Soccer development program
Generation Adidas is ajoint venture betweenMajor League Soccer andU.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professionalsoccer talent in the United States.[ 1] The program, sponsored byAdidas , offers professional-ready players in the U.S. developmental system not yet eligible for theMLS SuperDraft early entry, allowing MLS to compete with foreign professional clubs without comparable restrictions on player signing.[ 2] From its establishment in 1997 to 2005, the program was sponsored byNike and was calledProject-40 .[ 3] Originally intended to improve the U.S. national team player pool, American national team eligibility is no longer required for program entry.
Carlos Parra was the first Project-40 player when he signed with the league and was allocated to theNew York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1997. Since then, the program has included players such asTim Howard ,DaMarcus Beasley ,Maurice Edu ,Carlos Bocanegra ,Clint Dempsey ,Jozy Altidore ,Ben Olsen ,Sacha Kljestan ,Freddy Adu ,Brad Guzan ,Michael Bradley ,Nick Rimando ,Kyle Beckerman , and NFL kickerJosh Lambo .
Generation Adidas players do not count against the MLS senior roster and usually earn a much higher salary than the league minimum.[ 4] Entering into the program automatically classifies a player asprofessional , and thus disqualifies them from playing college soccer. As a result, Generation Adidas players are also guaranteed scholarships to continue their college education should they end their professional career early.[ 5]
From 1998 to 2000, MLS entered a team of Project-40 players, supplemented by other MLS players who did not get much playing time, into theA-League in theUSL .[ 6]
In 2017, MLS introduced Canadian Generation Adidas players, part of a new initiative with theCanadian Soccer Association . Canadian Generation Adidas players count as domestic players on US based MLS teams.[ 7]
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Assigned team Ubusuku Abukusumo 19 D Albuquerque, NM North Carolina State Columbus Crew Jose Botello 20 M Los Angeles, CA East Los Angeles (Comm) College Los Angeles Galaxy Nino Da Silva 17 M Hoffman Estates, IL Kansas City Wizards Joey DiGiamarino 19 D Corona, CA Cal State Fullerton Colorado Rapids Brian Dunseth 19 D Upland, CA Cal State Fullerton New England Revolution Carlos Parra 19 M West Haven, CT MetroStars Eric Quill 18 F Missouri City, TX Clemson Tampa Bay Mutiny Esmundo Rodriguez 19 M Dallas, TX Indiana San Jose Clash Tim Sahaydak 19 D Bethlehem, PA North Carolina Columbus Crew Juan Sastoque 19 F Brooklyn, NY CSUN Dallas Burn
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Assigned team Jamar Beasley 18 F Fort Wayne, IN New England Revolution Judah Cooks 21 M Bethesda, MD Maryland D.C. United Tim Howard 18 GK North Brunswick, NJ MetroStars Andy Kirk 20 GK Milwaukee, WI Maryland San Jose Clash Chad McCarty 20 D Clovis, CA Washington Tampa Bay Mutiny Matt Napoleon 20 GK Feasterville, PA Columbia Miami Fusion Ben Olsen 20 M/F Middletown, PA Virginia D.C. United Barry Swift 20 F Port-of-Spain, Trinidad MetroStars Scott Vermillion 21 D Olathe, KS Virginia Tampa Bay Mutiny Brian West 19 F Columbia, MD Virginia Columbus Crew Josh Wolff 20 F Stone Mountain, GA South Carolina Chicago Fire
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Assigned team Chris Albright 20 F Philadelphia, PA Virginia D.C. United DaMarcus Beasley 16 M Fort Wayne, IN Bradenton Academy Los Angeles Galaxy Scott Bower 20 F/M Tampa, FL Clemson San Jose Earthquakes Sergi Daniv 23 M Lviv ,Ukraine Wake Forest Chicago Fire Francisco Gomez 19 M Watsonville, CA California Jaguars Kansas City Wizards Michael Green 20 D Columbia, MD Virginia Kansas City Wizards Dema Kovalenko 21 M Rochester, NY Indiana Chicago Fire Alen Kozić 22 D/M Tampa, FL Florida International Miami Fusion Matt Nyman 22 G Westbrook, CT Dartmouth Tampa Bay Mutiny Antonio Otero 21 M Tampa, FL American D.C. United Marvin Quijano 19 F North Hollywood, CA Rio Hondo Comm College Los Angeles Galaxy Maurizio Rocha 22 M Santa Cruz ,Bolivia Connecticut Miami Fusion Scott Vallow 21 GK Naperville, IL Bowling Green Dallas Burn
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Shaker Asad 20 M Raleigh, NC North Carolina State New England Revolution Kyle Beckerman 17 M Crofton, MD US Under-17 Miami Fusion Carlos Bocanegra 20 D Alta Loma, CA UCLA Chicago Fire Danny Califf 19 D Orange, CA Maryland Los Angeles Galaxy Bobby Convey 16 M Philadelphia, PA Bradenton Academy D.C. United Micah Cooks 18 M Washington, DC D.C. United Nick Garcia 20 D Plano, TX Indiana Kansas City Wizards Mario Longo 19 M Apex, NC Columbus Crew Rusty Pierce 20 D The Woodlands, TX UNC Greensboro New England Revolution Nick Rimando 20 GK Montclair, CA UCLA Miami Fusion Seth Trembly 17 M Littleton, CO Bradenton Academy Colorado Rapids Sergio Salas 18 F Falls Church, VA D.C. United
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Devin Barclay 17 F Annapolis, MD US Under-20 Tampa Bay Mutiny Isaias Bardales 21 F San Jose, CA San Jose State Los Angeles Galaxy Edson Buddle 19 F New Rochelle, NY State Fair Comm College Columbus Crew Jose Aparicio Sanchez Jr 16 F Houston, TX San Jose Earthquakes José Burciaga Jr. 19 D Duncanville, TX US Under-20 Kansas City Wizards Chris Carrieri 20 F Stafford, VA North Carolina San Jose Earthquakes D.J. Countess 19 GK Sacramento, CA UCLA MetroStars Nick Downing 20 D Redmond, WA Maryland New England Revolution Eddie Johnson 16 F Palm Coast, FL Bradenton Academy Dallas Burn Martin Klinger 20 F Kearny, NJ MetroStars Black MetroStars Santino Quaranta 16 F Baltimore, MD Bradenton Academy D.C. United Miguel Saavedra 17 M Milwaukee, WI US Under-18 Dallas Burn
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Arturo Alvarez 17 F/M Houston, TX US Under-17 San Jose Earthquakes Brian Carroll 21 M Fairfax, VA Wake Forest D.C. United Ricardo Clark 19 M Jonesboro, GA Furman MetroStars Alecko Eskandarian 20 F Montvale, NJ Virginia D.C. United Eddie Gaven 16 M Hamilton, NJ Bradenton Academy MetroStars Guillermo Gonzalez 16 M Paramount, CA Bradenton Academy Los Angeles Galaxy Nate Jaqua 21 F Eugene, OR Portland Chicago Fire Jacob LeBlanc 21 M Palo Alto, VA Virginia MetroStars Ricky Lewis 20 D Spring, TX Clemson Los Angeles Galaxy Mike Magee 18 F/M South Barrington, IL Bradenton Academy MetroStars Logan Pause 21 D Hillsborough, NC North Carolina Chicago Fire David Stokes 20 D Dumfries, VA North Carolina D.C. United Jason Thompson 21 F Garland, TX Eastern Illinois Dallas Burn
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Freddy Adu 14 M Potomac, MD US Under-17 D.C. United Michael Bradley 16 M Palatine, IL US Under-17 MetroStars Ryan Cochrane 20 D Portland, OR Santa Clara San Jose Earthquakes Steve Cronin 20 GK Sacramento, CA Santa Clara San Jose Earthquakes Clint Dempsey 20 M Nacogdoches, TX Furman New England Revolution Josh Gardner 21 M Houston, TX Cincinnati Los Angeles Galaxy Clarence Goodson 21 D Springfield, VA Maryland Dallas Burn Ned Grabavoy 20 M New Lenox, IL Indiana Los Angeles Galaxy Chad Marshall 19 D Riverside, CA Stanford Columbus Crew Danny Szetela 16 M Clifton, NJ US Under-17 Columbus Crew
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Chad Barrett 19 F Beaverton, OR UCLA Chicago Fire Nikolas Besagno 16 M Maple Valley, WA US Under-17 Real Salt Lake Hunter Freeman 20 D Allen, TX Virginia Colorado Rapids Brad Guzan 20 GK Homer Glen, IL South Carolina Chivas USA Christian Jimenez 18 M San Dimas, CA US Under-20 Chivas USA Will John 19 F Kansas City, MO Saint Louis Chicago Fire Quavas Kirk 16 F Aurora, IL US Under-17 Los Angeles Galaxy Drew Moor 20 D Dallas, TX Indiana FC Dallas Michael Parkhurst 20 D Cranston, RI Wake Forest New England Revolution Ryan Pore 21 F Mansfield, OH Tulsa Kansas City Wizards Tim Ward 17 D Waukesha, WI Saint Louis MetroStars Jamie Watson 18 F Dallas, TX North Carolina Real Salt Lake
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Jozy Altidore 16 F Boca Raton, FL IMG Soccer Academy MetroStars Yura Movsisyan 18 F Pasadena, CA Pasadena Kansas City Wizards David Arvizu17 F Santa Ana, CA US Under-20 MetroStars Patrick Ianni 20 D/M Lodi, CA UCLA Houston Dynamo Kei Kamara 21 F Lawndale, CA Cal State Dominguez Hills Columbus Crew Sacha Kljestan 20 M Huntington Beach, CA Seton Hall Chivas USA Dax McCarty 18 M Winter Park, FL North Carolina FC Dallas Jacob Peterson 19 F Portage, MI Indiana Colorado Rapids Willie Sims 21 F Los Angeles, CA Cal State Northridge New England Revolution Nathan Sturgis 18 D/M St. Augustine, FL Clemson Los Angeles Galaxy Blake Wagner 17 D Tampa, FL US Under-20 FC Dallas Marvell Wynne 19 D Poway, CA UCLA MetroStars Jed Zayner 21 D Orland Park, IL Indiana Columbus Crew
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Eric Avila 20 M San Diego, CA UC Santa Barbara FC Dallas Tony Beltran 20 D/M Claremont, CA UCLA Real Salt Lake Roger Espinoza 21 M Aurora, CO Ohio State Kansas City Wizards Josh Lambo 17 GK Middleton, WI US Under-17 FC Dallas Chance Myers 20 D/M Thousand Oaks, CA UCLA Kansas City Wizards Alex Nimo 17 F/M Portland, OR US Under-17 Real Salt Lake Patrick Nyarko 22 F Kumasi, Ghana Virginia Tech Chicago Fire Ciaran O'Brien 20 M Tacoma, WA UC Santa Barbara Colorado Rapids Brek Shea 17 M/D College Station, TX US Under-17 FC Dallas Rob Valentino 22 D Cave Creek, AZ San Francisco New England Revolution
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Corben Bone 21 M Plano, TX Wake Forest Chicago Fire Teal Bunbury 19 F Prior Lake, MN Akron Kansas City Wizards Dilly Duka 20 M Montville, NJ Rutgers Columbus Crew Blair Gavin 20 M Louisville, KY Akron Chivas USA Luis Gil 16 M Garden Grove, CA US Under-17 Kansas City Wizards Zachary Herold17 D Port St. Lucie, FL US Under-17 Toronto FC Sean Johnson 20 GK Lilburn, GA UCF Chicago Fire Jack McInerney 17 F Alpharetta, GA US Under-17 Philadelphia Union Danny Mwanga 18 F Kinshasa ,DR Congo Oregon State Philadelphia Union Amobi Okugo 18 M Sacramento, CA UCLA Philadelphia Union Ike Opara 20 D Durham, NC Wake Forest San Jose Earthquakes Tony Tchani 20 M Norfolk, VA Virginia New York Red Bulls Andrew Wiedeman 20 F San Ramon, CA California FC Dallas
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team David Bingham 21 GK Castro Valley, CA California San Jose Earthquakes Will Bruin 21 F St. Louis, MO Indiana Houston Dynamo Corey Hertzog 20 F Reading, PA Penn State New York Red Bulls Perry Kitchen 18 M Indianapolis, IN Akron D.C. United Zac MacMath 19 GK St. Petersburg, FL Maryland Philadelphia Union Darlington Nagbe 20 M Lakewood, OH Akron Portland Timbers Michael Nanchoff 22 M North Royalton, OH Akron Vancouver Whitecaps FC Omar Salgado 17 F El Paso, TX US Under-20 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Kofi Sarkodie 19 D Huber Heights, OH Akron Houston Dynamo Michael Tetteh 21 D Accra, Ghana UC Santa Barbara Seattle Sounders FC Zarek Valentin 19 D Lancaster, PA Akron Chivas USA
The 2023 class was announced on December 19, 2022, prior to the2023 MLS SuperDraft .[ 8] The first five picks in the draft, including top pickHamady Diop fromClemson , were Generation Adidas players.[ 9]
Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team Joey Akpunonu 20 D Toledo, OH Bowling Green FC Cincinnati Joshua Bolma 20 M Accra, Ghana Maryland New England Revolution Moïse Bombito 22 D Montréal, QC New Hampshire Colorado Rapids Hamady Diop 20 D Dakar, Senegal Clemson Charlotte FC CJ Fodrey 18 M San Diego, CA San Diego State Austin FC Bertin Jacquesson 21 F Lorrez-le-Bocage-Préaux ,France Pittsburgh Real Salt Lake Shakur Mohammed 19 F Kumasi, Ghana Duke Orlando City SC J.C. Ngando 23 M Paris, France UNC Greensboro Vancouver Whitecaps FC Owen O'Malley 21 M Cary, NC Creighton St. Louis City SC Ilijah Paul 20 F Gilbert, AZ Washington Real Salt Lake Joey Skinner 19 D Charlotte, NC Clemson Nashville SC
The two-member 2024 class was announced on December 19, 2023, the same day as the2024 MLS SuperDraft .[ 10]
The 2025 class was announced on December 18, 2024, prior to the2025 MLS SuperDraft .[ 11]
Project-40 in the A-League [ edit ] Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs Open Cup 1998 2 USISL A-League 5th, Pacific did not qualify did not qualify 1999 USL A-League 2nd, Central Quarterfinals 2000 4th, Central did not qualify 3rd round
^ "U.S. U-20 players headline 2006 class" .ESPNFC.com .^ "McCabe Explains Generation adidas" .US Soccer Players .^ "US Soccer Players" .www.ussoccerplayers.com . Archived fromthe original on December 5, 2004. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2007 .^ Palmer, Tod (May 16, 2014)."Generation adidas program has been beneficial to Sporting KC" .Kansas City Star . RetrievedDecember 19, 2023 . ^ Galarcep, Ives (December 10, 2008)."The Generation adidas targets" .Soccer By Ives . RetrievedDecember 19, 2023 . ^ Firchau, Nick (April 2, 2020)."Project-40: The story of the original MLS youth super team" .MLSsoccer.com . RetrievedApril 19, 2020 . ^ "MLS announces 2017 Generation adidas class and senior signings" .MLSSoccer.com .^ "2023 Generation adidas class announced" .MLSsoccer.com . December 19, 2022. RetrievedDecember 19, 2023 .^ "Charlotte FC picks Clemson's Hamady Diop No. 1 in MLS SuperDraft" . ESPN.Reuters . December 21, 2022. RetrievedDecember 19, 2023 .^ "2024 Generation adidas class announced" .MLSsoccer.com . December 19, 2023. RetrievedDecember 19, 2023 .^ "2025 Generation adidas class announced" .MLSsoccer.com . December 18, 2024. RetrievedDecember 18, 2024 .
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