If he were in a Euro league this would have the classic feel of “we give him a pay raise and in return we can now get a bigger fee when we sell him”, but the MLS of it all does make me worry for his ability to get out.
Based on everything that FC Dallas is doing in terms of youth, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here, but your concerns are 100% valid.If he were in a Euro league this would have the classic feel of “we give him a pay raise and in return we can now get a bigger fee when we sell him”, but the MLS of it all does make me worry for his ability to get out.
Nope. US with 0-0 draw.Japan put the UEFA champions Netherlands to the sword 4-1, so this could be ugly.
U17s. You just never know.Nope. US with 0-0 draw.
Otasowie made his first team debut against Besiktas today, coming off the bench.Owen Otasowie '01, an English-Nigerian-American CB/DM, made the bench for Wolves in the Europa League today, the first such time he has appeared in a first team squad. He's played with US youth teams in the past, but not in any official competitions. Thus far the next U-20 squad appears to be weak at CB so there's a real opportunity for him to step into the spotlight for the YNTs if he's good.
I don't know what to think about Konrad. He looks good in highlight vids and is progressing well at Barcelona — IMO on the sort of track where he becomes a Barcelona B regular then moves to a respectable club somewhere. On the other hand, I was unimpressed with him at the U20 WC. He didn't seem to be able to beat guys 1v1 on a consistent basis. That's a big concern for a young winger, and although he was playing up a cycle, he's a kid with facial hair, which indicates that he doesn't have a ton of additional physical development in his future.Hypeeeeeeeeeee he is still really young even though he featured so heavily at the U20 WC.
I'm a big fan of your analysis usually, but come the heck on with the bolded pseudoscience.I don't know what to think about Konrad. He looks good in highlight vids and is progressing well at Barcelona — IMO on the sort of track where he becomes a Barcelona B regular then moves to a respectable club somewhere. On the other hand, I was unimpressed with him at the U20 WC. He didn't seem to be able to beat guys 1v1 on a consistent basis. That's a big concern for a young winger, and although he was playing up a cycle, he's a kid with facial hair, which indicates that he doesn't have a ton of additional physical development in his future.
Evaluating teenage players is hard for a variety of reasons. One big reason is that they are all in different phases of their physical development even when they are the same age. After observing many cycles of youth national teams, I've concluded that it's totally reasonable to be wary of early physical developers.I'm a big fan of your analysis usually, but come the heck on with the bolded pseudoscience.
As for Barca, has anyone really made the first team from the B team in recent years? Carles Perez this year, and I guess Carles Aleña. Rafinha a few years ago. Munir El-Haddadi and Sandro each got a year or so on the big squad before being moved. Denis Suarez if you count him (signed a 4-year deal as a 19yo, played a year for Barca B, then a year for Sevilla, got bought by Villarreal, then was bought back - not exactly your standard La Masia track). But compared to the golden era of La Masia - Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Pique, Messi, Busquets, Marc Bartra, Sergi Roberto, Pedro, even Martin Montoya and Jordi Masip - they haven't really produced anybody that they've decided to keep long-term in a while.
Sure, for actual youth, I buy that. Puberty comes at different times and can make a big difference in how someone looks against their field of competition.Evaluating teenage players is hard for a variety of reasons. One big reason is that they are all in different phases of their physical development even when they are the same age. After observing many cycles of youth national teams, I've concluded that it's totally reasonable to be wary of early physical developers.
I look forward to being wrong when he gains his Pulisic-type burst of quickness in his late teens.Sure, for actual youth, I buy that. Puberty comes at different times and can make a big difference in how someone looks against their field of competition.
But we're talking about an 18-year-old. Concluding that he is a finished physical product at age 18 - when we see players in, say, the NBA adding 10-15 lbs of muscle per year well into their 20s, and exhibit enormous physical transformation throughout college in many different sports, seems a little hasty. Drawing those conclusions because he can grow facial hair seems like the height of overreaction, even given that it's in the face of a (legitimately frustrating) paucity of information. We could start with the various ethnic-group differences in facial hair prominence at different ages, or list as many individual counterexamples as you like, but it's probably as simple as asking, "How many other kids in this age range just choose to shave?" Like, c'mon man. I don't know a tenth what you do about the youth scene everywhere, but that's not even just a correlation/causation fallacy, that's like a bunch of different reasoning fallacies all in one.
Ansu Fati, would be a recent La Masia/Barca B prospect who is now a first team player.I'm a big fan of your analysis usually, but come the heck on with the bolded pseudoscience.
As for Barca, has anyone really made the first team from the B team in recent years? Carles Perez this year, and I guess Carles Aleña. Rafinha a few years ago. Munir El-Haddadi and Sandro each got a year or so on the big squad before being moved. Denis Suarez if you count him (signed a 4-year deal as a 19yo, played a year for Barca B, then a year for Sevilla, got bought by Villarreal, then was bought back - not exactly your standard La Masia track). But compared to the golden era of La Masia - Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Pique, Messi, Busquets, Marc Bartra, Sergi Roberto, Pedro, even Martin Montoya and Jordi Masip - they haven't really produced anybody that they've decided to keep long-term in a while.
FWIW, Honduras' performances at the last two CONCACAF U20s (97 and older and 99 and older respectively, which feed into the current U23s - 97 and older) were stronger than those of Costa Rica.That's one heck of a group of death.
I'm looking for guys in the Pulisic/Adams tier of prospect. I think Gio Reyna '02 is the best bet among these two birth years at the moment; we're getting direct quotes from BVB staff that he had a great winter camp and is close to a debut. Others could get there.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but BVB's #22 is already claimed.I hope he wears #22 so I can just put some duct tape over the ol' jersey...
Gio's mom also got six caps for the USWNT back in '93. Reyna has distinguished soccer bloodlines.Well he's the son of the most talented player the US had produced pre-Donovan/Dempsey, right? Let's hope it ends up like going from Bobby Bonds (career journeyman, but at the highest level) to his son.
I still don't have a clear definition of Reyna's role in my head. He has a lot of technical and physical strengths and could probably be deployed at any attacking position — winger, #10, second striker, even center forward. I'm not sure where he'll end up.I will lap up Taylor Twellman's motivated reasoning all day and beg for more! More seriously though, while Pulisic is clearly more of a winger who can play #10, aren't Reyna and McKennie kinda aimed at the same role?
That's pretty high praise of a coach that really doesn't have any ulterior motives to hype Gio. He's hasn't yet given him big minutes but he has been consistently training with the first team. This isn't as if GGG is hyping him or something to pander to the US market.These past few weeks, Lucien Favre has really taken it upon himself to be the conductor of the Gio Reyna Hype Train.
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