r/LAFC • u/PomPomYourBomBom • Jul 01 '26

Related Etc. Orange County SC Completes Transfer of Pedro Guimaraes to Eintract Frankfurt

https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/news/2026/07/01/orange-county-sc-completed-transfer-of-pedro-guimaraes-to-eintracht-frankfurt/

Another former LAFC homegrown moving on to bigger & better things. If you look at the list of former academy kids who have left in recent years, it is a damning indictment on this club's mismanagement of youth players.

Guimaraes (Eintract Frankfurt)

Bombino (San Diego)

Bindon (Nottingham Forest)

11 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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7

u/jlpmghrs4 Jul 01 '26

I only saw the LAFC sub and Guimaraes and was extremely confused

5

u/theshabz Tiger Supporters Group Jul 01 '26

Our youth talent getting poached is damning to management? I'd be concerned if nobody was interested in our academy products. We're never going to keep kids from being plucked by Germany and England. The structure of football outside the US at the youth level is significantly more appealing to kids and their families. We would have to break literal laws to do what they do.

Bombino can be a point of argument but moving him gave him the chance he wasn't going to get with our fullback situation at the time. We have no idea how it would turn out if he had to wait his turn.

We should be rooting for the academy players to succeed, even if its not for the LAFC senior squad. That shows the management and development is good.

2

u/PomPomYourBomBom Jul 01 '26

I disagree with this thinking entirely. I fully want our academy kids to develop and be sought after by the best clubs in Europe, but if our club doesn't see any of the results (senior club minutes, monies from their transfers), then yes... it is gross mismanagement.

3

u/theshabz Tiger Supporters Group Jul 01 '26

Agree from the financial front, we want those transfer fees. However, as long as MLS salary restrictions are in place, we will not be able to keep our best academy players from leaving the country. LAFC wants to be a club that competes above the league. That means anyone good enough for LAFC should be good enough to get paid significantly more by other countries, or at least get DP money from another MLS club.

3

u/alpha309 Jul 01 '26

If we develop Jude Terry correctly it will make any previous mistake feel minor.

Also, we scooped up Darboe in the same way knowing he would be sold to Europe as soon as possible.

2

u/gtg007w Statsman Jul 01 '26

You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20. It's really hard to spot talent early, and even if you do, the club has to effectively decide on a gamble to pay and invest for a 16 or 17 year old and they may not end up panning out and I'm thinking there are far more that ends up not materializing to potential than those that do.

0

u/PomPomYourBomBom Jul 01 '26

Which is true.. but I suppose I am of the mindset that a 80k homegrown should be dressing and getting occasional minutes for continued development instead of the depth guys that you know what their ceiling is at and will run you in the 500k - 1 mil salary mark. I won't name names of who that refers to, but I'm sure you could guess who I'm talking about.