Andre Saucedo gets another callup to the Mexico U16s, but they list him as a “national team” player, not an FCD player. Don’t know what to make of that. The team’s heading to Spain to play Saudi Arabia, Denmark, and The Netherlands.
Reports indicating he got the start against Japan yesterday and Mexico won 1-0 on a squirrelly goal despite their GK getting an early red card.
American GK analyst ranks Carrera as the 3rd best US U24 GK and Eyestone as the 10th best. Will try to post more on this in 2024 but here are my top 24 U24 American goalkeepers atm. (I'm most interested in Slowikowski at this time fwiw.)Also very #blessed that our pipeline has received a bit more investment from overseas. Europe has been kind to develop our gks. pic.twitter.com/YIsOrpE2qt— Everybody Soccer (@letsallsoccer) November 15, 2023
Umm... How can Patrick Schulte not be on the list? Wins MLS Next GK of the Year then has a great season for the Crew in 2023. He should be in the top 10 IMO.
That guy has a reputation for (1) doing the work to watch tons of Gkers, and (2) highly idiosyncratic player evaluations. He's not a consensus proxy (and the degree to which that makes him more or less valuable is debatable). Also left Las off after he just won MLSNP GK of the Year, so go figure.
Gonna be potentially lots of upheaval this offseason. Tom Bogert is tweeting that both Zanotta and Nico Estevez are out of contract. Marco Ferruzzi just left to become sporting director of San Antonio. It's kinda hard to know what Dan Hunt wants to do. I think Nico Estevez did fairly well considering the tools at his disposal. I'm not sure I could have expected him to do much better. A lot of work needs to be done on this roster, and I don't know who's going to do it. Maybe Dan Hunt wants to return to ways of the Luchi Gonzalez era with lots of minutes to young homegrown players. We'll see.
I do actually really like him as a coach. Just figured they could maybe have swing for the fences with all the turnover in MLS coaching staffs. Making things official.John Gall has been named as the 4th Head Coach in NTSC history. ⤵️— North Texas SC (@northtexasSC) November 16, 2023
I'll go so far to say as he doesn't know how to evaluate keepers. Or if he does, he has so many biases that his opinion is useless. He kind of says as much with the weird hipster call out that he's most interested in some guy most have never heard of as well as thanking "Europe" -- whatever that means. The one thing the US has developed well over the years is keeper, but okay.
"I'm most interested in Slowikowski at this time fwiw" Who? To be fair Schulte is there, he's just 19th No Las but Odunze is 14th...
Not to defend someone who I disagree quite a bit with, but this category of criticism is bizarre coming from BigSoccer posters, a group renowned for getting obsessed with random dual-national YNT-eligibles in the youth setups of mid-level European clubs. Sometimes those kids really are that good, most of the time they aren't, but in the meantime it's fun to dream. If Slowikowski gets called up to the next U20 camp in advance of the 2024 U20 qualifiers, all of a sudden this guy looks prescient.
While this is true, everything about that just screams "I'm mentioning him so you think I'm super knowledgeable / look how hipster I am!" Especially since the whole list seems a bit desperate to buck conventional wisdom. People post some deep cuts here, but if you're posting here, it's clear you're not in it for attention. In fact, the people who seem to go the deepest seem the least interest in attention. And yes, I'm totally over-interpreting the intentions of someone I don't know. But I have built in skepticism for the twitter pundit group. Toss in the use of #blessed in a post about soccer prospects and the statement that "Europe has been kind to develop our GK" and yeah, let's just say I don't see a lot of perspective there.
I’m not saying I agree or disagree with it, but I don’t think he’s just throwing darts at a dartboard. One of the players not listed that I rate we were discussing maybe like a month ago and he told me there are some training/off-field concerns with. Are they true? I don’t know, but I’d just warn you that he’s not a random internet poster who puts no effort into this niche he’s cultivated as an analyst on players of this position.
Lots of Portland Pilots news (definitely read this profile on Bonilla too). Jared Salazar—welcome to the bluff‼️“Thrilled and grateful to be a Pilot!”#gopilots pic.twitter.com/xtN0bsGBBz— Portland Pilots Men's Soccer (@PortlandMSOC) November 17, 2023 Congrats, Kevin Bonilla! #DOTY‼️😈Read more here! ➡️ https://t.co/ezuigbCNZ4#gopilots pic.twitter.com/nquOVwIfos— Portland Pilots Men's Soccer (@PortlandMSOC) November 15, 2023
It wasn't a "criticism" I literally have no idea who that is, I've never even heard the name before...
FCD U17s v LATDP 9/16/23, W 2-0 Lineup (L-R if applicable): Lynch; Dozier, Scabin, Munson, Pondeca; Zertuche; Arteaga, Cavalcante; Che, Salazar, Guandique Subs: Luccin on for Arteaga at about 37min; Notes · We only get the first half, presumably because the player that posted the video (LA’s GK) got subbed out for the 2H. No goals in the 1H – pretty dry half of soccer. · Second-team lineup mostly. They had SKC the next day where more of the “first team” started. · LATDP taking a very physical tact early on. Lots of fouls leading to FCD set pieces, a couple scuffles off the ball. Both teams chirping at each other after good plays. · Cavalcante takes quite a few of the dead balls despite being (a) big and (b) not an important enough player that he could just take it by fiat. · Nice moment at 9:12 where Guandique finds Dozier on the opposite side with an outside the foot pass. Dozier forces a good save. Dangerous for me evaluating Guandique: fast, direct, dribbly, flair wingers are my weakness (along with little genius #10s). And MAN is he fast (see 21:50 for example) – at the very least, he/Sylvester are massive upgrades over Mancia/Herrera with respect to mobility. Track athlete speed. Needs to work on the timing of his runs and his ability to pass on the ground. · Arteaga, for an ostensibly creative attacking midfielder, doesn’t really create much. Fine dribbler, but not a super incisive passer. Cavalcante, likewise, doesn’t play above the level, imo. · I like Lynch. Haven’t seen a bunch, but I think he’s a good pickup. Tough that Montoya and Wheeler are both good too, but I think he’ll come into his own before he goes to college. · #s 21 and 7 for LATDP were fine.
FCD U15s v MNU 11/4/23, W 3-2 [https://app.veo.co/matches/20231104-u15-vs-fc-dallas-991be666/] Lineup (L-R if applicable): Carrera; Vejrostek, Wygant, Odom, Martey; Salm, Velazquez; Cook; Eason, Echevarria, Vargas Subs: at halftime, Velazquez and Vargas swap places. Eason, Salm, and Echevarria come off ~15min into the 2H for Chukwu, Dias and Kurpiewski – it’s a 343 with Kurpiewski dropping into the middle of the three, Dias and Vargas in the middle, and Velazquez/Cook/Chukwu across the front from left to right. ~25min into the 2H, Aragundi for Martey, Rios for Carrera, and Wegman for Velazquez. Soon thereafter Wegman and Cook switch. Goals: · 83:15 – Salm plays back to Carrera at the top of the box, and Carrera turns and tries to lace one out wide right to Martey, but it’s intercepted halfway and the MN player shoots first time from ~40 yards into the empty net. · 85:20 – Velazquez wins a 50/50 bouncing ball in MN’s half, and Martey and Vargas 1:2 down the right side before Martey finds Velazquez’s run down the seam behind the FB. Velazquez crosses across the face of goal first time from just inside the 18, the GK blocks it out into the mix, and Cook gets there first to slot it home. · 88:04 – Martey throws back to Odom deep in FCD’s half. He shuttles back to Salm, who hits a blind, first-time pop pass across the field at Wygant. It’s intercepted, and Vejrostek gets there late, bringing down the MN player for a PK. Shooter goes left, Carrera goes right. Goal. · 101:33 – Dias finds Kurpiewski in the middle as FCD transitions forward. Kurpiewski turns under pressure and plays wide left to Aragundi near halfway. He goes forward to Chukwu, who taps it forward onto the run of the underlapping Vargas. Vargas cuts it back into the box to Chukwu, who collects and shoots just inside the far post with the inside of his foot. Strong finish. · 103:05 – Cook shoots from just outside the box and it’s blocked – he recovers it and plays wide to Vejrostek wide of the PK box. He swings a low cross behind the defensive line, and it appears Wegman gets a foot on it, deflecting the ball into the far post. Other Key Chances: · 22:20 – Building from the back, Wygant swings it out wide to Vejrostek, who carries across halfway and plays to the sideline for Eason, who takes a few strides before spooning it into the path of the underlapping Vejrostek. Vejrostek crosses from the edge of the PK area, hitting the ball off of Vargas’ head and over from ~7 yards. · 24:54 – Wygant on the ball just inside the FCD half after FCD defends a transition. Swings wide to Vejrostek, who pushes it forward to Eason, who beats his defender on the dribble, goes to the endline, and crosses from the edge of the six yard box, hitting the ball off of Vargas’ head and over from ~5 yards. · 29:06 – FCD CK swung onto the PK spot, but bounces diagonal across to the back post, where Echevarria has drifted after he stopped marking the GK when the cross was going further out. Echevarria fires first time on the volley into the onrushing GK from ~5 yards, and the rebound goes to Vargas at the top of the box. His shot is cleared. · 30:44 – some bouncing of the ball in MN’s half that’s eventually recovered by a MN midfielder. Velazquez’s slide tackle misses and takes out Salm and MN’s off to the races. It’s swung wide right before Wygant can step out and tackle, and Vejrostek gets 2v1ed, leading to a free cross from deep in the box. Pretty sure Carrera gets a toe to the cross, which throws off the free runner at the backpost enough that he puts it wide. If so, great play by Carrera. · 37:24 – Martey runs onto a long ball while backtracking and plays back to Carrera, who picks up the ball just outside the corner of the six yard box, creating an indirect free kick for MN. They touch it and shoot hard and low at the near post, forcing a smart save from Carrera before it’s cleared. · 45:01 – After Martey and Carrera clear the initial press, Velazquez picks it up, swivels his hips to make some space, and finds Vargas running up the right wing. Vargas carries unopposed into the box before playing sideways to Cook open in the middle. Cook controls and fires from just right of the PK spot, but his shot is blocked and saved. · 101:12 – Aragundi passes back to Rios and leaves it short, so a MN player intercepts, rounds Rios, and crosses, where another MN player shoots first time before it’s cleared off the line by Wygant (great play by him). · 114:32 – Vejrostek intercepts a pass at midfield on FCD’s left wing. He plays a shell game with Cook on the sideline that results in Vejrostek running with the ball down the left wide of the box. He swings a ball in onto Wegman’s head at the near post top of the six yard box, but Wegman’s header goes into the GK’s waiting arms. · 116:22 – MN takes a quick FK in the middle of the field, finding the RW entering the box. He goes 1v1 to the endline with Vejrostek and manages to poke a cross across. It goes through Wygant’s legs and between Rios and Kurpiewski before getting cleared from the goalmouth by Aragundi. Notes · FCD getting caught more often than they should playing the ball in the back. Lots of culprits: Carrera, Salm, Wygant, etc. · That said, two really notable passes from Wygant finding through balls to Velazquez and Cook in the 2H. · First time seeing Salm, Martey, and Dias with FCD. Salm: large but doesn’t go forward for set pieces; gets caught under pressure a couple of times; average-or-better mover; noticeably sloppy passing precision. Martey: springy; wants to attack on the dribble; seems to direct traffic quite a bit. Dias: SO small; jitterbug; wants the ball; strong ballstriker; always pointing to where the ball should go; clever. · Carrera’s reach exceeds his grasp when it comes to playing with his feet. · Vejrostek’s just very classy. Fun to watch for those with the eyes to see. · Odom is so solid generally. Plus defender, and, on a day where lots were culpable in possession, he had just the one snafu that I noted. · Vargas did not impress playing as a W, but seriously perked up as a contributor once he shifted inside. A few dogged plays defensively harrying MN ballcarriers. · Big fan of the short-sleeve GK uniform. Probably tears up your elbows ever time, but it looks sweet. · Not *quite* “escaping” MN with a win, but it’s close.
FCD U17s v MNU 11/4/23, W 5-0 [https://app.veo.co/matches/20231104-u17-vs-fc-dallas-a2b29237/] Lineup (L-R if applicable): Montoya; Dozier, Guzman, Scabin, Cortalessa; Hickam; Gabriel, Swann; Contreras, Sylvester, Guandique Subs: Dozier went off injured about 25min in for Torquato, then Torquato quickly got injured and Dozier came back in; Torquato, Wheeler, and Salazar came on at half for Sylvester, Montoya, and Contreras. 15min into the 2H, Gabriel, Guzman, Cortalessa, and Swann come off for Luccin, Charles, Munson, and Cavalcante. Goals: · 37:29 – Dozier on the ball inside his own PK area, hits a risky ball across to Scabin that’s almost intercepted. Scabin, immediately under pressure, plays the first time acute pass to Hickam in space behind the press. Hickam takes a touch sideways and tells a lie with his hips before rifling a pass between defenders to Guandique in the pocket near halfway. Guandique bumps back to Swann, who plays a streaking Cortalessa up the RW. Cortalessa’s low cross between the defense and the GK is cleared by a CB to the PK spot, where Gabriel is arriving to slot it home. Gorgeous team move sullied somewhat by there not being an assist in the end. · 49:00 – Cortalessa takes a quick throw in to Sylvester near the right corner of the 18 yard box. The ball bounces through into the box and Gabriel, who spins the challenging CB, bursts between two defenders, and manages to tap the ball past the charging GK. · 51:53 – Montoya on the ball inside his box. He whaps it out right at Cortalessa, but Cortalessa lets it run to Guandique. Guandique does cleverly to keep it in and get moving forward. He outraces a defender and pushes it inside to Swann, who spins and fire at Gabriel. Gabriel’s touch gets away and is cleared wide, where Contreras shoots from the top of the box into the far upper 90. · 87:13 – Swann and Gabriel turnover the MN FW in the middle of the MN half. Gabriel then lays it off for Swann who stabs it out to Guandique, who crosses from the edge of the PK area to Torquato at the back post. Torquato guides his header into the far side netting. · 1:07:48 – Hickam’s just gotten the ball off of Wheeler out wide right of FCD’s box. He turns and, after a think, elects to whop a ball over the top to Salazar down the right channel. MN’s LB misjudges it and Salazar can run behind unimpeded, dribble into the box wide of the six yard box, and shoot from 12 yards or so, scoring low and near post. Other Key Chances: · 9:02 – Great work by Scabin to come across and sweep behind Cortalessa. He then starts moving up the right side with the ball and gets quickly dispossessed (he’s gesturing like no one in front of him was making themselves available). Quick, clever combination and the MN FW is all of a sudden in on goal 1v1 with Montoya, who makes a smart kick save. · 31:08 – Dozier does some nice work recovering a ball in the middle of MN’s half. He pokes the ball to Swann, who turns upfield and feeds Sylvester, who goes wide to Guandique in a 1v1. Guandique creates space to shoot and does from 10 yards or so, forcing a save and a moment of stress as Swann has continued his run and almost gets the rebound. · 42:33 – Guzman on the ball near midway with FCD in settled possession. He finds Dozier all the way up the left sideline, and Dozier whips in a cross that’s deflected into Sylvester near the front corner of the six yard box. Sylvester traps and fires and rings the near post. · 48:22 – Gabriel takes a FK a few yards outside the right corner of MN’s 18 yard box. He takes it short to Hickam at the top of the box, and Hickam first times it forward to Contreras, who has spun off of the wall. Contreras centers it to an open Scabin just outside the six, but his shot skews wide. · 72:36 – MN in possession on their left side. Swann and Cortalessa force the ball loose and it goes back to MN’s LB, who swings a first time cross from deep in behind FCD’s lines. A MN FW gets a touch and the ball deflects back to the RW, who shoots high from about 8 yards out. · 105:18 – Charles on the ball in his half. He plays wide to Dozier just inside MN’s half. Dozier finds Torquato inside in the pocket (great hustle by Torquato to get there), and Torquato lays it off to Luccin in the center of the field. Luccin composes and pings a ball out right to Guandique, who controls and crosses low behind the defense in front of the six. Salazar’s there (having darted in front of his defender), but his first time shot is high. · 106:55 – Luccin and Salazar play through the middle of MN’s midfield before Luccin pops out and slides the ball wide to Munson. Munson’s first time pass behind gives Guandique enough time to turn and outrun his marker to the ball inside the 18. If he passes sideways to Salazar in the middle, Salazar has a tap in. Instead, Guandique takes it to goal, gets kicked a little while he’s shooting, and misses the goalframe. Notes · First time seeing Gabriel from a decent camera angle or the first team with FCD. He defends alongside Sylvester in FCD’s 442. Takes most of the deadballs. · Mentioned something related yesterday, but it shouldn’t go unnoticed how much *faster* this group has gotten in the last two years. Guandique, Sylvester, Charles, Scabin, Cortalessa, Dozier, etc. All “pop off the screen” quick at times. Reminder that this is the second year that FCD’s U17s are all U17s v the old combined U16/17 age group – athleticism has become an advantage compared to most teams by default. · If you’re a fullback, I don’t know how you *don’t* make yourself a plus as a throw-in taker. Good on both Dozier and Cortalessa for being strong throwers. · I’m not as high on Swann as others, but one of his many good qualities that stands out to me is the ability to process lots of moving bodies and find the pass that’s obvious to us watching from above but rarely played on the grass. Vision + processing. 12:48 one example. You also see his box-crashing and his foul-winning quite a bit in this game. Great game from him. · At 20:00 or so, two straight plays where Guandique does some great work to progress the ball upfield and then just gives it away with an awful pass. Other similar examples in this game (and his highlights above). Not a complete player. · 29:30 – Montoya comes out to get a throughball but doesn’t make it there first and gets rounded. Happened a few times in the last UPSL game too. Needs to get those right. · Contreras with some sauce at 40:00. · I’ve decided my new comp for Hickam is Neo in this scene. Infuses the chaotic with the serene. · Bizarrely great play by Guzman at 75:28 – manages to turn getting trapped in the corner into Torquato running unimpeded up the line. · Great couple of moments from Luccin at 97:30ish. · MN’s dmid, #57, has a lot of good range. #45 and #32 are fun too.
Steel Cook has apparently been named to the U15 YNT going to Europe for games at the end of the month.
Missed this at the time. ECNL-based ‘09. 🔍 Jayden Rus 🇷🇴 (AM, 2009, FC Dallas)One of the first young Romanians from the #USA to be selected (and there are many). Rus has two other brothers (Kevin & Levi), all active at Dallas. Players to watch, as the level of football in their country keeps evolving! https://t.co/HugEzo0PZZ pic.twitter.com/Swc66fyqdT— Alex Scout (@AlexScoutRo) November 3, 2023
In what was comfortably the most technically challenged broadcast of the season, truly an unwatchable product, FCD's U19s beat Tenfifteen in the rematch, 2-1, to advance to the conference finals. They led 1-0 for most of the match after Salazar scored early off a sweet assist from Baran, but someone (Nieves?) gave away a penalty late in regulation, which allowed 10:15 to equalize. Mason Grimm then scored an olimpico-cum-own-goal in the 122nd minute to avoid the shootout. Both teams could have scored more but for some inspired goalkeeping (and, again, some UPSL-level refereeing) - I think FCD hit the post three times and were cleared off the line twice, for example. Montoya started (and seems like he's just the U19's starter now), and other '07s Contreras and Wheeler were on the bench. In general, simultaneously disappointed in the manner in which many of the kids on this team have transitioned up to U19 ball and happy that they're getting high-pressure, highly competitive matches added to their schedule. U17s ain't U19s / UPSL - it's a different world.