The MLS Youth Development Initiative
In 2010, Major League Soccer launched its Youth Development Initiative as a way to encourage teams to invest in some sort of youth structure, whether through their own academies or partnerships with local youth clubs. The program was implemented along with “Home Grown Contracts” which allowed clubs to sign players coming out of their local territories to contracts that did not count against the MLS salary cap. These young prospects typically were the top players from the surrounding area and were given an exception from needing to go through the SuperDraft if they signed with the local club.
Allowing teams to land young prospects without having their salaries count against the cap, along with reducing the risk of them signing with opposing teams, helped encourage investment and development in young players that are just starting to show how fruitful they can really be.
Real Salt Lake is one of the best examples. Last season, thanks to heavy impact from injuries, RSL was forced to rely on the services of their academy graduates Justen Glad, Brooks Lennon, Danny Acosta, and Sebastian Saucedo to handle the grind of the MLS season. The youth were able to prove themselves on the field, so much so that Glad, Lennon and Acosta were called into the most recent USMNT camp.
RSL has since signed academy graduates Aaron Herrera and Corey Baird to join additional grads Jose Hernandez and Jordan Allen on the roster next season. All while the club is still in discussion to sign academy standout Taylor Booth, who is deciding between RSL and a move to Bayern Munich for his first professional contract. The Salt Lake City-based club, who is now adding the finishing touches on their own $60-million academy and training center, now has seven academy graduates on their roster, most of whom are expected to contribute regularly next season.
How many of their previously picked SuperDraft players do they have on the roster? Three. One of whom is long-time RSL ironman Tony Beltran, selected in the 2008 SuperDraft, the same draft as teammate David Horst. Horst was released by RSL after three seasons. He then established himself as an MLS regular with the Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers before returning to the Salt Lake Valley last season. The last player is backup goalkeeper Connor Sparrow, who RSL drafted in the fourth and final round of the 2016 draft, but ultimately signed to reserve side Real Monarchs before his standout season in USL led to a first-team contract.
What happened to all the other picks in that eight-year span? Most never panned out. Obviously not every pick will work out long-term and not every team has the youth injection like RSL, but over the last few seasons, the majority of SuperDraft players have fallen out of the league quickly in favor of players acquired in other ways.