The one thing Efra has to do is lose some weight. Hate talking about a 16 y/o’s body this way but he’s a little chunky (and maybe it’s just some extra baby fat for now), but it affects his quickness and overall cardio level. Llanez has some quicks, which should translate well. Just needs to improve his decision making in the final third.
I really like Alvarez, he's a very talented prospect, but I think we may be starting to see why he hasn't been a regular starter for Mexico YNTs. They seem to view him more as an impact sub and sometimes starter. This use of Alvarez worked out perfectly for them in the CONCACAF U15 Championship.
Agreed about Alvarez. But along with his weight, I think he has a problem with reading the game and moving into a good spot to receive the ball. I don’t know if it’s laziness or he just doesn’t think about it. Llanez is quick and I’ve liked his aggression. He looks like he’s been improving his ability to navigate tight spaces. Tbh, that’s kind of the way I see him, too. Yes, great for instant offense, but does he help you win against the best teams? I’m thinking at the NT level, not for club. If you go back and count, I bet he made at least 20 lead passes to Llanez in the DA final that were just about 30-40 yards down the flank. 0 turned into goals. A couple turned into shots, but Uly going 1v2 and finding a step to get a shot off from the corner of the 18 that goes right to the keeper one or two times out of 20 isn’t exactly the best offensive strategy.
I agree its a little odd talking about his weight but have noticed he doesn't have the elite soccer player look to him, not that that matters too much but at the highest level it might. So far he is deceptively quick when he wants to be and has tons of talent on the ball. He seems to fade in and out of games and would think coaches would want more as he progresses to higher levels. Llanez has always appeared the more ready to be an impact pro in my view but both have a future, hopefully overseas.
#6 Justin Haak, NYCFC CM, u-19 DA Finals vs LA Galaxy. Maybe not his best game, but he came on late and had some good plays. https://t.co/ThXzIfjhGV— USMNT Clips (@USMNTClips) July 13, 2018
I’ll admit that when I took a closer look, I was a little disappointed. I know he has had better games, but he seems less athletic than I was giving him credit for.
He still was, arguably, the most impactful player of the game, and scored a perfectly good disallowed goal. If that's a mediocre game for him, he should be good.
He had some good plays, no doubt. He was much more loose on the ball than what I saw the last few games and didn’t look as good at getting the ball from the defensive third to the attacking third. Part of that could have been that the Galaxy are a good opponent, or maybe he was just tired (they did play 2 days before). Also, some of the NYCFC attackers don’t have the best first touch and the Galaxy are good at attacking the ball when it gets forward. My concern is he’s not exactly quick. He usually does a good job of having someone to pass to when teams press him. He didn’t do as good of a job of that this game. Like 6:20 where he has 2 guys open as pressure gets to him and he passes it right past both of them. Another concern is you are rarely wowed by his passing ability. You watch Durkin, Ledezma, Mendez, and you consistently see a pass and think, “wow, that was a perfect pass to open the defense.” Whether that’s a 50 yard pass down the flank, or a pass that cuts right through the middle of the field to an attacker in the attacking third, you don’t see it enough from him. About 2:20 is a good example. He has a chance for a big switch, and he puts too much air under the pass and over hits it. Again at 3:50. He tries to go long down the left flank and over hits it out of bounds. 9:50, another time he tries for the switch and mishits it. He’s pretty solid in the defensive third, tho. He’s also pretty darn good in the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually played some CB or moved there.
Can we preface anything regarding the DA Final that it was these kids 2nd game in 3 days and was played in near 100 degree temperatures on an extremely dry and hard grass surface? I thought Haak was the most influential player in the match. Sands was the best but Haak had his hand in a lot and disrupted the Galaxy’s flow most of the match.
After watching it a second time, I’d say Alvarez was probably the most influential. But your point about the final is valid. Aside from maybe James Sands, I’m not sure anyone really had a better game in the final compared to the semifinal. The fact that they played 2 games in 3 days in that kind of heat is just stupid.
Him and Mendez are playing the same position, but they are different players. In the final Haak was better. Durkin is way ahead and playing different position. Ledezma, from what I've seen, is just more talented.
Reyna obviously has somewhere lined up, whether that be the Dortmund rumor from a few weeks ago or somewhere else. He's probably training with whoever it is over the summer, too, before he moves in the winter. Not sure about Garces, though. College is usually just fine for keepers, but I'd be surprised if Garces didn't have options abroad. I've wondered recently if it's worth moving to Europe for keepers instead of college because it'll help their foot skills develop, but even then it's probably marginal.
3 to Bayern, 1 to Dortmund. Should we assume the other two are going to Dortmund? I don't think Garces needs any help with his foot skills. Thats a big strength of his game. But I do think going to Europe would help his game. Either that or regular professional environment somewhere in the USA. The problem is that Atlanta is not a good club for young Americans to sign with, so I think Europe is the best option here. College isn't awful for GK's, but I still think the top level players need to be in some sort of professional environment at that age.
Any of you paying attention to the ICC Futures tournament in Orlando? Sounders article about it. https://www.soundersfc.com/post/201...-orlando-tournament-against-elite-competition This is for U14/15s Sounders already beat Liverpool 3-1. To follow the tournament click on this link. https://www.internationalchampionscup.com/en/youth/futures It is a well layed out website and easy to navigate unlike many ussf tournament websites. Wondering if those state all star teams are good ways to scout recruits for MLS academies...
Going through today's results... Not all good. NYRB tied Chelsea 1-1 Dortmund beats the Galaxy 4-0 Arsenal lose to IL allstars in PKs. 0-0 in regulation. Dynamo lose to NC allstars 1-2 Tottenham lose in PKs to AZ allstars 0-0 in regulatuon. NYCFC lose 7-0 to Atletico de Madrid. Bayern Munich beats DC United 1-0
They are streaming the games I believe. No archives though that I know of. So coming up at 5:30 pm est you have Sounders vs VA allstars Philadelphia Union vs Atletico de Madrid DC United vs Celtic 7:30 pm RSL vs Bayern Munich Tottenham vs NYCFC AZ allstars vs FL allstars
Sometimes the squads for the summer tournaments are works in progress. FCD always uses summer tournaments to trial new recruits, etc. and mold squads for the upcoming DA season. They often bring in players from their affiliates to take part. So at least for them, they often are coaching on the fly with new players. I don't know if that's the case with some of these teams, but it could be. I'm not going to read too much into results here......................
Sounders don't have an actual academy team at this age group. This is where they use their Sounders Discovery Program and invite kids for training two times a week while they play with their normal club teams. Some get brought in to the academy and are playing up in age at that point. They still put together teams for tournaments like this and others at this age group.
From what I've seen , teams came to win this and not to evaluate players. Borussia looked really good against Galaxy yesterday. I remember talking to a RSL parent at the Man City Cup in San Diego last May and he said they were evaluating players from their affiliates then and they were bringing their best, the ones that made their 04(U15 team), to this tournament. I read that Sounders brought what will be their U15 team next season.