I think Mihailovic had a breakout season last year and nobody was watching Chicago! He finished 2nd in assists for USMNT-eligible players in the entire league (behind Jordan Morris). Then people complained that he was part of our U23 Olympic qualifying roster...................... The "came out of nowhere" player on that list was Seattle homegrown midfielder Josh Atencio. That kid really took advantage of an opportunity. Youngster have to do that. When there's a first team injury and there's an opening....................grab the chance. Seattle has upped their academy game of late, and its great to see some impact.
American Soccer Analysis really likes Busio for what it's worth. https://www.americansocceranalysis....galaxy-new-york-city-and-sporting-kansas-city Busio, the crown jewel of the SKC academy, has increased his playing time in each season since he signed with the first team in 2017 at the age of 15. At the time, he was the second youngest signing in MLS history. Three years later, the 18 year-old now wears the number 10 and says he’s ready to put the team on his back. He’s hoping to make the leap that players like Brendan Aaronson and Tyler Adams have made before him. By the numbers, you could argue he’s already good enough, it’s just about more minutes and more recognition. In his three years in MLS, Busio has put up g+ numbers of 0.09, 0.08, and 0.0 above average - all impressive for a kid still three years away from buying his first beer. Compare that to midfielders like Aaronson (-0.01 and -0.12) or Adams, (-0.15, -0.03, and 0.01) and Busio’s numbers are pretty favorable - especially considering he started his MLS career at a younger age than both players. If all of the noise from preseason is accurate, then Busio hasn’t just taken a step forward - he’s taken several steps and is ready to take this team as far as it can go. Proof: this banger. If that’s the case, then Busio could be the next young American MLS player to be sold for millions of dollars to a European team. If he hasn’t taken a step forward, then he’ll still be a solid contributor in the midfield of a team expected to be a contender in the Western conference
Busio, like Joe Scally and other super young MLS signings, has a floor of around Bobby Convey. Their ceiling is as high as you can imagine it. There's no guarantee that they will be a contributor to the full NT, especially this one, but they will certainly provide a good base to provide contributors.
I mentioned this in the MLS Flavors of the Week thread, but I'd really like to see what happens if and when Busio gets to focus on a single position. He's in a similar spot to what McKennie faced at Schalke where he's playing all over the field. That's great in the context of Vermes trusting an 18-year-old to pretty much do anything in the midfield or forward line, but it makes it tough to focus on and really get good at a single position. I think Busio's strengths are his technical ability and positional awareness (you have to possess that to play as many roles as he does), but I do question his athleticism. He's still only 18, so the physical maturity can come (and looking at him in the RBNY game, it may be arriving). Personally, I think he could be a better version of Yueill as a DLP/change of pace 6. I actually thought he was really growing into the 6 at SKC last year, but someone with his versatility could be a good depth player to cover a number of positions. But I really want to see what happens when a coach tells him, "You're going to play this position and only this position. Be great at it."
The thing about an 8 is that they rotate in to so many positions or at least the best ones do. They need to rotate to the 6, to the left or right back and they should crash in to the box. So, this versatility is good for an 8. In addition, moving him around provides real data points as to his usefulness in each rotation and provides a clear picture for scouts.
I wouldn't look at versatility as a weakness though. With the way teams change formations and tactics nowadays, being versatile is a strength. There aren't that many teams in international football, or club football that play the same formation all of the time. Teams simply don't have enough world class talent and depth at every position. Busio has and is showing that he can excel at any position he is asked to play. The game has also evolved. Outside backs are now asked to contribute in the attacking third much more often, and central midfielders are asked to play box to box, and often cover the entire field. Outside of a forward, central defender and goalkeeper, the other 7 players are asked to do much more than they would have been asked 10 years ago. Yes, forwards are asked to press more, and central defenders are now asked to play with their feet more, however they mainly stay in their area of the field. Would McKennie be at Juve today had he exclusively played as a CDM (8) at Schalke? We'll never know. Though Juve changes tactics & formation based on the opponent they are playing. McKennie showing that he can play many positions on the field at an exceptional level had to make him more attractive to Juve. Also, with the financial predicament many of the big clubs are in, they don't have the depth at every position that they once had. They need versatile players. Take Alphonso Davies. He plays LB/LWB for Bayern. For Canada he plays as an attacking midfielder. He's Canada's best player, and best attacking player so they play him n Midfield. Bayern have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking half of the field, and se Davies has the skills and athleticism to be an exceptional, possibly world class, LB.
He's never looked good in a USMNT shirt ever. And then he preceeded to not look good in a US shirt yet again in olympic qualifying. I get that his production makes him worth a look, but every look we've given him to my memory has been uninspiring. In fairness to Mihailovic, just as I give Soto, and Ferreira a pass for struggling in the tourney because there was no creativity in that team to begin with (I guess Mihailovic was supposed to be it along with Ferreira himself?), you could perhaps give him a pass because the team was built to defend, and then get lucky w/some random goals which did not happen save for the once against Costa Rica. So maybe Mihailovic looks better when playing with a talented, creative attack centrallly/wings/and at forward, and this team definitely wasn't that, but my argument would be that Mihailovic was one of the reasons it wasn't creative. Whatever he does in MLS, or did, he didn't do at the olympics, or with the senior team two years earlier. I've never been impressed, but after last year, if you want to throw him on the Gold Cup roster and see if he's improved, and the paucity of quality play last month was about Kreis and his teammates, so be it. His production warrants a one more time look, I'm just not seeing it personally, but if I'm willing to give guys like Acosta a pass, it's only fair that I let Mihailovic actually play with a team with talent that he can provide potential assists too.
Thought Mihailovic played well in a couple of friendlies. U23s were a cluster******** Suspect he'll get more looks.
Not enough is being said about how impressive Perea was. He's so smooth on the half-turn, and he can glide by players. Soft first touch to beat the press. Pressures opponents well. And has produced a little end product this yr, though his well taken goal off the half volley was taken away. He's making a push for our backup 6 spot to Tyler. Ochoa is certainly making an impression and most of it is good. I like some of the antics. It shows he's a competitor. Yes, it needs to be contained. Easier to dial down then ramp up. You can trust him not to get nervous. And he has the tools. So I'm excited here. We needed a young keeper to emerge to be an alternative to Steffen & challenge him. Bonus mention for Dani Pereira of Austin. He was their #1 pick. Where his citizenship process is at right now is murky. But he was refugee in 2015, so he's eligible to apply now. Whether he has I don't know. But I like how he confidently runs at defenders and then outlets. Helped set up a goal or more for his club in a road upset of Colorado. Got the better of Bassett fwiw.
Lots of good performances in Week 2. Biggest ups have to go to Cade Cowell... going beastmode for a goal and showing a fantastic touch on an assist. Congrats to Toye for another great goal and to Djordje for being the cornerstone of that attack. He also had a great thru ball that should have put this one on ice but the attacker couldn't beat the keeper one-v-one. Bello had another solid game for a re-vamped Atlanta team. Still looking to see him do more offensively... but he has come a long way and could be a legit option at LB for the USMNT in the near future. Happy to see Araujo back and making a difference for LA. They are a much better team with him in the lineup. Other guys worth mentioning... Busio w/ a great goal. Ochoa stepping up for Real even though he got a bit hot-headed in the end. Perea played great for Orlando as well. Lastly... although they are 0-2... I love the young nucleus of talent that could be at NYRB with Clark, Amaya, Harper and Duncan. That is a fun team to watch. They seem better than their record. My downs go to: 1) Bassett: I am expecting a lot more. Hoping it is just a slow start. 2) FC Dallas for barely playing home-growns. BTW... does anyone know what happened to Kevin Paredes? I was expecting a step-up this season but he hasn't been with DC United in the 1st two games. This article cites him, Busio and Cuevas (Galaxy) as young players to watch according to a think tank in Switzerland.
Reyna generation > Pulisic generation??? We've had an awfully exciting 4 years. What do we think of the next four?
CC totw Ochoa and Busio make the bench https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/team...chicharito-electric-austin-fc-make-history-in
Not sure if you caught the Seattle game or not but the Atencio kid really caught my eye. That game was everything some posters claim MLS isn’t. And he had some really nice moments. I’ll be looking to catch more Seattle games this yr if he continues to play.
His pace doesn't really jump out at you.... but I have liked his play so far this year. At least he isn't as slow as Saldana has been for the Galaxy. He looks way too slow to be elite.
On injuries:- COA has been out since the first session of the preseason. - Kevin Paredes still recovering from the end of last season; hopefully will return in a couple of weeks. -Jacob Greene had "an unlucky tackle" during training and overload on his quad.#TriedAndTrueDCU— Tried and True - a D.C. United Podcast (@TriedAndTrueDCU) April 6, 2021
I definitely don't look at versatility as a weakness. There's a lot of value to being versatile. However, there is the drawback of becoming a "jack of all trades, master of none". I use McKennie as Exhibit A. Granted, Schalke played him in a lot more positions than Vermes has with Busio. Weston basically played every position except goalkeeper and peanut vendor. When he got to Juve and was able to focus on one position, we saw what happened. It's a fine balance. For me, I think that if Busio just gets to focus on one position, he could take off. Time will tell.
Top 5 young-player performances in Week 2 Cowell and Busio Honorable mention Atencio Saldana Ochoa MLS leaders in distance covered in week 2, some familiar faces week-over-week:1. Sean Davis 12.83km2. Djordje Mihailovic 12.77km3. Josh Atencio 12.43km4. Damir Kreilach 12.39km5. Russell Canouse 12.38km— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) April 26, 2021
I finally got around to watching the Seattle / LAFC game. I like Atencio... although I still worry he doesn't have the pace to be great at CDM. That being said... his extraordinary length helps him make tackles that others wouldn't. He made a few nice plays in this one including a fantastic move and long-ball pass that was squandered. It looks like he ran more than most players in weeks 1 and 2... which is pretty cool. Not sure if him starting is temporary though. Once a Lodeiro comes back they move Roldan back there. Farfan was pretty decent at RB which isn't his natural position... but again... not sure how much we are going to see from him down the stretch when some players come back.
On Matias Almeyda Press Conference, Andy Rios was going to be the Day 1 Starter, but had a mini injury a week before. Cade Cowell was slated in his place. It's up to Cade, to lose that spot. #Quakes74 #VamosSJ— Favian Renkel (@FavianRenkel) April 28, 2021 Ugh we can't even give Almeyda credit for going with Cade Cowell from the beginning of the season... he was hoping to start Andy Rios but he was dealing with an injury. Andy Rios is such a joke, having flashbacks of last weekend vs Dallas when Siad Haji was begging him for the ball, Rios took forever like the concept of giving the ball to a teammate wasn't registering in his brain, and then passed it behind Haji, ending the game... trust 75% of soccer coaches to do make the right decision only after they have exhausted all other options.
Cade Cowell to the media when asked who he would most like to emulate his play: "If I could combine Neymar and Mbappe together, that's who I would like to be." #Quakes74— JMoore Quakes (@JmooreQuakes) April 28, 2021 Cade we're trying to WIN Champions League here
San Jose Earthquakes and US youth int'l Cade Cowell on learning from Chris Wondolowski"I worked on one-touch finishing, like Wondo does a lot. He told me it’s just about making connections on the ball, I don’t have to swing too hard. And he taught me double-moves off the ball."— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) April 28, 2021 When I spoke to him earlier in the year, he said he doesn't yet have a Mexican passport. His connection to Mexico is a little more distant that people realize. He has 1 Mexican-born grandparent and (as you mentioned) doesn't speak Spanish.— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) April 28, 2021
Yeah, I'm not worried about Cade Cowell. I realize #dualnationalpanic is our national pasttime, but there's nothing to worry about here. Frankly the top end of our USMNT is so young and strong, that we should have the approach of a France or Holland at this point. Our starters are young and in the Champions League. So if an MLS youngster (like Efrain Alvarez, for instance) ends up playing for somebody else, then so be it. Holland wasn't worried about losing Sergino Dest. France wasn't worried about losing Timothy Weah. Germany wasn't worried about losing John Brooks (All three will be in the Champions League next season). They trust their pipelines to continue producing talent year after year after year. Same with us. I mean, we have Matthew Hoppe to call up. Matthew has zero USMNT/USYNT appearances on any level.