It's like in one of those horror movies where they try to take a picture of the mysterious creature and the camera starts to smolder.
Per our man on the ground in Holland, @RJDM854, #usynt '01 RB John 'Xuxuh' Hilton is trialing at FC Utrecht.— Joey (@USAprospects) March 26, 2019
Was not it good enough for the teams I was training with before or does not have a European passport? Is there an explanation of why I can not get to PSV or AZ?
It could simply be that he's testing out a few different places as he still has time before he can move in the summer. He's had at least two trials with PSV over the last year, so I doubt that they've forgotten or lost interest in him. For all we know, they could have even put out a contract offer. PEC Zwolle isn't necessarily a terrible spot either - decent team and they were able to get Phillipe Sandler to Man City. The path to the first team would be easier at PEC Zwolle, but who knows what his level is right now? Still, one of the greatest mysteries in the history of American youth soccer is going to get a lot of clarity this summer.
In the Eredivisie the mantra is: "if you're good enough, you're old enough". So the CD Sandler guy got replaced by a 16 year old kid and he's playing under current coach Jaap Stam too. At PSV a16/17 year old academy kid Ihataren gets playing time in the first team, while millions buy Guttierez is on the bench. If XuXuh's good enough we'll know it soon enough.
At Telstar? Telstar gaat rusten met een 3-0 voorsprong op @bvcbloemendaal 13' 1-0 Crescendo van Berkel.28' 2-0 Reda Kharchouch.35' 3-0 John Hilton.— Telstar 🦁 (@telstar1963nv) July 9, 2019 '01 John Hilton is with @telstar1963nv lined up as a RB and scored in a first team friendly today. NEEDS 1st team matches! Xuxuh recently turned 18. Telstar plays in Dutch 2nd Division, Eerste Divisie. Credit to @zlebmada with the info. pic.twitter.com/OQeOsBOYFI— Joey (@USAprospects) July 9, 2019
A good season for Telstar at 21 or so helped get Novakovich backed into the MNT picture. Doesn't seem like the worst place for a teen to start his U20 cycle, generally speaking, if he's getting first-team games.
Jerdy Schouten went from Telstar via Eredivisie relegated Excelsior Rotterdam to Serie A Bologna in two seasons. So if you perform despite the humble clubs you get into the lift.
Not important anymore: https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/249369/telstar-akkoord-over-gilmour-en-neemt-afscheid-van-testspelers Testspelers Minder goed nieuws was er voor testspelers John Hilton, Bradley Vliet en Luis Pedro. Zij waren tijdens de afgelopen week enkele dagen op proef op Sportpark Schoonenberg en kwamen bovendien in actie tijdens het gewonnen oefenduel met BVC Bloemendaal (5-0), maar zij hoeven niet meer terug te keren bij de selectie van Andries Jonker. Test players There was less good news for test players John Hilton, Bradley Vliet and Luis Pedro. During the past week they were on trial at Sportpark Schoonenberg and also came into action during the won practice match with BVC Bloemendaal (5-0), but they are not wanted to return to the selection of Andries Jonker.
This whole odyssey from the age of 11 as the coming future star has ended in the failed trial at PSV and now at Telstar. Alot has been said about supposed qualities he has/had, but only American ones. Now the real tests have been done the conclusion is that the hype was over the top. The question is, whether his odyssey through Europe was instigated by greed to land a high paying contract. What if he stayed put as a kid and just developed on home soil?
It's a long and sleazy story. The guy has a brother that waged vendetta against MLS and eventually it lead to this. https://www.lagconfidential.com/201...s-la-galaxy-academy-coach-brian-kleiban-fired Xuxuh travel adventure started before that, but they all were on the same youth team.
He probably would have been a lot better off if he would have stayed in Los Angeles until he was 16 to 18. He was playing for possibly the best youth coach this country has ever had. The team played a nice style of play and there are quite a few high level prospects (at least by American terms) that have come out of the program.
I mean in all fairness to Gary the biggest problem is conflicting interests. Gary Kleiban was either one of the best coaches ever in the DA or the one of the best scouts, neither are slights. People act like Kleiban is responsible for past failures of LAG academy kids but he only really managed the 00s and lower. Out of that you have the most talented and influential u17 player in MLS, the reigning US Young Player of the year, and one of the three players who played up this U20 cycle. Just to and a few. Hilton would almost certainly been better off staying with Kleiban. I can’t remember all of this perfectly but Hilton went back with LA for a super small period and was relatively unspectacular, I think he started for his age group but the starter one age group up was an 01 too I think. He also never got a look with LAG 2 while there.