Matt Kassel could not have asked for a much better freshman season in college than the one he just finished. The New Jersey native just helped Maryland to an NCAA title in what could wind up being his only season of college soccer.
According to multiple sources, Kassel is leaning heavily toward turning pro and is presently exploring his options, which include seriously considering signing with MLS.
If you think Kassel's MLS options begin and end with the New York Red Bulls, think again.
If Kassel decides to sign with MLS (and sources tell SBI the league is ready to offer him a Generation adidas contract if he does) the Red Bulls would then have the right to add Kassel directly to its roster as a homegrown player. However, if the Red Bulls pass on Kassel, he would then go into the 2009 MLS Draft.
MLS Director of Player Programs Alfonso Mondelo confirmed to SBI that a player in Kassel's situation would indeed enter the 2009 MLS Draft if the Red Bulls were to pass on signing him after he had already been signed by the league, which means the Red Bulls will have a tough decision to make. The club didn't think Kassel was MLS-ready last summer and didn't want to exercise the Generation adidas homegrown player mechanism on Kassel for that reason (in part because the team would then be prevented from using the mechanism for two to three years). Do the Red Bulls sign Kassel and take their chances that they won't miss out on the next big homegrown prospect, or do they let Kassel go into a 2009 MLS Draft where he would be a potential first-round draft pick?
As for whether MLS will actually sign Kassel to a Generation adidas contract, the league was ready to do so last spring so now that Kassel has a year of college soccer under his belt he is an even more attractive option.
So what will the Red Bulls do? It is tough to say. If not for the possibilty of him entering the draft I would see the Red Bulls passing, but can the club really just let one of its most highly-coveted products just head into the draft?
What do you think of these developments? Do you think the Red Bulls taking Kassel if MLS does? Could you see the Red Bulls passing and Kassel winding up on an arch-rival like D.C. United (which has two first-round picks)?
Share your thoughts below.