Say what you want about the first team, they keep bringing in young and talented players. After sending five players to the U-20 World Cup, yesterday FC Dallas announced their first ever Academy signing of midfielder Bryan Leyva yesterday.
A 17-year-old who was born in Mexico, Leyva has been a part of the Dallas Academy for over a year, joining in June 2008. He's lived in the U.S. since 2000, and while he does hold U.S. residency, he is currently on duty with the U-17 Mexican national team. Leyva is ineligible to appear for FC Dallas in a league match under the new rules for Academy players and as a result won't count against the roster limit.
What do you think of the move by Dallas? Will the influx of youth help the team improve next season? Can it get better next year for the club? Share your thoughts below.
Name: Bryan Leyva
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’6″
Weight: 140
DOB: February 9, 1992
Birthplace: Chihuahua, Mexico
Another Adu sized player? Hay Chihuahua?
How does this kid think he’s going to get on the field? Schellas only plays people that went to S&MU.
As long as Schellas is the coach, the team will suck.
Cap him!
(I’m kidding)
Just look at it this way. Torres was developed in Mexico and now choose to play for the US nats. Now its Mexicos turn. This is actually better then most Mexico haters think.
I like it, Dallas is coming out to be sort of like an Arsenal (minus being good)
but they are almost the same, they have a young team, and if they keep these young players in 3-5 years, they will get better and will be a dominant force in MLS
I’d like to see them develop him and sell him for some decent money to Mexico.
First he has lived in the USA longer than in Mexico. Second, Bradley should cap him and play him in the Spring if he wants to play in the USA. Last, keep him away from Thomas Rongen.
harry,
dont thnk you could be any more wrong abotu european basketball players. They’re valued so high because they play “the right way” aka team oriented. Look at the first round draft picks since 2000. The difference is, many of them flop and so far not many us soccer players have truly been disappointments in europe. I’ll admit that SO FAR donovan has been a dissapointment, freddy adu and perhaps eddie johnson (though I’d argue he’s a better player now than ever). Others haven’t done as well but I think the “first rounders” have fared well to date. Much better than Darko Milicic.
Is he enrolling at SMU?
ohh yes i do……..yes they have Euro’s in the NBA just like They have AMerican soccer players In europe……..but its the point of European Players have to impress 5X as much as American NBA players to get playing time just like American soccer players have that same as bias against them………
Bias against Euros coming into the NBA? You must not watch much NBA.
Actually having most of the U-20 youth American in MLS ; IS important because unlike England,Germany, France,Italy, Etc. The US is not a World Class Power and we need to develop our players not only to benfit MLS when they sell them off for $$$ to Europe but to grow the US team and have DEPTH. Unlike the other countries Soccer is not #1 here…..and unlike the other countries The US casual sports fan only gets behind a team if its a Winner..and we need the US to be winners…and that means since there is a huge obvious bias against American players in Europe just like how its for European Basketball players coming into NBA….we need our league to be grooming mostly American talent for our National team. MLS will get a huge rise if US won the World Cup.
1)somebody should alert him that if he gets chosen for Mexico in the Final roster and plays; he closed his US door. He mentioned that he would like to play for the US just as much as Mexico…so hes gonna have some thinking to do. since hes already a Pro………the U-17 WC is most likely useless for him since he already has like 5 Pro offers from Abroad and in mexico…so hes gonna have to think and decide if closing your door now is worth it…since once he gains citizenship he can then choose for his personal best.
2)FC Dallas= You are the Example of doing things right for MLS……by getting Mostly American U-20 YOUTH and growing that talent……….Teams like Colorado with nobody even younger than 22 = Poor roster. Whats more exciting to watch a 27-year old 3rd rate wash-up with only expierance as his major weapon or a 18-year old cocky AMerican player with tons of Potential…………i take the latter.
The point is; we’re developing our own youth players. So what if he’s Mexican. Think of it this way; An MLS team could beat a Mexican team with Mexican players it developed. MLS is making CONCACAF better and I like that.
Agree completely with Green76–we need more young talent being groomed by our parent clubs and less 32 yr old central american players wasting roster space. Ill take a flyer on developing four players from an academy over one Alfred Pacheo. Now we just need to expand the roster so it can handle the extra added players ala when the rosters had reserve players- why did that make sense to get ride of again????
What does any of this have to do with national team play? To put it another way, who cares where he plays his national team football?
This is about MLS slowly but surely growing into a league that does things right, such as training up players and signing good youngsters from around the world.
That is a good thing for MLS — a good omen for the future — no matter the national team implications.
FC Dallas has been steadily improving this season and adding some talent to strengthen their roster. Looking at the MLS teams out of the playoff hunt they seem to be the ones best positioning themselves for next season.
I am all for the academy system doing well and that means identifying talent, developing it, and bringing it to MLS. The cream will continue rising to their respective national teams. If it helps other countries too that will just make CONCACAF better.
I read about Chelsea linking with an academy in Hawaii to go with their academies in LA, Baltimore, and North Carolina. If and when they sign a young American from one of these academies I doubt the fans in England will fret about it helping the US National team. Stop thinking small. Effective acadamies are more important than any one player.
I think folks should think less about how this effects the National team and think more about how it helps MLS. One question Ives….as I understood the player academy rules, I thought a prospect had to be in the academy system for two years before they were eligible. Did they change the requirements, or am I not remembering correctly?
Hmmm, either Dallas will win the cup in 8 years, or the Hunts will sell all the talent and go laughing to the bank. My guess is on the laughing part. Sigh my poor dalllas
so we should do away with them, jason?
So MLS Academies are now going to be a hatchery for future players of the Mexican national team? No, thanks!
(SBI-Jason, the job of MLS academies is to develop talent for MLS teams, not the U.S. national team. More quality young talent for MLS, regardless of nationality, means a stronger MLS which means a better league for American players.)
You guys assume he wants to play for the US. It seems like he doesn’t. He was in the US since 2000. Assuming, at that time, he already had his green card, then in 2005 he could’ve applied for US Citizenship.
He didn’t do it then and hasn’t done it since. So, to me, it seems like he wants to play for Mexico.
also it may or may not be next year but some time soon FC Dallas is going to have a good team and some transfer money! hope they can make something of these players.
haha, do you think German fans are angry when a young american is signed to a Bundesliga team after a year or two in its youth system.. No.
or when Torres, Orozco or Castillo are capped by the US…
having an effective youth system and pro development program is something MLS has struggled to establish until..this year?
getting latin-americans involved in the MLS is a huge step for the league and most importantly having a youth system that works is huge. Good news,
What diffreence does it make? He’s not playing in Europe for a Danish team?
He’s not on Bob Bradley’s radar so he won’t get a fair chance.
LOL.
If he plays for Mexico at the U17 World Cup he can never play for the USA
Why?
He’s not an USA citizen yet.
The FIFA rules only allow a player to make a one time switch to a country he was eligible to represent when he played his first youth national team game in an official competition.
If he plays for Mexico at the U17 WC and is still not a citizen of the USA when he plays those WC games, he cannot switch to the USA.
FC Dallas grooming a prospect for the Mexican National Team? Can’t say that I’m too excited about this young man tearing up the MLS.
no yankiboy, he is current not eligible to play for the usa and since he will play in the u17 world cup, he will eliminate any possible chance of ever playing for the usa. it is the same reason subotic was not eligible to play for germany.
You know how we’re always complaining (rightly so) that we don’t do enough to bring young latin-Americans into the US game? Well, let’s file this in the “good news” category.
TimF: He is at least three years away from having to make a decision, and under the new rules, maybe as many as six years away. Keep up with the news.
Good for the Hoops (I hate that nickname). Good for the kid. I hope that Mexico decides that he isn’t good enough and that further down the road he plays for the US if he is ends up living up to the projections of soccer greatness that people currently have for him.
June 2008 – only 1+ years in their system. And RBNY can’t sign Duka who has been in their system longer – only in MLS.
Since he is going to eliminate himself from playing for the usa for good by playing for the u17, let me be the first in saying that I hope Dallas ruins him lol.