Sure. It depends on what KC means by holding midfielder or DM, as there are varying definitions of both. Whatever the case, Zelalem needs to add something to his game so that he can make full use of his strengths.
it is a one year contract with options years. basically they are taking a flyer on a youth player who showed some promise but had an injury. it is also unknown whether the promise he demonstrated at youth levels can translate to the real game. Wishing him the best of luck. We will learn that this year.
I'm surprised Zelalem was able to get a contract with that structure. It puts pressure on him to perform but it also means SKC will really try to see what he's about immediately and all parties can back out if it doesn't work out.
For SKC the 8 is usually the better ball winner, with Roger Espinoza eating up ground and players. While the 6 is more about retaining possession, someone the other players know they can play the ball to when under possession, and they can keep the ball moving. To match with Illie I think Zelalem will need to improve defensively, but I don't think he's far behind where Uri Rosell was who played the role well for us.
Rotting on the bench for SKC at the moment. 2 subs and he wasnt one....Benny acquisition sealed his fate.
if SKC has a bunch of option years on his deal...why is that surprising? that's not that great for him ...it puts all the power in SKCs hands while only gauranteeing him 1 season with the team....there really isn't a worse deal he could've gotten (if I understand it correctly)
Rare interview: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/08/15/gedion-zelalem-opens-about-his-long-road-arsenal-sporting-kc His star continued to rise, reaching a crescendo in American circles when he was naturalized as a US citizen. “It was really cool, Twitter was blowing up,” Zelalem recalled with a smile. “I didn’t really know what was happening — for me I was just playing the game, It was unbelievable. The coolest part was when I got citizenship from the US and ESPN tweeted that I got citizenship. That was pretty cool.” =================== “I knew it wasn’t going to happen at Arsenal pretty much the beginning of last season,” Zelalem said. “I could feel it. They were playing the younger guys, you could sense it around the players. I accepted it.”
Assumed this thread was closed since he’s no longer abroad. With that said, he’s been with Swope Park Rangers the past 2 games. The star has fallen...and after watching all is SKC minutes....I can’t imagine him getting much more 1st team time.
I think we sometimes underestimate how much an injury can knock a player off stride: GZ, Rubin... maybe Wood. Some guys seem to know how to bounce back and for some, if though they can still play, it seems to just unbalance them enough to lose their "top player" mojo.
Seemed like his play fell off right before the injury when he was struggling to get minutes at VVV. I tried to follow him as much as possible when he was in Scotland and although he'd have moments of brilliance he also added absolutely nothing defensively and had zero shot to speak of so if he wasn't getting plenty of time and space to turn in the midfield he wasn't worth starting. It's a real shame about his injury because I do think although he obviously wasn't a "world class" talent as perhaps hoped when he first burst onto the scene he was obviously a player the US could use situationally if he continued to develop and matured. He could certainly deliver key pass here and there as a super sub. But he was always marginal at best athletically and after the ACL he seems completely decimated. Maybe he'll have a 2nd act but I doubt it. Can see him out of pro soccer in 5 years as much as ascending to a USMNT member or even MLS regular.
I watched a lot of him at Gers. He was fine, but not suited for the Scots 2nd or Gers. He was technically precise but not fluid or aggressive. But it seems he's dropped a notch since the injury. Rubin had a similar drop. Could just be the injury affects mentality or could be the physical strain takes a toll. Or who knows.
Yea agree. A real "rook" of a player. Could curl a pass into a mailbox opening far post from 30 yards but didn't have the mentality or athletic fluidity to make it matter. To be frank he doesn't seem like the hardest worker in the training room either. His recovery from the ACL was slow at best. I remember seeing him doing straight line work at Arsenal 6-8 months from surgery. Some pros are already returning to almost full activity at that point. Maybe he's just a slow healer but he didn't recover well.
Can we never speak of that VVV loan again... except for their drunk fans on BS for a few weeks. Memories.
And Bobby Wood since his second season knee problems. The difference between an English Championship player and a Conference player can often be as little as 5% in one - key - area of his game. That's usually an area of weakness, but it can even be to one of his strengths dropping from top level to simply average. And an ACL can be a killer. You're fit again, but your mobility just isn't quite what it was and you get closed down that little bit more easily, so your killer passes either don't happen, aren't as accurate or are intercepted. Add other weaknesses - lack of athleticism, poor upper-body strength, weak shot - and you've gone from an MLS rotator to USL depth.
failed in his 1st MLS try. Hearing similar regarding Gedion Zelalem. Could be a good move for the former United States youth international — depending on who fills #NYCFC's head coaching vacancy, of course. https://t.co/OdFj2pAAfZ— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) December 31, 2019
Milestone date coming up for Gedion. He turns 23 on January 26th. According to most reports, he has to decide to retain either his German or his other citizenships by the time he turns 23. Here's a reference article that's pretty well researched: https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2...edion-zelalem-united-states-citizenship-usmnt Because he was naturalized under Section 40b of the Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, he has to declare his intention on whether he wants to keep his German or his foreign citizenship. He can do so at any point after the age of 18. If he chooses to do nothing, he'll lose his German citizenship at the age of 23. If he wants to keep his citizenship, unless he gets an exception or approval from the German government, he'll have to renounce his foreign citizenship(s). He has to present any evidence to the German government on why he should be able to keep his German citizenship by his 21st birthday, which does give him a bit of time to mull this issue over. Keeping his US/Ethiopian citizenships seems to be the best choice right now. But you can make an argument that being German makes the most sense and he will have to forego USMNT eligibility.
The Germans won't take away his citizenship unless he tells them he wants to drop it. Now, they do expect him to drop the US-Eth citizenship. It is in the law, but as a practical matter on enforcement, they typically do not pursue this matter. The state gets queasy about demanding a citizen drop another citizenship, and doubly queasy about stripping folks of their German passports (as is the case with many, many things in daily life here, 20th century history makes them hesitant to be iron willed towards their people. There are a lot of folks walking/living around Germany with dual citizenship. I would think this matters because while he is now playing in the US, there are a lot more soccer jobs in the EU.
This should be a better fit than SKC. I could actually be interested in watching a team with Parks and Zelalem (if they both play). Zelalem said: “I’m really excited to be joining New York City FC. The Club has established a culture and style of play that I’m really looking forward to being a part of. I know they had a great season last year and the team will only go upwards from there. It’s also a great city to live in, but mostly I’m ready to win a lot of soccer matches in 2020.” NYCFC Head Coach, Ronny Deila, said: “Gedion is a very versatile midfielder who can play across multiple positions. He’s a creative player and possesses very good technique on the ball which is vital for a midfielder in our system. He’s eager to begin this preseason and we’re ready for him to get into camp and show off who he is as a player.”
Zelalem was unceremoniously dropped by NYCFC at the end of last season (option declined). No rumors yet on where he might go next. Any chance he will return to Europe? How quickly his star has dimmed, quite sad really.
There’s no guarantee he’s done at NYCFC; while they declined his option they may still sign him. There’s only 16 senior players on the roster right now. They’ve announced 0 signings since the close of last season. If not NYCFC it’s hard to see much of a future right now. Maybe USL, sadly enough
What about Scandinavia? Haji Wright has resurrectd himself there...hard to believe he couldnt get a chance in Denmark or Sweden etc