Who other than Sargent should on this team should we be watching to contribute for club and country(senior team) in the not to distant future(say next world cup cycle). Give me two to four names.
Carleton for sure. Then Sands, Acosta, and Weah. Akinola looks exciting now but in typical fashion, will most likely flop due to his over use of athleticism. Our coaches see this over and over again but never seem to learn
I like Sargent / Carleton as Top 2 and then Durkin / Sands as next 2, but you could make a case for 3-4 others in the next 2 slots. Lots of good individual talent on this squad, but think the performance will be less than the sum of the parts. No CBs, so playing good DM out of position for instance.
the only two im familiar enough with to comment- weah and carleton. weah has ridiculous instincts, which is very rare in our pool. hes technically good at this level and hopefully continues to grow there because i think if his body can keep up with his mind he could be a special player for us. carleton isnt a guy you should bet on at all, but i do think hes somewhere on the mathis/dempsey scale. today was my first real look at durkin and i got some besler/bocanegra vibes, but i cant back that up with anything yet. also many seem to think hes destined for cm (which i didnt get at all, but again- this was my first exposure) eta: obviously sargent has been dominant for us, but i think going forward he is just as likely to be the next wondo as he is the next (insanely hyperbolic bs comparison here)
Weirder things have happened but Wondo wasn't even in MLS his first year after going to college. Sargent is way ahead of where Wondo was at this age and is going to a German team for fine honing. You are right in that where they start isn't where they end up and he still has a ways to go.
Yes, weird, considering that at 17 Sargent faster and has better skills than Wondo at his peak. Not to say that Wondo didn't have a great career or that Sargent guaranteed to be better, but why Wondo? One can use any random name from Jacob Peterson to Zlatan with the same success.
i use wondo because sargent is so polished and almost automatic- like wondo in mls. i dont mean it disparagingly. put sargent in six tournaments and i think he would score 4 or 5 goals in every one. its the consistency that impresses me. the reason hes the floor of the spectrum i gave is that hes excellent at the level he is (including u20 here), but i wouldnt be shocked if he doesnt translate up every level to us superstar striker is all. his play seems more matter of fact than dynamic. but yes, as the other post pointed out hes ahead of wondo in club situation and that specific potential. im really not knocking him here- im saying one of the best scorers in mls history is his floor, yall. i just dont see crazy pace or whatever physical traits that set the best of the best apart, so my expectations arent best us forward ever just yet.
Here's my opinion. Based on combination of potential and the likelihood they get there. I'll use tiers to break it apart, as well, where they are ranked within the tier is in order. Viewings on these players fluctuate from 2 times for a few of them to I'd assume 40-50 for some others, so I am a little more sure on what I've seen on some and less sure on others. Of course, only my opinion, feel free to disagree. Tier 1: Carleton: On the level of the highly elite youngsters around the world, dominated from game 1 with this team two years ago to the U-17 WC. Creativity machine who delivers in end product for himself and others, soccer IQ is many steps ahead of the rest. Capable of playing CAM, LW or RW, best as a CAM, but also pretty comfortable at LW. Matt Doyle had a good line about him recently, "His ideas in the attacking third are of the "damn, I did not see that coming!" variety. I watch probably 350 soccer games a year across about 10 different leagues – there's not a lot that surprises me when I watch it. Carleton does stuff that surprises me." Defensively, he's very underrated, presses well, puts in a tackle, work rate is there. Could improve his sprint speed, but thats about it. No real weaknesses. Tier 2: Garces: Adds an element that most teams just don't have with his playing out from the back. Ridiculously calm on the ball from a keeper, can play the sweeper keeper role, pings balls out of all ranges to start the build up. Incredible shot stopper as well, now 6'3. Has very nice reflexes. Cut down big time on the errors, rarely makes them anymore. He's made maybe the biggest improvements of any player in this program (along with Sargent) since the beginning of the cycle, IMO. His potential is unreal. Booth: I doubt he plays much because Hackworth's faves are older than him, so don't worry much about him for this tournament, but he's a CM, capable of playing all three CM positions, best as a #8. He has an incredibly good passing range, long, short, medium distance. Always makes the right decision. His defense reads are really good, as well. Not the biggest, but willing to put in a tackle, and can score goals. We'll see how he develops athletically, he's only about 5'8 right now and he's not the fastest, but even if he doesn't become 6'0 and a very fast, it doesn't matter. Our best player of the '01 birth year, IMO. Sargent: He has that Harry Kane style where he doesn't do a lot exciting, except do the tough work a striker needs to do for a team, and score goals, but he does both at a really high level. Deceptively athletic, as well. He makes good runs and has made huge improvements from game 1 this cycle to now. Not the most skilled striker or a particularly good passer, gonna need service from others. Gloster: Best defensive player this team has had in a few cycles, plays LB, but is probably tall enough to play CB, as well. Potential is a little lower than some players who have performed as well as him due to a lack of offensive skills at LB, but he's a lockdown defensive player. Defensive understanding is through the roof for a player his age, very smart player, rarely beat 1v1. Very athletic player who can combine going forward. Doesn't possess offensive skills to beat players on his own at LB, but can add something offensively. His game is more about his defensive work and athleticism. Tier 3: Weah: I think he's the type of player who will be better eventually than what he shows now. CF who can play as a winger, but I wouldn't advise it, doesn't reflect well on his game. Has looked rather pedestrian for the USA compared to PSG's youth teams, but he's a tall striker with very good speed, good feet and goal scoring instincts. He's very similar to Marcus Rashford in playing style. Durkin: Not a real exciting player, but the type teams win with. A very tough #6, although capable of playing as a CB, but like Weah, I don't advise it because he doesn't play that position well. Good height, very good in the air. Simple passer, although efficient and sometimes capable of a nice long ball, smart player. Not the most athletic, but not a total non-athlete. Won't venture forward, nothing flashy, he'll sit in front of the back 4. Good positioning, not afraid to put in a tackle or take a card. Sands: Very similar to Durkin. I don't need to repeat nearly the same scouting report. What I'd say is the main differences between the two is that Durkin is far superior with his physical play, he's taller, better in the air, better tackler. Lindsey: See Gloster scouting report, but at the less valuable full-back position (RB). Not as smart defensively. Like Gloster, he can also probably fill in at CB. Reynolds: Knock off and very raw version of Haji Wright. Same type of game. Very tall and athletic attacker who's long term likely a #9, but can play either wing. Two footed and surprisingly skilled for a player his size, good passer. Unlike Wright, I think his goal scoring isn't as polished and he's not as impactful as Wright was at the same age, struggles to read the game, very inconsistent, but its a slightly lesser version if he hits his ceiling. He's a long way off that right now, I haven't seen the progressions in the last year that I would've liked. A year younger than most though, so that was taken into consideration. Tier 4: Shaver: He's the best passer out of the back (other than the keeper) in this group of players. He's definitely a ball playing CB and pretty mobile. He's grown some in the last year, now 6'1, so height is not a problem. A little risky defensively, he needs to work on his defense, but I've always liked his game. I had wondered where he went from this U-17 program late last year and early this year, turns out he had a knee injury, which isn't great for a player in his main development years, but not a huge issue. Goslin: Box to box midfielder with tons of energy, good presser of the ball. Also capable as a #6, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it, as he can make errors at the position. Height isn't ideal for a CM (5'7), but he's an athletic player who is well built for a player his age. He is a very good goal scorer for a #8, very good striker of the ball. Struggles with how he processes the game and isn't a good passer. Dest: Technically inclined right-back who is athletic, but not a burner. Defensively a little naive, but nothing too worrying. Very good dribbler for a player at his position, and good at combining in the final third. Vassilev: I put him here because I recognize he's a year younger than most of these players. Versatile player (I've seen him play as a #8, #10, LM, RM, LB), so that works in his advantage. Good striker of the ball, good technically. Don't see much else. Reyes: I'm less confident about this opinion because I've seen very little of him compared to other players, but from what I've seen, he's a rather dull attacking mid. Has some ideas in the final third, but they aren't incredibly effective. Good ball skills, pretty athletic, capable of playing all four positions in the front four. Watts: Not a bad player, but nothing particularly exciting. Seen him play both full-back positions, probably capable of playing CB, as well. Good athlete, not bad defensively, ball skills aren't particularly good, but not awful. He's okay, fine as a back up at this level. Not sure big potential is there, but he's a fine player, pro potential is there. Tier 5: Dos Santos: Gotta say he's another I haven't seen play all that much, probably the least along with Reyes, so I'm not terribly confident about this placement either. Very tall keeper, I think he's around 6'4. Looks a little raw, reflexes are okay, nothing special. Didn't notice anything discernible about how he plays with his feet, no big errors from what I saw but nothing standing out. Big keeper with some potential, check back in 5 years. Budnik: I've seen him play more than Dos Santos among the two back up keepers. I think my opinion is distorted because I am comparing his performances to Garces, which is just not fair at all for any young keeper. I've seen him make some athletic saves, but also a few errors, average with his feet. He's not bad for his age. As I mentioned with Dos Santos, he's a young keeper with pro potential, but very few stand out at the U-17 level, so another one to check back on in five years. Acosta: Has not developed as expected, IMO. He was one of this team's best players a few years ago, hasn't progressed. He shows flashes. He has some really nice ideas in the final third, but there are some games he doesn't do anything, and you wonder if he was even on the field. I'm not sure he really has a position, either due to a lack of dribbling in attacking midfield and a lack of defensive bite as a #8. Maybe as a #10, but you aren't getting much movement around the park from him at that position. Ferri: Very similar situation to Acosta, IMO. Another technically inclined player who I just don't see much from. He's more of a connector than a playmaker than Acosta though. He has good passing range, but he does not make good decisions on the ball or out of possession. Gets overwhelmed athletically in CM against bigger and faster players. Doesn't read the game well defensively and is frequently out of position. The effort is there defensively, but he needs to improve his defending. He's a #8, I've seen him play as a #10 and #6, but definitely a #8. Akinola: I think he's the type of player that people talk about all the time as an early developing athlete. I just don't see much in the way of discernible soccer skill. He's fast and strong, coordinated as well, but against pro's, I don't think its such a big advantage. Reads the game incredibly poorly, tunnel vision approach, routinely misses runners and makes the wrong decision. Not a good passer, finisher and he has a mediocre first touch. He works hard. I didn't know where to put him. On one hand, I feel like he wouldn't be scrutinized as much if he played less, he could go a number of spots higher if he had a back up role. On the other hand, I feel like he has the biggest negative impact on this team. He gets criticized a lot, hopefully he proves us all wrong.
Maybe just after Weah. I like his game, just don't think he's necessarily the best or one of the two or three best in his age group. People like to talk about us getting him as a big coup from Mexico, and it is, but I think Alvarez is the much better player of the two between the two LAG youngsters who had been playing for Mexico. Alvarez to me is on the level of the absolute best from any age group we've produced, Llanez is top 5/10 in an okay age group, so a definite difference between the two. And you can notice the difference between the two when they play. Llanez is very good in spurts, Alvarez takes over games. Only other player in the '01 year who I think gets in the top five of a U-17 player pool (if you are combining '00 and '01) would be de la Fuente who bumps Gloster from 5. I could understand an argument for Araujo over Gloster, but thats still talking about #6, if de la Fuente is #5. And I might even be selling de la Fuente short at #5.
Garces has long term potential. I think Acosta is underrated and I hope this cup lands him a good gig somewhere. Carleton will likely break out in MLS next year and turn heads. Weah will eventually be a PSG starter unless disaster hits.
Weah and Sargent are the only two that right now have shown that they have the POTENTIAL to be world-class level (i.e. Puli caliber). Of course it remains to be seen whether they ever actually get there / there might be a hidden gem that hasn't shown that potential just yet. I'm really happy both of them are at quality international setups. Weah, Sargent, and Weston are the three that if they live up to their potential (starters for Champions-league level teams) will be the key for the US to take the next leap in 2022 with Pulisic at the helm.
Actually, his games to a certain level resemble Lewandoski and I think Sargent himself said that he wants to emulate his game like his.
I think Sargent is the cream of the crop at this level, he is such a polished player that they start him in the U20 and did very well. He doesn't get intimidated, comes back for the ball and can play with his back to goal, his service passes have a nice touch to it. Most of all he plays smart and tht trait is hard to learn, you either have it or not. What I have seen different in him in the past 4 months is that he got bigger, I even think he grew an inch without losing any coordination, I think he is now closer to 6 feet tall.
I pick Weah. I like his build, his athleticism, instincts. He has upside, but like so many others it's a guessing game how he turns out. I also like Garces. Sargent's good, but I wish he were a bit better on the ball. Carleton tries $hit, and that's his big calling card, but he's got to clean up his passing. I haven't seen enough of Booth to really say. However, nobody stands out as a top talent.
I would like to see Durkin get a lot of DM reps at the USL level next year. His instincts are good. His reads, and consequently his positioning, need some work. Carleton also needs some reps. He reminds me a bit of a young Tommy Thompson. Will try stuff all day long, but needs to learn how to better channel his creativity in the context of the team. Weah is raw. He could be elite. He could flame out. Still a lot of development on the subtleties of the forward position. I like Sands and Acosta quite a bit.