San Jose Earthquakes Academy is on its way!

I think this guy has a point but I think it's too early to talk about KK Spivey's "form" with his club. He's just starting to play a bit with The Town. He's 15. He's played 175 minutes - basically 2 games worth. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I do hope they play him more. He did play on Sunday when his brother didn't.

 

How much are the NIMBY scumbags going to hurt the Quakes academy as the bay area's population continues to age because very little housing is being built and young people can't afford to live here or to raise families here?

Seniors make up a rapidly growing share of the Bay Area's population because young families can't afford to live here. pic.twitter.com/IbldG1AjJm

— Marc Joffe (@marcjoffe) June 26, 2025

Nedin Tukacovic apparently "essentially forced Marcelo Avalos ('09) to leave at San Jose Earthquakes"... glad he's messing up other teams now.

Announced he's leaving the club. Best player in this academy.

Was doing great, and then they bring in a new GK coach for the academy in January, Nedin Tukacovic, who had no use for him. Barely played the last 6 months. Brought "his own player" with him from NorCal (really no… https://t.co/Y8OkYUyPzy

— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) June 27, 2025

 

sigh... oh well at least Sunnyvale got a rare shout out on television

It had to be him.

DIEGO LUNA IS YOUR M🌕TM! pic.twitter.com/iSwF7IvYpw

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) July 3, 2025

 

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a64992950/mh25-sports-superstars-of-tomorrow/

Tomo Allen #1

 

This footage of Diego Luna in 2021 is incredible - at 16 years old - signing with USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive FC 😯

Now about to lead the USMNT in a Gold Cup final against Mexico just a few years later.

What a story 🇺🇸

(via @eplocomotivefc) pic.twitter.com/r2HoCTHwqy

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) July 4, 2025

 

I am not sure if this has been reported anywhere, but highly rated goalkeeper, Marcelo Avalos, is back with the San Jose Earthquakes' academy after leaving for Philadelphia Union last season. He is currently training with San Jose's second team. pic.twitter.com/1rglaFzPh8

— Marcus Chairez | US/SC (@USSoccerColl) August 11, 2025

 

Fumbles...

Oscar Verhoeven

There are 11 US-based teenagers on CIES’s annual Top Teenagers list.https://t.co/IUR3ch2gTF pic.twitter.com/jNoXSFAVWV

— Falmouth Scout (@falmouthscout) August 27, 2025

Mateo Tsakiris

21 players have been named to the #U17MNT for its second-to-last camp before the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup!

The team will play international friendlies against the Netherlands on Sept. 5th and 8th in Noordwijk. pic.twitter.com/LbkoUslpy8

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) August 27, 2025

 

forgot one

Oliver Tan (Pacos de Ferreira/POR; Piedmont, Calif.)

 

TOO TOUGH 🤫

Not enough defenders to stop Tomo from netting his first-career goal!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/J5zv3GFy1u

— Stanford Men’s Soccer (@StanfordMSoccer) August 29, 2025

 

Nice! Reminds me of the goal that DeRo's son scored this week against LAG in Leagues Cup.

 

Highly rated goalkeeper, Marcelo Avalos?

I never heard of him.

Exaggeration much?

 

He is highly rated enough to just be called into the U16 Mexican national team.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNy7eV15IID/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

 

The Quakes academy seems to have great success at the lower levels. Then it levels off a bit. But the real problem is leveraging the academy into 1st team players. Right now it seems more like a college soccer prep academy. Leitch tried to double down on that by signing "college homegrowns" like Will Richmond, who is now out of soccer, employed as "Strategic Initiatives Associate in the Office of the CEO & CFO at Octave Bioscience", Cam Cilley, who's still playing Next / Pro with St. Louis I believe it is, and Keegan Tingey, who's playing in USL. And then we finally get a sure-thing D1 player in Verhoeven and we loan him out (and will unlikely to see him as a Quake again, given the transfer option). :facepalm

Marcelo Avalos will probably take the Emi Ochoa route. We'll sign him as a homegrown but he won't ever really play for our 1st team, he'll get transfered to a Liga MX team. At least in that case we get compensated for developing the player.

 

Marcelo Avalos could also end up playing college soccer like his brother, plus he has an Icelandic passport so there is a European route potentially available as well.

 

He has reportedly also represented the US in youth tournaments.

 

So Marcelo Avalos is not highly rated because YOU have never heard of him? Do you even follow academy players?


Avalos is the 41st ranked UYSNT prospect across all age groups on here as of summer 2025:
https://www.ussoccercollective.com/rankings/top-50

#41
GK
Marcelo Avalos
San Jose Earthquakes
2009


10th ranked 2009 (it's a very deep year):
https://www.ussoccercollective.com/rankings/2009

10. GK, Marcelo Avalos, Philadelphia Union (↓2)
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: US MX IS
Youth National Team: MX U-16
Avalos has all the tools to be a top shot stopper—positioning, reflexes, explosiveness, coordination, and flexibility—and he’s also a capable distributor with both feet. He doesn't have elite length, but his athleticism and reflexes help make up for that, and his handling remains an area for improvement, as he can sometimes parry or spill balls into dangerous areas.

 

Actually, I don't follow any academy players because since 2010, no player that I’ve seen has yet matured or lasted with the first team.

I think the entire program is a complete joke, overrated, overhyped and should be disbanded.

So Marcelo Avalos is currently 16 or 17 and we are supposed to assume and believe , he will be here , starting at GK for the first team at 21 years of age in the next 5-6 years.

In 50 years of following pro soccer, I’ve rarely seen a GK who is 21 years of age , appear in goal for the a first team

I'll be happy if he makes it to the first team in 5-7 years but its doubtful.

For now, this is my opinion and belief and I'll stand by this statement until I'm proven wrong.

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

You said he's not actually "highly rated" when that's as an academy player being measured against other prospects of a similar age... you're literally commenting in the academy thread.
No one is saying he'll be a good player in MLS or appear for the Earthquakes because they're not psychic and there's no way to know that about any 15 year old goalkeeper.

 

I never posted anything of the sort.

I was quoting this article which stated he is "highly rated".

I am not sure if this has been reported anywhere, but highly rated goalkeeper, Marcelo Avalos, is back with the San Jose Earthquakes' academy after leaving for Philadelphia Union last season. He is currently training with San Jose's second team. pic.twitter.com/1rglaFzPh8

— Marcus Chairez | US/SC (@USSoccerColl) August 11, 2025

Highly rated is such a bold and exaggerated statement for a youth team player.

Again, we are speculating on a 15 or 16 year old, unproven academy player who if he ever develops, won't be ready until he is at least 23 or 24 which is in 8 or 9 years.

Again, I'll still don't believe he will be the Quakes starting GK until I see it.

Even then , I won't believe it.

 

lol, "highly rated" is an inherently relative descriptor. In addition to Marcus Chairez (one of the most prominent independent youth scouts in the US), multiple national team programs and MLS academies think Marcelo has a decent chance of becoming a solid pro, so doesn't that fit the definition of being "highly rated"? It's hardly a bombastic phrase, no one is anointing him the second coming of Manuel Neuer as you seem to be implying.

 

I'm not implying it, the club and the academy are the ones hyping it up.

Let's check back in 5 years time to see how good he is or will be and we'll go from there.

 

No, what you're implying is that there is excessive hype surrounding this youth player when it's just a few youth soccer nerds (in addition to people whose job is scouting and recruiting academy players) observing that he has some talent. I don't see where the (Quakes) academy has been hyping him up, it's not publicized officially that he came back from Philly. Reading is fundamental!

 

No if you go back a read my intial post.....

They are saying that Marcelo Avalos is a Highly rated goalkeeper...

I'm then stating and contesting....isn't this an Exaggeration?