Cyle Larin, Zack Steffen, and Jay Chapman—three of the most promising underclassmen in college—will leave school early and become professionals. But will they be heading to MLS?

BY Brooke Tunstall Posted

December 11, 2014

10:20 AM SHARE THIS STORY



campaign now over and the college season heading into its final weekend, several of the top underclassmen most coveted by pro teams have made decisions to leave school early—and not all of them are headed to MLS.

Sophomores Cyle Larin and Zack Steffen and junior Jay Chapman, three of the top underclassmen in college soccer, are all leaving school. Where two of them end up remains to be seen.

Larin, a University of Connecticut forward who has already played for the Canadian senior national team, will be leaving this weekend, at the conclusion of final exams, for the Netherlands. He has trials lined up with Dutch and Belgian clubs, according to an industry source. Last summer Larin trained with Genk in Belgium.

Larin is considered the top forward prospect in college soccer and is highly coveted by both New York City FC and his hometown Toronto FC. However, Larin's experience with the Canadian national team has opened up doors for him in Europe and he will explore those before deciding on an offer from MLS.

MLS "made a pretty good offer to him but because of the draft there are still a lot of unknowns,” said the source. “If he gets offers in Europe he gets to decide where he starts his pro career and that matters to him.”

The situation for Chapman, a fellow Canadian who plays for Michigan State where he just completed a season that saw him named the Big Ten’s midfielder of the year, is more confusing. He played at Toronto FC’s academy in high school “but towards the end of his senior year (of high school) Thomas Rongen (the club’s former academy director) dropped him,” said an industry source. “So they don’t know whether TFC still has his homegrown rights.”

Chapman is unsure whether or not he’d be signed to a Generation Adidias deal and thus put into next month’s SuperDraft, however MLS says he’s not a candidate for that program. “He’s not our list of candidates for Generation Adidas,” said Lino di Cuollo, MLS vice president for player relations and completion. “It’s up to Toronto if they want to sign him or not.”

Like Larin, Chapman has European options. His father is from England, making him eligible for a British passport and able to usurp the strict work permit requirements. Last summer, the same source said, he received an offer from Stoke City of the Premier League but opted to return for his junior season.

“He’s still considering options over there, too,” said a source close to Chapman. “He’s had good talks with MLS but wants to know his status. It’s frustrating.

Steffen, meanwhile, is arguably the top American goalkeeper who isn’t already a professional—though that’s about to change as he is reportedly leaving Maryland after two seasons and signing with German club Freiburg. Steffen leaving for Germany was first reported by Goal.com.

A backup for the U.S. at the 2013 Under-20 World Cup, Steffen is expected to be the team’s starter in 2015. Steffen is a product of the Philadelphia Union’s academy and that club holds his MLS homegrown rights but it is loaded at goalkeeper. Incumbent Zac MacMath started 95 games the past three seasons and is only 23; last year the Union selected Jamaican international Andre Blake with the top pick in the MLS SuperDraft; and then it signed Algerian World Cup star Rais Mbolhi, who is only 28.

The club is reportedly in talks to trade one of its goalkeepers but that still leaves quite a logjam of veteran goalkeepers for a position where only one person at a time can play.

“He just doesn’t’ see much of a path to first-team soccer there right now,” said a person close to Steffen. “It’s not even a money issue. Yeah, he’ll probably make more (in Germany) but it’s more about getting a chance to start.”

With Steffen gone and Larin and possibly Chapman following suit, it increases the pressure on MLS to sign some of the remaining top underclassmen in the draft, including recently capped U.S. international Jordan Morris, Georgetown sophomore defender Joshua Yaro, Washington sophomore midfielder Cristian Roldan, and Syracuse junior goalkeeper Alex Bono.

“If they don’t have Larin and Chapman isn’t in the draft then they need to sign some of these other guys or otherwise the draft isn’t going to have much sizzle—and that’s something that’s important to (MLS Commissioner Don) Garber,” said one agent. “That means they need to get someone like Yaro or Roldan, and they won’t come cheap.”

One of the most technically clean midfielders in college soccer, Roldan, a member of the U.S. U-20 pool, is expected to make a decision on staying in school in the next few days. "It's 50-50 with Cristian," said an industry source. As a nine-year old he starred in an Adidas commercial “and you know Adidas wants him signed,” said an agent. “I mean, it’s called Generation Adidas. Of course they want the one kid in the history of the draft who has already done an Adidas commercial.”

Yaro, a graceful defender who might be the fastest player in college soccer, is also highly coveted.

“Playing professionally is something he wants to do and if there’s an offer when the season is over he’ll listen and if it’s a good offer he may leave,” Georgetown coach Brian Wiese told American Soccer Now last week. “But it has to have two things. It has to be enough (money) that it makes sense to leave a scholarship from Georgetown and it has to include a path for him to still finish his degree. He’s a dean’s list student and very serious about finishing school.”

Morris is a product of the Seattle Sounders academy so he wouldn’t be available in the draft. Still, many agents are watching to see what, if anything, he signs for.

“It’s a fascinating situation because guys who have been capped by the U.S. national team, they tend to make more—especially than rookies. So here you have a guy who’ll be a rookie but has also been capped, so what is he worth? And, his dad is the (Sounders) team doctor so they already have plenty of money. He can afford to go back and get closer to a Stanford degree.”

Europe is also an option and sone Sounders officials fear the motivation behind Jurgen Klinsmann calling Morris into national team camps this fall was to showcase him to foreign clubs.

MLS is also expected to make a pitch to UCLA freshman Abu Danladi, a dynamic attacker originally from Ghana, and sophomore defender Michael Amick, another player from the current U-20 pool.

Several other MLS clubs are expected to make offers for homegrown players, particularly those that will have second teams competing in the USL Pro league next season. “Those players have to come from somewhere and the academy is the first place they’re going to look,” said an agent.

Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You can follow him on Twitter