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I know I'll be in the minority about this, but if he plays in a competitive match it's a mistake. The kid says that he was nervous during practice -- and Bradley is thinking about starting him on Saturday? I have no problem with him practicing with the team, putting on the uniform, sitting on the bench, and maybe playing the last 10-15 minutes if the game is out of reach one way or another. But if we need a new starter, call somebody up from the Rough Riders, or at least someone who has played a pro match at some point in his life. Gaven is 16 years old and won't contribute anything that we can't get better somewhere else right now.
I don't think Bradley cares if the kid is nervous or if he has played a professional game. What matters is if Gaven is better than the other options. You haven't made a very persuading case for calling "somebody" up from the Rough Riders.
There's no 'call-ups' anyway, is there? No MLS-USL agreement anymore, right? I guess that there are loans back and forth - LeBlanc and Regan were loaned out to Virginia Beach for last Friday night's game, according to the FSW guys, but that could entail more than just a straight 'we can call them up whenever we want to' approach to A-League players.
I don't think that a Gaven start would ruin the kid's long-term prospects with Metro; I think that it makes us more likely to not win on Saturday at home to a conference rival. I don't know what the call-up / loan rule is but I'd rather see a 25-year-old who has been playing professionally for a few years than a 16-year-old making his pro debut.
I'm split on this. I'd really like to see what the kid has to offer, and I wouldn't chastise Bob for playing him necessarily. But I'm not convinced this is the best type of game for him to be thrown into the fire (no pun intended). He'd be under a lot of pressure to produce immediately, with a team that is lacking its 3 most vocal veteran leaders. I guess I'd rather wait until later in the season when at least Mathis or Pope is back, and give him some PT late in a game a few times. But obviously circumstances seem to dictate that we need him now. I just hope, if he does play, that everyone cuts him a LOT of slack. He's likely to make quite a few mistakes and we don't need that scarring him for life.
I got to see him play down here in Dallas at the Dallas cup with U17 team. I was really impressed with his size and control on the ball. In the semi final game against Newcastle, they dropped him back as a holding midfielder when Spector got sent off in the first half. I realize that was against 19 year old kids, but he does seem like a pretty ligitimate player.
Re: Re: Gaven might play this week I think you're really overstating the "professional debut" aspect. This kid trains year round with the under-17's, starts with a forward who is commonly acknowledged to be capable of making an MLS roster right now, and takes part in tournaments that are in many ways far more professional than anything the A-League puts together. Players in the A-League are paid, and some of them may be able to move on to bigger and better things, but they're not first class professionals in the same way that many of the youth national pool players are. So I don't think there's going to be any magic benefit simply because they've played in the A-League for a few years. I believe the saying is, "If you're good enough, you're old enough."
I say give it a go and you may find he is better prepared than some of our other rookies due to his experience on that U 17 team in additon to the fact that he is probably bigger and stronger than Magee right now. If he does not do good, then just take him out. You have to have a first start sometime. Magee has done pretty good for an 18 yr old and will benefit by his playing time in the long run to speed up his development.
I say give him a shot. We've got no one at forward at the moment, as in an 18 year old rookie is our only penciled in starter. Magee's playing well, but with the injuries and depth issues I'd rather see 70 minutes of Gaven than watching Galvan or Guevara out of position. As for being nervous in practice, I would expect that he would be. He's a 16 year old kid playing in front of his coach and club as a team member for the first time. He played against Metro in a U-17 friendly, but he was on a squad of kids so not much was expected out of him. In his first practice against professional players nearly twice his age, I would hope he was nervous. Plus, Bill Russell was so nervous he threw up before every game. Every one. He won 10 titles in 11 years, and even in meaningless games on the road in February, up chuck he did. So give the guy a game or two before you attack him for being mentally fragile.
I know Bill Russell. Bill Russell is a good friend of mine....and Eddie Gaven is NO Bill Russell With all these kids playing on the Metros, do we get a ticket discount since we're now watching an Under 18 Boys team?
I think we need a babysitter. Seriouly, how long before Bob Bradley uses a Discovery pick to take his son Michael?
Gaven is six foot, 145 pounds. Magee is five foot nine inchs, 150 pounds. Metro fans have suggested that Magee needs to put on some muscle. What will they say when they see Gaven? Love to see the kid play and do OK.
He's tall, he's gaunt, he's got ball skills to flaunt, he's Eddie G, he's Eddie G..... I don't care what the hell he looks like, as long as he scores.
Mark Lisi is 6'1" and 165 lbs. Start him at forward and bring in Gaven later if necessary. -----------Grafer----------- Zaidie--Forchetti--Jolley--Regan ------Clark------Williams------ ------Galvan----Guevara------ -------Lisi-------Magee-------