Soccer FanHouse http://soccer.fanhouse.com Soccer FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Soccer FanHouse http://soccer.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/San Jose's PR Begins With Corrupting Unsuspecting Teenagershttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2007/12/20/san-joses-pr-begins-with-corrupting-unsuspecting-teenagers/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2007/12/20/san-joses-pr-begins-with-corrupting-unsuspecting-teenagers/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2007/12/20/san-joses-pr-begins-with-corrupting-unsuspecting-teenagers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In a gaffe that certainly sets MLS expansion San Jose off on the wrong foot, "Northern California's team" went barnstorming for young high school talent, and muddied their eligibility along the way. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is investigating a series of youth development tryouts held by the soon-to-be Earthquakes that places the status of several students in jeopardy. Inside Bay Area.com writes:
[CIF director] Ishida said regardless of whether the players are reinstated, though, any games they played after the tryout would be forfeited. That could ultimately have a major effect on league standings and NCS playoff seedings.

The Earthquakes held seven tryouts from Nov.3 to Dec.2 in Walnut Creek, Oakland, Hayward, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Salinas and Sacramento.

Ishida ruled that by participating in a tryout, the players violated CIF Bylaw 213-D, whichstates that high school players cannot participate "in any tryout for a professional team in any CIF-approved sport" from Sept.15 to June15 unless the player has written approval from the school's principal and the tryout has no more than five players.

The Earthquakes maintain that because no players received money and because the tryouts were for unpaid spots on the developmental team, they did not violate the spirit of the rule.

Spirit of the rule or not, the new Quakes will certainly get a black eye from this. The wave of forfeitures are the most intriguing part to us, as nothing heralds the arrival of a new sports franchise than holding them responsible for ruining entire high school seasons. Lucky for the students in question this shouldn't affect their college prospects.

San Jose is fortunate they play the 2007 season in a variety of venues in lieu of a home stadium. Its best to be a moving target when you mess up like this.

San Jose's PR Begins With Corrupting Unsuspecting Teenagers originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>IrishoutsiderThu, 20 Dec 2007 15:15:00 EST Goalkeeper Goes From High School to Serie Ahttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2007/11/30/goalkeeper-goes-from-high-school-to-serie-a/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2007/11/30/goalkeeper-goes-from-high-school-to-serie-a/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2007/11/30/goalkeeper-goes-from-high-school-to-serie-a/#commentsFiled under: ,

When you're the cellar dweller in Serie A, you'll look anywhere for talent that can prevent you from getting relegated to Serie B. Italian club Cagliari is doing just that, signing a goalkeeper from, of all places, a high school in San Ramon, California.

Sometime in the next two weeks, David Bingham will board a flight to Italy to join one of the top soccer leagues in the world.

Bingham, a senior at California High and a star goalkeeper for the Grizzlies, said Wednesday that he has been offered a contract by Cagliari of Italy's Serie A and will leave school to join the team. He is rushing to finish some crucial classes at California and will complete his schooling via independent study in Italy.

Bingham reportedly turned down full scholarships from 14 NCAA Division I schools to sign with Cagliari, who saw him at a tournament in North Carolina and invited him to Italy for a two-week tryout. Now he'll be an American teenager in Italy, getting paid to be a reserve goalkeeper in one of the top domestic leagues on the planet. Must be nice.

Bingham does not appear to have any caps with any U.S. national soccer teams, which are packed to the gills with goalies. If he manages to crack Cagliari's lineup, though, that might change.

(H/T: The Offside)

Goalkeeper Goes From High School to Serie A originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>SerieADavid J. WarnerFri, 30 Nov 2007 16:05:00 EST