Interview with Hoyos posted a few days ago. Any Spanish/Greek translators out there? Hoyos also started at right-mid (guessing from the line-up) against Dutch side Den Haag yesterday. https://www.facebook.com/ofi.crete
Here's Q+A with Hoyos - sounds like he's not ready to commit to the USA just yet. He's still holding on to the pipe dream that Argentina will call him one day. You have two nationalities, American and Argentinian. Which of the two national teams will prefer to play? Not close any door this time, now thinking OFI. When the time comes to think about it. I can not answer now, is something I do not think right now. Now I only think about my family and OFI. http://www.gentikoule.gr/podosfairo...in-omada-tin-empistosuni-pou-mou-echei-deixei
Um, hell yes. He played for Argentina u-21's...so I'm sure he'll be good enough for the US Nats one day soon (if not already).
Hoyos (otherwise known as "Όγιος" or "Ogios" per google translate) starts at left attacking mid in latest friendly for Crete: http://www.athleticradio.gr/ofi/268833-sobaros-alla-problimatikos-stin-epithesi
I think that's wildly optimistic. If he gets back his pre-injury form then, yes, it's realistic to think he'd get capped by the US if he chose to switch national teams. However, until he shows he can regain that form it's a stretch to make him sound like a lock for being good enough to play with the US.
Ok, who are our superior wing players in Europe right now who can make the friendly in Bosnia? Only legit wing options are Fabian Johnson (who we probably need at LB), Tim Chandler (who we probably need at RB), Josh Gatt (who's injured), Bedoya (who's really more of a center mid) and....who else exactly?
As punishment for this post, you are required to spend the next 45 minutes looking up old U-20 World Cup rosters and following up on the subsequent careers of most players.
Anyone's roster. Plenty of youth stars for countries who develop more talent than the US have fallen flat on their faces and had no career to speak of. Stating that Hoyos is good enough for the US purely on the basis that he played for an Argentinian youth team is flat-out silly. And that's before taking into account his horrible car accident -- from which he's shown no signs of having fully recovered, by the way.
Here is a look at the 2007 Argentina u-20's (midfielders and strikers) and where they are now. Don't really see one failure in the bunch (except for perhaps Sanchez playing for the Crew). Argentina's 2007 u-20 team (Midfielders and Strikers only - current teams) Sergio Agüero - Man City Ángel di María - Real Madrid Pablo Piatti - Valencia Éver Banega - Valencia Claudio Yacob - West Brom Maximiliano Moralez - Atalanta (Serie A) Mauro Zárate - Velez Sarsfield (Argetina's first division champions - has also plyaed for Inter Milan and Lazio) Ariel Cabral - Velez Sarsfield Lautaro Acosta - Lanus (Argetina's first div - 4th place) Alejandro Darío Gómez - Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine - 2nd place) Damián Escudero - Vitoria (Brazil) Matías Sánchez - Columbus Crew So yes, I think it's safe to say that Hoyos might be good enough to start for us one day.
Not sure he's fully recovered, but he is training full time with a professional greek team, and starting for them. So he's certainly physically capable of playing.
He "might be good enough" is backpedaling from "I'm sure he'll be good enough, if he isn't already". Citing a list of good players from the 2007 U-20 champions doesn't disprove the fact there are a ton of washouts even at the U-20 level. Hoyos was not on that team, anyway. It's just ridiculous to fixate on his involvement in youth teams and ignore more recent information, i.e. he's barely gotten on the field, he's accomplished zilch, and he's moving down the hierarchy of clubs.
Hoyos on the bench for Crete in their season opener: http://us.soccerway.com/matches/201...klion-fc/panionios-nfc/1523659/?ICID=PL_MS_06
On at the 83rd minute in a game that ended scoreless against Panionios. Still a long way to go, but it's a step in the right direction.
Hoyos starts today at left mid for Crete: http://us.soccerway.com/matches/201...c/ofi-heraklion-fc/1523667/?ICID=HP_MS_177_01
Crete lost 2-0, but Hoyos went 90 min. At least we know he's back to full fitness. Now let's hope he can score some goals.
The good new for this kid is he's healthy enough to go 90 in a good (but not great) European first division. Given where he was after the car accident, that's a helluva thing. But I'm sure he has some rust and that will take time to come off. Let's see where he is in a couple of months. But, it looks like he has chosen a club where he can play (Freddy Adu should hire his agent) and that is so important in this process. Also, he gets to live in Crete.
True, but it's still considered a better league than Austria (Boyd), Denmark (Johannson, Goodson and Parkhurst in near past), Sweden (Bedoya until recently) and Norway (Diskeruud), not to mention Scotland (Boca and Edu only two years ago). So if he can perform in Greece, he'll certainly merit national team consideration.