Would the strength of the 08 age group be enough to make up for deficiencies in the 07 group? I assume some of the top 09s would be able to fill holes as well given that we have 05s mixed in with 03s this cycle. I know it feels weird discussing 09s with this group right now but in 2027 by the time they are u20s the physical development disparities start to diminish. Lucas Moisa 08, DeCarlo Guerra 08, Maximo Carrizo 08, Nimfasha Berchimas 08, Cavan Sullivan 09, and Lionel Gitau 09 could help strengthen the midfield/forward position. If Cavan and Lionel are like their older brothers physical development won't be an issue come 2027 despite them being 09s. Also if we brought Ezekiel Soto 07 and Axel Perez 07 who are playing above this age group back down they could help. Other 07 midfield and forwards are strong: Nate Worth, Nelson Hernandez, Axel Kei, Tomo Allen, Justin Ellis, Angel Franco, Rohan Rajagopal (really good in the Torneo Delle Nazioni), and Fullbacks are good too with Drew Baiera and Luis Rivera. CBs might be the deepest position for the 07s overall. I don't see why we couldn't expect great things from this roster. Starting XI: Rinker Baiera Craig Manfroy Rivera Perez Guerra Berchimas Carrizo Ellis Kei Bench (9): Gavin Atkinson GK Jeremiah White RB Myles Nicholes CB Nelson Hernandez DM/CM Rohan Rajagopal DM Nate Worth MF Cavan Sullivan MF Angel Franco Wing Ezekiel Soto CF Provisional/Alternates (7): Maximo Nystrom CB Jayden Quezada RB Christian McFarlane LB Kyrome Lumsden DM Lucas Moisa CM Lionel Gitau Wing Tomo Allen CF I'll admit there are more players playing up in the roster I listed than there are in the current u20 group. This roster still feels really good to me though. Thoughts?
This is a great post, Jake. Mind if I move it to the ‘07 thread? Don’t want it to get lost in this playoffs thread.
u17 championship: Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union A rematch of the GA Cup qualifying game in Norco where Columbus won 3-2
Now that we’re seeing what our U20s are doing, I’m a lot more interested in watching more of MLS Next and even more USL Championship to see some of these young prospects. How do I watch MLS Next now before the Apple deal takes hold?
Season is over tomorrow. I believe all the finals matches for all the age groups are tomorrow. @SUDano has been posting streaming links in the tournament thread here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/2022-mls-next-cup-june-25th-july3rd-frisco-tx.2121444/
Here’s the streaming schedule. You can watch on Twitch or YouTube. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/2022-mls-next-cup-streaming-schedule
Ah, that makes sense now. One of my son’s teammates has brothers who play for Shattuck, so they were in Frisco this week.
The boys in Black-and-Red have done it!Your 2022 U16 #MLSNEXTCup Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/G3aObIy0HB— D.C. United Academy (@DCUyouth) July 3, 2022
That Miami team is very impressive. Their best player has barely played in months due to injuries (was a sub during this tournament) and another of their best players missed the tournament entirely. Watching that team this season I never felt like it was about the individual players though. They got results and played good soccer. Very stingy defense. There are some good players, but even the ones that aren’t that good were productive. A mark of a good coach is getting productivity out of the guys who aren’t as talented. The coach of the team is Javier Morales, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise. He’ll likely be an MLS coach in a few years.
He was born the same year when his dad moved to US, but I barely recall that the rest of the family moved slightly later.
Final academy recap of the season. These were all playoff games. Part 1: BW Gottschee U-15: Keaton Levine (‘07) at CB has good size, he’s athletic enough, and he’s pretty good defensively. Lacks on the ball. Not a good passer. Matteo Kokot (‘07) as the #6 is similar to Levine. Good ball-winner, has size, and some athleticism. Lacks on the ball. Diego Colon (‘07) is a secondary striker type. Good passer, interprets space well, finds the ball in attacking areas, and he’s probably athletic enough. Not too dynamic or athletic though. RSL U-15: Luca Moisa (‘08) is so talented. Watching him improve this season has been fun to see. The last month or two his game has elevated to a much higher level. Just plain dominating games from midfield of late. He’s almost like what everyone imagined Pomykal’s potential was. Both sides of the ball, runs a lot, really good with both feet, has all types of skill, flair, soccer IQ, and passing range. I’ve been operating for a few months that the top 3 08’s I’ve seen so far is Carrizo, Berchimas, and Guerra (in no particular order) pretty concretely with there being a drop-off after everyone else. I wouldn’t have even said Moisa was next best until recently, but he’s really starting to improve a lot, and I think he’s added his name to that top ‘08 group. He still makes a fair share of errors, but these are not errors I’d be worried about long-term. They are mostly a very talented U-14 thinking he can do more than he actually can at times. Zavier Gozo (‘07) has started to up his form a little more recently. Most of his second half of the season was not good. I thought he was extremely consistent in first half of the season. I was surprised how much his game fell off in the second half of the season, but it’s starting to come back. Really good athlete for a winger. Has size, speed, quickness, incredible balance. It almost looks like he’s floating out on the field he is so light on his feet. Has really good 1v1 ball skills, he makes good decisions in the final third, and he has flair. Complete winger with a lot of potential. Luis Rivera (‘07) is probably the best of RSL 07’s, and potentially the best long-term prospect on this team. It’d be very close between him and Moisa. Rivera can play a bunch of positions. CB, LB, DM. He’s probably a LB long-term. He’s similar to KHF with a good amount better defensive IQ. He makes so many last-ditch defensive recoveries for his teammates mistakes. Very consistent player also. He’s way too good for this level. I like that they’ve used him with the U-17’s, and they’ve even used him some with the NEXT Pro Team. I don’t think he’s ready for NEXT Pro, but he really is out of place against U-15’s. Long-term, I think he’s a big time prospect. I know the comparison to KHF will worry some, but KHF was a great prospect. Hasn’t panned out as expected so far. Rivera is arguably the best LB prospect out there in the YNT system since JoGo, and he’s creeping up towards my top 5 of 07’s, if he’s not already there. Will Mackay (‘08) has overtaken Rinker as the starter for this team. That’s surprising to me because Rinker is the best ‘07 GK prospect in the country IMO (albeit a weak ‘07 GK crop). I’ve seen Mackay a number of times now, and while I think he’s good, I prefer Rinker. They must have their reasons though. It’s close enough that I could understand a team preferring Mackay, although I think the year difference is enough to make it clear enough that Rinker is the better of the two right now. Mackay is a well-rounded goalie. I have some slight questions about his height for the position, but he’s a U-14 playing in the U-15’s, so plenty of time to grow taller. I don’t know that he does anything spectacular, but I do find that he’s very capable at this level already, which you don’t see from many GK’s his age. I don’t mention Axel Urostegui (‘08) that often. He’s probably the 4th best of the 4 RSL 08’s who has been playing with the U-15’s this season. He’s an attacking mid type. Can do some of everything, but not too great in anything he does. He’s playing up an age group and has held his own. I don’t mind him, but I wouldn’t say he’s a particularly elite level prospect. Atlanta U-16: Kyle Jansen (‘06) started in goal for Atlanta. He was probably the best of the ‘06 prospects in this game. He didn’t have much to do though, and the little he had to do I didn’t think he handled too well. Baltimore got an early red card, so very little action for the Atlanta keeper. Juan Hermenegildo (‘06) for Atlanta at RB is a solid all-around player. Probably not the highest upside player and he’s small with average athleticism, but I do think he’s a consistent player at this level and has a chance to be a pro. Oliver Wagner (‘06) at CB didn’t do a bad job. Average across the board. Not sure he has a high ceiling, but he’s not a bad player. Campbell Reece (‘06) in midfield captained the team. He played a #6 type of role. Had some nice passes, well positioned, and has good enough size and athleticism. Another guy I think probably lacks in upside, but has pro potential. Malachi Grant (‘06) at LB is small and pretty explosive. Good dribbler. Defends okay enough. Scored the winning goal. He probably has more upside than most of the other prospects on this team, but I’m not sure how reachable his upside is. Baltimore Armour U-16: Gregory Whitfield (‘07) at CB for this team was probably the best prospect in this game. He was playing up a year. He didn’t do anything great, but I think he was good enough. He showed some tools. He’s very athletic for a CB. Good size and very mobile. Defends pretty well. Didn’t get many touches on the ball, but I didn’t sense he’s overly good or overly bad in that area. The immediate comparison that came to mind was Jace Clark, who also came from this academy, but I’d need to see more of Whitfield to compare them better. Ethan Quander (‘06) at LWB showed some dribbling ability and explosiveness with the ball. Didn’t defend badly either. He was similar to Grant from Atlanta. He can progress the ball with his dribbling, quickness, and foot skills, but isn’t too dangerous of an attacking threat outside of that, and you probably aren’t getting any better than average defensive play. You might not even get that. Like Grant, there’s some upside for a player with that type of skill-set, but it might not be too reachable. Seattle U-17: Alex Hall (‘05) really has stood out in the games I’ve seen this season. His ability to drive the game forward through midfield with good foot skills, directness, dribbling ability, and quickness makes a big difference for this team. Almost every game I’ve seen from this team in the second half of the season he’s been one of their best field players. He’s a player whose stock is going up IMO. The starting goalie Wyatt Nelson (‘05) was sent off harshly, so they sent on the back up Levi Bieber (‘05). He doesn’t get the same acclaim as Nelson, but he’s also a good prospect, and was very reliable. He’s not quite as athletic or commanding as Nelson, but aside from that there are a number of similarities between how they play. I probably don’t give Stuart Hawkins (‘06) enough credit for his play. He’s a pretty consistent CB for this team, and can also play as a defensive midfielder. I actually might prefer him as a defensive midfielder. He’s a very basic player at both positions. He doesn’t do much that stands out. Does that matter? I think it does. I think you almost have to show some some standout ability at a level where almost every player on the field will not be a pro, but he’s highly rated by the club, and I don’t have much bad to say about his game. I just don’t know if he is someone with real USMNT upside years down the road. Dallas U-19: Bowen McCloud (‘04) had an effective game in the one game I saw of him at this tournament. I sense he’s a little too undervalued at Dallas, like he was with Chicago. Tarik Scott (‘05) showed his athleticism and some dribbling ability. He’s a good prospect, but I’m not the huge fan that a lot are. I just don’t see high-end technique, soccer IQ, end product, creativity. He’s very fast and good enough in most parts of the game. That’s going to yield an effective player, but put him in a league like MLS and I don’t know that he’s dynamic enough to be a difference maker. Nighte Pickering (‘05) scored a goal one of these games, so I give him credit for that, but if this guy makes it I’ll just accept a loss. I don’t see it. He contributes nothing other than goals, and other than his ability to score goals at a high rate with good goal-scoring instincts I don’t see any tools better than average. I know some people rate him, so I'm not suggesting he's irrelevant, but I don't rate him too high. Ty Reynolds (‘04) had a very good few games defensively, including one against the very athletic Bryce Jamison. Almost completely shut him down. He’s probably too good for this level at this point, and needs to find a pro path. It’s likely not with Dallas. Barca U-19: Phillie Villapudua (‘04) has notably grown a few inches this season. He’s probably about 5’11/6’0 now. He was about 5’8 late last season or early this season. In this game they were using him at CB. I don’t know if it’s a new position for him or only for one game. He’s a little like a right-footed McGlynn, who isn’t quite as good as McGlynn. Really good delivery, passing, soccer IQ. Slow and below-average defensively. I think he’ll play high-level pro soccer though. He’s too good technique/tactically not too IMO. Samuel Mendoza (‘04) is another player who probably should leave the club this summer, like Villapudua. Both of those kids are pro ready. Mendoza is a dynamic winger with flair, dribbling ability, technique, quickness, and end product. I think he’s one of the most underrated 04’s out there. Joseph Buckley (‘05) isn’t far behind those other two. He’s probably going to be ready to leave at the end of the calendar year. He was playing LB in this game, and I thought he was the best player on the field. He’s a natural RB, but does play a lot of LB. He’s just a very effective player. Doesn’t stand out in any area other than he gets the job done, and does almost everything at a slightly above-average level with consistency. One of the more underrated 05’s IMO. Bryce Jamison (‘06) managed to score a goal in this game with a nice finish, but otherwise struggled significantly. A lot of turnovers. Many bad decisions. He’s moved up to the U-19’s this season after playing most of the season with the U-17’s. There should be an adjustment period, and he’s a U-16 playing with the U-19’s. He’s very talented. Maybe the most purely talented ‘06 winger in the country. Elite athleticism and ball skills. When you look up the definition of dynamic in the dictionary, you find a picture of Jamison. The decision making has let him down a lot in the past. It needs to improve. I think it is, but this wasn’t a game where he showed those improvements. DC United U-16: Luke Peacock (‘06) is so solid. Hard to describe his game any other way. There are flashier goalies out there, but he may be the most consistent of the ‘06 goalies in all parts of the game right now. There can’t be more than a few ‘06 goalies better than him, and you could even argue he’s the best. Dash Papez (‘06) is a talented CB with a lot of tools, but he has too many errors right now and his passing accuracy needs work. He tries way too many long-balls. He needs to learn to play some more simpler passes. I don’t think he’s a bad passer. It might even be above-average, but his decision-making with his passing selection needs work. Matai Akinmboni (‘06) almost looks bored at this level. You can see he’s been playing all season with the U-17’s by how easy playing at the U-16 level looks for him. He’s also gotten a little better with his passing, and it already was pretty good. I think this guy has taken a big jump in his game this season, and he has a lot of upside. He’s probably the top ‘06 CB right now, and I’m having a hard time seeing 10 06’s nationally better than him. He’s about 6’3, pretty quick, left-footed, comfortable on the ball, a good passer, and he’s starting to become and more consistent with his reading of the game. Gavin Turner (‘07) is so clinical in the final third. He may have the best end product ability of any ‘07 attacker. He routinely puts the ball where the goalie can’t stop it. He had a wicked shot in one of the earlier playoff games where the goalie was frozen, and had no chance. I’ve noticed that he rarely wastes chances. He’s also a good passer, and has some quickness when dribbling. I think the main reason he’s so clinical is due to his soccer IQ. He has very good soccer IQ. Borderline elite. It seems like the game is slower for him than others in front of goal, either with his passing or scoring. Almost always knows what the right decision to make is. Nelson Hernandez (‘07) was subbed on in the final towards the end. I didn’t see him play in two other games they played. It’s understandable that older players get preference, but he really should’ve been playing for this team almost the whole season. He made an immediate impact as soon as he came on. Probably the most talented player in the academy. Empire United U-17: Brennan McDermott (‘05) was the best player on this team. He’s a #8 with good passing, makes very good decisions, good composure on the ball. He’s able to wait out defenders, and take the extra second to release the ball. He’s about average athletically and defensively. Not too high upside, but I think there’s pro upside in his game. Sockers FC U-17: Sebastian Gorecki (‘06) in goal was probably the best prospect on the team. Very stocky goalie, but also had about average height for the position. You might think he wouldn’t be athletic, but I found him to be pretty athletic for his build. He also was pretty good with his feet. I need to see more, but I liked his potential. Cohen Musschoot (‘05) is a #8 with some technique and also enough defensive bite and athleticism to his game. Mhone Bogonko (‘05) is a #6, potentially even a #8. He’s a destroyer type of midfielder. Covers a lot of ground. Very good defensively. A little undersized, but not terribly. He’s not bad on the ball, but it’s also not a strength. I thought he was a little better of a prospect than Musschoot. Houston Dynamo U-17: Luis Moreno (‘06) completely dominated the game I watched with his soccer IQ. Also scored a goal on a penalty. In the second half his team started ceding possession more, and that’s an area he struggles with. Figuring out what position he will play in the pros is still a good question, but he’s clearly too good at this level and should move up full-time to NEXT Pro. Noah Betancourt (‘07) was playing for Houston Dynamo in this game. Not sure if he’s moved full-time or this was as a guest player, but he may be joining and he was playing up an age group. He’s not a bad player. CB with above-average athleticism and pretty average elsewhere. Not sure he’s a real high-end prospect, but he does have pro potential. Wasn’t too bad playing up an age group. De Anza U-16: Christian Metelitsa (‘06) at CB was probably the best prospect on this team. He’s similar in style to Luis Rivera, but all his tools are about a grade or two worse. Undersized CB. Probably will move to LB or DM eventually. Pretty good passer, reads the game well, mobile enough, and pretty consistent defensively. Not sure he’s a great talent, but he has some pro potential. Moving to San Jose Earthquakes next season. Roka Tsunehara (‘06) is another player moving to San Jose Earthquakes next season. He’s a winger with a very direct approach to dribbling. Above-average acceleration. Not sure he’s the most talented, but he will try to make fullbacks work. Eli Wachs (‘06) in CM may have more potential than the other two, but I’m not sure how realistic it is that he reaches it. He’s a technical CM that can make some very nice passes and he’s not bad athletically, although a little undersized, but made a few too many errors and looked a little inconsistent. NYRB U-15: Nate Worth (‘07) is brutally effective at this level. It’s starting to remind me of Brooklyn Raines how he’s not very flashy, but in all facets of the game for a #8 he makes plays that help the team win and add up to one of the best performances on the field almost every time he plays against kids his age. He’s even had success at higher levels. Brady Boulanger (‘07) and Pipeloore Olanrewaju (‘07) looked improved in this game than what I’ve seen for a lot of this season. I’ve watched both play a lot this season, so it was probably just a better performance for both, but it’s possible both are starting to improve. Boulanger looked a little more athletic and more commanding in midfield, while Olanrewaju was making quicker decisions and his technique looked slightly improved. Aidan Stokes (‘08) made two errors that led to goals, and also a third. Despite that, I’m not that down on what I saw. It was no doubt a bad performance. He let in one goal near post he should’ve stopped and then tried to clear a bad with his weak foot and scuffed the clearance allowing an open goal for the other team. Despite that, I’m not too concerned about a U-14 keeper (playing at U-15 level) letting up one near post goal and then having a misplay with his weak foot. He’s pretty consistent with his shot-stopping and usually pretty good with his distribution, so I’d chalk it up to some uncharacteristic errors, although he’s had a few more of those than usual the last number of months. He did make some very nice saves and certainly did do some good things in this game. Sacramento U-15: Chance Cowell (‘08) has some ability, but I don’t think he looks anywhere near as good as Cade. He’s similar stylistically, but all his tools are probably worse. Pretty fast, stocky build. He was playing CF, so he may be more of a central player than Cade. He didn’t have Cade’s dribbling ability. Cade runs at players with the ball a lot more, while Chance seems to run onto the ball centrally. He was playing up an age group, so that might’ve impacted his performance some, but I wasn’t that impressed. Not someone I’d be terribly worried right now if he plays for Mexico. Omar Marquez (‘08) scored three goals. They were all nice plays, although I wouldn’t say he exactly dominated the game. He looks like a #10 with pretty good technique, some creativity, and good enough athleticism. He didn’t show anything too dynamic and wasn’t too involved, but he did look like a good player and was playing up an age group. Blake Willey (‘07) was an undersized left-footed #6 with very good technique, soccer IQ, and better ball winning than you’d think. He had the side to side quickness to make defensive plays, but lacked the physical side of the game to win the ball once he got there. Given he’s a U-15, he has plenty of time to get bigger and stronger, so if he does that, he could have good potential. Chibuike Ukaegbu (‘07) was a left-footed CB with above size, speed, technique, and pretty good defensive ability. Nothing in his game looked that great, but he did look to have potential. Charlotte U-15: Derek Powell (‘07) is a CB with a lot of good tools, but he makes a few too many errors right now to be in that top tier of ‘07 CB’s. If he can start to eliminate these errors, he could elevate himself into that top tier of ‘07 CB’s. I like a lot about his game, and think there’s a lot of potential in his game. Benjamin Gooding (‘07) at LB was very impressive. Good speed, very technical, good forward passer, and he’s pretty good defensively. I might’ve seen him play once or twice before. I can’t remember exactly. He really did stand out in this game though, and looked like one of the better ‘07 LB’s I’ve seen so far based off what I saw in this game. Anthony Pena (‘07) at CF had a pretty good game, but a few times barely missed getting into a good position to score. He’s one of the better ‘07 CF’s and probably this team’s best ‘07 prospect. Really fast, above-average foot skills, and he makes good runs. Scores a lot of goals, although he wasn’t able to score any in this game. Jayson Quintanilla (‘07) is an interesting player. He’s a #10 type that doesn’t look too athletic, but he moves at an average or slightly above-average level. Can beat some players off the dribble, good ball skills and has some creativity. He’s also a good passer with good passing vision. He tends to hold the ball too long, but when he makes quick decisions he’s very effective. Jaydus Camacho (‘08) started the game at CB and then moved to DM. He was very impressive. He’s has above-average size and athleticism. Good 1v1 defender. On the ball, he’s average or slightly better. Not too many inventive passes, but he’s efficient and doesn’t give up the ball easily. Given he’s a U-14 CB/DM playing up an age group and he looked good, that’s very impressive. Usually it’s very hard to have any success at those positions for a player his age at this level. I like his game slightly better at CB because I think there’s a higher degree of technique you want out of a #6 than he shows right now and being average technically and very simple on the ball is less of a problem at CB. For now he looks like one of the better ‘08 CB’s or DM’s I’ve seen so far. Pete Fotinos (‘08) is a true #6. Above-average size, good passer, usually positioned well, and capable of winning the ball defensively. I would say his mobility probably isn’t any better than average and it’s possible it’s slightly below-average, but given he’s playing against players a year older and he looked like a good player, despite being a U-14, I would like to see him against players his own age before I’m more sure that he doesn’t have average quickness. Liked Camacho, he’s one of the better players I’ve seen at his position in the ‘08 age group so far. Ethan Curtis (‘08) was playing as a LW in the first half and then played as a double 8 in the second half. He’s more of a #10 than winger. It was a little hard to assess his game because he got subbed out in the second half and he’s playing LW like a CAM. I like his soccer IQ and passing vision. He has good enough size and quickness. Not sure he’s overly dynamic, but given his age, he looked like a pretty good prospect. IMG U-15: Omar Medina (‘07) at LB was excellent defensively. Must’ve won close to 10 challenges. He had average or slightly better athleticism and size. Not bad technically, but didn’t venture forward too much. Jack Pymm (‘07) was probably the best player on this team. He’s a #8 with a good all-around game for the position. He’s left-footed and very technical. Good passer, but he also works hard, wins challenges, and has pretty good athleticism. Reminded me a little of Christian Cappis. He’s a finesse #8 with underrated ability in other parts of the game. Oliver Glenn (‘07) at LW was a winger with a direct dribbling approach, above-average acceleration. He was able to win a bunch of 1v1’s. Kacey Pasha (‘07) was playing as a CF. He had a very interesting skillset. Very technical. Borderline elite technique. He had good size also. He was good with his hold-up play due to his size and foot skills. He was mobile enough, although I wouldn’t say he had more than average mobility. Not sure about how dangerous of a goal threat he is or if he projects as a CF long-term, but he does have some potential due to size and technique. Reminded me a little of Tomo Allen from the same age group, but his tools were all worse. Columbus U-17: Jackson Lindimore (‘05) is a very solid CB. Left-footed, above-average passer, reads the game pretty well. He’s mobile enough. He’s a little undersized and doesn’t have any great tools, but is consistently very good. He’s a player I had pointed out to me a year ago as a player to watch, and this season he’s really impressed me. Gio De Libera (‘05) was being used as a #6. He’s probably not a #6. More of a #8, but he has grown a little in the last year and he’s above-average technically with a very good soccer IQ. I think he has pro potential, although his defensive value is still probably below-average, although the growth spurt helps. Stanislav Lapkes (‘06) the goalie has been a player I’ve been close a few times to mentioning before, but I’ve decided against it. I saw enough good play in this tournament that I’d say he’s worth mentioning now. He’s a pretty well-rounded GK. Nothing too great. The performances are pretty consistent, but usually not difference making. In this tournament, he was very good from the games I saw. Does he have high potential? I don’t see it, but I think he does have pro potential. FC Delco U-17: Caden Grabfelder (‘05) was probably the best prospect from this team. He’s a former Philadelphia Union prospect who had fallen off a little in the last few years. It’s not surprising he took a step down to a weaker academy in the same area. He’s a talented offensive #8. Runs forward very well with the ball. Athletically, he has the profile for the position and isn’t bad defensively, but right now he’s more of a finesse player who likes to dribble. I think he has pretty good potential, but I’ve been saying that for a number of years and he hasn’t improved too much. The two CB’s, Daman Sangha (‘05) and Malachi Neal (‘05) are also pretty good. Sangha is more consistent right now, while Neal might have slightly more potential. Both have well-rounded skillsets for the position without being too great. I think both have pro potential though. New England U-19: Jack Burkhardt (‘05) playing up an age group looked pretty good at this level. He’s a well-rounded CB who is probably one of the more underrated players in this age group around the country. He’s not as hyped or as good as Bajraktarevic or Buck, and likely not as good as Rumley either, but he’s a pretty good pro prospect IMO. Morris Matthews (‘03) is a well-rounded defensive type that can play almost any position along the back-line or as a #6 or #8. He’s probably one of the oldest players you’ll see at this level and he already has pro experience, so that he’s one of the better players at this level isn’t too surprising. I think he can sustain a long pro career, but I don’t think he has high upside, and he may not even have New England first team upside. Isaie Louis (‘05) scored a very nice goal. He’s a CF who is very strong, is a target forward type of striker (despite only being about 6’0), he has slightly above-average speed, and does have a pretty good history of scoring goals. His first touch is pretty weak, so he needs to improve there. I don’t think he has high upside either. Probably only an average MLS player as his upside, but that’s not too bad. Jack Panayotou (‘04) is an above-average prospect, but I have my concerns. He’s a #10 with very good soccer IQ and technique, but he’s slow/small, and not overly creative. He’s a little like Diego Luna with better fitness. I’m not convinced his skillset amounts to a good pro as he moves up levels, but he could be worth a HG contract. Malcolm Fry (‘05) came on at halftime at RW, and was pretty good using his dribbling and speed to run at defenders. I’ve previously said he reminds me of Justin Rennicks. He probably hasn’t grown as tall as Rennicks, although he still has time, but that type of versatile attacker that can play Wing or CF, has pretty good speed, can make some plays with his dribbling, and plays within the team game is what he brings. Like Burkhardt and Louis, he was playing up an age group for this team. PDA U-19: Evan Gomillion (‘04) was probably the best prospect on this team. He’s a well-rounded CB that looks like a good player at this level. He might have pro potential, but probably lacks high upside. Colin Griffith (‘04) was the other relevant prospect in the team. CF with size, speed, and some technique. He scored a very nice goal from outside the box. It was an excellent strike. He’s probably not as good right now as Gomillion, but likely has higher upside.
Part 2: NYCFC U-15: Drew Baiera (‘07) is a hard player for me to get a read on. I’ve went back and forth a few times on if he’s an elite level prospect, if he’s merely good, or somewhere in-between. I’m probably right now leaning towards somewhere in-between. I did like what I saw from him in the most recent viewing. He looks physically taller, had improved a little defensively and he was pretty good defensively already, and the offensive ability was still there. I don’t know that he has anything more than average speed, but I think athletically he probably won’t be much worse than average. Is there a better ‘07 RB? Probably not, although I’m not sure there’s anyone that great. Jeffrey Lopez (‘07) is a very underrated CB. Because there are so many good ‘07 CB’s I think he goes under the radar, but I like his whole game. He’s above-average in almost all areas. Overall the NYCFC ‘07 crop is pretty underrated between McFarlane, Baiera, Lopez, Shore, Wolfrom, and Arias. That’s probably 3 top 35 or so 07’s and then a few others with first team potential. New England Revolution U-15: Braydon Fagundes (‘08) is a real interesting player. Attacking mid. Can play centrally or wide. A lot of flair, pretty quick, good passer, sees the game at a high level, and creates a lot of attacking danger. He can make some mistakes, but given his age playing up an age group he looks like a pretty good prospect. I’m only going off a 45 minute sample, but if this is his normal level of play there can’t be too many ‘08 attackers better than him. Bryan Norena (‘08) is another player I only saw 45 minutes from. Looked like a well-rounded basic midfielder. Probably more of an 8 than 6, but I wouldn’t doubt he has potential to play as a 6. Didn’t do anything too great, but looked relevant playing up an age group. St. Louis City SC U-16: Nick Bishop (‘06) is about as reliable as it gets in goal in the ‘06 age group. I’ve watched him play 10+ times, and I don’t think I’ve seen him make one big error. That’s very unusual for a goalie his age to be so consistent already. He had a pretty good game against the U-16 champions DC. Kept his team in the game with a few important saves. He had one goal where he could’ve saved, but I think it was asking too much of a U-16 goalie. He made the initial save on a header from a few yards out. You can’t expect perfection with where he’s parrying the ball from a header of such close distance. Does he have big upside? Probably not. I don’t know that he’s ever going to be much better than average with his feet and he’s not incredibly athletic either, but I think he will have a long career at a pretty high level. Zach Stanton (‘06) is the best field player of this group. Commanding presence as a left-footed CB. Reminds me of Casey Walls. Very good passer. Has size. Moves well enough. Makes pretty good defensive decisions, but can have the occasional error, which isn’t unusual for a kid his age. One of the better ‘06 CB’s. Braydon Sellers (‘06) is a player I haven’t been too impressed with previously, but what I saw in this game impressed me. He’s a midfielder, probably an 8, but I wouldn’t rule out he could be a 6. Good passer, pretty good composure on the well, and he can dribble some with the ball. Not bad defensively either. Not the quickest and probably lacks a little flash. It’s possible he’s always been this good and it was an oversight on my part, so I’d like to see more to determine his regular level. Aaron Heard (‘06) looks a little improved since the last time I saw him play. He looks to have gotten taller, which isn’t surprising, given his brother is a CB and Aaron is a December birthday, so it’s not surprising that he might’ve had a big growth spurt left. He’s more lanky now and his dribbling style is now a little different with longer strides than short choppy steps. He had a good impact against DC United, and while it’s true that he normally plays at the U-17 level, the U-16 age group would be his normal one, so it’s not as if he’s doing this against excessively low-level competition. Tyson Pearce (‘07) is an interesting player. Very good soccer IQ for a defender. Reads the game exceptionally well, and he’s doing this playing up an age group. They had him at CB in this game. I don’t know that he’s a CB. I think RB or DM makes more sense. He reminds me a little of Cody Baker. A little undersized for CB. He’s quick enough, but not too fast. Technically he’s above-average, but he gets it done more with his soccer IQ. Caden Glover (‘07) is above-average in almost all areas for a CF. He’s normally with the U-17’s, but even with the U-16’s he was playing up an age group. He scored a goal on a nice run, which is probably what he’s best at. His runs are very good. I don’t know that I see elite upside, but he’s one of the better ‘07 CF’s in a very good CF year. Gavin Netzel (‘06) can make a lot of errors, and made a key error in this game with some naive defending, but I like his potential. He’s an above-average passer with great weight on his passes, he’s athletic, has good size, can win the ball well at times, and and he’s versatile enough to play a number of positions. He may not figure it out eventually, but he has potential. Cal United U-16: Marcus Lee (‘06) showed well in this game. It was good to see him in his own age group, and not as a kid against pros. As a kid against pros you can see he’s talented, but very physically underdeveloped to be playing against pros. Against kids his age, I still wouldn’t say he’s anything better than average size and quickness for an attacking mid. He might not even be average, but he’s not a zero in that area. He’s probably more of a winger than #10. He likes to play isolation 1v1 a lot more than pass the ball around. He has pretty good skill and creativity, but it’s nothing too good and he’s not quick enough to beat many defenders for pace. He’s a good prospect, but I’m not convinced he’s the next great lower league prospect to be sold to Europe. He has pro potential, but it may not be high pro potential. Andrew Bahena (‘06) at CB was probably the second best prospect in this team. He could even be better than Lee. He’s an average or better athlete. Passing is similarly average or better. Plays physical. Reads the game at a slightly above-average level. Doesn’t seem to do anything poorly, and does a bunch of things at an average or better level. Matteo Salcedo (‘06) is a well-rounded holding midfielder. Not a lot stands out, but he could have pro potential. Cristian Flores (‘06) is a #10 with good passing ability, good decision making, and not too many areas of his game that are a weakness. Not too dynamic, but he’s pretty well rounded and has a few areas he’s good at. Tampa Bay United U-19: Tate Johnson (‘05) is a pretty good LB prospect. A little undersized, but good passer, pushes the game forward, pretty quick, good soccer IQ, and he’s probably a slightly above average defensive player. He’s on a pro contract with the Tampa Bay Rowdies USL team, so he’s not some new revelation. He’s a good player. This was the first time I saw him play. There are better ‘05 LB’s IMO, but I don’t think there are that many. Inter Miami U-15: I don’t have that much to add about this team that I haven’t said before. Lukas Choux (‘07) is an underrated player that doesn’t get mentioned that much. He’s a good prospect. Probably a #6, but I think there’s a chance he could play as a #8. Left-footed, good size, average or slightly better athlete. Good defensively and average on the ball. He has pro potential. I don’t know that I have that much to add about his game, but Santiago Morales (‘07) looks to have grown a few inches over the last few months. Justin Ellis (‘07) didn’t play much in this game and hasn’t played much in recent months due to injuries. You could see in the final that he wasn’t at 100%, but he’s such a dynamic CF. Those RSL defenders are some of the best around in the ‘07 age group, and they had no chance. He instantly changed the quality in that Miami attack. Philly U-17: David Vazquez (‘06) is a newer addition. I think he joined in recent months from Total Football Academy in LA. He has prior USYNT call-ups. He’s not a bad player, but I don’t find him to be that good. He’s a #10. Good soccer IQ. Good passer. Average athlete. Not too dynamic. He has some pro potential, but I’m not too impressed. Marcos Zambrano (‘05) looks a little improved. I’ve seen him play a bunch, and while I always found him to be good at this level, I viewed him as a very fringe level prospect. I thought he had pro potential, but wasn’t sure it was high-level potential. In the last few months, I think his game has seen a slight uptick. I’m not ready to say he’s an elite CF prospect now, but I think he’s went from a fringe level prospect to an above-average or good prospect. He looks to have gotten taller, quicker, stronger, and is now scoring more goals than I’ve seen in the past. He has a pretty well-rounded skillset. He’s a little like Josh Sargent stylistically, but also reminds me of Caden Glover from the ‘07 age group.