There is a distinct look to Rutgers men’s soccer head coach Jim McElderry’s program as he enters his fourth season with the Scarlet Knights. There is talent on this roster and depth, in large part due to McElderry’s vision to recruit local MLS academies.
Over the past decade, MLS academies have grown in importance, producing top-tier players that go on to become professional players and star for the United States national team. And there is a tier of player who might not be ready to sign with an MLS team as a teenager and may be looking for a college option.
That’s where Rutgers has become a strong option locally.
McElderry has built his roster with these types of players, specifically going after the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union academy players.
“Honestly, if you want to be somebody who can take care of their academics, have those facilities academically, have the locker room, have the fields, have the bubble, have the weight room, all right here, it’s second to none,” McElderry said on the most recent Scarlet Spotlight Podcast.
“And people want us to do well. So it really is something that the soccer community wants us to do well, but they want it to be good. They want you to play a good brand. It’s an educated group here. They’re not going to tell them just because they want Rutgers to do well. They want to make sure that it’s the right situation. So what’s the level like? What are your ambitions? How is you’re coaching? What other talented players are coming in?”
Five players on the roster are from the Red Bulls Academy. Four from the Union.
The new @Rutgers Athletics year is right around the corner. It’s time to talk about @DannyBreslauer second favorite sport.@RUMensSoccer head coach @jimmcelderry2 previews the season, talks about his Jersey guys and adding spice to the schedule.
Listen: https://t.co/3Svtj1xOiT pic.twitter.com/C1p294ei6v
— Jon Newman (@jonnew) July 14, 2022
The Red Bulls and the Union, along with FC Dallas, are head and shoulders the best academies in MLS.
For Rutgers, being able to add players from vaunted academies is a plus. Very often, academy players will participate in the USL, which acts as a reserve league for MLS. And they often train with the first team, which lets them work alongside and play against professional players on a regular basis.
“We’ve had some great guys come here a guy like Joey’s Zalinsky and Matty Acosta played at Red Bull forever. And when those…
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