Pack it up folks, nothing to see here. A 15 year old scoring 6 mostly great goals in 3 games, does not impress some random dude posting on the internet.
I actually completely understand your postings. I sense your posts have more to do with him switching to mexico after we treated him like gold, then actually evaluating his super advanced technique and composure for a 15-year old. But rumor is that his father is a massive Mexico fan and at a young age, Efrain could have been easily manipulated into wanting to play for Mexico (i.e. Rossi). But after seeing all of his most closest teammates on his team- stay loyal to the U.S. and move on from the Hugo Perez firing- He is most likely having second thoughts. Think about this: in a recent interview he said he is keeping the door open for the U.S. and taking pictures in U.S. gear. I don't think he is that loyal to Mexico. My impression is that Efrain has a very mature demeanor for his age, (just look at those goals) and he might be coming to the realization that: Do I want to play for Mexico, because that's why my father wants?, or do I want to play for the U.S. because I am loyal to my foundation and teammates?. Just a thought here. I mean its almost identical to the Jonathan Gonzalez case, without the World Cup around the corner variable to cloud judgements.
Because he's with Mexico. And we are reacting to his terrific recent play and you're calling it over reacting. We're fans its what we do. I don't really like ranking, it does nothing. I want him with the US for its additive properties and not its comparative property.
I'm saying the play in USL does not project even to the MLS level. Obviously, it's a great accomplishment Alvarez either way.
It certainly doesn't on an average sense. Players in the top quarter of the USL are basically reserve players at the MLS level (as the Galaxy have learned to their chagrin). On the other hand, there are things you can look for. If the player doesn't stand out at the USL level, then you wouldn't expect them to do well in MLS. And certain things in the USL are relatively good. If a young defender in USL is being beaten by speed or strength (or guile, for that matter), then you know they're not ready for the next level. Alvarez is an interesting player as there are basically three parts to his game. He is a good passer, he has good shot from outside the box and he is good at free kicks. I think you need to evaluate him in that context. If he can physically make it through an entire season, if he can score every other game while creating several good chances per game, he's basically done what he's needed to do at that level. Still early, and I expect to see him rested down the line, but he's certainly advancing faster than I expected.
This is basically the quality of league. If you are one of the best players in USL then that is basically equivalent to a player who is on the roster, but not typically in the 18 for an MLS team. If you are in that tier as a 15 year old (or any teenager) than the chances of becoming a quality MLS player or better is a lot higher than a player doing it at 25 who as probably found their level.
Yup. Excelling at the USL level means you're ready to be in the 18 for an MLS team. LAG has to decide how aggressive to be with a 15 year old. You don't want to do too much too early.....................a la Freddy Adu. They're probably going to be patient on this one even though there will be plenty of people (LIKE ME) demanding that he advances pretty rapidly.
He’s the best u18 domestic prospect in the country. He should ,and imo will, make a Galaxy first team appearance this year. As I’ve said in other threads, I’d call him up to a u20 camp. He’s that good.
According to G2's Mike Munoz: SA: In a move similar to Jonathan Gonzalez’s in January, Alvarez switched national teams in 2016, from the USA's U-15s to Mexico's U-15s. Given MLS’s close relationship to U.S. Soccer, do you think MLS academies have a role to play in steering players toward one national team program or another? MIKE MUNOZ: It's a good question. We do. We definitely have a role to play with U.S. Soccer. We want our top players to be with U.S. Soccer, but every coach is different in terms of what they like, what they see, what they want. With U.S. Soccer, Efra was dropped from the camp for whatever reason. I don't know if there was a collective decision from U.S. Soccer. ... Unfortunately when he was dropped, Mexico came knocking at the door and has been there ever since. It had nothing to do with the Galaxy saying hey, don't go to the U.S., go to Mexico. Of course not. We want what's best for our player, and unfortunately U.S. Soccer decided he wasn't the right guy at 14 years old, maybe because he was small, or maybe because he wasn't as athletic. I don't know. Those are questions you'll have to ask U.S. Soccer. It was definitely a decision by U.S. Soccer to not bring him back in, which opened the door to Mexico. SA: You say it was clear from an early age that Alvarez had the tools to be a top player down the road, yet he was dropped from a U.S. Soccer camp? MIKE MUNOZ: It's what's the identity of your team. What's the style of play, how do these players fit into what you want to accomplish. Everybody has different ideas for this. Maybe his style is a little bit more suited to Mexico. I don't know know. That comes down to player identification where everyone's on the same page like, "Hey, these are the profiles of the players we want, now go find them for me." https://www.socceramerica.com/publi...-iis-mike-munoz-on-how-mexico-landed-efr.html I don't know what to make of this -- or whether Munoz is hinting at something, or just guessing himself. I was not aware that Alvarez was "dropped" in some meaningful way. The last YNT appearance I easily find for him was April 2016, with the U15s. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...-to-win-2016-international-festival-of-futbol That group, under Van Den Bergh, had a big camp later that year. Alvarez wasn't there, though some other Galaxy players were. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ayer-roster-to-u15-bnt-domestic-training-camp It appears (not 100% sure on this either) that his Mexican debut was more than a year later, in August 2017. Is that all there is? He got some US callups, something happened, and he doesn't appear in a Mexican shirt for more than a year?
If the US did not bring him in for over a year and then he gets interest from Mexico, I could see why the kid would believe that US Soccer had "dropped" him and would be willing to listen. Hopefully the door is not totally closed.
Frankly I get weary of kids not getting picked for a couple of camps in a row and then deciding that's reason enough to switch national team allegiances. I mean, for Pete's sake...................that was the U15 level. The U15 level! Seriously, U15 national team camps aren't important. And yet I think parents and coaches act like an exclusion from one of these youth camps is a sign of the apocalypse. That US youth coaches decided that they want to go in a different direction from a player, and his skill set isn't valued. It's a U15 camp led by Dave frickin' Van Den Bergh! For Pete's sake. It's a sign of nothing other than players that Dave frickin' Van Den Bergh wanted to work with. EEEEFUS! If exclusion from one (or a series) of those camps below the U17 level is enough for a kid to switch allegiances, then he wasn't really committed in the first place.
Thanks for posting this. If true, I don't like hearing that someone that age was dropped for being too small and/or unathletic. Two thoughts: 1) Precious YNT opportunities should be given to the kids that you deem most likely to ULTIMATELY become the best players. You should invest in both a) highly skilled undersized players and track whether the requisite athleticism comes around, and b) very athletic, skill-deficient players and track whether the requisite skill is progressing. Improvement in professionalism and commitment also matter so you track that as well. While it has its challenges, anyone that can't develop a strategically-sound evaluation framework shouldn't be anywhere near youth development. 2) Seems like we are fighting an uphill battle for the hearts and minds of some of the dual national Hispanic players and their families, especially Mexican Americans. I'd be open to suggestions but would be interested in hiring a high-profile outreach ambassador that would have credibility in those homes. (I'd also be fine with someone who was capable of doing it across demographic groups.) The ideal person would work with our coaches at all levels to court dual nationals and articulate a vision of how they fit in with the program long term, how we can empower them to reach their professional goals and especially reaffirm how much they're valued. Hispanic Americans are an increasingly important demographic that often have strong ties to their countries of birth. It's also a community that, rightly or wrongly, probably feels marginalized by US Soccer and the country as a whole to some extent. A smart federation would proactively address that. To realize our full potential, we need everybody on board, and on a personal level I want everyone to feel valued and empowered.
You've posted this before, and while I agree with the high level sentiment I think the federation needs be be practical. It doesn't matter whether the prospects should be offended, it matters that they are offended and that it's leading to sub-optimal outcomes for our program. There are a ton of levers to address these issues, but I might start with 1) an assessment framework that doesn't marginalize youth players with deficiencies that have the potential to improve, and 2) striking the right balance between being fair to all prospects and realizing that high-potential dual nationals with options need more attention.
Yeah...............but when we look across USYNT age groups we have plenty of kids who are on the smaller side. We have a wide range of skill sets, physical statues, etc. I mean, is his teammate Uly Llanez some some of physical, athletic specimen? No. Is Beni Redzic of FC Dallas sort of athletic wonderkid? No, certainly not. He's quite small actually. He's listed at 5'5" by FC Dallas. I mean, Mike Munoz at the start of the interview says he doesn't know why Alvarez was dropped. And then he goes on to speculate wildly anyway. And those speculations are leading to all of this discussion. Its not based on anything factual. We don't know why he wasn't selected. I mean, its just as possible that Dave frickin' Van Den Bergh just isn't a good judge of talent and potential. This is one U15 coach's evaluation and squad selection.
I don't believe that. I think the Galaxy as an organization are trying to come out as anti-US Soccer, and I think they are giving Alvarez an easier out for explaining his decision than just saying he preferred Mexico to the USA.
Alvarez's last US U15 appearance was in June 2016, during a 4-team tournament in Zagreb, Croatia. It was also Malik Tillman's lone camp; we had both Alvarez and the possibly-higher-ceiling Tillman in the same US camp This is the only camp that Alvarez wore the newer US kits, now retired since early 2018. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...nishes-four-team-tournament-in-zagreb-croatia Alvarez's first camp for Mexico came in September 2016, and has continued regularly since then. Probably about half a dozen callups between Sept. '16 and the one in August 2017. Our boy Efrain Alvarez will join the 2002 @FMF Youth National Team domestic camp this week in Mexico.Good!Well done @LAGalaxyAcademy— 3four3 (@3four3) September 19, 2016 Bien Efra!https://t.co/tDG90koqH8— 3four3 (@3four3) February 5, 2017 Our boy Efrain Alvarez on the right.Bien, Efra. Con huevo!https://t.co/NeKYbCh6jn— 3four3 (@3four3) March 13, 2017
I'm extremely skeptical of the notion that U.S. Soccer dropped Alvarez first before he flipped to Mexico. This is not to say U.S. Soccer are saints or do everything right. But it is a fact that the USSF started calling him up to the U14s since 2014, shortly after he turned 12. He was sometimes the only '02 or one of two '02s in U14 camps. Then when he joined the U15s in 2015 and 2016, he was eventually handed the #10 and the captain's armband. Just my opinion, but I think it's more likely that Efrain simply preferred to represent the country of his heritage, especially with the FMF's persistence (as they ought to do), and it also didn't help that Gary Kleiban may have nudged him that way. Edit: I also want to mention that Alvarez was in and out of the starting lineup for Mexico for a while. It's not like he was a regular starter, let alone the captain like the US made him. In the CONCACAF U15s, for example, had just one start the entire tournament, during a group stage match after Mexico already clinched their group. Now it appears he's a regular for Mexico U17s, but it hasn't always been that way. Pretty clear indication to me he preferred to represent Mexico no matter what.
This perhaps goes without saying, but this would seem to make the Munoz version of the storyline, to say nothing of my lazy morning research, kind of difficult to support unless something very specific happened between U.S. Soccer and Alvarez that hasn't been reported. Whatever the case, a reminder that the CONCACAF U15s are not cap-tying.
I guess it is simple for me. The kid is a fantastic talent. He has or has had some interest in playing for the US. US Soccer should make a concerted effort to understand what he prefers about the Mexico set up and see if they can make a compelling case for the US. Some might have reservations about catering to an individual - I don't have those reservations. We should be about finding and giving opportunities to the best players. I haven't read anything to suggest Efra is difficult or trouble in any form. I would never want to be held accountable for everything I thought and believed as a 12-14 kid. It is very easy to see how he might feel wrongly done. From what I have read and seen he is unbelievably talented. I would guess he has made the assessment that he is better than most if not all these other kids in camp or who were called in to camps that he was not included. He is probably not too far off the mark in that judgment. He probably also makes an evaluation of the type and caliber of coaching he is getting at FMF and US camps. I'd be pissed if I was passed on for kids I know I am better than. I'm also speculating, but it is not hard for me to believe that he was left out of a camp or was told someone else was preferred and as the stereotypical athlete often does he said, 'Screw you, that is fuel and you will regret that you passed on me.' If he did that fair play to the kid. This drives me crazy. You know this is their whole life. They are dedicated and committed to football above all else. It is part of the reason they are so good. So yeah, they take it personally and it does drive decisions and they don't always have the benefit of experience. Should they have more perspective? Maybe, but I think it is reasonable and understandable to feel burned (if indeed there is some of that here). As the article mentioned, the DA level is not really good enough for the exceptional talents. National team stuff is important for development reasons and exposure. So not getting the opportunities you want can drive you to look elsewhere. I think there are a number of issues at play. Not the least of which is coaching on these US Youth teams. It is embarrasing the Richie Williams is anywhere near the USMNT much less any USYNT camp. I won't pretend to know how FMF youth coaches stack up but I doubt the quality breaks in the US favor in most instances. Some have assigned an agenda to the Galaxy that feels to me a lot more like wild speculation than anything Munoz said in the interview.
Ever heard of a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush? If my kid doesn't get called in a year span and somebody else wants to give her/him a chance why souldn't she/he take it?
There were no US U15 camps between the June 2016 one and the November 2016 one, but there was a Mexico U15 one between them that Alvarez joined them and never left. Before the June one, there were four US U15 camps or tournaments for the 2002s, and Alvarez was included in all of them. By December 2015 he was listed as wearing the 10, and by April 2016 (but possibly earlier) there was visual proof he was wearing the captain's armband. For the U14s, he was already a regular callup since age 12. I cannot find any proof he was not included on any US rosters before Mexico became interested in him.
But we thought the same about Jesse Gonzalez, and we thought Jonathan Gonzalez was definitely going to play for the USA. There are not many players who are so good at age 15 where they will never be snubbed for a roster they wanted to be on, and will be a senior NT player rather quickly. Mexico also usually has older NT rosters than a lot of countries. Its hard for younger players to make their senior NT because of how they run their program. Maybe Alvarez will go straight into their NT at 17 or 18, but it could be like both Gonzalez's (who were pretty good for players their age) where they feels like they were snubbed for a roster or two, and they switch. I don't know whether or not Alvarez would switch back, but I think there's likely to be a chance for the USSF to step in and try to convince him to play for the USA. Whether he wants to switch back, that'll be his choice.