Nolan Norris has started both games at LB for the U20s so far at the World Cup. First game was a 9-1 beatdown over New Caledonia. In the second game, which is just finishing, he played the whole 90 in a throttling 3-0 victory over France where the US only conceded two shots all game.
I didn't think h'd start any games. I thought other left backs had passed him by and were getting more starts. He's been one of the best players and Westfield on the other side has been maybe even better. Defenders are very good which is usually a good sign at a tournament. Mathew Corcoran also got in so two FCD academy dudes.
Norris is a quality player. I think he gets way too much hate. Just a little slow. Give it another season or two and he’ll be a starter for FC Dallas, and maybe can turn into a guy who gets a few caps for the NT.
I'm not sure if he gates hate, so much as he's overlooked. Nobody really talks about Nolan Norris. Norris must be our most capped U20 this cycle. He's played in 16 U20 games. I'm not gonna do the research, but he must be up there. That says Dallas is always willing to release him. I can see Nolan Norris being traded to a team that's a better fit. We've seen that in a number of cases with young players over the last couple of years. Jack McGlynn being a recent one. With the formation that Quill has been using the second half of this season, I don't see Norris fitting at LB. Torquato probably fits better. Hell, Quill has been using Bernard Kamungo as a left wingback the last couple of games. [Which has actually been working.] Dallas is a weird team, man. Once everybody stopped paying attention to them this year, they've gotten on a roll. What is it? 1 loss in their last 12 games?
Big, combined camp rosters just released by the USYNT. Diego Garcia's going to the '06s, Vejrostek going to the '09s.
I don't think he's that slow. Not a burner but I don't see players getting by him all the time. I think he'd be quite good as a LCB in a three back set. He's not tall but not too short and if you notice he's quite good at headers and seems to have some hops. In one of the weirdest things I've ever witnessed in MLS FCD lucked into a trade for for MVP Luciano Acosta who it turns out was a terrible fit for what Quill wanted to do and how he fit with his teammates. Quill had to play him but it kept Farrington out of the lineup except for sub appearances. Acosta somehow melted down and FCD traded him and got a decent amount of money for what now seemed a troubled player. I don't think they've lost since and Farrington has picked back up where he left up last year as a perfect foil for Musa. Totally bizzaroland.
It saddens me that FCD has so few callups any more. Houston has more than FCD now. the Hunts need to restart the academy. Agent Orange do you have any suggestions? Hire a foreign director like Philly did? Tweak it some?
The history of bringing in a foreign director is inconsistent. I don't think it's a panacea. The two obvious differences since the "glory days" is (a) more competition and (b) the quality of coaching is down (would be almost impossible to be otherwise: they had Luchi, Luccin, Varas, and Morales all coaching Academy teams at once). I don't think there's much to be done about the fact that there's 12-15 more clubs trying HARD to find these players than there were in the late 2010s. I do think they've gotten complacent about personnel.
Dallas won again..................like WTF! 2-1 over LAG. Now pushed into playoff position. Torquato and Garcia were on the bench but didn't get in the game. Good American contributions to the game, though. Cappis, Kamungo, Moore, Farrington, etc. etc. Even Paxton Pomykal made an appearance!!!!
After flirting with a pretty terrible meltdown and going into half down 2-0, NTX scored four unanswered in the 2H and beat LAFC, securing a playoff spot. One of the top four seeds will pick them as an opponent in the first round. The first half didn't go quite as poorly in the run of play as the scoreline implied, but LAFC certainly had the better of possession and Matt Evans scored to goals from outside the box that were some combination of great placement and illustrations of JT Harms' limitations as a shot-stopper. At half, NTX brought on Ramirez for Sangare and moved Contreras to the #9 and pretty much dominated from there. Took them a bit to find the goal, but the direction of play was clear from the early minutes of the 2H. He's not thread-eligible, but Sam Sarver scored NTX's final three goals and missed a PK and had good looks for another two or three goals besides (fun stat: more shots today [8] than pass attempts [7]). Will likely finish as the top G+ field player in MLSNP (historically, G+ hates NTX). 24 G+A in ~1900 minutes and comfortably the best attacking season in NTX history. All respect to the other contenders (mainly Pedrinho '24, Pepi and A-Rod and Damus '19, Bernie and Hope in '22) but the combination of output and volume is unmatched. Very excited to see him super-sub for FCD next season. Thread-Eligible Notables MLS has Contreras down for four shots and six shot assists. Other sites have him down for slightly less. Regardless, chance creation at volume for him. Two assists on the day, but that probably overstates the quality of chances he created. The first is a fine reception at the top of the box and turn to let Sarver cook on the weakside. The second is a blind header that Sarver contorts to finish at the back post. Anyway, good-not-great game that looked great on the box score. Diego Garcia got into more #10 positions in the second half and really made an imprint on the game. He scored NTX's first, setting up Ramirez in the box with a sweet (if intentional) flick between his legs and putting home the resulting goal-line clearance. Assisted Sarver's third with a big through ball, but by that point LAFC was giving Sarver acres behind while they chased the game. He and Sarver were pretty clearly the vocal leaders calling for accountability. Baran came on in 2H stoppage time and almost scored by running in behind a longball that bounced through the defense. Urzua played a little more as a single-pivot in the first half and I think that caused some of NTX's issues winning the ball back. He's so elegant in possession but can get passed around if he's isolated.
Jaidyn Contreras got some kind of delayed call-up to the U19s/'07s. He should get back with a day or two to spare before the first NTX playoff game.
NTX and some Academy kids scrimmaged against the Colombian national team (who are in town to play Mexico) this evening. Cool opportunity generally, but especially for guys like Swann, Orejarena, and Montoya who have Colombian heritage.
FCD 18s v RSL, 9/27/25, L 1-5 Don't know why I can't embed the video like normal Lineup (L-R, where applicable): Fuentes; Dozier, Vo, Easterly, [#42]; Vejrostek (’09); Razo, Alvarez; Eason (’09), Sedeh (’09), Saucedo Subs: Marlon Luccin comes on at half for Vo, Vejrostek goes to LCB, and Razo goes to the #6. Easterly, #42, and Sedeh come off for Rodriguez, Watkins, and Hart about 10min into the 2H. Jordan and Luna and (’09) Echevarria come on for Fuentes and Vo and Saucedo 25min into the 2H. Goal(s): · 33:35 – RSL CK that is flicked into the mixer from the front corner of the six. FCD blocks a shot out of the box, but RSL recycles it to the weak side, where the winger cuts onto his left and tries to shape a low shot into the far post. Great initial save by Fuentes, but he directs the rebound to the back post where there are a couple of RSL players to slam it in from close range. · 49:22 – FCD’s got RSL under pressure and their RCB whacks one toward halfway. Dozier is under no pressure and has three FCD players directly in front of him but manages to head the ball straight to the center of the field, where an RSL player picks it up. His through ball is poked backward by Easterly, but an RSL FW recovers it and plays it wide left where the LW is 1v1 with #42. He enters the box, fakes a shot, cuts onto his left, and finishes low and near post from 14 yards or so. · 1:07:30 – RSL recycles possession in their half after breaking a press. The #6 lofts a ball up the LW in behind, RSL’s LW (who was maybe offside?) creates a bit of space with a shove and chests the ball down past #42 and into the side of the box. Simple pass in front of goal and Vejrostek’s not quick enough to get back and block the pass. · 1:08:55 – RSL’s GK rolls it out to the RCB who tries a pass into midfield that Razo gets to and pings directly to Sedeh at the top of the box. He controls, turns, and shoots lefty to the far post through a deflection, but it’s saved. Luccin’s on hand to pass the rebound into the net. · 1:19:28 – RSL has a GK (????) that they bomb upfield. Both FCD CBs have been lured into midfield and so there’s a chasm over the top where the RSL RW is running in behind. The ball bounces funny so it actually checks up to the recovering Dozier, but he heads it down back into the path of the RSL FW (????) who touches it past the GK and earns a PK. Scores it low and right. · 1:42:20 – Vejrostek miscontrols a long outlet from RSL and RSL recovers in midfield before finding a CM on the left side who carries a ways before trying a through ball that Vejrostek deflects out to the LW. RSL passes across the top of the box where a CM finds it, cuts back to create a little space, and shapes a shot into the far corner. Other Key Chances: · 30:35 – RSL in possession about 10 yards into their half. The CM hits a big diagonal ball to the right side of the 18 yard box where the RB is bombing down to catch it. FCD’s GK decides to come out to challenge for it but about two steps too late and the RB hits a cutback cross around him and into the middle, where it ricochets to an RSL midfield whose shot into a GK-less goal is blocked and cleared. · 37:10 – RSL takes the ball off of Sedeh in their box and clears to the right sideline near midway. Their FW turns around Vo’s back-pressure and carries upfield and into the attacking third before laying it off for a CM in the middle. He goes at an off-balance Easterly and makes a window to shoot from about 15 yards, but he scuffs it past the far post. · 39:45 – RSL RCB on the ball in his half. He tries to slide a pass into the RW just over halfway, but Dozier blows it up and pokes the ball out to Vejrostek who immediately finds Sedeh among the CBs near the attacking third. He dwells a minute while Eason overlaps on the left (good reaction from Eason to beat the RB to the spot) and plays Eason in 1v1. His shot from just wide of the left corner of the six is saved by the outrushing GK. · 46:41 – the RSL #6 shows Razo way too much of the ball and he blows him up and takes it away up the field, finding Saucedo up the left side. Saucedo takes a bad first touch but manages to use Razo’s underlapping run to burst inside and attack zone 14 before finding Eason entering the box on the right. Eason fakes a shot, cuts onto his left, and barely misses the far lower corner. · 51:44 – RSL’s CB is on the ball just inside FCD’s half. He cuts it back into the middle, where the #6 finds the weakside #8, who flicks the ball between his legs to the ST, who lays it off for the #8 to burst forward into the box and shoot from about 12 yards out, but Dozier dives in and deflects it wide. On the resulting CK, Dozier and Easterly get mixed up and leave an attacker wide open at the top of the box, but he pulls his open shot wide. · 1:10:50 – After a CK, FCD’s got one guy back, Dozier, who lofts a cross in that’s headed out and now it’s a 1v1 with Dozier near halfway and he gets turned around and now there’s an RSL player dribbling in on goal with Dozier chasing him to catch up. The RSL players tries to round the GK and shoot, but Dozier recovers to clear the shot off the line and out. · 1:12:03 – losing a little will to keep watching this at this point. This attack goes through FCD’s too aggressive midfield and turns into a chance on the left when FCD’s #42 can’t stay in front of RSL’s LW. · 1:23:20 – FCD throw-in on the left side that they find Luccin having snuck in behind the RSL LB. Luccin cuts back and bombs a ball to the far side where Eason collects and spins inside before playing back to Alvarez, who fits a pass out wide to an overlapping Razo. Razo hits a cross to the back post, where Hart heads it back inside. Luccin manages to poke the ball on goal from the top of the six, but only straight at the GK. · 1:37:06 – RSL plays up the sideline to get out of pressure in their end and the RW manages to receive and turn with Dozier on his back and carry up the sideline before playing the ST in behind into FCD’s half. The ST lays it off sideways to the top of the box where the LW has beaten Razo in a footrace and he shoots without impediment from the top of the box, but right at Jordan. · 1:53:44 – Luccin hits a ball at Echevarria to try to clear it and RSL brings it straight back down FCD’s throat. Razo gets outmuscled at the top of the box and Vejrostek doesn’t react to cover across and so there’s an RSL FW with no one within 8 yards of him standing just left of the PK spot on the ball. Jordan manages to get a leg on his shot and smother it. Notes: · FCD gets quite a few decent shooting situations early but everything is a mile high or wide. Tons of miskicks. Many of those come from high turnovers when they intercept RSL building from the back (in particular from #24) – I think they could have found better chances often with some patience or invention. · RSL’s clearly, comfortably better in this one, aided by many embarrassing moments from FCD. Just a game to make you want to go wash the taste out of your mouth. · Vo is, of course, something of a makeshift LCB, but he has a few early nice moments of defending on RSL’s backs, poking the ball out underneath and preventing a turn. · Two FW’s ‘playing up”, Eason and Sedeh, and two very different approaches to dealing with bigger players. Sedeh (and we’ve seen this with NTX too) wants to deliver the hit, Eason wants to avoid the hits. Both are really quick and can use that tool frequently (especially after an adjustment period for Eason) – lots of 1v1 dribbling highlights for both (especially Eason). · Beautiful little sequence of quick interchanges between Vo, Vejrostek, and Eason at 26:29. Similarly very well-executed play at 34:55 from Vo to Dozier to Eason. Again at 1:11:11 to rondo up the field. · I don’t know who FCD’s #42 is, but the economy of touches and the body control at 41:33 is great. He gets parented by RSL’s #11 LW, though. Blown by for speed at 41:50 and balance at 1:12:18 and totally turned around on the second and third goals. · Two straight Luccin skill checks at 1:16:17. He generally looks very classy and uninterested in running to play defense. The spin on the shot at 1:17:09 must be unreal. · The AR on the far side is not doing a great job of keeping up with the offside line. · Between this game from Eason and Sedeh’s cameos and Vejrostek and what Cook’s doing with the U17s, starting to get excited about what the ‘09s will do with NTX next year.
The US just beat Italy in a very similar game to the France matchup above. Norris was subbed out with about 10min left, but had a very good defensive game otherwise. Morocco next.
‘05 Diego Hernandez makes the midseason Hermann Trophy watchlist for Furman. Glad to see him breakout after two tough years of injury recovery.
The U20s are done at the World Cup after a 3-1 loss. Norris was deeply involved in (if not culpable for) Morocco's first, but bought a PK for the US in 1H stoppage time. FCD is right on the playoff line going into the final matchday. May need Norris as they go to Vancouver (who, unfortunately for FCD, have not clinched the top seed and thus have something to play for in this last game).
Believe he was second half captain and James Donaldson first half, just to clarify. Not sure it makes your statement wrong though, necessarily!
US U17s v Portugal, 10/14/25, W 3-2 · Just watching for Vejrostek here. You can check other threads for other players (three exceptions: dear lord the LCB Mbaye is wearing #10 - what is this country coming to? The US created more than they scored in the 1H. Jakupovic rocks – he plays RW in this one and I have a soft spot for wings with aerial threat.) · It’s probably worth mentioning that Vejrostek captains this team despite being born in the last three days of the calendar year. Youngest ’09 there. · Lots of individual moments below. My synopsis: he’s got to get bigger and faster if he wants to be a LCB as a pro. The tough thing about CBs is that those that end up big and fast enough are only very rarely technically and tactically developed enough at this point to play at this level. I’m not giving up on “Vejrostek the CB”, but it’s definitely on the backburner. He switches to LB in this one at about 1:48:00. Lots of nice processing and technical excellence on the ball. There’s a fair amount of growing to do defensively across the board. · Looks a little undersized as a CB even against age-group competition. We’ll see how he develops physically – who knows – but he may end up being forced to LB or CM. Gets run past at 22:43. · First involvement is at 10:02 and he whiffs on a haphazard backpass to put it out for a CK. Not great. · Long, unimpeded carry into Portugal’s half at 15:26 before finding a CM peeling into the pocket in front of the CBs. Similar play at 23:55 but he can’t quite shape the throughball out to the LW. Similar play at 31:40 except he splits a few defenders to carry forward and then his pass out to the LW is misplaced (in part because that POR RB is *rapid*). · Finds a CM in a pocket with a quickfire pass at 29:55. Misses him at 37:30 and it leads directly to a counter (I think if he doesn’t double-clutch on the pass, it works, but his hesitation makes his CM move and POR’s CM close down). Unlucky at 47:58 in that he finds the right pass inside but the ref screens his target from getting to it. Puts the ST on the ball at the kickoff spot at 1:21:48, but he gets bullied off the ball. Well-executed pass under pressure through the press at 1:36:30. · 38:22 is a great example of what’s possible when you put a lefty that’s comfortable on the ball at LCB – not a pass that happens otherwise. Overhits a similar pass a little at 49:33. Gets a *little* tied up on the ball at 1:19:35 and it creates a somewhat more uncomfortable moment than necessary. Missed a press-breaking moment for a replay at 1:40:00. · Gets isolated 1v1 with a W at 30:40 and gets totally turned around. Gets turned on at 50:00 and fouls to stop the attack but it’s not called and the US gets a throw-in. Very nice job staying in front of two straight attackers at 1:24:23. Another nice 1v1 moment at 1:49:27. Wins a good duel at 1:55:50 in POR’s half and probably should earn a foul soon after, but he gets wrestled off the ball. · Nice aerial duel win at 20:12 against POR’s ST. Little too hesitant to attack the ball at 1:14:28. Very good reaction to a ball over the top at 1:22:05 but he should probably be able to clear it more cleanly. Again, great reaction at 1:24:16 to get close to a dangerous moment. Probably positioned too far inside at 1:39:02 and he’s not quick enough to get on top of the attacker before he flips it inside (nice, controlled clearance, tho). Another aerial win at 1:44:08, but I’d like to see him direct it more to his LB than straight out. Good job aggressively stepping forward and winning a ball at 1:51:15. · Maybe a little late to recognize the runner from midfield at 41:00? Doesn’t do terribly from there to force the attacker to the endline and a difficult shot. Similar deal at 1:16:21 except he definitely doesn’t react urgently enough and gives up a lot of space around the corner. Good positioning and reactions to get a foot in front of the pass at 56:10 and pass out of pressure. Probably should just retreat with the offside line at 1:17:05 instead of trying to block a passing lane. Hard to tell why because it happens off camera, but a FW gets free between Vejrostek and Barrett at 1:45:35 and misses his header from the top of the six. Don’t love the recovery / awareness at 1:56:10 – he should be more urgent about supporting the strong side there (even if he's technically a LB). · Defense gets bailed out by a bad offside call at 34:35. I think that’s Mbaye’s fault, but not sure. Again, offside line miscommunication at 1:25:35 – if Vejrostek’s going to step there, Romero has to come with him. Again, at 1:51:45, Vejrostek’s not aware that the rest of the defense has dropped off, so he lets a runner past him and in behind – subsequently gets turned around as he has to sprint to recover.
Nolan Norris' younger sister, Nylah, gets a callup to the US U19s. Reminder that Nolan's the oldest of six (?) kids and they all play soccer (most of them for FCD - looks like this sister has moved to another club).
I just looked at more youth callups and FCD has virtually no players on those rosters anymore. The academy needs a major revival, a major shakeup. Can't believe how on board the Hunts were and now seem to not notice or care.