The number of minutes MLS clubs gave their 'Homegrown Players' | OneFootball

In 2008, Major League Soccer created the Homegrown Player Rule, which is a program that allows MLS teams to sign local players from their own development academies directly to MLS first team rosters.

10 years later, the program has been a big success for developing grassroots talent, and here is the proof.

Jeff Rueter of The Athletic calculated each team’s usage of Homegrown Players. Supporter’s Shield winners New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake are (strangely) tied for first with 8,559 minutes handed to locally-sourced talent.

Orlando City, Minnesota United, and LAFC, all clubs with four years or less in MLS, did not field a single Homegrown Player this season.

Here are the minutes given to Homegrown Players, in order of position in the MLS table.

Post-season clubs

New York Red Bulls – 8559

Atlanta United – 338

Sporting Kansas City – 3306

Seattle Sounders – 635

LAFC – 0

FC Dallas – 7953

NYCFC – 223

Portland Timbers – 515

DC United – 2203

Columbus Crew – 2717

Philadelphia Union – 5408

Real Salt Lake – 8559

Teams not in the post-season

LA Galaxy – 271

Vancouver Whitecaps – 4028

Montreal Impact – 701

New England Revolution – 4383

Houston Dynamo – 825

Toronto FC – 3513

Chicago Fire – 1606

Colorado Rapids – 2674

Orlando City – 0

San Jose Earthquakes – 3679

Minnesota United – 0

Note: Bill Hamid’s return to D.C. United is not included in these calculations, as he is not listed by D.C. United or MLS as a Homegrown Player. DC’s total would rise to 3463 counting the goalkeeper’s minutes.