2020-21 Academy Season

Wellings is the best prospect in that team IMO. I think he’s one of the best players in the age group around the country. His feel for the game around him is absolutely elite. He combines that with size, passing vision, and a good work rate. It’s hard to not see a young KdB watching Wellings play from a pure stylistic standpoint.

Kei is a great player against this level of competition, but between the age questions and the fact that he quite clearly is an early developer physically (unless you believe he’ll be like a Daryl Dike against pros), I don’t know that he’s an absolute top level prospect, regardless of if he’s an ‘05, ‘06, or ‘07.

Delgado is also good, but I find him inconsistent. He misses way too many crosses for a top level keeper that will be easy goals for the other team at the pro level. He’s a good keeper, but inconsistent with moderate potential. The Ochoa comparison is a good one IMO.

I like a few other players from that age group. RSL recruits the country well.

 

Additionally, I’d also like to see a YNT camp for the 06’s as David mentioned because I think it’s looking like a great age group. I’m not even counting these Barca kids, Estrela, and probably two MLS academies that I haven’t seen their ‘06 age group play yet, and I would estimate the top group of 06’s is already about 13-14 players. I’d struggle to come up with more than around 10 for ‘04 or ‘05. The 06’s are looking really good early on. My one worry would be the top end of the age group. Is there an obvious top player? I haven’t seen one yet.

 

LA Surf U-15: William Boyd (‘06) and Darwin Lopez (‘06) are similar players. Both are CB’s. All-around types of CB. Not that flashy, but they get the job done. Lopez may be a little more mobile. Alberto Rivera (‘06) is a CM with some composure on the ball and passing ability, along with some ability to make some defensive plays. None of the three looked like high-end prospects, but probably good enough to move into a higher level academy, and prove themselves from there.

NYCFC U-17: Kamran Acito (‘04) is a better player than I’ve given him credit for. He’s not very flashy in anything he does, and I’m not sure any of his tools are better than average, but I’m also not sure he does anything at a below average level at the CB position. He’s one of these players who has a good chance for a pro career eventually, but probably not a high level one. Mark Cajamarca (‘06) is very small, and that will be a big impediment towards his career if he doesn’t physically grow taller, but his ability to impact games playing up an age group as an undersized #8 is very good. He’s a very talented player.

Chicago Fire U-17: Cristian Torres-Gale (‘05) was subbed on in the second half, and was playing RW. He’s better on the left because he likes to cut inside, so he wasn’t as effective as he can be. He still was Chicago’s most effective attacking player coming off the bench playing out of position, which is probably why they lost this game by a big margin. Celestino Vasquez (‘06) was also subbed on in the second half, and he played better than what I had seen previously. He’s playing up an age group, and looked like an above-average #8 in this game. I don’t know that he’s now a good prospect and I agree with playing him up an age group, but he was more effective in this game and he could be better than I initially observed.

Austin U-15: Charlie Reed (‘06) is the back up goalkeeper, but he’s pretty good. Austin seems to have two good keepers in this age group. This was the first game I’ve seen of Reed, but he has good size, good reflexes, some ability to play out of the box, and he’s in control of his area. I’d need to say more to say if he’s better than the starter, but he looked like one of their better players. Drake Fournier (‘06) and Nick Kashambuzi (‘06) aren’t bad prospects at CB. Kashambuzi is more athletic, but both are good defenders with good size. Neither was that good building out from the back.

Chris Avila (‘07) looked like the best prospect on the team. He’s a RB who looks to get forward. He has above-average athleticism, he’s a good passer, he can dribble, combine. Defensively, I thought he looked about average. He’s aggressive offensively, so he leaves space going the other way, but when he’s in position he wasn’t bad. He’s also playing up an age group, so he may defend better against players his own age.

DC United U-15: This is another team I’ve mentioned many times this season, so I’m not going to mention every player. They were more talented than New England, who they faced in the QF’s, but made too many errors. New England was playing with 10 men, and still beat them. One player who I thought limited the errors was Matai Akinmboni (‘06). It was a very disappointing performance for DC United, but he was one of the few who played well.

Ignacio Alem (‘06) shows some very good flashes of ability to isolate fullbacks 1v1 and beat them, but he’s not very involved in the game. I don’t know why this is. I think he’s more talented than his usual performance level indicates. Alessandro Maldonado (‘06) was subbed on late. I don’t know if he’s been injured, but he’s rarely played in recent months. I thought he was great when he came on, and instantly added a lot of creativity and playmaking ability to their game.

LA Galaxy U-17: Demitrious Tanks (‘05) had a bad performance, probably about as bad as I’ve seen him defend. It happens to everyone, he’s still only playing U-17 soccer, so it’s not that unusual. He started off with a number of errors early in the game. To his credit, he was a lot better as the game went on, and his passing is starting to improve.

Victor Valdez (‘04) is very crafty, although lacks the top end offensive dynamism. He scored a nice free-kick goal. Alex Alcala (‘05) was subbed on in the second half. He’s a similar player positionally to Valdez, but I think all his skills, between his passing, dribbling, quickness, creativity, soccer IQ, are about a grade higher. He’s a pretty good prospect, among the better #10’s in his age group.

FC Dallas U-17: Antonio Carrera (‘04) is the best FC Dallas prospect between their ‘04 and ‘05 age groups IMO. I think he’s a very complete GK, and after the top 3-4 goalies in ‘04, there aren’t many, if any, better ‘04 keepers. He has good height, he’s a good shot stopper, good with his feet, and comfortable commanding his area. I don’t find him spectacular in any area, but he does a lot well.

I think Pranav DuBroff (‘05) is the best of the ‘05 Dallas prospects. He’s improved his defensive ability this season. He has good composure on the ball, he’s mobile, he’s an above-average passer of the ball, and I think he can play as a CB or DM. Ty Reynolds (‘04) is better defensively than his brother, but I find him to be less athletic and not as good going forward. He’s more of a natural RB, but more of a fringe level prospect.

There are games I think Tarik Scott (‘05) is a prospect, and games I don’t. I’m leaning right now towards saying he is. He’s an athletic winger/striker with a good game understanding and some dribbling ability. I don’t think he’s outstanding, but he may be better than I give him credit for being. Nighte Pickering (‘05) scored a good poaching goal, which is his reputation. I’m not as high on his game as most are, but it’s good to see him score goals like that because I don’t see the hype yet. I’ve been wrong before though. I thought Anthony Ramirez (‘05) had a good tournament. He’s a talented playmaking midfielder who can pass and dribble, but he’s a little too inconsistent, so more consistency would go a long way towards getting a first team contract with Dallas.

San Jose U-15: Peter Martinez-Alonso (‘06) is a good all-around RB. I thought he was one of their best players. He’s a RB who can defend, he has good speed, he pushes forward into the attack, and he has skill going forward. He’s undersized right now, but so are many pro fullbacks. Oscar Verhoeven (‘06) was playing LB. He’s not a LB. He was right-footed, and not a fullback, although he did a good job at the position. I think he’s a CB. Good passer, he makes good decisions with the ball and defensively. His size isn’t bad, and he has enough athleticism. Not an exciting player, but a versatile player who can play a few positions.

Cruz Medina (‘06) is probably the best SJ player in this age group. He was playing as a #8, but I don’t think that’s his best position. He’s an attacker. I could see him used as a winger or #10. The best part of his game is his close control dribbling and acceleration.

He’s able to find his way through 3-4 defenders in a small space in the same type of way Pulisic can. He also turns very well in small spaces. He’s a good passer and creative, but I think most of his value comes in the type of way Pulisic’s does with his dribbling. He’s probably the most similar player to Pulisic since Pulisic. That’s not to suggest he’ll be as good, but he is a top-level ‘06. Medina is very frail and weak. Most kids his age are still growing, but Medina looks particularly physically underdeveloped for a kid his age. He could be a late developer, and add an additional step or two of quickness, along with additional height and strength.

Seattle U-17: Angel Martinez (‘05) is a player I think has become very underrated. He had a lot of initial hype that’s quieted down, but I still find him to be a very good player. He was playing CB in this tournament. I don’t think he has the height or aerial ability for the position, but I think he’ll be a good defensive midfielder. He reads the game well defensively, he’s a good passer, and his mobility is about average. Cody Baker (‘04) didn’t stand out as much as you’d expect, but he played a good tournament. I don’t know that he’s a RB though, which is where he was being played. He doesn’t have the attacking skillset for the position IMO. I think he’s best as a #6, although he’s a versatile player who can play a few positions.

Obed Vargas (‘05) is the ‘05 version of Cody Baker. Can play a number of different positions. Doesn’t do anything that great, but puts in good and consistent performances that help the team. They have a few other fringe level prospects like Juan Alvarez (‘04), Takashi Sasaki (‘04), Wyatt Nelson (‘05), and Oscar Rincon-Rodriguez (‘04) who played in this tournament. They may funnel up to Tacoma Defiance eventually (Alvarez has started to), but I’m not sure any of the three are real first team prospects for Seattle.

Sacramento U-19 vs. Solar U-19: I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch this game. These U-19 teams often don’t have any good prospects left. I watched it though because I hadn’t seen Jonathan Dadzie (‘04) play since he transferred back to Sacramento from FC Dallas. He only played the first half. I had previously compared him to Justin Che previously. I don’t know if I still see the comparison. Dadzie hasn’t physically grown (or not much) since I last saw him. He’s undersized or a CB. He may be better suited at RB or DM. He’s pretty fast, he reads the game well, and I would still say he’s limited technically.

Amjot Narang (‘03) was the only other prospect I noticed for Sacramento, but he was subbed out in the first half with an injury, so I can’t say that much about his game, although he impressed early on. He’s a bigger CM who looked to have some quality on the ball. Solar doesn’t have many prospects either. Alioune Ka (‘03) is a big and athletic forward. He can play on the wing or CF. He has some understanding of the game, but I don’t know if he’s the most technical or the best finisher.

Chicago U-19 vs. Real Colorado U-19: This Chicago team has a lot of good players, but lacks the absolute top prospects. I think their best prospect is Justin Reynolds (‘04). Reynolds is a very consistent RB. Good soccer IQ, can get forward with his athleticism, he’s better technically than you’d think, and he’s a good defensive player. I don’t know why he’s still playing in the academy leagues. He should be signed and playing pro for Chicago. He may be a kid who wants to play in Europe instead, so that’s something to watch for if he’s not signed by Chicago before the end of the year. His date of birth is August 4, 2004, so he’d be waiting until next summer to transfer to Europe, unless he had an EU passport.

Erik Kocs-Washburn (‘03) drew a penalty with a crafty run in behind the defense, and then he went around the keeper before being tripped. I don’t think Chicago is going to sign him, but he’s a very consistent all-around winger that I would not be surprised to see have a lot of success in college soccer before eventually playing in MLS.

Jacob Morris (‘03) is the only prospect on Real Colorado. He’s a goalkeeper. He’s a YNT keeper, but it’s a weak crop of keepers, so that has to be taken into account. He couldn’t do much on the goals, even if he committed a penalty. He made one or two saves. Not a lot you can take from this game from him. He’s a little undersized, but a pretty consistent goalie. Not the highest ceiling, but I think he could have a pro career after playing college soccer.

PDA U-17: I already know this isn’t a popular opinion due to the comments multiple people have voiced, but I don’t think this team has very many pro prospects. I watched three of their games from this tournament, and I didn’t once think they were the better team in any of those games. I don’t think there’s much purpose in overreacting to results. All the teams I saw them beat had better prospects, and outplayed them. The better team with the better prospects doesn’t always win. Rafael Ponce de Leon (‘04) made numerous big saves along the way for PDA. He’s a stocky goalkeeper, but a pretty good athlete. Not terrible with his feet, good reflexes, but his decision-making coming off his line, both for balls along the ground and balls in the air, isn’t always great.

CJ Olney Jr (‘06) is a #10 who has a pretty good soccer IQ. I wouldn’t call it great to the point that he’s lapping the players out there on the field, but he often makes good decisions. He also has above-average passing vision, but I’m not sure it’s good enough to the point where he’s going to create that many attacking chances due to it. His athleticism is around average, as is his skill, and creativity. I give him credit for having success playing up an age group, but I don’t view him as more than a fringe prospect because I don’t see top level tools.

Sacramento U-17: Another team I’ve mentioned recently, so I won’t go through every player. Fernando Venegas (‘04) may be even more talented than I previously thought. He can do some of everything at the CB position (pass the ball, win headers, he’s mobile, he’s good 1v1 defensively), but his decision-making isn’t always the best.

Rafael Jauregui (‘04) played in this game coming down from the first team that he’s been playing with this season. I don’t see more than a low level pro. He’s an attacking midfielder with a good soccer IQ and some passing vision, but he doesn’t have top level creativity, athleticism, or skills. I see his name mentioned often because he’s one of the youngest players in USL that gets playing time, but I’m not sure he’s one of the better young talents in USL. Danny Govea (‘04) continued to impress. He’s undersized as CM, but he’s good on the ball with his composure and his passing range. He’s also a better athlete than he looks.

Orlando City U-17: Thomas Williams (‘04) had a good tournament at CB. He still has the occasional error. I’m not sure his soccer IQ will ever be better than average, but I’ve watched him play 4-5 times in recent months and he’s been more consistent than what I’ve seen previously. Favian Loyola (‘05) is a crafty playmaker. I’m starting to like his game more. I previously thought he was an #8/#10 positional tweener, but I’m starting to see good enough playmaking in the final third to think he can be a #10. He’s a left footed player who is creative, and he’s quicker than he looks.

Ethan Subachan (‘05) is another player who impressed. He’s a #9 with very good speed, he has some technique and ability to finish, but the best part of his game is his speed making runs in behind the back line. Alexander Freeman (‘04) is probably the highest upside and best RB in the ‘04 age group. Freeman upped his reputation in my estimation as much as anyone at this tournament. It was less due to an improvement, and more due to that I had only seen him play a few times previously. Freeman has elite athleticism. He’s one of the most athletic players in the youth pool. He’s a 6’2 RB who is very fast and very quick, and moves well side to side. He’s an extremely fluid athlete. He combines that with dynamic dribbling skills.

Freeman has an ability to rampage down the flank, and make plays at high speeds directly through defenders. There are many attackers who are fast without the ball or can kick the ball ahead and be first to it, but Freeman is able to enter small areas, and make highly technical plays while running at high speeds. His understanding of the game isn’t bad, neither is his defending. Most of his value will come though from what he brings dribbling through players. His raw athleticism/dribbling skills combination is probably the best among fullbacks in the youth pool.

New England U-15: I was very impressed with this team. I thought they had multiple good prospects. This could be New England’s best age group in a long time. The best prospect on the team was Jamie Kabuusu (‘06). He’s a #6 with an incredible range of field coverage. He covers the whole field, and is able to make plays from sideline to sideline. His fitness level is impressive, considering how much he runs. He’s usually very well positioned, he’s physical, he has above-average size, and his mobility and fluidity of his athleticism is extremely good. While he excels on the defensive end, I don’t think he’s a bad passer of the ball or weak when pressured. I wouldn’t call it a strength, but he’s not a liability in this part of the game.

Ryan Cairney (‘06) in goal absolutely looks the part. Good height, good reflexes, makes quick and aggressive decisions. He made an error on an aerial ball that led to a goal. This is the best time I’ve seen this age group play, so I can’t say if it’s a one-off mistake or a pattern, but consistency may be a problem. Alejandro Palacios (‘06) at LB has good size, about an average athlete, very good ability on the ball and passing for a LB, and an above-average ability to defend.

Jordi Tornberg-Ayala (‘06) was playing LW, but I think he’s likely a #10. He’s a very good passer of the ball. He has good size and about average athleticism. Above-average foot skills and soccer IQ. Olger Escobar (‘06) and Enzo Goncalves (‘06) are similar players. Slashing type of strikers. Can play wing or CF. I believe both are also left footed. Good athletes, pretty good ball skills, and they make good runs in behind the back line.

Philadelphia Union U-15: Bajung Darboe (‘06) only played in the final among the games I watched. He didn’t have his best game, but he still had an active game. I’m not sure Darboe is the highest upside player you’ll see. His dribbling skills and creativity are very average, but he makes good decisions, he’s very good off the ball, and he’s effective when he gets touches in the final third. He’s also a good finisher. Gavin Wetzel (‘06) is probably the best player on this team that doesn’t get much publicity. I don’t know that he has high upside. He’s a very well-rounded CB without any big strengths, but he’s a very consistent player and almost always plays well without having MOTM performances that some of his teammates have.

Andrew Rick (‘06) had a good tournament. He saved three penalties in the shootout of the quarterfinals. In the finals, he was a little over-aggressive on the first goal, but the goal was more bad defense and a great cutback (that non-elite players this age rarely will make). 9 times out of 10 his aggressiveness would’ve worked in that situation. I do question his upside because he’s slightly undersized, but I think his floor is high. He does almost everything well. I don’t see him being much worse than a JT Marcinkowski, and considering I’m not that impressed with any of the keepers in this age group, I think the solid but unspectacular high floor guy may end up better than the keepers who are a little flashier or higher upside.

I was a little disappointed by what I saw from Gael Medrano (‘06). I’m very low on his game, but my expectations are higher than zero. I expected more of a contribution, and he was very ineffective. Outside of striking the ball well and having above-average size, I’m not sure what his strengths are supposed to be, and in this tournament I thought his finishing was much weaker than it normally is. Alex Perez (‘06) played a very effective and understated role as a #6 in this tournament. He cleaned up attacks in front of the back line, and did a good job of starting the build up.

RSL U-15: Jude Wellings (‘06) was the best player in the U-15 playoffs, in my opinion. His game sense is very impressive. There are very few players you’ll see with his level of feel for the game. Between his passing vision, above-average size, and a very underrated motor, he’s one of the top players in the ‘06 age group. I think he’s pushing those top few guys in the age group. He had big goals all tournament, and I thought there was a gap between him and everyone else for the top performer of the tournament.

Axel Kei (‘07) is a good prospect, but there are some obvious caveats. I think he’s very clearly an early developer. His combination of size/speed/physical play is mostly unmatched at this level. I don’t however view him as the type of player who will physically and athletically dominate against pros. I think he’s be good, potentially very good, in those areas as a pro, but I think some of the things he does at this level will not translate. There’s also the age question. I’m going to go with what the team tells us, but it matters if he’s an ‘05, ‘06, or ‘07 for the caliber of prospect he is. I would roughly say he’s top 30 if he’s an ‘05, top 20 if he’s an ‘06, and top 10 if he’s an ‘07.

He is a talented player though with a good chance to be a good professional. He has good size, good speed, he has above-average foot skills for the position, he makes good runs, his decision making is about average, and he finishes well. I don’t know that he’ll be a superstar, but he does have a pretty good skillset.

Fernando Delgado (‘06) is a keeper with a good blend of tools. He has average or slightly above-average size, he’s good with his feet, he’s quick off his line, and he’s able to make some acrobatic saves. Where I think he struggles is that he’s pretty weak commanding his area on aerial balls. He’s not strong enough going for the ball. I think this will improve with time, but he makes too many errors in this area. He made this exact type of error in the final that would’ve evened the score at 1, but he was bailed out by a very soft foul call. I’ve seen him make this same error 4-5 times in about that many games. I do like his game, but I think he’s still a little raw.

Abokye Bikyeombe (‘06) is not a player who is going to attract much attention to his game. He’s a #6 with a very good motor, good positioning, quickness, and tackling skills. His passing and ability on the ball is basic, but not bad. He’s likely not a high upside player, but I think he plays a role that will see him become a pro. Gershon Henry (‘06) is a CB with good size and speed. He reads the game well defensively. His technique is lacking, but he has a good base of defense/athleticism.

 

Some of them are, but Chicago loads up their U-19's on almost all their prospects between the '03-'05 age groups. They are very aggressive throughout the different levels of promoting players, so you usually see their teams at lower levels devoid of a lot of their top age-eligible talent. Their U-17's are pretty bad, and only have one '04 or '05 that is any level of prospect. Also, most of the top academies don't take the U-19 age group seriously. A lot of them don't even have U-19 teams, so the competition is very diluted. Chicago may have the best U-19 team, but it means very little.

I think in most years the U-15 or U-17 divisions would be considered better age groups to win, although the team that won the U-17's this year did so without many real prospects and without outplaying their competition, so maybe Chicago's U-19 win looks better than PDA's U-17 win. I would say RSL U-15 win is the best of the three this year because they did it against good competition, they did it playing good soccer, and they did it with multiple very good prospects.

As for the players, I think Reynolds is probably the best of them. I'm skeptical that they will be signing him. He's better than numerous of their prior signings IMO (Rodriguez, Monis, probably also Gutierrez and Casas). I think he may want to go to Europe, but thats only speculation. Oregel isn't bad either, but he's a player I find very average at everything. He's exactly the type of player who'd do well playing up an age group or two, but probably isn't able to find a higher gear and excel once he gets to MLS. I suspect he'll be their next signing, but I wouldn't expect him to be an eventual star. I liked Gutierrez more at the same age.

There are some others like Belloli, McCloud, Fleming, Kocs-Washburn, Bezerra that will probably all play college soccer, and then Chicago would probably hope 2-3 of them are homegrown signings eventually and can be in the mold of players like Pineda, Lillard, Gutman, and Lindley that are top college soccer players, and are good enough for MLS deals. I thought their U-19's were very deep in eventual pro soccer players without having more than 1-2 players who will be better than average MLS players. I didn't see every U-19 team in this tournament to say that Chicago was the best, but it would not surprise me if they were the best team because having 1-2 very good prospects, and 5 or so average prospects should be more than enough to win the U-19 division.

 

I think it's a much bigger problem for the players that are already known. I don't think there's much hindrance if Colorado wanted to bring a very good 13 year old player from North Carolina into their academy that nobody knows about. I don't think MLS would be trying to enforce the HG territories for that because there's probably too much ground to cover with regulating every signing these MLS clubs make to their academies at every level, but I think if Colorado tried to sign Chris Thaggard (a player who is well known and regarded as one of the best 05's) from Charlotte's academy to a first team deal (or to put him in their U-17's to sign him after a few months), that would be something they wouldn't allow.

 

If our best athletes played soccer. Alex Freeman's father is a former All-Pro receiver in the NFL.

Celebrating at the @MLS NEXT Cup Inaugural U17 National Championship!!

Congratulation Alex Freeman and the Orlando City U17 Champs! 🏆 #HeDidWhat #soccer #Champs pic.twitter.com/UTz6CmTLTu

— Antonio Freeman (@afreeman86) July 4, 2021

 

I personally don’t see Rodriguez as a worthwhile player to mention. I’ve watched this team play beforehand, as well. I’ve been wrong before, but I think the tools matters more than stats from any one game. I saw someone mention last week in this forum how a player is playing very well in USL because he scored two goals. The two goals were a deflected shot that wasn’t initially going in and a scramble situation on a corner kick. The player showed nothing in the game, but ended with two lucky goals. Goals scored don’t matter if the tools aren’t there IMO.

Just my opinion on this. I’m sure Fire fans are thrilled with their championship and congratulations. I’d be slightly less thrilled due to their circumstances, but there are some worthwhile prospects on the team and it wasn’t a fluke victory like PDA in the U-17 bracket.