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After years of running one of the league's better youth academy programs, the New York Red Bulls may be finally ready to see their program bear fruit.
The New York Post reported today that the Red Bulls have brought in Red Bulls Academy products Johnny Exantus and Dilly Duka to train with the first team, with the possibility existing that the club could sign one or both of the young prospects. While Duka's training stint isn't quite a trial, Exantus is definitely a player the club could wind up signing.
According to sources close to the player, Exantus (pictured, left) has just returned from a trial with French club Metz, where he turned down an offer in order to return to the United States and secure a deal with the Red Bulls. It appears that Exantus is more open to the possibility of signing for a Developmental Contract, which could facilitate his signing, assuming he impresses Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio.
Duka's presence, while just as interesting, is less likely to produce a deal with the Red Bulls.
Duka has been exploring options in Europe during the off-season and the U.S. Under-20 national team midfielder and Rutgers product is more likely to wait until after the Under-20 World Cup in the fall to sign any deals. With a strong showing in the World Cup, Duka could secure a European contract rather easily. All that said, with a league rules change allowing teams to sign two players to Generation adidas contracts instead of just one, MLS and the Red Bulls could theoretically make Duka a sizeable Generation adidas offer to sign.
The more likely of the two to sign is Exantus, who finished his high school career with New Jersey power Columbia last fall. The 19-year-old forward been on the Red Bulls' radar screen since 2006, when then head coach Mo Johnston wasn interested in signing him. MLS rules at that time prevented the club from signing Exantus directly, which forced him to continue playing for the team's youth academy while he starred for Columbia.
If Exantus does sign with the Red Bulls, he would have to sign as an international player because he does not yet possess a green card, another issue that complicated the club's previous pursuit of Exantus.
What do you think of this story? Glad to hear the Red Bulls are finally tapping into their academy products? Happy to know MLS is loosening its restrictions? Think the loosening of the restrictions is fool's gold in light of the shrinking of MLS rosters to 24 players? Hoping Exantus signs so you can finally see what all the fuss was about?
Share your thoughts below.
I don’t know if MLS would necessarily have a problem with unlimited academy signings. If teams were allowed that, college players would be unprotected. Why would a team bother drafting players when they can get as many young(er) prospects from their academies? Why would any player hoping to go pro want to play college ball when there’s almost no chance a team would want anything to do with them because of that choice?
There are other concerns but that’s the biggest of them.
MattC – would that be like GA spots because Dallas has 5 GA’s on thier roster through trades and such
Isaac – Exantus is 5’8 – he’s a little, quick, withdrawn Landon Donovan, Freddie Adu type. Jozy is a 6’1, built like a freight train, Didier Drogba type – they could hardly be more different.
The MLS needs an overhaul for the rules regarding youth academy players. It would be great to see them allow up to 4 spots for homegrown talent on each roster with those spots being exempt from the salary cap until the age of 23.
This would be great to increase the quality of talent in MLS and the depth of these teams to compete in competitions like the Champions League. It also gives incentives to MLS clubs to invest more in youth academies and develop more young American talent.
Giorgio Bravo, Bravo
Send us some players from Lazio would ya.
This is more important than many will recognize. Remember when we were all wondering if MLS would stick around? The collapse of the Florida teams? Now we have an established league that is ACTUALLY developing players. When MLS can develop AND sell players out of their youth systems we will have arrived.
you better not bring my wife to that studio 54 you love so much, i hear porn movies were like tiddlywinks compared to the stuff going on. Men and women. Women and women. Men and men.
Camorra, Schmorra, Sodom & Gamorra, whatever – While you are hunting me down, I will be scoring scoring goals and making your wife happy in ways she never dreamed of, my friend!
Giorgio Chinaglia –
We are gunna getcha for your part in the Camorra crime syndicate, i have the arrest warrant in my hand right now and got your ip from this post. Your days of extorting shares from football clubs is over my friend.
“Get a life,” my friend???? Let me remind you.. I was the best goal scorer for two great teams, traveled and played all over the world, partied at the best clubs and made love to the most beautiful women in the world! Frank Sinatra was a close friend of mine. YOU are home in your mom’s basement waiting for dinner to be served. Por favore,signore!
This isn’t meant as sarcasm, I’m genuinely not understanding…why should MLS have a problem with unlimited signings from the academy Jules?
sonicdeathmonkey… love the name… That’s sorta’ the same as what I was thinking but in my version teams could sign more than two. I can see how MLS would have a problem with unlimited signings though.
Once again, why were these restrictions on signing academy products there in the first place??? No matter, what matters is that it got fixed
Jules, in the article its mentioned that teams can now sign up to two players under GA contracts, which means they won’t count on the salary cap. Good news indeed. I also like the fact that teams can no longer cherry pick players from other teams academies.
Chinaglia get a life!
What “fiasco” with Kassel?
I’ve seen him play. He’s a mediocre holding mid. Whoop-dee-doo.You need someone to put some balls in the back of the net. Someone like ME!
Now, if you want to know the name of a kid whose gonna star for this team, I’ll tell you. The Red Bulls Under-18 team beat tbe Bays, 5-1 this weekened and a kid named Giorgi Chirgadze from Brooklyn scored two beautiful goals.
Great name, great kid, great goals.
And trust me I know about goals. Nobody scored more than I did in the old North American Soccer league. You watc..this kid can score goals and I’ll bet he does okay with the ladies too.
Kassel??? Oh, he can HOLD the ball! Mama Mia! Is that what you want??
Or do you want the excitement only a Giorgio (or a Giorgi) can give you???
You know which ones the ladies would choose!
A great incentive for clubs to sign academy players would be to make them not count against the salary cap. Maybe that wouldn’t last forever, say, five – six years before they’re on the books?
I think that grace period would also work to encourage clubs to retain their homegrown players.
So once again, academy players train with the first team. Not too excited because I’m not convinced that Osorio believes in youth development or knows how to facilitate it. After the fiasco with Kassel, I’m surprised academy kids are not discouraged yet with the whole system.
if exantus is jozy 2.0 than duka is exantus 2.0 + 1. This kid is going to be something special in the next few years, he is already dominating at the college level. Attention front office, SIGN THESE GUYS. If we hope to have a stable future that isn’t realient on iffy foreing talent than we need to change some of these league rules.
If you have the talent, then MLS can showcase you on a pro level without the pressure of a European league. There are plenty of ways to make it on 15k per year, especially living near your parents/hometown. I would love to shine in MLS then get big money in a euro squad a la Altidore/Tim Howard/Bradley etc….
I think it’s great news that MLS has relaxed the rules on youth academies, especially with respect to the reported “no more poaching” rules. Should be a good incentive for development, and who knows, maybe they’ll be good.
DUKAAAAA !! This is the best news i’ve heard all day. Duka is sick over at Rutgers. It’d be great to see him pair up with mac and see what those two can accomplish.
I think we should get Kassel still, i believe he has better vision than both exantus and dukes combined
Galaxian, I worked my way through school and I only made abot 15,000 a year, it can be done if you want it bad enough. I think he came back for residency and because of playing time if he can get a ga contract like zakuani, then I’d take it.
With as much talent as has come through the Red Bulls academy, there is absolutely no reason that they shouldn’t have signed at least one player already.
I dont know about you guys but the Youth Programs really need to improve. I mean if i was offered a contract i would probably decline and choose to go to 3rd tier Europe or even to college. I mean seriously 13,000 a year? That’s risking too much because if you dont make it your life is screwed. Now you dont have money for college and probably didnt do well in highschool because you were practicing all the time. Thats just the way i see it.
I wanna see another Federico Macheda come onto the pitch in a Red Bulls match, making our youth system the best in the US!
Did Exantus reject the Metz opportunity becuase he wants to get his US (residency) status squared away? Which makes sense since even Ligue 2 prolly pays better that dev contract. Now if he gets Gen Addidas that is different. Duka getting time with the RBNY 1st team even if only training is good for the future of the U-20 team and his possible move to Europe. This is just execiting to see academy players being considered to move up at any MLS team. The rest of the world does it this way so why can’t we.
Not even a mention of the Philly Union today, Ives? They only have 2 less wins than the Red Bulls…
Johnny Exantus, Jozy Altidore V2.0
I called it.
only if we dont lose them to freakin england like most of our elites..mls should stop sending players over-seas for we can be a better league.
our academy program is stacked, duka, exantus, kassell, and the kid for the u17s. I hope we do get duka though becuase you rarely see a player with his speed and skill wrapped into one. PLease red bull get this done.
Duka did really well in the U-20 WC qualifiers, coming out of nowhere to QB the attack.
glad to see the program is atleast moving. We must give these kids pro experience in their late teens. Early 20s (like the MLS draft) may be too late