Youngsters in MLS (1997 or later)

You asked for it...

 

USL(and NASL) is a low level. You may rarely have a player with some quality like a Poku, Ramirez, or Molino but these guys either move up quick or have some monetary reason to stay where they are. MLS clubs should only be use these leagues to get younger players familiar with playing against grown men. That's it.

Carleton would be gaining nothing from USL play if he has shown the ability to deal with the physicality of playing with grown men.

 

Let's hope so. But what will the excuse be if/when that doesn't happen?

Ah, there it is! So basically you're saying that as mere fans / observers, we can't criticize coaching decisions because we will never see/know everything behind the scenes or have all the relevant facts?

Good question... one that, of course, went unanswered.

 

You win.

 

That is certainly taken into consideration but some posters act like the coaches aren’t seeing him daily in training which informs game day decisions.

 

Totally able to criticize coaching decisions. Frankly that’s what these boards are for but we operate with limited knowledge of his situation.

 

Anybody know where I can find replay of DC game to watch Durkin in the second half? The link from the page below is the Rowdies page that doesn’t include it.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/12/06/full-list-2018-mls-preseason-matches

 

If ATL UTD has their own USL team running the same system as the first team, you actually do gain something by sending Carleton (or other young players) there. You see how he does as a starter in that system, without risking actual games that matter. If he does well, then there's no excuse not to bring him in to the first team.

 

He would be gaining playing 90 minutes a week. If he's not quite ready to get 90 in MLS he has to play USL to have the next level of competition available to him.

 

Yup. He's still only 17 for Pete's sake.

I think we can see that if everybody is healthy, the starting XI for ATL probably includes Almiron, Martinez, Nagbe, and Villalba in the attacking positions. That's a current Paraguayan International, Venezuelan International, US international, and a 23 year old Argentine that won a Copa Libertadores and Argentine title with San Lorenzo. Carlton and Barco are probably coming off the bench in the attacking midfield behind THAT. The bar is high in Atlanta.

A step forward for Andrew this season is routine substitute appearances with sporadic starts.

I don't see evidence as of right now that ATL is sending Andrew to Charleston, though.

 

I have a feeling the player who shattered the MLS transfer record is not going to be sitting on the bench.

 

Nagbe will mostly be playing as a #8

 

He’ll turn 18 mid season. Pulisic played in 12 games for over 400 mins in the Bundesliga and Europa League while a 17 year old (with trips back down to the u19s). He started 8 of 12 from the day before his 18 birthday to the winter break. CP is definitely an outlier, but we are talking huge difference in quality.

No way Barco isn’t starting. Based on Saturday’s game, Nagbe is looking to be in the two behind the front four. His role will be primarily to get the ball to Almiron and the other two wings. Carleton is likely fighting with Gressel to get on the pitch. I’d hope he averages at least 30 mins a game if he continues to play the way he did in his cameo. The problem with this is the USL is too far of a step down and only real benefit will be fitness.

Not sure why Charleston should even be a consideration. There has got to be an MLS team that could use him.

AC’s contact says it is up at the end of the year. I’d guess there are at least 2 years worth of options on that, making it a 2.5 + 2. Does anybody know the details for certain?

I didn’t see anything wrong with how he was treated last year but think he should get the opportunity to play regularly this year. If he doesn’t, it is going to get even tougher to sign young players. I’m sure if doesn’t play much this year, you’ll be saying “he’s still only 18 for Pete’s sake” next year. The problem with this patience and view toward youth players is that it is just another way for us to fall further behind the rest of the world.

Miazga got about as many as he could handle in MLS, and springboarded to Vitesse via Chelsea and this is what they are saying about him in Europe and he is a defender...

It’s hard to determine where Miazga is headed in the future. While he has everything to become a top defender in Europe, he has his age against him. Next summer when he returns to Chelsea he will be 23 and will have to make probably the most important decision in his career. The question is if he can fight for a chance in the first team of Chelsea and if he will manage to make enough minutes as playing time is the most important for players of his age. Azpilicueta, Christensen, Ruediger, David Luiz, and Cahill are just a few names he will have to compete with.

http://www.insidevitesse.com/who-is-matt-miazga/

 

You guys beat me to both of these points while I was rambling.

 

Practice!!!

Turns out he lacks game time here too.

 

Sure. He needs to be sharp and fit and a competitive game every week or so will do the trick.. But I would not expect improvement if he's beyond that low level.

I'm just wary of folks seeing so and so playing a bunch of usl minutes and think that that equates to improvement or that a player is progressing. Just look at BJIV.

 

Only 14 players under 19 have played in mls have played in the last 2 years. In Argentina, the number is similar for players under 18 and grows to 46 under 19.

How many of the MLS guys really played and weren’t just cameos? Davies, Adams, Tabla, Mihailovic, Farrah... 5 unless I missed someone. Barco was a regular in his side at an age younger than what AC is now.

# Player(s) Club Date Final score Age at the time
1 Alphonso Davies 15 years 08 months 15 days
2 Jesús Ferreira 16 years 05 months 11 days
3 Andrew Carleton 16 years 10 months 29 days
4 Tyler Adams 17 years 02 months 00 days
5 James Sands 17 years 02 months 11 days
6 Paxton Pomykal 17 years 02 months 23 days
7 Ballou Tabla 17 years 11 months 02 days
8 Harold Hanson 18 years 08 days
9 Djordje Mihailovic 18 years 04 months 01 day
10 Marco Farfan 18 years 04 months 01 day
11 Brandon Vázquez 18 years 06 months 09 days
12 Pierre da Silva 18 years 07 months 19 days
13 Hassan Ndam 18 years 08 months 23 days
14 Ben Swanson 18 years 10 months 15 days
15 Justen Glad 19 years 21 days

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/maj...nIdBis=2017&land_id=&pos=&spielerposition_id=

9 Ezequiel Barco Attacking Midfield Aug 28, 2016 17 years 05 months 05 days

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/pri...nIdBis=2017&land_id=&pos=&spielerposition_id=

 

The best way for a young American to get playing time at a young age in MLS is to sign on a free in South America, get playing time, play well, then earn a transfer fee and DP contract at 18/19, voila!

 

I think it has vanished. I tried watching it back right when the game ended and the stream was never stored like the second game was.

 

or any other Galaxy player since the USL started.

If Tata is the genius that ATL fans keep claiming he is, then he needs to start using some of his attacking depth and stop playing the same lineup every game. They played 8 games in 24 days from September 10th-October 3rd and Tata would’ve used the same lineup every game if not for injuries. And I’m pretty sure Almiron got hurt because he started and played at least 79 minutes in 4 games in a span of 10 days. Atlanta was 16-9-7 through September and finished 0-3-2. In most countries, he’d be on the hot seat with results like that. Since he didn’t seem to have any desire to use any semblance of depth last season, I bet we see more of the same this year. I’m expecting Carleton to get limited action sporadically and for most of us to be seething all season.

 

I hope Tata will get exposed this year. I doubt he uses his depth (which he has in riches)

 

One more day until actual games to talk about!!

Little hazy & humid but we’re here:
DFW ➡️ MIA ➡️ Panama.

The team just arrived, around 10PM ET, at the hotel.

FC Dallas has an evening training session tomorrow before Wednesday’s @CONCACAF Champions League match vs @TauroFC.

Deets ➡️ https://t.co/HBQpRA6uX8 pic.twitter.com/QbIFddu1LU

— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) February 20, 2018

 

Great plan except they can’t move down there until they are 18. With Davies and Tabla being the only two getting real minutes under 18, I don’t see why kids would rush to sign unless they are guaranteed minutes or have the physical tools like those guys (kids that mature physically on the early side have been the majority of the ones that get consistent minutes, with a few exceptions).

 

Either we have a development system to use or we don't. We have to use the one we have. Carlton has to play somewhere not just sit the bench in the MLS. You've got talent and minutes mixed up. Of course any player in the world should be getting minutes at some level and how he plays those minutes determines the player's talent to then be judged. I have no idea what Jamison has to do with Carlton or any player for that matter.

 

Minutes can be counter-productive if the level is not challenging. Maybe Bradley was already getting worse and slower of thought as a player, or maybe it was the minutes at a lower level for three years that bred complacency and lack of sharpness. Probably both.

If you took a promising 17 year old and played him against 14 year olds, he could play all the minutes in the world and not get better. You need to constantly play at better competition.

It is part of the problem in the USA, that the USL is just not a high enough level to do anything more than acclimate 16-17 yr olds to a professional environment. Which is fine, if there was an actual path for those kids once they have conquered that level.

All over the world, players are too good for U19 and not ready for senior team. They are loaned out. Does MLS ever loan teenagers anywhere but there own affiliated USL clubs? EPB to Porto B is the only one I can think of. Why is that? Probably doesn't make sense because of some roster rules unique to MLS.