I'd like to see Ebobisse get a look at some point but is he better then Pepi or Balogun? His best bet might be going to the Olympics as an overage player next year. We're almost certainly going to take someone at the 9 (and may have trouble getting Josh Sargent released along with a Brandon Vazquez or Ferreira if they move to Europe).
I kind of feel like Ebobisee is in that category like Keaton Parks or Brooks Lennon. They have probably "earned" a call, but I can't see any real purpose to them actually getting one.
None of the three project to be effective at the international level (at least not at the level of competition we aspire to). But of the three Ebo imo is the most likely to actually be effective.
If we're talking January camp, that's an irrelevant question. He just needs to be better than the 3rd CF on that roster. His comp is Vazquez, Ferreira, White, Gioacchini, Morris, McGuire, Hoppe, Cowell, Adeniran, Zardes, etc. He can be top 3 of that group, especially if 1 or 2 are unavailable or off to Europe already. I'd like to see White & Ebobisse finally get a chance across 2 cupcake games. See if they can impress and move on. But everybody's going to have to choose their 2-3 favorites to get a look at. Underneath Vazquez and Ferreira, 1 of whom will probably be gone, a few of those guys - White, Ebobisse, Gioacchini - should be similarly rated. Then Gioacchini could play wing. We are weak in that group. Beyond then, we're going to need more CF's than just Pepi & Balogun. Besides potential unavailability, their progress may not be linear. We were acting like we were set at rb w/ Dest and Scally. Then Scally's regressed, while Dest is a defensive liability. Would be nice to have Julian Araujo around now. Even a guy like Jones can challenge. Is he better than Scally? Maybe yes. Like player x could prove better than Pepi or Balogun in time, as much as l like them. Vazquez has the talent to be better when he's in form and they aren't. Maybe White proves a scoring savant like he's been for his clubs, or Ebobisse looks better in his natural spot now. Some guys surprise. It's the value of getting them in camp.
If Vazquez and Ferreira move abroad this winter (as I think is likely to happen), it would open up some opportunities in the next Camp Cupcake for some of the other MLS forwards. Ebo could well be the best of the rest. Which would leave him behind Balogun, Pepi, Sargent, Ferreira, Vazquez, Pefok, Wright, Dike on the big boy depth chart.
Not if he/they play exceptionally well. Geoff Cameron wasn't behind 8 cb's and dm's after January camp, simply because he wasn't in Europe yet, or a nat'l team vet. Same went for Besler. He actually started the next camp, including a key wcq at Mexico. Wright hasn't done anything to separate himself, Pefok hasn't done anything for us, & 2 of those guys have long-term injuries. So a Jan camp killer could move up all the way to 5 among actives. Then they're in the pool, and could move up higher with subsequent successes, whenever they're needed.
Doing exceptionally well at Camp Cupcake obviously would be a good thing. But it would have to be an otherworldly level of exceptionally well to get him into a camp against serious competition. I think the senior team is getting to the point where doing well in MLS or well in Camp Cupcake ain't gonna generate much upward movement in the depth chart. The exceptions are gonna be the hot new thangs like Cremaschi, who because of youth and potential will be jumped to the head of the line.
Ebobisse is probably the 10th or 11th most likely striker to be on the roster. There are certainly seven ahead of him (Balo, Pepi, Sarge, JF, Haji, Jordi P, and Vazquez) plus maybe Hoppe and potentially Figueroa. We have probably have room for 3. IF he got a call, I would say he earned one with his productivity. But I don't think he is going to vault 7 or 8 guys. So why?
Figueroa is more hope than substance right now. But anyway...................... With Hoppe, I don't care about the quality of the goals. He needed the confidence that those goals bring. Now let's hope he keeps building from here. Cuz we know there's something there. He hasn't gotten an opportunity to show his stuff in a while. As far as Ebobisse goes, life isn't fair. I don't think anyone would have an issue with him getting a look with the USMNT. He's 26. He's in his prime NOW. But that means he's not amongst the "A" team and he's also not an "up-and-comer." These are exactly the kinds of mid-career domestic guys that get overlooked. This past January it was Vazquez and Ferreira (currently the 1st and 3rd leading goalscorers for the USMNT in 2023) and then other camp slots went to some overseas fringe guys like Sabbi and Hoppe (then at Boro). I think of Sabbi as a wide player. We can probably make a long list of mid-career MLS guys that have been in a similar position. Always a bridesmaid and never the bride. I'm always surprised that Justen Glad has zero caps. Same age as Ebobisse. Always discussed. Got some callups. Never capped. Now has played over 200 games and is only 26. But Jalen Neal, Josh Wynder, Sam Rogers, etc. have gotten USMNT callups this year. The back of the rosters go to those kinds of guys and not mid-career guys. I bet we can make a good best XI of this type of player. Left back? Marco Farfan. About to turn 25. Very good player. Right back? Brooks Lennon. 26. Good player. The list goes on. Ya know? Sometimes guys like this just miss their "windows." They end up having long and lucrative careers, but with only 0-2 caps for the USMNT.
In years past Camp Cupcake was a bigger opportunity because very few of our players were at big 5-6 leagues in Europe on good teams. The list is big now so the players have to impress more. I agree that up and comers who may soon go abroad are the most likely to get called in.
Now that we have two above average forwards in the stable that’s where I’ll be looking. Who can be 3-4? I don’t want Jesus or Vazquez because I’m hoping they’re wrapping up winter transfers. If they don’t, I assume they’re there though I want the Nico Gio, JeBo, White battle royale in this camp cupcake
FotW goal and assist leaders, with more complete assist leaderboard. Goals B White 12 (4 assists) Ferreira 12 (4) Nico 10 (1) JoMo 10 (1) Ebobisse 9 (3) McGuire 9 (2) C Ram 8 (4) Wood 7 (5) Baird 7 (5) Boyd 6 (3) Vasquez 6 (4) Zardes 6 (2) Assists Lennon 10 (4 goals) Gutierrez 9 (1) Bedoya 6 (0) Baird 5 (7) Wood 5 (7) Gressel 5 (3) Gutman 5 (3) A. Morris 5 (4) Vassilev 5 (2) Tolkin 5 (2) Richy 5 Ramirez 4 (8) Crema 4 (2) Finlay 4 (5) Jones 4 (1) Combined White 16 Ferreira 16 Lennon 14 Ebobisse 12 C Ram 12 Wood 12 Baird 12 Nico 11 JoMo 11 McGuire 11 Vasquez 10 Gutierrez 9
Cupcake is evolving more and more, I think, into more a U23 camp, etc. It wouldn't shock me if this year's was basically an Olympic prep camp with perhaps a few vets for leaderships purposes or essentially tryouts for the overage spots.
I don’t understand the obsession with giving out caps to so many players, especially guys who are never going to be more than pretty good mls players. it sucks for guys like Ebobisse and Lennon, but it’s good for the usmnt that guys like that aren’t even close to the fringe of the usmnt. as for camp cupcake, it needs to include guys who have a place with the usmnt currently, or real potential to contribute in the future. The more guys like ebobisse who are there, the less of a purpose the camp will serve. Going deep into the talent pool does more harm than good, imo. It prevents regulars from getting as many reps together, and makes evaluating fringe guys much more complicated.