Welcome to From The Upper Deck, my blog about RSL and soccer in general. I have a lot of passion for the beautiful game. I am just a fan that likes to sit in the upper deck and take it all in.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Eye on the Academy- March Stock Report

By Pat Eyler

It’s been a while since I've put together a stock report for the players, and a lot has happened in the meantime.  With the regular season approaching, I thought it was a good time to take another look at where things stand.  You might want to read my earlier post on who might play for RSL's upcoming development teams for a bit more insight into how and why the players are ranked the way they are.

The biggest change in my rankings is that Jordan Allen is no longer the top college prospect now that he is a member of RSL’s full men’s team. I've also added a few players based on the rumor that new rules will be created soon to allow MLS teams to sign players to USL Pro teams, and keeping some younger players on a PDL roster.

So, let’s get to it:



Ranking (Former Ranking)
Name
Age Group
Notes
1 (2)
Ricardo Velasquez (MF)
College
Velasquez only has another year or two left in college, but I’m not convinced he’s ready for MLS yet. I think he might get signed to a USL Pro contract for a bit of seasoning
2 (4)
Ive Burnett (D)
College
Burnett is another one who’s more likely to see a USL Pro contract in the near term.
3 (-)
Matt Bersano (GK)
College
RSL’s full team is so deep at GK, that I can’t see them signing someone except to the USL Pro level.  On the other hand, I think they’ll need a USL Pro keeper and the opportunity to bring in an Academy Alum is probably too good to pass up.
4 (3)
Justen Glad (D)
U-16
Justen is a U-16 and has committed to Stanford, but has played (and impressed) with the reserves and full team (as a preseason guest) a couple of times.  He’s probably the most ready to jump into the pros, but I think he’ll play for the Academy and the PDL side for a while before he takes that step.  
5 (-)
Andrew Brody (MF)
College
A sophomore this year, Brody is likely to spend some time in the PDL or USL Pro before potentially stepping up to MLS.
6 (5)
Corey Baird (MF)
U-18
Corey is involved w/ the USMNT U-18s and has committed to Stanford, he’s probably bound for a year or two at the PDL side too.
7 (7)
Sebastian Saucedo (F)
U-16
‘Bofo’ has played with the reserve team a couple of times.  He’s another likely PDL player while he gets some college under his belt.  I’m tempted to move him higher up the list, but RSL is awfully deep at forward.
8 (10)
Jose Hernandez (MF)
U-18
The captain of the U-18s and a solid attacker.  He’s another player I think is bound for the PDL before thinking about the pros.
9 (-)
Jack Gayton (MF)
U-18
Probably headed to the PDL team for a couple of years while he plays @ Louisville.
10 (-)
Sam Gleadle (F)
U-18

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