Perhaps I simply rated him more accurately before than abroad. He really didn't deliver anything special this World Cup. A workmanlike performance, and almost forgettable. It's not that he was bad, but he's going to be a star, and he's not yet. That's all.
Following the 2021 calendar year, Yunus Musah had 11 caps. By our rules, he was ineligible to win in 2022. [Musah was actually a first team club regular in the fall of 2020 and earned two USMNT caps that year.] Its as simple as that. You may believe the 10 cap level is arbitrary. It is. But thems the rules we came up with. People voted for him in 2020 and 2021. He just didn't win. Reyna dominated the voting in 2020. We had a bunch of good candidates in 2021 and they split the vote. Pepi ended up being the winner. 2021 was a great year. We had lots of vigorous debate. There are lots of guys who have been good candidates over the years, and people voted for.................and they just flat out lost the voting. Weah, Aaronson, and Richards stand out for me. According to the rules outlined in the first post. NO. He's comfortably age eligible and has less than 10 caps. [I personally won't be voting for him, because I think he broke out in 2022. But if others want to, they can go ahead.]
Kevin is also a lefty which means he is not easily replaceable so he'll get lots of PT. If Booth falters or gets injured there is a higher chance that someone on the bench can make the coach forget him.
I agree. Going in I thought he had a chance to be our best player and imminent move to a top 10 club in the world. He wasn't bad by any means but was probably the worst of our 9 guys that started every game. Not eligible for this made up award, but his real breakout is still coming.
I agree on Musah, and I actually think this case shows why the 10 cap rule is important - Musah started every game in two consecutive World Cup Qualifying windows in 2021. For him to win a "breakout" award in 2022 would not make a large amount of sense to me. If you revisit the 2021 thread, you yourself mention that Musah was a victim of going against Reyna in 2020, which is hard to argue against since Reyna playing for Dortmund was the prototypical dream scenario, and in 2021 he was a victim of having already having broken out a little bit the year before. And the third year, already being a locked starter for the NT in his third calendar year of being a first team professional on the same team, just doesn't qualify as a breakout year anymore. Some of our greatest players aren't going to win this award. That's fine. That's just how it goes with a voting process like this. But we can't use our hindsight to retroactively award every good player we have.
Are clubs obligated to release players for the u20 WC? What's the track record been with MLS starters and the u20 wc?
No. We're entering new ground in terms of starters. MLS teams have generally been very supportive with players who are reserves or rotational, but on the 2019 roster, Paxton Pomykal was pretty much the only player getting major minutes for his team in MLS (and IIRC, only Tim Weah, who literally ditched his loan to Celtic at the time to go to the U20 WC was the only other player playing regularly period).
That was a prior cycle that Tyler played; I think once he became a start at RB, he didn't play with the youth teams again.
He became a starter early in 2017. I remember it clearly but I took a look at the season and yep, he started 7 of 11 MLS games by the time the YWC rolled around.
It will be interesting how clubs treat U20 releases. My guess is that it will vary quite a bit by team but two of the most important factors might be the team's short term plans for the player (sale or key role in current season) and whether or not the player is expected to get any significant time with the full squad. A team with eyes on a transfer windfall would be interested in the exposure that the U20 wc will give but, a role with the full squad would greatly lessen that importance. Also, a guy that is getting time with their club team in a top league probably wouldn't need that boost.
Right, 2019 Adams was never going to the U-20s. He was just too important for NYRBs. Which reminds me that Weston was considered too important for the Schalke youth team to go to the 2017 WC. Immediately after, he broke out in BL so that might be part of the story.
We typically get who we want for the U20WC. ..................but several clubs didn't release players for the last U20 camp. Chris Brady of Chicago. Daniel Edelman of NYRB. Those were two that stood out to me. So we'll see. Clubs don't even need to have a reason. They can just not feel like it. From the MLS side, Brady and Edelman are two potential breakout candidates.
I’d add Noel Buck to that list. He’s started every game for the Revs so far and looks pretty good. Still 17 until next month.
Caleb Wiley far ahead as of now in the MLS ranks. .........................but if we're saying Malik Tillman and Taylor Booth are still eligible, they're in the lead. Paredes now seems like he's playing every week. They meet the board criteria. I won't be voting for Booth regardless, but that's just me. He broke out two years ago in Austria. Wiley, for me, captures the spirit of the award more (if he keeps going). Just like I voted last year for Slonina.
I wonder if by the end of calendar year 2023, Aaronson is at or near the top of our board: Congratulations, Paxten! 🇺🇸🦅#SGEFCU 2-0 pic.twitter.com/0UD2FCE7VX— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_us) April 4, 2023
Rumors that Luca Koleosho is switching to the US are making rounds in twitter. Rhymes with one of those— Edgar Moreno 🇺🇸🇲🇽 (@ConcacafEdgar) October 13, 2023
This post was on Oct. 13 and was immediately prior to Richardson getting cap-tied to Morocco, so I think that's who Edgar was talking about.