Google has him starting at right-wing. Not sure I trust it as I have seen some strange formations from Google in the past. Linky for the feed?
Jong Ajax nummers their players based on position. Mendez has mostly played at RW for JA. I think they see him having similar skill type to Ziyech/don't think he wins enough balls to play in the MF. Timber/Taylor/Ekklenkamp are all midfielders too. Taylor is a very highly rated midfielder. Was a big part of the U-17 team that won the Euros last May. Other than Dest, Ajax is in a bit of a lull (for them) for the 18-21 year old range. I believe that's part of the reason they brought in Mendez. But the Taylor, Unuvar, Gravenbersch, Hansen, Brobbery wave is supposed to be special.
Pulled at half for aforementioned Hansen: 46. Brobbey trapt af. De tweede helft is begonnen.Alex Mendez is achtergebleven in de kleedkamer. Sontje Hansen is zijn vervanger.#jutjaj— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 10, 2020
Ajax 2 were getting it pushed in. Didn't see it, but not a good sign for Mendez between the scoreline and his yanking.
Good news for Kik Pierie, though. Never send a Boy to do a Man's job! Didn't watch the game, either, but I'm feeling pretty confident the substandard defense was not attributable entirely to Mendez's play up front.
Mendez on the bench. This move to Ajax wasn’t a good idea, it seems. Team news! 📂 ⚽️ > 20:00h vs. NAC Breda.#jajnac pic.twitter.com/wZjTC6qbsO— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 17, 2020
Odd time to make that claim. He started 4 of their last 5 games before today, and got 40 minutes in the one he didn't.
He’s at best, the sixth best u19 attacking player at Ajax. He’s never been influential in the last few games. He’s no where near a first team appearance.
Right, obviously. Who expected him to get near the first team this year? He's learning how to be a professional in one of the best youth setups in the world, and he's a fairly regular starter for their second team. That seems...pretty good? Based on how he played at the U20s, that's about what I'd expect out of his 2019-20 season.
even if he never breaks into the first team, it could be a great experience for him - potentially far better than staying at a lesser level where he (and others) thinks he’s great even though he’s competing against minor league players. now he knows what the bar is - which can be helpful even if it’s hard to clear.
mendez isn’t a kid anymore. i do think it’s asking a lot to show up at ajax and immediately establish yourself but let’s be honest they will bring in another mendez or three this offseason with the same expectations. this is the downside to not nailing the first transfer to europe. at a mega club you to hit the ground running to stay in their plans.
Bc if there’s one club that waits until a player is 22 to introduce them to the first team, it’s definitely Ajax!! He will be 20 at the start of next year and Ajax will buy 2-3 more attackers after they lose the players they sell this summer. The fact is, he’s not rated there and moving from Freiburg seems to be a mistake.
Mendez himself didn't expect to be with the first team this year, so your sarcasm just makes you seem uninformed. You even talked about his deficiencies in November: So, given all that, why would him being a pretty regular starter for Jong Ajax this season mean that this transfer was a bad idea?
I think people are just concerned he overshot his potential. A more modest move may have been the better choice.
Look who’s training with the first team 👀👀 #USMNT pic.twitter.com/oKAp6JLOoI— Loco_Gringo 🇺🇸🔴⚫️🇺🇸 (@Milan4eva1026) February 17, 2020
Developing in one of the top environments in the world, added to Europa League roster, training with the first team. This was a terrible move. Should of went to a more prestigious club like FC Dallas.
The jury is certainly still out on Mendez but training w/ the first team and being added to the Europa Roster is a positive sign. If he is able to make the 1st team next season then the move will have been worth it.
People think being named to the Europa League roster means anything? He was on the CL roster and never sniffed a match. Training with a first team means very little too. Ajax just needs warm bodies at this point with all of the injuries they have to attackers. The truth of the matter with Mendez is he is filler for Ajax. No different than baseball where 50% of minor league rosters are filler. His chance lies here: Ajax is about to lose a bunch of starters. There is a 18-20 year old talent gap at Ajax. This 16-17 year old group is special and Ajax will bring in transfers to bridge the gap. Mendez has a window at the start of next season to see if he can make the first team. I do not think he is good enough to crack Ajax' lineup but he will have the chance to prove me wrong. 19 is not young at Ajax. Decisions are made on players by 20. If you don't start at 20 for Ajax, you are gone. The best news for Mendez is he has played a bit for Jong Ajax this year to get a loan deal next season. But at 20, you HAVE to start playing first team matches.
I agree with this. Ajax is so different in how they move QUICK from young players. Mendez is seen as a lotto ticket there. Not some potential starter the club is counting on. Only in the delusion of most US Soccer fans is he any sort of a prospect. The only caveat is he will have a chance with Ajax in the pre-season. Now, if the US qualifies for the Olympics, that could complicate things. It's a mistake if he isn't playing First Team soccer next year. IF he can transfer/loan to a place like Groningen (tons of ex-Ajax players) or Vitesse and play, it was a decent move.
2 points He's not a lock for the U.S. U-23 team. That team has a lot of attacking mids (Aarronson, Pomykal, Ferreira, Parks, Ledezma, etc).) and U-23 rosters are small. Moving within Holland is tough. He has the high non-EU minimum salary that only a few teams can afford. A full transfer to a club like Groningen is basically impossible. Any such move like that would have to be a loan or a transfer where Ajax eats a lot of the salary (like how Schalke is eating some of Haji's salary to make it work).