2021-2022 Academy Season

I have watched SJ play at least 7 games this season. Only two (both in Norco) did they generate significant chances. It hasn't been simply an issue of finishing with them. That team appeared to peak at Norco, but hasn't been the same since. Teams and players ebb and flow (yet scouts/coaches seem to etch impressions into their mind about players/teams without taking that into account). I appreciate your analysis, and usually agree with it, but I can't sign onto a statement like "if everyone's healthy no team beats them". First, every team deals with injuries, I doubt theirs have been unusual and a caveat like that can be appropriate for a single game or event, but not for an entire season. Second, that statement just doesn't square with the data points I have, nor with their season-long results.

Seattle's backline is very good. But, this is a popular and yet rather simplistic analysis of that team. If you watched GA Cup closely, the defense wasn't heavily challenged in most of those games, because the team 1-11 (well, more accurately at least 10) are strong in defending and don't allow the back to be challenged too heavily. There is a lot behind the scenes in soccer (as you well know), including 'building value' in players for business factors, etc., that lead to some of the recognition that is awarded.

 

If I had to pick one team (to win the U17 cup), it would be Philadelphia - provided they bring Darboe and Pierre, which I am not sure they will do. That team plays gross soccer, but they are very difficult to play against and they have the easiest bracket of any of the top teams.

If San Jose gets past Miami, I think NYCFC will beat them. NYCFC is an underrated team that plays very smart soccer.

 

As a fan of the Quakes, I don’t have a lot of expectations for the U17s. Quakes released several Next/Pro players to participate in the U20 championships. Quakes2 have been playing several U17 guys to cover for them. Players like Emi Ochoa and Ethan Kohler might not go (along with Niko Tsakiris of course).

 

These are mostly games from the last two or so months. A few of them were from before that because I lacked roster info until now. I thought I'd have one more write-up though before the playoffs.

Part 1:

FC Cincinnati U-17: Matthew Schenfeld (‘06) probably isn’t developing exactly as he could’ve. I’d say he’s a player who I’d downgrade a little in my assessment of his potential, but I still do think he’s a very good prospect. The level of skill and attacking ability we saw last season hasn’t been materializing to the same extent this season. Part of that may be that this team doesn’t play good football and plays a very defensive system, but I also think that he’s too wasteful on the ball. His game has become very chaotic offensively.

I also do wonder if he’s been told to tone down some of the tricks and flair he shows. He’s capable of it, and maybe he starts really turning up the offensive game at some point, but I’ve been a little disappointed with what I’ve seen from his offensive game this season. His defensive game and athleticism has been progressing well. I don’t think he’s ever going to be particularly fast, but I think he’s fast enough that this part of his game isn’t a liability. Defensively, I think this part of his game is very underrated. He’s known more for his offensive game and he had some struggles with positioning and turnovers in bad areas early in the season, but he’s adjusted well to this level defensively, and I think he projects as a good defensive RB.

FCC’s best ‘05 IMO Sam Vota (‘05) has left the club. I don’t really understand what the coach is seeing. When I watch this team he’s the main protagonist of the buildup. He’s a good passer. He’s also pretty athletic. Good size and moves well. Defensively, he’s also good. I’ve compared him before to Marcus Ferkranus. That’s a player he reminds me of. I don’t know the full story. The club has their reasons for not rating him as I did and they do have other good CB’s on this team, but every time he plays (which hasn’t been that often the second half of the season), he’s been one of their best players from the games I’ve seen. I still think this is a player to watch for long-term, regardless of that he left FCC.

Chicago Fire U-17: Luka Ivancic (‘05) is a player who has impressed me recently. He’s a two-way #8 with a good all-around game. No real big strengths or weaknesses, but he has a pretty good impact. Nicholas Nobles (‘07) is a pretty good player at this level, but I just don’t see high upside watching him. He’s playing up an age group, and he’s able to perform pretty well. Defensively, I find him pretty good for his age. He’s also pretty quick and he doesn’t have worse than average height for the position. His passing is very inconsistent. He can play some nice passes, but he also misplays a lot of them and when pressured he tends to struggle. I see an above-average defender who is average in most areas with some deficits with his technique. He’s an above-average prospect, but he’s not someone I’d regard as someone with high upside.

I don’t understand what the overall plan is with this team. They have a lot of 05’s that they use, and almost none of them are any good. Their ‘05 age group, aside from Oregel and one or two others, isn’t very good. Their ‘06 age group is better, but from the games I’ve seen they give way too much priority to the 05’s, most of whom are non-prospects. One ‘06 who didn’t play much and has left the club is Joel Ineh (‘06). IMO, he’s the best of their U-17 prospects. You can’t teach that level of athleticism and he’s also pretty good technically. They’ve had him all over defensively. He mostly just plays where they have a few garbage minutes to give him. He does need to work on how he processes the game defensively. He’s too error-prone at this point, but I don’t think the lack of a consistent position and lack of playing time does him much good.

Michael Ramirez (‘06) impresses me whenever I’ve seen him play this season. I also thought he was very good last season. He doesn’t play too much though. He’s their back up striker. He has very good foot skills, makes quick decisions, has a good soccer IQ, and he’s about an average athlete. He should be playing more.

SKC U-17: Ryan Reid (‘06) is a good player. One of their better 06’s IMO. I always like his offensive impact. Plays quick, has some quickness, good technique, good soccer IQ. He’s more crafty than outright creative, but can make some plays. They use him a lot as a winger. I think long-term he’s a #10, but he can play out wide. Nico Pendleton (‘05) is a player I don’t mind. I don’t think he’s great. He’s a pretty generic #8, but a good passer, and a lot of tools right around average. I don’t think he has a particularly high ceiling, but I think he does have first team potential.

Santa Cruz U-15: I’ve been going back and trying to watch some of Scott Chavira (‘07), who has been part of a few ‘07 camps. I would say he’s a good prospect, but not a great one. He’s a left-footed CB with good passing ability, and defensively he’s above average with his read of the game. He has about average size and average speed. I don’t know that much stands out about his game other than the passing ability, but he’s not a big liability in any part of the game either.

SC Del Sol U-15: Anthony Perez (‘07) is a player I had recommended to me. Ordinarily, I don’t watch ECNL games, but I was told this kid is pretty good. After watching him play, he’s a pretty interesting player. He’s a player that should be playing at a higher level. I’m sure he’ll be playing for a Next Pro team within a year or two. He’s too good not to IMO, unless he really just does not want to move clubs. He plays in a sort of #10 role for this team. The competition isn’t great, so that’s something to keep in mind. He’s able to do whatever he wants against this level of competition.

He has good size for the position, he’s very two-footed, very good passer, and has excellent foot skills. He’s able to beat players and create space for himself by doing a bunch of tricks on the ball without actually moving very far. Opposing players cannot defend his foot skills. He also strikes the ball extremely well. In this game I watched he had a shot from about 20 yards with his weak foot off the underside of the bar. Nearly a great goal. He also scored a goal, and nearly had another few more.

He has good soccer IQ also and combines well with teammates. The problem I see is his position. He has the size to play almost anywhere centrally (6, 8, 10, 9), but he’s a player who doesn’t play with much urgency. His quickness is probably a little below average, but it looks worse because of the pace he plays the game at. He slows the game down a lot. I don’t know what his best position will be. I would probably say he’s a #8 that you need to coax a better defensive game out of, but I think his position is up in the air and the main question surrounding him because he has a lot of talent.

Seattle U-15: Elijah Johnson-Warren (‘08) is an interesting prospect. CB with good size, two-footed CB with composure on the ball and can pass with both feet. Reads the game pretty well, and he’s mobile enough. I need to see more, but my initial impression is that he’s probably one of the better ‘08 CB’s. Mo Shour (‘07) was more consistent in these games than I’ve previously, and looked rather reliable. If this guy can be consistent, he’s one of the best ‘07 GK’s. It’s a little difficult to judge progression in this area because I don’t see him play game to game, and my viewings are erratic and infrequent. Kelvin Luis-Brito (‘08) is still a little iffy as a prospect IMO. There’s talent there with his ball control, soccer IQ, passing ability, and combination ability, but I don’t know that he’s too dynamic with any of his offensive skills or his athletic profile.

Columbus U-17: Taha Habroune (‘06) is a player I’ve started to notice more as the season has went on. He’s a #10. I don’t know that he shows anything too good, but there’s a good combination of tools for a #10. He’s someone to watch further. Gabe Cox (‘05) in a #8 position is rather technical for a #8. I don’t know that his game amounts to anything too good either, but his ball control, passing ability, and soccer IQ does stand out at this level. It’s not elite, but it’s a strength. His athletic/defensive profile is right around average or a little below.

Minnesota U-17: Not much new to add about this team. Justin Arias (‘06) in midfield is talented. He can play as either a #6 or #8. I don’t yet know which will be his best position. He’s inconsistent in the games I’ve seen. He shows some very nice flashes of passing ability, work rate, composure on the ball, skill, and athletically he’s no worse than average. He also can disappear from games. He has another year with the U-17’s, so we’ll see how he does next season. Nathan Moua (‘06) is another of their 06’s that I like. He’s a winger that looks to run at defenders and make plays. He has a pretty all-around skillest for a winger. Nothing great, but consistently makes an impact at this level. Probably lacks high upside, but his current impact bodes well that he has pro potential.

Alex Gutierrez (‘06) is another of their 06’s with some potential. LB that is good technically with pretty good size. Needs to work on most of the rest of his game. Jonathan Pena-Vasquez (‘06) was subbed on late at LW. He made an instant impact. I had never seen him play before and he didn’t play that many minutes in this game, so I’m not going off of much, but I was very impressed and thought he was worth mentioning. He was able to solve problems with his dribbling, creativity, ball control, and soccer IQ. Also looked to have some quickness to his game. I need to see more, but he did look like a real prospect thats worth watching further.

NYRB U-17: Copeland Berkley (‘06) hasn’t played much this season from what I’ve seen, but I’ve seen him play a little towards the end of this season. They were using him at RWB in this game. He’s really more of a CM, but he does have the overall athleticism for the RWB role. I’m not sure he has the defensive awareness yet though for it. He’s more of a technical #8 with athleticism, but lacking in tactical awareness and he’s also pretty soft. Next year he may have a better chance of success. Let’s see how he does. He’s pretty raw to begin with, so it might have been asking too much of him that he’d be excelling with the U-17’s in his U-16 year.

Philadelphia Union U-17: Logan Oliver (‘05) is a good defensive player and he’s versatile, capable of playing a bunch of positions. He’s not much of a player in possession, but does occasionally show some nice technique. I don’t think he’s a liability in this area, but he’s more of a hard-working gritty player. Alex Perez (‘06) was playing CB, and that was the best I’ve seen him play this season. They’ve been using him as a midfielder, and I don’t think it suits him well. He may not be tall enough to be a CB, but I don’t think using him as a DM/CM works. I’d keep him at CB for now, and if it doesn’t work then you can try him at LB.

Houston U-17: Andre Gitau (‘06) is a player who has really improved this season IMO. I probably also was slightly off in my initial assessment, but I think he has also improved. He’s a winger with dynamic abilities. He has very good foot skills, he’s very willing to go 1v1 against fullbacks, and he also a very good athlete. He’s very fast, and also is capable of coming inside using quickness as opposed to pure speed. His first touch has improved, as has his decision making. I think his first touch is above-average now, and his decision-making is about average. I wouldn’t say his end product is great or that he’s a natural playmaker. He’s more of a 1v1 dribbling winger, but he’s improved his game in a lot of areas and I think it’s made him a player with a much higher likelihood of success.

San Jose U-17: Cruz Medina (‘06) was pretty good in this game. He had some nice flashes of being a difference maker with the ball, but I find that his overall impact sometimes doesn’t match his reputation. I think he’s very talented, but he doesn’t yet dominate games. He needs to be a little more consistent and take better control of games as opposed to popping up for a few moments per game.

Sebastian Carbajal (‘05) was probably the MOTM in this game. He was playing as a CF. He’s a little like Medina. He’s more of an attacking mid than a CF. He’s a good dribbler, pretty quick, good passer, can combine, and he’s creative. For some reason, he’s fallen out of favor at the club, but I do think he’s a very good prospect. Edwyn Mendoza (‘06) is an underrated player in this very talented SJ group. He’s a holding midfielder that can pass the ball, he’s well positioned, he has a good soccer IQ, and can win back the ball. He’s not overly athletic or flashy, but he does a good job.

Seattle U-17: Sawyer Cristostomo (‘06) is a player whose impressed me more and more as the season has went on. He’s a midfield, probably a #6 long term, although he can play as a #8, and I think he could even play as a CB. He doesn’t have any huge strengths or weaknesses, but tends to make a consistent impact and a lot of positive plays.

Alex Hall (‘05) is another player whose really impressed me this season. His dribbling and ability to advance the ball in small spaces reminds me a little of Gio Reyna. Without being one of these smaller players who has the ball glued to his foot and has a low center of gravity that gives an obvious advantage, he’s able to wiggle his way around players with touches that seem like they shouldn’t keep hold of the ball, but almost always do. Similarly to Reyna, he’s more of a central player than a winger, although Seattle’s formation is extremely narrow, so it’s hard to assign proper roles past the #6. I’m in no way saying he’ll end up as good as Reyna, but his ball progression and some of what he tries to do has similarities.

 

Part 2:

New England Revolution U-15: Peyton Miller (‘07) is a tough player to get a read on. He has scored a lot of goals this season. He also scored a hat-trick in this game that I was watching. One was a complete golazo. Cut inside from the RW, and curled it into the top corner. He hit it so well that there’s no chance any goalie in the world would’ve had a chance to stop it. At the same time, I don’t find him overly talented. He reminds me a little of a left-footed Griffin Yow. He can really score, he’s good in the final third, he makes good decisions, he’s a good enough passer, and he’s quick enough. However, he’s not overly skilled with his dribbling or too athletic. He’s certainly a relevant name, but I’m not sure he’s one of the better ‘07 wingers.

Edwin Flores (‘07) is an undersized #8 that plays a reliable game on both sides of the ball. He doesn’t have any big strengths, but he does a good job of being consistent and making a positive impact. The big negative to his game is that he’s undersized and not overly athletic. It probably limits his ceiling, but I think he has some pro potential, even if it’s limited.

Real Salt Lake U-15: Luis Rivera (‘07) had a dominant game in a game against Portland. He has no business playing U-15 level anymore. He’s way too good between his passing and how well he reads the game defensively. It was an absolute clinic. A player I’ve been very impressed with this season that doesn’t seem to get too much hype is Ty Rinker (‘07). He’s been very consistent in goal. He didn’t do anything too great in this game, but he’s reliable. He made the plays he needed to, and he doesn’t make that many errors. He’s also capable of doing more, but in this game didn’t need to.

Will Mackay (‘08) is the newest RSL GK recruit. You know every year that they are going to add an interesting GK prospect or two. It’s a matter of how good the prospect will be. Mackay looks pretty good. I only saw one game, but I watched him play a full game and I thought I was watching the year older Rinker who I rate highly. That I didn’t notice it was Mackay until after the game speaks well to Mackay’s game IMO, given his age. I would say he has a similar type of skillset to Rinker. All-around goalie without any major weaknesses. Has average or better potential in most areas. The one area I wasn’t sure about was his height. He looked to have about average height for a U-14 goalie. He has plenty of time to get taller, and it’s always hard to assess the height of a goalie playing in a different age group than their own, but thats probably one area where I am unsure about for now.

Lucas Moisa (‘08) was impressive in the first game I saw against Portland, and then absolutely dominated the second game against FC Dallas. This guy is a player I think has really high potential. He’s a complete midfielder, and unlike Wellings who I’ve compared him to before because a lot of their tools have similarities, he’s more of a traditional box to box midfielder who is just very good in a lot of areas. Wellings plays a more distinct type of style where he’s the player on the field that dictates the tempo (and it’s a slow tempo).

Moisa blends into it more, although there are games where he is the one that can dictate it. I really like Moisa’s full set of skills. There’s not anything in his game that I don’t project at an average or better level. He also has really good skill and offensive potential for the position. There are some errors, but given his age and that he’s able to often be a standout (and sometimes the best player on the field), he’s one of the better 08 prospects nationally.


Zavier Gozo (‘07) has had a weaker second half to the season. I know he had some injuries, but the consistency that I saw earlier in the season from RW hasn’t been there the second half of the season. I’ve seen a lot of weak performances, although I did think he had his most encouraging one I’ve seen the second half of this season in the FC Dallas game. I still rate the player and the tools he has, but I’m a little surprised at how his level of play has dipped.

Dominic Berrios (‘07) is a player I don’t mention much. I might’ve done so once or twice previously. The more I watch, I think he has some skill in a box to box role. He’s a little overshadowed by Moisa, but he has some potential and he doesn’t have any big weaknesses. He’d probably stand out more in a worse team. This RSL U-15 team has a lot of big-time prospects.

FC Dallas U-15: Myles Nicholes (‘07) is a crazy athlete for a CB. He’s about 6’1 now with very good pace. He covers so much ground as a CB with his ability to break up plays in and around the 18 yard box. You’d usually say that about a DM, but as a CB anytime he’s anywhere close to being near the ball he will win it back or block it away because athletically he’s just so much bigger, more mobile, and more athletic than players at this level.

Athletically, you could put him in MLS, and other than maybe lacking muscle he would not be out of place physically. Technically, he’s also pretty good. Above-average or better. He’s comfortable with the ball at his feet, and can play some very nice passes. The issue with his game is his decision-making, both on the ball and off the ball. He loses the ball a lot in bad areas that necessitates some of these defensive recoveries I mention. He also can sometimes be a little slow to recognize danger, although I find the errors with the ball to be the bigger problem.


He’s the type of player I think USYNT’s would not call in now because he makes too many big errors that don’t help results, but his potential is so obvious and he’s the type of player I’d expect to improve as he gets older. He’s the type of player who projects extremely well to higher levels, so even if he’s not one of the few best performing 07’s right now, he’s probably top 5 overall as a prospect in the age group.

Brice Miller (‘07) was back at CF in this game, and he scored a few goals. I don’t know why they ever moved him from the position. He’s a player with speed, makes good, quick decisions, can dribble a little, he’s strong, and he makes good runs that puts him in good positions to score goals. He’s very effective at this level as a #9, and a good pro prospect. One of the reason why he’s likely moved around is because Zach Molomo (‘08) has spent a lot of time with this team during the season. He’s playing up an age group, and has been used mostly as a CF. Miller is better right now, but Molomo is also a relevant prospect, so I can see why they would have to figure out a plan of how to use two players at the same position.

It does seem like Molomo’s starting to move around to some other positions also. In this game, he was being used as a #6. I saw some things I liked. He has good size and closes down plays with great speed. If he ever picked up the position, he’d be a great ball winner due to his closing speed and size. However, his tactical understanding of the position just isn’t there. He made a lot of errors, which is understandable given he’s playing up an age group and playing a new position. His passing for the position is good enough and I don’t think he’s a player who lacks the soccer IQ for the position. He just isn’t a DM yet. As a CF, he’s a player with good athleticism and some ability in other areas, but he’s not a real high upside CF. I mind them switching his position a lot less than Miller.


Real Colorado U-15: LJ Melucci (‘07) is a very interesting player. He’s a midfielder in the Luis Moreno mold. A lot of soccer IQ, but the other areas of his game are questionable. Melucci’s understanding of the game around him is so much higher than every other player on the field. He sees plays a step ahead, and is able to make the right decision. His soccer IQ, like Moreno, also works in a way where he’s able to beat players off the dribble, even though it looks like he shouldn’t be able to. Melucci did score a goal on a header in this game and is taller than someone like Moreno. I wouldn’t say Melucci is too undersized. If he can get into better shape, I think he has some more aspects to his game that project to a position like the #8 or #10, even if he’s not a natural attacking midfielder or a natural box to box midfielder.


Dominic Athearn (‘07) also is another relevant prospect from this team. He’s probably a secondary striker, although I could see him as a CF or winger. He showed some nice flashes in the attack. Good attacking instincts, some flashes of nice dribbling ability and quickness. About average size. Had two assists in this game. He was being defended by one of the better CB’s at this level, so he was a little shut down for most of the game and didn’t have too much activity, although he did show a few nice moments.


FCC U-15: Ben Manfroy (‘07) is a player that gets so little hype. I don’t think he’s ever been in a main YNT camp, no one except me really references this guy publicly, but every time I see him play he plays extremely well, is the commanding player on the field, and shows a very projectable skillset to higher levels. I’ve watched him play for two years, and there’s just very little that I could criticize with what I’ve seen. He’s a CB with above-average size, his read of the game is excellent. About as good as I’ve in that area at this level. He’s very mobile for his size, and his passing is above-average. It may be better. I think thats the area he’s improved most this season. He’s very two-footed. Can play passes of all ranges. Flights his passes well with how he manipulates angles to suit the situation presented to him with the pass he’s trying to get to his teammate.


In this game I watched he absolutely locked down Prince Massaquoi, who is probably the best ‘08 striker out there. Manfroy is the only defender I’ve seen be able to stick with Massaquoi athletically all season. There was one play where Massaqoui looked to have outpaced Manfroy, and Manfroy made the sliding play. He has long legs, which is obviously a help for a CB. Almost the whole rest of the game Manfroy blanketed Massaqoui. I know this guy has pretty much no hype, but I’’m just going to trust what I see in this case, and I don’t see a better prospect right now in the ‘07 age group nationally than Manfroy.

If I have to be the first person to put out a strong opinion that this guy is a big-time prospect, I’ll do it because thats what I see over a sufficient number of viewings. There’s really nothing not to like in his game from the CB position. Very good tools and ultra consistent. Predicting 15 year olds career outcomes is difficult, so a lot can go wrong, but I find it hard to believe this guy doesn’t up at least a good MLS CB, and I think his ceiling is obviously much higher than that.

Lucas Fearn (‘07) at LB is probably the second best player on this team. Good passer, pushes the game forward with his offensive aggressiveness. Probably about average athletically. Defensively, he’s above-average, but his aggressive approach to the position can hurt him sometimes. He needs to learn to pick his spots better. Sam Weeter (‘07) is a winger with a direct approach, good ball skills, and some speed. He’s on that Redzic/Davis type of tree of wingers (fullback now for Davis). He’s probably at about their level of player. A chance he gets a HG contract eventually, but he’s not a particularly high upside guy as I see it.

Solar U-15: Luke Munson (‘07) played almost a perfect game. Very good defending at the back, very few errors, looks improved on some of the areas he needs to work on, scored a goal on a set piece, but then he allowed his mark to get away from him on a corner late in the game, and it led to an important goal for Melucci (that I described above). I wasn’t even keeping track of the score, but it probably helped Real Colorado get some type of result, so it’s a negative play for a CB to give up that goal. However, I try not to let a play like this affect the assessment too much. All these young CB’s make errors. Munson doesn’t make that many, and has a good skillset.

He’s mobile, he’s an above-average passer and effective with foot feet. I think he’s right footed, but I couldn’t even tell you for sure. He has above-average size for the position, and makes good reads defensively. His positioning is starting to get better. Earlier in the season he sometimes would run around too much trying to make interceptions, and it would take himself out of the play if it wasn’t successful. He’s calmed that down, and his positioning looked clearly improved. He’s one of the better 07’s outside of an MLS academy, and I think he’s the type of player who would benefit from moving to a bigger club.

Barca U-17: Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida (‘05) is a winger with a very good all-around skillset. He can dribble, he has quickness, good passer, some creativity, he has good ball skills, good soccer IQ, and also brings end product. He’s clearly the best player on this team, and belongs at a higher level. Hadn't even heard of him before, but he's clearly very good. Jalen Guadeloupe (‘05) in goal is a little undersized, but aside from that there’s a lot to like. Good reflexes, pretty good with his feet, doesn’t make many error. He struggles a little in the air due to his lack of height, so he will have to try to mitigate the lack of height. Right now, it’s a slight issue.

Efe Aror (‘05) is a #6 in the Tyler Adams mold. Very good range, very defensive style of #6. Wins the ball back well. His passing isn’t bad and he’s not terribly undersized, but those areas are about average. His game is about how quick he can get around the field to break up plays. He’s one of the better and more consistent players on this team. Joel Torbic (‘05) in midfield is a two-way #8 with good passing ability, good enough size, and some energy to make defensive plays. He was previously at Philadelphia Union. Brian McManus (‘05) at the back plays as a CB for this team, but he’s undersized. He’s a very good passer, and his defense is hit or miss, but shows some potential. I think as he moves up to higher levels he’d probably be a #6. Good player though IMO.

Columbus U-15: JJ Vozar (‘07) really impressed me. He’s a #8 with significant offensive skill with his foot skills, passing, carrying. He has good size, can make tackles, and moves pretty well. I need to see more and I was surprised I didn’t know more about him previously. Supposedly he missed a lot of time with injury earlier this season. If this is his normal level, he’s pretty clearly the best of Columbus 07’s IMO.


Minnesota U-15: The more I see of Prince Massaquoi (‘08), the more I think he’s better than I initially thought. He’s an elite level athlete. His burst of acceleration gives defenders so much trouble. He’s also not all about athleticism. He makes good decisions, he has some skill, and he’s pretty good with his finishing. I’m not sure if he could play wide. I’ve only seen him play as a CF, but I think his skillset could also project to a winger. He reminds me a little of Tim Weah with the skillset, although not too much.

Tim Dennis (‘09) has done really well in the games I’ve seen to bring some creativity either in a wide position or centrally as a #10. He has very good foot skills, he has good passing vision, good soccer IQ, and can dribble a little. His skillset looks very much like what the projection was for Aaron Heard a few years back when he was playing up an age group with the Union 05’s. How Dennis will develop I don’t know. It could go in a few different ways, but I would say the early Heard hype a few years back is about what you see from Dennis right now. Not dominant, but a good set of skills and we’ll see if he can develop into a top level prospect.


SKC U-15: Leo Christiano (‘07) started at LCB. He played pretty well. He’s usually a very good passer and he showed some flashes of good passing in this game, but I thought he was more inaccurate than usual. His defending, size, and mobility are all about average. His passing will carry his value. Carter Derksen (‘07) really impressed me in the #6 position. I’ve watched this team a few times this season, and he didn’t impress me previously. I don’t know if it’s just a great game or if I’ve missed it all season and he’s this good, but he controlled the game. He has slightly below-average size (or even average), but aside from that there’s a lot to like. Really good defensive read of the game, tackles well, mobile, and he’s a good passer with good composure on the ball. I’ll be watching to see how he does the next time I watch his team play.


Austin U-15: Ervin Torres (‘07) looks to be improving. I’ve watched this team play a lot this season, and saw nowhere near this level of play from him. I’ve watched his play closely to see if I was missing anything because he was called into the US U-15’s before, and I didn’t see it. This game though he was very good. He’s like an Obed Vargas type of midfielder. More of an 8 than 6, but can probably play either position. About an average athlete, runs a lot, above-average at winning the ball, has some ball control and composure on the ball. Passing is probably right about average. We’ll see how he does going forward. If this is his normal, he’s a lot better than I’ve previously thought.

Mason Miller (‘07) is one of the more underrated CB’s in the country in this age group. He’s a very solid player. Doesn’t do anything at a great level, but a lot of average or slightly above-average tools and he’s very consistent. I would be surprised if he’s not an eventual pro.

Abner Zuniga (‘08) is the first of the ‘08 field players I believe they’ve promoted. He’s a small #8 who is a really good ball winner. He’s small and he probably has average quickness, but he has a knack for winning back the ball. He covers a lot of ground. His passing, ball control, and soccer IQ are all right around average or slightly better. On first look, I’d question his upside, but he has plenty of time to develop physically/athletically, so next season will give a better idea of his upside. He belonged though with the U-15’s in this game.

Chicago U-15: Continuing the string of players I may have been wrong about, Aleksander Kapciak (‘07), impressed me for the first time this season watching Chicago U-15’s. He was called into the US U-15’s earlier this season, and I was shocked (I heard similar from others). I didn’t even note that he was a prospect, and they have another ‘07 GK who has played for the U-17’s almost all season. Kapciak showed a good combination of shot-stopping and comfort playing out from the back. He may have a little more potential than their other ‘07 GK Los, who is more well-rounded and solid. I need to watch Kapciak closer going forward, but he may be better than I initially thought.

Christopher Cupps (‘08) has been pretty inconsistent during the Spring season from the games I’ve seen. I was expecting his game to make a little more progress than it has. It’s also not that I think the tools lack. They don’t. It’s the consistency of decision-making. His positioning needs work. He’s not bad at this level, and it’s impressive that he’s played up an age group all season and has belonged, but I think I may have underestimated how big of an ask that is for a U-14 CB to continue progressing in a linear fashion in the U-15’s. I think next season we see him dominate in the U-15’s. He’s very talented, so that’s what I’d expect, but I don’t think he’s been particularly good in recent months.

Oscar Pineda (‘08) has impressed me the last few games I’ve seen from him. I think his game is starting to come along in the second half of this season. He’s used as a #8, but he’s almost certainly going to be a #6 in the pro game. He’s a big midfielder with good technique and ball-winning. His quickness is probably right around average or slightly below that. I find it very interesting how much younger he is than his other two brothers. Victor is 15 years older and Mauricio is 11 years older. It’s hard to believe he got much influence from his brothers in learning the game. We see a lot of sets of brothers end up very successful due to having competition with a brother to improve on a daily basis at home, but you have to wonder if Victor had any influence on that and probably also minimal from Mauricio.

San Jose U-15: Kaelen Dougan (‘08) has really started to make a big impact the last few months from what I’ve seen. He’s become the top attacking midfielder on this team. He’s probably a winger, although I think it’s possible he could be a #10. He has good pace, some trickery, likes to go 1v1, and his decision-making isn’t bad either. There aren’t that many ‘08 AM’s better than him that I’ve seen so far.

NYRB U-15: Aidan Stokes (‘08) continues to be really solid at this level, considering his age. I don’t want to limit his ceiling. I think next season we will get a better idea of his ceiling with him likely playing in the U-15’s again against kids his own age. Saying that, if he was an ‘07 I would say he’s a very consistent goalie without any big strengths or weaknesses, and is a safe bet to be a pro goalie. Could we see a higher ceiling appear next season? Yes, but right now I don’t see anything too great.

I think though that he’s about as high floor of a young goalie as you’ll see. It might sound crazy, but he’s the type of goalie I’d be pretty surprised if he doesn’t have a long pro career, as long as he’s not derailed by injuries or something off the pitch. He’s that solid at a young age. It’s hard to see him not continuing on this trajectory, and obviously there’s a possibility he’ll be on a higher trajectory once we see him against kids his own age. Obviously a long way to go though.

Pipeloore Olanrewaju (‘07) is a player that I don’t see the highest upside for, but he’s a player I could see being a pro striker. He’s fast, he’s tall, he has a good enough combo of technique, decision-making, and finishing. He’s one of their better 07’s. I’ve mentioned Nate Worth (‘07) a lot this season, so I will only make a brief note. He’s a lot tougher and grittier than he looks. He’s not the biggest or the quickest, so you might think he lags behind defensively, but he doesn’t. At the U-15 level, he has no trouble defending, but even at the U-17 level I have not thought he’s been out of place on that side of the ball. Obviously he’s a very good player technically, but he’s grittier than he looks.

LA Galaxy U-15: Gabriel Arnold (‘07) is a small #6, but I find that he’s pretty good in a lot of areas, aside from his height. He’s impressed me a lot in the second half of this season. Max Parore (‘07) has a very different physical profile. Very tall CB, passes the ball well, moves okay, defends okay. He’s a little raw, but I do think he has some upside and could be a player we hear more about in upcoming years.

Ruben Ramos (‘07) is a player I’ve mentioned a number of times this season. He’s a good prospect. I think that’s about as succinctly as I can put it. I don’t think he’s great. I don’t see particularly high upside, but there’s a lot of things he does well and I can see him being a player with a good chance of eventually getting a first team contract. He’s a well-rounded #9. Can also play out wide. I actually think Magana is the highest upside player in this age group, but I can see if someone like Ramos better because he’s a safer projection. Overall though, this is a good age group for LAG. Their best age group in a few years IMO. They have 7-9 guys on the radar IMO as prospects.


Barca U-15: Unfortunately I didn’t get to see this team as much this season as I wanted, but these were my brief thoughts. Austin Montoya (‘07) in goal is a pretty good all-around goalie. Can stop shots, good with his feet, about average size. Sean Petrie (‘07) is a #10/winger with creativity, some dribbling skills, and an ability to influence attacking chances consistently. Liam Schumacher (‘07) is a skilled #10 with some creativity, dribbling skills, soccer IQ, and passing ability. He left the club recently from what I was told. Conrad Sweatman (‘07) is a winger with good athleticism and dribbling skill. He needs to work a little on his final product.


Isaiah Teng (‘08) is a very interesting player. Good size, good technically. Can play a bunch of positions, #6, #8, #10, #9. They are still trying to figure out his position. I saw him earlier in the season as a holding midfielder, and later in the season as a #9. I would probably say he fits best as a #6. He’s been pretty good though playing up an age group.

Bruno Luna (‘08) is a left-footed CB that can pass the ball and has the composure to take an extra dribble or two beyond players that press him. Defensively, he’s not too bad either. He’s mobile enough. The issue I see at this level is that he’s undersized. Not terribly undersized, but he’s one of the shorter CB’s you’ll see at this level. Given that he’s a U-14 playing with the U-15’s, I don’t think it’s that much of an issue. That he’s able to make a pretty good impact is more notable IMO. One of the better ‘08 CB’s I’ve seen so far. Diego Zepeda (‘08) may be the most talented of the team, but he only got on towards the end of one of the games I saw. Immediately stood out though as a #10 with dynamic attacking skills. I’d need to see more to give a better assessment.


San Antonio FC U-15’s: Mathias Paez (‘07) was the only relevant name in the team. They were actually quite bad, which is why I find this academy interesting. Almost always they have a notable prospect or three, but the quality of the other players is usually very low, and they get destroyed by MLS academies due to the lack of depth. Paez played in a double 8/10 role. He’s probably capable eventually of playing as a nominal #8. He has above-average size and above average athleticism, but his defensive work is pretty weak for now. That’s probably his biggest weakness.

The strengths of his game are his ability on the ball. He’s very good at progressing the ball, he plays quick, he’s a good passer with both feet, he can wiggle around players, and makes good decisions with the ball. I need to see more of this player, but he looked like a very relevant prospect. Interestingly, Paez started the season with Austin, and moved back to San Antonio at some point during the season. Talented player though.

 

To this point, Cruz Medina, Ethan Kohler and Emi Ochoa just played for Next/Pro Quakes2 in Vancouver. Do they join the U17s on a red eye flight to Dallas? Or are they not playing in the playoffs?

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...-places-ever-temperature-record-b2103395.html

For whatever MLS Admin decided Frisco in June was a good idea... here's some suggestions for next year.

 

Orlando City U17’s with 10 men for the last 25 minutes were able to knock out the favored Inter Miami and face San Jose for the 2nd time this year. Should be a tough game for the young lions

 

u17 is down to the final 8
Not sure what happened to the Sounders - lost to FC Delco 3-2 (who's FC Delco)

Final 8:
Chicago Fire vs LAFC
Austin FC vs Orlando City SC
Philadelphia Union vs NY Red Bulls
FC Delco vs Columbus Crew

 

u15 semifinals set:
RSL vs Sac Republic
La Galaxy vs Inter Miami
Shoutout Sacramento as a non-MLS academy and beating Red Bulls 3-0 this morning with a hat trick from '08 Omar Marquez

 

The U-15 bracket has been a lot more predictable than the U-17's, which isn't what you'd expect.

Usually older age groups are more predictable. No surprise teams left in the U-15's, although Sacramento being a non-MLS team could be considered one, but they've been well reviewed all year from those who've watched them play. Selfishly I'd like to see Miami and RSL in the final, since I suggested before the tournament they were they had the best and third best chance to win it, respectively, but any combination for the final should be interesting.

 

Can’t wait to see a new generation of Galaxy players either listen to the Kleibans and sit out for 2 years until they are 18 and end up in Denmark’s third tier or stay with the Galaxy, never get a chance, and end up as 25 year olds on Orange County’s 2032 USL Championship winning team.

They’re the USC of soccer player development. No one does less with more

 

And I say this as a Galaxy fan

 

I understand you fully. Can we turn it around? Yes. Will we? Hmmm. TBD

 

He, he, he. I don't understand any of you, I've quit on those losers. Landon gone, I've gone as well. If I want to root for a local Mexican team I go to TJ. They also developed a couple our NT players one of which should be going to Qatar.

 

Down to the Final Four in U17 as well:

Philadelphia Union vs LAFC
Orlando City SC vs Columbus Crew

 

Really hoping Pareja is starting to work some magic with Orlando...............................

That was a much bigger project than he had in Dallas, and will undoubtedly take longer. Good to see some success, though.

 

How much input does he have with the academy?

I’ve been thinking about this topic recently, and I’ve concluded that I think what we started to see the last few years with Inter Miami is also happening with Orlando City. It’s probably smaller in scale, but Florida is a state that produces a lot more good players than most realize and player production from the state hadn’t been maximized until recently due to there not being first division academies. Now with two clubs in the state, we are starting to see it.

We talk a lot about the Mexican influence in California and Texas, or even the Polish influence in Illinois or Brazilian in New England, but there’s a large South-American influence to the football culture of Florida. I think Orlando’s success is an outgrowth of what should be expected. There aren’t as many good players as Miami has, but they are starting to accumulate more and more talent. That U-17 team has a bunch of players who could eventually suit up for their first team.

 

You’re not alone! Continuation of same in Playoffs. Chicago’s 06 prospect(s) saved the season in Cincinnati game coming on trailing 0-2 in second half. Then staff waited too long to sub on the 06’s in LAFC loss and ran out of time. Perhaps they are “hiding” them?

 

Since the season is pretty much over, I’m curious if we can do a list of the top 10 prospects from each mls academy

 

This is not exactly on point, but I thought this profile would help gain insight into what goes into scouting and projecting players. It's an interesting thread.

Geoffrey Moncada is proof of what an advanced recruitment mind can do for a club.

His work for @acmilan under Ivan Gazidis, Paolo Maldini & Frederic Massara is inspiring.

🧩Fit & Alignment⚙️

Passion.
Details.
Speed.

Let's take a look...

🤿🧵 pic.twitter.com/kLw0zx1a9v

— David (@undervalu) July 5, 2022

 

MLS NEXT announces 2021-2022 regular season award winnershttps://t.co/1cMnXW9oYM

— SoccerWire (@TheSoccerWire) July 26, 2022