U15s in UEFA Development Tournament, Nov.-Dec. 2023 [R]

Canal11 is an actual network in Portugal. The way I watched it was by using a sketchy free live TV streaming site and watching the TV channel live. I'm unaware of it being archived anywhere but Footy Access shared some clips on Twitter so maybe they have a recording?

 

impressions?

 

I was only able to figure out how to watch for the second half but here are my general thoughts on what I saw:

First of all, the rain was horrible. It was a torrential downpour and there was a decent amount of wind as well. Players on both teams were slipping all the time and the ball was frequently getting stuck in puddles on the field. Despite the rain, it was immediately apparent that this team oozes technical ability.

The players that stood out to me were:

Adri Mehmeti- Bossed the midfield defensively and had great positioning and awareness. Good distribution going forward too.

Max Steelman- He came in for the last quarter and was dangerous up top. Neither team was good against the counter and Max exploited the open spaces well. He physically dominated the Portuguese center backs and got on the end of a lot of balls over the top. He has a great first touch and can control the ball well out of the air which really suited the conditions of this game. There was one golden opportunity for him to switch the field and play Sokoloff in on goal but he hesitated and that door closed. He deserved a goal this game and likely would have gotten one if not for the rain slowing the ball down which ruined some of his runs.

Omar Hassan- He had a really good goal at the beginning of the second half that turned out to be the difference maker. The Portuguese defender had a poor clearance straight to Hassan at the top of the box. Hassan took one touch and struck the ball into the side netting while it was slightly bouncing. Hassan is quick and has a lot of technical ability which gave the Portuguese left back trouble.

Romero- I was pleasantly surprised by Romero's defensive play in this game. He is average height but he is a real athlete which allows him to play in advanced positions and still be able to recover if the ball is turned over. He made a nice sliding tackle but got a slight knock from it. He will be completely fine and he was able to stand up and dust himself off but he was pulled shortly after probably just to be safe. He likely would have been pulled around the same time either way because the squad rotated a lot in the second half.

I heard that Albert played really well in the first half and he was credited for the first goal, but he was pulled pretty early on in the second half because our plan was clearly to give multiple players looks.

This team's biggest issue was our shape in transition. Part of it you can excuse because the weather made things so chaotic and people would just randomly be slipping while trying to recover. That being said, we struggled to deal with Portugal's counterattack. There were times when we had to make tactical fouls because we were so out of position.

Everyone on the team played well overall but it's hard to glean a lot from this game just because the rain changed the dynamic so much. The ball movement was hampered dramatically and the weather conditions often prevented what would have been routine passes along the ground, so portions of the game devolved into kickball.

 

Albert ran the show in the 1st Half, Hassan the 2nd Half. Would like to see both start together, Hassan's directness and speed is unplayable at this age. Albert can do a bit of everything, great feet, can take you down the line, can cut inside.

Mehmeti was a unsung hero.

 

Haven't seen the game yet. Does anyone know if it's watchable after the fact?

 

These two moments brought to you by the 2009 class' top two wingers: Mathis Albert and Omar Hassan. Both game changers.

Albert does this move to the end line a lot and looks for the left-footed cut-back. He can also cut in on the right and look to score. Hassan is a menace. https://t.co/OkmU3rvjYy

— Marcus Chairez (@chai_asc) December 1, 2023

 

A plethora of outstanding wing prospects from the 08s and 09s. Funny how these things cycle. The 06s and 07s had a shortage of wide attacking players.

 

Not sure what happened with today’s v live stream on youtube (?) but here are the starting lineups

 

I wasn't able to watch so I hope there is a vod of the match somewhere.

USA BEAT ITALY 4-2 IN A COMEBACK WIN! 🤯🇺🇸 @USYNT pic.twitter.com/fkiK0KrYNB

— Footy Access (@footy_access) December 2, 2023

 

The Portugal vs Scotland game ended 5-4 in Portugal's favor. It's still up.

 

Players on this team I’d personally bring back for the next camp.

Szewczyk, Romero, Mehmeti, Spivey, Turdean, Albert, Hassan

 

Heavily rotated lineup today.

Tobias, Chadwick, Espy, Devan, Romero, Cunningham, Spivey, Turdean, Hassan, Sokoloff, Steelman.

Italy were dangerous 1st half, apart from their 2 goals they had chances and hit the woodwork twice. Team's strength is in wide areas, Sokoloff and Hassan were dangerous.

The team needed more from the midfield imo, felt Cunningham and Spivey were very safe and not positive enough on the ball to connect with the attackers. They didn't really build any good possession either, every offensive possession was like trying to go 100mph. Two games now I've been left unimpressed by Spivey although in the first match it was tough conditions to come into. Turdean was kind of anonymous, nothing bad but nothing that stood out.

2nd half as the changes came in, the team became very dangerous. Mehmeti in midfield made the team tick. Alexito was also quite good, he has good vision in his own half to find passes into channels that advance the attack.

Albert came on and scored. He is a threat every time he's on the ball, you just feel something will happen. I know everyone mentions him as a good player but I've yet to see anyone mention him as the best in this age group alongside Cavan. In my opinion, some of the clubs we've seen linked with Cavan recently, I won't be surprised if they go for Albert.

I'd like to see Sokoloff play centrally with Albert and Hassan on both sides of him. Sokoloff has very good movement, good control and is able to connect well. He's also quite strong. Possibly having him centrally will create space for Albert and Hassan in behind.

 

Can I just say that I am jealous of not growing up with the name "Maximus Steelman"? I mean, seriously, what is better than that?!

 

That's easy

 

You didn't want to attempt spelling Szewczyk?

 

I double checked where he is from. Surprise, a keeper with that last name and not from Chicago.

 

Off the top of my head, no I didn't.

 

Was with the U-15s for Albania like a month ago...rooting for some blowouts this Euros!

pic.twitter.com/oV9hvA0l1S

— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) December 2, 2023

 

Rust Belt out migration is for real.

 

I had this co-worker named Joe Justice. He had a disappointingly squeaky voice.

 

Where does this stand as far as youth team performances go? I remember when we were very excited with the 1998 group winning well against top European teams but this seems earlier and deeper in to the depth. I can't think of the last time I saw a YNT team have a camp together and then go out and win in away games against talented teams as consistently as this yob group.

 

thread on this morning’s game

Ya en juego el partido amistoso de EEUU Sub-15 contra Escocia. Este es el XI titular que ha elegido el entrenador jefe Tom Heinemann. Vamos a seguir viendo la progresión de Adri Mehmeti (MF) y Mathis Albert (LW), dos de los jugadores más destacados en este campamento. #USYNT pic.twitter.com/DTdSZX51xU

— Jaime Ojeda (@jaimeor96) December 5, 2023