Ben Rycroft: Enter the CIS

[DoyleG]

Enter the CIS

MLS must expand its player pool

It's Called Football by Ben Rycroft

METRO CANADA

October 05, 2009 1:17 a.m.

No matter how you slice it, MLS has always been a league designed to help Americans win.

I’m not talking about some kind of unfair advantage that sees big market clubs with easier schedules or such — I’m talking about the rules against allowing Canadian university soccer players into the MLS draft.

As it stands now, no team can draft a CIS player through the MLS SuperDraft — the only eligible players compete in the NCAA.

It’s not from lack of quality; it stems from the fact that MLS was created as an American domestic league with the express purpose of improving the U.S. men’s national team. It’s a league that, up until a few years ago, had very little stake in doing anything else.

But now, with one Canadian team in and two more likely on the way for 2011, it’s time the league took a look at amending that rule because, despite what the U.S. nationalists will tell you, it’s in the league’s best interest to do so.

For now, set aside the labour-law issues that would arise and look at the growth that MLS will experience over the next three years: 16 teams today; 18 teams by 2011; and likely 20 teams by 2012.

On the 24-player rosters, an American team must carry at least 12 U.S.-born players. On the Canadian squads it’s slightly less — 13 North American players, seven of which must be Canadian.

That works out to 50 more domestic-player spots in the league by 2012. It may not seem like a lot, but 50 more first-team players — talented and willing to play at that salary level — will not be easy to come by.

To prepare, the league has started loosening its rules on signing academy players. But, with the rapid growth and most team academies still in their infancy, it will not be enough to fill those slots.

It needs to find another source of domestic players; preferably one that already has a system of development built in.

Enter the CIS. Over the last decade no system of scouting and player development has grown as quickly as CIS soccer. Trinity Western, Montreal and York Universities spring to mind as the best examples. They churn out some of the highest-level talent in the country and if direct access to MLS were available, there is no doubt CIS players would be playing there today.

For what is now clearly a North American league, it’s time for it to start exploring other options.

If it doesn’t, the MLS talent pool, which has been described as shallow at the best of times, will all but run dry by 2012.

– Watch Ben Rycroft on the It’s Called Football show every Monday at metronews.ca; ben.rycroft@metronews.ca

http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/comment/article/330718--enter-the-cis

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Perhaps worth bearing in mind that even if CIS players are not eligible for the draft they can still be invited to training camps if they are seen as good enough so the basic premise of the article is a bit misleading. CIS players do not lose their eligibility if they have a development roster deals at the MLS level (that scenario has applied at TFC with the likes of Srdjan Djekanovic, Gabe Gala and Nana Attakora), which is a better situation than exists with the NCAA where players can only play at the PDL level in the summer months.

[hamiltonfan]

I do agree with you tha CIS players should be eligible for the draft, it would be a step in the right direction for the CIS. however, couldnt CIS players just sign as a free agent to any MLS team? There is no real draw back signing as a FA than signing as a draft pick. If your good enough to make the league, you'll make it no matter where u player previously. It would be nice to see if any teams other than TFC are doing any sort of scouting at the CIS level. I just don't imagine scouts turing away CIS talent because there not eligible for the draft.

[Its Called Football]

A bunch of CIS coaches reached out after this column. A seminar in Ottawa earlier this year saw CIS Coaches, members of

the soccer community, representatives from the CSA and Toronto FC attend and discuss the benefits of creating a 'pipeline' of CIS players into MLS. While there is certainly nothing wrong with free-agency, the feeling among the coaches I spoke to, is that a natural path into a professional league would go a long to building up the infrastructure of development in Canada.

One of those coaches, Pat Nearing from Dalhousie, will be on next Monday's It's Called Football

[Steve B]

CIS will need to improve its infrastructure, especially on the scholarship side to create MLS-draftable players. I have been watching the University of Toronto team this year - I don't think that there is any player even close to pro quality on that team (nor any of their opponents I've seen, for that matter). U of T is currently ranked 7th.

[George]

I don't know whether this is an anomaly but Ante Jazic; played a year for Dalhousie before he went to Croatia.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

University of Western Ontario's goalkeeper of recent years, Haidar Al-Shaibani, is now in France with Nimes. There are occasionally CIS player who have the talent to be pro level players. Forcing them into a NCAA style draft after graduation would be a step backwards from the current scenario of being able to combine university with a development roster deal in MLS, in my opinion.

[jpg75]

If there are players good enough to turn pro in the CIS they will likely get a chance from somebody somewhere. I don't think there's any reason to try and force a rule change to the MLS draft if the CIS pipeline is going to merely produce a few drops. Leave it the way it is and allow the CIS to be used as a means of increased PT by MLS development players.

[masster]

I think this is a lot of ink wasted for what might amount to 1 or 2 players. So what if they are drafted or not? A player can sign a free agent contract with whomever they choose! Isn't that better then going into a draft and your rights being owned by a team that is not a great fit?

Anyways, what makes you think that there is all this talent at the CIS level that could play in MLS? The Whitecaps have been looking at CIS players for years and very few have been able to stick. If they can't play USL, how are they going to play MLS?

Also, CIS has different rules than MLS. A player like Devin Gunenc from UBC is not eligable to play NCAA because he had a contract with the Whitecaps. You think US Soccer wants to get in a fight with the NCAA over what might amount to maybe a couple of players a year? Forget it!

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by masster

I think this is a lot of ink wasted for what might amount to 1 or 2 players. So what if they are drafted or not? A player can sign a free agent contract with whomever they choose! Isn't that better then going into a draft and your rights being owned by a team that is not a great fit?

Anyways, what makes you think that there is all this talent at the CIS level that could play in MLS? The Whitecaps have been looking at CIS players for years and very few have been able to stick. If they can't play USL, how are they going to play MLS?

Also, CIS has different rules than MLS. A player like Devin Gunenc from UBC is not eligable to play NCAA because he had a contract with the Whitecaps. You think US Soccer wants to get in a fight with the NCAA over what might amount to maybe a couple of players a year? Forget it!

My thoughts, as well.