No one asked, but here is my projected first choice roster right now Kochen Eyestone Beaudry Westfield Baker-Whiting Wynder Akinmboni Banks Norris Miller Soma Habroune Raines Oregel Cremaschi Tsakiris Brennan Campbell Ramos Figueroa Fletcher
There are few positions I am not sold on. Oregel is one. I could see it going to Matthew Corcoran or maybe even Shore, like you said. Iโd like to see him in June with the 20โs first. I have Figueroa on the team but his stock isnโt as high as it was during the U-17 cycle. He could be vulnerable.
It's never too late and he has a great story. But it could be tough. I still think Peyton Miller has been significantly better over a longer period of time. Nolan Norris was the U-20 captain in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament. Norris might not be seen as a starter at the World Cup but he is widely respected among the players. Coaches who are building teams (not just a collection of all-stars) are mindful of players who are leaders of the group. That being said, injuries and release issues happen. He might be worth calling up in June just because if Miller or Norris get injured, Johnson wouldn't be walking cold into the team.
I personally have not been that impressed by Miller this season. Heโs a better long term prospect than guys like Norris and Johnson, but is he better right now? Iโm also not sure Iโd want any of them starting when you can easily put someone like Westfield or Baker-Whiting on the left. Iโd probably cut out the slot for a Miller or Johnson, take Norris as the backup LB/fourth CB, and start with a right footer at LB. Iโm more comfortable with all of RBW, Westfield, and Duru making it than Miller, Johnson, or whoever else would the natural LB.
So you haven't been impressed by Peyton Miller this season (fair enough, although he's started five games this season the four Revs wins and a 2-1 loss at NYRB on a late PK long after he'd been subbed), so move Reed Baker-Whiting to left back (he has played in two games this season for a total of 27 minutes) instead?
Obviously not impressed with whatever is happening with Baker-Whiting (he also disappeared last weekend and I can't find anything on what happened), but I feel like if we're just predicting the ideal roster and assuming everyone is available, Baker-Whiting is currently a better player than Miller. Baker-Whiting, when healthy, has been one of the most accomplished players in the '05 age group. The most accomplished U-20 aged players traditionally do not struggle to make the U-20 WC roster. I feel like the criticisms of him are "he's never fit, so he's a big unknown" as opposed to an issue with his actual performance level or skillset when he (not frequently enough) is fit. I feel he dramatically increases the level of the actual roster compared to virtually any player available in the U-20 pool.
Speaking of Peyton Miller .@TaylorTwellman on Peyton Miller:โYou can tell everyone in the world there is legitimate, real interest in Peyton Miller.โHe goes on to predict that Miller will get a transfer fee of $8-11 million. Full conversation on @RevolutionRecap.https://t.co/ndzsUzcK4f#NERevs pic.twitter.com/exnBzh94Fo— Seth (@SethMan31) April 30, 2025
Based purely on vibes, the player I think may have higher standing in the eyes of the program than is apparent is Rudisill. My recollection is he wasn't released for qualifying and I half-recall he has had some health issues recently that have kept him away. He strikes me as a utility-type player, a mold that seems to fit well with tournament teams. Not saying I think he's a lock first choice or advocating for him specifically, but I also wouldn't be shocked if he's on a shortlist. Could be totally wrong!
Brooklyn Raines feature Over at @SoccerAmerica, I tell the story of Houston Dynamo and U.S. U-20 midfielder Brooklyn Raines- from a challenging time at birth in Liberia- to a strong family in Chicago- taking root in Houston- and the U-20 World Cup on the horizonhttps://t.co/13KRin8ur3— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) May 1, 2025
Freddie Anderson goal for Cork City What a strike!๐คฉFreddie Anderson blasts Cork City back on level terms. pic.twitter.com/YS8BxPHXBI— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) May 2, 2025
Peyton Miller in another Revs win Peyton Miller ('07) in New England's away win at Toronto:โ 7.7 FotMob rating โ โ 4 chances created ๐ฅโ 2/3 (67%) successful dribbles โก๏ธโ 2/3 (67%) accurate long balls ๐ฏโ 6 recoveries โ๏ธโ 2/3 (67%) aerial duels won ๐ฆพ#usmnt pic.twitter.com/J1RkJk0XWI— USMNT Report ๐บ๐ธ๐น๐ท (@USMNTReport) May 4, 2025
Brian, thoughts on some of the kids based in Germany? Deziel, Dettoni, Murray, Kohler, Harangi, Ham? Not good enough, or not enough time to integrate into the squad? It seems like Ham might have been worth a look if we're a little unsure of Figueroa.
Personally, I donโt think so. I know he scored today and his game potential and intrigue, but I donโt see a body of work, pre injury or post, that suggests heโs taken a material step up from a raw player with talent who still has a ways to go.
U20 games in June? ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผฬ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐บ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฌ โ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐ ๐ข๐ณ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ช๐ฌ๐https://t.co/Y2OdCLAhwA#LaSeleNosUne๐จ๐ด pic.twitter.com/mXvzBZxeXO— Selecciรณn Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) May 13, 2025
(I guess I should add that I only saw this thanks to a retweet from Luksarus, who I thought had an account here but doesn't seem to...)
I should add that while the Colombian release mentions four games (including one against us), Iceland's only mentions two (neither against us). I haven't easily found anything from Saudi Arabia or Egypt, and one might think that a tournament in a few weeks is sooner than needed for the Egyptians, who've been in African qualifying. So I don't know exactly what is going on here in terms of format, etc., but I suppose we'll see. Colombia says we play them June 7. https://fcf.com.co/2025/05/13/convo...ub20-kheops-u20-summit-of-nations-cairo-2025/ https://www.ksi.is/um-ksi/frettir/f...-karla-maetir-Egyptalandi-og-Kolumbiu-i-juni/
Egypt made the semis of the African U20 tournament and will play for third place this weekend. I am gonna speculate based on nothing but my own imaginings that we might see some other group (U21? U19?) from them for this event, or at least perhaps a different set of U20 players than the aforementioned.
If we're talking about guys making a name for themselves in pro ball, how 'bout Andrew Rick? It seems like there's legitimate competition for these GK spots, which at the end of the day is what matters.
Bombino has started last 7 games for SDFC and is looking very good. He should be looked at seriously at LB too