Kekuta Manneh in Canada

New thread title:

Back to MLS: Kekuta MEH-neh

 

Not overly surprised that the trial seemingly hasn't gone anywhere. I was hoping he could find a team/league that a) works on his professionalism and work rate, and b) can teach him the tactical side at a higher level than MLS.

The right team in Belgium, Denmark, France, BL2 or the Netherlands (min. foreigner wage, I know) might be a good fit for him. He's a valuable player assuming he progresses tactically, and I'm consistently disappointed that MLS for the most part doesn't seem capable of materially improving players in this area.

 

weak.

 

He is learning French in preparation for a transfer to Montreal Impact

 

Will be trialing in Sweden next week.

 

fire his agent ASAP

 

I hope it goes well for him, but I just don't see "it" with him. Great pace, but limited in terms of technical skill and ability to read the game.

 

how much of this is on carl robinson/berhalter? how much is on Manneh himself? idk....(btw do you think carl robinson will help alphonso davies become a star??? my guess is no. and, further, that the only chance of davies becoming something internationally is to get out of MLS and vancouver ASAP)

what i do know is that he came into MLS as an electric teenager and hasn't progressed much.....(like pretty much every single other teen phenom that has popped up in MLS over the years )

that said, i think you are seriously underrating his technical side in comparison to other players that have played wide mid for USMNT....shea, zardes, morris, etc WISH they could be as technical as Manneh is.

reading the game is something that can be learned/taught...just needs the right coach/environment...which is clearly not MLS....whcih is why i'm glad he is trying to test the waters abroad. that said, cant say i'm too optimisitc about sweden or bundesliga 2 being the place for him, either, unfortunately.

 

The Allsvenskan isn't exactly La Liga, so his limited skill set might be good enough.

 

Could be heading to Pachuca

 

Wut.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/7lh0e1/kekuta_manneh_is_one_step_away_from_joining/

 

That should go about as well as throwing mayonnaise on a ribeye.

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/12/22/report-pachuca-interested-signing-kekuta-manneh

 

this is so over-the-top.....

for the life of me...I can't figure out why certain us-eligible players seem to get so much hate....while others are put on pedestals despite not being much better than the their competition at whatever position they play.

manneh stayed in MLS...JUST SO HE COULD KEEP HIS USMNT eligiblity intact....actually commuted back and forth from canada to usa on the reg to do so....he put his life and career on hold for years just for the possibility of playing for the usa.

finally gets his us passport and isnt given an opportunity...and now the majority of observers are so dismissive of a player who is - despite his flaws - still pretty much an outlier in the US player pool.

if he can get himself onto the right team and in the right environment - mark my words - he will FLOURISH and make all of you naysayers eat crow...and i really hope he does.

furthermore, i think he could do really well in mexico where his athleticism will be a big plus for him....the mexican national team has struggled with african teams in the past. and it would be a good league for him to learn the tactical side of the game as liga mx is ahead of mls in that part of the game for sure.

on top of that if omar gonzalez can play on pachuca then manneh can too.....

 

I prefer him anywhere that will teach him tactics better than what he's likely to get in MLS. You're right to be worried about whether he'll play, although I'd argue that if he can't eventually step up to the level of Pachuca then he never was going to be that useful for us anyway.

P.S. Enjoy your time in Bulgaria. I hope you're getting a chance to travel around a bit. Ski a few runs for me in Bansko or Borovets!

 

The speedster strikers in Mexico are indeed tactically adept from what I have seen. Manneh will need to improve in that regard.

 

I'm on board with this.

He has something you can't teach and while his pace is his biggest asset it is A) a BIG asset and B) not his only asset. Kid has plenty of skill, just needs some consistency and improve tactically.

I also think in a less-physical league he could flourish. Not many people in Liga MX with his kind of wheels.

Just a reminder of his skill.

 

Meh. Your essay in response to what was a light hearted joke seems a bit over the top.

I don't see Pachuca as a good fit for him.

 

Well, hopefully he proves me wrong....

 

I think a lot of this will come down to how coachsble he is, how determined he is to improve. If he gets good instruction, is receptive and works hard, Pachuca got a steal.

I don’t know his reputation for coachability, but in MLS his improvement has lagged. For you optimists out there, I have two words to keep you warm.

Herculez Gomez

 

The North American Traveler: Kekuta Manneh at Pachuca