I think they recently sent a Colombian player from the Bayern Munich World Team (not part of their academy but affiliated) to play for North Texas SC.
Assist from Niko Tsakiris ('05). https://t.co/mYz7OY9UWB— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) August 22, 2022
Assist for Cruz Medina ('06). DOUBLE DIGITS! @CastroR53 hits the BRACE for his 🔟th goal of the season! @EarthquakesII pic.twitter.com/srvSQWZyq2— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) August 28, 2022
Mentioned in another thread, but Fidel Barajas ('06) is leaving the Earthquakes academy and joining Charleston Battery. They need to find a way to do a better job at keeping this academy players. It's now difficult because Next Pro isn't that good, but they sign so few academy players to first team contracts for the caliber of the players they produce.
Eisenberg taps the ball in for the THIRD! 💥@EarthquakesII 3-1 pic.twitter.com/SjspFz8T4H— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) September 6, 2022 CADE ➡️ JAX ➡️ JEBOWHAT A START! pic.twitter.com/gLBaxQNmSp— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) September 5, 2022
Some thoughts from the Next Pro game on Monday. Alejandro Cano ('04) at LCB was pretty good. He had a few nervy moments where he didn't make the best decisions trying to be too aggressive in his defending, but he got the job done in the end each time. He's a pretty good player who does a lot well. I think he's only listed at 6'1, but I think he's at least 6'2. Good passer, very good reader of the game defensively, pretty consistent, not slow. I'm surprised he's still playing Next Pro. I suspect we'll see him make a more permanent decision after this season. I can't imagine he's spending another season on the Next Pro team without a first team contract. Niko Tsakiris ('05) made some nice plays. This shouldn't be a surprise, considering he's normally with the first team, but You can tell he's one of the best players at this level between his dribbling, his passing, ball control, and soccer IQ. However, I question what his real calling card is for a team, what his best position is, and what he brings that projects well at higher levels. I think he's eventually a good MLS player or better, but I'm not convinced he's a future USMNT player. I just don't see that type of easy projection in his game. Too many questions, but he is a good player. Cruz Medina ('06) was subbed on in the second half. Didn't have too many touches, but didn't look out of place. Ethan Kohler ('05) was subbed on in the second half to play as a DM, and he was excellent. Made a number of nice interceptions, was well positioned, and advanced the ball well between his dribbling and passing. I find him very underrated. A real shame he probably won't be getting a first team contract. Emmanuel Ochoa ('05) had a pretty good game. I go back and forth on what to think about how he's progressing. When I watched him earlier in the season I wasn't impressed, but statistically he's been pretty good, and I thought in this game he did almost nothing wrong. I didn't see any of the concerns I had earlier in the season. He didn't make any spectacular saves, but did well with the action he did have. No complaints about how he played in this game. He played well.
I have heard the goalkeeper coach is just terrible. No surprise that there is no obvious improvement with any of the keepers. The season cannot end soon enough for them for a change to happen.
I watched the Next Pro game on Friday. Some thoughts. San Jose II: Casey Walls ('03) played half the game, and then he was subbed out. I think he's coming back from an injury, so maybe he's not fit to play 90. He was excellent in his half on the field, and you could tell he was probably the most MLS ready player in this game. Very commanding. Always in control of what he was doing. You would have to think that with San Jose having nothing to play for the rest of the MLS season he should get a few games to see if he can be a real contributor to the MLS team for next season. The team promptly fell apart as soon as the second half started. I don't think thats a coincidence. He was the leader at the back (wore the armband), and they looked a lot more disorganized in the second half. Alejandro Cano ('04) had a very up and down game. A fair share of errors followed by some very nice plays. Nathan Scott ('03) as the #6 has been one of the young Americans players in Next Pro this season who I didn't previously know about that has stood out to me. He's now on the radar IMO. I don't think he's great, but I do see some potential to be an MLS player eventually. He's started almost every game this season for this team as a defensive midfielder. He's small and not overly quick, but he does put in an effort, and is usually well positioned. I do think the defensive side of the game will be a question. I don't know that he'll ever be better than average defensively, and he may never be that. He's pretty smooth on the ball, although I wouldn't call him an inventive passer. More of an average passer who keeps the ball moving. Cruz Medina ('06) struggled. Probably the worst of the Next Pro appearances I've seen of him. Very little impact. When he did get some touches, he didn't do much positive with it. I think this was his first start of the games I've seen, and he may be more of a bench option for energy than capable of starting at this level yet. Given he's still 15 for another few weeks, these games aren't unexpected. I think he's looked pretty good at this level in the games I've seen, so you can't make too much of a weaker game. I also question his position. Not what he's capable of, but how they use him. They continue to use him as a double 8, and I don't get it. He's not a capable 8. Can't play the defensive game at that position. He's a capable 10, but it's asking way too much of him defensively to play as a double 8 defensively at this point in his career at the pro level. Medina reminds me in many ways of Pulisic. Same slight frame, pretty quick, not necessarily the smallest player you'll see, but not the player you want to be putting in many tackles. I think he's a winger that can also play as a true 10. Emmanuel Ochoa ('05) had a very good performance. The last few games I've seen him play he's completely looked the part of an elite level young GK. He's one of the players I struggle to evaluate because I probably don't watch enough of his game, and I think I've seen a lot of his best and worst stretches in the past year as opposed to a more varied sample. It's hard to get a read on a player when you just so happen to see the high and low games. It makes a player look very inconsistent, but I think the truth is probably that he had some struggles earlier in the season (first pro season), but has progressed well into the later parts of this season, and has been pretty excellent of late. He made a crucial save down quickly to his right late to keep the score tied, and was in command, aside from that. He needs another season at this level, but may be ready for MLS after that.
I follow a lot of your usmnt prospects posts please keep doing this I really like seeing other opinions when it comes to the players that do not get seen as often in the first team.
I believe that is Medina’s first start for Q2. He grew up playing in San Francisco and there were a lot of fans there excited to see him. He was clearly targeted physically and had his legs kicked out from under him a number of times. While I’m not a fan of that tactic, the Quakes were no angels either. One player that really stood out to me was 2005 Sebastian Carbajal. He was subbed in at minute 82 and had an INSTANT impact for SJ. He created 3 fantastic opportunities and Beavers had to channel his inner Chris Brady to deny 2 of them. He felt every time he touched the ball that the Monarches were in trouble. Poor kid was hanging his head after the game because he didn’t score but he electrified the crowd with his first minutes at the Next Pro level.
Yeah, you're right about Carbajal. I didn't mention him because that moment from Beavers was unfortunately the difference in the game. Didn't want to dump on him, but I agree he did get himself into some good attacking positions and I wish he would've played more this season with the reserves.
This is always the same issue with smaller, younger, not fully physically developed #10s unless they are absolute prodigies. You can't build the whole attack around them. Playing at #8 might be just a compomise to get him on the field.
While true, I think it's become this trend where teams think you can put two #10's on the field playing as duel 8's. A lot of teams do it now, so it doesn't end up having much effect because almost no midfielders can defend, but I think every time I've ever seen him play he's played in this role that very obviously does not suit him.
15 Year Old Cruz Medina on what his goals are for the rest of the season,”My goal is still to make my first team debut and I think it’s still pretty possible.” #Quakes74 #MLS pic.twitter.com/zIePFj9XPn— Favian Renkel (@FavianRenkel) September 12, 2022
San Jose will be eliminated from playoff contention soon enough, and then maybe some young kids will get into some games. Why not do what DCU just did, and give a young kid a taste? Both San Jose and Houston have been colossal disappointments this year.
This was always going to be a zombie year for San Jose. Matias Almeyda picked up on that and forced his way out. You can’t tell fans that obviously because you lose your season ticket holders. Luchi will get a clean slate to craft his vision.
Those two kids don't look the same. One of them is a young adult that is 8 inches taller and probably 60 lbs heavier than. Every remaining opponent is still in the chase, Medina would be lucky to end that game in one piece. He wasn't even physically adequate in MLS Next All Stars game. Again, why? That's an idiotic goal, what's pretty normal for 15 years old, they all are idiots.
A warning flag is how much better FCD looks this year under Estevez than they did under Luchi. In defense in particular. A lot of the same pieces. Luchi could also never figure out what to do with Ferreira. We called it the Ferreira conundrum. I love Luchi, but he had a pretty clean slate in Dallas a few years ago. He brought along a lot of young players, which we loved, but he couldn't get over the hump in terms of first team results. I've thought for a while that Luchi would make a fantastic academy director. I'm not so sure about first team coach. At the end of the day, he had a losing record in Dallas. 28-26-32. There are excuses we can come up with, but at the end of the day that's the record. But hey, maybe he's learned a lot that he'll apply this second time around.
My general rule is that they shouldn't be considered for MLS until they're 16, and then USL until they're 15. Akinmboni shouldn't have seen the field for DC last week, as far as I'm concerned. He's not ready. He was inconsistent in the few USL appearances he got. MLS is a big step up from that, and he's still only 15. I would like to see Rooney play guys like Ku-DiPietro, Freeman, Fletcher, maybe Garay, Greene, Sargis. For San Jose, I want to see Walls get some games. Tsakiris should also be starting for the rest of the season, and Cowell it goes without saying. If they throw a game to Ochoa also, I wouldn't mind that. Medina is still 15. I don't think he's ready for MLS, but if they gave him a short runout or two at the end of the last few games of the season I wouldn't be against it. He'll be 16 then.
My opinion is that if you're good enough, then you're old enough. Unlike Euro clubs with relegation battles, these games mean squadoosh for clubs in the position of DC, San Jose, etc. If they want to use Medina as a sub in one of these games like they did recently in a first-team friendly, then go for it. A little reward for the hard work over the course of the season.
Cruz Medina isn't. Very talented, not even close to be good enough. And again, those aren't friendlies, those are critical games for SJ opponents.
Eisenberg snags the early lead for @EarthquakesII! ✌️ pic.twitter.com/V4ZuWsKDgb— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) September 18, 2022
Yeah, but I'm not sure the player he replace is all that good either. If frickin' Arsenal can bring in a 15 year old nobody has ever heard of for a couple of garbage time minutes, then San Jose can too........................