Youth Yanks Abroad, '97-'00 YOBs: 2018/19 Thread

Recruiting is a subjective inexact science for sure.

I'd be interested so see if the Texans/Quill get any compensation from FCD or any portion of the 40% sell-on fee? IMO, Quill deserves at least 95% of any club/coach related credit for Richards. Hopefully, he gets richly rewarded, although we want FCD to get a modest taste as well to encourage them to keep an open mind.

 

1082824865030250496 is not a valid tweet id

 

Article about Lederman:
http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/uni...dermans-career-was-almost-ruined-at-barcelona

Interesting tidbits:

- Barcelona offered to keep him and loan him out, but he wanted to leave because he didn't see a way to Barca's 1st team

- The Gent coach doesn't sound all that convincing that Lederman will ever play for them, but does say that Ben will play somewhere for 1st team ball

- Lederman did make the bench for a friendly recently

- The main downside of Lederman is his physicality and that he would lose too many duels according to the coach

Good article though, everyone should read. Overall, not sounding great for Lederman under this coach at least.

 

Jamaican or Jamaican-American? Chad Letts of the Atlanta academy.

Congratulations to @aotchad on his move to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise! Best of luck in Belgium. #ATLUTD #BeStellar pic.twitter.com/w6ujSJLhFU

— CAA Stellar Soccer (@caastellarna) January 9, 2019

 

I believe he is Jamaican-American. He used to be listed as "American" on the USSDA site before Jamaica called him up.

 

This is the flip side to the argument that coaches and scouts focus too much on size and speed. There is a minimum size and speed that is necessary to play at the highest levels. Here is a player that has everything, showed great at young ages, but simply is too small to get on the field in Belgium. Small doesn't have to mean height, as many great players are small but strong on the ball.

It sort of shows that physicality is what he needs to work on as he is playing with the U21 and not the U19.

He could still grow. There are probably leagues around where smaller players can make a living. I think I read somewhere that Pulisic was passed over until he grew a few inches one year.

 

Lederman doesn't need to grow. He looked pretty tall when I saw him play last season. I think its a lack of talent. I don't think there's any indication that he's a high-level talent.

Playing at Barcelona at U-14 and U-15 levels means little. There are probably 100 players per birth year in the USA who could play a role in their low level youth-teams.

Too much attention was put on this kid because he was at Barcelona.

 

Beyond the question of whether Lederman is good enough to make the 1st team at Gent (or elsewhere) I was interested in his journey. I thought his parents, and particularly his mom, came across as a bit naive and poorly advised about what to expect. So they finally obtained a Polish passport for Ben, well after all the problems cropped up at Barcelona. Why didn't they have the foresight to get that passport when he was 14 or 15? Also, why did they hope/pray that Ben could just stay at Barcelona w/o meeting the exemption requirements? I suppose that since FIFA hadn't strictly enforced the rules for a long time they thought that FIFA would never get around to doing so. Well, surprise, they did, and then Ben wound up in soccer limbo. I don't think they have that much to complain about given their lack of foresight and planning. As for Ben, I wish him the best, but if he wants to keep playing he may eventually have to scale back his ambitions. We shall see..

 

Size doesn’t totally determine physicality, it’s more mentality. Tyler Adams has been a skinny teen playing against grown men in a physical league and has won duels because he isn’t afraid to be hard in the tackle.

 

I'm just going by what the coach said and the actions of the club. Playing him with the U21s and scheduling strength classes for him are not things that are usually done with 18 year olds that have no soccer skill. If he couldn't play, they would just release him.

It does show the high level of variance in outcomes for prospects at the 11-14 ages. Really, almost anything can happen. It also shows that prospects are needed in high numbers. The fact that Lederman is not even called into YNT camps or discussed anywhere is a testament to there being so many more interesting talents. Not that long ago, an 18 yo with his resume would still be front and center and probably called in for the U20 team.

The variance on outcomes for 18 year olds is also very high. If you take the article at face value, what Lederman has to overcome can be done. Unless his genetics are just far off the mark.

 

Ben Lederman is a text book example of why there has to be some age limit to international transfers. The Lederman's can blame FIFA all they want but it was crazy to move him to Barca at age 11.

 

Doesn't need to grow. He is tall. Needs to get stronger.

 

Yes.....both magical and transformational once he was identified by Houston FC and a German club.

 

Not completely following here. Why was it crazy to move to Barca at age 11? Agreeing that picking up your life and moving for kids soccer on the family front can be tough but in terms of soccer development, not sure that training and bein at La Masia is such a bad thing, at any age. If he only went for 2 years, then came back to play at Deanza force the rest of his youth career I would say it's still worth it, assuming his family could afford it.

Problem with Lederman may be he just doesn't have the ability to be a high level pro so in hindsight it looks silly to go to those extremes to chase the dream. At the time age 11, you don't know what he will be.

Can't beat getting exposure to a World Class soccer club. I know Kevin Kelley from the Dallas area was over there for awhile and has been moving around Europe at various pro clubs as well. He has gotten National team call ups he might no have otherwise gotten and development he would not have gotten playing at FCD.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Kenny Cooper was 6’3” 210 lbs and there’s nobody that would say he was a physical player. Strength helps, but being physically strong in soccer is as much about mentality.

 

Because at 11 you can't tell if the kid will have the technical, mental or physical tools to be a pro worthy of that move. You can't, there is no way. Too much upheaval for very little certainty. 14 is pushing it. 16 is a good age. 18 is certainly not terrible.

 

And here is where I will go deep in to what is opinion country. I think if you grab all the best most technical kids and play them together you will get lots of good technical players. However, I think playing really technical kids a year or two up is the best. They get more technical and they get meaner.

 

I agree there but I would be willing to bet the ones going over with the entire family at a young age are pretty well off financially and it could be seen as just an adventure for the family.

I don't think you know what a kid has until he is at least 16 and really not on the pro level until he is 18. Kids going to barca and Europe at a very young age is just hoping you have something, but a fun time even if you don't.

 

Obviously shouldn’t be allowed to ship a young kid off to another country by himself, but if the entire family relocates then I don’t think it is crazy.

It is crazy to think just signing at Barca means you are an exceptionally talent who is a lock to be a high level pro simple by moving to Barca as a youth player.

 

I think you went overboard here. Weston McKennie spent those same years at FC Dallas that Lederman did at Barcelona and he's gotten call-ups with the full national team.

 

Not sure how Cooper's physicality and mentality is related to Lederman. At something like 5'10" and 120 lb he obviously lacks strength, and none of us knows anything about his mentality, Gattuso and Ozzie Alonso mentality wouldn't spare them from being pushed of the ball if they were that weak.

 

'99 winger

Debut tonight for Californian Luis Tavares for Puebla in the Copa MX. 19-year-old was in Santos Laguna's youth teams at U-15 and U-17 level. #ligamxeng

— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) January 10, 2019

Another '99 who made his debut in CopaMX for a LigaMX team. He might not be eligible for the USA though.

Not many know about @JorganPerez who made his debut last night for @LobosBuapMX . Grew up and went to high school in Utah. @ShawnBlymiller @franvamo https://t.co/i3suYnnbkb

— Walter Franco (@thewfranco) January 10, 2019

 

Jonathan Esparza ('99) went 90 for Xolos in CopaMX.

 

'99 Missouri-born DM Anel Sabanadzovic has officially signed a 5-year deal with AEK Athens, and has been loaned back to his old club for the rest of the season.

Στην πρωταθλήτρια Ελλάδας o διεθνής Βόσνιος μέσος, Ανέλ Σαμπανάτζοβιτς, από την FK Željezničar Sarajevo με συμβόλαιο μέχρι τον Δεκέμβριο του 2023!#aekfc #aekfctransfers #wearethechampions #aekfamily #wearebackhttps://t.co/uXpCTAcIaA pic.twitter.com/COan5ol9LE

— AEK F.C. (@AEK_FC_OFFICIAL) January 11, 2019

 

Rising star Nick Taitague on his Bundesliga quest and the joys of rejoining the U.S. U-20s https://t.co/913FqfjZjR @BrianSciaretta pic.twitter.com/l1CV7HSd7V

— SoccerAmerica (@socceramerica) January 12, 2019