Americans Abroad 2018-19: Youth Movement

Titans Bastard

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I'm sure the germanic origins of his surname helped him considerably, even if he's as culturally American as most of us here are.

Congrats to him, that's no third-division backwater. But was he really regarded as a top coach even at MLS? Coach of the year in 2015, but a lot has happened since then.
Yes, he was definitely one of the better coaches in MLS when he was around. He won the Supporters Shield in 2015, won the East in 2016, and had the team humming in 2018 before he left (they eventually won the SS and achieved the highest point total in league history).

He hasn't passed what I'll arbitrarily call my "Jason Kreis Test": can he be successful with two entirely different cores? But he hasn't failed; he just didn't spend enough time in NYRB to have to fully turn over a team. That being said, he was able to continue to be successful despite the club shipping out major figures like McCarty and Kljestan in successive seasons.

If the RB organization didn't think much of him, they wouldn't have brought him over to be an assistant in Leipzig or give him the Salzburg job.

I think he would have been a more serious contender for the USMNT job, but he is on bad terms with the federation and moved forward with the RB Leipzig assistant gig as the process was (very slowly) unfolding.
 

Titans Bastard

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McKennie says he's ready to return to the 18 for Schalke. I hope he's not rushing, but regardless this is a much faster recovery than I dared hope after the Ecuador game.

 

Dummy Hoy

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I don’t really follow MLS, but I do have a thing about coaches (in different sports). It seemed to me that Marsch had all the right tools- good tactical awareness, good communication skills, capable during games. Add in that he’s young(ish), bright, and willing to learn, he’s a nice piece for the RB empire to grab.
 

Titans Bastard

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Dutch-American CB/LB Kik Pierie has been sold to Ajax. He already has 62 appearances in the Eredivisie and he doesn't turn 19 until July.

Pierie has been playing with Dutch youth teams, where he's likely to stay for the foreseeable future. Both his parents are Dutch; he was born in Boston while his family lived there for a short while due to his father's job.

Given his background, there's not much reason to think he will or would want to join the US camp, but he's an interesting prospect.

 

Titans Bastard

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Zyen Jones has left Schalke U19 for Charlotte Independence of the USL.



I always thought Schalke was a bridge too far for Jones, so I'm glad to see him leave quickly rather than languish with the second team as a neglected reservist for a year or two. That he is doing this in April instead of when his contract expires over the summer suggests to me that he may be looking for a return to the US rather than look for other opportunities in Europe.

Or maybe Charlotte just has a way with recruiting young players. This winter, they signed England's starting GK from the last U17 World Cup from Manchester City.
 

Titans Bastard

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McKennie returned to Schalke's starting line up today, although Schalke got stuffed at home.
 

OCST

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Wigan are fighting to stay above the drop in the Championship but Antonee Robinson, on loan from Everton, has been a standout- he was cited here for a “master class in playing left back” as ten-man Wigan beat Leeds

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/apr/19/leeds-united-wigan-athletic-championship-match-report

Remember Robinson being abused badly by Brazil’s forwards last year. Championship success means less for fullbacks because they don’t see truly elite strikers. Still, it’s encouraging to see progress. Robinson’s chances at first team football are scant at Everton next season due to the breakout season of Lucas Digne; I’d expect another loan.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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Wigan are fighting to stay above the drop in the Championship but Antonee Robinson, on loan from Everton, has been a standout- he was cited here for a “master class in playing left back” as ten-man Wigan beat Leeds

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/apr/19/leeds-united-wigan-athletic-championship-match-report

Remember Robinson being abused badly by Brazil’s forwards last year. Championship success means less for fullbacks because they don’t see truly elite strikers. Still, it’s encouraging to see progress. Robinson’s chances at first team football are scant at Everton next season due to the breakout season of Lucas Digne; I’d expect another loan.
If he's learning to defend, that's all we can hope for. Seems natural going forward already.
 

Titans Bastard

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Pulisic returned from injury this past weekend, too. Adams is still on the shelf for another week or two.

A former LA Galaxy academy right back, Zico Bailey, left Cal State Fullerton after one season for Kalmar in Sweden.

 

Titans Bastard

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Emerson Hyndman got his annual run-out for Bournemouth in this weekend's draw with Southampton.

17 year old midfielder Matko Miljevic made his pro debut for Argentinos Juniors. I don't know much about his game, but if he's good he might get a look in the next U20 team.
 

Titans Bastard

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Former USMNTer David Wagner is likely to be the next Schalke manager.

 

67YAZ

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Former USMNTer David Wagner is likely to be the next Schalke manager.

Wow! I did not think his next gig would be at club of this stature (Schalke is having a down year, but does maintain annual European aspirations). That's great for Wagner, whose system should be a nice fit for Schalke's young talent.

It will be interesting to see where he slots McKennie if Wagner retains the 4-2-3-1. I don't think McKennie is a #10, but as a #8 with some freedom to join the attack seems just right. Whatever his role, so long as he is playing regularly, McKennie should get a good education in high pressing as a unit and fast transitions. That will definitely benefit the USMNT.
 

cromulence

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Absolutely gorgeous goal for Pulisic, broke Veljkovic's ankles and then put it away.
 

allstonite

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Pulisic gets the start for Dortmund and just scored a great goal. Got by the first defender and beat out 2 more to slip it past the goalie. Great individual effort
 

Titans Bastard

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CCV led the Championship in pass accuracy this season

I'd love to know context around that. CCV historically has been a weak passer, though I've heard that he's made some improvements in that department this year at Swansea. I wonder if he's hitting any line-breaking passes, or if he's going conservative all the time.

He didn't play much in the first half of the season, but got his opportunity when a starter went down, and then retained his spot even after the erstwhile starter returned. He'll move on from Spurs eventually, but I don't have a sense of whether he's improved enough to be attractive to lower-tier EPL clubs or if he'll land at an above-average Championship team.
 

Titans Bastard

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I always knew Mix Diskerud would be a Champions League hero.

 

Titans Bastard

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According to his instagram, Yedlin had surgery for a groin injury. That seems very bad for his Gold Cup prospects.
 

Titans Bastard

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Most leagues have wrapped up, so here's what UEFA competitions look like next year for American players. A lot can change between now and then, of course...

*Likely to be sold or loaned
**Youth player who could break out and play but probably won't

Champions League
Group Stage
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig)
*Erik Palmer-Brown (Man City)
*Zack Steffen (Man City)
*Matt Miazga (Chelsea)
*Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham)
*Tim Weah (PSG)
**Chris Richards (Bayern Munich)
^Jesse Marsch (Red Bull Salzburg) [manager]

Qualifying
Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge)
Aaron Schoenfeld (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Dilly Duka (Partizani Tirana)
**Sergino Dest (Ajax)
**Richie Ledezma (PSV)

Europa League
Group Stage
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
John Brooks (Wolfsburg)
Jordan Siebatcheu (Rennes)
**Uly Llanez (Wolfsburg)

Qualifying
Timothy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Romain Gall (Malmö)
Matt Polster (Rangers)
 

Titans Bastard

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Does Chandler even still count? He played 1 match for 16 minutes for Frankfurt this year.

Also, let's hope you come to be embarrassed by not having included Konrad De La Fuente.
Chandler was injured almost all season and returned to health at the very end. He has another year on his contract, though I'm not sure what role he'll play next year.

De la Fuente spent this season with the U19 team, getting one cup of coffee with Barça B. It's hard to see him getting CL minutes even in optimistic scenarios. The goal is for him to become a productive regular with the B team.
 

Titans Bastard

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Sebastian Soto rumors:

More on our Hannover duo of Sebastian Soto and Chris Gloster here, from Jeff Carlisle. It confirms the Bild report of a breakdown in contract extension talks between Soto and Hannover, and of Borussia Dortmund's interest. And on Gloster:

Gloster is in a position similar to Soto given that his contract has a year to run, but he has drawn interest from an undisclosed Champions League club as well as a team in the Bundesliga. After spending the 2017-18 campaign with the club's U19 team, Gloster made 16 appearances with the reserve side that played in the fourth-tier Regionalliga Nord.
Soto is a solid prospect, but I wonder if BVB is too big a mountain to climb for him. Gloster has impressed me with the U20s. I hope he finds his way into first team soccer soon; given the state of American LBs, his path to the USMNT is relatively simple.
 

Titans Bastard

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Loans are risky. Your temporary club doesn't have a stake in your development, so if you aren't an immediate hit, or if there's a coaching change and the new guy doesn't care about you, a lot of time can be wasted.
 

Titans Bastard

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Jonathan Klinsmann is leaving Hertha this summer on a free. He's been their #3, but outside of one Europa League game he's only ever played for their reserves.

He's been linked to Rangers, but a recent Kicker report claims Austria Vienna and St. Gallen are interested.
 

Titans Bastard

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High-scoring U19 Development Academy forward Matthew Hoppe ('01) is signing with Schalke.

 

Titans Bastard

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Desevio Payne moves within the Eredivisie from Excelsior to Emmen

https://twitter.com/FC_Emmen/status/1141268423210622976
I was a fan of him at the U20 World Cup in 2015, but he's basically been injured ever since. He played a grand total of 100 league minutes for Excelsior in the last two seasons. I'm actually kind of impressed he landed a deal with an Eredivisie club instead of having to drop down a division, but regardless, any hopes for him have been severely downgraded since three years ago.
 

Titans Bastard

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A couple of rumors:

  • Wigan is reported to have bid £1.9m for Antonee Robinson. The general sentiment on social media is that the bid isn't enough for Everton to sell. I don't know, but I think he'll eventually wind up at a Championship club on a permanent transfer sooner or later.

  • Tyler Boyd's loan to Ankaragücü has expired and Vitória Guimarães is still trying to figure out what to do with him. There are a lot of reports that he may be close to signing with Beşiktaş, which would be an impressive move, but of course the Turkish media can be a little...unreliable.
 

prizminferno

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Really need that to get done. 5 years says they care about his development and want to play him. Lille is such a good spot for him.
 

Titans Bastard

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Galarcep reports that Freiburg have made a bid for Rapids central midfielder Cole Bassett.

https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/sources-freiburg-makes-bid-for-rapids-teenager-bassett/gyk1lot8jl4l1tpowb64x9o63
Bassett is a low-key prospect, in part because the Rapids are out-of-sight, out-of-mind even within general MLS circles, and in part because he had zero YNT profile before he went pro. Bassett will turn 18 later in July, which means he could play in the U19 Bundesliga immediately. As an '01, he'll likely be part of the player pool for the next U20 World Cup cycle.

All that said, Freiburg are a small club that doesn't spend much. I'm guessing their offer isn't much, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if nothing happens here.


Galarcep also says another Sacramento Republic youth player, Quincy Butler, is Germany-bound. He's joining Hoffenheim just a few weeks after Travian Sousa joined Hamburg.

https://twitter.com/SoccerByIves/status/1144621356518166528