It just said youth team. If it was U23 an all the players were around 20 I guess I was wrong. Can you confirm U23?
I had planned to make the trip down to Bradenton but I assumed that our 2nd unit would play in the tournament. To my surprise one of the parents informed me that the 1st unit played against a u23 side. I will try to confirm.
Looks like the defense is about to get at least one reinforcement. Sporting KC U18 CB Erik Palmer Brown was invited to Bradenton for the Spring semester. Palmer Brown plays up with the U18s despite being just a '97. https://twitter.com/ErikBrown14/status/283043563418312704
RSL defender Justen Glad, also a '97, was invited as well. https://twitter.com/ElijahEvans_/status/282504524554461184 http://ussda.demosphere.com/teams/47158256/47187217-47158343/52502681.html
The intriguing aspect to this is both players are center backs. Will they get enough meaningful game time to continue their development assuming the two starting center backs are fully fit? Players like Munoz and Pacheco are those players getting better by being in Bradenton or would it had been better for them to train with the first team on occasions play with the reserves in a handful of matches and continue that upward trajectory (at least in Munoz case Pacheco is with a non mls DA)? Just a thought.
Pacheco is in LAG system because pats is affiliate so he probably would have gotten opportunity. your point is well taken and my feeling is better to shoot for higher level of training and playing with older players and perfecting their craft than shooting for WC roster. Thats the difference with overseas, those kids are developing in their own pro environment and the WCu17 is just a exit to get gas vs in USA we treat it as the highway. From personal experience i got off the USA highway a long time ago and it has paid off. Think inside the box not outside like the USA. Hopefully dalton pando who had been following the right path before residency can recover after residency.
You mentioned Pando I'm not to familiar with his play but i would include Elney, Jamison and Jones to the list. Angel Heredia was a consistent starter under WC and early on under the current staff. Where is he at now; has he made a roster this semester? I think he's affiliated with the Earthquakes academy?
I don't think it hurts a player to spend a semester at Bradenton without getting games. If the situation is going to persist for longer than that, however, I think it becomes a problem. In most cases, it's better to send little-used players back into their home environment, where they get to play an important role on their team. That's especially true for kids at strong clubs like some of the ones being mentioned. By the way, do the Pats really have an affiliation with the Galaxy? My impression was that the Galaxy had made a deal with the South Bay Force but not the Pats.
I was going to ask the same question. I haven't seen any official mention of a partnership with Pats. Only with South Bay Force (among others).
Yea, it's south bay. Just that year south bay supplied the team for pats because the pats team was weak. That south bay/pats team then went on to win the da championship.
my bad, i am obviously mistaken but doesn't change fact that pacheco was already going to enter the LAG system.
Not at all, we need MORE places like Bradenton, where kids get 1,000 hours per year or more of formal training, and starting younger too. The problem is that you have 30 kids there, and one-semester trials. What they need instead is a number of regional programs, let's start with four, that have kids in residence getting the hours they need to become top players, starting at age 12. Gymnastics and swimming all but require 20 or more hours per week of practice, often starting as young as 5. Why can't soccer in the US become a real sport, and start training more hours starting at 12?
Sure!! Write us a nice check..........and we'll get that started for you!! Over time MLS clubs are going to do what you suggest. They're just building a little year after year after year. In 20 years we'll have residential academies in NY, Dallas, LA, Chicago, etc. But we're not there yet. Or put in other terms.............the money isn't there yet. The USSF is a break even organization as it is. So only so much investment in youth training is going to come from them. It's going to come from the wealthy MLS clubs.
Just got a question for those guys that have watched more of the U-17's than I have. Can anyone give me an opinion on Ahinga Selemani. From everything that I have read, I get the sense that he is on a similar level as Flores and Rubin. Is this accurate? Is he overrated? I was just wondering just how good he is because I have started to hear his name a lot more associated with the better U-17 players.
It doesn't matter what level he is on right now. When we elevate these kids as 15-16 year olds, we do them damage. At 15-16, kids need to be putting their nose to the grindstone and working harder, yet our kids get the impression that they are age group super stars. Nobody would intentionally lower their workrate or lose their focus, but it happens with our bradenton kids all of the time. As far as I am concerned, the fewer discussions we have about what level these guys are at, the better. Let's have conversations about where they are at when they are in their 20s, fighting for a place on a professional club. I am convinced that these conversations about where 15/16 year olds are at are for the birds. I realize that it is all well intentioned. I am just tired of seeing kids get the "national team" label on them and begin to stagnate while other kids work harder and pass them by. I just read an article about about Boss where he describes how he just learned from his time with the Carolina Railhawks that he had bad practice habits. Really??? He had already played professionally in Sweden, Portugal and Germany as well as all different levels of youth national teams, and he just now figured out that the foundation of how he works every day isn't on solid footing??? How is that even possible? We need to take the focus off of our youth national teamers and place it on our professional clubs. That is where the real work is taking place. If a kid comes up through a professional club, that is where the real accountability is. I appreciate that all this youth national team stuff is well intentioned, but I am convinced that it is for the birds. They can't close Bradenton soon enough for me.
I know a few guys who bounced around the lower levels of European soccer and some of their clubs were less than educational. It was very brutal, sink or swim, competition. Not all situations are really good for young players to learn from.
I appreciate that you took the time to write this response, but I was just asking a question, you don't need to rant because I asked a simple question.
It was nothing personal toward you. I am just sick of the system and I am at the point where it is hard to hide it. My guess is that I probably won't post in this thread anymore. That way you don't need to worry about a response from me. Again - nothing personal toward you.
I personally have no issue with following players we have seen and know. But its all about context and narrative. While following the players we've seen and know we all do have to realize while doing it that we have hundreds of other players playing and developing toward the ultimate goal. A marathon if you will. Getting excited about a prospect isn't alone a bad thing but in the context that we're no where close to the end of the race it can be presumptive. Its like we get excited about a runner winning a marathon saying 'wow that kid is good' I wonder what his time will be?' Knowing the race is only half over. Is he really that good when the race isn't over and I'll tell you his time AND place when he finishes. I was getting frustrated reading Peter's post along with him knowing that even today US Youth team players do falsely get put ahead of the class despite not being close to the end of the race and that we still over emphasize US Youth team status because we really have no professional scouting and evaluative approach to development to allow this long term path develop naturally and organically as it should. I too like talking about players on the team but do realize it can be the spark to light the unintended flame.
So, I will ask again. Does anyone that watches the U-17's often have an opinion on Ahinga Selemani? Is he on the level of Rubin and Flores right now? Is he overrated? Just wondering to see if he has emerged as one of the better players or not, thats what it seems like from what I have read.