey Townsend (local connection) or Spahn from UVA, if either are available.

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  10. They should offer as many contracts as there are talented underclassmen who appear ready to move up to MLS and are willing to sign GA deals.
    In other words it should be based on the talent available that year and not some arbitrary number.

    Having said that I will now contradict myself and say the number of GA contracts should go up because there are now almost twice as many MLS teams as before.

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  11. Uh what the hell are you talking about? There are plenty of threads where nobody mentions Davies. And here it is actually relevant since CD made the decision to skip MLS that Mattocks was considering. The comment was about the progress that MLS has made more than anything else.

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  12. That’s a connection that’s a bit overrated. Sure, it helps get a job in England, but most of the other EU countries aren’t so hung up on the passports for soccer players.

    Even still, I expect that MLS wages will keep rising. Will it be enough to hold on to a guy like Polak? Possibly. Guys have to think about their post-career positioning, too. A long career with one team can be pretty valuable when it’s time to retire as a player. I’m sure that has a lot to do with Donovan’s decisions in recent years — he could’ve made more money in England, and didn’t need to sign a new deal with LA — but he’s now doing very well with endorsements and can expect to be in demand when he retires.

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  13. Glad to hear Mattocks and Wenger are in, want DC to have a shot at the better offensive talent. Enzo Martinez or Rowe would be awesome, hope one of them drops that low.

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  14. I believe Polak has some European heritage and could probably get an EU passport pretty easily – doubt he’d be around for a decade, I don’t think MLS is at that point yet. Money and competition is in Europe now. Maybe someday we’ll be able to hold onto guys like Polak for a decade.

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  15. I think Mattocks is making the right move. I think Span is probably making the right call in looking at Europe — that’s going to be a boost for his development. Mattocks, though, will get to play in MLS and showcase his skills. He’ll grow as a player, and bigger European teams will come calling in 4 or 5 years.

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  16. Question: When you say one MLS is prepared to use a first-round pick on Polak, do you know which team — or are you saying that must be true if MLS is readying a GA offer?

    I know a lot of writers have had Polak ranked a bit lower and everyone raves about Enzo Martinez, saying United can’t pass him up, but I have visions of Polak anchoring the left side of DC’s back line for the next decade or more. Any chance it’s DCU that’s got their eye on him?

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  17. Didn’t some source report just a week ago that Mattocks was going to Europe and definitely NOT signing a GA contract?

    (SBI-Nothing DEFINITE was ever reported. Not by me or anybody else. Mattocks was weighing offers from Europe, and at one point was leaning toward going to Europe. Apparently MLS improved its offer and now he’s with MLS.)

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  18. Last years Akron team is rediculous with the amount of its players that went pro.

    Ampai, Korb, Kitchen, Nagbe, Valentin, Nanchoff, Sarkodie, and now Mattocks. Not to mention Speas and Caldwell who will likely sign with MLS. That’ll be 10 of there championship players going pro.

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