2021-2022 Academy Season

Point? Keep happy the non-MLS clubs and parents who are figuring out the difference between EPP and PPP and annoyed that they are in the MLS Next league and not regular playing MLS teams.

 

The only reason I would advise against it is because there is occasionally some decision about ECNL or USL Academy.

 

My mistake. Thats correct.

 

Anyone seen the schedule for the MLS Next Flex event in Boyd's MD May 14-17th? Looking for game times... Thanks.

 

Point of MLS Flex? It allows half the season to include MLS Academy teams with non-MLS Academy teams and the other half the two are entirely separate (except in U16 and U19, where there are not enough MLS Academy teams for their own group), and then it allows teams to qualify for playoffs from each group -- from a Flex group play event for the top finishing teams in the first half and from league tables directly from the second half of the season. For U16 and U19, both groups are almost completely non-MLS Academy teams, but each does have some MLS Academies competing at least this year. For U15 and U17, it allows the best non-MLS Academy teams to qualify for playoffs and it weeds out the weaker MLS Academy teams. MLS Flex doesn't take every team (unlike Winter and Summer showcases), so that might weed out the weakest of the teams as well for slightly better competition overall in Maryland.

Plus, it basically creates a Spring showcase event for college recruiting to go along with the Winter showcase and the Summer showcase (that parallels the playoffs). That allows them to host events in the East, Middle, and West of the country to enable more college recruiters to see the players.

 

Thank you. I understood the point of the "MLS Flex" part of the league year in general, my point was that it would be great if this Maryland event was specifically geared towards college recruiting (and if clubs/teams would approach it from that standpoint - there are many players buried on MLS Academy rosters who are only getting marginal playing time but are more likely to go to college than many of the starters, and I feel for those players not getting visibility with college coaches).

But, you make a good point - there is a dual-purpose here, this event supposedly provides an opportunity for non-MLS academies to qualify for the playoffs. I also appreciate what you said in terms of having an event in the west (Norco in December), central (GA Cup) and east (this event). Makes sense.

 

This isn't quite accurate. Non-MLS Academies don't need this event to qualify for playoffs. It's simply provides a second route to playoffs for all teams. In fact, specific to the U15 and 17 age groups, I think it was created to get more MLS teams into playoffs. The Pro Pathway divisions only get 1 team to qualify for playoffs and in the larger divisions 2 (same with the Elite Pathway) for a total of 32 teams. That would leave a lot of MLS clubs out of playoffs if that was the only path.

The Flex event creates an alternate route where MLS and non-MLS alike can compete against each other for the remaining 32 spots. FYI, if a team is in 1st place in their league and qualifies for playoffs through Flex, then the league spot drops down to the next team. Creates an interesting dynamic where conference opponents that are normally rivals will be routing for each other at the flex event to try and get their conference more playoff spots

 

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I was also trying to say that it creates two pathways to the playoffs. When I said it allows the best non-MLS Academy teams to qualify for the playoffs, I was speaking of the overall structure. MLS could have set up the leagues entirely separate from each other and not have playoffs at all between the two leagues. Inter-division play would count for their separate standings under that approach, but there still would be no pathway for a non-MLS Academy team to actually compete for the overall age group title against MLS Academy teams. This approach does allow for that and the MLS Flex event allows for more MLS Academy-non-MLS Academy teams to face each other.

While you may be right that it gives a chance for more MLS Academy teams to qualify for the playoffs, my understanding is that a motivation was for MLS to be responsive to one of the complaints levied against the league (generally by parents of teams in other leagues) that the non-MLS Academy teams will be in an entirely separate league and won't face MLS Academy teams much, if at all. The TDs of the non-MLS clubs lobbied for a structure that allowed more opportunities for this interaction so they could realize the benefits of the MLS affiliation.

 

Doesn't the normal regular season determine if non-MLS academies make the playoffs already. I think I'm missing something.

 

If you look at the MLS Next website, there is a place to look at Flex standings (1st time through the bracket, which includes MLS academies) and then switch to League standings (2d time through the bracket, where there aren’t games v MLS academies, at least in U15/U17). League division winners qualify for playoffs. Flex results qualify some % of the bracket for MLS Flex event, where the winners of each group qualify for playoffs.

 

Anyone know where I can find/see the groups specifically for the U17s and the schedule for all age groups? Thanks...

 

We shall see. There are some stacked divisions, holding firm with only taking the top 1 or 2 from each "pro league" division would leave several of the top teams out of the playoffs (unless they win their group at MLS Flex). The west division for example: LAFC, Sounders, Galaxy, San Jose, RSL - will we really see three of these teams stuck at home come late June? Somehow I suspect all of those teams will be in. It happened last year under similar circumstances.

 

Seconding this - at a minimum, has the MLS Next Flex Maryland Event chart that was previously posted in this thread with the groups been updated to fix the glitch? (It had listed the U19 groups twice and had left out the U17 groups.)

 

Did not expect to hear Fabrizio Romano chiming in on American U-14 players, but he mentioned this on his podcast.

Thank you @FabrizioRomano … let’s Go Decarlo Guerra more good things on your way just keep working hard … pic.twitter.com/dHTzoteMaA

— Decarlo Guerra (@Izenia8) April 28, 2022

 

U17 groups for the MLS Flex event in Maryland

 

We'll soon see the MLS Flex Next Hex @ Metroplex

 

Some clubs have their game times for the Maryland Flex event. Anyone have the full schedule? Thanks

 

Found it:
https://www.modular11.com/events/event/view/groupplay/33

 

Anyone with any further information on the 2022 Patterson Cup that SKC is putting on for U12s, U13s, and U14s.
Thanks

 

OK so how many teams are in the playoffs for MLS Next Cup. Last year they had 32 teams (Top 4 from each of the 8 divisions), are they expanding to 64?

In the Flex League there at 8 divisions, and in the Pro path there are only 3 divisions (East, Central, and West). Just curious where the teams for the MLS Cup this year are coming from. Also, heard that they are expanding to the U14 age this year?

The path for MLS teams to make it to the playoffs is much easier than the path for non-academy teams. They have 3 ways to get to the MLS Cup compared to 2. The only real advantage for Non-Academy teams is if they are in a strong division and their academies gain access through the pro or Flex Tournament. Looking at the brackets there are 1-3 academy teams in each bracket. If they are only taking the winners, you would guess that it is to help the second or third academy team in their Flex group to get a bid to the MLS Cup as mentioned above. If I just take a look at If you look at the Flex Tournament each group has an MLS academy team in the group N U15 Colorado (7th in Flex League), Atlanta (2nd in Flex League), and Orlando (3rd in Flex League). These teams also are not at the top of their Pro Division. This tournament looks like as mentioned very much an opportunity for MLS academies that wouldn't make the MLS Cup Playoffs to have an opportunity to make the playoffs. If they are only taking the Top teams from the Flex league this really only hurts the Non-MLS academy teams unless as mentioned you are in a strong group and the MLS team above you in Flex can make the playoffs. If you look at the Southeast division in Flex with Charlotte at the top, Atlanta, and Nashville in 2 and 3rd. If you are Southern Academy is to win the tournament group or hope that these three teams win their groups.

I do like the additional opportunity to play against the MLS academies and have another tournament to showcase players on a national level. But this tournament's goal is to aid MLS teams to get into the MLS Cup playoffs as mentioned. Especially if they don't expand the number of teams taken from the Flex league.

 

I'll probably have one more write-up before the end of the season after this, but I'm almost done watching the academy leagues this season. I've seen enough of most of these teams by now.

Minnesota U-15: My evaluations didn’t really change on this team from the last time I saw them play. They are really bad, but it’s a very young team. Probably the youngest team of all the MLS academies in this age group. They have a lot of 08’s and even some 09’s that play regularly for them. Not that many 07’s. Best prospects from what I’ve seen are Prince Massaquoi (‘08) and Emin Lilic (‘08). Massaquoi is a very athletic CF with size, speed, and power. Also has some dribbling ability. Really hard to judge much more because his team almost never has the ball and he’s playing against older players. Emin Lilic (‘08) played LB in this game. I’ve previously seen him at LCB. I think he’s a CB. Don’t think he has the speed for LB. Did show very nice composure on the ball at LB though and defended well. I’ve previously thought he defends well, except for some errors, which isn’t unusual for a U-14 playing up with the U-15’s.

Tim Dennis (‘09) is one of the first 09’s to play at the U-15 level for an MLS academy. He’s the fourth I’ve seen. Minnesota had another ‘09 kid in this team that will likely be on the radar at some point, but what I’ve very briefly seen doesn’t make me think he needs to be mentioned yet. Dennis is a winger/AM with some quickness, skill, soccer IQ, and combination ability. I didn’t see anything that great, but he looked like he belonged playing up two years, which likely bodes well for how he’ll do against his own age group (or even players a year older).

Colorado U-15: Diego Gurrola (‘07) in goal for Colorado looks much improved. This was only one game I’ve seen of him recently, but if his now his normal level, then this guy is right up there among the best ‘07 GK’s. He looked to be a little taller and more commanding than what I had seen earlier in the season. He’s pretty athletic and good with his feet, although his distribution can be inconsistent, which isn’t unusual for a U-15. Maddox Brown (‘07) has such a great read of the game for a CB. The rest of his game is probably only slightly above-average in most areas, but this game breaks up so many plays because he knows where to be and anticipates plays so well.

LAFC U-15: DeCarlo Guerra (‘08) completely dominated against a pretty good San Jose team. There’s been some discussion recently about how athletic this kid actually is. I think with average quickness he has incredible range and athleticism. He bothers midfielders and forwards so much with the wingspan of his legs. If he’s half a step or two away, these players already are seeing footsteps, and know he’ll take the ball from them. It’s like these basketball centers that have 7’8/7’9 wingspans, and swat away anything near the rim.

These kids at this age really have no chance against the ground he can cover. It’ll be interesting to see if this big advantage continues as he moves up levels. He’s doing this against kids a year older, so consider that also. I think this should translate to higher academy levels and then you suspect he’ll eventually reach the pro game, but I think it’s fair to ask the degree it’ll translate as he gets older. The players who usually cover a lot of ground at the top level of the pro game are the players with incredible quickness. Guerra does it a little differently.

Jude Terry (‘08) is Guerra’s back up, and he’s a good player. Doesn’t play that much, but I like what I see. He’s more of a conventional defensive midfielder. Can do a little of everything. No huge standout abilities. The long hair for an American defensive midfielder of this style reminds me a little of Justin Haak.

Portland U-15: After closer analysis, Eli White (‘07) is a good prospect. Wasn’t only the GA Cup. He’s behind the best prospect in the academy on the depth-chart, and how many teams will play two left-footed CB’s together? He’s not great at anything, but a CB with a lot of slightly above-average tools. Stands out regularly though at this level.

Maximo Nystom (‘07) is the usual starter at LCB for this team. He’s really good. I think he’s a little better than I thought, and I thought he was pretty good. Big CB, like 6’2 or 6’3 already, who does a very good job in the build up game. Always trying to play aggressive passes over a few lines. Defensively, he’s good, but he’s a slight gambler and his quickness is probably only average. To be clear since he’s also injured right now, this was a game from before GA Cup. Eric Izoita (‘07) isn’t a bad prospect either. Left-footed CM with good technique. I think his game looks a little more interesting though than it actually is. I wouldn’t say he’s a regular difference maker. Maybe he develops into one eventually.

Seattle U-15: As I’ve said previously, this group is weaker for Seattle. One player I was very impressed with is Braulio Navarette (‘07). Holding midfielder. Shields the back line. Can pass the ball, good composure on the ball. Wins some tackles. Has good enough size and athleticism. Not very flashy, but gets the job done. Reminds me a little of Diego Letayf who was part of the FC Dallas ‘02 crop. This team had three 08’s. The best of the three seemed to be Kelvin Luis-Brito (‘08). He’s a #10. Small, plays quick, good technique, good soccer IQ, good ball control. Some creativity and passing ability. Quickness is probably right at average. He’s going to need to develop physically/athletically to become more than an average prospect, but he’s also playing up an age group and is pretty good at this level.

Mitchell Emert (‘08) at RB is a defensive RB. Has good size for the position, pretty good with his positioning and read of the game. Not much of an attacking presence, and his quickness for RB may be questionable. I would not be surprised if he’s normally a defensive midfielder deputizing at RB. Mohammed Shour (‘07) is a GK with high upside, but he’s very inconsistent from what I’ve seen. Can have games where he does great. He also has a pretty good all-around skillset for a GK and he’s very athletic. He can also make some big errors, and more often than you’d expect of a starting U-15 GK for an MLS academy.

San Jose U-15: The goalie Chris Nguyen (‘07) is good and pretty consistent at this level, but he will really need to grow taller to continue on a path to being a high level pro. He’s small without any elite tools, so his upside is limited, unless he grows. Emmanuel Garcia (‘07) at CB has good size, and about average tools aside from his size. Not a high-end prospect, but there’s some pro upside there. Rohan Rajagopal (‘07) is better than I previously credited him as. What you see with San Jose is what we saw with the US U-15’s. I’m just not convinced about his ceiling. He has average size and athleticism for a #6. Not particularly great at anything. Good all-around player, and consistent at this level. Will he reach the pro game? Probably. Do I think he has upside to play for the San Jose first team? I’m not sure. I liked

Owen Anderson (‘07) more earlier in the season than I do now. He has some craftiness from the #10 position, but I wouldn’t say he’s outright creative, and I don’t know that there’s anything too high-end about the offensive potential from the position. Oliver Hernandez (‘07) is the best of their starting midfielders. He plays in a #8 position now because Rajagopal plays as a #6. I think Hernandez long-term is a deep-lying #6. He’s like a bigger version of Rajagopal. Nothing flashy, but does a pretty good job in a number of facets of the game.

Tomo Allen (‘07) is the best of the ‘07 prospects in this team. Big target forward, like 6’2/6’3. Very elite technique for a CF. Reminds me a little in that way of Zlatan. Due to his technique, he can manipulate the ball to score in ways most strikers cannot. I don’t mean this offensively because I maintain this guy was the most talented American of his generation and hasn’t reached his best for numerous reasons, but there’s some Juan Agudelo to his game technique-wise and athletically for the position. Agudelo may be a little faster, and Allen is a little taller. Allen for his size is a pretty good athlete. Not a burner, but he’s not slow. Very good passer for a CF. Can create good chances for his teammates as a playmaker, but he should shoot more. He’s too unselfish. Good soccer IQ. He’s already very good at this level and scores goals regularly, but I feel like he can get better. He’s further from his ceiling than most of the other top CF’s in the ‘07 age group, but his upside may be the highest.

Oliver Tan (‘08) at RB is a player I find to be pretty good. He’s improved a lot from the beginning of the season from what I’ve seen. I wasn’t that impressed with his game prior to the last few months. He’s an all-around RB. Are there some errors defensively? Yes, but I think for a kid playing up an age group as a defender he projects to be an above-average defensive player. Going forward, I don’t know that he’s overly dynamic, but does a lot well. This isn’t saying that much because I haven’t seen any great fullbacks yet in the ‘08 age group, but he’s the best I’ve seen so far because he does pretty much everything at an above-average level, even if he doesn’t do anything at a great level.

Kaelen Dougan (‘08) is the other ‘08 in this team. Also a pretty good prospect. Hard to say which of the two is better. Dougan is an attacking midfielder, probably more of a winger than #10, although he can play both. Best way to describe him is that he makes plays. Always attacking defenders. I don’t know that he’s that great at any part of the game, but he’s quick, has some creativity, good dribbler, can combine with teammates, and his soccer IQ isn’t bad either.

Minnesota U-17: Tamer Ibsais (‘05) is a good ball-winner in midfielder. He’s not bad either with his passing, but he’s really more of a destroyer. Justin Arias (‘06) is also a midfielder on this team. He’s a better passer than Ibsais. Better technically, but also not bad defensively either and probably an average athlete. Merrick Schaefer (‘05) may be able to play RB, but I can’t see this guy ending up as a CB. Christopher Vang (‘05) gives good effort and is versatile, but not a high upside player.

Houston U-15: Lionel Gitau (‘08) looks a little quicker than I’d seen prior. If this guy makes athletic gains, he’ll be one of the best players in his age group. I would already say he’s pretty good without being a great athlete, but he could be extremely good. His technique, soccer IQ, passing vision, and combination play is all very good. Omar Bolanos (‘08) is a solid all-around #8. He’s playing up an age group, so let’s see how he does against his own age group, but he’s a good player without much flash. Jose Nunez (‘07) is a very good fullback. May be their best ‘07. He usually plays LB, but is right footed. Very good soccer IQ. Close to elite soccer IQ. He’s not that athletic or skilled, but he somehow is able to constantly make positive plays on both sides of the ball.

Sebastian Rodriguez (‘07) is a very good defensive player in midfield. Basic with the ball, but he’ll be a pro because he can make defensive plays in midfield. His athleticism is average or better. Ryan Sterling (‘07) is a CB with above average athleticism, and enough defensive ability and passing ability to have some pro potential. Axel Gonzalez (‘07) is a very small midfielder. Not too flashy, but good at this level, pretty good technically and defensively. May be limited as he moves up levels due to being very undersized. Chris Guillen (‘07) has incredible composure on the ball for a CB. He looks like an attacking midfielder that plays CB. I think he’s going to move to DM eventually where his passing ability should still be very valuable. Defensively, he can be inconsistent, but I think his defensive ability is good enough. He’s one of the better 07’s on this team.

FC Dallas U-15: Myles Nicholes (‘07) was excellent in this game. His athleticism is such a big advantage against kids his own age. He’s able to make so many defensive plays because of it. He still had an error or two, but nothing too bad. If he can limit the errors, he’ll be really good. Kaden King (‘07) at LB isn’t the most consistent performer and I don’t think he’s often one of the better players on this team, but the tools are there. He’s a LB who is a good passer, combines well into the attack, and reads the game pretty well defensively. The defensive consistency isn’t there, especially with his positioning. Athletically, his quickness may also be slightly lacking.

As I mentioned recently, I don’t know that Zach Molomo (‘08) has such high upside. IMO he’s a well-rounded CF with above-average athleticism, but the rest of his game is mostly average. First game I’ve seen of Matthew Razo (‘08). He was playing as a #6. I see some potential there. He’s a good passer, he makes quick decisions with the ball, and he has some range to make tackles. He’s also very willing to put in tackles. He made a lot of errors though in this game and his positioning wasn’t always good. Let’s see how he does next season against players his own age. He showed some potential.

Nashville U-17: Justin Cox (‘05) is a pretty generic GK. Average or slightly better size, average or slightly better shot-stopper. Not really that notable in any other part of the game. Alejandro Carrillo (‘05) is a CB with above-average passing, and probably average size, mobility, and defensive ability. Good prospect. Maybe the most consistent performer on this team. Alejandro Velasquez-Lopez (‘06) is a #10 with good passing ability and a pretty good athletic profile for the position. Doesn’t do a lot else. I feel like his performances are underwhelming sometimes for his tools, but he did play very well in one of these games I watched, so more of that would help how he projects.

Brendan French (‘05) at CB has good size, is mobile enough, passes the ball well enough and can make some defensive plays, but he’s error prone. I would say he’s a very fringe prospect. If he puts it all together, he has pro upside, but probably not high pro upside. Adem Sipic (‘06) is the best prospect in this team IMO. They were using him at LW in these games. He’s a target forward, so I don’t understand it. You still see his talent at LW. He thinks very quick, he has some skill on the ball, he’s a good passer for a target guy, and he’s looking to always go forward. I don’t think his pace is more than average for his size. He’s not a winger, but when used inside he’s a very effective player.

Atlanta U-17: Alan Carleton (‘05) was dominant in this game. Probably the best game I’ve seen this kid play. He’s at his best when you give him time to pick apart a defense. He’s one of the most offensively talented #8’s in the ‘05 age group when he has that time and space. His feet are lightning quick, his composure on the ball is unmatched by probably any ‘05, he’s a very good passer, he has a very good soccer IQ, and he’s creative. Joao Ramos (‘05) is a player I hadn’t been impressed with previously, but I liked what I saw in this game. He’s a #6 that is above-average with his buildup play, and probably about average athletically/defensively.

Kyle Jansen (‘06) is one of two good ‘06 GK’s at this club. Their two best 06’s are probably the GK’s. Jansen has very good size for the position, his athleticism for his size is about average, and his passing is also about average. I don’t understand why this club seems to dislike Ty Wilson (‘05). He barely plays, yet every time I’ve seen this guy play over the years I’m very impressed. He’s one of the most explosive wingers in the ‘05 age group. He’s always beating defenders. I don’t see the noticeable faults in his game either, although I’m not claiming he’s some star. I just don’t see why he’s not playing more regularly.

Orlando U-17: Dominic Bell (‘06) played very well before he was subbed out with an injury. If this guy can show consistency, he’ll be a great player. He must be 6’4 already, and he’s very athletic. He also passes the ball at a slightly above-average level for a CB. His issue has been defensive consistency. Zakaria Taifi (‘05) is the other starting CB. A lot of tools right around average, aside from I’d say his ability to read the game defensively is slightly better than that. May lack upside, but a consistent player with some pro potential. Favian Loyola (‘05) is not a winger. I like this player, but if you use him as a winger it’s not going to work. He’s a #10.

Ethan Subachan (‘05) is a player I’ve heard a lot about recently as getting some buzz beyond this academy, and I think it’s too much. I think he’s probably the best current prospect in this academy and he’s a good player, but I don’t really see any star upside. He’s below prior academy guys like Freeman, Williams, Halliday for me pretty clearly. He’s a pretty fast CF with some skill, but at best he has average size, and other than speed I don’t see any tools more than slightly above-average.

Tahir Reid-Brown (‘06) is a player with some pretty good upside IMO. He’s a LB with a lot of tools that project as slightly-above average. He’s athletic, he’s pretty good defensively, and going forward he’s competent technically and can play quick combinations. I don’t know if he’s as raw as someone like Bell, but consistency is the obstacle for him because the tools are there to be a good player at LB.

I like Alejandro Granados (‘06) more now than I previously did. I was worried about how this kid would develop athletically, but his development in this area hasn’t been too bad. I don’t think he’s ever going to have more than below-average size/speed for the position, but he’s tall enough and quick enough that he can compete at the pro level IMO. He’s also a player with a pretty good understanding of the game on both sides of the ball, and good passing ability. He’s a midfielder. I think his upside is higher as a deep-lying #6 because I don’t see much attacking ability as a #8, but if you are worried about his defensive play as a #6 then maybe you have to use him as a #8.

Inter Miami U-17: Don’t have that much to add about this team, but Felipe Valencia (‘05) continues to play extremely well in the games I’ve seen from him recently with the U-17’s. He’s playing mostly as a RW cutting inside on his left and he’s the standout using his combination of dribbling, quickness, technique, combination play, and creativity.

Philadelphia Union U-15: Cavan Sullivan (‘09) once again had a good game. He had a highlight-reel run to draw a penalty, which he converted. He was excellent early on, but did trail off a little in the second half. Henry Bernstein (‘07) hasn’t played much this season due to injury. I think this was the first time I had seen him play all season. He was playing with the U-15’s last season, so I guess you could say he’s not really behind and the early advantage helped him not fall behind. He’s a good player in a #6 role. He could even be used as a #8. I think he’s a pro. I just don’t see high upside. He’s a very generic midfielder. A lot of average tools. Not much that stands out.

Zach Greer (‘07) doesn’t play that much because the other two Union CB’s are very good, but I think he’s a pretty good player at CB. He’s a good athlete with good size, and the rest of his tools are mostly average or better. This was a better game for Kellan LeBlanc (‘08). He was very influential offensively in the second half. Needs consistency. The talent is there, but playing up an age group his play is very up and down.

Gavin Atkinson (‘07) in goal is a player I expect to be signed to a pro contract within the next year. I think we see him move up to the U-17’s in the Fall, and then I suspect he’ll get a pro contract early in 2023. This kid is a giant. He must be 6’4 already. He does a lot well in goal. I know there are some who think he’s not athletic enough, but I think his athleticism is probably about average for a GK. He was obviously an early developer physically, but he’s also presently very good, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in the pro game a little earlier than most. In some ways he reminds me of Gavin Beavers, who also was playing against pros early on as a GK.

Orlando U-15: Aside from the U-15 NT GK who didn’t play in either of these games, I think Lucas Quinones (‘08) is probably the best prospect in this team. He’s a LB playing up an age group, and he makes a pretty good impact. Very technical, good passer, gets forward well. Pretty good soccer IQ. He has some quickness, but he’s undersized as a late ‘08 playing against mostly 07’s. Defensively, his positioning needs work, but he processes the game defensively at a good level and when he’s in position he can usually make the play. I see some similarities to Brian Alanis from the ‘06 age group. I haven’t seen all the top ‘08 fullbacks, but Quinones is the best I’ve seen so far.

Colin Guske (‘07) is I think the 3rd or 4th Guske brother we’ve seen that is a relevant prospect, and they are all pretty similar. Good read of the game defensively, pretty mobile, pretty good passer. Consistent, but undersized for a CB and doesn’t do anything too flashy. Could be moved to DM. Marshall Treese (‘07) is a CM/CB with pretty good upside. Average size, but really explosive with his dribbling. Can play some passes, has some skill on the ball. He can win the ball back. They use him as a midfielder and as a CB in a back 3. I think he’s a lot more of a midfielder.

Bernardo Goncalves (‘07) is an attacker, either a winger or AM, with some explosiveness, skill, and dribbling ability. Limited sample and I didn’t see anything too great, but looks to have some talent. Theo Franca (‘07) is the player who has played up with their Next Pro team. I have to say that I was not impressed by what I saw playing for the U-15’s. It’s a pretty small sample and Orlando didn’t have that much possession, so he didn’t have that many attacking chances, but I don’t see more than marginal attacking skills at this point. He’s probably either a #10 or a winger. He has some skill and athletically is about average. I just don’t see much more than some flashes of nice plays, and nothing too great. Luca Zobel (‘07) at CB has a well-rounded skillset at CB. Nothing too high level, but a lot of average or slightly better tools and some consistency.

LA Galaxy U-17: Diego Rodriguez (‘05) scored two goals within 3-4 minutes. He had an overall very good game, and and created most of the danger for this LAG team. Riley Dalgado (‘06) actually started for one of the first times I’ve seen of this team all season, although admittedly I don’t watch all their games. He’s an average prospect. I don’t mind him. He has some skill on the ball, average athlete, average defensively. There’s some low level upside, and the bar is lower at LB, but I don’t know that he has high upside.

Real Salt Lake U-17: Jude Wellings (‘06) had a pretty good game. He started a little slow, but really turned it on in the second half. He’s so fundamentally sound as a midfielder. I mentioned this on twitter, but his ability to track runs is as good as you’ll see from an 8/10 at this level. This kid does the parts of the game already at a young age that you traditionally need to teach talented prospects to do for them to eventually reach the pro game. That’s part of why I think we’ll see him earlier than most with the first team. He has the talent, but he also does the basics extremely well that some prospects need to learn.

Axel Kei (‘07) also had a good performance. This attack is very isolated usually. It’s Kei, Wellings, and occasionally one or two others, but they get very little support, so that isolates Kei a lot. He’s a counter-attacking striker, but it still isn’t easy to play this role. He had some nice runs with the ball, and almost finished a chance for a goal. One area where I think most would think he’s not good at is his soccer IQ. Just because he’s an early developer athletically doesn’t mean he has a low soccer IQ. I don’t think he’s great in this area, but it’s certainly not anything I’ve noticed as a problem. He makes the right decision usually. Joon Han (‘05) scored a great goal. He’s one of the more underrated players in this academy. He’s a talented midfielder, mostly for his passing, but the rest of his game isn’t too bad either.

LA Galaxy U-15: Jose Magana (‘07) is the best prospect in this team by a pretty significant margin IMO. He was playing CB in this game, but I’ve also seen him play as a DM. He has good size for either position, really good passer with the ability to step up into pressure, and find teammates in small windows. Defensively, he’s pretty good. Reads plays well. Some small errors, like most U-15’s, but positioning is usually pretty good and his reads are good. My main question is his quickness. I don’t think he’s going to be more than average. He may be slightly below-average.

Michael Gale (‘07) in goal is also a pretty good prospect. I like every part of his game other than he’s small. He has good soccer IQ for a GK, he’s very quick with his reflexes and off his line. He’s good with his feet, and he doesn’t make many errors. Max Parore (‘07) was subbed on late, but I think he’s one of their better prospects. Very good size for a CB. A little raw and his mobility may be questionable, but he has some good tools.

Lucas Sarvas (‘07) in CM is probably the second best pro prospect in this team after Magana. I believe he’s the son of the former LA Galaxy midfielder with the same last name. I checked and his father was not playing in MLS at the time he was born, so it’s possible Lucas may not yet be a citizen. He reminds me a lot of Alejandro Urzua. Very little flash from the #8 position, but a very good support player. Does dirty work, pretty athletic, can pass the ball, makes good decisions. A pretty good bet to be a successful pro. Gabriel Arnold (‘07) in the #6 position is a little undersized and he may not have any great tools, but can do some of everything as a holding midfielder. Liam Zubak (‘07) is a CB with a pretty average skillset across the board. Shows some consistency. There’s pro potential there, even if it’s not high pro potential.

I like Harbor Miller (‘07), but he’s not a winger. He’s a RB or RWB. Doesn’t have the attacking dynamism to be a winger. I’ve seen him used at both, so I hope they choose to develop him as a RB. Robert Mejia (‘08) was the only ‘08 playing up. Target forward, really strong for a kid his age and size. He’s not even that tall. Does a lot of the target work. Lays the ball off for teammates to bring them into the play. Athletically, he’s slightly above average and I would say his ball skills are similar. Don’t know if I see high upside, but let’s see how he does next year against kids his own age.

Dallas Cup Finals:

Solar U-15: Solar won the U-15 division of the Dallas Cup. Would make sense to see some of the other better non-MLS academies play in this tournament yearly. I think I finally see some of the hype Caleb Swann (‘07) has gotten. He’s just a good soccer player. He makes really good decisions for a player his age and is clinical in the final third. He’s an attacking midfielder without any tools that look too flashy, but he seems to have an impact on games due to his IQ and final third ability. It’s possible he doesn’t have a high ceiling, but he’s at least a relevant prospect IMO.

Luke Munson (‘07) played a very good game. His 1v1 ability for a CB is excellent. Really hard to beat. Has the speed to defend 1v1, has the overall athleticism, and he doesn’t bite for fakes. He usually takes the ball from the opposing player when they try to isolate him 1v1. An above-average passer of the ball, but can be a little too inaccurate with some longer passes, although that’s not too unusual for a player his age. His short passing with both feet is impressive for a young CB. Reads plays well. Positioning looked better in this game than the last few I’ve seen, so he may be improving there.

El Salvado U-19: Watched this team from the Dallas Cup final because they have a lot of US-eligible kids on the team. Alejandro Cano (‘04) had an average performance. Very non-descript. Had a few nice longer passes. Not involved too much in the goals against for his team. Quiet game for him, which isn’t always a bad thing for a CB.

This was the first game I’ve seen of Nathan Ordaz (‘04) of LAFC. I’ve heard and read a lot about this guy. He’s now apparently been in U-20 camps for US, Mexico, and El Salvador. He was playing LW. He’s left-footed. I can’t say I was that impressed. He didn’t look out of place, but I was expecting him to stand out in some regard with his skillset, and I didn’t see anything that stood out. That doesn’t mean he may not be very good, but if he is, I didn’t see it in this game. Jeremy Garay (‘03) did his usual effective enough, yet quiet, holding midfielder performance. Don’t really see much from Danny Rios (‘03) in attacking midfield.