Some praise needs to go out to the Houston Texans DA club who brought Richards and Cappis in. They helped them win the DA title and were promptly gobbled up by FCD. That's what we need more of. Regional DA clubs spotting talent in the more obscure areas, and Birmingham is obscure for soccer, giving them opportunities then MLS and USL clubs pouncing. I'd also love to see more regional showcase events, to cut down on travel, so scouts here and abroad can get eyeballs on kids who aren't at the premier MLS DAs.
FWIW, a few of us were talking about Richards (and Cappis) in the 2017 DA playoffs. We knew about him all 17-18 season, but there just wasnt video of the DA. This isn’t all that unlike Ledezma and Soto kind of bursting onto the scene this year. I guess that kind of proves your point even more
Yup. Both Cappis and Richards were USYNTers before FC Dallas recruited them. In the case of Richards, the pathway really has worked well. From Birmingham United in Alabama, to a non-MLS DA team in the Houston Texans, to an MLS academy in FC Dallas, to a homegrown MLS contract, to an opportunity overseas. Its happened very quickly. News from Brian about him yesterday. No need for Bayern to make a decision right now as he's on loan there for 6 months. Certainly seems like this is leaning towards a Bayern acquisition. The transfer clause can't be for all that much. Even if its a million, that's chump change to Bayern. I've heard that Bayern's loan for Chris Richards does include an option to buy. So in the end the ball will be in their court https://t.co/fPs9dT38Ra— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 2, 2018
~18 months from playing at an unaffiliated youth club to getting time for Bayern's first team, even in preseason, is just unreal. I'm picturing having a situation at CB in a few years similar to what we had at GK in the early-mid 00s, where you have too many legitimately world class players at one position to even fit on the roster at once, let alone on the field. Miazga, Brooks, EPB, CCV, Glad, now Richards, as well as MLS level guys like Zimmerman, Parker, Trusty, and McKenzie. At lest with CB you can get 2-3 of them on the field at once, and they're more prone to injury and fatigue than GKs are.
I think this is a very solid and deep CB pool but I’d be thrilled albeit surprised if any of these guys become a Big 4 UCL CB. That being said, this is exactly the quantities of up-and-coming players that leaves a good chance at having a truly world class player....
For the most part, I agree. I think CCV is potential world class and Brooks has looked the part at times but EPB and Glad are high level MLS guys to me at this point. We'll see about Richards. Miazga keeps getting better and he's right below that top level. Add the fullback quality that's coming along, with Steffen in goal and the back line looks better than maybe ever going forward.
We'll see...…………….. I mean these kids are technically contracted to Manchester City, Spurs, Chelsea, Wolfsburg, and perhaps soon-to-be Bayern Munich. So the pathway is there for them. What's exciting to youth watchers is that in many positions the current young crop is just the beginning. People outside of UYSNT watchers had presumably never heard of Chris Richards. To them he came from nowhere. McKenzie of Philadelphia has come from nowhere for some. There's just a wave of kids coming. Its building and building and building. This particular group of young CBs will continue to be supplemented with more on the way. Just like the young CB crop of McKennie, Parks, Adams, etc. will be joined by Chris Durkin and company soon. We have had sooooooooooooooooo many kids trialing in Europe over the past few months. There are going to be a lot of announcements soon about moves to Europe. Its exciting. Yup. We don't even need the fullback quality to come along. Yedlin is a premier league quality fullback just now entering his prime. Of course we want the youngsters at that position like Cannon, Gloster, Olosunde, Duncan, etc. to come along behind him as well. I'm a huge fan of Reggie Cannon of FCD right now. Somebody on the youth forums suggested that he's playing better right now than Yedlin did at the same age for Seattle. An argument that can be made...…………………..
U.S. Abroad: Sargent scores in competitive debut in Germany by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Aug 1, 2018 Josh Sargent, 18, scored in his first competitive game since becoming eligible to play for Werder Bremen when he scored a late goal for its second team in a 1-1 tie at Eintracht Norderstedt on Tuesday in Germany's Regionalliga. His debut came after he went 90 minutes for Bremen's first team on Sunday in its 0-0 tie against Dutch club Groningen in a preseason friendly. Sargent's goal in the 78th minute rescued fourth-tier Bremen II, which had fallen behind 13 minutes after fellow American Isaiah Young was issued a straight red card. https://socceramerica.com/publicati...ad-sargent-scores-in-competitive-debut-i.html
Would be nice if that unaffiliated club could share in the financial windfall that a successful pro career or transfer would normally shower on the youth clubs responsible for a player's development.
I love this quote from Richards. Appreciate his frankness about the matter. It's like ussoccer97531 was his guru or something http://americansoccernow.com/articl...ichards-aiming-high-on-loan-at-bayern-s-u-19s
I mostly agree, but he wasn't at an unaffiliated team 18 months ago. It was more like 24 months ago. 18 months ago he was playing for a DA team in Texas that ended up winning the title. He transferred to FC Dallas last season.
What about Carter-Vickers is world class but the MLS products have lower ceilings? I'd say its the opposite. Carter-Vickers is a decent defender, but he's immobile, he can't pass and he's a butcher. Palmer-Brown and Glad are both much more mobile and also better passers. Both can defend just as good as Carter-Vickers. Miazga is not the butcher that Carter-Vickers is, although Carter-Vickers can improve on that like Miazga has. He was a butcher years ago.
The Hoover Phantoms(Ala) fees are not insane. Who says pay to play is too much? http://www.hooversoccerclub.com/competitive/fees/
I don't see this as a bad thing. I wouldn't want him to say something dumb that would have FCD try to take revenge on his career. I think Sargent's comments are more in line with the situation than Richards.
Miazga, EPB, Parker, Richards, Trusty, and CCV are all excellent big-league prospects. CCV could drop some of the bulk, however.
It's cool. I appreciate that he was being honest about his immediate ambitions. He didn't try to sugarcoat anything and act like getting minutes in MLS was his primary goal. Unlike Sargent, he didn't really criticize the league.
Pulisic assisted on the only goal on the 1st half via a corner. Nearly had another one late in the 1st half but the Dortmund player missed a sitter.
Sargent scored again in his 2nd match. A 4-0 win for Werder Bremen II today. https://us.soccerway.com/matches/20.../sv-werder-bremen-ii/hamburger-sv-ii/2826957/
CCV isn't immobile, he's actually quick and athletic but is probably 20 lbs too heavy for me. EPB seems soft to me everytime I see him. Glad is an enigma for me. He never impresses but he is rarely in poor form too. I see him in the mix but not a starter for the USMNT. And for the record, I didn't say CCV was world class. Potential is a funny thing. Seems most don't ever reach it. Funny how he's a 'butcher' to you. He plays physically, like many good ones do. Refinement is always a plus and it will come now with quality PT against better competition.
Would be nice if US professional club could share in the financial windfall that a McKennie or Hyndman could bring. Garber was bemoaning this at the MLS All-Star game.
Glad's problem, which he has admitted to, has been his slight build and lack of strength. He has been working to put on weight. At least he is now listed at 160lbs, whereas a couple of years ago, he was 140lbs. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017...-odds-was-best-decision-justen-glad-ever-made
He routinely loses foot races and his running stride is not an athletic one. He might do better with less weight, but he has to want to do that. He's a butcher because he's routinely guilty of rash challenges, fouls in bad areas, getting too many cards and getting himself frustrated when 50/50 calls don't go his way. He can refine that part of his game. Miazga did, but that is not a good quality about a CB. As for Glad, being a solid, but unspectacular player is not a bad thing for a CB. If Glad can be a Besler type of CB who started his pro career about five years earlier than Besler, that could find him playing for a very good team in Europe.
I still don’t know why people think Trusty is good. Literally every game I’ve ever seen him play, he’s been bad. Not like a couple mistakes here and there, but multiple mistakes that should’ve ended in goals (or did).
I share your optimism about the quantity of top tier prospects heading to elite programs: I think this is a huge positive step that both our players want to train with the best and that these programs recognize the talent potential in the US. This is all happening while MLS is concurrently developing its own talent despite having elite prospects bypass the signing of a non-Academy contracts. I’m also thrilled that FCD will get compensated for Richards so that they’re encouraged to do more of it (and retain his domestic rights when he’s 30). I do think it’s in direct contradiction to many posters who stated that we can’t “export” our development and expect to have usmnt success.