thats it! theres been a couple of times recently ive tried to think of a comparable description as incredibly underwhelming as "led his team to the mls playoffs". "an improvement over daniel lovitz".totally fits. sorry to interrupt...
Report here that the FMF has contacted PSV dual national Richard Ledezma about potentially representing Mexico. The answer was positive, according to the report, and the player is open to coming into a Mexico camp. #eltrieng https://t.co/qUP2qwUvOU— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) September 17, 2019 perhaps this is the right thread for this
I'd say that's troubling because he's maybe our purest attacking midfielder of the young guys in Europe. And playing in Holland will certainly help expand that part of his game. We'll see what happens with this one but it would be a tough loss considering he's only played for USYNT's that I can recall. I will say that I think it's pretty telling that the FMF is doing so much scouting in the USA. The development system has improved leaps and bounds over the last decade.
I really don't know to say from a Fed perspective, the USA gave him the chance to be on the U20 WC roster when he honestly wasn't THAT match fit. I have literally no problem with his decision if he wants to play for Mexico, if that is what he wants to do. But its clear our Fed values him and our fans seem to love the kid too. He's played for the USA Youth teams, grew up in the USA, and featured at a U20 WC. Another case of the USSF doing its job scouting/keeping talent, and Mexico doing their job by reaching out. I don't have anything against US Soccer in this instance or Dest's, there is no doubt in my mind that Tab Ramos did his job making this kid feel welcomed and part of the team. There's nothing we can do as fans besides comment American Flag Emoji's on his instagram posts. Lets hope Berhalter has been on the phone. *I'm going to make an edit here - Scuffed @zlebmada is reporting that Richie hasn't heard anything from USA Soccer since the WC. How is that even possible? Can someone just pick up the phone and just say hi? They literally have a camp once a month like 6 times out of the year????????????? Hire me to do the emails, I'll sign off as Gregg
True yes. HOWEVER, Eric Lichaj wasn't available for camp cupcake. Berhalter had to incorporate somebody at left back in january camp and subsequent friendlies. And since Lovitz was indoctrinated into the squad/tacts, he was included in the Gold Cup roster. But I suspect that if Dest commits, we may never see Lovitz again. Dest, Gloster, and Robinson are the future of the position. I don't think long-term future. I think immediate future. With guys like Bello not that far behind.................... People should be much more upset about the Ledesma thing than Eric frickin' Lichaj.
Mexico just continues to swoop in an steal our young players. IMO, you should not be able to choose between Countries unless you are already a duel-citizen. I.e. a country can not make you a citizen just because you play soccer well. In this case, if Richie does in fact go to Mexico then I would completely hate him as a player. You grow up in the US youth program... represent the nation at U20 and then switch at the last second? Just lame. Where is the loyalty? By the same token, I would even be miffed with Dest if he chooses Holland even though he is already a Duel National. This is a serious problem IMO. A kid is born and raised in the US and goes thru our national program only to bail at the last second because they have Mexican heritage? Just lame.
Ledezma is one of our hottest prospects right now and might get his 1st team debut at PSV in a matter of months. How is such a player not hearing anything from anyone in the Fed? For me it's not so much about recruiting as it is, why don't we have constant contact with our top prospects?
https://imgur.com/a/dWCJCLK Well I don't know how to post pictures here, but it looks likes hes always posting USA stuff on his social media, haven't seen a lick of any mexico stuff . also apparently hes said on the scuffed podcast that he'd never switch although I'm not sure how true that is and I don't have a source.
This should never be relevant. Lichaj is a professional soccer player who is going on a 10-year career in England. National team coaches call up guys all the time who don't make every camp, even if it is their first one. He had also played in several of the final games under Dave Sarachan so it's not like he didn't know the players. I opened my statement by predicting Gloster would be our LB in 2022. I think he's the best prospect out of that bunch because he can actually defend. However, right now Robinson is the best of those guys which is why I would have him paired with a vet who happens to be playing in the same league as him and can still play. Lichaj and Robinson are better LB's than Ream and Lovitz. Marginal improvements matter. The hex starts in less than a year and I do not feel good about the LB spot. The way the USSF is handling our prospects is totally infuriating. The way Gregg is handling roster selections has largely been totally infuriating though this last roster was an improvement. Maybe I have too much anger but I have plenty of room to be upset about both of those things. Lichaj and Ledesma should both be hearing from the fed.
According to the Marca article this is the first time that he's been contacted by the FMF - so if he does opt for Mexico, it probably won't be because he thinks the USSF has neglected him somehow. In another interview linked from that article, from before the U20 WC (the one that calls him the "Mexican Pulisic" in the headline), Ledezma says that he talks with Tab Ramos a lot, that he hadn't heard from the FMF yet, and that he's undecided about which country he'd prefer to represent. It might just come down to which set of teammates, coaches, etc. he feels more comfortable with. Or, maybe he's just keeping his options open as long as he can.
Why are half of these posts written as if Ledezma has filed a one time switch? Dude is keeping his options open. Like every single player does, because every single player's agent tells them that it's a good idea. Which it is, if only as leverage. Before people freak out, yes, the USSF should stay in better touch. But just because Mexico is recruiting him doesn't mean he's going to select Mexico.
Eh, I'm not convinced Eric is better on the left than Ream (and I'm no fan of Ream on the left). Eric's a mediocre championship footballer as it is in his natural position (RB) and he's obviously worse when you move him to the other side.
I'd also say that we need to be careful of reading too much into tweets that are probably to play up anxieties and spark speculation. Looking at the actual Marca article, there are no direct quotes from anyone, and even then it says that, "Ledezma's response was positive with respect to an eventual call-up for Mexico, even though he was very clear in expressing that right now he hasn't made a final decision." We also just saw Llanez's dad post pictures of Ledezma, Gloster, and Mendez all with arms around each other after the Jong PSV/Ajax game yesterday. So, I'm annoyed as anyone if the USSF really isn't keeping in contact with these top prospects, but it seems like this one is far from a lost cause.
Ledezma: Has anybody contacted him about the Olympics? I think he'll be ready and could be a difference maker.
I mean, I'm not sure I'd say mediocre is fair. He was the Nottingham Forest player of the year for the 16-17 season and he's the captain of Hull at the moment. And you have to remember that when Lichaj was coming up in the EPL at Aston Villa, they played him much more at LB than RB. He and his coaches all say his defending is better on the left but he isn't as good going forward because he's right-footed but with an adequate left. He also played slightly more minutes at LB than RB last season for Hull. This, plus his 1 v 1 defending and better pace, are the reasons I think he's the best fit to take over the Ream role at the moment. I see you're a Fulham fan so I should reiterate how much I like Ream as a player but think him being a LB is a very poor choice and a great disservice to him. He's the backup to Brooks for me which means he's basically a starter at LCB. Those two moves make our team better right now which is what we need to be doing. Dave Sarachan utilized him against top wingers when he expected us to be on our heels against Gelson Martins of Portugal and Llainez of Mexico and he did very well against both of them. Portugal literally did not take a shot from our left side of the field in that game.
For a team that escaped relegation to League 1 on goal difference. I guess somebody had to win... To the extent that is true (and I'm not at all sure about that) it was out of necessity, not because he's better on the left than the right. They do? So? Hull was and is a mediocre Championship side. I'll admit I didn't follow them closely enough to know if it was injuries or poor recruitment that forced them to play him out of position so much. Not sure what my support of Fulham has to do with anything. I'm actually not a big fan of Ream as a player, and if you asked me to pick between Ream and Lichaj at LB I'd ask for what's behind door #3. But if forced to pick, I'd rather see Ream out there. I just don't get the love for Lichaj. There's a very good reason he's spent his career on sides in the bottom half of the Championship.
It would be stunning to me if Kreis didn't try to call him up for the recent U23 camp. When he wasn't on the roster, I assumed he wasn't released by PSV................... The truth is that Ledesma said the same thing that all of our dual nationals say. Sebastian Soto said the same thing when Chile contacted him recently. Kids this age keep doors and options open. I don't think I've ever heard a dual-national in this position say "I'm 100% committed to Country X no matter what happens. Country Y should stop calling." That's not what any of them do. Ledezma, like Dest, is provisionally cap-tied to the US. In order to switch, he'd need to file a one-time switch to play for another nation. Why on Earth would he do that right now? I don't know..................................you'd only do your one-time switch if you're damn certain which direction you want to go in. Folks should keep in mind that Ledezma actually has very few USYNT callups and caps. He wasn't a US U17 star. I believe he was hurt for the U20 CONCACAF Championships. Does he have like 5 total USYNT appearances?
Yes, they do. Here is his quote about it from this 442 article (https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/feat...t-why-isnt-he-united-states-nottingham-forest): “I’ve played almost half my games at left back and the other half at right back,” Lichaj said. “I have different qualities on both sides. I’m more comfortable defending on the left, but on the right side I feel more comfortable on the ball. I have no clue why. Maybe it’s how I’m standing on the pitch. I feel like I can play both positions. “I don’t make excuses if I play on the left. It’s not playing out of position. If I’m playing right or left back, I can produce something for us or if I’m called up with the USA. I know I can do it there.” It's because it's not really out of position and it made their team better. They're doing the same thing this year since both their LB signings have left something to be desired. Basically last year his backup was better than the starting LB so him being able to move to LB actually helped Hull get to the verge of the playoffs before tailing off at the end of the season. I assumed I had found a fellow Ream supporter. I never liked all the criticism he received on here. As for Lichaj, when he left Villa he wanted to go somewhere he would play as we encourage our young players to do to this day. He found that at Forest. He absolutely could have left Forest and gone to a higher level (there were many rumors of that after the 15-16' season if I'm remembering correctly) but he chose to stay, maybe due to having a young family, I don't know. Regardless, he has made a very nice career in England and as much as I wish we had a 25-year-old left back starting for Everton or Bayer Leverkusen, the fact is we are very limited there and the last good LB play we've had has come from Lichaj so I would absolutely bring him back into the fold.
Anything from coaches (which is what I was really getting at)? My understanding is he's only played at LB once this year (with 4 starts at RB). I don't believe you are (remembering correctly, that is). There were no credible rumors of him moving to a higher level during his tenure at NFFC.
Lichaj is a better pick than Lovitz. That does not mean he would be a particularly good pick. Sort of like a forward who is better than Baird. Curious why no U23 camp for Ledezma. He did well at U20 WC, signed to an important team and doing exceedingly well. What else do they want from the kid? Is there that much good competition he's up against for the US? How are those other guys doing professionally?
Absolutely. I'm not going to be miffed by a kid saying that he is keeping options open. What if he ceases to get calls from the US and Mexico wants him? Shouldn't he keep his options open for that? We are really in that phase of development now where there will be some good US players left out of squads. If Ledezma is among them and Mexico thinks he's one of their contributors, then so be it. I also think that these young players need to look at history and see what Mexico is doing with their one-time switches. Jonathan Gonzalez got duped. Efrain Alvarez may be getting duped. Mexico may be recruiting these players just to keep them out of the USMNT. This is a rivalry that sometimes gets dirty. Nothing more dirty than filling some kids' parents heads with false hopes and then leaving their kids out of the mix once they commit.