Clevo Looking Like USL-2 Champs

The City Stars are up 2-0 on Charlotte with about 26 minutes left to play. Watching this championship match, I’ve been struck by both the pace and technical ability of the top players on both sides.

To be honest, I don’t get to see all that many USL-2 scraps — tonight’s championship is actually the first all-USL-2 game I’ve seen this season — but I’ve seen enough from the top two teams in USL-2, Cleveland and Charlotte, as well as middle of the table finishers Crystal Palace USA, to know that there are players in this league who can and should be playing MLS.

In tonight’s game, Clevo’s Sallieu Bundu, a Sierra Leone international, has carved up Charlotte’s defense with a rare combination of pace, skill, and fearlessness that can be lacking in certain MLS forwards. Prior to watching the USL-2 championship, I watched various Toronto FC players butcher golden scoring chance after golden scoring chance, causing TFC to draw New England 1-1 in a match they should’ve won. I can’t help but wonder if a player like Bundu would’ve bungled chances the same way Rohan Ricketts and Jim Brennand did.

Could be that one reason we don’t see many USL-2 players make the jump to MLS is the MLS GMs and owners are trying to impress the media and their fans with the players they bring in. 99% of MLS fans don’t really pay attention to USL, but they do pay attention to Europe. The American media don’t know shit about soccer, but they do know that European, Brazilean, and Argentinean players are supposed to be good. A guy from Sierra Leone that plays for the Cleveland City Stars is none of the above. So the MLS seems to kind of ignore the talent playing right underneath it’s nose in both USL-1 and USL-2.

Should my New York Red Bulls succeed in acquiring striker Macoumba Kandji of the USL-1 Atlanta Silverbacks, and Kandji succeed in MLS that could change. Even if the Red Bulls don’t get Kandji, it should change. There is plenty of talent playing soccer in USL right now. It would behoove MLS GMs and coaches to take note.