I would say that is not uncharacteristic. He seems to make some pretty bad passes every game for someone this hyped. Turns it over in bad places after running forward and leaves the back uncovered. His athleticism is suspect too going up in level so not sure about agility and pace with better players.
The other thing I’ll say about the Galaxy is the 2nd tier players- Danny Molina, Matt Palos, etc looked better than their FCD counterparts. If Pepi and Sealy were playing, FCD is probably better. Without them, hard to say. The Galaxy players are much more consistently active and seem to have better ideas with the ball. That’s one of the reasons why I was so impressed with David Rodriguez. He made something out of nothing repeatedly.
That’s good to know (and disappointing). It explains why the GK (didn’t catch his name or number so I’ll call him manbun) was constantly reminding him to get back and get in position. He was also directing players to cover for Carrera when he tried to be Messi. By the way, he did dribble around very well in this game. It seemed like he was just dribbling aimlessly at times but he didn’t turn the ball over or put his teammates in a bad position with his passes from what I saw. Actually, you could say that his passing was better when he did dribble around a bit first.
A few comments here. It's interesting to hear a perspective from someone who attended some of the better games at these playoffs. USSF didn't choose to show many of the better games. I completely disagree about the other CB. Looking at the box score, it must've been Marcus Ferkranus ('03). I've seen him play many times, and regard him as one of the best CB's in the '03 year. I don't know how he played in this game, but I don't think where KHF is being used has anything to do with the team needs. I think they have two quality CB's. Andre Ramos ('03) isn't bad either, but he didn't play in this game, so I suspect they were rotating the squad with three games in five days. I agree that playing him at CB is a waste. He's not going to play that position as a pro, and even if he did grow a number of inches, what would be the point of taking his attacking talent out of the opponents half? He should play LB or potentially CM, IMO, regardless of his height. I agree with your assessment of Kayo. I don't rate his game either, but I don't think there are many (maybe any) who vocally are fans of his game. There are a few of these types of players in the DA who are good at this level, but it doesn't seem very likely that their games will translate to higher levels. I don't like to criticize the kid much, even though I don't regard him as a YNT player. I don't think anyone does. He's playing his game, but it looks a lot like a big and strong kid physically dominating against kids. He's not bad at this level, so I find it best to just ignore his presence and hope fans aren't made to discuss the kid because of YNT call ups. Hopefully Wicky stops calling him in.
Yes, Manbun is Seth. Was on the USL roster a few games back but didn't play. Expect to see him going overseas soon unless FCD does something to lock him up. Definitely FCD best keeper prospect.
I think which players are sent down to play at this level will decide who wins the U-17 division. I think FC Dallas and Seattle are right there as 1 and 2 in the U-17 age group, and its so hard to split the two. After that, I think there's a big drop off, but teams that could compete for the title include LAG, the winner of DC/SSM (probably DC) and Philadelphia. Occasionally one of the Canadian teams can also compete, but I haven't seen much of those teams, and couldn't say. Dallas and Seattle both are going to need their strongest teams to win. If Dallas doesn't get Pepi, Sealy and Redzic sent down, they'll be second favorite to Seattle. If Seattle doesn't get AOC, Leyva and Robles sent, they'll be second favorite to FCD. The same should happen at the U-19 level. Which players will be sent? I can't see NYCFC repeating with Scally out injured. They already lost Sands and Reyna off that team, and losing Scally will likely be too much. I wouldn't overlook academies such as Sporting KC, Philadelphia, San Jose, Vancouver, RSL and some of the better non-MLS academies (Sacramento and Barca as two of the better ones), but FC Dallas has to be the favorite. They still have a lot of talent with players such as Roberts, Reynolds, Cerrillo, Ferreira among age-eligible MLS'ers, but also players such as Collodi, Almaguer, Hinajosa, Toledo, Burns and Johan Gomez.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on Ferkranus. I’ve seen him 3 or 4 times and while he looks the part and is athletic and usually has good positioning, his decision making has been brutal in the games I’ve seen. Every game he’s made 7 or 8 bad mistakes that could’ve led to goals. Texans SC scored it’s first goal because he decided to dribble through 3 people at midfield instead of making an easy pass to any of 3 or 4 open teammates. Texans easily took the ball and Kobe was left to defend 2 players going the other way. As good as Kobe is, and for as much as I’d love to finally have a good LB prospect, I wonder if he’d be better used as a 6. He’s about 5’7” and he’s never going to be a CB, that’s for sure. He reads the game so well and closes down attacks and intercepts balls so easily and having him centrally would allow him to have even more of an impact with his passing. The other thing it would do is it would give him a chance to show off the laser of a shot he has from distance. In this game, he fired one from about 35 yards that was on a rope and on frame. The keeper was well positioned and easily saved it, but he does that consistently for the Galaxy. The one doubt about his DM ability is he seems decidedly one footed. He always maneuvers himself so he can use his left. Some people on Twitter seem to rate Kayo very highly. Some were calling for him to start over Saldana. Kayo is big and physical and fast. He’s not big and physical and fast for his age. He’s a big, fast player, period. He definitely has a very good ability to take the ball from box to box quickly and effortlessly. But he definitely needs to improve in a lot of areas, and whether or not he does will dictate his career trajectory (like every other player). Speaking of Saldana, if his offensive ability was half as good as his defensive ability is, he’d be right at the top of everyone’s prospect lists. I think he may be the best ball winner that I’ve seen in this pool. He’s absolutely all over the place. His problem is he plays at such a fast pace on defense and can’t yet slow the game down to make a good pass on target when the ball is at his feet or when he wins it. He needs to be challenged to get better and needs to make it a goal to be perfect. He also has a very good shot from distance, though he rarely gets high enough up the field to show it odd. With the US u17s, there was a very noticeable difference in the team when he was sitting deep, winning the ball and making easy passes compared with when he was upfield, winning the ball, and then turning it over, which often led to a counter going the other way.
Patrick Bohui is 1⃣5⃣ years old playing up in the U-18/19 Playoffs 🤔He got Philly back in it with a 🏹 from distance!@SockersChicago 1⃣-1⃣ @PhilaUnionYouth pic.twitter.com/RS5eFD8Q0d— Development Academy (@ussoccer_da) June 19, 2019 🔥 Joshua Penn with the World Class Finish! 🔥@SockersChicago 1⃣-0⃣ @PhilaUnionYouth pic.twitter.com/nnT0VuunFK— Development Academy (@ussoccer_da) June 19, 2019
2 goals in 2 games for Miscic Selmir Miscic slalomed ⛷️ past 5 defenders to get the Philly back level!@SockersChicago 2⃣-2⃣ @PhilaUnionYouth pic.twitter.com/TVVTV1wRRd— Development Academy (@ussoccer_da) June 19, 2019
Tyler Freeman (‘03) has a low soccer IQ, IMO. Very talented player, but his decision making is a problem, even in his own age group. He’s definitely not a #10. I could see him being a winger/striker hybrid. I slightly prefer using him as a winger as of now. Osvaldo Cisneros (‘04) is a very borderline case for the ‘04 YNT. He is playing up an age group here, but I think his biggest obstacle is talent. His soccer IQ and combination play isn’t bad. I don’t think he struggles because the players are older, I think he’s just not very talented. Gavin Krenecki (‘03) didn’t have his best game. He’s better passing out of the back than he showed, and one of the goals he could’ve saved, but didn’t. He didn’t have many saves to make, but gave up three goals. United Football Academy has three decent players, IMO. Riley Thomas (‘02), John Franks (‘02) and Asparuh Slavov (‘02) all could play, but none looked like high end prospects.
Not much of note in Philadelphia vs. Sockers. The two Sockers strikers, Josh Penn (‘00) and Stefan Stojanovic (‘01) are the two main prospects in the team. Both scored and played well. Penn is more of a secondary striker, while Stojanovic is a target forward. I think Stojanovic is the better prospect of the two. IMO, he has the best hold up play in the DA. The Union youngsters showed some flashes of ability, but not much more than that.
‘03. He had a goal, but was very inconsistent. He’s played in USL and in the U-19’s a few times. In these games, he usually has an occasional nice play, but almost no impact, aside from that.
How did Hagan look? I believe he subbed in at half and scored the game winner, but haven’t seen any video.
Like you, I think Josh Penn and Stefan Stojanovic played very well. I think Penn was very important in the game, he is a very intelligent player to project plays. Many of Sockers' attacks and danger plays were thanks to him. Stojanovic also looked good, maybe technically not so good, but it's great how he can hold the ball, also helped a lot to the defensive work of the team. Other players that I liked about Sockers were the goalkeeper Roman Celentano '00, good reflexes although he was not very good with his feet and Perrin Barnes '01, he did a great job to defend Tonny Temple. On the part of Philadelphia I liked the game of Miscic and Bohui although their biggest problem is that they are not constant players. Jack de Vries looked terrible, maybe was just a bad day for him. But with games like yesterday, a call to the U17 team would not be justified.
I had the same reaction. I understand that he’s playing up an age group, but he didn’t even show flashes of talent, like the other young players. I’ve never seen what got him onto the U-17 WCQ team. That was one of the stranger selections we’ve seen.
With FCD out of the Open Cup that may mean that Pepi and Reynolds can go back to their youth teams. Pepi was again not doing much but it seemed more like the players weren't looking for him. Not sure if it's because they don't play with a holdup center forward and have forgot how to play to one or just ignored him because of his youth. Did see Chris Richards before the game in a walking boot. Yelled his name and he seemed kind of happy and embarrassed that some old guy recognized him.
Interesting, I didn't know de Vries' father was an MLS player. And somehow Raimo de Vries' four appearances with the Rapids in 1996 aren't ringing a bell for me!
The boot seems to have first appeared publicly in one of his Instagram stories on June 12th. We find ourselves in the POV of Richards looking down at shoes, one of which is a boot. A text graphic reads "ktod" which means "kicks of the day". This is a nod both to his frequently sharing images of his latest shoes (he is passionate about shoes) and to, hopefully, the boot being only a temporary concern. It is possibly this is connected in some way with what was reported as a minor injury that was reported after he came off in 60th minute vs Nigeria.
New England vs. St Louis was nothing like the score line. New England dominated. They had the better players and were unlucky not to win. Jansen Miller (‘02): This kid has been playing up all season for the St Louis U-19’s. I think he played very well and looks like he’s good enough for this level. The only caveat is that I don’t see such high upside. Big CB (around 6’3), good positionally, very physical, very good in the air, wins a lot of challenges, and not terrible playing out of the back. The mobility is below-average, but I’ve seen less mobile CB’s. There’s some Matt Miazga to how he plays. They had a few other notables. The keeper Patrick Schulte (‘01) wasn’t bad, neither was CB Joey Maher (‘01). Feho Sabotic (‘02) is a big CM who can pass the ball at a good level, but he’s very immobile. He might be better suited playing in his own age group. Kyle Genenbacher (‘03) looked like a very generic RB. No big strengths, no big weaknesses. Maybe a slightly below average performance, but when you consider he was playing up two years, it wasn’t a bad performance. He’s yet another who might play better in his own age group. Isaac Angking (‘00) was subbed in at halftime and was the best player on the field in the second half. It’s about what you’d expect for a talented kid on an MLS contract that played for the U-20’s in WCQ on a field without many real pro prospects. Very left-footed, but he showed nice playmaking, dribbling and combination play. Elio Firmino (‘01) had a good game for NE. Nothing dominant, but a consistent playmaking threat the whole game. Very quiet game for Trevor Burns (‘01). He’s not a great player, but definitely better than what he showed in this game. Damien Rivera (‘02) has enough ability to be a good academy level winger, but I’ve watched him play a few times and don’t see much pro potential. Colby Quinones (‘03): Plus plus instincts. There are some players who are more talented than this guy, but he has such a terrific feel for the game and where to be at all times. He played RB in this game and was really good on both sides of the ball. Excellent combination play up the right wing and an above average level of skill. Defensively, he reads the game very well, has excellent positioning and has a very good motor. The worry with his game is athleticism. It doesn’t play as a problem at this level, but he’s one of these small kids whose steps are choppy and he’s slow. He mitigates it with his feel for the game and knowing where to be, but he might be better suited for a #8 role on the inside instead of defending athletes 1v1. His game is reminiscent of Jorge Almaguer of FC Dallas. I wouldn’t say Quinones looks like a star, but a YNT player of some caliber and a likely professional, albeit one that doesn’t have huge skills.
Union U-15's got beat 5-1 by LAFC U-15's, but I thought they were the better team. This is sometimes what you see in U-15 football. A few errors and goals against the run of play, and the score can be very different from how the game plays. The Union academy looks to have a golden generation. Nearly this whole lineup looked like good players. Brandan Craig ('04): Terrible first half for a player of his caliber. He was at fault on one of the goals with a back pass, and was misplaying a lot of passes, but he was the best player on the field in the second half dictating play, and about what you'd expect for one of the best 04's in the country. On the balance, an average performance. You'd expect two halves like the second half from him. He was playing as a CDM, which I thought looks like a good position for his skill-set. Quinn Sullivan ('04): Very creative player with excellent playmaking skills. I've seen him play a few times now, and I'm always impressed. There's some combination to his game of what you see with Reyna and what you see with Freeman, but he combines what they do well, and doesn't seem to have what they struggle with. Good soccer IQ, and even when his plays don't come off, they look like he had the right ideas and he didn't lose the ball due to bad decision making as opposed to bad execution. Decent athleticism, as well. He was playing as a CAM in this game. I could see him playing any of the attacking midfield positions. Nelson Pierre ('05) looks to have improved a lot in the last year. He played as a target forward, and showed a very polished game. Very good hold up play, very good in the air, excellent athlete, good soccer IQ. He didn't get many scoring chances, but looks to have a good amount of ability. Million Evans ('05) was taken out at halftime due to a lack of an impact, but he showed good quickness, combination play and soccer IQ on the left wing. He was playing up a year, so the lack of a big impact isn't completely surprising. Ryan Lau ('04) is a very good athlete at LB with some dribbling ability and some defensive ability. There's good potential there, but he's a raw player, and needs to learn better how to process the game, but I've seen him play a few times and have been impressed. The two CB's both looked like good prospects, even though they were a big part of the five goals given up. Sam Fenton ('04) is the more polished of the two CB's. He has better positioning and decision making. Levi Stephens ('04) is a better ball carrier and passer, but has a lot of errors when in possession and struggles with positioning. Andrew Johnson ('04) looks like a pretty standard defensive RB. Good athlete, good positioning, smart decisions, very basic on the ball. Jackson Gillman ('04) worked hard and had a good soccer IQ in the #8 position. Luis Lima ('04) was the best player for LAFC. He was playing as a #10, and looks to be one of the newer players in the squad. I hadn't seen him play, and was very impressed. Excellent playmaking and creativity, good athlete, played a part in some of the goals, and made good decisions. I'd need to see more to judge better, but he looks like he's a YNT caliber player. I wonder what the story is here. He's only played 5 games in the DA this season. Maybe he was injured. Erik Duenas ('04) put in another good shift. Very good all-around RB with an excellent good soccer IQ. Beau Yantz ('04), the LB, can play a little, as well. Above-average athlete, good defender, not a liability in attack.