The speed and vision he shows on that run up the middle to lay it off to Gloster around the 45 second mark was fantastic. Chris should have one timed it BTW... but I am chomping at the bit to have Ledezma and Uly connecting for the USMNT in the future... If all works out then I could see each of them on the pitch in the 2022 WC.
Definitely should have crossed it on the first touch. Ledezma continued his run beautifully there and was open.
he definitely has an explosive first few strides. not sure he cant be rundown over a longer distance, but will have no difficulties making a bit of space for himself
His ability to pull away from defenders with the ball and without breaking stride looks effortless and is very impressive. Doyle had a big write up on the u-20 WC after it was over. He said something to the effect that the only other two players in USMNT history that could have pulled off Ledezma's assist to Soto in the game against France were Donovan and Puli. I'm not sure if that is hyperbole or not, what I do know however is that the assist impressed the hell out of me. If I had to guess I'd say that Reyna is probably the closest we have to a can't miss player who hasn't been capped yet, then maybe Richards. Ledezma is my wildcard though, my guess is that he breaks through in a big way.
I think the biggest reason why people aren't hyping him up is because there really isn't an American that they can compare him to that panned out. Sans a late growth spurt he's 5'6', plays exclusively centrally, and lacks top end speed. So Donovan and Puli are the only two that kind of make sense as comparison points, but even then they fall. So it's mostly we don't know how to project a player like Ledezma. I know I sure as hell don't. I like watching him play soccer tho.
Even the lack of top end speed is hard to figure out. His first step is explosive and with a bit of space he is lethal at picking out penetrating passes. Seems like that’s as much the case in Dutch eerste as the u20 World Cup. He glides away from everyone and hits a killer pass before they catch him
https://www.ad.nl/voetbalsamenvattingen/samenvatting-top-oss-jong-psv~a1427cf3/ video if it works with highlights
Thankfully he must have had that late growth spurt then, because no way he's only 5'6. He looks like he's about 5'10. He's no shorter than 5'8. And I wouldn't say he lacks quicks, especially w/ the ball. He covers ground, at least initially. Then makes the thru ball or outlet on time. He may be able to play some wing in the modern game. His take-ons aren't good from what I've seen. He more so bursts into open space. But a press-counter would open up some of those opportunities for him, as well as to make passing reads and shape crosses. He's a decent defender. Above all else he needs to develop strength and nasty. He's kind of physically soft and not tenacious to make up for it. And killer instinct could be better. A fair critique is he has zero goals + assists against non Jong sides. Actually I think all came in one game. That has to be better.
Adding a source: Hearing that young American midfielder Richie Ledezma WILL be on the bench tomorrow for PSV and may just get his first team debut. Huge. 🇺🇲— Roger Gonzalez (@RGonzalezCBS) October 26, 2019
Mmm. Would surprise me if he made a debut. I posted this in another thread about that match tomorrow: This is going to be a big match. AZ has a thrilling team with the best attack in the Eredivisie. So the PSV defense is going to be tested. They also have one of the upcoming midfield stars ready to join the Orange team, so a major test waiting for Guti too. The defense is a strong point too as they only conceded 4 goals in 9 matches. That number doubled in a crazy match they lost 3-4 against Heerenveen in the 10th game. Manchester United couldnot get one shot on goal in the EL. Thursday they wacked their EL opponent 6-0 and it could/should have been higher. So get the popcorn and cerveza ready and brace yourself coming sunday. This match is of a high calibre importance with an opponent that swings like Fred Astaire. However it could be that because of the two red card suspensions van Bommel needs to tweak the formation, but still a long shot.
This might open a can of worms, but a Mexican reporter (Martin del Palacio, who seems pretty legitimate) is saying that Ledezma didn't have a Mexican passport prior to being 18. He's clearly a Mexican citizen but him not having a passport would mean Ledezma might need some sort of waiver from FIFA. I don't really understand the FIFA regulations about being a citizen without a passport, can anybody clear this up? Also, this context of this tweet is saying that both Ledezma and Alex Mendez don't have Mexican passports. Han hablado con los dos, pero hay circunstancias logísticas que hacen difícil su convocatoria. El problema fundamental es que no tenían pasaporte mexicano antes de los 18, y eso requiere levantar una controversia con FIFA. @ggaabbo— Martín del Palacio (@martindelp) October 26, 2019 "[The Mexican federation] have talked with both of them, but there are logistical circumstances that make their call difficult. The fundamental problem is that they had no Mexican passport before the age of 18, and that requires raising a dispute with FIFA."
Citizenship is a legal standing with the state. A passport is a travel document. These should not be used interchangeably. You don't need a passport to be a citizen. If he wasn't recognized by Mexico as a citizen before playing in the youth teams, then I believe he cannot make a one time switch. But again, whether or not he has a passport has no bearing.
Fairly true, though it appears that FIFA doesn't worry if you have gone through any legal process to confirm your citizenship as long as you were eligible to claim it from birth. (Though the more I read the statutes, the less I'm sure about anything). Even if FIFA considers this "acquiring a new nationality" under Article 7, these are the requirements: a) He was born on the territory of the relevant association; b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the territory of the relevant association; c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of the relevant association; d) He has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association.
A dozen British players with no Irish passport or citizenship before the age of 18 switched to Ireland just before the 1994 World Cup. I don't think it's a biggie.
While I don't think it's a issue, 1994 is a long time ago in terms of FIFA eligibility rules. Back then, you just needed a passport & you were eligible (assuming you had -0- youth caps).
And it looks like he has indeed made the bench: https://www.psv.nl/nieuwspagina/artikel/psv-zonder-malen-bergwijn-en-ihattaren.htm The youth is in the building! 😏#PSVAZ pic.twitter.com/gCXdqfRTlL— PSV International (@psveindhoven) October 27, 2019
Our arrival in 📸#PSVAZ pic.twitter.com/vlhC2ZRTKf— PSV International (@psveindhoven) October 27, 2019