Mark Prizant
@prizantfutbol
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Former Director of Scouting & Recruitment @InterMiamiCF Former Scout: @ManUtd @PhilaUnion (all thoughts and views are my own)
New York/Miami/Los Angeles
Joined April 2009
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As a former
@MLS
academy scouting director the DA enabled us to efficiently scout the non-MLS academies. We invited players for trials; added players from non-MLS DA into a professional program. Without the DA that would’ve been more labor intensive and financially difficult
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This is what happens when you have a functioning academy. The whole ecosystem benefits not just the developing club. In addition to the 13 currently signed academy players (10 Union, 3 Union II) they have also produced the following players for other teams.
#bestinMLS
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My time with
@InterMiamiCF
has come to an end. I wish everyone involved with the club the best of luck moving forward. Looking forward to taking some down time before starting the next project.
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I hope
@issa_rayyan9
pulls of his jersey next match to display the famous “Are you even watching?” T-Shirt.
@PhilaUnion
it’s time to sign this young man. If he wasn’t from your academy he’d be a
@MLS
GA Candidate.
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MLS needs to examine its definition of a young player. 23 is not young. 23 is three years from a players prime. Sign players 18-21 and call them young. Anything else is false advertising.
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Just for some context at the work it takes, the year we brought these boys in 18 scouts covered 417 games involving 329 teams of interest (home or open territory). Teams from 20 different states from u10-u19. We granted 32 trials.
#scouting
From Michiganders to 'the Philadelphia kids' -- the
@PhilaUnion
's investment in a residency program is starting to turn into its first pro contracts, writes
@sportsdoctormd
:
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Extremely fortunate to work with extraordinary people. The focus has always been on what we CAN do not what we can’t. The money we HAVE not the money we don’t. Most importantly the focus was on the fact that this is a team. Not a collection of individuals.
#InterMiamiCF
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Growing up in NY we were fortunate to have RAI which played Serie A matches. I never missed Napoli matches and very much wanted to be Maradona. On my first trip to Buenos Aires my first purchase was a shirt that said La Mano de Dios with the iconic picture we’ve all seen 1M times
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Tried to sign Amon as a youth player before he went to Denmark. Many in our USYNT program thought he was too small. Hope the many are watching- he’s still small and yet it doesn’t seem to be a factor.
#talentidentification
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If MLS clubs sign their best young prospects but have veterans blocking their pathway to the first team, why not sell them to other MLS/USL clubs? Is the lack of knowledge of other teams prospects hurting the creation of a secondary market?
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MLS U22 initiative could be pretty fruitful if you are willing to invest and have a robust scouting network.
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My stops in 41years: Jackson Heights NY; Bayside NY; New Rochelle NY; Hempstead NY; Uniondale NY; East Meadow NY; Holtsville NY; Birmingham AL; Cape Coral FL; Weston FL; Vestavia Hills AL; Naples FL; Chicago IL; Westfield NJ; King of Prussia, PA; New York NY; Hermosa Beach CA 😳
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Congrats
@Matty_Ice49
.
@PhilaUnion
owe a thanks to
@PennFusion_SA
and Mark Thomas who worked with us over a two year period to bring him in when it made the most sense for all involved.
#teamworkmakesthedreamwork
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I received this message:
"Mark, I saw your tweet and it sparked me to ask the question: what does best practice look like for you in terms of design, coordination and setup of a South American scouting network?" So I thought it would be best to answer here🧵
#scouting
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Had a good meeting with a club in Europe on best practices for designing and implementing their scouting network in South America. There should be more cooperation and collaboration between clubs on best practices in scouting.
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@GoldboxATL
@AtlantaFalcons
@EmptySeatsPics
@MitchMossRadio
@VSiNLive
@ATLdean
My son lives in ATL and said there are $30 tickets. When asked why he didn’t go he said he didn’t want to sit alone.
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Interesting listening to all the takes on the u17s for the USA. Perhaps people should read about talent that whispers...they might understand why so many influential players for the u20s were not involved with the u17s. This is not our best talent. This is talent that shouts.
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THIS is why youth coaches need to foster creativity, not destroy it. Cant imagine that was the first time he's tried something like this in front of goal. How many youth coaches would reprimand him?
What an unbelievable finish by Jonathan Osorio to put Toronto FC up 2-1
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"Effective scouting isn't just about finding talent; it's about building a cohesive unit where each player elevates the team to new heights."
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How can MLS still allow HG territories to exist? Different parts of the country under different models? MN Player A needs to go to a pay2play club and then receives additional training from MNUFC in hopes of being signed...but a kid in NY/CIN/DAL/LA is fully funded and full-time
NEW:
#MNUFC
's newly announced academy structure sees radical pivots from the old DA model — specifically tailored with Minnesota in mind.
Hear from Manny Lagos on why he believes "collaboration" and "intentionality" will improve youth soccer statewide.
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@ajhoff20
@DontTreadSoccer
@MLS
We brought in plenty from outside the DA...but with the fragmented youth landscape they were more challenging to track. Heres what our event calendar looked like in 2015-2016.
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Name another sporting event on the planet that is capable of creating an earthquake. Go.
#FifaWorldCup2018
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What a fantastic quote:
“If you play badly and lose, you’re left with nothing. If you lose but play well, you still have something. You have something to build on.”
Betis have become the team you can’t miss this season, so good is their football. Interview with their manager Quique Setien, as he explains how you play like that with lesser resourced clubs
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Lots of talk about the "hotbeds" and how much talent they have, versus small markets. It would seem to make sense that small market teams purchase promising young players from those markets- the same markets that require star names that block the pathway for a young player
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Good read on the importance of continued investment in scouting in these times. Training Ground Guru | Andy Burton: Clubs cut scouts at their peril
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@travismclark
@USYouthSoccer
@MLS
A true collaboration for identification would be fantastic. As a former
@MLS
youth scout, attendance at
@usysodp
&
@usysncs
wasn't always met with open arms. Obtaining the bare minimum of team sheets would often require help from colleagues at University level.
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@RGonzalezCBS
Sounds like an issue that could be easily resolved by
@MLSPA
during this CBA by negotiating to include release clauses into the standard
@MLS
player agreement. Allows clubs to set value ahead of any potential offer.
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@WillParchman
The draft served its purpose, but now its time to allow these kids to just go on trial in MLS preseasons and sign with whomever offers them deals. Puts emphasis open proper scouting of players
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While I appreciate everyone messaging me and pushing the U22 Initiative narrative, everyone should also understand that making 3-6X on these transactions will not be the norm. It’s unrealistic.
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Congrats to
@issa_rayyan9
@PhilaUnionYouth
. I still remember Gronthik calling me about you with WAZA and catching the flight to see you the first time. It’s great to see residency working the way we envisioned. Hard work starts now!
When dreams become reality...🙏🏾 Blessed to announce my first professional contract with the
@BSteelFC
@PhilaUnion
Thank you to family, friends, coaches,
@josh__mcneely
, and
@DukeMSOC
. This is dream come true and it’s only the beginning. All glory to god. 🙌🏽⚽️
#qualitynotquantity
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@markmckenzie4_
Break lines. Forward pass on the ground to his preferred foot. It’s like we did all those morning sessions
@yscsports
for a reason? Who new? Congrats on qualifying, now go win a🏆
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“
@WayneHarrison9
: Developing winners is part of development. It's the winning at all costs mentality that has no place in development.
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@USAprospects
Great kid. When you bring in a kid to a residency program and he tells you he wants to be a pro, you take it with a grain of salt. This kid absolutely walked the walk and I’m happy he found his opportunity.
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@SteveDavis90
If the athletes on the “athletes council” can’t be bothered to vote how do they get replaced. It seems a reasonable question at arguably the most important time in US Soccer history.
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@travismclark
@WillParchman
MLS should allow teams to not field academies. Open their territory. It would allow other teams to actually develop players from their territory- something they clearly have no interest in doing. Kids will leave anyway now but other MLS teams will have to unfairly compensate MNU
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@ryanschwep
@matt_real11
@mvrkmckenzie
Congrats boys. I’m proud to see two of the Union u14 originals matriculate to the first team. I watched your first games as u14's and I look forward to watching your first games with the first team.
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@ThatCroatianGuy
"Scouting/assessing a player?
Okay... here is one important thing you can look for."
* how many forward passes does he play, under pressure, while retaining possession
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@OfeimuBen
@BSteelFC
May 27, 2015 you arrived for your trial. You officially accepted your spot with
@PhilaUnionYouth
on June 2, 2015. Jan. 23, 2019 you've EARNED your first professional contract. Looking forward to your next milestone. Congrats.
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So how can clubs avoid being in a situation where they need an agent to bail them out at this point in the window? It starts with developing a Recruitment Checklist and it should look something like this
#scouting
🧵
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The most common question I receive is how to source the scouts. There is no silver bullet. Leverage existing scouting relationships to receive recommendations, always keep CV’s received on file sorted by various markets, I have also used targeted search on LinkedIn.
#scouting
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When my daughters SEC soccer team charters as many flights in a season as
@MLS
(4) it's probably time for the league to evolve
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Clearly
@MLS
needs to look in the mirror as well when they lose academy kids to Germany “...eight Bundesliga teams have fielded a team with an average age of under 24 this season...”
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@MattRalph_tBG
First Round draft pick after a potential year without college soccer sounds as close to nothing as MLS rules would prohibit...but yes its criminal in 2020 we are still compensating clubs what have had ZERO hand in development because said player lived inside an imaginary line
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@Kevin_Kinkead
Name a league with a shorter season? Calendar is wrong, need winter break and EU calendar.
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@ajhoff20
@DontTreadSoccer
@MLS
It's a rather large country. Having all teams in one place twice a year in showcases was a great opportunity. We routinely purchased the videos from all games which gave us hours of work in the close season as we tracked players
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Most interesting part of TC for MLS youth will be how they value their own talent whose been in the system from 12. Do they offer a low $ USL deal at 18 and risk a player going abroad- they receive €220k...or do they value the player higher and make MLS contract offers?
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@BSteelFC
@PhilaUnion
We found Shanyder playing for
@FYSASoccer
ODP at Region III ODP camp in Tuscaloosa AL. Half the battle for
@mls
clubs is having dedicated personnel at these types of events. Also ignoring those who tell you
@usysodp
or
@USClubSoccerid2
events are irrelevant.
#scouting
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@ProfBank
@CACSoccer
With a country this size, the burden of identifying talent is with the professional clubs. Unfortunately not enough resources are put into grassroots scouting
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“...Last 10 years 83% of players who played in the q-final of the Champions League had played first team football at 17...”- Brian Marwood
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RIP
It is with deep sadness that we deliver the news that our dear friend and former FC Dallas Technical Director, Fernando Clavijo, has passed away after a five-year battle with multiple myeloma. He was 63.
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@travismclark
@GB_USL
This is yet another reason why the work of
@USL
is so important. We’ve seen it in England. A strong second division can provide valuable development opportunities when young domestics are squeezed from the top flight.
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Revolution starts from the ground up not the top down. Hold the clubs accountable. US Soccer uses players; they don’t develop them.
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@Bonetti
It was difficult, but combined with data I feel we were able to make an objective decision.
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Congrats
@K_Coleman
Congratulations, Kevin! Extremely proud of you and thankful for the hard work you’ve put in with our organization to earn this opportunity
@K_Coleman
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@Efried97
@MLS
Great question. The DA as a top of the pyramid meant the the non-MLS DA clubs recruited from the alphabet soup of leagues. We in turn recruited from the non-DA clubs. Can this work when another league is deemed the top of the pyramid, absolutely. My point is the DA was convenient
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@DontTreadSoccer
More fragmentation. Alphabet soup of youth leagues. No clear top of the pyramid. No one publishing rules regarding training hours to match play. Hard to convince me the boys DA being replaced by MLS, USL, ECNL & USYSNL is a positive development. We are back to 2006
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@24x7soccerus
RAE is something that youth programs need to actively work to combat. Union Academy kept schematics with each players birth quarter so we did our best to ensure we weren't too skewed. This is from 2016/2017 as an example
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@rey10david
@MLS
Houston was an MLS territory so no we did not. We did scout our own non-traditional leagues in NJ, PA and Delaware.
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@RyanSoccerAA
@ajhoff20
@DontTreadSoccer
@MLS
US are missing a ridiculous quantity of players. We found players because we looked. We don't need 26 professional academies looking we need over 200 to cover essentially a continent. A ten year old in X city ends up better than one in Y city because of environment & opportunity.
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@SteveDavis90
I don’t think people appreciate how difficult it is to fire a pass into that small a window from that distance and keep it on the ground. That whole play is 🔥
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@GregorydSam
The one where the data guy takes over the scouting but doesn’t win because ultimately he needs the scouts 🤔🙃😂
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@realsaltlake
@MLS
Most important signing of the offseason for
@realsaltlake
Guys who believe in their academy are far and few between in
@MLS
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Build these in every major city and move the game in this country from suburbia
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@RyanSoccerAA
@ttillette
@ajhoff20
@DontTreadSoccer
@MLS
It's easier to have transparency being a few years removed. A lot of clubs are doing good work but it's tough to share when you are in the moment.
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@MattRalph_tBG
Congrats to
@aotchad
on the move. Lots of sacrifice by his family to help him achieve his goals of playing professionally. He put in work and did not accept he “had to” go to University without
@mls
.
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@sportsdoctormd
Tough when the team captain plays the same position. This is a good move for all parties. Nashville are getting an MLS starter with a very high ceiling. Union get funny money for a guy who was not going to feature much.
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@SEPresident
@cboehm
@MLS
can sustain and improve upon this level of business but not under current conditions. Can’t sell a player for X receive Y in xAM which does not allow you to reinvest and up the level of your next investment
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Congrats
@LukeSassano
. I’m looking forward to seeing the teams you put together!
After five years of exceptional service to the
#NYCosmos
,
@LukeSassano
has accepted the technical director position with
#FCCincy
Best of luck, Luke!
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@dunord
That data can be skewed by the homegrown signings that are not MLS ready yet for some reason still reside on a teams league roster ie Chicago signed a 14yr old. What’s the average age of the ~16 highest minute earners. That’s the real question.
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@ctopherarnold
@MLS
Absolutely. It simply becomes more difficult with a. fragmented youth landscape. It will take more man hours and more $. Also, will the other leagues create high quality video of games like the DA? That was a huge component of the work since showcase games overlap.
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@PHILLYSPORTS42
@MattRalph_tBG
@thegoalkeeper
This is where scouting comes in and the organization does a good job in college scouting i.e. Elliot. They will find value in the later rounds.
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@MattRalph_tBG
US Soccer’s future relies on the clubs. They need to produce pro’s. The big picture fix starts at the local level
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@zlebmada
This is the open market that scares MLS. Having to pay fair market value would have a huge impact on their business model.
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@RyanSoccerAA
@ajhoff20
@DontTreadSoccer
@MLS
You can never have enough eyes. Most of these came through personal relationships over the years. This was our structure in 2015. A lot has happened since and not sure how I would structure it with the current HG territory rules
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@JoserNunez91
Well I’m bound by a confidentiality clause so it’s likely I can’t answer but ask away.
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Homegrown rules would discourage clubs from scouting other MLS academies but realistically how else will the clubs heavily investing in youth create multiple pathways to ROI? Cant just rely on selling to Europe.
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@cboehm
@SoccerSyndicat
I wish them luck in this venture as it could be very good for the professional clubs involved. IMO the bigger issue is training scouts for what to look for- from defining talent, to positional profiling in older ages. We fail miserably in this critical thinking as a country.
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