A big 06 from union is CB Gavin Wetzel, solid center back who never gets beat, always in the right position, name to watch out for in next few years, he’s a stud
‘06 aaron heard interview. he’s going to become a very special player. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CDt9Nb_pPDW/?igshid=18iuyym5oc2m1
I remember how DA coaches in the tristate area used to talk about Reyna....pretty similar situation here. Long road ahead of course, but his combination of physical ability and soccer IQ doesn't come around all too often.
I don't know Heard's game exhaustively, so I could certainly be wrong, but I haven't been super impressed. By super impressed, I mean exactly that. I've been impressed, and I think he's probably somewhere among the better players in his age group, but I haven't seen anything that makes me think his talent is at a prodigious level.
It's certainly too early to project him as a Reyna level talent (I think the projecting of 13/14 year olds as full NT players in general in the USSoccerverse has gotten out of hand and I kinda regret the small part I played in it by talking about the likes of Leone/Hot/Rotundo as full national team players on Scuffed a couple years back). That said Heard has been dominant in his age group in my opinion and coaches rave about him. I've not quite wrapped my head around the whole u15 age group yet, but I'd be shocked if he isn't written into the u15 lineup in pen...even as a Dec 06.
My 2006 depth chart currently. Some positions are notably deeper than others: Goalkeeper: Julian Eyestone, Diego Kochen This position still has an open spot but Julian and Diego are locks for rosters. Julian is the best GK in the FC Dallas system and is not only highly rated by FC Dallas, he has been in a German YNT and they rate him as well. Julian is already 6’5 and is the most talented GK prospect to be in a u17 cycle since Damian Las. Diego Kochen is at La Masia and there is no way he isn’t making this roster either, but he is not better than Julian who is an outlier. Right Back: Kimbikula Mbula, Tyrell Moore Kimbikula is the next major prospect at San Antonio. He’s a great right back and early is the best in this age group. Ty Moore barely gets beat out and this is because Mbula is more mobile as Ty is already 6ft at 14. Ty could also become a CB but this kid is the marquee prospect for the Atlanta 06’s. Center Back: Gabrial Brandon, Alex Perez, Javen Romero, Tyler Hall, Sagar Patel Gabrial is the best CB in this age group so far. He’s a standout at FC Dallas which means he’ll be a YNT standout as well. Alex Perez is my favorite LCB. He is naturally left footed and super smooth on the ball. Moving from Vegas to the Union means he’s very highly rated and Philly obviously will give him a YNT boost. Javen Romero is almost just as good as Alex and is another player who has to be on a YNT roster. Tyler Hall makes the roster, his game needs work but he has a lot of potential and has been a rock for Inter Miami. Sagar Patel is one of my favorite CB prospects in this pool. As a CB he’s incredibly comfortable on the ball and has excellent distribution. He’s ready for the u17 level already. Left Back: Henry Canizalez, Connor Stout Henry is the best LB in the 06 age group. He isn’t quite as good as Jonathan Gomez but in other age groups he’d be the top LB. Connor Stout is a phenomenal left back. Connor needs to shed the baby fat still and work on his pace but his IQ, skill on the ball, and defending are all elite. To beat out these two a player will need to be an almost perfect left back, they are both fantastic players Defensive Mid: Matthew Corcoran, Mark Cajamarca, Solomon Straub Matthew Corcoran is the best in the 2006 age group. He is also the best 6 prospect in the entirety of YNT eligible players. Everything in this kid’s game is off the charts. He is the best prospect ever in the FC Dallas academy in my opinion and could very well captain this age group. What a talent. Mark Cajamarca is a very safe spot on the roster as well. He is excellent playing up an age group at NYCFC and his deep lying distribution is very good. I don’t see these two ever getting passed up, they’re both that promising. Solomon Straub is another one to watch, he really impressed at Minnesota but I don’t know where he is currently. Center Mid: Adrian Gill, Aaron Heard, Bento Estrela, Alex Wesolowsky This is the most competitive spot in this age group. Adrian Gill is one of the top prospects at La Masia and luckily prefers to play for USA. There is no way he is kept out of the starting 11 if he wants to be on the team. This is a player incredibly similar to Andres Iniesta in how he plays and he is a pleasure to watch. Aaron Heard may be the most talented player to not start on a YNT roster. Aaron is an extremely talented center mid and whoever recruits him will have a gem in their midst. If Adrian decides to miss a camp then Aaron can fill in and be just as good. These two are top tier. Bento Estrela is a player in the Weston McKennie/Bryang Kayo mold. Bento is already being rumored to have been offered a USL/MLS deal by NYRB which is crazy because the club has other talented prospects they haven’t done the same for. These three make the position extremely competitive and all could make a YNT roster in any age group. Alex Wesolowsky is one of the best 06’s overseas and is a very impressive player but may be the victim of having the most talented position in a YNT ever. Attacking mid: Ransford Gyan, Ryan Reid, Jack Brown, David Vasquez, Micah Burton All five of these players are very talented. It is hard to separate them outside of Ransford Gyan who is a standout who I’m desperately hoping can get citizenship soon. Ryan Reid is the next up prospect at SKC after Nati Clarke and Gage Akalu and is just as talented as them. Ransford and Ryan are the best two in the pool. Jack Brown is one to really watch because his IQ and skill are impressive. If Jack grows to the same size his dad is then he could very easily become the best or second best 10 in this age group and the next major Philly prospect. Winger: Bajung Darboe, Kristian Kelley, Adrian Wibowo, Owen Presthus The widemen in this age group have not really emerged yet. Bajung Darboe is chiseled in stone into the 11 for the 06’s but the rest are a toss up. Kristian Kelley is a prospect I really like and Adrian Wibowo at LAFC is another big talent as well. Owen Presthus has a lot of hype behind him but I need to see him be more dangerous at the u15 level. I saw Owen go toe to toe with Connor Stout on Sunday and Connor pocketed Owen without much effort. Striker: Gael Medrano, Michael Luande, Zen Franco, Diego Bravo-Acosta Gael Medrano is a step above the rest and is a elite striker. Philly rates him just as highly as Bajung Darboe and Aaron Heard. Gael is a guaranteed starter for the 06’s and if you disagree just know that you are incorrect. Michael Luande is the next up and is also very talented. He is the second best player in the Seattle pipeline after Reed Baker-Whiting and is someone I’m very excited about. Zen Franco and Diego Bravo-Acosta are both LA natives who score goals for fun. Zen currently has the edge in my opinion because he’s more technically sound. Projection for the u17 World Cup: Semi-finals at least. This is the most talented u17 cycle we have ever had and by a big margin. There are numerous players in the Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna prospect tier who could be considered very special. This group would massacre any of the previous u17 cycles, including the very talented 2000 group. I think this group is better than the 03’s because they have more top end talent Starting lineup GK: Julian Eyestone RB: Kimbikula Mbula RCB: Gabrial Brandon LCB: Alex Perez LB: Henry Canizalez 6: Matthew Corcoran 8: Adrian Gill 10: Ransford Gyan RW: Bajung Darboe LW: Kristian Kelley ST: Gael Medrano
It takes serious chutzpah to write stuff like "Joe Shlabotnik is, without question, already the best RM I've ever seen in this country at any level and that's including '09 Bootsy Bortle, and what's more anyone who disagrees with me is literally a muffin head whose head is an actual muffin" WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY asking if you've missed anybody. My advice is don't look back! Do your thing, man!
No, those countries still produce more than us and have a higher volume of these types of players. We’re a step below with this group
I am sure there are some super talented, amazing 13/14/15 year olds, but to label them "can't miss" as some do on this discussion board is a disservice to the rest of the players out there. there are tons of kids that are not on anyone's radar that will be better players at u17. we know this is ALWAYS the case, so instead of trying to make an air tight argument for the talented 13 year old, why don't we spend more time trying to unearth the kid that slipped through the cracks at 13 but is really good at 16? I can't tell you how many times the can't miss kid at u14/ u15, is not the best player on a u17.
I don't think anyone is discounting kids that will make a name for themselves over the next 3/4 years. We all know it will happen and its expected in every age group. However, it works both ways. The best of the best players at 20 are more often than not also the best players at every level of youth football they play. Its not a disservice to promote youth footballers that show a great level of potential, its common place around the world. Sure, some will fall off and some others will take their place, but no one is suggesting we stop looking for a kid that might slip through the cracks at an early age. If you look at any MNT, 80% of those players were at or near the top at the younger ages also.
More players will emerge and potentially beat these kids out. But after spending thousands of hours watching academy games you see certain qualities in players that make it and qualities in players that don’t. In the 05/06 age group I think there are a ton of players with Bundesliga/Champions League talent. Does that mean they will make it to that level? Absolutely not. Some players will get hurt, some players despite their technical qualities will be lazy or have a poor mentality, and some players will be handicapped by their club or a coach. There isn’t anything wrong with saying a player is a special talent. You just need to be able to back your statement up when asked why. But these won’t be the only top kids to come out. It isn’t counting the rest out. Saying that assumes that player development is linear which it isn’t. More talent will pop up and join the tier that these current top players are in
No where yet. Likely trying to find a club in Europe who will provide a job and housing for his parents to bypass EU rules
If that’s true it’s an enormous risk(meaning moving a family to Europe when chances are very likely fifa will deny the pass regardless) as that is truly not how it works. All fifa would need to do is google his name to see he’s a pro prospect and that would essentially be all the proof they need that the move was soccer motivAted regardless of if his parents also got jobs there. See the court case between John “xuxuh” Hilton and fifa. His mom had a job. They fairly easily “proved” that soccer was the motivation for the move not her job and denied him the player pass.
Very good player that is highly regarded. He will definitely be part of camps, but will have to compete with an extremely talented midfield group.
seen him several times - physically talented, technical, but not a central midfielder. he would be outstanding as a wide midfielder.