Well, yeah, duh, I didn't say that they had never seen him before, but Alex had played probably 1000 minutes in his life against competition better than an MLS academy. The World Cup added a significant amount to that. If he played like crap in the World Cup, they probably wouldn't have signed him. He didn't, so they did. Don't see why you need to convey your mighty sense of understanding of a team because they're Dutch.
Been lurking on here for many years but finally posting because I am a Ajax/USMNT fan and this whole Mendez thing is quite interesting... I think you're read is totally correct. I think more than Adu with how the game has changed the last few years, you need players who can press and do more. Mendez is not a great athlete which scares me the most. Guys with his profile do not have the great leaps that others do. I see him the same: USL player or a very key player for years. The odds say he's more likely to be a USL player but I hope I am wrong. The good news: the things he can't do (press, fitness, defend) he will learn at Ajax quick or he won't make it there. Everyone talks about how technical they are but if they watch them play, their guys are VERY fit. They are constantly pressing, moving. That's the part of Mendez's game that isn't good. Ajax also man marks so you can't just sit in a zone once the ball is lost. The Eerste Divisie is a bizarre league. Some teams are lower level MLS, some are USL (or lower) quality. The range of the league is quite wide. It's a nice place to be as a 18-year old and I hope he plays a lot there. But Ajax has options in the MF with Jong Ajax so it won't be easy to even get those minutes. The Eredivisie also changed the rules on being on benches for first teams then playing for youth teams. It's great for Dest (and not for Mendez). I don't think Mendez is close to good enough to play for the Ajax first team right now. However-- if everything comes together and he can just click, the midfield is WIDE open once van de Beek goes to Real Madrid. Blind/Mazrouai are better as defenders and have been starting in the MF. What they do with Maz in particular is massive for Dest's playing time. The best part of this move-- if he isn't good enough to play for Ajax, they do not hold onto players and loan them out endlessly like the big PL teams. They make decisions VERY quick especially considering age. They'll loan him with option to buy after a year. He will move on again and won't be stuck there.
Has nothing to do with the teams being Dutch. It's the MO of the clubs that have world wide networks. For them it's also important to have their interest known to the player to get a favoured mindset with them before the competition does.
Actually this was dictated by the unpleasant habit of top league clubs, especially epl, to pick up players from Eredivisie teams at ever lower age. This forced the Dutch clubs, and Ajax is a prime example of that, to get their youth team players physically top notch at younger ages to be able to move up into the first team. A decade ago our U20 and Young team players physically were still boys. Not anymore. They go into a pressure cooker to mature faster. Alex will be going through that process to catch up or stay behind.
This + Cruijff himself I believe said that the most important pieces of advice he got as a younger player was from a coach who told him to put the ball down and go to the track. Part of why when he and Jonk took over the academy they did tons of training that was not soccer. It's why we are just had a great wave of Ajax youth players -- their methods. I also think again with Mendez that the game has changed so much. Everyone presses. Ajax is unique in since de Boer left how aggressive they are pressing and how they man mark. If anyone here watches an Ajax match, notice what happens when they lose the ball. Lots of other teams will take a step back, but Ajax steps up and challenges. The advanced players in particularly have many moments in a match where they have to disrupt the counter attack or it becomes hairy in the back -- look up how many 1v1 tackles de Ligt/Sanchez made the last 3 seasons. That's where Mendez will sink or swim. I have seen nothing that suggests he can play that style. Maybe he will adapt, he's still 18.
was probably pie in the sky so soon after the transfer, but looks like mendez doesnt make the bench today
Too soon after the transfer and the guys they have in the midfield today are way better. He needs some movement with the first team or prove himself big time in practice to become a regular for Jong Ajax.
I felt Mendez was undeserving of the CONCACAF U20 Golden Ball. I thought Llanez was the best player at that tournament. I thought that at the U20s he was fine, but not one of our best players. He was careless in the attack and didn't do much defending. He was better than Durkin, sure, but definitely not at Pomykal or Ledezma's level. Ajax is going to be a tough road for him. Kenneth Taylor and Ryan Gravenberch are younger and potentially more talented than him. He's going to have to beat them comprehensively in order to get a starting spot on Jong Ajax. He certainly has technical ability but does he have that as well as elite physical ability and tactical understanding? I won't rule him out but I still feel like he would have been better served at LAG working his way up. He's taking a big risk and if it works out it will work out big, but if not he's only going to be a few hundred thousand dollars richer with a couple years of Ajax finishing school experience. So still pretty big.
Ajax will move on quick if he's not good enough is the best news really. I don't think he's good enough to sniff the first team at Ajax. I hope I am wrong but he's just not close. Yeah just from last match starting at Jong Ajax: Gravenbersch made his debut at 16 and was probably the best player on the Netherlands team that won the U-17 Euros last year. Taylor has been hyped. People really like him. Ekklenkamp just signed a new contract and played in CL matches last year. Mendez is not at all close to them. There could still be movement on the first team with transfers out and Ekklenkamp/Gravenbersch are expected to play more with the first team this season. But it's not going to be easy to just start for Jong Ajax. They opened an office in NYC last year, played friendlies in Orlando and are supposed to play more friendlies in the coming years. They're making an effort in the US. I think they might have seen someone talented, very cheap, and US U-20. Ajax has a lot of money to just take fliers on guys now they wouldn't have been able to 2-3 years ago. They thought maybe they could fix his deficiencies (pressing, fitness) since they're staples of anyone who comes through the system since he is already a fantastic passer. I agree -- he would've been better off staying at LAG and playing or maybe going to a lower level club.
So a couple things to unpack, and I'll just remind ya'll that I think Mendez has some real improvements to make (see post 199), but; If he's good enough, Ajax will keep him even if they have better. If they have the best 17 y.o. in the Netherlands they will expect to have him for a season or 2 then lose him, so they'll keep a good enough player for re-loading. Not having seen his competition play at all, I'll go out on a limb and say Mendez's eye for a pass and ability to hit a low, driven ball with pace and (for passes) the correct weight is VERY unusual. All to say, if you tell me a player his age is 'clearly better' I'm going to respond 'at what' because hitting the ball he's good enough to compete with any players his age I've ever seen. And it is Europe, he signed a 3-year contract with Ajax, it's not so easy for to do anything with Mendez that isn't attractive to Mendez. Not likely they'll be able to get rid of him unless it is for more money (or a buyout) and an attractive offer.
I can see arguments for other guys winning, but saying Mendez was undeserving is pretty odd. Pomykal - 3G/7A/564mins Llanez - 7G/4A/263mins Mendez - 8G/6A/571 mins I guess any of those guys could have won it, but tough to say the guy that carried the midfield through out the tournament, had the most goals and assists, including the the goals in 2-0 final vs Mexico isnt deserving. I'd probably put Pomykal second as he was a consistent force in the midfield and had the assists in the final. Llanez would be third for me for a number of reasons. He didnt have as big of influence across the whole tournament (some of that due to his minutes) and 6 of his 11 G+A came in a 13 goal romp. I think all three of these players have ridiculous potential and wouldnt be surprised if Llanez become the most succesful. Of course making it at a club like Ajax will be difficult. He will have fight day in and day out to beat out very good players. It will be challenging, but I think he has a much more complete game than many here are suggesting. I think he is technically and tactically very strong and all accounts suggest he is extremely hard working and takes a very professional approach to the game. There are definitely questions about his physical abilities and defensive qualities, but I dont think they are as big as people are making them out to be. He got caught on the ball vs Nigeria, but generally held his own against them and the Ukraine... two very physically gifted teams. He tracked back, intercepted balls and made tackles. Offensively, he has just about everything you would want from an 8/10. He strikes an incredible ball which makes him a danger from distance and able make big switches. He reads the game incredibly well... he rarely makes the wrong pass, is constantly showing for the ball and communicating to teammates the next pass. His touch is great and can dribble out of trouble so great at playing in tight spaces. Sure it would be great if he was as creative as Ledezma or had Pomykals engine, but he really is a very complete player for his age. On what basis would anyone suggest he would have been better off at the LAG. What young midfielders have they ever taken from the youth level to be a quality professional/international quality midfielder? Would he even get minutes or would he be stuck in the USL? His buddy Efra only has 370 mins this season. On the other hand, Ajax has developed tons of players and had many players wash out of their program yet still go on to have good careers. Not the same club, but we have had a midfielder bomb at PSV and become one of the best american attacking midfielders to ever play in MLS.
Wut? He’s making 3x what he would have made for LAG (according to reports here) so he’ll be better off in one year than he would have been in MLS. He’s also training at one of the best developmental programs in the world that has a proven record of playing and then selling youth. There isn’t any reason to say that he should have stayed at home or gone to a lesser team. Even if your point is that he’s not good enough for Ajax, he’ll be able to drop down to lower levels a lot easier than people trying to move up and be a heck of a lot richer in both dollars and experience for it.
It's funny you bring Nguyen up-- he's who Mendez reminds me of the most. From a personal perspective, he did have a good career albeit it didn't really start until 26 with serious professional minutes. From a NT perspective, he was rather irrelevant. I do think Ajax is a different club in terms of they go through guys way quicker than other "top" European clubs. If he isn't good enough, he'll be gone. Those are great things so is the fact that the strengths of an Ajax midfielder (pressing, fitness) are his weaknesses so he will have a chance to round out his game. They also have a reserves team playing at a way higher level than most reserves teams-- although the difference between Eerste Divisie and USL is not as much as people would think. The absolute best part of the Ajax move: he will prove if he belongs at a club like that or not rather quickly. But he has the shot. It's a sink or swim move. This whole "Ajax is great at developing" is true sometimes but like every single other club in the world, their hit rate isn't exactly 100% or even 50% with these type of transfers. Making 200,000 Euro isn't that significant at Ajax anymore either. Maybe 2-3 years ago but now they have so much money in the bank it's ridiculous. They're already over +120,000,000 Euro this transfer window and could be easily over 200m if van de Beek leaves as reported. Financially, they're incredibly sound. Also -- Part of why they could give that salary is I'm sure the transfer fee was nothing. Personally, I'm a fan of playing first team minutes. If you look back at the careers of guys who have been successful, most of the time they are first team regulars by 20. People value different things... I think until you play against men it's all just conjecture. The earlier you can do that, the better for your career.
He’s Nguyen with an even better shot but slightly slower pace and dribbling. If he can be the Nguyen from 4-5 years ago with a better shot who lit up MLS for most of that one year then he has a chance of breaking into Ajax.
I think the “first team” minutes is irrelevant as is the first division and “playing against men” concept. There are different levels and some youth levels are better than both men’s and first team / leagues. YMMV. Getting minutes in MLS/B2/Championship isn’t a reliable precursor to elite success. I recall an analysis posted on BS that showed that the vast majority of Big 4 UCL players came from the elite training grounds even though the success rate there was single digits. MLS/B2/Championship and other minor leagues will almost always be there for hard-working professional players who miss the cut in the majors as Nyugen, Lletget, Hyndman, Johansson, etc. have shown time and again. Finally, $200k may be small potatoes for Ajax but it’s a lot more than LAG was offering.
Well it's all relative. What level of youth competition? What's the level of first team football? I'm personally never that excited about a prospect until they play guys above the age of 20. That's just me -- but dominating or succeeding at the youth level is nice but doesn't really mean anything. I'm a fan of proving yourself and moving on. What Americans have gone to a big club without proving themselves elsewhere and played well? Pulisic who is a once in a generation talent... McKennie? It's just more common to prove you can play at a lower level then moving on. I'm curious though if there are lots of guys I'm missing, I'm all ears. I just feel like the rate of guys who flame out is infinitely higher. 200,000 Euros was being brought up as a sign that Ajax really likes him. It's more than LAG was offering -- but who really cares when you're 18. The big money comes later and comes from being an established player. Mendez took way less than he could've gotten elsewhere at Freiberg which was smart. Allowed him more freedom.
Personally, the only level that “excites” me is World Cup level and to me that’s about top 100 team level (Big 4). The top 30 teams or so have pulled far away from the pack as well and play at a level far above the World Cup. Once you get beyond that, it’s all minor league to me - fun to watch and see who develops but not a particularly high level on its own. It’s like college football and basketball - just watch and enjoy them play relative to each other while thinking of the small few who can step up to a higher level. It is beyond folly to try to compare a minor league player playing against other minor leaguers to a major league one using the eye test as many do on Bigsoccer. For example, someone recently said that Miazga doesn’t look any worse than Chelsea’s defenders did vs. ManU. Really? When Ben Simmons allows Leonard to score 30 points in the playoffs, it doesn’t mean that some college defender who gave up 20 to a college scorer is just as good....
That's the level of established players, who have proven themselves. However that top100/big4 level is meaningless as a quality gauche. Of those big 4 teams only the top 8 see face to face with other European top teams in CL/EL matches.
I'm fairly confused by this -- there aren't 100 clubs in the top 4 leagues. It is a good benchmark but saying being on the 17th best team in Serie A is better than being a top 3 team in Russia is bizarre. This may make your head explode but LAFC is ranked way ahead of tons of top 5 leagues teams. You're confusing saying player X is better than player Y based on league vs player development. Who cares what Alex Mendez club plays at when he's 18? It's irrelevant until he starts playing every week. The idea is to develop as a player at that age. He's not a finished product.You get better by playing matches. Not go to some huge club and never play. It's not some secret formula. And yeah-- if you want to talk college: the last couple teams in big conferences are usually worse than the mid-major best teams. Being in a good conference doesn't automatically make you a good team or a good player.
It's very meaningless. Who on earth would rather play at a club like Parma than Shakhtar or RB Salzberg or Zenit?
Indeed. The fact that Feyenoord declined to let the Youth team play in our second tier has devastating impact on our young talents compared to those from PSV, AZ and Ajax, who do play in that lower league. These kids face grown up men, who play for their living and donot play nice guys like other youth teams would. Different attitude. As a result our Young players arenot prepared for the physical stress and the mental requirements of first team play. It shows when talents from our competitors join in the first team. They take less time to pick up the level than Feyenoord talents.
I generally use 538 as a proxy and there ranking of teams is pretty decent in my book. I don’t follow Serie A as there aren’t any Americans there but other than that, LAFC would certainly be relegation fodder in EPL, B1 and La Liga. You seem to think that training and coaching don’t matter - only playing time. Take a look at where the players who get minutes in the UCL quarterfinals and most of the players worked their way through elite programs like Ajax, etc. You think that means nothing and I think it means a lot. It’s not surprising to me that Pulisic is our highest success.