The Official 2025 MLS SuperDraft thread (Friday, 12/20/24) [R]

When your thesis is "freshman having lots of success in college is not necessarily predictive of greatness or even goodness in MLS", then all it takes is one counterexample to prove your thesis. That's why sample size of one matters. Also, I'm sure there are more highlights but that one "Dylan Borso" goal doesn't impress me as much as TT wreaking havoc on UCLA in one of his first few games in college soccer. I mean it's a good goal but it doesn't induce me to run out the door and exclaim "JUST. A. FRESHMAN!!!".

The reason to bring up TT is that we've signed highly touted college freshmen before. Seems kind of related.

 

Counter to what, who was saying that *EVERY* successful college freshman will also succeed in MLS? The hit rate for ANY group of players from college is fairly low. Even MAC Hermann Trophy winners are well below 50% odds to do well in MLS. Is Jon Bakero not succeeding in MLS after winning the Hermann Trophy a good argument against drafting future Hermann Trophy winners? The Quakes have to draft SOME player out of college with their draft pick, they can't use it to select a sure thing like Lamine Yamal, they are restricted to college players who are unlikely to succeed in MLS.

Also aren't YOU the one who was d***riding Tommy Thompson for his entire career up until the moment he finally got cut by the Quakes a few days ago? Now he's your cautionary tale?

 

1) I'm simply offering a counterexample - don't take a "JUST.A.FRESHMAN!!!" kind of tweet over one goal as necessarily something to get super excited over. Like "If we could just sign this kid to Generation Adidas deal!!!" This isn't that deep. And 2) I'm more impressed with TT's game against that UCLA than I am of that one goal. Your mileage may vary.

If you'd actually read my posts, I've written plenty of "cautionary tale" posts kinds of posts about TT over the years. For example, his lack of speed was his achilles heel, and he's a guy who doesn't have a position, etc. This isn't that hard.

 

The "JUST.A.FRESHMAN" tweet you keep harping on was from his soccer team... what do you think the social media accounts of sports teams exist for, to provide an objective analysis or to hype up their players when they do well? Maybe consider the fact that Quakes social media posts on a daily basis despite the team having been crap since 2013.

The more important point would be the other tweet, not from the team's social media, that he's the top 2006 in college. Was Thompson the top college recruit from his age group?

Also why are you comparing a full game performance to a goal clip, how does that even work?

 

You gleefully piled on to the breathless "JUST.A.FRESHMAN!!!" tweet with an equally breathless "Convince this kid Dylan Borso to sign a Generation Adidas deal?"!!

Again, if you read my posts, you'd see where I said something along the lines of "I'm sure there are more highlights" for Borso than one goal but I'm more impressed with this TT performance against UCLA. IOW, relax, I've already qualified it. There's no gotcha here. And if you'd watch the video you'd see that it was not "a full game", just highlights.

If it upsets you that much that I linked to a TT as a freshman video since we're talking about college freshmen in soccer, not sure what to tell you...

 

Convince him to sign a Generation Adidas deal because he's the highest rated 2006 in the college class not because Wake Forest tweeted out a nice goal that he just scored that prompted someone to point out that he was the top 2006 entering college, genius

I know there's no "gotcha" it was a stupid non sequitur on your part because you have nothing useful to add and yet of course you won't let that keep you from posting incessantly because of whatever spectrum you're clearly on.

 

Who cares about how he was "ranked" as a high schooler coming into college? Can he play? He scored one good goal and a few others this year in college. Not out here doing cartwheels myself. Your mileage may vary.

Again, if it upsets you that much, since we're talking about college freshman, that I posted a TT college freshman video because you know, this is a Quakes forum, and he was a guy we signed as a college freshman, not sure what to tell you.

 

Good point player rankings are probably just based on drawing lots or something else that's totally random... who cares if he was the first name pulled out of a hat... brilliant analysis

 

Again, who cares about his "ranking" coming out of high school? The guy's played a college season. How does he rank now? The guy who wrote, just a few posts ago, "The hit rate for ANY group of players from college is fairly low" is now convinced that a high school player ranking is actually the real shyte!

 

I don't now where he ranks now but probably still pretty high, exactly how high he ranks would be determined by the 30 MLS teams who are paid to scout and draft college players, if he decides to take a GA deal and enter the draft.
I never even suggested the Quakes should draft him #2 overall, I've probably thrown out a dozen names in this thread. Dylan Borso as the top rated player from his birth year to enter college soccer and Dean Boltz as the #1 freshman according to TDS, are just the latest.

As far as Borso is concerned, there are plenty of people who actually follow this stuff and seem to like him:

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https://x.com/TopDrawerSoccer/status/1863693387079065937

 

Aren’t all those tweets about the same goal? There should be college freshman rankings out about now somewhere?

 

That's the thing that just happened that people are reacting to right now, but if you actually read the tweets they're about the technique of the goal they're about the player who scored the goal

"Again, if you read my posts"

I don't know what college freshman rankings are supposed to be out about now somewhere, but you are perfectly capable of finding things for yourself and posting them here if they're relevant.

 

All those mentions of the Fire, shouldn't we assume they have his homegrown rights? He was playing for Fire II in MLS Next Pro before college.

 

Those tweets aren't your posts. The goal is good, cutting inside and shooting far post, just not something that's super uncommon in soccer.

If they're relevant? Seems a lot more relevant than high school ranking? Just a thought.

 

I was quoting you to show your lack of self awareness...
I guess we'll find out how relevant when you find it and post it? I have no opinion of nonexistent hypothetical lists.

 

Don't know when this was updated, but he's 85th out of college freshmen in this ranking.

https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college/freshmentop100/index.jsp

 

This is... literally just the TDS list I mentioned earlier, so congrats on finding that maybe you'll discover the new world next

Name Conference School Position
1
Dean Boltz
Palatine, IL
Big Ten Wisconsin Midfielder

 

So you found the "nonexistent hypothetical list"? Excellent.

Not sure why we care about college senior ranking when we now have an actual, you know, college ranking - because they're in college now?

 

That's why I said "I don't know what college freshman rankings are supposed to be out about now somewhere" because I can't know what you're talking about until you actually post something. Nowhere did you say the Top Drawer Soccer list (because that's not what you were specifically talking about, you found their list afterwards). I thought you meant some official NCAA freshman of the year list. Top Drawer Soccer is just some random group of guys who don't know any more or less than any other prospect watches, like Marcus Chairez the US Soccer Collective guy or "USMNT Prospects" who is a regular in the YNT board on BS etc. whose tweets I posted above.
Also I'm not sure how often they update such lists, but I don't think it's very often. Apparently Wake Forest were crap until recently (as Jonathan Yardley said above, out of the top 25 at 2-3-3 on September 20 and now ACC champs headed to the NCAA quarterfinals on a 10-1-4 heater since, so maybe their rating of him has changed since they did it. What's the date on those rankings?

 

I don't know. "You are perfectly capable of finding things for yourself and posting them here".

 

Except I'm perfectly content with dismissing those rankings as out of date wrt Wake Forest players unless I have a good reason not to do so!

 

So those rankings are great for Wisconsin players but invalid for Wake Forest players? Got it!

 

again if you read

"Wake, out of the top 25 at a mediocre 2-3-3 on Sept 20, is ACC champ and headed to the NCAA quarterfinals on a 10-1-4 heater since!"

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