“This is a young man who did what thousands of young soccer players do, which is he had youth training experience in the minor leagues, but never went pro,” Maloney said. Neither the NCAA nor the university would comment, though documents filed with the courts show Maryland officials arguing strenuously on Coupland’s behalf. The MLS Player’s Association also wrote the NCAA, saying it wanted to help the organization in “accurately assessing” Coupland’s eligibility status as it pertains to the contract he signed. “NCAA uses opaque average expenditure data and frequently changing criteria to make its ‘actual and necessary’ expenses,” the lawsuit argues. “But the NCAA mistakenly believed Antoine signed the standard professional (MLS) agreement, not the short-term agreement.”