Tyler Adams - the best non-Christian Pulisic prospect in the USMNT pipeline

There are now 1 youth in Italy (Perez) and 1 in Spain (Akale). Having these two guys in these leagues as youth players is progress, but it's still to soon to tell if these guys are going to pan out and become NT level players. We have hundreds if not thousands of potential youth players in the US (and abroad) and these 2 leagues are developing just 2 of them. Until these 2 leagues develop more, or at least produce a finish product, like Germany (Wood, Pulisic, Brooks, Bradley or Cherundolo) and England (Yedlin, Spector, Lichaj, Gouch-tbd, Miazga-tbd & Hyandman-tbd) then it's difficult for me to take Spain & Italy seriously as a path for our youth.

I guess I forgot Bedoya in France too, but he was 26 when he went there. The Swedish and Scottish clubs he was at are the clubs that developed him (I think he was 21 or 22 when he went to Sweden).

We can count Onyewu in France, I forgot about him too (he went there at age 18 in 2002). Edit: So is this one player out of France? Are there any others?

 

The only success a young American has had in Italy was Rossi who left to go to ManU at 17.

 

I just can't agree with you that England has ever done us any good in player development. They've had the lion's share of our youth abroad and gave us Spector and Harkes. That's about it. Meanwhile Germany gave us Reyna, Cherundolo, Pulisic. Holland did well with JOB, Bradley, Stewart and recovered Jozy.

 

I agree England are not a great option... but many of our youth players are currently under contract with the EPL or playing in England (Zelalem, EMO, Gouch & Miazga). Yedlin counts too, so does Lichaj, and 2010 WC vet Jay Demerit (went over at 23).

I agree Germany & Holland have done more, but England is in the conversation, and way ahead of Spain, France or Italy.

 

The issue here is that you are looking more at the raw output and not considering the input. France, for instance, has done well with the scant input they have had. England's screw ups with our youth are many and grievous.

 

People tend to default to English football because its the highest profile league out there. There are some like DeMerit and McBride who went over and were the better for it, but on the other hand the Bundesliga consistently develops the best USMNT players. It would have been great to have seen Dempsey in the Bundesliga, IMO. There is a long list of players who have been stalwart first team USMNT players who spent more than a cup of coffee in the Bundesliga.

The Prem doesn't even produce a good English national team, much less an American one.

 

Scant... I think France has 1. Onyewu in 2002. Are there any others? Bedoya was to old. Bocanegra played there too, but he was older too, I think.

 

In the coulda woulda shoulda section there is Charlie Davies.

 

I am not disagreeing with you... but this is where our players are currently playing/being developed. Bundesliga has done more for the US NT... but England has and is currently developing our youth prospects, they just aren't as good at it as Germany.

 

Onyewu doesn't really count. He went when he was 20, barely played for Metz for a lower league side, and then went to Belgium. That's where he started to gain traction.

 

Started out at Hammarby. He only played 8 matches with his French side before the unfortunate car crash.

 

After watching what Dax did to Adams on Nikolic's goal tonight, I find it hard to believe Adams will be going anywhere soon. I couldn't find an imbeddable clip. Anybody have one?

 

Adams' athleticism is easy to see. He eats up ground like a young Jermaine Jones. That said, he just turned 18 three months ago. He has played 3,363 minutes as a professional. That's 570 minutes in MLS across 7 games, along with 229 minutes in CCL across 3 games. The rest of the ~2400 minutes are USL, USL playoff and US Open Cup games. The kid needs time and games and is only going to get better. Watching him against Dax, Juninho and Schweinsteiger* and their roughly 1000 plus pro games collectively, it is hard not to get excited. The kid was at turns excellent and (for at least one moment) naive. But the former far outweighed the latter and as much as I love Dax, I get why the trade was made.

Dax is 30 and hadn't accumlated 3300 minutes as a pro until he was 21-22. it feels like it took him another 4 years or so to develop into the player he currently is (and one of the best Dms in the league). Because of the current academy system and the existence of USL, I think Tyler is in a position to develop much more quickly.

* It is funny that of those three, Juninho is the youngest at 27..despite looking the oldest.

 

There is no such thing as "the best non-Christian Pulisic prospect in the USMNT pipeline".
There are 20 guys who are pretty close and Pulisic lapped them all.

 

Credit to Brian Sciaretta for spotting these comments by Chris Armas on Tyler Adams after NYRB defeated NYCFC last night. Armas did not hold back:

http://metrosoccernation.com/tyler-adams-arrived-world-takes-note/

 

As far as Italy in the past decade, all I can additionally think of is Gabriel Ferrari who went over at 18. In Spain, I recall Danny Szetela, who also went to Italy from there on loan. In the UK, before the current crop, you had players like John Thorrington, Frank Simek, Jonathan Spector, and Zak Whitbread.

 

Josh Perez is playing for Fiorentina and is close to making the full team or maybe already has a few minutes.

 

Do they get some credit for Cobi Jones? Keller?

I know they weren't youth, but I would say McBride and Demps continued to grow their game there.

Does Germany get some credit for Waldo?

Spain for Tab?

I'm not arguing. Just wondering.

 

I didn't know TA got time in the USL. I've long been hopeful about that league really helping our development curve. Did any other of the U20's play some in USL?

 

Jones, EPB, Saucedo, Acosta, Glad, Redding, Ebobisse

 

Wow. Thanks!

 

Is this the same guy from the U20s? He didn't really stand out to me.

 

He has 20 minutes.