Sands was part of the pre-COVID U23 camps. So was Keaton Parks. So we can't say Kreis didn't take a look at them. He took a look at them and apparently passed. We were also unsure about how Sands' broken foot impacted his ability to make this roster. Like Pomykal, he was back in training. Like Pomykal, he played this weekend. But there was uncertainty as to his readiness.......................
Robbie Robinson went #1 in the draft, and then kind of slipped under the radar. Phil Neville appears to be a big fan. Robbie Robinson can be "really, really special," says Miami coach Phil Neville https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/robb...-really-special-says-miami-coach-phil-neville
He seemed to have off the field stuff going last year and only made 12 appearances. I'm giving him the same COVID Mulligan I'm giving most players. I look at 2020 as an extra credit project, it can only help your grade.
I even considered dropping the age from U23 all the way to U20... but there are a few late bloomers worth keeping an eye on so I kept it at U23. I didn't watch the San Jose game so I can't comment on how well Cade played... but he has talent in bunches and I am eager to see how he develops this season. I also thought Atensio deserved an honorable mention... He played very well. I do worry that he doesn't have the pace necessary to be elite though. Saldana debuted for the Galaxy at CDM and you can see the talent WRT ball distribution but man o man is he slow. Atensio is not nearly that bad WRT pace... but when you compare him with a guy like Adams the difference is pretty evident. I was happy to see Sands back in the lineup for NYCFC after the injury. He definitely looked a bit rusty but he is still one of my favorites for being a backup destroyer 6. I was kind of surprised that there were not more US youths getting playing time in week 1. I am sure we will see several emerge this season. But right now... my clear front-runners for being legit difference-makers are Clark, Busio, Bassett and Cowell.
Week one is part of the early season fantasy round where coaches have to play the new toys the GM and owner brought in until most prove they're not as good as some of their own HG's and they decide they'd rather win. We'll just call it winning a spot like they do in Europe (even though we know better as they've already won it).
Busio and his deployment are fascinating. He's still a teenager but clearly Vermes trusts him to do whatever job needs doing. He just threw the kid out to play the 9 to start the season after playing him as a winger and 6 last year. Maybe this is consistent with some people's guess that his best spot is a Mueller like free attacker.
IMO, he is the most talented U19 player we have right now.... and there are quite a few of them both domestically and abroad. I guess Musah might be right there with him.... I just wish Valencia would finally move him inside. At any rate... he played the 6 when asked last season and he did very well there. I think you could put him just about anywhere and he would do a good job. But I like him in the middle of the pitch... so 8 or 10 sounds about right. Wouldn't be too mad if he spent more time at the 6 position either.
Right after he mentioned Musah as an alternative option. Even if it were just MLS, Caden Clark says hi. And there are a plethora of other prospects at least in his class. I underrated the kid, but even his supporters have to admit, at best he's mediocre physically & he doesn't have outstanding vision in the final 3rd to unlock defenses. That leaves plenty of room for prospects to surpass him if he doesn't keep improving himself.
Ah, yes. I skipped right over that mention. So, yeah, terribly wrong. So far there have been five 2002s called to the full NT (including the non-binding Efra look and see) while Busio has not even been called up to the U23s.
I'm not a fan of Busio. I don't think that he's that talented but I'd like for him to prove me wrong.
I'm his fan, and hope he goes to Italy in August to prove you wrong. It still doesn't mean he will necessarily win it over Clarke or Cowell.
Yeah... pretty large over-sight. Gio is the bee's knees. I keep forgetting that he is only 18 given how many minutes he has played in the BL. Remarkable.
So maybe this article is a regular thing? https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/top-5-young-player-performances-in-week-1
Im not sure about his physical ability. He was tiny at 16-17 but seems to be decent size and speed wise now.
Busio appears to be under-rated on these boards. We don't have a ton of #6s that are USMNT-eligible. One can observe the issue by the fact we called a player up from the Danish 2nd division to the recent series of friendlies. People seemed unhappy with Johnny and the guys at Olympic qualifying. So who's left? Aidan Morris, who's now out for an extended period with an ACL tear. I don't think there's any question that Busio will be involved with the USMNT at some point. Perhaps he'll get a cap at the next January camp. He's one who would have been heavily involved with the US U20s this past cycle if it hadn't been cancelled. Tessmann, Pepi, Clark, Bassett, Bello, Cowell, and friends with that group. Since all of that was cancelled, folks are jumping straight to evaluating these kids with the U23s and senior USMNT. Busio is 6 years younger than some of the players we had at Olympic qualifying like Jackson Yueill (because that was really a U24 team). He's far from a finished product.
Well....................then he's right in the heart of our deepest position. Lots of competition there, even amongst the youngsters. We've got more 8s on the way in Europe and domestically. Busio is actually younger than Tessmann. Gianluca's been around a while, so I think we lose sight of the fact that he's still only 18. [Tessmann is one I can see being converted to a 6, actually. He even played some CB with the FCD academy.] Lots of for Busio to grow and develop. Will he develop into an international quality player? We'll see. And of course he's got that coveted Euro passport, which opens a lot of doors.
I sure hope so. It was a good list. I am very interested to see how Djorde does this year at Montreal. I think this might be a breakout year for him and Montreal as a Team.