Generation Adidas

(Redirected from Generation adidas)

Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States.[1] The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. developmental system not yet eligible for the MLS 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 by Nike and was called Project-40.[3] Originally intended to improve the U.S. national team player pool, American national team eligibility is no longer required for program entry.

Generation Adidas
Company type
Joint venture
IndustrySport
Founded1997; 29 years ago (1997)
Headquarters
United States
Area served
United States
ProductsRecruitement of soccer players
OwnerMajor League Soccer
U.S. Soccer

Carlos Parra was the first Project-40 player when he signed with the league and was allocated to the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1997. Since then, the program has included players such as Tim 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 kicker Josh 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 as professional, 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 the A-League in the USL.[6]

In 2017, MLS introduced Canadian Generation Adidas players, part of a new initiative with the Canadian Soccer Association. Canadian Generation Adidas players count as domestic players on US based MLS teams.[7]

Players

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1997

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Assigned team
United States Ubusuku Abukusumo 19 D Albuquerque, NM North Carolina State Columbus Crew
United States Jose Botello 20 M Los Angeles, CA East Los Angeles College Los Angeles Galaxy
Brazil Nino Da Silva 17 M Hoffman Estates, IL Kansas City Wizards
United States Joey DiGiamarino 19 D Corona, CA Cal State Fullerton Colorado Rapids
United States Brian Dunseth 19 D Upland, CA Cal State Fullerton New England Revolution
United States Carlos Parra 19 M West Haven, CT MetroStars
United States Eric Quill 18 F Missouri City, TX Clemson Tampa Bay Mutiny
United States Esmundo Rodriguez 19 M Dallas, TX Indiana San Jose Clash
United States Tim Sahaydak 19 D Bethlehem, PA North Carolina Columbus Crew
United States Juan Sastoque 19 F Brooklyn, NY CSUN Dallas Burn

1998

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Assigned team
United States Jamar Beasley 18 F Fort Wayne, IN New England Revolution
United States Judah Cooks 21 M Bethesda, MD Maryland D.C. United
United States Tim Howard 18 GK North Brunswick, NJ MetroStars
United States Andy Kirk 20 GK Milwaukee, WI Maryland San Jose Clash
United States Chad McCarty 20 D Clovis, CA Washington Tampa Bay Mutiny
United States Matt Napoleon 20 GK Feasterville, PA Columbia Miami Fusion
United States Ben Olsen 20 M/F Middletown, PA Virginia D.C. United
Trinidad and Tobago Barry Swift 20 F Port-of-Spain, Trinidad MetroStars
United States Scott Vermillion 21 D Olathe, KS Virginia Tampa Bay Mutiny
United States Brian West 19 F Columbia, MD Virginia Columbus Crew
United States Josh Wolff 20 F Stone Mountain, GA South Carolina Chicago Fire

1999

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Assigned team
United States Chris Albright 20 F Philadelphia, PA Virginia D.C. United
United States DaMarcus Beasley 16 M Fort Wayne, IN Bradenton Academy Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Scott Bower 20 F/M Tampa, FL Clemson San Jose Earthquakes
Ukraine Sergi Daniv 23 M Lviv, Ukraine Wake Forest Chicago Fire
United States Francisco Gomez 19 M Watsonville, CA California Jaguars Kansas City Wizards
United States Michael Green 20 D Columbia, MD Virginia Kansas City Wizards
Ukraine Dema Kovalenko 21 M Rochester, NY Indiana Chicago Fire
Serbia Alen Kozić 22 D/M Tampa, FL Florida International Miami Fusion
United States Matt Nyman 22 G Westbrook, CT Dartmouth Tampa Bay Mutiny
United States Antonio Otero 21 M Tampa, FL American D.C. United
El Salvador Marvin Quijano 19 F North Hollywood, CA Rio Hondo Comm College Los Angeles Galaxy
Bolivia Maurizio Rocha 22 M Santa Cruz, Bolivia Connecticut Miami Fusion
United States Scott Vallow 21 GK Naperville, IL Bowling Green Dallas Burn

2000

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
Palestine Shaker Asad 20 M Raleigh, NC North Carolina State New England Revolution
United States Kyle Beckerman 17 M Crofton, MD US Under-17 Miami Fusion
United States Carlos Bocanegra 20 D Alta Loma, CA UCLA Chicago Fire
United States Danny Califf 19 D Orange, CA Maryland Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Bobby Convey 16 M Philadelphia, PA Bradenton Academy D.C. United
United States Micah Cooks 18 M Washington, DC D.C. United
United States Nick Garcia 20 D Plano, TX Indiana Kansas City Wizards
United States Mario Longo 19 M Apex, NC Columbus Crew
United States Rusty Pierce 20 D The Woodlands, TX UNC Greensboro New England Revolution
United States Nick Rimando 20 GK Montclair, CA UCLA Miami Fusion
United States Seth Trembly 17 M Littleton, CO Bradenton Academy Colorado Rapids
Bolivia Sergio Salas 18 F Falls Church, VA D.C. United

2001

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Devin Barclay 17 F Annapolis, MD US Under-20 Tampa Bay Mutiny
United States Isaias Bardales 21 F San Jose, CA San Jose State Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Edson Buddle 19 F New Rochelle, NY State Fair Community College Columbus Crew
United States Jose Aparicio Sanchez Jr. 16 F Houston, TX San Jose Earthquakes
United States José Burciaga Jr. 19 D Duncanville, TX US Under-20 Kansas City Wizards
United States Chris Carrieri 20 F Stafford, VA North Carolina San Jose Earthquakes
United States D.J. Countess 19 GK Sacramento, CA UCLA MetroStars
United States Nick Downing 20 D Redmond, WA Maryland New England Revolution
United States Eddie Johnson 16 F Palm Coast, FL Bradenton Academy Dallas Burn
Ecuador Martin Klinger 20 F Kearny, NJ MetroStars Black MetroStars
United States Santino Quaranta 16 F Baltimore, MD Bradenton Academy D.C. United
United States Miguel Saavedra 17 M Milwaukee, WI US Under-18 Dallas Burn

2002

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Nelson Akwari 19 D Houston, TX UCLA MetroStars
United States Craig Capano 16 M Hyde Park, NY Bradenton Academy Chicago Fire
United States Brad Davis 20 M St. Charles, MO Saint Louis MetroStars
United States Kelly Gray 20 D Palo Alto, CA Portland Chicago Fire
United States Justin Mapp 17 M Brandon, MS Bradenton Academy D.C. United
United States Kyle Martino 20 M Atlanta, GA Virginia Columbus Crew
United States Jordan Stone 17 D Allen, TX US Under-17 Dallas Burn

2003

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
El Salvador Arturo Alvarez 17 F/M Houston, TX US Under-17 San Jose Earthquakes
United States Brian Carroll 21 M Fairfax, VA Wake Forest D.C. United
United States Ricardo Clark 19 M Jonesboro, GA Furman MetroStars
United States Alecko Eskandarian 20 F Montvale, NJ Virginia D.C. United
United States Eddie Gaven 16 M Hamilton, NJ Bradenton Academy MetroStars
United States Guillermo Gonzalez 16 M Paramount, CA Bradenton Academy Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Nate Jaqua 21 F Eugene, OR Portland Chicago Fire
United States Jacob LeBlanc 21 M Palo Alto, VA Virginia MetroStars
United States Ricky Lewis 20 D Spring, TX Clemson Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Mike Magee 18 F/M South Barrington, IL Bradenton Academy MetroStars
United States Logan Pause 21 D Hillsborough, NC North Carolina Chicago Fire
United States David Stokes 20 D Dumfries, VA North Carolina D.C. United
United States Jason Thompson 21 F Garland, TX Eastern Illinois Dallas Burn

2004

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Freddy Adu 14 M Potomac, MD US Under-17 D.C. United
United States Michael Bradley 16 M Palatine, IL US Under-17 MetroStars
United States Ryan Cochrane 20 D Portland, OR Santa Clara San Jose Earthquakes
United States Steve Cronin 20 GK Sacramento, CA Santa Clara San Jose Earthquakes
United States Clint Dempsey 20 M Nacogdoches, TX Furman New England Revolution
United States Josh Gardner 21 M Houston, TX Cincinnati Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Clarence Goodson 21 D Springfield, VA Maryland Dallas Burn
United States Ned Grabavoy 20 M New Lenox, IL Indiana Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Chad Marshall 19 D Riverside, CA Stanford Columbus Crew
United States Danny Szetela 16 M Clifton, NJ US Under-17 Columbus Crew

2005

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Chad Barrett 19 F Beaverton, OR UCLA Chicago Fire
United States Nikolas Besagno 16 M Maple Valley, WA US Under-17 Real Salt Lake
United States Hunter Freeman 20 D Allen, TX Virginia Colorado Rapids
United States Brad Guzan 20 GK Homer Glen, IL South Carolina Chivas USA
United States Christian Jimenez 18 M San Dimas, CA US Under-20 Chivas USA
United States Will John 19 F Kansas City, MO Saint Louis Chicago Fire
United States Quavas Kirk 16 F Aurora, IL US Under-17 Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Drew Moor 20 D Dallas, TX Indiana FC Dallas
United States Michael Parkhurst 20 D Cranston, RI Wake Forest New England Revolution
United States Ryan Pore 21 F Mansfield, OH Tulsa Kansas City Wizards
United States Tim Ward 17 D Waukesha, WI Saint Louis MetroStars
United States Jamie Watson 18 F Dallas, TX North Carolina Real Salt Lake

2006

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Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Jozy Altidore 16 F Boca Raton, FL IMG Soccer Academy MetroStars
Armenia Yura Movsisyan 18 F Pasadena, CA Pasadena Kansas City Wizards
United States David Arvizu 17 F Santa Ana, CA US Under-20 MetroStars
United States Patrick Ianni 20 D/M Lodi, CA UCLA Houston Dynamo
Sierra Leone Kei Kamara 21 F Lawndale, CA Cal State Dominguez Hills Columbus Crew
United States Sacha Kljestan 20 M Huntington Beach, CA Seton Hall Chivas USA
United States Dax McCarty 18 M Winter Park, FL North Carolina FC Dallas
United States Jacob Peterson 19 F Portage, MI Indiana Colorado Rapids
Guatemala Willie Sims 21 F Los Angeles, CA Cal State Northridge New England Revolution
United States Nathan Sturgis 18 D/M St. Augustine, FL Clemson Los Angeles Galaxy
United States Blake Wagner 17 D Tampa, FL US Under-20 FC Dallas
United States Marvell Wynne 19 D Poway, CA UCLA MetroStars
United States Jed Zayner 21 D Orland Park, IL Indiana Columbus Crew

2007

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2008

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2009

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2010

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2011

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2012

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2013

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2014

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2015

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2016

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2017

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2018

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2019

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2020

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2021

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2022

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2023

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The 2023 class was announced on December 19, 2022, prior to the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.[8] The first five picks in the draft, including top pick Hamady Diop from Clemson, were Generation Adidas players.[9]

Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Joey Akpunonu 20 D Toledo, OH Bowling Green FC Cincinnati
Ghana Joshua Bolma 20 M Accra, Ghana Maryland New England Revolution
Canada Moïse Bombito 22 D Montréal, QC New Hampshire Colorado Rapids
Senegal Hamady Diop 20 D Dakar, Senegal Clemson Charlotte FC
United States CJ Fodrey 18 M San Diego, CA San Diego State Austin FC
France Bertin Jacquesson 21 F Lorrez-le-Bocage-Préaux, France Pittsburgh Real Salt Lake
Ghana Shak Mohammed 19 F Kumasi, Ghana Duke Orlando City SC
Cameroon J.C. Ngando 23 M Paris, France UNC Greensboro Vancouver Whitecaps FC
United States Owen O'Malley 21 M Cary, NC Creighton St. Louis City SC
United States Ilijah Paul 20 F Gilbert, AZ Washington Real Salt Lake
United States Joey Skinner 19 D Charlotte, NC Clemson Nashville SC

2024

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The two-member 2024 class was announced on December 19, 2023, the same day as the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.[10]

Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
Ghana Stephen Annor Gyamfi 19 F Accra, Ghana Maryland Houston Dynamo
Canada Kimani Stewart-Baynes 18 F Toronto, ON Virginia Colorado Rapids

2025

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The 2025 class was announced on December 18, 2024, prior to the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.[11]

Player Age Pos Hometown College/prior Draft team
United States Dean Boltz 18 F Palatine, IL Wisconsin Chicago Fire FC
Ghana Manu Duah 19 M Kumasi, Ghana UC Santa Barbara San Diego FC
United States Alex Harris 19 F Vancouver, WA Cornell Colorado Rapids
United States Tate Johnson 19 D Tampa, FL North Carolina Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Project-40 in the A-League

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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

References

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  1. "U.S. U-20 players headline 2006 class". ESPNFC.com.
  2. "McCabe Explains Generation adidas". US Soccer Players.[permanent dead link]
  3. "US Soccer Players". ussoccerplayers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. Palmer, Tod (May 16, 2014). "Generation adidas program has been beneficial to Sporting KC". Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  5. Galarcep, Ives (December 10, 2008). "The Generation adidas targets". Soccer By Ives. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  6. Firchau, Nick (April 2, 2020). "Project-40: The story of the original MLS youth super team". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  7. "MLS announces 2017 Generation adidas class and senior signings". MLSSoccer.com.
  8. "2023 Generation adidas class announced". MLSsoccer.com. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  9. "Charlotte FC picks Clemson's Hamady Diop No. 1 in MLS SuperDraft". ESPN. Reuters. December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  10. "2024 Generation adidas class announced". MLSsoccer.com. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  11. "2025 Generation adidas class announced". MLSsoccer.com. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
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