What happened to Academy player Michael Funes??
by United4Life on May 11, 2011 10:52 AM EDT
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PrintWhile D.C. United has done well with their respective youth teams, what happened to Michael Funes? He had trained with United's first team last year and since then has been called up to the El Salvador U-20 National Team and went to Qualifiers with them, and will be in the U-23 pool for upcoming Olympic qualifiers. Why haven't United looked into a player who has played for so long in the Academy and has National team experience? Looks like he did well training with the first team last year from what it seems like in this article. He also has been in El Salvador with the League's strongest Club (Isidro Metapan) and from the looks of it he will go back to them in preseason to sign a contract. Why does D.C. United want to let a homegrown player go without even give him a shot in the reserves??? Hope to have some info on him and some opinions on the situation.
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Your timing is interesting
According to this article that was just published yesterday, Michael Funes will be returning to D.C. and will be a part of United’s new U-23 team. Meaning that his coach will be Jaime Moreno.
We highlighted Funes last season, and I’m excited to see if he can continue to grow. The new U-23 team is perfect way to keep ties with local Academy guys who might not be quite ready for the first team yet.
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
by Martin Shatzer on May 11, 2011 10:04 PM EDT reply actions
Looks like he wants to impress in El Salvador
United4Life, I think you might be taking an overly simplified view of the situation. United has to find time for their current senior roster players in reserve matches, plus the youngsters in the Academy that are here full time. Funes doesn’t sound like he’s 100% committed to United; he may well out-and-out prefer to play for Isidro Metapan (where the El Salvador national team coaches could see him in person regularly, and where he’d be more likely to get first-team minutes in the short term). It’s awfully harsh to imply that DC just screwed the pooch on this one without knowing more about what Funes wants. You can’t make a guy play for you, after all.
Writer - Black and Red United
Ooh! A new wrinkle in Academy rules!! (I'm a lawyer, I get excited about these things...)
So: We know that an Academy-developed prospect who comes out of college early can still sign as a homegrown player without entering the SuperDuperDraft.
We know that a young first team player who leaves on a free transfer will have his rights retained by his former MLS club (assuming he isn’t eligible for the re-entry draft, which a young guy like Fuenes wouldn’t be).
My question: What happens when an Academy-developed prospect who hasn’t been signed instead signs for a foreign league and then looks to come “back” to MLS? Would his “former club” (i.e. the Academy that developed him) get his rights and the ability to sign him to a homegrown or discovery contract? Would he have the ability to enter the SuperDeeDuperDraft? Would he be a total free agent vis-a-vis the league?
These are the things I think about. And I don’t know if MLS rules have a clear answer.
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