I think people forget that they also have a full U23 team and German just don't give 90 minutes as a charity case for a U19 player. They still play to win. He'll eventually get his 90 with Schalke in games that matter when he really deserves it. The U20s are a once in a life time event. He can't wait on that.
I fully agree. He's been dominant in every facet of the game at the youth level for sometime now and he's clearly improved tremendously in his eight months at Schalke which is kind of scary. He's just operating on another level tactically. One of my favorite things about him is how good he is in transition. His anticipation and positioning defensively are very good to begin with and then we he intercepts or reacts first, his next action with the ball is immediate. He's already analyzed the situation and evaluated his options from an attacking standpoint while defending, and then he has the skill and technique to execute. Then he also just posses all these intangibles. My favorite, he's nearly impossible to beat in 1v1 physical battles of any context. Yea he's superior physically, but it's not even fully about that, there's something psychological going on there. If you want to beat him man-to-man you better be willing to give what he's willing to give, and in the four games I've seen of him that hasn't happened. It really looks like he may be developing into some player.
Such a bad comparison. You're comparing 2 World Cup Qualifiers for a team outside qualification to one end of season game that means nothing in the standings which he'll eventually get to play next year. The 2x World Cup Qualifiers are a once in a lifetime event much bigger than the U20s. So no the Pulisic vs McKennie comparison is not equal.
Brian S already said that Weston is not joining the U-20 WC squad. On to the hope that he gets a look with the higher up teams at Schalke now.
Weston has become a 1st team player. #Weinzierl: "Luke #Hemmerich, @HajiWright and @WMckennie from the U19s will all be moved into the first team squad." #s04 pic.twitter.com/XteOk3XmG1— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) May 18, 2017
If he and Haji get on the pitch, and I can't imagine how they wouldn't, I do not care one bit about them not being at the U20 world cup.
So it has to be in this final match this year? Wouldn't you have twice the fun with them playing for the U20s and helping them to success and then they make their first appearance with Schalke next year? Of course this is all hypothetical.
Not me. I don't care much about YNT tournaments. At this age, club situation matter a hell of a lot more.
I follow US youth national teams and like to do well. With that said I don't understand the huge benefit to his club situation of this one game at the end of the season vs first game of next season.
the club probably thinks giving them a taste in the final game of the season will nicely motivate them during the summer and for the upcoming pre-season.
"We have the development of Haji Wright, Weston McKennie and Luke Hemmerich most closely followed. Norbert Elgert has once again done an outstanding job. Weston McKennie we look at the whole time already. He is a player who has the potential to play in the Bundesliga then there's nothing else but give it the chance. The boy has time to develop. It's from now on, and then probably for the season. Haji Wright had already been part of the training camp in Spain. It is noticeable to him that he has been a great development in the last six months has taken from the whole game but also from the physical. He too will get the chance with us. And Luke Hemmerich, who first noticed us at first when he was at the test in Hannover. The boy did well, he was interested in us. That's why he will be there and we'll see how they take their chance. When three of the squire's forge into the prosikader slip, then this is a great award." Hopefully you get the gist cuz that's just google translate
He praises the coach of the U19s. Says they have been following Mckennie for a long time and it is time to throw him in the Bundesliga mix, now and at the beginning of the season. Says Wright was in the winter training camp in Spain and has made great strides in his game since then. Overall, there is a lot of excitement that the team is able to promote three youth players (with Emmerich) to the first team.
The Revierderbies are going to be so much fun! (I'm pretending they'll all automatically start. Go with it.)
Me as well, and I also don't understand how it isn't helpful to perform well in a youth tournament. Those tournaments can help promote players, and get them transferred or signed. Why doesn't this matter to people? Just looking back in 2007 our performance got Freddy Adu, Jozy, Szetela, and Sal Zizo gigs overseas, maybe more, i can't remember, just pulling names off the top of my head. I also think Miazga and Palmer Brown had performances during the U-20 Tournament in '15 that assisted their efforts in locking in deals with big clubs in Europe, Miazga landing in Chelsea, Palmer Brown landing with Porto. Now in the latter case Palmer Brown already had a lot of hype coming in and apparently a failed bid by Juventus for his signature way before that tournament was held, but I do think it was significant that both were signed to deals following the conclusions of their seasons in the MLS during the winter of '15-'16. To me this tournament helps to promote players less known in Europe, and also helps to hype players even further if they excel against some of the most well thought of prospects in the world. Every cycle we see kids from the tournament around the world pull in huge bids after the tournament for transfer. Every cycle. How can it not help? To me this tournament is like a giant shopping mall for big clubs to take a closer look at how these players perform in competitions against elite players that they don't normally get the opportunity to play against in a very short window of time. There's a gazillion matches all held in the same place, more or less, and all during basically one month, often during the offseason. How is it not helpful to clubs like Schalke, and really anyone, to have their players showcased in such a tournament? If Haji Wright had been called in (granted he wasn't going to be) and absolutely tore apart Senegal, had his way with Ecuador and Saudi Arabia, demolished Germany, and played well against Argentina or Uruguay or whomever in the semis or whatever. How is that not going to help his resale value? If McKennie just bosses the field against those teams, and links up beautifully in the attack, how does that not help? It makes no sense to me. This is a giant shop window for a month, these guys are on the tv, and participating in a major tournament with elite players from around the world. Messi played in this, and lost to us (on the bench for some bizarre reason I can't recall), before winning the title later in '05. If Messi can play how can our guys not get released. It's just really strange to me. All it can do is help (as long as a player doesn't get hurt, and players can get hurt at anytime, even practice, so that's a red herring for the most part), and improving player value is part of the game for teams like Schalke that don't have the financial wherewithall to compete with Bayern Munich on a level playing field (not that Schalke is poor, just that developing young players, and being able to retain them or sell them for a huge profit is part of how they compete, it's part of almost every clubs bread and butter). Very frustrated with it. Happy for McKennie and Wright, and excited for their continued development, but very frustrated that Schalke didn't work harder with Tab to find a middle ground, it was in their own interests to do so.
There's not much to gain for players like Mckennie and Wright. They have their deal, and they are going to have a much bigger stage to showcase (Schalke) for a longer period of time. The youth world cups just aren't a big deal. Getting to play every other week in front of 62,000 fans is a much bigger deal than winning a youth cup in front of maybe 5-10,000 spectators. Apples and oranges. In order of importance, the World Cup, Gold Cup, Confederations Cup, and the Olympics are the only important international competitions.
Mckennie and Wright will determine their value based on how well they perform at Schalke. That would inevitably make any U20 performances irrelevant. Schalke is not looking to sell either player at all. They see them as key contributers.