Canadian U-20 Messoudi moves from Academy to Impact roster

The Impact has added another young Canadian to the roster. Nineteen-year-old midfielder Zakaria Messoudi, who was part of this recent cycle’s Canadian U-20 team, was promoted from the Academy to the senior squad. With CONCACAF Champions League and MLS Reserve League matches to come, the club needed to add a little depth to the roster. “I am very excited to have signed my first pro contract with the club,” Messoudi said in a release issued by the club. “In a way, it’s a dream that is coming true as I’ve been a part of the club for over three years now and it is the culmination of a lot of hard work.” Messoudi becomes the fifth homegrown player to make the move from the Academy ranks to the Impact’s first team. Of course, the real test of the Academy is not promoting them to the first team, but producing prospects who can one day take on MLS minutes and eventually earn MLS contracts that are worth significantly more than $40,000 a year. Until that happens, the jury remains out on an Academy’s success. The club also has Paolo DelPiccolo in on a trial. He scored Tuesday in a reserve game against FC Dallas. DelPiccolo was selected 27th overall in the 2013 SuperDraft. But the Louisville product opted instead for a shot with Eintracht Frankfurt. The Impact knew then that the pick was a gamble: He could go to Europe, but the Impact held onto the player’s North American rights. Because of that, when he returned to North America he went straight to Impact camp.