MLS Insider Blog

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

I’m not sure what’s going on at the D.C. United academy but they seem to be doing something very right when it comes to developing young goalkeepers. First we had 19 year-old Bill Hamid wowing us all at the beginning of the season with his age-belying, Troy Perkins-usurping play and now we have U-17 keeper Dakota Niedermeier dropping our jaws with a 5-block performance during tie-breaking PK’s in this year’s SUM Cup final.

And to add the cherry on top of the whole thing Niedermeier also scored the final PK for United. If this wasn’t a U-17 match I’m certain a champagne shower would have been directed his way in the locker room but since these kids aren’t even old enough to be drafted maybe they just gave him a Gatorade and a few thankful smiles afterward. As for whoever the academy’s goalkeeping coach is, there may be a few bottles purchased for him by the D.C. United faithful should he continue to produce talent like this.

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

Last night Adidas threw a cool little event for the SUM Cup teams at the Adidas store in the Galleria, Houston’s iconic shopping super-center and monument to retail consumerism. The players were treated to a private, after-hours event with DJ’s, food and discounted shopping all night long.

It was pretty cool for the kids to get a little bit of the star treatment and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. And they certainly enjoyed the discount; when you’re 16, 25% or 30% off can go a long way toward making your allowance or lawn-mowing money last a little bit longer (and scoring a pair of limited edition Stan Smiths).

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

There are a handful of former players nestled amongst the ranks of the scouts and coaches at SUM Cup this year. I’ve seen everyone from Everton legend Paul Rideout to Kansas City goalkeeping icon Bo Oshoniyi patrolling the sidelines so far and I hear Greg Vanney is about but I’ve yet to run into him.

Another former player that I did run into though was Toronto FC legend Danny Dichio, now a coach in TFC’s academy system. The video above is a quick chat with the BMO Field-favorite and sometime DJ about SUM Cup and the chances of seeing him throw a party at MLS Cup this year. Could a Dichio vs. DeRo after-party be in the works?

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

At Centennial Field last night for SUM Cup, I was lucky enough to run into former Wizards and Crew keeper Bo Oshoniyi. What’s the 2004 MLS Cup U.S. Open Cup winner up to these days? Finding the next generation of players for Steve Nicol…sort of. Watch this clip and you’ll see what I mean.

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

Yesterday I arrived in Houston for SUM Cup and the All Star game. But with the All Stars not slated for action until Wednesday the first order of business was SUM Cup, the annual tournament that features the U-17 academy teams from all 16 MLS clubs. This year the event took place in Centennial Park in Friendswood, TX.

Being that Friendswood is far enough south of Houston that it is in coastal Galveston County, the day felt more like an expedition than a tournament; after flying from Newark to Houston I endured an hour & a half drive to the event only to be greeted by a sign advising me to beware of snakes, mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds and so much humidity that -hand over heart- the pages of my notebook were visibly moist by the time I left.

With 8 games going on over a 5-hour period I wasn’t able to see every team but I did catch 2 complete games (K.C. vs. LA, New York vs. RSL) and parts of 2 others (Houston v. Toronto, Seattle v. Dallas). I also caught up with former Wizards & Crew keeper Bo Oshoniyi, now an assistant coach at Wake Forest.

As far as the players is saw, three stuck out to me. The first was Kansas City’s Nathan Opperman, a disruptive, left-sided midfielder who would swing into the middle of the field to distribute as well as attack on the wing. Another player that left an impression was New York’s bruising centerback Brandon Alvarado, a John Cena-built kid so vocal and muscular that more than one observer likened him to a Marine.

The third guy was Seattle keeper Rodney Greiling; that’s him in the video above saving a PK against Dallas to win the game for Seattle. I’m not sure what his height is but he was definitely one of the “big boys” (as his teammates liked to call him) out there and he certainly towered over most members of the opposition and his back line. And even though he’s super-sized he’s still super-quick; definitely one to watch.

For recaps of all of last night’s SUM Cup games, check out HoustonDynamo.com.