Heard a rumor he will miss this weekend’s Quake’s game because he was called into national team camp.
Week 4: Seattle has started to produce some very good players, so they are probably going to have a few good players in each age group. They have two 06's listed on their U-15 roster, one of which is Michael Luande ('06) who has come off the bench in the first two games of the season. The other is Christopher Aquino Valverde ('06). Valverde wasn't in the team this week. Matthew Corcoran ('06) started, played the full game for FC Dallas U-15's playing up an age group and scored. Corcoran is a central midfielder. I saw him play briefly last season, and he looked to be a talented bigger #6 who could pass the ball. This was his first game this season with the U-15's. He had played 3 games with the U-14's to start the season. Alessandro Maldonado ('06) has played all four games so far this season for DC United U-15's playing up an age group. He's registered two starts. Fynn Hayton-Ruffner ('03) may be a player to watch in the San Jose academy. He has played 2 games (1 start) for the San Jose U-19's playing up an age group, and also scored a goal this weekend. He only played three games last season for the academy at any level, which makes me think he's one of these players that wasn't playing in the DA last season. Some of these players do emerge from high-school soccer or non-DA club soccer. 03's are only juniors in high school, so not all of the best talents will have made it to a bigger club by now. He could've also been injured. Thats another possibility. Gabriel Chavez ('05) and Jeffrey Vanegas ('05) both played 90 for NYCFC U-17's playing up an age group. Both players have played two games (and started two games) so far this season for the U-17's. Luke Hille ('03) scored twice for the North Carolina FC U-19's against Orlando City playing up an age group. He has played two games (two starts) so far this season for the U-19's. Julian Lomeli ('03) played 90 for the RSL U-19's playing up an age group. He's played 3 (started 3) for the U-19's, and also played in one U-17 game. He's a new addition to the academy. He hadn't previously played in the DA.
Solar U17DA beat the FCD U17 DA as most expected on Saturday 3-1. There seems to be no real prospects on the FCD U17DA team and Solar now the better club in NTX at that age group after winning the DA National Championship last year and confirming it this past weekend. FCD gets another shot at them in a few weeks to see if they can make a game of it. The surprising result was the Solar U19 DA beating the FCD DA U19, 3-1 as well. Solar is made up of a lot of the kids that won the U17DA title last year but FCD had a number of players on the US national team and getting minutes with NTXSC in Tessman and Bonilla.
If FCD is doing the right things, we will see their results in both the U17 and U19 age groups suffer over the coming years. Not to take anything away from Solar, as they have done an outstanding job as of late with these older age groups.
They have two guys in Europe in Blaine Ferri and JT Thompkinson so they seem to do a lot without the big resources and favoritism of an MLS club. Blaine and JT will both be U17 WC vets as well.
Most of the kids getting noticed are early bloomers anyways. At least it appears to be that way. Why would this kid be any different?
Nothing more will help FCD push further than they've been......................than real competition in the division. Its all great. FCD, as others have mentioned, is also aggressively pushing kids up the ladder. There are a lot of kids playing for the first team and NTSC that are eligible for the DA teams. Of course, they also had four youngsters with the U16 national team right now. Gomez, Che, Smith, and Sealy. I think there were 5/6 players for NTSC last night that are still technically age eligible for the U19 DA team. (Not to mention Ricardo Pepi with the 1st team). I'm not so worried about the U19 team. They'll be fine. Folks will remember that the U19s didn't start last year particularly well, and by the end were fighting for the DA crown. I think there's a bit of a talent drain at the U17 level right now as the good players (such as Gomez, etc.) have been rightfully "promoted up." The kids currently on the U17s will have to develop. If they don't, they may have to promote from the U15s. There's some real talent in those U15s.............who demolished Solar 6-0.
Their 2003 age group is very good, but any team is going to be much weaker losing their three best players, including two superstar players. I think what they have behind those guys is still very good, but they aren’t capable of being the best players on one of the best teams in the country. If there’s any criticism, it’s their 2004 age group. It doesn’t have any players who you would place in the top 10-15 2004 born players around the country. I like what Dadzie brings at CB. Carrera, Villatoro and Reynolds should be on the USYNT radar in some capacity, but there is a lack of star power. They are missing players the caliber of Pepi and Gomez or incredible depth, like the 2002 FCD age group had.
Also of note from the 03 age group, Fynn Hayton-Ruffner is back with San Jose Earthquakes Academy (@QuakesAcademy). He scored over the weekend for the U19 side. He is a top prospect and going to be in the mix with the YNT in the future.— J.R. Eskilson (@JREskilson) September 23, 2019
Yup. Its mostly a matter of recalibration that may take a couple of years. The founding of NTSC meant academy players needed to be promoted up. Mostly from the U19s. That meant U17s promoted up to the U19s. And all of that is exactly what was supposed to happen. So there's a gap at the bottom for the this year. There are new recruits getting acclimated as well. When one writes a team of the "best" U19 players at the FCD academy, it blows away most academy teams. You'd start with Thomas Roberts running the show in midfield. He's still only 18. You'd put him next to Tessman. But that's not the point...………………. BY the way, folks that saw the FCD-Solar series this weekend said the best player on display was Jon Paul Jordan for Solar. A box-to-box midfielder that folks in North Texas really like. A name to keep an eye on for them as the season progresses. I think he's committed to SMU. SMU man...………….just recruit from Dallas and Solar.
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IMO, Martinez is definitely a CM as he moves up to higher levels. 1176386502022041600 is not a valid tweet id
I don't know have an answer to your question, but Isaiah Chisholm ('05) has played with the U-17's earlier this season playing up an age group, so I suspect he might be one of those players. If you are watching their U-15's, Owen Presthus ('06) has been playing with that team consistently to start the season. He's even listed on the roster, which is unusual for players playing up an age group. Usually they are just moved from the lower team to the higher team from game to game. Presthus appears to be a full time U-15 member.
Josiah Benjamin and Giorgio De Libera were their only two 05’s invited to the u14 central mini camp held last spring. Neither were invited to the June NT camp.
On the subject of '06s to watch - Aaron Heard has started all 3 games for Philly Union's '05s, and has 2 goals so far playing as a midfielder, including the opening goal and then assist to start their 11-0 rout of DC. 11-goal rout highlights Philadelphia Union Academy games against DC United in @ussoccer_da (w/ Photo Gallery) https://t.co/zBq0hfpH2g— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) September 17, 2019 . A short clip of him with another assist later in the game: Here’s another goal from that 11-0 rout for the Union U15s on Saturday. Aaron Heard started the counter and Marcelo Mazzola finished it pic.twitter.com/jjbRMi0JN9— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) September 17, 2019 He was also called up to the 05 YNT camp last June in San Diego, and was the Golden Ball winner (playing at age) in the Concacaf tournament this summer. https://www.concacaf.com/en/champio...cacaf-announces-awards-for-2019-under-13-sccl
Nice interview with Todd Saldana, DA director at LAFC. The biggest takeaway for me is that FMF is extremely active in not only scouting and identifying players, but are now proactively putting on camps, training centers, etc. Sounds like he and LAFC have a good plan going forward. 🎙️New pod! A wide-ranging chat with @LAFCAcademy director Todd Saldaña, on recruiting in the most talent-rich part of the USA, the competing interests of El Tri and the USMNT in southern California, and how LAFC is trying to develop pro soccer players.https://t.co/5nwf33tcVj— scuffed (@scuffedpod) September 27, 2019
Good question by @zlebmada to ask which federation is more active at their club. He said USSF, so thats good. He talked up a good game about using a diverse approach to the demographics of the players they recruit, but I don't see it in their rosters. Very similar to LAG, IMO. I agree that FMF setting up ID camps in the USA is worrying.