Well, who knows. We do know he's out of Bradenton and presumably that's meant in part to facilitate a move to a pro club or academy: It’s that dedication that makes Koroma a candidate to turn pro early, perhaps even as soon as this summer after a run through Europe. "I’m thinking some time next year," he said. "I’m hoping, praying and working hard. Hopefully it happens." http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/1909690.html I have heard whispers in the past of Mexican links for Koroma and I assume MLS is interested as well. He will turn 16 in April, according to U.S. Soccer, so a pro move to Europe before he turns 18 would perhaps be complicated: http://www.ussoccer.com/Teams/U-17-MNT/K/Alfred-Koroma.aspx
Makes no sense................. Maybe he'd do the Gyau/Renken route. Sign on with a pro team in Europe, and train with a club in North America.
I'll follow this,but somewhere hidden deep in this forum is an article where it states that he is currently back in high school. EDIT: Perhaps less deep than I had thought
Its natural for a kid to just want to be a teenager. The kids only practice for three hours a day in Bradenton, and maybe he was willing to sacrifice the quality of players and coaching for a year or two of regular teenage life.
Snip: Front-line running mate Alfred Koroma also hopes to turn pro this summer if offers arrive, though he said there’s been no firm contact from Europe. “I’m hoping I can sign with a big club,” he said. “Or a club that could give me some minutes in Europe, maybe.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...dfielder-pelosi-says-liverpool-interested-him
Talk about dreaming big, going to a big club or a club that he can get minutes in Europe at, at the ripe age of 16 and without any Euro passport right? A discussion with an aget. I said this in the Dallas DA thread, but I think he would be a great home grown signing for FCD, but his ties are to Solar so no go there. I am very interested to see how this goes for him...
That will work out well for FCD but Alfred is going to work the ladder. European contract, GA contract then FCD home grown
Today is the big match for Al because the German scouts will be there. But "Europe"? "Europe"? [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-eavMSBnk&feature=related"]YouTube - Playoffs??? The Sound Byte‏[/ame]
This was the first time I had seen our U-17 side play, and I thought this kid was absolutely awful. Maybe I caught him on a bad day, not sure, but he was dispossessed from the ball repeatedly, showed very little 1v1 ability, little vision, bad passing, I mean it was bad. Bad to the point where I think he has no shot of being a good offensive player as a pro. Hopefully I'm not being overly harsh, and hopefully it was just a bad day at the office.
I think it was just a bad day at the office. He can play better. Of course, I stopped watching after the first half.
I didn't see anything diferent from the earlier matches - good speed, good touch, very little positional awareness but that was the case with the tean at large anyway. I still think he's a good prospect. And, with the Sierra Leone passport, he is under Cotonou, so France, Denmark and Spain are also open to him.
Guy lacks a good Soccer IQ. Rather than pass he tried to shoot every time he got in the box. Don't know what else to say because only time will tell if he will be good or not.
He has heaps of talent. Nothing wrong with him that good coaching can't and willingness to learn can't fix.
Just wanted to let you know that today he was asked to play out of position and was playing in the midfield to provide size and athleticism vs. Germany. He is usually pushed further forward and is mostly an out and out striker.
In a weird way, I was actually heartened to see us take the particular beating we did today. I mean, until I got angry and sad and stopped watching at halftime. The one tiny silver lining for me is actually the Germans were almost all bigger and stronger and--to my eye--maybe faster than pretty much anybody we put on the field today. It makes me hope that our youth system isn't as obsessed with picking the big, strong, fast kids as many like to claim. Of course, the Germans also looked better tactically and technically, so it's not a big silver lining. I really do find it baffling that our guys played as well against the Czechs and as poorly against everybody else as they did. You can't luck into doing well what they well in the Czech game, but I don't understand how players under the same coach know how to maintain shape, find passing angles, and complete simple passes in one game but forget completely in the next. I know youth soccer is all about inconsistency, but yeesh.
Alfred looked really comfortable in the box and out on the wing.(Ignore the Germany game) His skill and touch is good. His size is great. He needs to go to an environment will he will face people just like himself. I think a Euro club should come calling when you concsider his African roots, but an MLS deal may come as well.
Why would you start a thread called "European opportunities for Alfred Koroma" when there are no actual offers or even any rumors from any European club. It's just complete baseless speculation on your part.
DMN has done more for YA bigsoccer than any poster I can think (there are alot of great posters as well) he knows when and when not to start a thread.