Villarreal B coach talking about Mukwelle Akale "He's very talented. We knew when he came last season in January that he was a kid with a lot of ability. Yes hes tiny, very small kid, but very fast and very skilled and truthfully, the most talented player within our academy." Translated from:
Yes Or if they lose, they'll face the loser of the other semi and the winner plays Colombia to get in
Late to the debate, but I really hope Jurgen has more job security than it seems like. I think one of the things the US needs most is the ability to pull players, and Jurgen has shown he can do that.
Guardian did a top 50 players born in 1998 article and had Pulisic on there Club Borussia Dortmund Position Forward Born 18 September 1998 Christian Pulisic may have been born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, but he’s not just a sweet treat. The young No10 is small and slight but has skill in spades – witness the elastic dribble in a USA Under-17 game against Trinidad & Tobago in March that brought his tricks to a wider audience – as well as serious self-belief. He is now on the books of Borussia Dortmund and expectations are lofty. Pulisic, the son of football-mad parents, had trained with Porto, Chelsea, Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven as a young teenager, but was considered physically lacking. So he went back to Pennsylvania, and did what teenagers do: played video games, watched movies, hung out with his friends – and played lots of soccer. He joined the US Under-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida, as its youngest recruit, and was spotted by Dortmund scouts. After a longish wait for his papers to come through, he is now eligible for Bundesliga youth matches – thanks to a Croatian grandfather. The US national programme has given Pulisic its blessing to pursue his European adventure with Dortmund: the perfect environment to hone his natural artistry and flair. 'He's not overpowering 15-year-olds,' says Steve Klein, his former club coach in Pennsylvania. 'He's outthinking them and outplaying them, that's his strength.' Tim Hill @timmyhilleh Watch Christian Pulisic in action
http://www.starsandstripesfc.com/20...n-jordan-siebatcheu-usmnt-ligue-1-stade-reims Bring a 19 year old Ligue 1 striker into the youth system? Sign me up for that shit. Mr. Siebatcheu, you could have mentioned this 8 months ago and made a nice trip to New Zealand with the U-20's.
Someone who just turned 20? Yes. I think hopes/expectations for what he would be immediately were just too high but I also don't know what he's done so far this season
Agree, that seemed to validate the high expectations for him but last season was concerning. I'm hopeful he will soon be able to play for a Bundesliga side rather than youth teams otherwise the concerns would grow
Player Spotlight Frustrated at Fulham, Hyndman Eyes Olympics The 19-year-old midfielder is buried on the bench at Craven Cottage but he has made a positive impact on the U.S. U-23 team as it seeks to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTED OCTOBER 08, 2015 11:45 AM SHARE THIS STORY Share on twitterShare on facebook WIL TRAPP AND LUIS GIL may be the midfield ringleaders for the U.S. U-23 men’s national team that will try to secure a spot in the 2016 Olympics on Saturday, but Emerson Hyndman has been a very welcome addition, making a seamless transition from captaining the U-20 World Cup team into becoming an integral part of the U-23s. “It’s been quite easy, to be honest,” Hyndman said. “A lot of us came up from the U-20 team, and the U-23s, who have been established under our coach, Andi [Herzog], have taken us in and kind of shown us the ropes, if you will, with their team. We’ve adapted well. “It didn’t seem like it was a new team to me. There were some older players, but they were just as friendly and just as good on the ball — it felt like the same team.” Given that Herzog only had one camp to integrate the former U-20 players into the U-23 group, not much was known about how this unit would play or what formation it would use. Through three games, however, the style has become pretty clear—a narrow diamond formation that is simple but effective. The two forwards, Jordan Morris and Jerome Kiesewetter, use their pace to make runs in behind the defense, and the team’s technically gifted midfielders, Hyndman included, have had a field day playing them in. “As a center midfielder who likes to pass and control the ball along with forwards who can run behind the defense, it’s a dream,” the 19-year-old Hyndman said. “If Jerome makes a run, I am going to try to find him. It goes the same with every other central midfielder we have. If the game is just played in front of the other team, it is kind of easy for them. We have two with great pace, and it just changes the game.” Herzog expected Hyndman to make a smooth transition. “For me it is not a surprise,” Herzog said. “Emerson Hyndman has already played for Fulham in the Championship. I know his skills and his talent, so even if he is young, he knows what to do with the ball in every single situation—how he has to pass the ball, how he keeps the ball, how he turns. “It is fun to watch him.” Heading into the Olympics-deciding semifinal match against Honduras, Hyndman has made a strong case to start. He made one of the best passes of the opener against Canada with a through-ball that sprang Kiesewetter, and he shredded Cuba with his passing—even scoring a goal on a combination play with Gil in the second half. “We kind of read each other here and there,” Gil said. “We understand each other, and we know what we’re each thinking of ahead of time. That play on the goal was a give-and-go and I knew where he was going. It’s great to have a player like that on the field.” Team captain Wil Trapp added that Hyndman contributes significantly to the possession game—not just with his passing but also with his ability to hold the ball. “He's very mature, very skilled, with a great range of passing and great vision,” Trapp said of Hyndman. “His composure is something that I look at and think it's very impressive. In tight spaces or when he has time and space, no matter what, he's always composed, poised, and always finds the right pass.” When the tournament ends, however, Hyndman will return to a complicated situation with Fulham. He joined the team’s academy in 2011, when he was just 15, and rose all the way up to the club’s first team last season, making his debut in the Championship. A shoulder injury, as well as U.S. U-20 commitments kept him away for the second half of Fulham’s season, though, and things have only gotten worse since his return. Now in the final year of his contract, Hyndman has made public his desire to go elsewhere. “It’s a little difficult right now,” he explained. “I’ve told them in the past that I think it’s time for me to move on. There are clubs out there that are interested and that I am excited about, so it’s difficult for me right now, and I can’t see myself getting too many first-team minutes. I feel that I had a good preseason, and I thought I might get a chance, but I am really looking forward to the future more than anything. “I am looking at all possibilities and I am not ruling anything out yet,” Hyndman added. “I am keeping everything open. I think a style-of-play change would be helpful for my development at the moment. I think it would swing me forward quicker. All I want to do is play and get first-team minutes consistently.” While his time at Fulham looks to be ending, Hyndman knows that exciting new opportunities are in store for him in 2016. If the U.S. wins on Saturday, the Texas native has a very real chance to represent his country in Rio de Janeiro next summer. And a strong showing in the Olympics could help Hyndman make the transition to the U.S. senior team. For Hyndman, that goal is only 90 hard-fought minutes away. “We are looking forward to making our own history and going to the Olympics,” Hyndman said, referencing Satruday’s showdown with Honduras. “I grew up watching the Olympics just as every other American did. It’s one of the biggest sport events of all time. To have the chance to be involved in it would be a dream.”
@BrianSciaretta: US U-23 Starting XI: Horvath - Okwuonu, Miazga, Carter-Vickers, Serna; Polster, Trapp, Hyndman; Gil; Kiesewetter, Morris (4-3-1-2)
Pretty much what Modevil said. We play loser of Mexico/Canada on Tuesday. Winner of that will play Colombia in Rio in March
Assuming we beat Canada, I would assume that the roster that would play Columbia would include John Brooks and Yedlin. Is there anyone else that wasnt on this roster we could expect?
I would think Green. But I don't think it's certain we would see Brooks and Yedlin. The Men's team will have World Cup Qualifying in March also. More likely they are with the Men's team
To early to write him off completely, but JK bringing him to the WC did him no favors. All reports are that he got a big ego and thought everything would be given to him and that is a big reason the loan to Hamburg didn't work out. Now he is back at a level that is about the level slightly higher than college soccer (4th level in Germany) and a level he dominated 2 years ago and is having less success their now as a 20 year old than an 18 year old. He needs to start making some strides. He has definitely fallen down the pecking order of prospects. Still a good U23 prospect, but hard to call him elite at this point. More of a Low 4-State 5.8 type when he was a 6.0 type two years ago.
I feel bad for Green because his hype was/is mainly driven by being a Bayern player. If he had the same stats in the fourth division at Stuttgart II I don't see him receiving all the attention he received and he probably wouldn't have been called up to the World Cup. It doesn't help that casual fans don't really understand that many big team youth players never make it with the senior squad and expected/expect him to be a Robben/Ribery/Muller. You see the same thing with Zelalem having Arsenal attached to his name. While he may still make the senior squad, I think some fans see it more as a formality and expect to have an Arsenal player on the USMNT for ten years.
Actually, I think of it like recruiting. We get excited for the potential and want JK to bring in as much talent as possible. It's a numbers game. We need all the Zellys, Brooks and Greens because some/most will flame out while others might become elite.
I fully agree with being excited to bring them and others on board. Moreso arguing that Green and Zelalem get overhyped due to their current club's stature despite your club as a youth player really meaning very little (as long as you're on the youth team of a top league team).
Lol no way was that under his breath. He was facing away but bull shit it was under his breath for the ref to go running from that far away
Zelalem also has/had a ton of hype in UK/Europe because of his preseason showings with the first team. He's got so many things to improve and I've been as critical of his game as anyone, seems like Herzog has kinda made him a scapegoat for a team that has nothing going for it. Don't really see him making it at Arsenal but still a very exciting talent.
I would agree with that since he didn't get up in the refs face or contact him but I also have no clue what he said. Doesn't make your claim that it was under his breath and not directed at anyone less ridiculous. He clearly said it loud enough for them to all hear from a decent length away and it was directed at someone or he isn't shown the card
He clearly heard him say it, I don't know what is so hard to understand about that. He clearly said it out loud, the ref didn't like what he said and sent him off. Stop being dumb
Who cares if he heard it. Now you can't swear on a soccer field? It's a shit call to make when a guys on a yellow.
What if he told him he was going to murder him after the match? Or that his wife was a whore? Are those worth sending him off? The point is that I agreed he shouldn't have been sent off but who the fuck knows what he said