I saw the twitter post about the RB tucking in. FWIW, Cuevas always does that so it may or may not mean anything. I think they are kind of trying to play the GB system, but the offensive style that has made that (somewhat) successful to this point relies upon through balls, good crossing, and overlapping runs. This team almost completely doesn’t look for or try any of those. Reyna will cross as long as he has dribbled to the end line and can’t dribble any more. Yow would much rather shoot or play the ball short, again, after trying to beat 2-3 guys. Busio has shown some ability to play the ball to the overlap, but he still plays like a CM playing wing. I agree that they should get better as they play together more, but there are clearly some flaws that aren’t just fixed by a little chemistry. I always know @ussoccer97531 has seen these players more than me, and when he says things like “may not qualify” I know to be ready for disappointment. I still think they will qualify on talent alone, but there is some serious growth that has to happen with these players. Fuentes has been the only attacker who has shown any type of vision and ability to create consistent chances. Consider the last cycle. Durkin, Carleton, Akinola, Weah, and Sargent all had fantastic vision and made great runs. Playing together for 3 years helped, but they had a way of making these long lead passes that completely opened up the defense and led to goal scoring opportunities. This team has none of that. They don’t work together, they don’t have the vision, they don’t look comfortable. I can make a 5-10 minute clip just of Yow ignoring overlapping runs. I could make a 2 hour clip of Reyna trying to dribble through the entire team with wide open teammates in front of the goal. I’ve been pretty impressed with Leyva, but he plays the safe pass so much that he hasn’t really been an offensive weapon, aside from that cameo yesterday. I’d like to see him start as the 8 to see if he could create a spark with some offense. Even still, all we will have to do is beat Panama or Canada again and we qualify. I just don’t have very high hopes if and when we do qualify.
I would not judge any striker on what they show in this team. I think Pepi's a good player. I wouldn't compare him to Wood. I think that he's not as good currently as Ocampo-Chavez, but he's a good prospect. The thing that I think is often underestimated is how hard it is for players to play a year up. It's even harder when the players around you make you less effective, which is the case for Pepi and any striker this team could use. As for Ocampo-Chavez, I think he's probably the best field player on this team. I think Las is the best player and I'm struggling for arguments against that. The one thing I think is hard to evaluate with Ocampo-Chavez is that his performances in this team are marginalized. I don't think its his fault, but we are only able to judge his play with Seattle. If we judge his performances in this team, he's not going to be regarded as the level of player you would think had you only watched him play with Seattle. I'd like to see how he does in the U-20's next cycle that includes the 01's and the best 03's. I think he could excel in that team and elevate his reputation among the up and coming strikers in the system.
I understand that Pepi is a year younger and that he is a striker that depends on the team game, and that the team can't even have a game as our wise federation believes that a coach is a luxury item. But still his offensive production is zero, he just doesn't have chances. Yow somehow gets a chance after chance, Reyna creates something, Busio and AOC score and create. Last year when Martinez looked as a superstar at MLS he said that Almiron is the key for his goalscoring record and that was the true. When I look at Soto I don't know how much Ledezma contributed to his numbers, and the same with Pepi, is he that great or he is just a good finisher on a great Dallas team?
Team? Which team? He had 12 goals in 13 games with the u14s in 2017. He had 5 goals in 14 games with the u17s last year as a 14/15 year old. Then this year, he had 20 goals in 10 FCD u17 games. He had a hat trick in his first pro game in USL league 1 and was the first ever League 1 player of the week, scored the game winner in stoppage time in the second game to give him 2 winners in 2 games, and was a 2x USL League One team of the week selection in his first 2 pro games. So please let me know who this masked man is who seems to be following him at every level and setting up goals for him on a platter so we can call him into this u17 team.
http://merc.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=1401501&player=28755730 http://fcdl.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=3934740&player=305371363 They both score boatloads in the DA and are highly rated. I see no reason to cry that one hasn't scored 3 games into a U17 tournament. The talent will come out sometime.
I wish they'd change the formation and play AOC and Pepi up top together. Put an attacking mid who will actually pass to them behind them. 4-3-1-2?
Yet the world will be better for this That one man scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To fight the unbeatable foe To post a 4-3-1-2!
Dallas teams are much better organized than U-17. Hopefully you are right and Pepi recovers his scoring form by quarterfinals.
That's the way it should be. FCD U17s train together every day while the the US U17s are now a group that only sporadically gets together. And now they have a new coach they're just getting used to. [It would be an interesting exercise to put the "best" FCD u17 team together and think about how far they'd advance here. I'd put them in a 4-2-3-1 with Pepi, Sealy, Redzic, and David Rodriguez as the front four. All have U17 callups this cycle. Jonathan Gomez might be a better left back than we have with this team. Anyway, I'll save it for another time. Or how about the Seattle U17s, which might be better than the FCD U17s.] I'm of the opinion that if this group qualifies, no matter the performance level, it'll be a great result. I mean, the coach Wicky barely knows these kids. And he certainly doesn't know the pool beyond these kids. So just qualify dammit, and then we can really work out the kinks.
That may actually be a better way to qualify than a team of all stars who have never or rarely played together. Once qualified pick the best players and have an exteneded camp with friendlies.
The format of qualification is really the issue. It probably is this format because we are in a Federation where the overwhelming majority of our fellow Federations couldn't afford to have a Hex-like round robin over several weeks with their U17 teams.