Hello again! It's been a while since I've written "The Rant", but I'm back!

I must admit, I'm very pleased and proud to see A-League stars such as Yari Allnutt, Craig Demmin, Dwayne DeRosario, John Wilson, Ernest Inneh, and Amos Magee (to name a few) have made it to the "Big Time" of American soccer. With a handful of A-League players drafted "up" to MLS, the A-League further reinforces itself as a league that must be taken seriously. It is a prime nurturing ground for great American soccer talent.

The burning question is, however, will these players get playing time with their new squads? Most likely, they will. The better ones (obviously) will get plenty of it. But what if some of these guys don't see the pitch aside from warm-ups? Are they content to ride the pine and call it a career? If that was my situation, I know that I wouldn't be happy.

Sure, some of these players may eventually get a chance to show off their skills, but what if that day never comes? Worse yet, what if players suffer Yari Allnutt's fate, and break a foot in training? Allnutt's case may be unique-he has a promise from the (New England) Revolution's management that he will not be let go, regardless of rehabilitation time. Others may not be as fortunate. Everyone is expendable.

So, what does this mean? Of course, for some players not fortunate enough to start out playing in the MLS, getting there is half the battle. Proving your worth is the other half. Waiting for that moment, for some, is attractive enough. I sincerely hope that MLS teams whom drafted A-League players intend to use them to their fullest capabilities-it would be an absolute shame to see these players rot on the bench of any squad.

This goes beyond the A-League. Look at the US national squad. How many players play in the MLS? Even more, how many were actually born in the United States, not counting the "military base" reasoning? We need to have more positive instances like what we've begun to see in the last MLS draft-more homegrown players making it to our version of the "Big Time". Perhaps some of the names mentioned in this year's draft will end up playing for the US team; that would be the greatest compliment to the A-League of all.

It's just my opinion, but I could be right

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