File:GenerationAdidas.PNG Generation Adidas official logo
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.
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. 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 their professional career not pan out.
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 .[ 4]
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.[ 5]
Players
Generation Adidas graduates are announced at the end of the MLS season (prior to 2008,[ 6] 2009,[ 7] 2010,[ 8] and 2011[ 9] ) so in the charts below the graduation year represents the season after which the player was announced by MLS as a Generation Adidas graduate.
1997
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Assigned Team
Current club
Ubusuku Abukusumo
19
D
Albuquerque, NM
North Carolina State
Columbus Crew
retired
Jose Botello
20
M
Los Angeles, CA
East Los Angeles (Comm) College
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Nino Da Silva
17
M
Hoffman Estates, IL
Kansas City Wizards
retired
Joey DiGiamarino
19
D
Corona, CA
Cal State Fullerton
Colorado Rapids
retired
Brian Dunseth
19
D
Upland, CA
Cal State Fullerton
New England Revolution
retired
Carlos Parra
19
M
West Haven, CT
MetroStars
retired
Eric Quill
18
F
Missouri City, TX
Clemson
Tampa Bay Mutiny
retired
Esmundo Rodriguez
19
M
Dallas, TX
Indiana
San Jose Clash
retired
Tim Sahaydak
19
D
Bethlehem, PA
North Carolina
Columbus Crew
retired
Juan Sastoque
19
F
Brooklyn, NY
CSUN
Dallas Burn
retired
1998
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Assigned Team
Current club
Jamar Beasley
18
F
Fort Wayne, IN
New England Revolution
retired
Judah Cooks
21
M
Bethesda, MD
Maryland
D.C. United
retired
Tim Howard
18
GK
North Brunswick, NJ
US Under-20
MetroStars
retired
Andy Kirk
20
GK
Milwaukee, WI
Maryland
San Jose Clash
retired
Chad McCarty
20
D
Clovis, CA
Washington
Tampa Bay Mutiny
retired
Matt Napoleon
20
GK
Feasterville, PA
Columbia
Miami Fusion
retired
Ben Olsen
20
M/F
Middletown, PA
Virginia
D.C. United
retired
Barry Swift
20
F
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
MetroStars
retired
Scott Vermillion
21
D
Olathe, KS
Virginia
Tampa Bay Mutiny
retired
Brian West
19
F
Columbia, MD
Virginia
Columbus Crew
retired
Josh Wolff
20
F
Stone Mountain, GA
South Carolina
Chicago Fire
retired
1999
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Assigned Team
Current club
Chris Albright
20
F
Philadelphia, PA
Virginia
D.C. United
retired
DaMarcus Beasley
16
M
Fort Wayne, IN
Bradenton Academy
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Scott Bower
20
F/M
Tampa, FL
Clemson
San Jose Earthquakes
retired
Sergi Daniv
23
M
Lviv , Ukraine
Wake Forest
Chicago Fire
retired
Francisco Gomez
19
M
Watsonville, CA
California Jaguars
Kansas City Wizards
retired
Michael Green
20
D
Columbia, MD
Virginia
Kansas City Wizards
retired
Dema Kovalenko
21
M
Rochester, NY
Indiana
Chicago Fire
retired
Alen Kozić
22
D/M
Tampa, FL
Florida International
Miami Fusion
retired
Matt Nyman
22
G
Westbrook, CT
Dartmouth
Tampa Bay Mutiny
retired
Antonio Otero
21
M
Tampa, FL
American
D.C. United
retired
Marvin Quijano
19
F
North Hollywood, CA
Rio Hondo Comm College
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Maurizio Rocha
22
M
Santa Cruz , Bolivia
Connecticut
Miami Fusion
retired
Scott Vallow
21
GK
Naperville, IL
Bowling Green
Dallas Burn
retired
2000
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafting Team
Current club
Shaker Asad
20
M
Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State
New England Revolution
retired
Kyle Beckerman
17
M
Crofton, MD
US Under-17
Miami Fusion
Unattached
Carlos Bocanegra
20
D
Alta Loma, CA
UCLA
Chicago Fire
retired
Danny Califf
19
D
Orange, CA
Maryland
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Bobby Convey
16
M
Philadelphia, PA
Bradenton Academy
D.C. United
retired
Micah Cooks
18
M
Washington, DC
D.C. United
retired
Nick Garcia
20
D
Plano, TX
Indiana
Kansas City Wizards
retired
Mario Longo
19
M
Apex, NC
Columbus Crew
retired
Rusty Pierce
20
D
The Woodlands, TX
UNC Greensboro
New England Revolution
retired
Nick Rimando
20
GK
Montclair, CA
UCLA
Miami Fusion
retired
Seth Trembly
17
M
Littleton, CO
Bradenton Academy
Colorado Rapids
retired
Sergio Salas
18
F
Falls Church, VA
D.C. United
retired
2001
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafted Team
Current club
Devin Barclay
17
F
Annapolis, MD
US Under-20
Tampa Bay Mutiny
retired
Isaias Bardales
21
F
San Jose, CA
San Jose State
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Edson Buddle
19
F
New Rochelle, NY
State Fair Comm College
Columbus Crew
retired
Jose Aparicio Sanchez Jr
16
F
Houston, TX
San Jose Earthquakes
retired
José Burciaga, Jr.
19
D
Duncanville, TX
US Under-20
Kansas City Wizards
retired
Chris Carrieri
20
F
Stafford, VA
North Carolina
San Jose Earthquakes
retired
D.J. Countess
19
GK
Sacramento, CA
UCLA
MetroStars
retired
Nick Downing
20
D
Redmond, WA
Maryland
New England Revolution
retired
Eddie Johnson
16
F
Palm Coast, FL
Bradenton Academy
Dallas Burn
retired
Martin Klinger
20
F
Kearny, NJ
MetroStars Black
MetroStars
retired
Santino Quaranta
16
F
Baltimore, MD
Bradenton Academy
D.C. United
retired
Miguel Saavedra
17
M
Milwaukee, WI
US Under-18
Dallas Burn
retired
2002
2003
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafting Team
Current club
Arturo Alvarez
17
F/M
Houston, TX
US Under-17
San Jose Earthquakes
retired
Brian Carroll
21
M
Fairfax, VA
Wake Forest
D.C. United
retired
Ricardo Clark
19
M
Jonesboro, GA
Furman
MetroStars
Alecko Eskandarian
20
F
Montvale, NJ
Virginia
D.C. United
retired
Eddie Gaven
16
M
Hamilton, NJ
Bradenton Academy
MetroStars
retired
Guillermo Gonzalez
16
M
Paramount, CA
Bradenton Academy
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Nate Jaqua
21
F
Eugene, OR
Portland
Chicago Fire
retired
Jacob LeBlanc
21
M
Palo Alto, VA
Virginia
MetroStars
retired
Ricky Lewis
20
D
Spring, TX
Clemson
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Mike Magee
18
F/M
South Barrington, IL
Bradenton Academy
MetroStars
retired
Logan Pause
21
D
Hillsborough, NC
North Carolina
Chicago Fire
retired
David Stokes
20
D
Dumfries, VA
North Carolina
D.C. United
retired
Jason Thompson
21
F
Garland, TX
Eastern Illinois
Dallas Burn
retired
2004
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafting Team
Current club
Freddy Adu
14
M
Potomac, MD
US Under-17
D.C. United
Michael Bradley
16
M
Palatine, IL
US Under-17
MetroStars
Toronto FC
Ryan Cochrane
20
D
Portland, OR
Santa Clara
San Jose Earthquakes
retired
Steve Cronin
20
GK
Sacramento, CA
Santa Clara
San Jose Earthquakes
retired
Clint Dempsey
20
M
Nacogdoches, TX
Furman
New England Revolution
retired
Josh Gardner
21
M
Houston, TX
Cincinnati
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Clarence Goodson
21
D
Springfield, VA
Maryland
Dallas Burn
retired
Ned Grabavoy
20
M
New Lenox, IL
Indiana
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Chad Marshall
19
D
Riverside, CA
Stanford
Columbus Crew
retired
Danny Szetela
16
M
Clifton, NJ
US Under-17
Columbus Crew
New York Cosmos
2005
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafting Team
Current club
Chad Barrett
19
F
Beaverton, OR
UCLA
Chicago Fire
retired
Nikolas Besagno
16
M
Maple Valley, WA
US Under-17
Real Salt Lake
retired
Hunter Freeman
20
D
Allen, TX
Virginia
Colorado Rapids
retired
Brad Guzan
20
GK
Homer Glen, IL
South Carolina
Chivas USA
Atlanta United FC
Christian Jimenez
18
M
San Dimas, CA
US Under-20
Chivas USA
retired
Will John
19
F
Kansas City, MO
Saint Louis
Chicago Fire
Quavas Kirk
16
F
Aurora, IL
US Under-17
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Drew Moor
20
D
Dallas, TX
Indiana
FC Dallas
Colorado Rapids
Michael Parkhurst
20
D
Cranston, RI
Wake Forest
New England Revolution
retired
Ryan Pore
21
F
Mansfield, OH
Tulsa
Kansas City Wizards
retired
Tim Ward
17
D
Waukesha, WI
Saint Louis
MetroStars
retired
Jamie Watson
18
F
Dallas, TX
North Carolina
Real Salt Lake
retired
2006
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafting Team
Current club
Jozy Altidore
16
F
Boca Raton, FL
US Under-20
MetroStars
Toronto FC
Yura Movsisyan
18
F
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena Lancers
Kansas City Wizards
David Arvizu
17
F
Santa Ana, CA
US Under-20
MetroStars
retired
Patrick Ianni
20
D/M
Lodi, CA
UCLA
Houston Dynamo
retired
Kei Kamara
21
F
Lawndale, CA
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Columbus Crew
Colorado Rapids
Sacha Kljestan
20
M
Huntington Beach, CA
Seton Hall
Chivas USA
LA Galaxy
Dax McCarty
18
M
Winter Park, FL
North Carolina
FC Dallas
Nashville SC
Jacob Peterson
19
F
Portage, MI
Indiana
Colorado Rapids
retired
Willie Sims
21
F
Los Angeles, CA
Cal State Northridge
New England Revolution
retired
Nathan Sturgis
18
D/M
St. Augustine, FL
Clemson
Los Angeles Galaxy
retired
Blake Wagner
17
D
Tampa, FL
US Under-20
FC Dallas
retired
Marvell Wynne
19
D
Poway, CA
UCLA
MetroStars
retired
Jed Zayner
21
D
Orland Park, IL
Indiana
Columbus Crew
retired
2007
2008
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/prior
Drafting Team
Graduated
Current club
Eric Avila
20
M
San Diego, CA
UC Santa Barbara
FC Dallas
2010
San Diego Loyal SC
Tony Beltran
20
D/M
Claremont, CA
UCLA
Real Salt Lake
2009
retired
Roger Espinoza
21
M
Aurora, CO
Ohio State
Kansas City Wizards
2010
Sporting Kansas City
Josh Lambo
17
GK
Middleton, WI
US Under-17
FC Dallas
2011
retired
Chance Myers
20
D/M
Thousand Oaks, CA
UCLA
Kansas City Wizards
2010
retired
Alex Nimo
17
F/M
Portland, OR
US Under-17
Real Salt Lake
2010
retired
Patrick Nyarko
22
F
Kumasi, Ghana
Virginia Tech
Chicago Fire
2009
retired
Ciaran O'Brien
20
M
Tacoma, WA
UC Santa Barbara
Colorado Rapids
2010
retired
Brek Shea
17
M/D
College Station, TX
US Under-17
FC Dallas
2010
Rob Valentino
22
D
Cave Creek, AZ
San Francisco
New England Revolution
retired
2009
2010
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/Prior
Drafting Team
Graduated
Current club
Corben Bone
21
M
Plano, TX
Wake Forest
Chicago Fire
Louisville City FC
Teal Bunbury
19
F
Prior Lake, MN
Akron
Kansas City Wizards
2011
New England Revolution
Dilly Duka
20
M
Montville, NJ
Rutgers
Columbus Crew SC
2011
FK Partizani Tirana
Blair Gavin
20
M
Louisville, KY
Akron
Chivas USA
2011
retired
Luis Gil
16
M
Garden Grove, CA
US Under-17
Kansas City Wizards
FK Viktoria Žižkov
Zachary Herold
17
D
Port St. Lucie, FL
US Under-17
Toronto FC
Retired
retired
Sean Johnson
20
GK
Lilburn, GA
UCF
Chicago Fire
2011
New York City FC
Jack McInerney
17
F
Alpharetta, GA
US Under-17
Philadelphia Union
2012
Oakland Roots
Danny Mwanga
18
F
Kinshasa , DR Congo
Oregon State
Philadelphia Union
2011
retired
Amobi Okugo
18
M
Sacramento, CA
UCLA
Philadelphia Union
2012
Austin Bold FC
Ike Opara
20
D
Durham, NC
Wake Forest
San Jose Earthquakes
Minnesota United FC
Tony Tchani
20
M
Norfolk, VA
Virginia
New York Red Bulls
2011
Andrew Wiedeman
20
F
San Ramon, CA
California
FC Dallas
retired
2011
Player
Age
Pos
Home Town
College/Prior
Drafting Team
Graduated
Current club
David Bingham
21
GK
Castro Valley, CA
California
San Jose Earthquakes
2014
LA Galaxy
Will Bruin
21
F
St. Louis, MO
Indiana
Houston Dynamo
2013
Seattle Sounders FC
Corey Hertzog
20
F
Reading, PA
Penn State
New York Red Bulls
n/a
Reno 1868 FC
Perry Kitchen
18
M
Indianapolis, IN
Akron
D.C. United
2011
LA Galaxy
Zac MacMath
19
GK
St. Petersburg, FL
Maryland
Philadelphia Union
2013
Real Salt Lake
Darlington Nagbe
20
M
Lakewood, OH
Akron
Portland Timbers
2013
Columbus Crew SC
Michael Nanchoff
22
M
North Royalton, OH
Akron
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2013
retired
Omar Salgado
17
F
El Paso, TX
US Under-20
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2014
El Paso Locomotive FC
Kofi Sarkodie
19
D
Huber Heights, OH
Akron
Houston Dynamo
2013
retired
Michael Tetteh
21
D
Accra, Ghana
UC Santa Barbara
Seattle Sounders FC
n/a
retired
Zarek Valentin
19
D
Lancaster, PA
Akron
Chivas USA
2011
Houston Dynamo
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Project-40 in the A-League
Year
Division
League
Reg. Season
Playoffs
Open Cup
1998
2
USISL A-League
5th, Pacific
Did not qualify
Did not qualify
1999
2
USL A-League
2nd, Central
Quarterfinals
Did not qualify
2000
2
USL A-League
4th, Central
Did not qualify
3rd Round
Notes