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**Guest** · 11-16-2021, 10:41 AM

I was told of one player who was given a home grown contract and a college scholarship to a top DI school here locally and he chose the home grown. He didn't get any games, went to play on the USL team and never did anything else. Now he cannot get a scholarship as he signed a pro contract all for chasing the dream of being a pro player.... why would he be given this contract by the Sounders if they never had the intention of using him, thus taking away the opportunity to at least get his degree and have feet to fall on when things in the sports world came crashing through? (again, this was told to me so I may have some details wrong which is not really an impact to the idea that the player gave up the scholarship and went "pro" and then never played).

**Guest** · 11-16-2021, 12:32 PM

Previously Sounders who signed kids to the Defiance were offering to pay college tuition, so that a player under contract could theoretically attend a local college while training. Not sure if that happens now. I will say some colleges are a little wary of signing Sounders Academy kids and then having the kid pull out if the club offers him a last-minute contract. In a few cases, this has happened - kids have backed out of a D1 commitment to stay with Sounders

**Guest** · 11-16-2021, 12:34 PM

Originally posted by Guest View Post

I was told of one player who was given a home grown contract and a college scholarship to a top DI school here locally and he chose the home grown. He didn't get any games, went to play on the USL team and never did anything else. Now he cannot get a scholarship as he signed a pro contract all for chasing the dream of being a pro player.... why would he be given this contract by the Sounders if they never had the intention of using him, thus taking away the opportunity to at least get his degree and have feet to fall on when things in the sports world came crashing through? (again, this was told to me so I may have some details wrong which is not really an impact to the idea that the player gave up the scholarship and went "pro" and then never played).

This happens in baseball every year. It’s on the player to do what is best for them. I don’t see what the big deal is.

**Guest** · 11-17-2021, 02:50 PM

There is no such thing. They pluck off all
the local clubs.

**Guest** · 11-18-2021, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by Guest View Post

I was told of one player who was given a home grown contract and a college scholarship to a top DI school here locally and he chose the home grown. He didn't get any games, went to play on the USL team and never did anything else. Now he cannot get a scholarship as he signed a pro contract all for chasing the dream of being a pro player.... why would he be given this contract by the Sounders if they never had the intention of using him, thus taking away the opportunity to at least get his degree and have feet to fall on when things in the sports world came crashing through? (again, this was told to me so I may have some details wrong which is not really an impact to the idea that the player gave up the scholarship and went "pro" and then never played).

That really sucks but you have to look at it from the sounders view point, they don't care about the kid, they got the kid thinking he could potentially play for them, it turns out he wasn't the right fit. It didn't cost Sounders much resources to lock in the player.

Also if the kid never took the option and went to school, maybe his whole life he would have wondered, "should I have gone the home grown route".

If the kid did get an option for the home grown contract he must be really good, perhaps he can find his way into the pro league somewhere else. Don't give up!