Youngsters in MLS (1997 or later)

I don't know what everyone is getting at but typically an 18 year old with 3500+ pro minutes and a star role in a continental competition final is considered a top teenager.

 

Local article about Marco Farfan here. It sounds like he had some learning-to-be-a-professional type struggles last year.

 

A nice article detailing the good and the bad. Actual data....................

MLS homegrown minutes go up but chances for young U.S. talent limited
http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-le...t-chances-for-young-us-talent-limited?src=com

 

20 Andrew Carleton gifs

Andrew Carleton, 17, went 90 in preseason today and I’ve got GIFs. A lot of them. Cuz forget what you heard: the kid balled out. And it wasn’t just the backheel flick in the box or the one-time, 40-yard, outside-of-the-boot throughball from midfield. #atlutd #usmnt

1st touch: pic.twitter.com/mw6yu7lsRn

— scuffed (@scuffedpod) February 25, 2018

This is outrageous from Carleton pic.twitter.com/q5NvalwJ9u

— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) February 25, 2018

One-time outside of the boot through-ball to put the weak side winger directly in on goal lolololol pic.twitter.com/CWStJPyFmF

— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) February 25, 2018

 

Yeah, the kid simply MUST get playing time. If he does not, somewhere, something is seriously wrong.

 

Atlanta has talked a lot about wanting to build through their academy, which is really great. But that means academy players will need to play. If Andrew Carleton isn’t good enough to get minutes this season, how many players will they ever produce who are?

 

Exactamundo. Odds are they’re not going to have a kid as talented as Carleton in their academy in the next 5-10 years.

 

Barco out 6 weeks. Wonder if gressel or Carleton gets the nod

 

If Carleton doesn't get minutes now, he never will.

 

He was going to get minutes this season whether Barco was injured or not.

I don't know why folks have been so pessimistic about this. Tata Martino gave BY FAR the most minutes to U23 players in MLS last season. He's shown a willingness to use young players that have earned the opportunity. Carleton has done so, and I believe Tata will use him. Do I wish he'd gotten more chances last season? Of course, we all wished that. But Asad was doing more than fine (finished amongst the league leaders in assists. finished with one more assist than Lodeiro and Alessandrini) and Carleton was gone a lot with the U17s. People then say he should have taken Peterson's minutes, but Peterson barely played. And Carleton wasn't available for some of those appearances.

 

Carleton was on the bench a number of times last season, especially in blowout games where it’s nice to bleed youngsters in non pressure games. He never played. Not in MLS. Not in USL. Nothing.

He’s the best American attacking prospect in MLS, this situation should be scrutinized as a result of that.

 

Cannon starting as a RWB in CCL action tonight.

 

None of the other kids in the 18, and they’re losing to a Central American team. This all feels so familiar.

 

As I said in another thread I think they lost their identity. They thought they could buy average SA players and become a powerhouse

 

I'm willing to bet a million bucks something like this happens:

So, to be clear, here's an option based upon who has started in the preseason. Not the only option:
Guzan
Zizzo-Parkhurst-LGP-Garza
McCann-Jeff
Gressel-Nagbe-Almiron
Martinez

— Doug Roberson (@DougRobersonAJC) February 28, 2018

One of the biggest idiots on twitter predicted it, so I bet it's true. Tata will do this, unfortunately.

 

And here is something to consider, let’s say Carleton does start every game while Barco is out. What happens and what is the effect on Carleton when Barco returns? #atlutd

— Doug Roberson (@DougRobersonAJC) February 28, 2018

This is getting embarrassing for this guy. ATL needs a new beat reporter.

 

It's suppression. Carleton threatens the South American pipeline, he might be better than them. Let's make up all these excuses not to play him and maybe in a few years when we whiff on a South American target, we'll give the American kid a chance.

What they don't understand is that the up and coming players in their academy are watching, and Atlanta's chances of signing those players are very slim if the best player the academy has produced (and may ever produce) can't get on the field for the first team. They should start preparing for McKennie situations. It's completely deserved as well, they have no one to blame, except themselves.

 

Exactly. Atlanta is gonna look really bad if Carleton outperforms Barco and the other South Americans. Especially, since he didn't get that much playing time last season.

 

I've talked a bit about the problems FCD has had over the last year and a half. FCD scores goals. The problem has been a relatively inexplicable collapse on the defensive end. It resulted in 3/4 of the backline (of the 4-4-2) being replaced, and Zimmerman being shipped out. It reared its ugly head again last night.

By the way, there plenty of "average South American players" on the FCD teams that won the SS, USOC, etc. They were the runner's up for the Supporter's Shield in 2015 with David Texeira, Blas Perez (who was average at the age he was then), Rolando Escobar, JeVaughn Watson, Atiba Harris, and countless other foreign players getting minutes..............on top of the homegrowns like Kellyn and Victor and Moises Hernandez. David Texeira was a Uruguayan version of Christian Colman.

It is VERY difficult to place a finger on exactly what's gone wrong. Totally confounding.

And Paxton Pomykal or Jesus Ferreira or Bryan Reynolds or whomever isn't going to solve the problem. Starting Paxton Pomykal over Mauro Diaz doesn't solve the problem. Mauro Diaz looks good. Urruti, Colman, and Diaz all scored last night. Barrios is good. Grueso is good. Its not a talent shortage.

Its just kinda the notion that the collective, the sum of the parts, was better in 2015 and 2016..................than its been during the second half of 2017 and start of 2018. And that comes down to coaching. For FCD fans, who worship the group Oscar Pareja walk on, that's a tough realization to make.

 

I would say we shouldn't assume what Tata is going to do this season based on what this ATL beat reporter is predicting. Let's see what happens and then judge.

One thing Tata Martino isn't......................is an idiot. He can see talent. He's given a chance to young players his whole career. And he's talked about how Carleton's performances in preseason have brought him into closer contention for first team minutes. Those are Martino comments, not some Atlanta Journal Constitution reporters comments.

Also, if Carleton doesn't start this weekend we shouldn't have an aneurysm. Let's see the first 5 games, and then start the discussion. Maybe Tata will decide that the best game to start Carleton in is week 2 at home to DCU, as opposed to week one on the road in Houston. Actually, Atlanta has a relatively nice schedule to start the season. Could win all of those first 5 games.

 

What is so daunting about on the road against Houston? They have no talent and no fans. Carleton played against a nearly 50,000 person away crowd a few months ago, and was very good.

The coach deserves no excuses if he doesn't start Carleton now.

What about the player they just signed? What about Lamah? What about Akindele? I don't think anyone here cares where the players come from that are taking time away from young Americans that are likely already better than them. Fans care that the top young American players can't even get spots on the bench in the US's top domestic league. Pomykal should make the 18 every game. There should be no excuses for that not happening.

If McKennie was at FC Dallas, do we think there's any chance he would've gotten minutes last season? Something tells me he'd just be entering the first team picture, and might get his first start this weekend, considering Ulloa and Gruezo started mid-week and Acosta's injured. And even then, would he make the 18 when everyone's available?

Carleton, Durkin and Pomykal are probably the three best young Americans in the league, and they are all ready for first team minutes. If none of them can make the 18 for their MLS team, this league has an epidemic with young American player development.

 

Houston finished 3 points out of first place in the West last season...............while most fans weren't paying attention They are not without talent. Listen, I want Andrew to play. I just think we shouldn't freak out about every individual gameday roster, but take a broader view. Let's see the first five games. And lets not criticize Atlanta to this degree BEFORE the games have actually happened for Pete's sake.

If people want to criticize FCD for not playing Pomykal last night, that's fine. That actually has happened. I would just argue that the players you name there (Lamah, Akindele, etc.) aren't taking minutes from Paxton. The player on the bench that was there instead of Pax was Jacori Hayes. We've heard that he's had a really nice preseason and is deserving of minutes as well. Hayes, Pax, and Servania will probably be competing for minutes all season. They're all Americans, and have all been youth internationals. [Hayes was Acosta's roommate at Bradenton.]

And as I've said.............Reynolds is too young (he played with the U17s in the GenAd Cup qualifiers recently). I've predicted 500 minutes for Ferreira over the whole season. He just turned 17. Lamah, Akindele, etc. aren't taking minutes from them.

 

With all due respect, thats ridiculous. Everyone had penciled Pomykal into the 18 before Mosquera signed. Mosquera joins the team, and he's nowhere to be found. Hayes is the back up CM. Pomykal is an attacking mid. Lamah and Akindele absolutely do take minutes away from him. Pomykal isn't only a #10, he was actually playing LW for a lot of preseason. You are conflating the issue to bring up Reynolds and Ferreira. No one mentioned them.

I have absolutely no patience right now for MLS teams doing this, and no one else should either, considering we just failed to qualify for the WC with an attack that was completely (except for one player) bereft of talent (I wonder why.......) They did it last season. Now they are doing it again. Its becoming a bigger and bigger problem. Its to the point where I hope every good young player bypasses MLS and opts for Europe.

 

Here at the training ground. McCann and Gressel are training with the first XI (no bibs). Take that fwiw. #ATLUTD

— Joe Patrick (@japatrick200) March 1, 2018

 

Is Sal Zizzo really likely to start for an MLS team? Did they not watch him play with NYRB?