Orange Legionnaire

After parting ways with the Dayton Dutch Lions in August 2010, Sonny Silooy has landed back in America with a new job as a trainer in the United States. The 47-year-old former Ajax player will now be in charge of the youth academy for DC United.

Silooy today officially signed a contract for two seasons with D.C. United, historically one of the most successful clubs in MLS. Silooy will not work as a head coach (which is the job of former D.C. player Ben Olsen), but as a youth academy coach. Silooy's contract begins next month.

Silooy explains the job details to Dutch soccer website Voetbal International:

"The intention is to have more structure in the D.C. Academy. They
want in the future to have more and more youth players passed up to the
first team. While I have signed for two years, in December
(2011) we will evaluate and look whether we can continue on the
same path. "

Silooy worked last year as manager and youth academy director at the Dayton Dutch Lions. Silooy left the Dutch Lions when the front office and Silooy couldn't agree on a similiar path for the future of the youth academy. However, both sides remain good friends and the Dutch Lions were looking to possibly bring Silooy back on staff, before this opportunity presented itself for the Ajax legend.

The move is another positive story for those related with the Dutch Lions, as the Dutch Lions may want to change their slogan from "Gateway to Professional Soccer" to "Gateway to MLS" as players Ent and Schwartz have been flirting with MLS contracts, and now the former Dutch Lions manager has landed one.

That's according to MLS-Rumors, as they first stated on Friday that Toronto F.C. was not only interested in Ent but the Dutch Lions whole right side from the 2010 season; both Ent and overlapping Dutch Lions right back Evan Schwartz.

According to Rumors:

Our source adds that both players were scouted this past july at a game in Toronto, by Nick Dasovic, interim head coach of Toronto FC.

This is quite possible as Nick Dasovic, in a lesser assistant or technical director position before becoming interim head coach at TFC, did scout Bas Ent in a July game in Toronto against PDL foe the Toronto Lynx. Schwartz did play in that game as well.

Dasovic may have found Schwartz interesting as well, and Toronto F.C. may have decided to bring the American right back to TFC to try to ease the transition for Ent; As Ent and Schwartz did work well together in 2010.

Also right back has been a position in flux for Toronto F.C.

I guess we will see as there's meat to about 1 in 4 stories on MLS-Rumors on a good day. I'll keep checking online in different places, once you see something coming from two or three different places it usually has some meat to it.

MLS-Rumors also stated today that former Dutch Lions Head Coach Sonny Silooy might have job offers from both the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United:

According to my colleague’s sources, long-time Ajax defender and head coach of Dayton Dutch Lions FC, Sonny Silooy, was being courted by the Philadelphia Union for the position of reserve team coach and technical director of the youth academy, but it now looks like DC United is interested in using him in this same role.

MLS-Rumors stated "according to my colleague's sources" for both stories which is about as vague as it gets, nearly saying "some guy I know, know's a guy who said..." When it came to the Ent rumor it was reported various places online, starting with the Dutch league that Ent plays for, which makes it very credible. But, who knows there may be some truth to both of these.

I'll keep scanning online to see if anything more concrete comes up in the next week or so. It would be good news for DDL F.C. as having three guys associated with the club making the jump up to MLS, would land the club a great deal of credibility to go along with Ent's reported signing with TFC.