YNT-eligible MLS players: 2020 In-season thread

KAI KORENIUK! @LAGalaxy take the lead in the closing minutes! #LAvVAN pic.twitter.com/28fXPfpTJk

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 19, 2020

 

An 8 on a lower and middle table UEFA club is a ground-eater with decent defensive chops. Nyeman isn’t that. An 8 on a UCL big-5 club is optimally a Goretzka-type. Nyeman certainly isn’t that.

So either he’s Christian Erickson or MLS is his permanent level (which I think it is- if that).

 

DC is a very poorly run club. They've been using Nyeman as a #6 or #8 on the first team or the second team out of need. With Loudoun last season, they had very few holding midfielders on the roster. They had a few (non-prospect) players who were similar positionally to Nyeman (mostly #10's, can play #8 in a pinch), but Nyeman was by far the best defensively of those players, so he played the deepest in the formation.

This season with DC, they've actually had a bunch of injuries at holding midfield, so it's more bad luck than anything that Nyeman has had to fill in there, but whose great idea is it to use mediocre/average MLS players like Asad, Y. Reyna, E. Flores, F. Higuain as a #10 instead of Nyeman?

IMO, using him in this way where he either doesn't play or is used out of position because of necessity for the team is a terrible way to develop a player. If you have a player you think can be a star level of player), you don't use him where he can best fill in. You use him where he will be most effective. I think we all want him to get on the field, so if its a few games late this season as a lone #6 (thats essentially what he played last night because Asada's can't play any defense), it's better than not playing.

This is also the same team that doesn't understand they've been playing Yow and Paredes on the wrong wings all season, so why should we be surprised?

 

Its worth pointing out that in a non-COVID era, many of these players would no longer be thread-eligible. Ebobisse in particular. There are also noticeable absences. Jesus Ferreira is an obvious one.

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Disclaimer: I ONLY watched the second half of the DC United game yesterday.

Agree with you. Yesterday, Nyeman was lost, completely lost. Don't want to sound too harsh but he was partially at fault in the goal scored by Vazquez; Nyeman posed no resistance to de Jong's movement prior to the shot. He showed some willingness to run around defensively but demeanor is not positive.

Paredes came as a left winger and in a few minutes changed the game. Good for DC United, they finally won and that always helps. Believe it or not, they can still make "the playoffs"

 

I thought his first half was better than the second half, but I don't agree that he played poorly. With all due respect, I thought it was probably his best overall game this season. I thought he showed more inventiveness to go forward, and make an impact than any game he's played this season. I believe he was 4/4 with completed dribbles, he just missed a very nice through ball assist to the striker that was cut out at the last moment, and he contributed the secondary assist (without there being credit for it) on the game winning goal. Offensively, he had a big impact from some pretty deeper starting positions.

Defensively, I agree to an extent. He's not capable of playing that role too well because of physical limitations, which is why I think they need to try to utilize him better, but I thought he showed better in the areas of the game defensively that he can contribute in. I'm not going to expect him to win headers or to outmuscle players twice his size.

Also, I don't fault anyone for that Vazquez goal other than the goalie. Nyeman let up a shot from over 20 yards out. It was right at the goalie, and he fumbled it. I don't blame the defender who let Vazquez go or the midfielder that allowed the shot. They can't be expected to completely block off all players from getting near the goal for 90 minutes. The goalie has to be able to make a routine save.

 

To be fair, my stance was mostly on Nyeman's defensive game. However, offensively, he had one play on the left side the entire second half where he elegantly took on two defenders and that's about it.

We'll agree to disagree. I don't watch DC United much. Maybe this is the level at which he normally plays. IMO, he was very poor compared to other youngsters trying to earn minutes. For anybody playing his position, young or not, you'd expect more festiness -despite his size- on players flying by you outside your 18, he put up none especially in the goal.

I don't like to compare players especially in different positions but there were other players on both teams who came in and had more of a defensive impact.

Offensively, DC United is extremely poor so it's hard to gauge Nyeman's relative impact. Cincinnati had most of the possession in the second half until the second goal. Maybe I need to watch them -and Nyeman- more. The victory should help them mentally.

By the way, both keepers were awful. I hadn't seen Seitz in a few years; he was never petite by any stretch but he's put on some weight which affects his mobility even more.

 

Michel, Ebobisse, Lewis, Parks, and Duncan are the 97s in that list. Aside from Michel, very accomplished players and leading players in MLS at their positions. Williamson is not on the list but is an excellent 97 as well. This stage of players has traditionally been a weakness in production as the best go to Europe and the others fizzle out. All of these guys could make a move to Europe if they wish. They may not be the biggest names but they’re key depth in a nation that has not historically had that.

 

Moses Nyeman vs FC Cincinnati

Kid is really good already. Ball recoveries, progressive runs, and set up the winning goal. Still 16.pic.twitter.com/mWfUeqbjmI

— Sanjiv (@USMNTvideos) October 19, 2020

 

Man, we have some harsh critics in here. I know it’s only highlights, but there’s a lot of good defensive plays in there, especially for a 16 year old who isn’t close to filling out his frame.

 

Yeah, I didn't watch this particular game in the second half, so I will defer to others, but in general I've been impressed with Nyeman's feistiness and fight despite his small stature.

He's not a solo 6, defensively, but he's certainly been holding his own in most games I've watched. Not a destroyer, but not a liability, either.

That said, he needs to get more offensively aggressive and move forward. He's not particularly assertive offensively, and I don't think that's all coaching.

 

early on but aaronson really should’ve scored one already

 

mckenzie an absolute force

 

I agree. He needs to improve the pace of his game. He slows the game down. He can control a game that way, but sometimes there needs to be an impetus to play N-S as opposed to E-W. I would also say he's not a natural goalscorer. There are some #10's that can score 20-25 goals per year in their prime. I don't ever think that'll be Nyeman. He'll score some goals, but he's not going to provide anywhere the amount of goals that a top striker would.

He does have a lot of very good offensive skills though. When he runs at defenders, he's very hard to stop. In this game, he was 4/4 on completed dribbles. A few games ago, he completely skinned a defender with a nice dribble by him. I've seen him go 1v1 against Jonathan Gomez isolated on the right, and make him look very bad. Nyeman can beat players 1v1 very easily because of his low center of gravity, ball control, natural creativity, and quickness.

The problem is what you said. There's a lack of aggressiveness. He needs to play more aggressive. All the skills are there to be a top-level #10 like an Iniesta between the dribbling, ball control, incisive passing, passing accuracy, combination play, speed of thought, natural creativity, and the occasional goal, but right now his potential is Iniesta, and he plays more like a combination of Xavi and Verratti. I think it's a combination of the pace he likes to play at and the coaching that is keeping him from showcasing his full offensive potential.

What I don't like is the people who try to compare him to Nagbe or Ngolo Kante. First of all, he doesn't only need to be compared to black players. Second of all, it reduces Nyeman's potential to compare him to these sorts of players. He has a lot of attacking potential (and we've seen it in DC's academy teams and in the few tournaments he's played for USYNT's), but he needs to be used further forward in formations, and he needs to play more N-S and try to create goals as opposed to trying to dominate possession.

 

Yeah, I see why people comp to Nagbe, but it's limiting. It's like his worst case scenario. Still, the inability to dispossess him; his calm, methodical pace; his lack of aggression make Nagbe a call out.

I just think, like you, you don't want him there.

I really want him to start hitting some of these incisive passes, to have some of these risks pay off, because I think that can help him get more aggressive.

Or get a coach that tells him he's pulled if he doesn't start trying shit.

He needs Caden Clark or Gio Reyna's mindset.

It's actually why I never particularly care when a young player dribbles too much or loses the ball too much. You can coach caution. It's much harder to coach aggression.

 

and he did a good job using his body to shield the ball from much bigger opponents. Quite a bit more physicality than I expected to see.

 

Another goal for Fontana, excellent chip over Turner

 

I don't think its all coaching, but I do wonder if its an order from DC United because we've only started seeing this less aggressive approach playing for Loudoun and DC. With USYNT's and DC's academy teams, he has a more aggressive offensive mindset. I don't think the formational positioning helps either. He's played a lot deeper in the professional game than he has for USYNT's or in DC's academy.

 

Nice run, but an insane chip off the outside of his right foot.

I also weirdly enjoy how many of these homegrowns have successive numbers. Fontana and Aaronson are 21 and 22.

Lindsay, Busio and Duke are 26, 27, 28.

 

This guy has added a lot of defensive bite in the last two seasons. He was probably about as soft of a defensive player as there was in his youth days, including putting in one of the worst defensive displays I've ever seen from a YNT player with how he played in the infamous match against Guinea U-16. He was never that talented technically. It's nice to see he's realized he has to play a two-way game to have success.

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Can't remember the last time I watched somebody's highlights and thought to myself "that player has no business playing or looks completely lost". The last highlight video I watched of someone who looked "meh" was Uly's debut in Netherlands a few weeks back.

As much action as there's of Nyeman's in that video, there's an equal amount of activity where he looked less than stellar in the 2nd half.

It wasn't too long ago when somebody here was pointing out that one can't draw too many conclusions from these clips as they serve a unique purpose. I believe Kayo's highlights were being discussed then. I agree with that assessment wholeheartedly. One has to watch and understand the circumstances of the game (urgency), movement of the ball, positioning, and even more, a series of games to have a better opinion.

I admit, I haven't watched many games of him as a professional; however, he only started playing regular minutes a few weeks back. I've watched plenty of his academy and YNT games (albeit in a different role). By the way, he's turning 17 on November 5th

 

Was going to post last night so I don’t remember the rest of thoughts because I got cut off by the Daryl Grove news, and had to pour one out to the OG. I often have throw away thoughts after a night of watching MLS, and here’s what I remember.

Keaton Parks is a fun player to watch but he could only play on a team with this European of a style. He can’t defend, he’s not a real threat offensively, but he sure can dribble and start an attack. Coincidentally, NYCFC also employ Zelalem, and I think the exact spot Parks plays is the only spot in this country either could feasibly occupy. It’s beautiful to watch but I doubt it will ever be a national team thing.

For people new to the forum. Joey DeZart is the exact player that would make this forum lose its mind last olympic cycle. Which is a shame because I think he’s better now than Alashe was then, and we really went wild for Alashe as a rookie.

Nyeman and Clark were both solid, but I would love to see either of them with a team that played attractive soccer around them.

Zico Bailey will be a good starting rb in this league, and honestly could be a rw in this league.

 

aliens at work?

 

Fontana’s goal scoring record is incredible. Wonder what his ceiling is

 

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