I like Tommy, he's a versatile guy. Decent dribbler, can play wing, fullback, maybe in the middle. That said, he should probably be coming off the bench though if we have aspirations of being a contender. Anyway, this thread is supposed to be about wonderkid Cade and how he will one day be flying down the wing of PSG. Or maybe Brentford.
Well don’t forget that vertical jump is measured straight up and is not from a running leap. I assume that makes a difference in TT’s dynamic photo…
After watching Cade in the Austin game tonight, I think the Quakes should sell him now and not wait for him to get better so that his price goes up. The longer he plays under Almeyda, the less he will develop. Except, I don’t have any idea where he should go —- Germany? Netherlands? Belgium?
He's not going to get sold if any potential buyer sees the Austin game. So many poor touches and wrong decisions. He is still very young, but, his trajectory for the moment is more toward USL than EPL. And don't blame Almeyda. I doubt his coaching includes, "hold onto the ball until you lose it".
I'd like to think there's potential there, but it's not developing, which is sad. Can we blame Almeyda, or is this just a guy with a lot of speed and some skills but not much of a soccer brain?
He’s been playing how he started out with the Quakes, after a period where he improved with his possessions. I think he needs to simplify things and let the game come to him more. Make a quick safe-ish pass, then make a run and try to receive the ball rather than try to beat his defender on his first chance, pinned against the side with a man on and another lurking.
He's a 17 y/o who needs to work on his touch. TT should teach him to juggle and then he should spend as much time juggling everyday as he spends in the weight room.
Yes. Peter Vermes turned into a defender when he was over 30 I believe. Paul Mariner played defense for the SF Bay Blackhawks at 40... If they use Mariner as an example, Cade has 22 years to go before he starts on defense!
BTW if any of you had a 17 year old who wasn’t getting any better on his club team, and his club team was always struggling at the bottom of the league, what would you suggest for your child? Who would you blame for his lack of development? I think the same applies here.
The Cowell thing is interesting. It is so glaring...a real regression from the way he was playing earlier in the season. His game profile for the last couple months is exactly the same, very consistent....he is hanging on to the ball looking to beat his defender every single time on the ball. Clearly Almeyda is seeing this nonstop when they breakdown and replay all his touches per game...for months now. So it leads me to believe he's being coached and allowed to do this...otherwise it would have changed by now...I believe they want him to draw attention and defenders to unbalance the defense, but they also want him to pass out of it before he gets closed out...imo, that is where it is completely breaking down, he is too slow to recognize when he needs to get rid of the ball and quickly move into space for the return pass. He's continually getting stuffed, usually with the second defender coming in. I wish they would tell him to look for a pass first when things are not wide open for him. It will open up the game for him again.
In this game, he started out OK and had a few possessions where he was very nearly successful in holding on and beating the defenders. So maybe he got a bit of false hope. Because then towards the end it kind of went south, and he had a string of failed possessions.
Altho i am now on the Chofis bandwagon, I did notice that when Cade came in, Chofis had that bad demeanor again. When Cade was dribbling down the sideline with 2-3 defenders on him, Chofis was not in position for an outlet pass. He looked very indifferent. And obviously, when Cade gets a ball to run on, Chofis can’t keep up to support him. Maybe they need to come up with a scheme for Benji and Cade to play off each other, with Chofis on the other side of the field.
^ This! Put Cade back at forward. Play two forwards, either Cade and Benji, Cade and Chofis, or Benji and Chofis. If we play Benji and Cade both up top, then Chofis should be on the wing somewhere. We could do better with the personnel that we have. Clearly, a 3-5-2 makes the most of the guys that we have. But Matías is wedded to a single striker formation, which clearly isn’t working for us. We can’t count on Chofis to carry us every step of the way. We need more production from elsewhere, and Cade and Benji both should be part of that. I’d be more concerned about the future of our team if I wasn’t convinced that Almeyda will be moving on at the end of this season. Also, I’m finding it harder to be emotionally invested in this team. Go Quakesfans!! - Mark
What are you seeing from Cowell lately that is leading you to believe that he’s deserving of a starting role up top over either Benji or Chofis?
Cade played well when he started at striker, he’s fallen into a rut at left wing. And it’s not that I think he should start over Benji or Chofis, I want all three of them on the pitch at once. Benji and Cade as strikers, and Chofis as our right wing, Espinoza on the left. I want Benji and Cade both up top, together. Maybe play Chofis at the #10 spot. But to me, it’s not either or, it’’s not one in front of the other, it’s together. GO Quakesfans!! - Mark