The nice thing about Ellinger's remarks was how many times he mentioned versatile when describing a player. Looks like we are taking a chapter out of Ajax handbook. I would be thrilled if this team if this team played "total soccer" in the World Championships.
Well done, GersMan. I do some stuff for TopDrawerSoccer.com so I'm obviously partial, but I gotta say, you ain't gonna find infor like that on this team anywhere else. Period.
Any chance you'll come up with a new name to post on there Sandon? To those of us who've figured it out, I mean c'mon.
Well, it would appear atleast Ellinger is attempting to develop skilled backs, what with two converted forwards in the starting line-up(Spector and Chevannes). U.S. coaches should really point to Spector as an example of someone getting noticed playing defense, what with his being signed by ManU. Doesn't get any bigger than that at 17. Now, maybe if Knox Cameron would get the hint....
Except he seems to play really well sometimes. Not saying he'll ever be a first choice forward, just that he might eventually get to 2nd or 3rd on the forward depth chart. With the players we've got coming up through the ranks, there is no shame in that. I do agree though otherwise that the whole Spector thing could create a whole generation of defenders who have actual skill instead of just being purely destroyers.....and that's a definite good thing.
Excellent article Gers. The increased numbers in residency have seemingly improved the competition for every spot on the field. For instance, Grazier had to raise his game to keep his starting spot. Without the new players entering residency, pehaps he doesn't get pushed and make the a huge improvement in his game. Anyway, It's good to see that so many of the "new" players like Jamie Watson, Adrian Chevannes, Danny Szetela, Julian Valentin, Chris Germani, and Steve Curfman were able to make the final roster over other players that were in residency a semester longer. Well done.
I noticed comments on Westberg the keeper training in France. Adjusting from pro environment to Bradenton. Implies ?? But the part I liked the "best keeper he's seen with his feet." About time we had a Higuita. A keeper that can maintain possession on the back pass is something we've really been missing. Too many back passess just blasted up the field.
Wanderer, does this mean you are going to "out" Sandon if he doesn't start using his real name ? Many of us lurkers here have been hypothesizing who Mr. Mibut really is - Bruce Arena's mom ?
nice work - no, - terrific work fabulous post - have never met mr ellinger - but there's an ever so slight appearance he's met with mr arena often, and it seems they both like dutch soccer
Actually, I haven't even been trying to figure out who Sandon really is. I was referring to his screen name--Sand on my but--. Of course Digital Tron uses his bigsoccer name over there on topdrawersoccer I think.
Well, I think this is probably the first side we have that has defenders who are able to contribute to the attack a whole lot. The '99 edition with Donovan in the hole had a lot of total football elements, except perhaps the defenders getting forward a lot. From what it sounds like, this crop of defender has better skills than the previous ones.
Gersman, it's more than a year later, is there any chance of getting Ellinger to do another one of these for this year's crop?
I just re-read this piece...and, well, I just edited it for effect. Adrian Chevannes Obviously size-wise he is excellent, and he couples that with excellent size and speed. On top of that he is very technical. Chris Germani He is our starting left back. He has good speed, not great size, Kyle Helton He has excellent speed ...Technically he’s really improved Brandon Owens he has really worked on his skills on the ball. Jonathon Spector He gives us even more speed in the back...He is very technical, Julian Valentin He has good speed, he’s good in the air, and is very technical and comfortable with the ball. Corey Ashe his pace will kill you. Steven Curfman He has good pace, and is good with both feet Guillermo Gonzalez He is good with both feet, Michael Harrington He has great pace, Daniel Szetela ...has a good quick burst of speed OK, I will concede that maybe this is a bit unfair. Yet only a few times did Ellinger mention things like tactical decision making, and team oriented skills such as positioning, runs, and game knowledge. It's as though this is a collection of individuals with physical and technical attributes,and not a group.
I, also, reread the piece and edited it for effect: Quentin Westberg He is very technical and very proficient with his feet. Adrian Chevannes On top of that he is very technical. He reads the game well and the cover he provides for his teammates is excellent. Chris Germani He reads the game very well and is an excellent tactician as far as defending. On the flip side he knows when to get forward and is very smart in those decisions. Jonathon Spector He is very technical, he makes good runs forward Eddie Gaven He wins the ball, makes good runs, Daniel Szetela He’s very good at combining with players, Freddy Adu .... Jamie Watson His decision-making is excellent when he gets the bal – he shoots when he should and he passes when he should.
Duly noted. I suppose these comments are for public consumption and, therefore, have the quality of cliche about them. Not suprising, I suppose.
Karl you were right Those comments are not really primarily for public consumption. You were right on Karl. Our youth game has evolved in this country over the years. In the 80s you were a great player if you were big, strong and fast... other skills seemed out of the realm of American youth players. In the 90s you were a great player if you were big, strong, fast, and skilled enough to play the 1-2 touch game... other skills were deemed outside the realm of American youth players. Today we have reached the level in some areas, not so in others. Physically, we are looking for the right players, now. Technically, we are training the right things and well. We are also excellent in terms of selecting and developing the right personalities. We are only behind tactically, but we are where we should be, for now. There are a few American youth coaches who are developing effective methods to train a more sophisticated approach to the game. We will see it in the top players of the next generation. NL
Re: Re: Ellinger on U17 Roster ask and ye shall receive: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/20040315123706/view
Ellinger's Comments To me this says, Quavas is a great athlete, but sucks at soccer. Did I read this wrong?
Re: Ellinger's Comments That's my reading, too. Of course, he doesn't really suck at soccer, rather he's just not as technical as some of the other kids there. But the early buzz has Quavas as the best prospect of all the U17 forwards. He's the athlete of the bunch, and athleticism counts, not just to blind U.S. coaches but to everybody else, too.
Re: Re: Ellinger's Comments Wouldn't he be an ideal candidate to move to defender???? Would you rather have Hasselbaink or Raul? Me, I'll take Raul...