A closer look at the Johnny Exantus "deal"

                                                                                  Photo by ISIphotos.com

As you may have read elsewhere on Tuesday, there is a Belgian soccer team claiming to have signed New York Red Bulls youth prospect Johnny Exantus (left in photo). Just how legitimate a claim that is remains very unclear.

While the signing was announced by Real Racing Club of Montegnee on Sept. 2, Exantus is currently attending Columbia High School in New Jersey and has been playing for the school's soccer team. He has scored in each of the team's first two games.

Not only that. There is also some question about the professional or amateur status of the club in question, Real Racing Club, which plays in the Belgian Fourth Division. (The club calls itself a professional club, but claims that the program

So if a player signs with an amateur club, has he really signed a thing? More importantly, why would a player regarded as one of the top youth prospects in the nation sign with a fourth-division team in Belgium? And if he did sign, why is he still playing high school soccer in New Jersey?

While the Real Racing Club does appear to actually exist, there do seem to be some red flags regarding its legitimacy. Whether its the curious fact that the club is Belgian yet has an English-only website, or the fact that only two of the club's many contacts have team-issued email addresses (the team's sporting director has a yahoo email address listed on the team site), there is something just a tad bit fishy about the club's description of itself (a professional club that sounds like a quasi-college set-up).

As much as the club's status, and the listing of 15 American players on its squad list, make for some head-scratching, my focus right now is on Exantus and what exactly his status is (while the RRC website does describe the club as an academic and athletic experience, there is no description of what sort of professional ties or contracts are involved between players in the program and the club). Signing with a professional team would mean the Red Bulls would not be able to sign him this winter (which is a possibility if Exantus is not under contract elsewhere), and it would also make Exantus ineligible to play high school soccer in New Jersey (and would force his team to forfeit its first two wins).

That said, if Real Racing Club is not a professional team, then Exantus wouldn't be bound by any contract, thus making the club's announcement misleading. (Based on the wording on the club's website, it suggests that taking part in the program does not jeopardize the player's college eligibility, and therefore is not a true professional club. If that is true, then Exantus is not bound by any professional contract with Real Racing Club)

So what exactly happened? I am hoping to find that out today. A call to Columbia High School head coach Gene Chyzowych has yet to be returned. An email message to Exantus has also not been answered. Columbia is scheduled to play West Morris Central today at 4pm.

Red Bulls fans shouldn't assume that Exantus will join the Red Bulls even if Exantus is not legally bound to a contract with Real Racing Club. Sources have told me for some time that Exantus wants to play in Europe. Whether that desire led to the desperation move of signing with a low-level Belgian club remains to be seen.

I will update this story as information comes in. For now, feel free to share your thoughts on this story in the comments section below.

Comments

[bob]

Hmmmm, smells fishy, just like a cheap Belgian whore.

[Randomher0723]

Sounds a little weird if you ask me... why a 4th division team. Excellent work Ives, can't wait til you receive some more info about this.

[Jacob]

Yeah, uhhhh, weird. That whole "english-only website" deal screams sham to me.

[Steph]

If its smell fishy ... Why don't NYRed Bulls themselves clear this up ...

Is he with NYRed Bulls or not?

[Randomher0723]

Who uses yahoo anymore anyways? Gmail is the way to go

[J]

If he wants to go to Europe, would it be possible for RBNY to loan him to RBS? There is always talk about European players coming here, just seeing about sending players to Austria?

[Belgian Beer]

English is spoken in Belgium quite a lot. That is not surprising. Kiss Johnny X goodbye.

[Modibo]

And who are all these other American players we've never heard of?

[kco]

I didn't know Belguim was big enough to have 4 divisions.

[Modibo]

Look at this! On the roster page, the only information is the player's origin and field position - AND there are links to "sponsor the player" for 250 Euros/season or be a "boot sponsor" for 150 Euros/season. I wonder if you get your name tattooed onto the player if you sponsor him?

http://www.royalracingfc.com/squad.php

[Faux Fur and Soccer Shirts]

Corsendonk, FTMFW!!!

[Dominghosa]

What I can piece together is that this team is most likely owned by an American or a Canadian.
It claims to be a "professional" team but it runs itself more like a prep academy here in the U.S., for example a Mont Zion or Oak Hill Academy for prep basketball players.
The site says the club takes "student athletes" who wish to sign professional European contracts while getting an educational degree at a nearby European university or an abroad American University. Two such schools in Belgium are the Boston University Brussels -- Graduate programs and Vesalius College.
The club houses its players.
So in essence, their players go to school to get an "accredited degree" while getting exposure playing on this team in the Belgium Fourth Division.
If not a professional contract, the players/"student athletes" as the site calls them receive stipends.
The club have formed some partnerships with other clubs to allow those teams to sign players on Royal Racing whatsitcalled.
Bradford City, which is currently in League Two, has a partnership with this club and has recently signed one of its players.
From what I can tell, the American/Canadian who owns this team goes out to America and scouts high school-age players and tries to convince them to go this route if they want a European contract.

[mikeK]

Does Belgium not care about it's native language that much? I mean, in most European nations, English is known and taught, but they still would rather maintain their identity culturally and speak their language.

What if this contract was just signed? Why would the team have to forfit it's first two wins?

I dunno. Doesn't sound like anyone knows what's going on.

[Jacob]

That makes sense...

[mikeK]

And, naturally, reap the benefits when these kids fetch transfer fees. It sounds like a soccer pyramid scheme, it's sick.

[Dominghosa]

A quick google search of a couple of American players on this club's roster says they actually exist and were even part of the local ODP program and were D-I signees before signing on with this club.

[Ives]

What I found interesting was that the only club you can seem to find RRC having a partnership with is Bradford City, but Bradford City ended the partnership after less than a year.

[Mikebsiu]

Being Belgian this whole thing does indeed seem strange. Firstly, the website is entirely in English when the club claims to be by Liege, a working, industrial town where English is not really spoken at all. Lastly, clubs in the fourth division average if they are lucky gates of 300 people. I agree with the above post, the club is probably not owned by a belgian, and if this Johnny Exantus is any good, he would not sign with a belgian second division club, let alone a fourth division one.

[smitty]

they seem to list other players in the red bulls youth system...joey spivack, for example.

[Jennifer Muller]

From the clubs website, on the Student Athlete page.

"All student athletes will retain their amateur status and not jeopardize their NCAA or NAIA status should they take part in this program."

http://www.royalracingfc.com/studentAthlete.php

[Modibo]

Belgian teams and scouts have been involved in a lot of shady dealings with African players in the past - promising them contracts and transfers to big-name squads, for example, only to leave them stranded without any support at all. This is likely not the same story, but it seems like another example of trying to get up-and-coming players on the cheap.

[paul Lorinczi]

Uh....this program looks a lot like PSA.

It is an academy program. It would be interesting to find out who is funding it. Then, the answers will come to light.

He just may be getting himself into a good academy program. They do stress education as one of their offerings.

[Dominghosa]

Yeah saw that too Ives. Ended the partnership just this month, too. The setup is pretty weird.
But in a way, it makes sense. I just don't think it has been too successful as of yet.

[Haig]

" Gene Chyzowych "

It needs to be pointed out that this man is historically important to soccer in the US, as a player and as a coach, particularly as the head coach of the US national team in the 1970s

[sidenetting]

hope johnny cleans up vs West Morris. We used to beat them like a rented mule.

[Ives]

I made some additions to the story but have not heard from any of the particulars.

What makes things confusing is the fact that the club makes a point to call itself a professional club yet it's description of itself is more of a youth academy/amateur club. The contradiction, and the vagueness of some aspects of the website's descriptions of the club/program make it seem very fishy.

At this point it sounds like Exantus isn't bound to any sort of contract, and if he is, then that pretty much contradicts a lot of what the club says about itself on the website.

[matt]

According to the wording on the team's site, it seems like RRFCM were the ones who ended with partnership with Bradford City, no?

"With deep regret, we must announce the ending of our partnership with English league two club Bradford City. RRFC Montegnée has not received any agreed youth sponsorship monies from Bradford City for a period of six months, which is contrary to the approved contract between Bradford City FC & Royal Racing FC Montegnée.

We wish Bradford City all the best in their future football endeavours, but we feel it is important in the development of RRFC Montegnée that both parties move on.

Royal Racing Football Club Montegnée is now talking to other English clubs, whom wish to partner with the club."

[Fisherman]

Ives,
this isn't such a big "mystery"

1. First of all, do your research better. The club is actually inthe 5th division.
2. They have an academy situation where players can go and get a college degree at the same time as having excellent training, as well as matches.
3. The players after 3 years of living in Belgium can qualify for an EU passport, thus opening all the doors that come with it to playing in countries where they would not be able to for either Work Permit or Fiscal reasons.
4. The exposure to others clubs in not just Belgium, Holland, Germany, France and England is excellent. You are aware that Man U use Royal Antwerp as their feeder club...
5. An MLS Developmental contract is 4 years, 12k the first then 17 for Senior Developmental followed by an Option for 30, with no negotations for playing well (ask Dane Richards), then maybe MLS will give a modest pay raise, but tack on another 3 years becasue they only do 4 year contracts. Furthermore the MLS deals are gross, while contracts in Europe are net, are higher because of the exchange rate, and typically include room and board as well.

So that is why a kid what rather go to a "fishy" euro academy than sign for Red Bull.

[Don Garber]

Maybe it's one of those Kandji Deals ...

[Eugene]

So what motivation at all would this club have to put out a note about Exantus of all people?

I understand the questions about legitimacy, but I'm curious to hear Exantus' explanation -- he's probably the only person who can really clarify what, if anything, he did.

[Jimmy23]

Fisherman, nice to see you've had your fill of the kool-aid. Comparing that team to Royal Antwerp had my laughing my as$ off. This team is a scam. Players get sold a bill of goods on how much the program will help them. Wouldn't be the first time some shady Belgian clubs were used to process foreign players for Belgian passports. Only in this case you have Americans falling for the trap.

And who said anything about anybody taking an MLS developmental contract? Those contracts are crap, no question, but Dane Richards isn't on one. He's on a senior minimum of 30K or something like that. There are no four-year developmental contracts. Sounds like you're the one who needs to do their homework.

[Don Garber]

30k? We're paying him that much? I'll have to talk to Gazidis about that ...

[Al17]

Can someone call the USSF to see if they received a player release for him? Last time I checked, unless he's 18 years old, he's not playing anywhere outside of the US anytime soon.

It's total B.S.

[Tony]

I didn't know Belguim was big enough to have 4 divisions.

Posted by: kco | September 17, 2008 at 01:15 PM

RE: It's Europe .... even a country the side of Rhode Island can have at least 25 divisions

[Fisherman]

Jimmy23
the senior developmental contracts are 4 yrs (well actually 1+1+1+1) 17 yr one, 30 year 2, 33 yr two and 36 yr three. The league refuses to negotiate for the first two years. they will negotiate on year three but want more years added on.
if you want your son to sign one of those go ahead, I personally dont think that going to "online college" at a lower level academy isnt such a bad option, although there are other starter options that may be better. Dont drink the koolaid that Red Bull is such a great option for a young kid, look how many foreigners came in, and put our kids on the bench or into the stands for that matter.

[Chrös]

It doesn't look that fishy. Just looking through the website it looks like this is just an amateur team that players can use to get noticed by real European teams while also saving college eligibility. As far as the "signing" goes, athletes "sign" to go to a college as well. I imagine it's a similar process here.

[ambihl]

The fact that the logo for RRFCM appears to be a rat should be the first clue...

[Tom in Newark]

Try this article for some perspective:

http://www.bradfordcityfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1178782,00.html

This appears to be a legitimate club with a history. Whether their ambitions are in line with reality is an entirely different story. In the active European transfer market, a club like this only has to get lucky every once in a while to cover its costs. Playing in the 5th division of Belgium isn't exactly a high level and I wonder how much development really occurs. US players with a realistic shot at MLS would be better served working their way up here. In the long run, MLS is a higher level and a two or three years in the league will still leave the door open to better opportunities. The big draw is probably the Belgian passport, because I doubt the pay is much if anything. A player who shines in MLS will still have opportunities to make serious bank down the road and a UEFA passport isn't that big of an advantage, if you get stuck playing in the styx for 3 years and don't grow as a player.

[brett]

Fisherman "Dont drink the koolaid that Red Bull is such a great option for a young kid, look how many foreigners came in, and put our kids on the bench or into the stands for that matter."

ouch, ill give this point to the fisherman

[Paul Topping]

Dear Sirs

I was forwarded this post & feel that I must reply to this..

RRFC Montegnée is a small ex 1st Division football club (matricule 77) in the Liège region of Belgium. Montegnée has partnered with american institute Heidelberg college,Ohio, to replicate the student athlete program in the USA.
All players are STUDENT ATHLETES, NOT PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS.. They train seven times a week and go to the Heidelberg college at the training ground in Montegnée.
We are not " Scam Merchants", we provide a unique university football program in Europe with a full time professional staff..

Regards

Paul Topping
President
Royal Racing FC Montegnée
Stade Joseph Vanstraelen
Rue Branche Planchard
Montegnée
Liège, Belgium
www.royalracingfc.com

[Sayerville FC]

Is Johnny X a US citizen?

Is he cap-tied to Haiti?

[matt]

Thank you, Paul, for clarifying the situation for those of us freaking out about kids moving to Belgium to play soccer (the horror!).

There are something like 30 kids on the team from Canada and America. Do you people really think 30 sets of parents would send kids of to Belgium for no reason? And if they were getting scammed, don't you think the kids would, you know, come home immediately and alert the powers that be? Some of the kids there have been there for over a year now.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Matt-
The names could have been made up.
If its all true, whatevs, dudes trying out new avenues in his career. if dudes talented the MLS just lost out on another talented player and needs to sort itself out so this doesnt happen in the future.

[Aljarov]

Fisherman....I might be wrong (I don't think so), but your definition of a Senior developmental contract is entirely wrong.

An SD contract is simply the higher of the two two levels (eexcluding a GA). Thus pays $17.7k as opposed to $12.9k. It's not a set term and can be upgraded at any time and to any level based on performance.

Generation Adidas deal are 2+2, typically but that is not a Senior Developmental deal.

You will seldom see a GA deal for less than $45k, and most are around $65k and increase annually. On the higher end they're about $125k, but have gone to $500k, then $550k with Freddy Adu.

There is no $30k contract in MLS. Minimum wage for 2008 is $33k. The league also institutes a mandatory pay rise (10% I think) for players under a certain amount (maybe $60k). The minimum wage also goes up by a fixed amount each year.

Again, there's nothing to stop players moving up based on merit, international recognition etc... either before or at the end of their contracts. Sure, MLS doesn't bend over backwards mid contract unless it sees something it really likes, or wants to avoid a free agent situation (like Bocanegra or Nelsen).

I've seen several Canadians go to this team, and even spoken with a couple. The consensus was that it was good experience as an alternative to NCAA. They did feel like they were being brought over with a view to being sold up the chain, but that this in itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

It all seems perfectly legit to me.

[northzax]

is this really any different than 'signing' with Friedel's place in cleveland? Or Bradenton? Or a basketball player going to Oak Hill? Or Mt. Hood Ski Academy? You give scholarships to the great kids to attract other kids who pay tuition and fees. Big deal. If you think you can make a run at being a real professional, why waste time in college training only 20 hours a week in season? The red bulls still own his mls rights, yes? So it's a bargaining chip as well. Would you take fifteen grand to spend much of the first season on the bench or go to Europe and get intense training in a continental atmosphere? Look what happened with Kassel, the red bulls lowballed him, and he took what for him was a better offer in college park. Maybe this is Exantus basically calling rbny's bluff on a potential contract tender. I bet it will take at least the GenAd spot to get him to the new Arena, don't you think?

[matt]

Ossington,

Yes the names *could* have been made up, but a few minutes on google will show that they are, in fact, not made up.

[metrostar 4 life]

don't be stupid Johnny X! Wait another year or 2 and join RBNY. I'm going to take a wild guess and say even the MLS is better than the Belgian fourth division! What a bold statement! But you see where I am going at.

[KingSnake]

Join MLS, so you can make less than a burger flipper at McDonald's ...

[noname]

This is a college program so it is a little different than most youth academies which target younger players. They also announced "signing" several Panamanian youth internationals at the same time they announced Johny's signing. In this case, signing would seem closer to a college letter of intent than a professional contract. It also implies that Johnny would need to finish high school before going on to a college program.

The affiliation with a US based university implies the college curriculum will be in english hence the english orientation of the website.

Seems like an interesting idea. I wonder if MLS has any rules about this concerning club rights. I know a player can go to college after being in an MLS youth system but that the Club maintains their right to hiim when he comes out. What happens in this case where there is a formal affiliation with a foreign (albeit amateur) club.

[David Berger]

This is so sketchy.

[KingSnake]

As opposed to the straight-forward rules MLS has, and the rock-solid contracts it makes with its players?

[Reid]

at first i thought this was sketch, but the more I think about it i dig it. I think it might be similar to a prep school in the US. I say why not, earn some credits, go abroad, if it doesnt work out you can always go back to MLS or USL.

Whats the worst he is gonna lose out on $12,900/$17,700??

[supsam]

come on people, lets think this through shall we? Why would a top prospect sign with a 4th division Belgian club?? Im pretty sure he not an idiot. Shoot,I would make the same claim if it was a 2nd division belgian club.

If the world is turned upside down and this retard did actually sign with them then man do i feel sorry for NYRB. Talk about a slap to the face. Leaving the club that helped bring you to the level you are at for what!??! a small small small club no ones heard of in a division no one outside belgium knows about. My condolences for red bull fans if it indeed true.

[noname]

Supsam,

Why did Matt Kassel go to Maryland? This is more or less the same thing. It's a residential college with a competitive soccer program in the middle of Europe catering to english speakers.

[Anonymous]

This is a college program with the classes being taught in English. Students study a typical U.S. college curriculum - The Heidelberg director for the program in Belgium is Peter Farmer - a former olympian. This opportunity allows these American kids - some who signed a D-1 letter of intent and played in top of ODP program and attended ESP - to continue courses while working on a degree from an AMERICAN university, training everyday with some highly-regarded European coaches and with other committed players from other countries. Their parents are paying for this - giving their kids the opportunity to be seen by European coaches and have a shot at eventually playing professionally in Europe. More professional teams there than in U.S. The Good part - the student gets a shot at his dream, works on an American degree while playing and studying the game he loves much more intently than at any American University and without NCAA rules, experiences an entirely different part of the world where he is stepping out of his comfort zone and so far away from mom and dad that he is forced to mature quickly. After 3 years will have an Eu passport and if a professional contract doesn't work out by tht time, he can either stay and work in Europe or come home and finish the degree in U.S. The only downside is the value of the Euro to the dollar for his "spending money".

There are lots of great soccer players in other parts of the U.S. although many of the posters on this forum have "never heard of them".

[Joamiq]

That comment from Topping seems to pretty much wrap this up. It's not a professional club. It doesn't bar RB from signing him. But it does seem to indicate that he would prefer to get his EU passport and play in Europe. We will have to wait and see.

[B.Lo]

What on Earth makes Johnny Exantus a "top prospect" anyway? I think you need to re-evaluate your definition of the term if you think so. Yes, he's a talented young player who has a decent amount of potential but big European clubs are not knocking on his door daily nor will they be for quite some time, if ever. This isn't Jozy Altidore we're talking about. Why does the prospect of him playing for a Belgian 5th division club seem so insulting to many of you?

[Justin O]

I find it ridiculous that some people here see anything sketchy about this. It's Belgium, for crying out loud. It'll be a great experience for the kid, regardless of the soccer.

[paul Lorinczi]

I just talked to one of my contacts that has a thorough understanding of the academy options here in the United States.

He confirmed that this program is legitimate and the comparison to PSA in Cleveland and Bradenton were accurate. He said they are legitimate.

The difference is it is a University program. Kudos to Heidelberg College for starting an interesting program like this. They obviously do not have to follow NCAA rules, so it makes a great alternative for athletes that want to be students.

I am sure they can get good games with competition being in Belgian. Again, there are no restrictions. They can call a big club in Belgian, Netherlands, Germany and France and play a game against their reserves.

[northzax]

I took a postgrad year in Europe after high school, why shouldn't johnny x? He's not going to make a lot of money, why not?

[Fisherman]

Aljarov:
In years past the Developmental Contracts were just that, however the Senior Developmental K's are exactly what I described..four options...17 for the first year, then min salary the following with slight increases each year.
As for the minimum salary this year it is 30k...go look at the salaries on the MLSPA website...
Ives can confirm this info.

[Tony]

My son is one of the Americans at the Heidelberg Academic and Sporting Academy in the Belgian province of Liege. He arrived about six weeks ago and is experiencing the "time of his life" with school and soccer. He played in college stateside and is a product of an athletic "academy" which was affiliated with U.S. Club Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues.

Everyone associated with the Heidelberg Academy and the Royal Racing Football Club - Montegnee' have been both genuine and generous with their support and resources. In time, I believe the feedback will be "exceeds expectations" which my son has told me already.

The advantage of this unique opportunity is its' location in Europe. The area they live in which the town of Ans is beautiful, clean and a relaxed environment. They are living in new housing with all of the amenties we expect here in the States. The school and soccer facilities are combined and first rate. The professional coaching addresses the needs of all players including keepers which is typically missing here in the U.S. system of training our youth. The team is scheduled to played out of country matches against teams in similar and higher comparable Divisions.

There is a French language version of the club web site (www.rrfcmontegnee.org) and since there are many teams across the Walloon region of Belgium, I frequently visit this site to check on the results for the Liege province (www.walfoot.be).

The locals are very supportive of the team and many of them speak fluent English, French and some, Italian. The team "mascot" which is a rat is a symbol of the areas primary industry a few decades ago (mining). Rats inhabited the mines (as they do the sewers for those of us raised in the tri-State area of the Northeast; some of them were big enough to race against horses at Aquaduct and Belmont!).

A local 1st Division team, Royal Standard Liege who are the current national champions, recently played EPL's Everton so the geographic separation between Division's is short which enhances the opportunity for player visibility.

While I hope that our youth continue to strive for a spot on an MLS team, I have yet to find an equivalent/superior alternative for those athletes that aren't scouted to play USL D2, D1 or the top professional level here at home.