Arriola, by the way, is only 22 years old. He's been around so long that we sometimes forget how young he is. He's also played well enough for the USMNT to warrant continued opportunities. I have no problem with him at camp cupcake.
I don't think Brooks Lennon has a particularly high ceiling (for what it's worth, I also agree with you about Arriola perhaps not having a super high ceiling, either), but Lennon impressed me at the U-20 World Cup. He's a pretty good two-way winger, he whips in a wicked cross, and he's athletic enough to trouble defenses. I don't envision him becoming a star, but he could be a useful depth piece on the wing, where, truthfully, I'm not sure we have a ton of elite prospects or depth. I'm sure I'm missing guys, but our wing depth for the 2022 cycle looks like Christian Pulisic (who may move inside), Kenny Saief, Darlington Nagbe, Paul Arriola, Sebastian Lletget, Gyasi Zardes, Julian Green, Andrew Carleton, McKinzie Gaines, Paxton Pomykal, Lynden Gooch, Ethan Finley, Kelyn Rowe, Kekutah Manneh, Gboly Ariyibi, Kyle Scott, and any others who might emerge. With the exception of Pulisic, none of those other guys are world beaters yet, so I'd imagine there will be opportunities for others who play well to earn minutes.
The making of Josh Sargent: A father's view of his son's #USMNT rise, farewell for Europe https://t.co/vjO7zEO4KI pic.twitter.com/bNqJm54mpa— FourFourTwo USA ⚽️ (@FourFourTwoUSA) November 17, 2017
Ben Lederman is a little bit of a mystery USYNTer. He doesn't seem to make many USYNT rosters, but they brought him back to Barcelona after the controversy. So they must think highly of him. D10S 👑⚽️ pic.twitter.com/mNGCH7kU7q— Ben Lederman (@Ben_Lederman10) November 17, 2017
The report on him is that he is not athletic enough for our type of game. He needs a Barca supporting cast to succeed. I suppose if we get better at tiki-taka his chances to make our team improves.
the problem with that 'list' of wingers is how scary it is. the issue is right now pulisic is by far the best option in the middle and on the wing as far as either a winger or attacking mid. I was mad when klins left nagbe off the roster but then watching him against panama/t&t I've seen enough of him. you know julian green is struggling in the third division in germany right? Guys like carlton/gains/pomykal are way too young and are years away. Weah would be ahead of calton if hey are looking for a winger that young. Zardes is done ariyibi/scott aren't good enough...really even close to good enough. its basically pulisic, arriola.....then they have to figure out if gooch/finley/rowe can play at all.
Julian plays in 2 BL which is the 2nd division. He had a run of 5 starts before again getting hurt and has been out the last 5 weeks. Unfortunately frequent prolonged injuries has been his history. Julian may be one of those players who is just too fragile to play on a consistent basis.
Why does he play in the younger of two teams then for players in his age group and come off the bench?
We do have a young playmaker, his name is Keaton Parks, he is 6'4 and only 20 years old. He plays for Benfica B but just this week was called up to their 1st team.
He's been involved in USYNTs for a long time. Spent some time at the Philadelphia Union academy and PDA. I sorta think of him in the McKinze Gaines category of guys with good raw materials. We'll have to see how he develops. www.topdrawersoccer.com/the91stminute/2017/01/u-s-u19-isaiah-young-finally-found-a-pro-home-in-germany/
Also from Dallas-Forth Worth How about the young DFW centrall midfield of McKennie, Hyndman, Acosta, Parks, and Pomykol! By the way, I view Parks more as a #8 than as a "playmaker." He's an interesting case as he never joined one of the traditional powers of youth soccer in DFW. He was never on a development academy team. He played high school ball in Frisco down the street from FC Dallas, and played a little bit for a team called Liverpool Warriors. I follow youth soccer in DFW very closely and had never heard of Parks until he showed up on a BigSoccer thread after going to Varzim. A pretty amazing story. 🚨📋 CONVOCADOS #SLBVFC! pic.twitter.com/4Rco4xRwDS— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) November 17, 2017
I am going to be captain obvious and say McKennie looked pretty darn good. How do you guys see him developing along side Pulisic? Can they co-exist and play well together?
Calling him just an 8 would be a bit misleading to me. His strength is moving/passing the ball forward and looking to score himself. If there is a weakness to his game is that he doesn't come back fast enough to defend like a true 8.
I would think so, they don't play the same position and their game qualities are different. We know Pulisic will either be [for us] a winger or an ACM depending on our needs for a given game. Mckennie's game is evolving, he seems to be already a fine 6 but at club, he is being trained to also be an 8 and he is progressing to be one nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing them one day [soon] play together and feed off each other. To me, the most excitement is seeing how the other pieces fall into place, is Weah going to progress enough to become our left wing and force Pulisic to be our ACM? if not, is Parks going to be good enough and take the ACM role and keep Pulisic in either wing? or is Park's game going to progress to become another 8 which means partner with Mckennie and force Bradley to the bench? What if we do snag Jody Siebatcheu who is downright an excellent right winger/forward? Those questions would be a nice problem to have.
I hope Parks continues on his upward trajectory, as he would be a massive addition to our otherwise more defensively minded CM prospects. He's the kind of guy who would fit perfectly into a trio alongside a box-to-box presence like McKennie (or Roldan) and in front of a deep lying ball-winner/circulator like Gonzalez. Anyway, here's to hoping someone gives McKennie some competition for the BS Breakout Player of the Season. Gonzalez could pick up some trophies, which would definitely help his case.
oh wow its over then lock wc champs 22 and 26 has any player ever scored two goals in the second divison in portugal? he is years away at best.
Then you are not following the kid in depth for you to make such a narrow-minded summary of him. From your sarcastic comment, you probably just came up with that conclusion by just looking at the stats while you were in the bathroom.
Parks made his 1st team debut for Benfica today. Congrats. PS - looks more like an attacker today than a two way mid.
I don't want to go down this rabbit trail, but after watching Wes and Parks play this week, there is 0 room for Bradley in the XI over the next 4 years. A few years ago, he was our best option, but that's just not the case anymore. Parks has qualities that no one else in our pool has, and so does McKennie. These youngsters are seizing their opportunities at levels much higher than CONCACAF and it'll be a damn shame if they aren't rewarded. That's all
Weston has a great eye for a through ball and Pulisic knows how, where, and when to make runs. 'nuff said.
Keaton Parks not only got his first game with Benfica 1st team but he was responsible [hockey assist] in the second goal. His vision and quick first touch made the play possible to develop. So, where does he go from here? He didn't hurt his chances today that is for sure, 20 minutes in a 1-0 game tells you the coach feels comfortable with his game. Hopefully, more to come.