Youth Yanks Abroad, ‘01-‘04 YOBs (and younger): 2019/20 Thread

From what I read, they rate him very highly. He also has 3G, 6A in 842 minutes (all comps), so he's playing well. Reyna's also the youngest age-eligible player on the team (they have the 14 year old Moukoko on the team as the youngest player of any age).

What I'd question is the pathway. When Pulisic broke through, there was less competition, and there were games to allow an academy player to be integrated into the team. A team competing for a title probably isn't going to start giving minutes to a 16/17 year old. They might not have a game this season that doesn't matter where they can afford to throw Reyna or Moukoko in.

Many people think of BVB as a club that brings through a lot of academy players because they've done so in past years, but the last academy player they brought through was Pulisic or Bruun-Larsen (same age). Bruun-Larsen also doesn't play very much, so they don't have a young player on their first team that came through the academy that plays regularly. Have they not had any good academy players since Pulisic came through the system? I doubt it. There was likely no pathway for these players.

If you look at their first team, they have a bunch of young players who don't play often like Unbehaun, Morey, Raschl, Zagadou, Balerdi, Bruun-Larsen. They have Gomez out on loan, and recently sold Isak (who didn't play much for them). The only two players younger than 23 who play regularly are Hakimi and Sancho, so it shows that BVB is now a club where they have a lot of veterans and established players who take up the minutes. Is there a pathway for Reyna? If there is a pathway available for an academy player, would it go to Reyna? The highly rated '04 Moukoko has 15 goals in 10 U-19 games (Dantouma Toure, an American highly rated '04 CF, has 4 goals in 6 U-19 games playing in a weaker U-19 system.)

 

I believe Moukoko isn’t even eligible to play in Bundesliga matches until the 21/22 season due to BL age rules. Gio barely qualified for being eligible to play in BL matches this season.

Also in terms of BVB’s quality coming through their academy the past few years. They really haven’t had anyone on the German YNT’s. So it could’ve been a dry spell for a couple years for them. Hasn’t been a Kai Havertz or anything in their academy.

Sancho could be sold this coming summer or summer ‘21 at the latest and that will move Gio up the ladder.

 

I’d hope so, but whose to say they don’t spend money on a replacement? If they are trying to win a title, is it smart to replace one of their best players with a 17 year old academy player?

I look at Reyna’s club situation as similar to KDLF’s (with a slightly higher chance of breaking through). Hoppe (a worse talent) likely has a better chance to break through. Llanez (probably also a worse talent) likely has a better chance to break through. That doesn’t mean Reyna isn’t a very good player and isn’t going to have a good career, but to me it’s looking a lot like the Richards path where it’s probably a loan or two and then a permanent sale instead of breaking through to the first team.

I think he should’ve signed with NYCFC because I think he’d be on an Adams type of pathway. I often find that our players have more success breaking through the academy of the second tier of teams that can’t afford to sign and keep high profile experienced players (McKennie at Schalke, Dest at Ajax). Even when Pulisic broke through at BVB, they were more in that mold.

 

nycfc has very little in common with Schalke and Ajax.

 

Sancho is probably in his last season. Guerriero could be too. Brun Larsen has been pedestrian. Brandt and Reus are played inside. Hazard is really the only winger they will have returning. They could sign someone. Right now, Reyna might be an injury away from the 18. He has been training with the first team most days.

After her returns from the WC, he will probably go with the 1st team for winter training. They might sign someone, but he could also overtake Bruun Larsen and Guerriero ( who is hurt a lot) for minutes.

 

'03 with YNT caps makes his pro debut (for a fourth division team).

At just 16 years and 74 days, Vaughn Covil is starting for the first time this evening.#WeAreFGR #NextGeneration pic.twitter.com/OYthLeG1eS

— Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) October 8, 2019

 

Sousa made his first team debut in a friendly for Hamburg.

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Here's a highlight video of the Brazilian-American player who was just called into the U-23's. Looks like a good finisher, some skill on the ball, finds the ball in the box and can hold up the ball to some extent. Doesn't look incredibly dynamic, but these are only highlights. How he compares to the other strikers in the U-20 pool is still to be determined.

 

#HSV signed Travian Sousa after a trial from Sacramento Republic this summer. Eligible to play for the #USMNT the 18-year-old convinced in a test game against Braunschweig and will now stay with the first team of the Bundesliga 2 side. (@Transfermarkt)

— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) October 11, 2019

 

When a guy like this does well it's just some gravy on the side.

 

i can feel the sentiment, but it really does show how much of a crapshoot player identification is at the u17 level.

 

I think Sousa was under the radar. He had been mentioned a few times on this website as a guy with some potential, but played in a non-MLS academy and isn't yet a regular in his YNT age group. He's also a player who has high potential, but hasn't yet turned that potential into excellent play. He might be beginning to do that at Hamburg, and thats the type of thing thats hard to predict. You can analyze that a player is talented and could become an excellent player if he turns the potential into results, but predicting when that will happen (if it does) is incredibly hard.

 

[RESULTATS / RESULTADOS]

🏆 Lliga

⚽️ Infantil A - Nàstic (6-1)

🔵🔴 Adrian / Landry / Arnau (2) / Hugo Alba / Quiles

⚽️ Benjamí A - Jàbac i Terrassa B (9-0)
⚽️ Premier Barcelona - Benjamí B (0-5)#FCBMasia #ForçaBarça🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/J3UzzGyBW0

— FC Barcelona - Masia (@FCBmasia) October 13, 2019

'02 Ruben Hernandez scored again for Xolos. His eight goals are tied for the lead in U17 Liga MX, and he's played 350 fewer minutes than the other player. Hernandez was in US U17 camp for the 2018 Nike Friendlies.

— ChuckMe92 Soccer (@ChuckMe92Soccer) October 12, 2019

 

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Finally the AC Milan website was updated to include '03 Kevin Bright with their U17s. He's eligible for the US, Italy, and Ivory Coast.https://t.co/TDrUIKkjR8

— ChuckMe92 Soccer (@ChuckMe92Soccer) October 18, 2019

 

Looks like the game-winner has been credited to Uly as well, giving him a second-half brace in a match between the two top U19 sides in northern Germany. That's 8 goals in about 270 minutes for him in the U19 Bundesliga.

— scuffed (@scuffedpod) October 19, 2019

 

Booth returns from injury.

Booth came on in the 58th minute. https://t.co/UKuw6tohqy

— Daniel (@DanielSmith1022) October 19, 2019

 

"Under Dale Vince's chairmanship Forest Green became the world's first vegan football club in 2015, and the New Lawn was installed with numerous eco-friendly innovations."

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-38099788/forest-green-rovers-the-completely-vegan-football-club

Unfortunately I found out about this just after my last trip to England otherwise I would have gone there...

 

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Former Chicago Fire DA '01 getting first-team minutes in the Polish lower divisions:

https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/stefan-imbronjev-in-poland.2106984/

 

Expecting Harper to be a big part of the upcoming U-20 cycle for the U.S team https://t.co/yCv8bKNcxG

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) October 22, 2019

USYNT | 🇺🇸 Indiana Vassilev (18) is starting to heat up for @AVFCOfficial ‘s U23s!🔥

The winger’s last 2 matches ⤵️

🆚 Man Utd U23s ⚽️🅰️
🆚 Fulham U23s ⚽️

His first 2 goals for the U23 side. 🔝 pic.twitter.com/fDvAzA4r9g

— Football Wonderkids (@fbwonderkids) October 21, 2019

 

USYNT 02 and 03 combined camp coming up in Lake Ranch Florida November 10-19th.

Assuming this is kids who are not on the current 02WC team as hopefully they will still be there.

 

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Here are @uly_soccer7’s 2 goals in his first game back after suffering an ankle injury.

— John Pranjić (@ThatCroatianGuy) October 23, 2019