So much analysis of Soto is based on one qualifying game where he just flew in from Europe. Didn't he hit the post? As Sunil said, an inch to the left and he scores a nice goal and everyone wouldn't be so down on him. Nevermind that he has Bundesliga minutes or scored more DA goals than anyone or kills it in the U19 BL.
I wouldn't say he's a top level talent but he has different qualities to most of our forwards and that can certainly be useful this tournament.
Also, he didn't play that bad in those games. If you compare his performances with Rennicks performances, he played just as good. Soto was expected to be great and Rennicks was expected to not play terrible, so now we have a situation where Soto has 1-2 games where he struggles to finish and all of a sudden he's no longer as good as he's played the last few seasons. Performances from a CONCACAF youth tournament should not replace consistent play at a higher level.
This is all pretty moot right now if Weah and Sargent aren't going. Unlike the midfield we haven't really seen surprise performances of our forwards at their clubs.
Here's a question for those that know (I don't). What are the differences between U19 in Germany and....say USL? Not looking for just a general level of quality but also how they differ? ex: perhaps the typical USL team would beat the typical U19 team but the overall level of skill etc is higher in U19? (Maybe the USL team has experience and athleticism etc that give it the edge?) (ie a top quality 17 year old prospect may be better in many ways to a 27 year old veteran USL player but the 27 year old's experience, size etc gives him the edge) (not saying that my example is accurate...just a "for example") Also...What about the relative quality/qualities of U19 and B4 in Germany?
The level of play in u19 is more technical but they'd still get smoked sans maybe the best u19 teams. Most those kids won't even play USL level years from now ask the Canadian guy from man it's.
That is kind of what I would expect. I would guess that USL is "roughly' equivalent to B4 or B3? I would guess that many of the B4 teams are actually quite a bit above B4 level (Bayern II, Dortmund II etc) and closer to the top of B3? Again, I would expect differences in technical skill (perhaps lower than U19 but higher than USL?)
Well, nobody over 19 plays U19. USL is any age. I think the more important question is what is the stepping stone to the first team at a club. For Bayern or Dortmund, the best prospects are expected to go U19 then First Team. At Werder, they tend to go U23 to First Team. I don't know one way or another at Hannover, as Gloster was quickly moved to the U23 team from U19 but Soto went to the First Team from U19. As an aside, a player that moves to U23 at Schalke or Dortmund after turning 19 is almost on probation. The best prospects not being used in the first team are usually loaned to 2.BL or bottom table teams. The most promising go to the first team, while the injured and not yet proven (Taitague) and development projects (Wright) go to the U23. Other, like the "not going to cut it" leave (Zyen Jones). The USL is the stepping stone to some MLS clubs. Most MLS clubs don't really have this worked out. For instance USL for RBNY, Philly or Seattle or FCD is the equivalent of U19 at Dormund, the step below first team. Although, USL teams can have over 19 players and the USL teams for these clubs do. But you can assume the elite prospects are U19 on these MLS-affiliated USL teams.
There can be a lot of hair splitting over leagues and I just don't know that it's an easy answer. The obvious difference is playing vs. same age peers as opposed to playing against adults. The truth is you can look at multiple top developmental clubs and there's no consensus; look at Ajax's Gravenberch playing in the Eerste Divisie at 16 versus Phil Foden playing in PL2 or the U18 PL while transitioning to the first team. A lot of these decisions can differ between players at the same club, too, which complicates things. There's a lot of judgment calls in development at all levels. My preference for Akinola in the U20 World Cup doesn't mean that I think he'll be a better player down the road. This tournament is the culmination of a cycle and needs to be approached with a win first mindset. Akinola has been productive, durable, and his rapport with his teammates is phenomenal. He physically dominates his competition in a way none of our other strikers can. In fact, he's unquestionably a better player on the NT versus at his club. I feel like Akinola gives the USA the best chance to win, and I feel like the primary purpose of this tournament is to win.
I wonder if whether you are more ready for a Bundesliga team after U19 or U23 may depend on the team. The best teams want real skilled players and in the Bundesliga they will be surrounded by great players (Bayern, Dortmund etc) while lesser teams may need to send their prospects to U23 to get toughened up against men because they won't have great players around them in the Bundesliga and must be able to fight more.
Akinola has been productive against CONCACAF minnows. I don't think thats a winning formula in the U-20 WC against better competition, but Ramos seems to agree with you, so we'll see who ends up being right about Akinola's contribution. We don't know about his rapport with teammates compared to Soto or any other player. Have we seen him get into fist fights on the field with his teammates? No, we haven't. Thats about as much as we know on that front. I don't understand the point you are making there. I also don't think he physically dominates the competition anymore. He's playing against overwhelmingly professionals in a tournament like the U-20 WC. These players are all on professional weight training programs. He is physically strong, but is there that much of an advantage to that? He's fast, but not blazing fast and he's average in the air. I don't even know if I buy the idea that he's so great for our YNT's. He has produced some goals in the WCQ, but his play in that tournament often wasn't very good from the run of play, and I think he's mostly been a net-negative with how he slows down the attack with bad decision making and playmaking. You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree.
I don't think thats a compelling reason to pick a roster. If on field rapport is that important, why not pick the exact same roster as qualifying?
Sean Nealis also starting for NYRB. Servania, Cerrillo, Thomas Roberts, and Ferreira are on the bench for FC Dallas. Omir Fernandez is on the bench for NYRB. The FC Dallas vs. NYRB game is at 2 eastern on Univison and Twitter. Ebobbise went the distance last night for Portland.
Is Cerrillo carrying an injury or did he lose his spot? Ferreira lost his spot after not scoring or assisting for a few games.
It's too much reading into the lineup of one match. They play 3 in 8 days. So they should rotate. And home/road situation should require different strategy and thus lineup. Have to wait for a multiple game sample to know if it means anything whatsoever. I'm more interested in NYRB not starting Omir Fernandez all these matches through mediocre play for alternatives at his position and his own solid performances off the bench. There's been a definite drop-off in decision-making from Marsch to Armas, not shockingly.
Thats a good point. I wasn't aware of their schedule. Its worth mentioning though that it won't matter much for Cerrillo past this game since he'll be playing at the U-20 WC.
Frankie Amaya's been very good in his second straight start. Not a game-breaker from what he's shown so far, but smart & solid on both sides of the ball. "Tidy" is probably a good word – and more athletic than folks think. #CINvMTL— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 11, 2019