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MLS Ticker: Franklin, LAFC and more

Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports
Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports

Following Fabian Castillo’s recent move to Turkey, it appears another MLS player could be on his way to the European nation.

D.C. United defender Sean Franklin is being linked with Turkish sideĀ Gaziantepspor. (REPORT)

Los Angeles FC is reportedly looking at Tustin as the location for the team’s training headquarters. The club has proposed a 5,000 to 8,000-seat stadium, 18 training fields and more at the 85-acre property. (REPORT)

The Philadelphia Union have signed Homegrown player Derrick Jones, who most recently played for USL side Bethlehem Steel. Jones becomes the Union’s fourth Homegrown signing, and first since 2012. (REPORT)

Former Barcelona academy product Alexis Yves Meva and Gege Soriola are among the players currently on trial with the New York Red Bulls. (REPORT)

Comments

    • The training facilities in Orange County is a bad idea for several reasons;
      The site is the former US Marine Tustin Air Base that was used to house dirigibles in these giant hangers. One which collapsed because of poor maintenance in 2013. The city of Tustin Master Plan for the base is not finished and would have to be amended and along with the toxic wastes at the site the Navy is paying to clean up, means that the earliest a facility could be built and assuming it would get approvals, is around 6-8 years with 10 years the number I got back (I worked in that area for a number of years and have connections with the City of Tustin.

      And finally, LAFC made a commitment to the inner city youths and surrounding population of LA which, although is young, is predominately hispanic and black with low to middle income, and while Tustin is nearby to thriving asian and hispanic population, the core population of Tustin is white, upwardly mobile and middle to upper income. Tustin would be a place where you would want to market your team, but the potential soccer stars are in the urban core areas of LA, sending academy kids from LA area to the suburbs of Orange County is counter productive to LAFC core goals.

      Finally, if you have a few million dollar MLS DP’s, they would have to move to OC to be close to training, or commute from LA to central OC, have you ever done that? It’s ridiculous! If I were joining LAFC I would be living in the Bel Air, BH or the Beach cities. If I had to commute to Tustin I would be instead living in Newport Beach, Tustin Hills or other Orange county beach cities, not LA

      Whatever suit over at the LAFC offices though up this chestnut to take advantage of cost savings through the free land offered to build these facilities should be examined for habitual drug use or go back and read their own bullshit about being part of the LA community.

      Reply
      • Can’t believe I’m saying this, but Bottlecaps is correct on all counts. This is a giant WTF? LAFC is supposed to be the club that supports the city of Los Angeles, leaving the periphery to the Galaxy. Now they’re talking about moving their operation to Orange County? I cannot believe Garber and the MLS will have nothing to say about this. Oh wait, ha ha ha, I just read that last sentence, nevermind.

        FWIW I drove by the site of the supposed new stadium. The old basketball arena is still sitting there. No ground has been broken. No demolition underway. No masses of truck herded around the facility. No sign of life whatsoever.

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