YNT-eligible lower division-pro players: 2020 In-season thread

Discussion in 'Youth National Teams' started by ckajMonet, Mar 7, 2020.

  1. dougtee

    dougtee Member+

    Feb 7, 2007
    probably worth noting that you make money by drawing crowds so far in mls. adding player sales and heck local kids into your team is a good sound business decision for all you lalas business model lovers out there *crickets*
     
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  2. David Kerr

    David Kerr Member+

    United States
    Oct 18, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They are. Seattle is making changes for the long term with their youth focus similar to what we saw Dallas make in the early 2010’s that turned them into the youth powerhouse they are today. People may not look at them as a success so far but youth development doesn’t start making results in the short term as we all know by now
     
  3. don Lamb

    don Lamb Member+

    mine
    United States
    Aug 31, 2017
    I am curious which players you think have earned a decent sized role for Seattle at this point -- keep in mind, we were just two games into the season before an unprecedented circumstance shut us down until this recovery mode business. These players struggled in USL last year, and I agree that a couple have pretty high potential, but I can also understand why only a few 16-18 year olds have gotten minutes with the Sounders at this point in the organization's commitment to developing youth. How does the cliche go? It takes time? Rome wasn't built in a day?
     
  4. no exit

    no exit Member+

    DC United
    United States
    Nov 20, 2019
    There needs to be a substantial adjustment -- and benchmarking -- of these judgments by age. Let's take Danny Leyva. So far in his career he's gotten about 1818 minutes per Transfermarkt. That's a lot: consider Ricardo Pepi, who I think is the better prospect, has 1,355 so far in his career.

    But do those comparisons stack up worldwide?

    Using a slight heuristic -- Transfermarkt's top 20 2003-born players by market value -- my quick pass is that Leyva's gotten the 6th-most professional minutes of that group.

    Obviously you could argue other players should be getting more minutes, etc. But given that a quick search underscores how few minutes 16,17, etc.-year-olds are getting, it's hard for me to imagine that Seattle is dramatically stifling its young players. The players who are getting tons of minutes at this age are guys like Jude Bellingham, i.e. players who are really high-quality at a precocious age.

    I don't think even the most bullish on Seattle's youth prospects would be comping their players to Bellingham. So either world soccer is systematically under-investing in youth or, more likely, Seattle's errors (if any) are on the margins.
     
  5. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    #130 ussoccer97531, Jul 25, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
    I'll give my opinion. I don't see anyone who has questioned Seattle, except for me, so I'll explain how I see it. I suspect this was directed towards me.

    Your post completely misses the point. Too many people are caught up on total # of minutes or # of players getting minutes to look at the situations from a micro standpoint. You are looking way too much at the macro IMO. What's not important are the total number of minutes for players in certain age groups compared to other clubs around the world. What's important is each individual situation.

    I'll list out the reasons I think Seattle is a very questionable situation. I wouldn't say its proven bad or its on par with Atlanta and LAG yet, but I put it in a category with NYCFC where I think its no better than a questionable situation.

    Here are my reasons.

    1. What are they doing with Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez? There's no way you can convince me he's not among their 21 best players, and thats how they view his position on the depth chart, if he's not made the match day roster yet (21 players are making it). Maybe he's injured, but I can't find any indication that he is.

    This is a guy that was a consensus top 5 (top 10, at a minimum) player throughout his U-17 cycle, and I suspect that hasn't changed. Meanwhile, he's at best their 4th string #9 right now. He's behind a 25 year old USL journeyman on the depth chart. How does that make any sense? There's no way you can convince me that he's earned the position he has on the depth chart.

    All his field-player peers that were similarly regarded for many years in that '02 age group (Reyna, Bello, Scally, Busio) are likely in the top 18 at their club team (at a minimum top 21). Meanwhile, AOC isn't. This isn't to suggest he's a sure-fire great player eventually, but I'd hope that we don't start revising history about the caliber of player he was if his career is undone by how Seattle used him. Thats what many fans do with Chris Goslin's career, a player who was quickly frozen out from the first team, despite being a talented player that deserved a chance to prove himself on the field.

    2. Why did Atencio only sign one month ago? Some people have been saying for years that he deserved a first team contract. It makes you question their assessment of the player, and the use they feel they have for him when it took for him to be 18 and a half to get a first team contract. We see 14 year olds now getting first team contracts in MLS.

    3. The whole Sam Rogers fiasco was ridiculous. They have no use for the player in the first team, and then want to haggle over a transfer fee of a player they only want to help them get reserve team results. Meanwhile, they constantly field uncompetitive reserve teams, so that excuse is't even a good one. You cannot convince me that they have first team plans for a 21 year old thats in his fourth season with the reserves.

    Like any club, they should not be impeding the careers of these players if they don't believe they can help them reach the top level. I could understand not accepting an offer for a player on your first team in that situation, but Rogers still has not reached the first team, and there's no indication he will.

    4. What is the plan for Trey Muse? The guy is the best GK in college soccer his first season, and then he immediately signs with them. He's now in his second season at the club, and hasn't seen the field for the first team. I'm not suggesting he should be their starting keeper, but I highly doubt the plan was for him to still be the 3rd goalkeeper at the club at this point. They shouldn't have signed a goalkeeper after one semester of college. Let the kid get a full four years, and then sign him. He's not going to play anytime before then. Or if they have no plans to use him anytime soon, let him explore European options. It seems like a situation that wasn't managed well by the club.

    5. What is the evidence in their favor? They've given a few starts here or there to a bunch of academy players. None are within the top 15 or so players within the squad right now. I'm not suggesting there are any egregious examples of players that should be automatic starters, but there's really nothing that you can point to as being good in the department of integrating academy players in recent years. I'm also not suggesting any of these small things are terribly egregious in the larger picture of their academy, at this point, but if you add them all up compared to the things you could put in the good department (nothing), I'd say they are much more questionable with their use of academy players than fans believe.
     
  6. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    A roundup of some games from the past week that I watched.

    Atlanta II-Memphis:

    Matthew Edwards ('03): Another good performance as the RCB in a back three. Not much to add from the prior one. This guy defends very well. Reads the game extremely well. The foot skills aren't great, but he's mobile, so that mitigates some of the issue.

    Caleb Wiley ('04): He was a little better than the prior game. Still a few instances where he was out of position or read the play too slowly, but you can see that he made some adjustments from his first start.

    Will Reilly ('02): Another good performance. Becoming very consistent. I'd normally say I don't want to see an academy player sign with their first team, but I don't know if he has the exposure to get a contract in Europe, so if he can get one with the first team, that'd be better than nothing. He's ready to play at a higher level.

    Jackson Conway ('01): Two goals in two games, and he doesn't get much service. It's not a talented team. I wonder if he might play some part in the U-20 cycle. I'd prefer not because the ceiling is very limited, but he's producing and its a weak position for the U-20's, so I wouldn't be shocked.

    Tacoma-Portland II:

    Alec Diaz ('01): Another very good performance, where he scored. His speed is incredibly underrated. He constantly gets in behind the back line with his runs. He probably should've had two goals in this game, but missed a very good chance. He's not a USL player. Could he possibly sign with another MLS team or go to Europe? I wouldn't think that Seattle has any use for him, so I don't know why signing him to a first team contract would do much to help his situation. He's also a player I think would have a very good chance to play a big part in the U-20 cycle, but his international future with the USA is murky.

    Reed Baker-Whiting ('05): He wasn't effective in this game, but he wasn't overly bad. He can keep up at this level. One thing I liked was how physical he was. He was scrapping in midfield a lot, which you don't see often in a professional game for a 15 year old. He also took a professional foul yellow card with an American football tackle. I think seeing that kind of physicality in a professional game for a 15 year old is impressive, and it's probably why he can play pro soccer so much earlier than most his age.

    Sota Kitahara ('03): One of the best games I've seen him play. He was very active defensively in midfield. Won a lot of challenges. He usually doesn't add much because he's not good at much other than winning tackles, but he won so many challenges in this game that won back possession for his team that it's hard to not recognize that he played a good game.

    Others: Gerardo Duran ('03) had very little impact for Portland. Hunter Sulte ('02) didn't do much notable, which is often a good thing for a young keeper in a pro game. Had a nice save or two. Dyson Clapier ('02) has some craftiness from the wing, but I don't see much in the way of end-product. Could he play fullback? Mitch Ferguson ('03) came on late, and nearly got injured, but had no real impact. Harold Hansen ('99) played well. He's a very athletic and powerful RB. He does have a bull in a china shop approach, so that might be why Portland hasn't promoted him yet to a first team contract. He's a good player at this level, and I think he's ready to move up a level.

    Danny Robles ('02) scored a great goal for Seattle. Added little else. Azriel Gonzalez ('01) and Ray Serrano ('02) were ineffective.

    Fort Lauderdale(Inter Miami USL1)-Greenville:

    Edison Azcona ('03): I thought he was a player to watch for after seeing him play once, and now I think he's even more of a player to watch for. He's a talented player. He has excellent feet, and has a real ability to create attacking chances without great athleticism. I like his vision, his soccer IQ, his combination play, and he seems capable of shooting the ball. He was playing again on LW. I suspect that's where he normally plays, but I think he'd be better as a CAM.

    Blaine Ferri ('00): I haven't seen him play in a few years prior to this game. He did better than I expected. Unbelievable passing range. I don't remember his passing range being as good as it was in this game. Played very well, and was one of the key players on the field. He's too good for USL League One. His athleticism is problematic as a #8. He's such a heavy mover, and despite a good work rate he showed in this game, he covers very little ground. His athleticism will probably play even worse against better athletes up a few divisions. Everything looks difficult and sluggish. Is that fixable or is he just a bad athlete?

    Dairon Reyes ('03): Came on late to play RW, and wasn't very effective. Lost the ball a few times. Had one nice run, and drew a foul in a dangerous position. He looked more one-footed than I remember, but this was also his pro debut, he barely played, and he's very talented.

    Ian Fray ('02): Subbed on in the second half to play CB. Big, rangy, athletic. Defending and passing looked adequate. Nothing overly good or bad I noticed. Considering it was his pro debut, that might be a credit to him.

    Others: There was a question recently about if anyone knew anything about Francisco Raggio ('02). I now feel like I do, but it wasn't a good return. I can't figure out what he's supposed to be good at. He played as a #10 in this game. Andres Cardenas ('03) played RW. Still young and this was his pro debut, but I don't see view him as more than a very marginal prospect.

    San Diego-LAG II:

    Jalen Neal ('03): Played very well. I've been very impressed with his performances so far in USL. It's very hard to not compare him to Chris Richards. The comparisons are very obvious. He put out a number of fires defensively with his athleticism, read plays extremely well, was almost always in position, and his passing looked better in this game than I had previously thought.

    Mauricio Cuevas ('03): Played LB. Had a very nondescript performance, which may be a good thing, considering he's a RB, and he's now shown he can play LB with enough effectiveness to consider it added versatility to a team.

    Adam Saldana ('02): Another very dependable performance. Didn't do much great, didn't do much poorly. A very typical Saldana performance where he puts in a good shift with soccer IQ, tenacity, and craftiness. I think he could probably level up to LAG by now, but do we want that? I'd prefer he sign elsewhere in MLS or sign in Europe. There might not be requisite interest for either though, and the MLS option might also not be possible due to MLS's archaic rules.

    Sebastian Nava ('03): He wasn't effective, but I continue to like the set of tools. His ball control is excellent, he's an above average athlete, he combines well, he's very quick, I like his decision-making, and he has enough creativity. What I don't see is much end-product. He might not have enough of an offensive component to his game. He might be better off in CM or fullback. I think thats the biggest question with his game. Where do you play him on the field? I think he's going to be a good player though. It's now a matter of figuring out what position he should play.

    Others: Victor Valdez ('04) was subbed on late. I'm not sure if he touched the ball. Alejandro Alvarado ('03) was subbed on late for his debut, and I'm not sure he touched the ball either. Jorge Hernandez ('00) has some nice craftiness as a #10. I don't mention him much, so I'll do so now to give my opinion. I'm not sure there's enough talent there to be an MLS'er anytime soon.

    Philadelphia II-NYRB II:

    Ben Ofeimu ('00): Excellent performance. His team gave up five goals, and I think he was the MOTM. It would've been a lot more without him. He looks very good at this level. Even in the prior game where I thought he made a few mistakes, his overall impact during the course of 90 minutes is really high. He does a lot really well at this level. I think he's also a very talented player. Big, powerful, moves well, reads the game well, good in the air, rarely out of position, and his build up play isn't bad either. I think he's a player who we'll see playing next season for the first team, especially with how well they integrate young players.

    Dante Huckaby ('03): I thought he was a lot better than the last game. On one of the goals he was beat badly with a run over the top that he couldn't recover well enough to, but he barely put a foot wrong, aside from that. He looked a lot more aware of his surroundings, and was processing the play better. I'm still very unsure about his projection, but it was a better performance.

    Nathan Harriel ('01): Started at RB, switched to LB in the second half. A better performance than the last one. Showed some good crossing, and ability to get forward. Defense wasn't too bad either.

    Mitch Budler ('03): One of the five goals he was at fault for, but aside from that the others weren't his fault. I think this was the first game I've seen him play. Looks like more of a solid across the board type of keeper. I'm not sure he's more than an average GK prospect, but his current level is probably still good enough to get into the YNT discussion in his age group.

    Others: Danny Flores ('02) was playing as a #8 here, and I thought he was very effective. Much better than the prior performance. He didn't do anything too impactful, but made a lot of positive small plays. Jack McGlynn ('03) had little impact, aside from some very nice passes. I'm a fan of the player, but he's very sluggish and doesn't cover much ground in midfield. I think he may be a kid, like Danny Leyva, who needs to still grow into his body. For now I'm going to say his athleticism is more awkward than bad. Selmir Miscic ('03) had a nice looping header to score his team's only goal, but didn't add much aside from that.

    Axel Picazo ('01) didn't add much either. I should also mention that this Union reserve team rarely have any possession in either game I've seen, so its hard to assess the attackers. Brandan Craig ('04) came on in the second half to play RB. I thought that he held his own. He's clearly not a RB at this point and he lost his mark at the back post on one of the goals, but it wasn't a bad debut. Paxten Aaronson ('03) came on for his pro debut, and had a few touches. Quinn Sullivan ('04) also came on late, and had a few touches.

    Daniel Edelman ('03): Edelman got the start in this game, and scored a goal on the counter. It was a goalkeeping error, but it still counts. He played an effective game. Nothing overly good. I've seen him play a few times now, and while I don't think he's a non-prospect, I wouldn't say he's more than a very marginal one. He's pretty good defensively, but his passing, athleticism, skill is very average for a CM. I don't see much he does thats going to stand out at higher levels. Maybe he makes it into MLS or an equivalent league, but I don't see a high ceiling.

    Caden Clark ('03): I thought he was a lot better in this game than the prior one. I see the Brenden Aaronson comparison that @David Kerr recently made. Like Aaronson, I think he's a tweener between an 8 and 10. There are some similarities. Good soccer IQ, good combination play, pretty quick and fluid, but in the final third there isn't much effectiveness or ideas. One thing I've noticed is that he likes to shoot the ball. He does that more often than a player like Aaronson.

    Others: Dantouma Toure ('04) came on late to play RW. He's a CF, but this is the classic case of a young #9 whose not tall thats relegated early on in his career to the wings. He's not going to be as effective on the wings, but he did have an assist. It was more of a broken play assist, but it counts. Jake LaCava ('01) had an effective performance. He had two assists, and a few nice offensive sequences. Very marginal prospect, but he has some ability on the wing.

    Joe Fala ('97) again played LB. I don't understand it, but he again had an effective performance, while showing that he has a lot of tools that could result in a good CB. Boima Cummins ('03), a new recruit from Minnesota United, came in late at LB, and showed dynamic dribbling. Thats his trademark. Very dynamic dribbler. The rest of his game is raw.
     
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  7. David Kerr

    David Kerr Member+

    United States
    Oct 18, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Out of the young Philadelphia Union players, Brandan Craig in particular is impressing me. Even at RB, which is no longer his natural position, he’s doing very well.
     
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  8. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    NTSC wins their opening game in League One 2-1 over Madison. No first team players. Academy players Justin Che and Beni Redzic get starts. Che at right back. Redzic on left wing, and he got his first goal at this level. Sub Diego Hernandez is 15, and one to keep an eye on. Notably absent from the lineup? Imanol Almaguer


    Luis Zamudio, Derek Waldeck, Lamar Batista, Grady Easton, Justin Che; Alisson dos Santos, Juan Alvarez (Gibran Rayo – 72’), David Rodriguez (Diego Hernandez – 90’ + 5’); Beni Redzic (Collin Smith – 90’ +1’), Alex Bruce, Ronaldo Damus
     
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  9. NoHammiesAltidore

    United States
    Jun 28, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Avilez was on the bench. Maybe the paperwork wasn't done in time to go to Orlando a la the Chicago Fire kids that were on the bench for Forward Madison?
     
  10. ckajMonet

    ckajMonet Member

    Spurs
    United States
    Jun 8, 2017
  11. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's too bad the cameraman couldn't zoom in even more!

    Nice to see a strong performance from an '03.
     
  12. Arantes

    Arantes Member

    Fluminense
    Brazil
    Dec 4, 2018
    Almaguer had a knock. Short season, first team players coming VERY soon.
     
  13. kingshark

    kingshark Member+

    Mar 3, 2006
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  14. TarHeels17

    TarHeels17 Member+

    Jan 10, 2017
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Happy for him that he's getting games. It should help with his confidence. He's taking a lot of shots but a few of them are really high quality, and his decision making will get much better. I really think that with a good run of games on this team he'll start lighting it up and be back in MLS, just perhaps not with Atlanta.
     
  15. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    He signed in the summer of 2016, so his contract must be up soon. Right? Just for context, he signed with Atlanta before Pomykal, Cannon, or Ferreira signed for Dallas. Its been that long. If he got one of the 3+2 contracts.................2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. It must be up soon.

    Why did Atlanta pick up the options and then loan him out? Doesn't make sense unless they literally couldn't generate any interest in a trade or sale. Or they just can't cut the cord to a young player they know has quality.
     
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  16. dougtee

    dougtee Member+

    Feb 7, 2007
    if pro soccer doesnt work out for him i hope he has a happy life and a huge family with 6 or 7 soccer playing boys because he genuinely plays with a flair and joy that is all but missing from most of our pool. if pulisic is a pragmatic assassin carleton is a dreamer and i think thats why he gets 'hype' - hes actually just fun to watch whatever happens. i do think his soccer brain gets underrated since he has a beautiful ability to find space, which he needs because over 20 or so yards its almost incredible how slow he seems.
     
  17. don Lamb

    don Lamb Member+

    mine
    United States
    Aug 31, 2017
    He is at a point in his life where his athleticism could have gotten better over the last couple of years. It's clear that it has gone the opposite direction.

    I have no more expectations for Carleton. I was hoping that he would come out of this time off looking sharper and fitter than ever, but that's not even remotely the case. I hope he has a good career, but I don't even expect him to play in MLS at this point. His form would have to take a massive change for the better, and I have seen enough evidence that makes me think that he doesn't have the drive for that.
     
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  18. WheezingUSASupport

    Dortmund
    United States
    Aug 28, 2017
    For those of you previously arguing that the USL to MLS isn’t there for young players you need to consider that USL had far less young players in the past.

    The youngsters that have had quality in the past were playing for teams like RB2.
     
  19. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    He still has upside and talent. They don't pay him a ton. They are taking a flyer and hoping the trip to Indy helps him focus on soccer.

    I would think he's out of contract next summer at the latest.
     
  20. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Atlanta couldn't register contracts until 2017 because thats when they entered the league. If it was a standard 3+2 contract, it would be 2017, 2018, 2019 as the first three years, 2020 and 2021 as the option years. They chose to pick up the option last year, and should have another option year in 2021, if they choose to use it.
     
  21. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Hartford-Union II:

    Ben Ofeimu ('00): Another standout performance from Ofeimu. This guy is really good. I don't know how he's not on an MLS contract and starting in MLS. Having him play USL too much longer is going to hurt his development. I remember watching Miles Robinson in USL the season before he was given a chance to be a starter in Atlanta, and Ofeimu's performances are more dominant. Keep in mind that he's doing this in an absolutely terrible team.

    Nathan Harriel ('01): Not a great game. Defensive awareness was a little lacking, sloppy mistakes with his passing. I'm just not sure we're talking about a high ceiling or high floor RB. I can see him having a successful pro career or even helping the U-20's this cycle, but I think he needs some work defensively (he's not terrible), but he's also not much better than average going forward. To me, he looks like a very average player. Good enough offensively, good enough defensively, above-average (not dynamic) athlete. He's versatile enough to play either fullback spot, so that might help.

    Dante Huckaby ('03): He was playing out of position at LB. He's a right-footed CB. He was beat a number of times 1v1, but he really has no business playing LB, so I wouldn't hold it against him that much. He was well positioned, didn't make many mistakes with his passing, was reading plays better, and was good in the air. I'll judge his performance based on what I'd expect out of a CB. It wasn't a good performance, but there were worse performers on his team and he was the one playing way out of position.

    Jack McGlynn ('03): His passing range from midfield in this game was a big difference maker. It started a lot of the Union attacks. I wonder how he'd do as a deep-lying playmaker. I don't think he has the athleticism right now, and even in the future I don't see it being enough to do a box to box job. Could he be Wil Trapp if he gets a little quicker? I think he could.

    Axel Picazo ('01): I don't think I've mentioned him more than briefly in any of the previous games, so I'll do so now. I've been impressed with what I've seen out of him, but there really haven't been that many attacking chances any of the games. He's very quick, but he also has decent speed. Excellent dribbler. I think he's an eventual MLS player. Maybe its next season with the Union, maybe it's with another team in another season, but he's good at this level, and can cause havoc as a winger.

    Selmir Miscic ('03): We're talking about a very basic type of attacker. I just don't see much here. He can do some of everything, but the skills are all very fringe level. Nothing I see in his game is any better than average. I think he's a #10, but he's capable of playing wide left or right. He's still young, so he can improve. Right now, I wouldn't expect him to be more than a low-level MLS'er.

    Issa Rayyan ('00): I've seen a few games now. What I see is a deceptively athletic wide player. I think he's probably a wingback capable of playing on either side. He could probably play LW, RW, LWB, RWB, RB, LB, so there's a lot of versatility in his game. Good height, pretty good speed, functional dribbling ability. He can play both sides of the ball, although I wouldn't say he's particularly good going forward or defensively. His versatility could carry him to MLS, but he's not a big talent.

    Ben Martino ('02): Not a good performance. Two goals were on him. He did make a few saves that I thought showed better athleticism than the prior game. He also was pretty good aside from two goals that were his fault, but the two goals count. He's obviously not a prodigy that should play immediately in MLS. There's some ability in his game, and hopefully he can show consistency and improvement in USL over the course of this year and upcoming seasons. I think there's ability there to play at a higher level than this eventually. It's also an organization that has shown they'll give young players minutes in the first team.

    Subs: Danny Flores ('02) came off the bench, and was good. Two good appearances in a row playing as a #8. His athleticism and skill is deceptively good. He puts in a pretty good shift in a box to box role, and can impact the game in every part of the game for the position. I think he's another player you may see playing with the first team next year. I think Flores and Ofeimu (along with Harriel who already signed for the first team for 2021) will be first team players next season. Brandan Craig ('04), Quinn Sullivan ('04), and Paxten Aaronson ('03) were all subbed on midway through the second half. Craig didn't have much to do defensively or offensively. He looked effective. Not much more or less. Aaronson and Sullivan also had their best appearances so far in USL. Effective combining in the final third. Not much more or less than that either.

    Alfonso Vazquez ('02): He got his pro debut for Hartford. He came on late playing RW. He had two effective touches, but it was hard to tell much about his game.

    LAG II-Sacramento:

    Jalen Neal ('03): A little worse than the first few performances. He had a few instances keeping players onside, making sloppy passes, not reading plays fast enough. It was still a good performance, but the level of performance definitely came down a notch from the prior few.

    Mauricio Cuevas ('03): Played LB again. I thought he put in a good shift. Battled well at a position he's clearly not very comfortable playing.

    Adam Saldana ('02): He was mostly invisible, which isn't great for a CM. Saldana plays a quieter game, but I thought in this game he was outplayed. He's started the season well, but he didn't play well in this game.

    Hayden Sargis ('02): I thought he was struggled. Not terrible, but not particularly effective. He was easily turned by attackers and didn't read plays quick enough. I just don't see much in his game that stands out. Being an every game starter in USL at his age is impressive, but it's not so impressive that there aren't others his age that are also starting every game. To be more than a fringe U-20 player (even at a weak position this cycle), I think he's going to need to show some improvement.

    Others: Rafael Jauregui ('04) was subbed on late for Sacramento. I didn't watch his play that closely because I don't rate his game, but I also didn't see him add much. Victor Valdez ('04) was subbed on in the 60th minute, and was rather invisible. Sebastian Nava ('03) was subbed on late, and had a few effective sequences.

    Alejandro Alvarado ('03) was the best of the young subs. He made a number of good plays in midfield, offensively and defensively. I've compared him before to Saldana, but I think watching him here that he looked more athletic than I've seen before, so he might've improved athletically or I might've evaluated his athleticism wrong. I'm not sure he's going to be a standout player in any aspect, but he's a little more dynamic on both ends than Saldana. I think he can be an effective two-way #8.

    Indy Eleven-Saint Louis:

    Cam Lindley ('97): Weak performance. Mostly invisible. He also was allowed to play a little deeper than the prior few performances, but he failed to impact the game.

    Jeremy Rafanello ('00): Another weak performance. He was also mostly invisible. To be fair to Lindley and Rafanello, nearly the whole team struggled.

    Andrew Carleton ('00): I thought Carleton played his best game of the season, and he was the only Indy player that played well. As I mentioned for Ofeimu, it's impressive to see players stand out for having played well when their team didn't play well.

    NYRB-Pittsburgh:

    Caden Clark ('03): He contributed to both goals, but I didn't think he was any more than around average. He didn't add that much during the course of the game, but popped up on both goals. That counts for something, but he was rather invisible, aside from the two goals (one he assisted, one he played a pass to a player who was fouled for a penalty). I like that his play looks very smooth, and he makes quick decisions. I don't know how skilled he is, but there's some ability there.

    Omar Sowe('00): Apparently this guy is American or eligible to play for the USA. I didn't know previously, otherwise I would've kept track of his play in prior games. Looks to be a winger (maybe LW). He scored a very nice volley with his left foot. Aside from that, didn't add that much. He's athletic and has some dribbling coordination. I didn't see much else in the way of soccer skills, but I also haven't watched his play that closely.

    Boima Cummins ('03): He came on early in the second half, and I thought he was very good on both ends. He's very good at pushing play forward offensively. I didn't even notice this previously, but the announcers mentioned he's a right-footed LB. I thought he was left-footed, but he's right-footed. He's good with both feet, and should also have the ability to play RB. Defensively, he looks improved from what I had previously seen. He's recognizing plays a little faster, and I think his decision-making is a little better on both sides of the ball. I think he's a player whose stock is rising. I'd look for him to make his way in a YNT camp in the next year.

    Others: Joe Fala ('97), Jake LaCava ('01), and Daniel Edelman ('03) all came on in the second half, and were adequate. Not much better or worse than that for any of them. LaCava drew the winning penalty, but he didn't do much on the play. It was a bad decision by the defender.

    Louisville and San Antonio: I didn't watch either team's full game. I only watched the appearances of a player on each team, so I don't know how the game played out aside from that or how any other thread eligible players might've played in the game.

    Jonathan Gomez ('03): He only came on for 20 minutes, but I thought he played well during those 20 minutes. It's impressive how good he's become defensively, considering he was a winger only a few years ago. I'd say he's nearly as good defensively now as he is offensively. He's also very athletic. Very well-rounded player. No real weaknesses in his game. Rarely doesn't show well.

    Jose Gallegos ('01): He was above-average coming on for about 25 minutes. He didn't create any great attacking chances or have that much influence on the game, but I thought the times he got on the ball he usually had positive sequences. He played RW when he came on.
     
  22. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know that some sites list Sowe as a dual national. I’ve looked into it and haven’t found anything definitive, but I’m skeptical. He moved to the US at age 9 from Gambia. Not sure what options he’d have for acquiring citizenship. I do know that it’s common for stat aggregator sites to make mistakes because they assume a kid has US citizenship because he did most of his school year here.

    cc: resident immigration expert @BostonRed
     
    ussoccer97531 repped this.
  23. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, according to articles, he moved over to join his parents at the age of 9. That means he's been in the US for 10 years and his parents (who really count in this equation until he turns 18) even longer. Getting to citizenship in that time is very doable, depending on the parents' original status and when they got here, but I would be surprised that they couldn't get to US citizenship in 10 years.

    His folks could have gotten a Green Card from the lottery, as refugees, employment or family members and it only takes 5 years after they get that to become US citizens.

    The only thing that is concerning is that the club doesn't list him as a US citizen here:

    http://nyrb.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=7541776&player=626161975
     
    ussoccer97531 and Balerion repped this.
  24. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    Is Gallegos not a regular starter for San Antonion? If not, how is that possible?
     
    dougtee repped this.
  25. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    He’s not. I don’t know. He should probably be starting.
     

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