Americans Abroad 2018-19: Youth Movement

Titans Bastard

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Amon finished the game with an assist as well.

Sebastian Soto scored a brace for Hannover U19, giving him four goals in his first five games.

Duane Holmes made his debut for Derby off the bench. One of their wingers saw red, so perhaps he'll start the next game.

CCV debuted for Swansea off the bench. Hopefully he earns playing time; his competition right now is Mike van der Hoorn, who was a part-time starter for Ajax before being a part-time starter for EPL-era Swansea and Joe Rodon, who is basically the same age as Carter-Vickers and who made his Swansea debut at the beginning of the season.

No McKennie today due to his knee injury, but reports are that it's just a bruise.

Alfredo Morales scored for Fortuna Düsseldorf in a 2-1 win.

Sargent started for Werder II, dousing hopes that after a few good friendlies with the first team he'd make his Bundesliga debut tomorrow.
 

Titans Bastard

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Blaine Ferri '00, a member of the last US U17 team, has joined Greuther Fürth.

 

Titans Bastard

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Footage of McKennie's assist in Schalke's 1-1 draw against Porto:


Decent day in the CL!
 

cromulence

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Pulisic has clearly been Dortmund's best player today and just scored the equalizer off a nice cross from Reus.

 
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Titans Bastard

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Other action:

  • Yedlin started in a 0-0 road draw at Crystal Palace
  • After making his first start midweek, CCV was back on the bench for Swansea. Same deal for Cameron at QPR.
  • Miazga started in a 2-1 loss at Lille
  • Brooks started in a 3-1 home loss to Freiburg
  • McKennie was subbed off with a leg injury after getting hacked by James Rodriguez. There were initial concerns about a leg break, but he's been diagnosed with a "deep bone bruise".
  • Joel Sonora made his first start at the #10 for Argentine club Talleres de Córdoba.
  • Wood started for Hannover but was sacrificed when they went down to 10 in the first half
  • Novakovich scored a brace for Fortuna Sittard in a 4-4 draw with Willem II. Four goals in six Eredivisie games so far.
  • Sebastian Soto scored a brace in the U19 Bundesliga for the third time in the past month and is up to six goals and six games for Hannover U19.
  • EPB has worked his way into NAC Breda's starting lineup now.
 

Titans Bastard

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  • Gooch scored two goals for Sunderland (one PK). He's done really well for Sunderland this year, with three goals and four assists in nine games.
  • The signing of Eric Choupo-Moting has been a big setback for Weah's chances of playing this year. Weah has been with the reserves lately and hasn't made the 18 in some time. We'll see how things go, but he should probably reconsider a loan in the winter window.
  • Jann George scored for Jahn Regensburg in a 5-0 demolition of Hamburg
  • After a registration snag with his loan, Shaq Moore is now able to play for Reus and made his first start
  • Kenny Saief is healthy now and coming off the bench for Anderlecht at the moment.
  • Romain Gall registered a goal and assist for Malmö
 

Titans Bastard

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In the League Cup, Luca de la Torre started for Fulham at the #10 against Millwall and wound up with a goal and an assist.

 

Titans Bastard

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LA Galaxy: Woof


I feel bad for RSL losing Soto and Ledezma because RSL are an organization that has handled youth the right way. It's hard to feel bad for LAG, who spend their time roster-building lurching from one big name to the next, without much consideration given to tactical cohesion or the academy.

Llanez and Mendez are good, but LAG is dealing with a credibility gap built up in recent years.

Llanez doesn't turn 18 until April and Mendez turned 18 in September. That means that Llanez won't be able to play in U19 games until next fall, while Mendez can be registered in January.
 

Titans Bastard

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Bobby Wood has scored a brace in the first half.

McKennie scored early in the second half to give Schalke a 1-0 lead over Fortuna Düsseldorf.
 

Titans Bastard

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On the coaching front, Steve Cherundolo is out of the job. When Tayfun Korkut was fired at Stuttgart, Cherundolo was one of the assistants who got the sack as well.

Not sure what's next for him. Prior to taking this gig in January, he spent a number of years coaching Hannover's youth teams.

The most prominent employed American coaches in Europe now are Jesse Marsch (assistant at RB Leipzig) and Joe Enochs (Zwickau)
 

Titans Bastard

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Somebody on BigSoccer translated some local news articles about McKennie.

Tedesco:

"Weston is important for us not only because of the goals," said Schalke coach: "Even in the phase in which it was not so good, he simply embodied much what we want to stand for. He has a good mentality, is down to earth and works hard. "Tedesco also believes that McKennie has not exhausted his potential by far:" The important thing is that he continues to develop. He does not always show 100 percent of the things he can do. Weston just has to stay so diligent and down to earth that he'll get better. He's just good."

https://www.waz.de/sport/fussball/s...nderlob-fuer-weston-mckennie-id215499487.html


This is from a few days ago (before Saturday's game):

From sporting director Christian Heidel:

Also manager Christian Heidel is visibly impressed by the Americans. "I rarely pick players out," Heidel said after the Moscow win, "but this is about the way Weston plays. His body language is already very extraordinary. There are players in the team who are lining up for Weston McKennie. "

At the upper performance limit, Heidel sees the young man but despite his upwards trajectory, he is far from his potential. "He is still a talent, after all. It's not that Weston is already putting his full potential at the age of 20. I'm sure he'll get better. "


From Tedesco:
"Weston has good power, he is still brutally young. He has everything a footballer needs. McKennie has the most deep runs with us. He can play as a six, as eighth or as in Moscow as a tens. These positions are similar. I'm really happy for him that he scored the goal. "


https://www.waz.de/sport/fussball/s...on-mckennie-wird-noch-besser-id215486665.html
Love it.
 

Dummy Hoy

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I would include David Wagner (Huddersfield Town) although that may change if they stay in the relegation zone
David Wagner is the best thing to happen to the Terriers in over 50 years. I'd be stunned if he's there next year, but that'll be of his accord, not the team's.
 

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Konrad de la Fuente is an '01 winger who seems to be doing reasonably well compared to his peer cohort in La Masia.
 

Titans Bastard

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Konrad de la Fuente is an '01 winger who seems to be doing reasonably well compared to his peer cohort in La Masia.
De la Fuente made the 18 for Barcelona B this past weekend, but didn't get off the bench.

Over in the Netherlands, right back Sergino Dest '00 is making his first start for Jong Ajax [reserves] in the second division. He has heretofore been playing with the U19s.
 

Titans Bastard

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Christian Pulisic was healthy enough to come off the bench for BVB. He assisted in the final goal of a 4-0 win at Stuttgart.

Jonathan Amon had an assist for Nordsjælland.

Konrad de la Fuente scored again for Barcelona U19.

Weston McKennie returned from his brief injury and is starting as the most advanced CM in Schalke's trio.

Lynden Gooch came off the bench (he's been injured) and assisted in Sunderland's 2-0 win at Shrewsbury.
 

Titans Bastard

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Andre Luiz Queiroz has moved from Real Madrid's academy to Rayo Vallecano, where he is playing with the Juvenil B (U-18) squad.

A few other players who have popped onto the radar:
  • Reese Jahoo, a 2001 center forward from the Triangle, has joined Grimsby Town
  • Jaheim Headley, a 2001 central midfielder from London, has joined Huddersfield Town. He is apparently a US/JAM/ENG triple-national
 

Titans Bastard

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I’m just seeing this, but I’m pumped. He’s a guy who could take a leap
and become a GUY.
Here's another Sargent fanboy post:

He has zero professional appearances so from a cynical standpoint you can say that we have no idea how he'll fare against adults every week, but......he just doesn't seem to have any real weaknesses.
  • He's strong and his hold-up play is good
  • He's a quality passer and combines well with teammates
  • He's not a track star, but he's still pretty fast and more importantly, appears to be quick over short distances
  • He looks decisive on the field. It seems like the game has already slowed down for him in ways it hasn't for many players his age.
  • He makes good runs off the ball.
  • He's a good finisher.
Again, maybe Bundesliga-caliber defenses will expose some of these areas as not being as good as they seem, but so far so good.

The USMNT is still pretty weak and is, at best, only okay to watch right now. However, due to the massive talent black hole that is the 1990-1994 birth year generation, which produced so few NT-level players in the first place, there's going to be extremely little aging-out of the player pool for a long while.

Going off the last roster, Bradley and probably Guzan will age out by 2022 and Yedlin, Brooks, and Wood will age out by 2026 (as well as more marginal guys like Trapp, Sweat, Long, and Picault). That's it.

The current age 18-20 core of Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Sargent, and Weah is going to get better with more experience/development, could get larger if things break right for guys like Amon and others, it's going to be augmented with currently younger players as the years go on, and could carry us for a long time. Sargent and Weah will only be 30 for the 2030 World Cup.
 

cromulence

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Pulisic scored in the first half of Dortmund's Deutsche Pokal game and then won a clear penalty (he would've easily scored off a cross but was taken down from behind) in the 119th minute that Reus converted.
 

candylandriots

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Pulisic scored in the first half of Dortmund's Deutsche Pokal game and then won a clear penalty (he would've easily scored off a cross but was taken down from behind) in the 119th minute that Reus converted.
Heartbreaker for this Union Berlin fan (and member). But it was a clear penalty.

Edit: even our goal-scoring goalkeeper wasn’t enough at the end.
 

cromulence

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Heartbreaker for this Union Berlin fan (and member). But it was a clear penalty.
Sorry - I also have a soft spot for Union Berlin as I played 10 or so seasons as them in FIFA 18's Manager Mode (I think we discussed this last year). Took them from the second division to back to back trebles, if that makes you feel any better. Probably not. Polter was an absolute beast for me even before I built the team into a juggernaut, so I enjoyed his brace today.
 

candylandriots

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Ah yes - I remember! I’m new enough that I don’t take the loss too personally, but it still stings a bit.

I’m planning on season tickets next year, so it will probably mean more then.
 

cromulence

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Oops, I didn't even realize that Pulisic assisted the second goal. Not a bad day.

Goal:

Assist (nice finish):

Penalty:
 

Titans Bastard

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Matt Miazga's position at Nantes has deteriorated. Apparently he had a few bad games after a managerial change and now is in the doghouse. He hasn't made the 18 for the last two games and there's a rumor that he's going to be sent back to Chelsea early this winter.

We'll see what happens, but he's unquestionably had a setback.
 

Titans Bastard

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MLS-to-abroad rumors are kicking up with the end of the season for many clubs. I don't expect any big moves for American players, other than Tyler Adams' all-but-confirmed move to RB Leizpig. Alphonso Davies, obviously, is heading to Bayern Munich and it's quite possible that Atlanta will sell Miguel Almiron.

Juan Agudelo reportedly has an offer in Liga MX and interest in Spain (mostly second tier) and Turkey. I held out hope for him for so long, but I just don't see it at the NT level. He always picks up minor injuries, he's inconsistent, and the game never really slowed down for him. He makes the wrong decision and/or slows the attack up too much. I think he might struggle in a better league like Mexico.

Chicago Fire right back Matt Polster is a free agent and will be exploring Euro offers. No ideas what those would be, but I would guess it would be in the Scandinavian/2.BL/Belgium type range.
 

Titans Bastard

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Youth update:

  • Josh Sargent started and scored again for Werder Bremen II. Seven goals in eleven games so far.
  • Sebastian Soto scored and now has nine goals in ten games for Hannover U19. He's second in the U19 Bundesliga Nord/Nordost scoring charts and first if you take out penalties.
  • Gedion Zelalem is finally healthy again and has started to play in Arsenal U21 games
  • One-time FC Dallas central midfielder Christian Cappis is rumored to be signing with Hobro in Denmark, where Emmanuel Sabbi is playing. He wanted to sign with FCD, but couldn't due to some weird MLS quirks. Hobro isn't very good, so if true Cappis should probably be able to play right away.
  • Southend United forward Charlie Kelman, who scores goals for their U18 team by the bunches, is supposedly being scouted by EPL and Champo clubs.
 

Titans Bastard

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All of a sudden Horvath has been starting for Club Brugge again. He's making his third consecutive appearance and first in the Champions League, against Monaco.

 

Titans Bastard

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Horvath got the shutout as Brugge won 4-0 in Monaco. I rate Steffen higher, but I'm glad to see him back on track. We need new GKs up and down the NT depth chart.

One-time FC Dallas central midfielder Christian Cappis is rumored to be signing with Hobro in Denmark, where Emmanuel Sabbi is playing. He wanted to sign with FCD, but couldn't due to some weird MLS quirks. Hobro isn't very good, so if true Cappis should probably be able to play right away.

Officially signed and went straight into the starting lineup for a cup game.
 

Titans Bastard

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Pulisic didn't come off the bench against Bayern this weekend. At least he didn't get injured ahead of the US games...

19 year old Mexican-American right winger Antonio Nava made his Liga MX debut for Tijuana last night and score against Morelia. He's bounced around US and Mexican youth teams, but hasn't played in any official matches.

18 year old Mexican-American right winger Jacobo Reyes made the bench for Monterrey for the first team. He was part of the last US U17 team; he didn't make the current U20 team.
 

Titans Bastard

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Goff generally has ironclad sourcing:

D.C. United teenager Chris Durkin is again drawing European interest

Multiple European clubs have again taken keen interest in D.C. United homegrown midfielder Chris Durkin, though the MLS organization seems unlikely to sell him this winter after resisting offers in the past year, the Insider has learned.
The names of the clubs were not revealed, but Germany’s Hannover and Portugal’s Benfica have been linked to him in the past.

Hannover had declined United’s asking price of between $1.5 million and $2 million; the Bundesliga side would have placed him with its under-23 squad and exposed him to first-team training sessions. Benfica’s offer, estimated between $600,000 and $1 million, was rejected by the D.C. organization last winter; Durkin would have joined Benfica’s second team.
 

Titans Bastard

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Charlie Kelman '01, who has scored a zillion goals in youth leagues, made his debut for Southend United in the EFL Trophy.

Haji Wright '98 has seemed like surplus at Schalke ever since his not-very-successful loan at Sandhausen last season. He's back at the club, has scored 7 goals in 8 reserve games, and is getting the call up for a first team friendly during the international break. I think even then it's only because of injuries on top of the call ups, but hopefully he gets his mojo back and lands somewhere decent.
 

DJnVa

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Lots of smoke that Pulisic is heading to Chelsea, possibly in January. Ugh. Chelsea.
 

Titans Bastard

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Haji Wright made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke today. I totally wrote him off at the club, so good for him. That said, he made the 18 because Embolo, Uth, and Teuchert are injured; he did get on the field ahead of Franco di Santo though.
 

Titans Bastard

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Tenorio reports that Columbus is finalizing a $7m-$10m deal for Zack Steffen with Manchester City. That's eye-catching and lucrative for club and player, but probably terrible for Steffen's development. I don't think he's quite ready to compete for a starting job even at a low-tier EPL club.

 

Jimy Hendrix

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I assumed this was nonsense when it was just The Sun, but this is more smoke than that.

It's a stylistic headscratcher for me too, unless he's got foot-skills that his appearances on the USMNT have been hiding from me.
 

DJnVa

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I read he's going out on loan for rest of season, didn't see where to.
 

Titans Bastard

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I assumed this was nonsense when it was just The Sun, but this is more smoke than that.

It's a stylistic headscratcher for me too, unless he's got foot-skills that his appearances on the USMNT have been hiding from me.
I read he's going out on loan for rest of season, didn't see where to.
A bunch of other US soccer media types confirmed the report, so it really seems like it's happening.

I get that clubs sell to whoever is offering the most money and players want the biggest possible salary, but this seems like another Miazga type move where it's now a matter of hoping that Steffen plays the loan game the right way, gets a few breaks, and eventually lands at a decent club somewhere on a permanent transfer.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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The one potential upside I could see is that with Bravo hurt, their 2nd GK is currently a 20 YO kid they emergency recalled from a NAC Breda loan.

The path to being cup goalie for the best team in England right now is "train better than the Swiss kid so he gets loaned back to Holland instead of you", which is clearer than you would expect given the stature of the team.