YNT-eligible lower division-pro players: 2022 IN-SEASON thread

All in the family 👨‍👦@PHXRisingFC has acquired 20-year-old midfielder David Rodriguez, the younger brother of @aartur98, on loan from Liga MX club Atlético San Luis ⤵️

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 4, 2022

 

FULL TIME: Blow out those candles 🎂@USYNT international Kristian Fletcher scored twice on his 17th birthday to lead @LoudounUnitedFC to a 2-0 win.#LDNvLA | https://t.co/E0iEkSoKOk pic.twitter.com/JpX3hxNio9

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 7, 2022

 

Erik Duenas ('04) is back from his ACL injury. On the bench today for Las Vegas. He's been out almost a year (August 14).

 

.@MNyeman finds the equalizer for @LoudounUnitedFC before the half! 👀#SAvLDN pic.twitter.com/z3KL68bOJ3

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 11, 2022

 

Why even Rooney doesn’t give 1st team chance for him?

 

After he gets a few more games with Loudoun, I'm willing to start wondering this more. For now, he's still lacking match fitness, and I think it's somewhat acceptable of an answer. What I didn't like is they waited nearly a month of him sitting on the bench for the first team to loan him to Loudoun to regain match fitness.

 

NYRB II: Davi Alexandre ('07) got his pro debut, and it went about as well as you'd expect. He's a 15 year old CB against pros, and a non-elite prospect. Tough to expect much. He wasn't terrible. He wasn't the reason they lost, but he didn't help. Slow to react, was partly at fault for a goal (striker got between him and other CB), not very accurate with his passing, and physically over-matched. He has pro potential, but isn't ready for this level.

Nate Worth ('07) was subbed on and also struggled. I think he's more ready for pro soccer than Alexandre. He had some nice sequences, and was pretty good in his debut weeks back. He's also just a better prospect than Alexandre. However, this was not a good game for him IMO. He didn't do anything egregious, but defensively lost a few duels and struggled with tracking runs. He was playing in a double pivot with another young player who didn't do much better, so I think putting some players with some more USL experience ahead of him would help more.

Curtis Ofori ('05) struggled. He's made improvements in recent months, but this game was a step back. Slow to react. Often out of position. Caden Clark ('03) didn't have much offensive impact in this game. His team had little of the ball, but I feel like his pressing work-ethic is starting to get back to what it was two years ago. It's likely due to not being in the same shape that he was in 2020. He also has the offensive talent (really good dribbling flashes that aren't consistent and a history of end-product) and has shown the Brenden Aaronson-esque work ethic in the past. He still has to put it all back together. He's not playing at the level he did in 2020, but he's still a U-20 so I would continue to look more at the tools than anything.

Memphis: Nighte Pickering ('05) scored a great goal on his debut. It was a bicycle kick. Well executed. I'm not sure he had more than another few touches (he wasn't on the pitch that long), but did play with energy and make some runs.

Las Vegas: Tony Leone ('04) had his usual very safe and respectable performance. He was playing RB this game, so that could be why. He's a natural CB, but it's also what we've been seeing all season. I'd like to see him take more risks. He's a good player, but I still feel like there's another gear he's not showing. Erik Duenas ('04) returned for the first time in almost 12 months. He had an ACL injury last August. He was subbed on at RW. Didn't have too many touches. Had one dribble into space and then another nice tackle. Hopefully he can build up his minutes over the upcoming weeks.

El Paso: Edison Azcona ('03) had a pretty weak game. Not very effective. Hopefully as he adjusts more to this team his performances improve. He's certainly good enough to be playing better than this performance.

LA Galaxy II: Jalen Neal ('03) had a good game. I would've said really good, but towards the end he was partially at fault for a goal. He's had a tendency in recent weeks for this team where he's not playing poorly, but every small mistake he makes is seemingly ending in his own net (often due to his teammates making larger mistakes on the same plays). I think it's just some bad luck, but I can't say it was a great performance when he's partially at fault for a goal in the fashion he was. He completely misjudged an attackers pace and was beat 1v1 in fashion I don't think I've ever seen him beat.

Loudoun: Kristian Fletcher ('05) had two goals. He's starting to make a bigger impact of late. This game, I didn't think he was too active. His team had almost none of the ball and he was playing more of a central striker role than where he usually plays out on the left, but he took both goals nicely.

Atlanta II: Efrain Morales ('04) wasn't bad. He's stacking some performances where the level of play is manageable. The problem with Morales has always been that he has great games and terrible games, and they seem to rotate each game. The last few have all been somewhere not too far off average (above or below). He was partially at fault for a goal when he was slow tracking a run off his shoulder that resulted in a goal, which is why I don't like the idea right now of using him as a #6. At the same time, I feel like a lot of young defensive midfielders would've made the same error. Most are not Tyler Adams in this respect. Luke Brennan ('05) was playing RB again, and he wasn't bad either, except he was dunked on for a goal by a CF. Really tough play to defend for a guy who isn't even a natural RB.

Alan Carleton ('05) was excellent once again off the bench. Brought such an offensive presence to the midfield. The team instantly had a better foothold of creating chances. He also made a few nice defensive plays including going right into a challenge, bodying the player, and then stealing it. I wouldn't say he's athletic, but I really think he's not more than a slightly below-average athlete who plays bigger than his size. He's better than Andrew athletically. Alan has earned some starts with the last few performances.

Sacramento: Santiago Suarez ('05) is really good. I'm wondering why we haven't seen him used before recently. Josh Wynder has been starting all season for Louisville, yet Suarez has only played two games. Makes no sense. I think Suarez is as talented (or more) than Wynder. Same position, same size, and same age group. Suarez is really athletic for a 6'4 CB. He's quick, swift in his movements, and can't easily be beat by smaller and quicker attackers, and he's also good in the air for his size. Defensively, he's also pretty good. Not much wrong with his game defensively that I see. He's making all the defensive plays. Have seen almost no errors yet. His passing is not any better than average. He's a very basic passer, but he's still one of the revelations of the USL season IMO. No way there are 10 05's better than this guy.

 

Crew 2 signs defender/midfielder Ariel Mbumba.#Crew96 | #VamosColumbus https://t.co/DD6YkR2BmR

— Columbus Crew 2 (@ColumbusCrew2) August 12, 2022

01 with US citizenship

 

"In the last 12 months we've increased the transfer values to Europe by 200%." 🗣️

USL Sporting Director Mark Cartwright spoke on @SkySports about the record transfers coming out of the league 📈 pic.twitter.com/MkcEUudULG

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 18, 2022

 

Games from last week.

North Carolina FC: Nick Holliday ('06) doesn't get many starts. He's able to keep up at this level (USL L1), which says a lot about his talent, but in terms of '06 GK's I think we have numerous better than him. He's very athletic. Great shot-stopper. Very quick off his line. I'm not sure his positioning is the best or he's technically refined for a GK. Maybe not bad for his age, but for a GK in pro soccer those areas need work. His foot skills are about average. Given that he's 5'11, he's going to need to round out his game the next few years to have more success, although he could certainly grow taller. He's only 16. I think he's a mid-level GK prospect for the '06 age group. He's worth keeping track of and could pan out.

Britton Fischer ('04) looked better in this game than I've seen previously. Maybe he's finally starting to develop, and I've missed it this season. He's a 6'4 CB. He moves at a slightly above-average level for his height. He wins everything in the air. He looks to pass the ball okay. His defending in this game was pretty on point. I don't know that I see anything great, but if you are a 6'4 CB and you don't have any real weaknesses, you will have a long successful career. I'm going to try to watch more to see if this was only a good game or if this is an improvement.

New Mexico: Cristian Nava ('03) had a pretty effective game. He created a goal with a nice dribbling sequence. He also had a very energetic game, and was winning the ball with his pressing. Very involved offensively also. He had missed some time and hadn't been the most consistent with his performances I've seen earlier this season, but I think he's had a respectable season. I don't know that I think he's great, but I think he's good enough that he could attract some interest from MLS (or Mexico/Europe) pretty soon.

LAG II: Jalen Neal ('03) had a pretty good game. The prior few games he had some blame for some goals that is very uncharacteristic of him, but this game none of the goals were his fault. He had a few uneven defensive plays, so I don't want to say his defending was great, but it was pretty good. This was also one of the best games he's had this season with his passing, and it's usually a strength. He was excellent at starting the buildup for the team with very accurate and incisive passes.

Adam Saldana ('02) was playing down a level. He's usually with LAG, but doesn't play too much. I thought he had a pretty sloppy game. Between his touch, his positioning, and his decisions with the ball he was off. You could see the talent on some sequences, and I think he's a player who will be a good MLS player eventually, but this was not a good game. Might suggest he's rusty and needs more game time than he's getting.

Johnny Perez ('03) scored a wonderful goal. No way any goalie could stop it. I thought it was one of his quieter games, but the goal was a moment of brilliance and I think he's very underrated. If he was playing for USYNT's he'd be getting a lot more attention than he gets in this country.

Loudoun: Moses Nyeman ('03) had some good plays and some bad plays. It was a pretty typical first game back for a talented player that has missed a lot of time. You could see the passing ability, the quick decisions, the silkiness on the ball, and he also scored a nice goal. At times though his fitness looked to be lacking and he only showed up for moments in the game as opposed to taking it over like you'd expect of a player with his talent. Kristian Fletcher ('05) had some nice offensive sequences and I thought he was pretty effective in the times he had the ball, but it was a quiet game for him.

NYRB: Caden Clark ('03) was pretty good in the first game of the week against Atlanta II. I know he's not doing exactly what everyone expected. I don't think the idea would be that he'd be playing USL this season (and not dominating USL either), but he shows some instances of very high level attacking ability between dribbling, decision-making, passes, and finishing. It's all there, but I find that the attacking skills are very inconsistent. I don't feel like he's ever been consistent and dominating games, despite the talent level.

He also is starting to improve his work rate. In the second game of the week against Charleston, he was red-carded (terrible call by the referee) and had a pretty weak offensive game, but I thought his work rate is very good. I think if it all comes together he's a more offensively talented Brenden Aaronson, but there are obvious concerns about his form the last year and a half.

Daniel Edelman ('03) had a very effective game against Atlanta II. Very few mistakes and he was dictating play from the start. You could tell he was an MLS player being brought down to play in and against a reserve team.

Atlanta II: Efrain Morales ('04) still isn't performing great, but I'm starting to get very optimistic about the trajectory of his game. It's slowly getting there. In the first game of the week against NYRB, he played a near perfect game. Very close to MOTM I'd say. Then at the very end he was partially at fault for a goal. He was challenged in midfield and wanted a foul that he didn't get. Probably wasn't a foul and there was certainly things his teammates could've done to defend the play better, but it was yet again close to a great performance, yet lacking a little in the key plays of the game.

In the second game of the week he wasn't as good, but again didn't play poorly. He was partially at fault for two goals, but I can't say either he did anything egregious. They were goals where the full team defending lacked. I think his decision making is starting to get better. There are a lot fewer bad decisions. They still exist and I wouldn't say he's yet all the way there yet, but I think it's possible that by the end of the season in the next 8 weeks with 8 games to go that it's a season where the conclusion is that he made progress and he's pretty close to being ready for some MLS minutes. He's far from at the point of hitting his potential, but the level of performances is not low anymore and hasn't been for about 5 games.

Luke Brennan ('05) had an assist in the first game of the week. Brought good energy, made quick decisions, and was direct with his dribbling. Then in the second game he came off the bench and played both RB and LB admirably. Very typical type of performance for him. Does whatever the team needs, and usually does it at a respectable level. Vicente Reyes ('03) had a pretty good game against NYRB II. He has pretty good potential for a GK, and is starting to become a little more refined. He can still be prone to rash decisions and trying to do too much, but he has all the tools and I don't think there are too many better '03 GK's than him.

Alan Carleton ('05) had two good performances during this week, and is really impressing. The first game of the week was more about offensive contributions. He had one terrific through ball that few players are capable of that sprung a good attempt on goal. His overall technique, passing vision, soccer IQ, creativity, and composure on the ball is really good. There are very few young American #8's who are as offensively talented as he is.

The game-changer for him will be if he can hold up defensively in that position. I don't think he'll ever be good defensively, but I don't think he's bad defensively. I would say slightly below-average defensively is most likely, but average is possible. In the second game of the week he played a more defensive role, and I thought he defended well. He made a number of nice tackles. He also somehow found a way to control the possession of the game with his team down a man. He was doing an excellent job of moving the ball around and getting his teammates touches, which can be important when you are down a man.

 

That’s fair. I quickly googled it, and saw 5’11. 6’1 could be accurate.

 

Games from last week.

North Carolina FC: Nicholas Holliday ('06) had a rough game. Right at the beginning of the game he allowed a terrible goal. Got his starting position on an opposing goal kick wrong, and allowed the ball to bounce over his head and into his goal. These types of plays rarely happen to any GK at any level more than once in a career, so I doubt this will be repeated, but thats such a terrible start to a game that you almost can't come back from and have a good game for a GK. He then proceeded to get his positioning wrong on a counter-attack, and got chipped for another goal he should've stopped. It wasn't the type of howler that will be noticed as much as the first one, but it's still an error. After that, he bounced back, and made some saves, and didn't look out of place. It was good to see his resilience because after that first 20 minutes it's easy for a kid his age to lose his confidence, and make it worse. He didn't, so thats a positive.

Britton Fischer ('04) had a slightly below-average game, and he got himself red-carded, but I think he's better than I initially realized. Didn't do much positive of note, although he wasn't particularly bad. The big moment was a red card late in the game where he got on the wrong side of an attacker and brought him down about 20 yards from goal. It looked like the referee initially gave him a yellow for a foul, and then another for arguing. It's possible it was a straight red, but I think calling that play a straight red would've been very harsh. It wasn't such a deliberate DOGSO. It was right on the edge where yellow is probably the right call, and red isn't impossible given what happened but it's harsh.

I'm hoping he gets more minutes over the upcoming weeks because he's worth assessing more. He's gotten better since last year. He's a 6'4 CB, and the big step I've seen from last season is that he's gotten quicker. He's gone from mediocre mobility for 6'4 to average. Thats going to help his career prospects. He's slightly above-average on the ball. His defending isn't bad either, given his age and the level. I don't know that he's great in any area other than being very tall (which is very important for a CB), but I think he's someone to monitor more going forward. He's probably signing in Europe after this season. He was committed to play college soccer for Duke, and then didn't show up there. He's trialed with a few clubs in Europe in the last year.

Nicolas Rincon ('05) was subbed on late. I had never heard of this guy. It looks like he's Colombian, and moved to the USA a few years ago. Probably isn't eligible for the USA yet, but if he's here for a number of more years he could be eventually. I don't know how good he is yet. He didn't get too many touches, but he did have one really nice run for an assist. He's left footed, pretty small, but he's quick, and has good ball contract. Looked like a #10. Didn't see too many limitations, but I also am not going on much at this point. I need to see more, but he did look talented.

Tucson FC: Eric Kinzner ('03) got his first game of the season in USL League One after being loaned by Tacoma Defiance. I think he's an underrated player, and someone thats worth monitoring. He should get a chance with the US U-20's this cycle also. I don't think he's a serious candidate for a contract with Seattle Sounders because few are for them, but he's a player I'd like to see another MLS team sign.

He didn't do much of note in this game. He had some nice long passes. His passing was incisive. It wasn't always accurate and he probably tried too many long passes he shouldn't have, but he has the passing ability, so I don't mind it too much. His positioning wasn't great, and thats going to be the big area for him to work on because he's not the quickest, but I think his positioning has gotten better over the last two years. Thats been the biggest area of improvement he's shown in the last few years. There was some potential about 3-4 years ago, but he struggled because he was slow with bad positioning. Thats a terrible recipe for a CB. Now, his positioning is still needing some work (it is for all young CB's), but it's become passable. He's a tall left-footed CB who can pass the ball. There's room for players like this in the USYNT and USMNT pool going forward.

Sacramento: Santiago Suarez ('05) had his weakest start so far, but he wasn't that bad. He's clearly a very talented player. He's someone that we should expect to move to Europe after the 2023 season IMO. I think he probably plays a full season as a USL starter in 2023, and then he'll move to Europe. This season he's only gotten a few starts, although he's gotten them all recently, so he's not yet a regular.

He wasn't that bad, but he was involved in some goals. The first goal he misjudged a long ball, and it helped spring a counter-attack. There's no way I can place all the blame on him. He was tasked with defending this situation 2-1 because the LWB was far out of position. If the LWB wasn't so poorly positioned, the goal likely doesn't happen, but he did have a little blame on it. He also had some blame on another goal where he was too slow in stepping out to a quick combination and it left space that helped eventually result in a goal. It was a very nice play for the other team, so I'd say that was more the reason why the goal happened, but he didn't look great on the goal. He had a few moments in this game where he tried to step to the ball, and was too slow. I don't think thats a big problem for him, but in this game he wasn't good in that aspect.

Loudoun: Tyler Freeman ('03) had a really good performance. He drew a penalty, scored a penalty, and had a very active offensive game. He's able to create offense because he has a very versatile attacking skillset. He's quick, he's pretty good at leveraging his size to his advantage (he's about 6'0), he has good foot skills, he's a good passer, he's creative, and his best ability is probably his ability to score goals. He's an MLS player playing in USL. If circumstances were different, he'd be a big part of SKC's first team right now.

Atlanta II: Luke Brennan ('05) had another impactful performance, including a nice assist. I don't think he's the most naturally talented player, but he always seems to find a way to make an impact in all parts of the game. He has pace, he's a hard worker, he has some dribbling ability, his end product is pretty good without him being an overly dynamic player, and he makes good decisions. This game he was playing as a RW. I don't know that Brennan has a best position. He's one of those players you probably don't want starting for you at any position, but he's a capable fill-in at five positions, so he'll probably end up becoming a starter due to others missing games.

Vicente Reyes ('03) had another good performance. He's been impressive this season. He has all the tools. It's now about refining them. He usually gets himself in trouble most with his passing out of the back. He can be too inventive at times, and he had one instance in this game where he did that. The '03 age group nationally is weak at GK, and he's one of the better ones, so I think we should try to get him into a US U-20 camp soon. I'm sure Chile would love to poach this guy.

LAG II: Jalen Neal ('03) had a good performance. Wouldn't say it was anything too noteworthy. He had a few moments early on he should've done better, but they resulted in nothing and he had a very steady performance after that. Pretty boring game for him, which for a CB isn't always a bad thing.

 

I've said this before and will say it again. He's a better player than the two '04 attackers they have signed to first team contracts.

The next step. 💪

Congrats to Christopher Jaime on signing a professional contract with @lvlightsfc! pic.twitter.com/92x08dzLbJ

— LAFC Academy (@LAFCAcademy) August 25, 2022

 

A thing of absolute 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝔂 🤩

.@krisfletch2 scores his fourth goal of the season pic.twitter.com/0nHAzefOCx

— Loudoun United FC (@LoudounUnitedFC) August 28, 2022

 

Congratulations to Bento Estrela for making his professional debut!#RBNY | #NYRBII pic.twitter.com/ztKCMjKlla

— New York Red Bulls II (@NYRBII) August 28, 2022

 

Fidel Barajas ('06) is leaving San Jose Earthquakes academy and joining Charleston Battery.

 

From the inbox:

The United Soccer League (USL) today announced that JAXUSL, a Jacksonville-based group of investors and executives, has acquired the rights to a USL Championship expansion franchise with the intent of beginning play in 2025. The new club will be the first in Northeast Florida to feature both men’s and women’s professional soccer. ​

JAXUSL also has formed a partnership with Florida Elite Soccer Academy, one of the largest and most successful youth soccer organizations in the United States. Headquartered in St. Johns County, Florida Elite includes more than 10,000 members throughout Northeast Florida, and fields pre-professional teams in USL League Two and USL W League. The expansion club will be among the first in the United States to offer a complete pathway from youth to pro for men and women. ​

 

Jacob Greene slots it home for his second of the season! 🕺#LetsRide | @jacob88j pic.twitter.com/vdDxJhUof6

— Loudoun United FC (@LoudounUnitedFC) September 1, 2022

The defensive improvements for @SwitchbacksFC have been marked over the last two games in their stable 4-2-3-1, and Isaiah Foster has been a rock at left back. Just 19 years old, #33 already brings a strong frame and quick motor defensively. In attack, he knows his role. pic.twitter.com/7CPatbQ141

— John Morrissey (@USLTactics) August 31, 2022

Foster is a smart dribbler with a purposeful if heavy touch, and he’s focused on defense-drawing overlaps rather than creation. Playing with an attack this talented, someone like a Foster is best as a complement, and he fills that role splendidly. pic.twitter.com/iZKzzKrcOm

— John Morrissey (@USLTactics) August 31, 2022

 

Still, @atlutd2 got their looks as they grew into the game, and 18-year-old Efrain Morales shone. He’s mainly served as a centerback but has the versatility to play as a holding midfielder. In the latter spot, he had two tackles, four clearances, and an interception. Here, he… pic.twitter.com/z8xG9IXf9k

— John Morrissey (@USLTactics) August 10, 2022

 

Official:

https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1237909

 

Games from last week.

USL League One:

Tucson: Eric Kinzner ('03) only got 7 minutes off the bench, but he made a very nice defensive play, and some very nice passes, in these limited minutes. He's a talented CB, and I think he's capable of playing in MLS in a few years. I doubt Seattle signs him to a first team deal, but hopefully he can find a higher level to play at next season because I think he's too good for Next Pro and USL League One.

Las Vegas: Erik Duenas ('04) has had a few appearances since returning from injury, and hasn't had much to do. He's been playing as a RW in these games. All of them short appearances off the bench. They are still building back his fitness. This was his best appearance. He was very active. Made some nice defensive plays, and was showing aggression flying into tackles, which sometimes players are hesitant to do after long injuries. He's a RB long-term, but I figure they'll want him to play RW off the bench until he's ready to start.

Atlanta II: Luke Brennan ('05) had a very quiet appearance at RB. I wouldn't say he was bad, but certainly very quiet. Vicente Reyes ('03) made a few very nice saves. As I've mentioned before, he has pretty good reflexes for a tall keeper. He also let in one goal, which I thought he should've had. It was to his left and he got part of it, but still let it go by him. He's still raw, but not completely raw. He has good potential and his performances usually aren't bad either. Atlanta has so many young GK's. I would suggest they should sign him to a first team contract, but only if they move Garces up next season to the first team permanently and let Rocco Rios Novo go. They won't have room for Reyes otherwise, and it won't be good for his development to have no place to play.

Efrain Morales ('04) came off the bench, and had a very quiet performance. He made a few nice defensive plays. His passing was not accurate, but thats not an issue. He's a good passer. Not what he needs to work on. Quiet for Morales is not a bad thing.

Loudoun: Tyler Freeman ('03) had an excellent performance. He had a very nice assist on Fletcher's goal holding the ball up, and then back heeling the ball to release Fletcher into space. He was constantly creating danger. I think he's been one of the best young American players this season in USL. I'm hoping an MLS team signs him to a first team contract for next season, and he gets a chance to play in MLS. He's ready to move up to a higher level. Kristian Fletcher ('05) also was very good. He scored a very nice goal where he made a long run to beat a few defenders, and cut inside on his right before he unleashed a powerful shot. It was a very nice goal. He probably won't score many better in his career. He was dangerous the whole time he was on the pitch, and his performance level has went up significantly the last month or so.

Phoenix Rising: Marcus Ferkranus ('03) got his first start on loan for Phoenix. They were playing him at LB. I don't know why he was loaned to this club if he's not going to play other than the occasional game, and then the one game he gets to play they play him out of position at LB. He's gotten screwed over by two clubs now. Very unfair to him. He's a good player. USL is not a strong league. Most of these players he's sitting on the bench behind he's better than. Anyway, he did a good enough job in a tough situation. He didn't get forward much, but was responsible defensively at LB. There was one goal where he was involved in the play, but it was much more the fault of the LCB. He could've maybe done a little about it, but it was a big ask to expect him to cover the LCB losing his mark.

LAG II: Jalen Neal ('03) had a pretty good performance. Defensively, he only had one real poor play. In stoppage time he got outmuscled by a CF, the guy turned him, and got off a shot that the GK saved. The GK bailed him out there. He also probably thought his RB was going to help him there, and the guy fell down, so that was unexpected, but Neal has had a few too many times this season where he switches off temporarily late in the game, and either it leads to a goal or a good chance. He's playing well. There's very little he's doing wrong, but his late game concentration has been an issue a few times in recent months.

I wonder if it's something he needs to work on. Is he bored of the level? Maybe he thinks he's beyond it, and he's switching off at points in the game because he doesn't feel challenged by the level. His passing in this game was a little inaccurate. It usually isn't. A little bit of an off game with his passing. He played well and consistently has all season. He's clearly one of the better players at this level, but he's not playing great. I actually thought last season he played better than he's played this season.