My 2 cents. Pusilic is a pure CAM in my opinion. He attacks and looks to score, but is creative and sets up other as well. Not much defensive responsibility and tracking back typically from him. Scored 18 goals in 27 matches in 2014 with US U18 Team. Scored 6 goals in 4 appearances with Dortmund youth team after moving over this year. I see him has a player at the top of a diamond, but could also probably play well out on the wing. He could develop into a withdrawn striker type position like Clint Dempsey as well. Zelalem is also an attack minded midfielder, but more of a distributor than a player that looks to score. Really good on the ball and excellent passer. I would say the best vision and passing ability in the US set-up currently. He needs to develop defensively. He needs to look to score more often instead of looking to pass. Hyndman is probably the closest to a two way midfielder than either of the other two in my opinion right now. He was more of a attacking midfielder, but has adapted Slight size and frame, but tends to play bigger than it defensively. Composed on the ball and makes good quick decisions. He seems to read the game well. He can finish and score as well. There is definitely some redundancy between the 3 players especially Zelly and Hyndman. Both are central midfielders that are good on the ball and make good quick decisions. Long-term, Hyndman probably has a better chance of developing into a #8 and Zelly more of a #10. Pusilic has more forward in him than the other two players. All 3 in a midfield together would be a challenge because none are defensive midfielders. I think you would have to play Pusilic as a withdrawn striker or on the wing. Zelly as the #10 and Hyndman as a #8. Hope all keep developing and we have to figure out how to get all 3 on the field at the same time.
Pint sized Mukwelle Akale is another name the watch. Talented enough to be on this team, but is still eligible for the 2017 U20's, plays as a CAM or winger. I'm also a big fan of Luca de la Torre. Has received a decent amount of minutes for Fulham's reserves at just 16 y/o. Excellent linking CM and extremely smooth on the ball.
So somebody who knows what they're talking about, how good can we potentially be in the next two world cups? From what I've seen/read we have a ton of young talent that could produce good national teams. Is it realistic to expect us to advance past the round of 16? What would you all guess our ceiling is for the next couple of world cups?
advanced to 3rd place game in Toulon Mexico likely will win their group; could play England or Morocco
Crazy that the U-20 France team (all but about 2-3 guys) ran through this tournament so easily. Surprised they aren't in the U-20 WC.
4-3 USA with a Chuba hat trick. 3rd place would be a really nice result with the team we brought. Not in U21 Euros either
Pulisic doing Pulisic things in the Bundesliga U17 semis with a goal and an assist (which was a shot off the post). Also sends in the cross that was headed off the post. http://tv.dfb.de/video/highlights-borussia-dortmund-vs-rb-leipzig/11270/ From a poster on BS who was at the match and has seen other matches with Pulisic - "40 minutes - Dortmund up 1:0. Pulisic amazing so far." - "Just for clarification: BVB's reserve team is relegated from the 3rd league. The 4th league is very weak and that means that Dortmund's focus will shift to the U19. Mario Götze never played for the reserve team, he was promoted from the U19. The best talents are directly integrated to the pro team after their U19 seasons. The best talents will play for the U19, not for the reserve team. Passlack and Pulisic are already confirmed to move up to the U19 team next season. Dortmund's new coach Thomas Tuchel was btw watching the game. What I liked most today was that Pulisic was able to hold on to the ball against physically strong opponents, he even managed to beat taller and better built players in aerial duels. That was very impressive. If he manages to cope with the physical aspect of the game as well as he did today, he will be with the pro team sooner than some people think. I don't want to sound rude but he's one of the few American talents abroad that justifies all the hype imo."
This U23 team seems incredibly week, so I'm imagining third is a pleasant surprise for this tournament?
Brian Sciaretta @BrianSciaretta Kicker reports that U.S. U-23 forward/RM Jerome Kiesewetter has been promoted to Stuttgart's 1st team next season http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/3liga/startseite/627947/artikel_vfb-ii-verpflichtet-ripic-und-peric.html…
Goodness, Pulisic had 2 assists in the 2nd leg of the BL U17 semis. "our current u17 has two players who are SO exceptional, that it would take a lot for those two not to get a chance under Tuchel in the next three years. Those players are Felix Passlack who has the character and passion that I've seen last when watching Thomas Müller for Bayern's youth. He's unbelievably mature, physically strong, fast, versatile and has better shooting power than some of our pro players. And the other is Pulisic who indeed reminds of the u17 Götze. He's technically the best player in that team, better than Passlack. He has good speed and he has proven that he can cope with physically stronger players. His vision is exceptional. If you have technique, speed, vision and a Professional attitude (that is the aspect that I can't verify yet, although i'm positive), if you manage to Stand out in one of the two best Teams of Germany, if you even look "better" than Germany's best Talent in that age group, then yes you are officially an A+ talent and if Germany has one strength in their developmental system, then it's to identify such a talent quickly, develop it and then let him play with the Big boys relatively early."
I don't know who said this, or the validity of their opinion... But my god, this would be just wonderful.
From ASN NOW THAT THE UNITED STATES has bowed out of the U-20 World Cup, the focus and priority for the federation's youth national teams will shift to the U-23s, which will attempt to qualify for the Olympics this October. This squad has been practicing together for more than a year but preparations ramped up in January when Andi Herzog was named the team’s head coach. He has brought an urgency, and some positive results, to the program. In March the U-23s secured a decent win over Bosnia followed by a narrow loss to Denmark. In April, the Americans thoroughly outplayed Mexico in a 3-0 friendly win. Just recently, the U-23s finished a respectable third place in the Toulon Tournament. Will Herzog incorporate any of the American under-20 players into his squad? It seems likely, as many enjoyed strong showings in New Zealand. Herzog was no doubt paying attention to Zack Steffen, Rubio Rubin, Cameron Carter-Vickers and others on Tab Ramos's squad—players who might just be ready to move up to an older age group. A major issue is what happens with clubs releasing players? The second half of Olympic qualifying falls in a FIFA international window so there is a possibility that the U.S. will keep a spot open for a European-based player or two that will be released just for the end of the tournament. The most difficult player to get released for this tournament will likely be John Brooks, who is age-eligible but also a regular Bundesliga starter. His club will not be anxious to let him miss club matches. Rubin might also be tricky since he was not released by Utrecht for U-20 World Cup qualifying in January and played nearly 2,000 minutes this season. Other European-based players are more likely to accept the call. Carter-Vickers and Gedion Zelalem are not regular first-team contributors for their clubs. From recent experience, Fulham has been cooperative in releasing Emerson Hyndman. Similarly, most Mexican based clubs have been as well. Given all of this, I am going to rule out Brooks but provide alternates to those European-based players who are most in jeopardy of not being released. Here 's my take. Goalkeepers 1) Cody Cropper 2) Zack Steffen IN THE MIX: Ethan Horvath, Charlie Horton, Jon Kempin, Tyler Miller. The U-20 World Cup really made the goalkeeping picture for this team clear. Cody Cropper has been the team’s starting keeper since the start of the cycle. Zack Steffen enjoyed a breakout performance in New Zealand. Right now, it seems like these two are far out in front of the pack. Defense 3) DeAndre Yedlin* 4) Desevio Payne** 5) Walker Zimmerman 6) Shane O’Neill 7) Cameron Carter-Vickers 8) Matt Miazga 9) Juan Ocegueda 10) Dillon Serna IN THE MIX: Oscar Sorto, Will Packwood, Kellyn Acosta, Christian Dean, Erik Palmer-Brown, Jon Requejo, Boyd Okwuonu, Sam Strong, Eric Miller. *If either Yedlin or Payne are not released, replace with Oscar Sorto** If both Payne and Yedlin are not released, replace with Sorto and Eric Miller In central defense, Shane O’Neill had solid tournament in Toulon and Walker Zimmerman continues to earn consistent minutes with FC Dallas. Carter-Vickers and Matt Miazga were nothing short of stellar with the U-20 team in 2015, playing together for 840 minutes between World Cup qualifying and the World Cup and conceded just three goals as a central defense pairing. At right back, DeAndre Yedlin brings World Cup experience but Desevio Payne looks poised to contribute as well after an impressive U-20 World Cup. Payne could be particularly useful in that he can play along the back line, allowing Yedlin to slot into the midfield. Left back is a thin position right now for this team. Juan Ocegueda probably gets the job based on his long history with this group. While Dillon Serna is by far a better midfielder than a left back, he can back up Ocegueda (as can Payne). Midfielders 11) Fatai Alashe 12) Wil Trapp 13) Luis Gil 14) Emerson Hyndman* 15) Gedion Zelalem** 16) Julian Green*** IN THE MIX: Marc Pelosi, Benji Joya, Daniel Metzger, Caleb Stanko, Cristian Roldan, Alejandro Guido, Matt Polster, Marco Delgado, Joel Sonora, Russell Canouse. *If either Zelalem or Hydnman are not released, replace with Matt Polster **If both Zelalem andHyndman are not released, replace with Polster and Alejandro Guido ***If Julian Green is not released, replace with Tommy Thompson The midfield features a bunch of possession-minded players. Hyndman and Zelalem are smooth passers who can build off their World Cup experiences. Wil Trapp and Luis Gil now have significant professional experience and should be real assets. While the issue of attacking from wide positions has been an issue with U.S. teams in the recent past, this potential roster has a huge advantage in this regard with Yedlin, Serna, Julian Green, and Paul Arriola. Green had some solid moments recently in the Toulon Tournament and Arriola demonstrated leadership and skill at the U-20 World Cup. The defensive midfield position right now goes to Alashe who has established himself in the group. It is certainly possible that Chicago Fire rookie Matt Polster makes a push but Alashe has the edge based on his recent outings in Toulon. Forwards 17) Paul Arriola 18) Rubio Rubin* 19) Jose Villarreal 20) Jordan Morris IN THE MIX: Khiry Shelton, Andrija Novakovich, Alonso Hernandez, Bradford Jamieson, Mario Rodriguez, Tommy Thompson, Jerome Kiesewetter, Alfred Koroma Shams. *If Rubio Rubin is not released, replace with Khiry Shelton. Jordan Morris is a near-lock after a terrific series of recent games at the international level for both the U-23 team and the full national team. Jose Villarreal has looked sharp this year for the Galaxy and looks like an improved player from the 2013 U.S. U-20 World Cup team. As mentioned above, Rubin is likely to be a big part of Utrecht’s plans next season and may not get releases. As perhaps the best teenage American player right now, he might be worth it for Herzog to keep a spot open just for the later part of the qualifying tournament which falls on a FIFA window. Should Rubin not be an option, New York City FC’s Khiry Shelton is a likely replacement. Andrija Novakovich is also an option but after Reading declined to release him for the U-20 World Cup which took place during the English offseason, it seems unlikely the club would be willing to release him for Olympic qualifying. The OUTLOOK The roster Herzog took to Toulon is not good enough for qualifying. The rosters for the previous camps held this year were not ideal either. Given Jurgen Klinsmann's oft-stated belief in the prestige and value of Olympic soccer, Herzog will have to use every tool at his disposal to ensure qualification.
Sometimes I go through my phone's gallery and just reflect upon the fact I got to see Steffen play this past fall. What a treat that was
TopDrawerSoccer @TopDrawerSoccer U18 MNT Starting XI vs Uruguay: Klinsmann; Pelaez, Arellano, Pineda, Duncan; Lindley, Swanson, Akale; Saucedo, Craft, Mansaray #usmnt
Different age groups. This team will be joined by Pulisic and co. after U17 WC. Roldan has started quite a few games with the Sounders. A guy that Tab probably should have called in for U20 WC.
Roldan has just never been a factor for Ramos. He sort of flew under the radar for a long time and then got one call-up late. TopDrawerSoccer is always rallying against Ramos for it. They pretty much had him as a Top 3 player in the draft and in college and now he is getting more minutes in MLS than just about everybody on the team, but doesn't get called up. He also plays a position on the wing that is pretty weak.
20 year old US keeper Ethan Horvath to start CL qualifier tomorrow for Molde FK Brian Sciaretta has a story Spoiler Horvath Expected to Start Champions League Qualifer At the ripe young age of 20, Colorado's Ethan Horvath is expected to start in goal in Molde FK's UEFA Champions' League qualifier tomorrow. ASN contributor Brian Sciaretta has the details. BY BRIAN SCIARETTA POSTED JULY 13, 2015 2:20 PM IN THE BRIEF HISTORY of modern American soccer, the position of goalkeeper has been an unquestionable strength with the likes of Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, and Kasey Keller having earned tremendous worldwide respect in a way most positional American players have struggled to match. But despite the stellar performance of Zack Steffen at the U-20 World Cup and the United States senior national team call-ups for U-23 ‘keepers Cody Cropper and Alex Bono, it is actually another young American goalkeeper who is poised for the most significant breakthrough at the club level: Molde FK’s Colorado native Ethan Horvath. Earlier this month, reigning Norwegian champions Molde sold starting keeper Orjan Nyland to Ingolstadt of the German Bundesliga. Nyland was a prized player for Molde FK as he was the Norwegian national team’s first choice ‘keeper and considered one of the best players in the Tippeligaen, Norway’s top flight. One of the reasons Molde felt comfortable letting such a highly-regarded player go was because of the great strides the 20-year old Horvath has made and the Molde brass felt he was ready to step up and contribute to the first team. So far Horvath has made four league appearances with three coming as starts. Friday, he started in Molde’s 1-0 loss to Haugesund, his first game since Nyland’s departure. “I’m feeling very good. To be honest, I think the transition has been pretty easy because I think the guys on the team knew Orjan wanted to move on,” Hovath told American Soccer Now from Norway. “It helped early on the preseason that I got some games and I also got to play the first two games in the (Norewgian) cup. Then Orjan got hurt in a game early in the season and I got to play. It was important for me to play well in those game to show everybody and my teammates that if and when the time comes, I can handle everything.” This week should mark the biggest moment in Horvath’s young career as he’s expected to start tomorrow for Molde in its Champions League qualifier against Pyunik, an Armenian team led by American forward Cesar Romero, who won the golden boot last season in Armenia’s Premier League. While Keller, Friedel, Howard and Brad Guzan have all started in European competitions, none did it at such a young age. In fact, all but Howard were still college players when they were 20 while Howard was a back-up on the MetroStars. As their spot in the Champions League qualifier implies, Molde is one of Norway’s top teams. Since 2011 they’ve had remarkable success, winning three league titles and two Norwegian Cups. This season, however, the team is off to a slow start and sits in sixth place, five points out of a Europa League spot for next year. Despite that, there is a confidence that the club will turn it around. “Right now it’s very positive,” Horvath said. “We’re getting into the second part of our season now and we’ve gotten good results lately. We’re on the up because in the first part of the season we didn’t get the results we wanted. I think we all think we should be higher up in the standings than we are. Everyone is looking forward to the Champions League because everyone thinks we have a realistic chance of moving on if that’s Champions League or Europa.” It has been a long and difficult road for Horvath who is now finally seeing his returns for his hard work. He was recruited to join Molde by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2011. The Norwegian and Manchester United legend rated Horvath so highly that he brought him over to Norway at the age of 16, with Horvath’s parents moving there as well to comply with FIFA regulations about signing minors. “I’ve been here for almost three and a half or four years,” he added. “I believe it was the best decision we could have made because from 17-18, I really started to develop myself until now. When I look back at it, I couldn’t be happier because at Molde FK over the past four years we have won three trophies. So to be their number one is a great honor.” With about 26,000 people, the town of Molde is one of the smallest in the Tippeligaen and Horvath admits there isn’t that much to do and he spends much of his free time hanging out with teammates. He loves the scenery and the way of life in Norway and even though the move was difficult for him in the early years, he is very happy with how it turned out. “At the beginning I wouldn’t say there was much disappointment or frustration [not playing] because at the time I was very young and still learning a lot,” Horvath explained. “Orjan was Norway’s number one, so it was a great privilege to be on the bench and see how to operate everything: getting ready, warmups, how to act. But being the number two, you have to be ready for anything. When I was the number two, I was always preparing myself as if I was going to start every game.” Horvath’s closest friend on the team is fellow American Josh Gatt, who has been injured most of the past two season but has also been with the club since 2011. Gatt insists the team is excited to have Horvath as the first choice keeper. “The team fully supports Ethan as our new number one,” Gatt said. “He has worked and trained very hard for this. But it’s not over for him. He has to continue to work to keep his spot. I believe Ethan can be a fantastic goalie and he is well on his way to that.” In addition to the Champions League, Horvath is aiming high internationally. He was slated to be the backup ‘keeper at the U-20 World Cup behind Steffen but at the last moment Molde refused to release him for the tournament. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Nyland picked up an injury in the middle of a Tippeligaen game and Horvath made his debut, setting the stage for the club to be confident with Horvath after Nyland was sold. Now he will play in a Champions League at Aker Stadion in Molde. While he was disappointed not to head to New Zealand, he is now aiming to push for a spot on the U-23 national team that this fall will try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Right now, the most obvious candidates for that squad are Cropper and Steffen but neither of them has played a single professional game. Horvath is hoping that as Molde’s starter and with the big game experience he is going to pick up, he can rise in the pecking order. “It was a difficult time,” Horvath said of missing the U-20 World Cup. “Of course I would have liked to have gone because it was a world cup. But I had to respect my club’s decision because they wanted me to stay behind. It actually did happen where our number one got injured and I got to play league games. I think if all goes well with me playing for Molde right now, you never know what will happen. I have thought about it and maybe I do get called into the U-23s. Maybe I get to fight for an Olympic spot which would be a great honor.”
US U-19 WC player, Maki Tall signed a contract with Swiss Club FC Scion. He played last season with French League 2 side Red Star
First Tournament for the new U-17 Group. U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team head coach Javier Perez has named a 19-man roster that will head to Sweden for the 2015 Open Nordic Cup Tournament from July 30-Aug. 10. The U-18 MNT will begin play on Tuesday, Aug. 4, when its faces Faroe Islands in Mallbaken. It will then travel to Karlstad to continue its run one day later against Iceland on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will look to wrap up group play on Friday, Aug. 7 against Sweden. The opponent for a final placement game to be played on Sunday, Aug. 9, will be determined following the conclusion of the three group matches. The trip will kick off a new cycle for this crop of players at the U-18 age group. All 19 players on the roster were born in 1999, making this their first camp as the new U-18 MNT. The players on the roster had been previously competing with the U-15 and U-16 National Teams. The roster includes players from 11 states. California has the most representatives with five on the squad. All 20 have ties to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Roster by Position GOALKEEPERS (2): Eric Lopez (LA Galaxy; Westminster, Calif; Brady Scott (De Anza Force; Petaluma, Calif.) DEFENDERS (5): Jordi Avila (Kendall SC; Hialeah Gardens, Fla.), Calvin Aroh (New England Revolution; Glastonbury, Conn.), Daniel Jones (New England Revolution; West Hartford, Conn.), Aedan Stanley (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; Columbia, Ill.), Callum Stretch (Aston Villa F.C.; ), Carson Vom Steeg (Real So Cal; Santa Barbara, Calif.) MIDFIELDERS (6): Raul Aguilera, Jr. (Orlando City; Sanford, Fla.), Jose Carranza (DC United; Manassas, Va.), Jonathan Gonzalez (C.F. Monterrey; Santa Rosa, Calif), Gabriel Paniagua (Kendall SC; Miami, Fla.), Nick Taitague (Richmond Strikers Academy; Midlothian, Va.), Juan Torres (Georgia United; Lilburn, Ga.) FORWARDS (6): Andrew Carleton (Georgia United; Powder Springs, Ga.), Lucas Del Rosario (CASL; Durham, N.C.), Griff Dorsey (Colorado Rush; Evergreen, Col.), Wilson Harris (Real So Cal; Encino, Calif.), Justin Rennicks (New England Revolution; Boston, Mass.), Aristotle Zarris (RSL Arizona; Casa Grande, Az.)
So this is the beginning of the era of kids with the names like Aedan, Brayden, Kayden, Callum, etc. At least we have a kid with a cool ass name in Aristotle.
This is Class of 2017 & 2018 Prospect Rankings from TDS. Some of the 2017 players are on the current U-17 team like John Nelson.
Yeah he's apparently big time. Atlanta United is starting their academy next summer and they need to get him. 4 of those top 10 2018 players will probably be with the Galaxy U16's next season: Anguiano, Arteaga, Perez, and Lederman.
I think Lederman is still at Barca, but he can't play matches with the team now until 2018 when he turns 18. He can still train, but speculation is that he will go back to LA at some point, so he can get matches.
Got ya, I was just assuming he left due to the ban. Wonder if it will be a loan or if he just leaves.