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SANDY — Major League Soccer’s main offices reopened Monday following the holiday break, and the buzz immediately centered around the league’s upcoming SuperDraft on Jan. 15.
MLS announced the Generation adidas class of 2015, a list of college soccer prospects who have signed with MLS and will begin their careers stateside. Generation adidas signees’ contracts are covered by the league, and they will be allocated to individual teams as part of next week’s SuperDraft.
The list includes Notre Dame midfielder Nick Besler, the younger brother of Sporting Kansas City and U.S. men’s national team defender Matt Besler.
The younger Besler led Notre Dame to the 2014 College Cup championship, playing every minute of the season and notching a goal and two assists en route to NSCAA All-American second-team honors.
Other GA contract signees include Pac-12 player of the year Khiry Shelton of Oregon State and Michigan State’s Fatai Alashe, as well as five NSCAA All-Americans.
THE ONE THAT DIDN’T GET AWAY — One college soccer star may be making his way to MLS, even though the league sent mixed messages Monday afternoon.
UConn striker and Canadian national team rising star Cyle Larin also signed a Generation adidas contract, according to a report by American Soccer Now, but MLS’s official list did not include the dynamic playmaker.
The 6-foot-2 forward broke onto the scene as a freshman, scoring 14 goals in 23 appearances as the Huskies reached the 2013 NCAA tournament quarterfinals. The performance caused Canadian coach Benito Flores to call up the young star for Canada’s friendly against Bulgaria last May, just before Larin’s 19th birthday.
Here’s more information about the potential top-3 draft pick from ASN’s Brooke Tunstall.
MORE REGGAE BOYZ IN SLC — Real Salt Lake appears to be on the cusp of signing another left-sided field player in an offseason that saw significant roster turnover, including veterans Ned Grabavoy and Chris Wingert going to former boss Jason Kreis and New York City FC in last month’s expansion draft.
Jamaican national team left back Demar Phillips appears to be on his way to the Salt Lake side, he confirmed in a recent interview in his home country. The 31-year-old is slated to complete a transfer from Norwegian club Aalesund FK to RSL, according to the Jamaica Observer.
Phillips’ deal is reportedly one year in length, with options for additional years based on performance.
The fleet-of-foot wide player scored 12 goals in 120 matches in Norway and also spent time on loan with the English Premier League’s Stoke City after coming up in the system of top Jamaican club team Waterhouse FC.
Phillips told the Observer that he has yet to speak with RSL head coach Jeff Cassar. The left-sided wide player wouldn’t be the first Jamaican international to sign with RSL, though. RSL original and assistant coach Andy Williams was a regular with the Reggae Boyz for most of his career.
