Yanks Abroad 2017-18: Pulisic & Friends

[Titans Bastard]

Now that the summer transfer window is firmly in the rear view mirror, let's reboot the thread with a list w/ birth years for rough age calculation.

Germany is the largest European destination for Americans by far, both because their foreigner rules are looser than most other big Euro countries and because there are far more German-born Americans than French-born Americans, say.

Mexico is the biggest repository of foreign-based American soccer players, but it has been the exclusive haunt of those with a Mexican passport. DaMarcus Beasley's stint at Puebla some years ago represents the only exception that I can think of since Eric Wynalda played for León in the late 90s.

Belgium
First Division A
GK Ethan Horvath — 1995 — Club Brugge
CM Juan Pablo Torres — 1999— Lokeren
AM Kenny Saeif — 1993 — Gent

Bosnia & Herzegovina
Premier League
AM Nermin Crnkić — 1992 — Sarajevo

Colombia
Categoría Primera A
GK Kevin Piedrahita — 1991 — La Equidad

Costa Rica
Primera División
DF Ivan Luquetta — 1996 — Alajuelense

Denmark
Superliga
GK Mike Lansing — 1994 — Aalborg
CM Perry Kitchen — 1992 — Randers
FW Emmanuel Sabbi — 1997 — Hobro

1. Division
CM George Fochive — 1992 — Viborg

England
Premier League
RB DeAndre Yedlin — 1993 — Newcastle United
CB Geoff Cameron — 1985 — Stoke City
CM Emerson Hyndman — 1996 — Bournemouth
CM Danny Williams — 1989 — Huddersfield Town
CM Gedion Zelalem — 1997 — Arsenal

Championship
RB Eric Lichaj — 1988 — Nottingham Forest
CB Cameron Carter-Vickers — 1997 — Sheffield United (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
CB Tim Ream —1987—Fulham
LB Antonee Robinson — 1997 — Bolton Wanderers (on loan from Everton)
AM Lynden Gooch — 1995 — Sunderland

League One
GK Brendan Moore — 1992 — Rochdale
LB Niall Mason — 1997 — Doncaster Rovers
CM Sebastien Des Pres —1998 — Blackpool
AM Gboly Ariyibi — 1995 — MK Dons (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
AM Duane Holmes — 1994 — Scunthorpe United

Finland
Veikkausliiga
CM Verneri Välimaa — 1993 — JJK
AM Brian Span — 1992 — IFK Mariehamn

Ykkönen
GK Tim Murray — 1987 — Honka
CB Etchu Tabe — 1986 — Ekenäs
CM Daniel Stevens — 1985 — GrIFK
AM Josue Soto — 1989 — Oulu
FW Christian Eissele — 1992 — Jaro

France
Ligue 2
GK Quentin Westberg — 1986 —Auxerre
FW Jordan Siebatcheu — 1996 —Reims
FW Maki Tall — 1995 — Tours

Germany
Bundesliga
RB Timothy Chandler — 1990 — Eintracht Frankfurt
CB John Brooks — 1993 — Wolfsburg
CM Weston McKennie — 1998 — Schalke
CM Caleb Stanko — 1993 — Freiburg
AM Fabian Johnson — 1987 — Borussia Mönchengladbach
AM Christian Pulisic — 1998 — Borussia Dortmund
FW Aron Jóhannsson — 1990 — Werder Bremen
FW Bobby Wood — 1992 — Hamburg

2.Bundesliga
GK Kenneth Kronholm — 1985 — Holstein Kiel
RB Ken Gipson — 1996 — Sandhausen
CM Mael Corboz — 1994 — Duisburg
CM Alfredo Morales —1990 — Ingolstadt
AM McKinze Gaines — 1998 — Darmstadt
AM Jann George —1992 —Jahn Regensburg
AM Jerome Kiesewetter — 1993 — Fortuna Düsseldorf
AM Kevin Lankford — 1998 — Heidenheim
FW Terrence Boyd — 1991 — Darmstadt
FW Julian Green — 1995 — Greuther Fürth (on loan from Stuttgart)
FW Andrew Wooten — 1989 — Sandhausen
FW Haji Wright — 1998 — Sandhausen (on loan from Schalke)

3. Liga
GK David Yelldell — 1981 — Sonnenhof Großaspach
CM Royal-Dominique Fennell — 1989 — Halle
AM Joe Gyau — 1992 — Sonnenhof Großaspach
AM Devann Yao — 1990 — Meppen
FW Marc Heider — 1986 — Osnabrück
FW Robbie Kristo — 1993 — Osnabrück
FW Mario Rodriguez — 1994 — Sonnenhof Großaspach
FW Isaiah Young — 1998 — Werder Bremen II

Regionalliga
GK Jonathan Klinsmann — 1997 — Hertha Berlin II
CB Javan Torre — 1993 — FSV Frankfurt
CM Fehim Dedic — 1996 — 1860 Rosenheim
CM Bryan Gaul — 1989 — Elversberg
CM Justin Kinjo — 1997 — Fortuna Düsseldorf II
CM Ryan Malone — 1992 — Lokomotive Leipzig
AM Junior Ebot-Etchi — 1996 — Weiche Flensburg
AM Junior Flores — 1996 — Borussia Dortmund II
AM Masami Okada — 1991 — Babelsberg
AM Joel Soñora — 1996 — Stuttgart II
AM Timothy Tillman — 1999 — Bayern Munich II
FW Kouami Dalmeida — 1990 — FSV Frankfurt

Iceland
Úrvalsdeild
GK Will Dieterich — 1987 — Grindavík
AM Dion Acoff — 1991 — Valur

Israel
Premier League
FW Aaron Schoenfeld — 1990 — Maccabi Tel Aviv

Italy
Serie C
AM Joshua Perez — 1998 — Livorno (on loan from Fiorentina)

Japan
J.League
GK Daniel Schmidt — 1992 — Vegalta Sendai

Lithuania
A Lyga
FW Philip Atbashyan — 1997 — Utenis Utena

Mexico
Liga MX
GK Lalo Fernandez — 1992 — Tigres
GK Bernabé Magaña — 1993 — Pumas
GK William Yarbrough — 1989 — León
CB Ventura Alvarado — 1992 — Santos Lagona
CB Omar Gonzalez — 1988 — Pachuca
CB Michael Orozco — 1986 — Tijuana
LB Jonathan Bornstein — 1984 — Querétaro
LB Edgar Castillo — 1986 — Monterrey
LB Jorge Villafaña — 1989 — Santos Laguna
CM Joe Corona — 1990 — Tijuana
CM Jonathan Gonzalez — 1999 — Monterrey
CM Alejandro Guido — 1994 — Tijuana
CM Rodrigo Lopez — 1987 — Toluca (on loan from Celaya)
CM Jose Francisco Torres — 1987 — Tigres

Ascenso MX
GK Carlos Lopez — 1996 — Dorados de Sinaloa (on loan from Tijuana)
LB Kevin Huezo — 1991 — Murciélagos
LB John Requejo — 1996 — Dorados de Sinaloa (on loan from Tijuana)
LB Josue Soto — 1995 — Cimarrones de Sonora (on loan from Querétaro)
LB Jesus Vazquez Ocampo — 1995 — Atlante (on loan from Tigres)
CM Fernando Arce, Jr. — 1996 — Dorados de Sinaloa (on loan from Tijuana)
CM Manny Guzman — 1986 — Venados
AM Jesus Vazquez Delgadillo — 1994 — Universidad de Guadalajara
AM Alejandro Zendejas — 1998 — Zacatepec (on loan from Chivas)
FW Amando Moreno — 1995 — Dorados de Sinaloa (on loan from Tijuana)

Liga Premier
GK Justin Perez — 1992 — Pacific
GK Estevan Vazquez — 1996 — Halcones de Morelos
GK Samuel Velazquez — 1997 — Tijuana Premier
GK Pablo Villar — 1996 — Irapuato
GK Luis Zamudio — 1998 — América Premier
DF Cristian Cruz — 1995 — Loros de Colima (on loan from Morelia)
DF Andy Garcia — 1995 — Toluca Premier
DF Marco Jaime — 1995 — Gavilanes de Matamoros
DF Juan Monticelli — 1997 — Irapuato
MF Christopher Bermudez — 1999 — Pachuca Premier
MF Sergio Buenrostro — 1994 — Querétaro Premier
MF Alexis de la Rosa — 1996 — Santos Laguna Premier
MF Dennis Flores — 1993 — León Premier
MF Irvin Gijon — 1994 — Morelia Premier
MF Eder Guerrero — 1992 — Morelia Premier
MF Ernest Nungaray — 1992 — Morelia Premier
MF Brian Perez — 1999 — Tijuana Premier
MF Flavio Perez — 1995 — León Premier
FW Juan Albisar — 1998 — Querétaro Premier
FW Joaquin Hernandez — 1994 — Monterrey Premier
FW Osvaldo Ramirez — 1997 — Pachuca Premier
FW Oscar Romero — 1996 — Pumas Premier
FW Omar Salgado — 1993 — Tigres Premier

Netherlands
Eredivisie
RB Desevio Payne — 1995 — Excelsior
CB Matt Miazga — 1995 — Vitesse (on loan from Chelsea)
CB Shane O’Neill — 1993 — Excelsior

Eerste Divisie
FW Kai Koreniuk — 1998 — AZ Alkmaar II
FW Andrija Novakovich — 1996 — Telstar (on loan from Reading)

Norway
Eliteserien
GK Alex Horwath — 1987 — Brann
CB Stefan Antonijevic — 1989 — Lillestrøm
FW Rubio Rubin — 1996 — Stabæk

First Division
CM Conor O’Brien — 1988 — IK Start

Poland
Ekstraklasa
CB Shawn Barry — 1990 — Korona Kielce

Portugal
Liga Pro [division II]
CM Keaton Parks — 1997 — Benfica B

South Africa
Premier Division
FW Nana Akosah-Bempeh — 1997 — Cape Town City

Sweden
Allsvenskan
GK Josh Wicks — 1983 — Sirius
CB Brendan Hines-Ike — 1994 — Örebro
CM Mix Diskerud — 1990 — IFK Göteborg (on loan from New York City FC)
AM Romain Gall — 1995 — GIF Sundsvall

Superettan
GK Matt Pyzdrowski — 1986 — Helsingborg
CB Alex DeJohn — 1991 — Dalkurd
AM Paul Torres — 1991 — Syrianska
FW Emil Bellander — 1994 — Åtvidaberg
FW Andy Stadler — 1988 — Dalkurd

 

[Titans Bastard]

I was going to post a list of youth and reserve players, but please accept my apologies for the interruption....

Manchester City sign American Erik Palmer-Brown

Sources out of England tell Metro that Palmer-Brown has signed a four-and-a-half year deal with Manchester City of the English Premier League.

This is not official, but it's been confirmed by some other reporters in US soccer circles. EPB will move on a free in January and then go on loan, possibly to somewhere in the Eredivisie.

Palmer-Brown is good. I don't love the choice to sign for Man City. Chasing that EPL money frequently leads to poor developmental outcomes. Hopefully there's a clear plan put in place regarding a loan and EPB's development. He needs to be getting games somewhere.

Man City was not the only club after him, so hopefully some of the rest will have a spot for him on loan. Winning a CB spot in the middle of the season can be tricky, of course.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Youth academy + Reserve league players:

Argentina
Primera Division
DF Noah Toribio — 1999 — Banfield
MF Matko Miljevic — 2001 — Argentinos Juniors

Denmark
Superliga
AM Jonathan Amon — 1999 — Nordsjælland

England
Premier League
GK Brandon Austin — 1999 — Tottenham Hotspur U-23
GK Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen — 2001 — Everton U-18
RB Matthew Olosunde — 1998 — Manchester United U-23
CM Kyle Scott — 1997 — Chelsea U-23

Championship
GK Gabe Rosario — 1999 — Reading U-18
RB Marlon Fossey — 1998 — Fulham U-23
CB Giles Phillips — 1997 — Queens Park Rangers U-23
CB Callum Stretch — 1999 — Aston Villa U-18
CM James Murphy — 1997 — Sheffield Wednesday U-23
AM Luca de la Torre — 1998 — Fulham U-23

France
Ligue 1
AM Aziel Jackson — 2001 — Toulouse U-17
FW Timothy Weah — 2000 — Paris Saint-Germain U-19

Germany
Bundesliga
GK Brady Scott — 1999 — Köln U-19
RB Corey Anton — 1999 — Hoffenheim U-19
CB Trevor Zwetsloot — 1999 — Werder Bremen U-19
DF Elias Thomas — 2001 — Wolfsburg U-17
CM Lyonel Hyer — 1999 — Hannover U-19
CM Malik Tillman — 2002 — Bayern Munich U-17
AM Shaft Brewer — 1999 — RB Leipzig U-19
AM Jalen Hawkins — 2001 — Bayern Munich U-17
AM Nick Taitague — 1999 — Schalke U-19
FW Justin Butler — 2001 — Bayern Munich U-17
FW Nasuhi-Noah Jones — 2002 — RB Leipzig U-16

2.Bundesliga
CB Lennard Maloney — 1999 — Union Berlin U-19

3. Liga
CM Ian Hoffmann — 2001 — Karlsruhe U-17
CM Cody Sundquist — 1999 — Osnabrück U-19

Italy
Serie A
FW Sal Esposito — 2001 — Genoa

Serie B
MF Rafael Iacovelli — 2000 — Cesena

Mexico
Liga MX
GK Benny Diaz — 1998 — Querétaro U-20
GK Hector Holguin — 2001 — Santos Laguna U-17
DF Michael Barragan — 2002 — Atlas U-15
DF Adair Casas — 1997 — Morelia U-20
DF Alberto Diaz — 2000 — Necaxa U-17
DF Jonathan Esparza — 1999 — Tijuana U-20
DF Sergio Gonzalez — 2000 — Tijuana U-17
DF Sebastian Medina — 2001 — Atlas U-17
DF Hector Montalvo — 1998 — Tigres U-20
DF Diego Nunez — 2000 — Querétaro U-17
DF Joseph Perez — 1997 — Puebla U-20
DF Leobardo Tenorio — 2002 — Tijuana U-15
DF Angel Uribe — 1999 — Tijuana U-20
MF Edson Alvarado — 1998 — Tijuana U-20
MF Sagir Arce — 2002 — Morelia U-15
MF Jesus Enriquez — 1997 — Tijuana U-20
MF Carlos Flores — 1998 — Santos Laguna U-20
MF Mario Lopez — 2002 — Tijuana U-15
MF Leo Marquez — 1999 — León U-20
MF Antonio Nava — 1999 — Tijuana U-20
MF Jonathan Navarro — 1998 — Santos Laguna U-20
MF Jacobo Reyes — 2000 — Monterrey U-20
MF Pedro Reyes — 2002 — Tijuana U-15
MF Jared Romero — 2000 — Tijuana U-20
MF Pedro Santos — 1999 — Querétaro U-20
MF Jonathan Suarez — 1997 — Querétaro U-20
MF Oscar Velazquez — 2000 — Morelia U-17
FW Jose Adame — 2000 — Atlas U-17
FW Jerry Ayon — 2001 — Morelia U-17
FW Ernesto Espinoza — 1999 — Tijuana U-20
FW Manuel Lopez — 2000 — Santos Laguna U-17
FW Luis Salazar — 2000 — Cruz Azul U-17

Ascenso MX
MF Adrian Villa — 1999 — Atlante

Netherlands
Eredivisie
DF Sergino Dest — 2000 — Ajax
DF Stuart Ritchie — 2001 — Groningen
MF Joshua Pynadath — 2002 — Ajax

Portugal
Primeira Liga
GK C.J. dos Santos — 2000 — Benfica

Scotland
Premier League
GK Wojciech Gayda — 1998 — Hearts U-20

Spain
La Liga
RB Shaquell Moore — 1996 — Levante B
CM Ben Lederman — 2000 — Barcelona Juvenil B
AM Mukwelle Akale — 1997 — Villarreal C
MF Ali Khatoun — 1998 — Leganés Juvenil B
MF Lawson Sunderland — 2001 — Levante
FW Konrad de la Fuente — 2001 — Barcelona Juvenil B

 

[Titans Bastard]

Some players just breaking into first team soccer to keep an eye on:

1. Weston McKennie, Schalke. A center midfield who is highly athletic and highly skilled. He's not going to start much for Schalke with Goretzka and Bentaleb ahead of him, but Tedesco has already been using him off the bench most games early on. His greatest weakness at the moment is on the defensive side of the game, where his lack of experience can result in poor positioning. Long-term he will likely be a box-to-box mid, so he needs to improve but he doesn't need to develop the skillset of a classic DM.

My hope is that his motor, skills, vision, and physicality can replicate the presence of Jermaine Jones in the midfield, but without the frustrating hero complex.

2. Jonathan Gonzalez, Monterrey. Another CM. Gonzalez didn't quite come out of nowhere this year because he's been regularly called for U18 camps over the last few years. However, Mexico-based youth players tend to get less hype because (a) the vast majority of them never amount to anything and (b) it's hard to get as much video/scouting reports on them. Gonzalez had a strong preseason and has won a place in Monterrey's 4-3-3. This should raise eyebrows because he just turned 18 in April, he's beaten out some quality players, and Monterrey just keep winning (1st place, 20 pts from 8 games). I haven't seen too much of him just yet, so I don't have a great feel for the type of CM he is.

3. Haji Wright, Sandhausen (loan from Schalke). Wright has good technique for a very tall forward. The questions with him have always been whether he could get the most out of his size and his soccer IQ. For the US U17s, his decision making looked very poor to me and he was also one of those big guys who liked to drift wide and thought he was a winger instead of a CF. He had a good goalscoring record with Schalke U19 last year; usually the hopeless case guys with terrible soccer IQs fail that test. How he does in the 2BL should give us a better sense of his trajectory.

FYI: Josh Sargent, who is going to sign abroad somewhere in the winter (Werder is rumored), is by most accounts a better forward prospect.

4. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sheffield United (loan from Spurs). CCV has been totally dominant at the U20 level for the US, but his club progress seems to have stalled out over the last year or two. Certainly, breaking into Spurs' back line is very difficult, but he has fumbled opportunities in preseason and in cup games. Now he's on loan in the Championship, where he's been on the bench for his first few games. The concern with CCV is that he reached physical maturity early, which contributed to his YNT dominance, and augurs a lower ceiling. We'll see.

5. Keaton Parks, Benfica B. Parks is a weird case. He's a big, slow, but skilled CM who went from playing HS ball in Texas to a small Portuguese club. A potential sale went bad six months after his debut, he was frozen out, and spent the rest of the season in court trying to get out of his contract. Now he's with Benfica B where he's quickly become a starter and seems to be getting good reviews. I'm never sure what to make of this guy, but he's interesting.

 

[Titans Bastard]

German-American right back Ashton Götz signed for Roda JC in the Eredivisie. Previously, he was a squad player for Hamburg but was released over the summer. He went straight into the team and started over the weekend.

Nick Taitague is toiling away with Schalke U19:


He could wind up as a central attacker or a winger. It's too soon to tell if he's truly on the Bundesliga track but so far so good.

 

[Schnerres]

That´s Corey Anton, 17yo. If he won´t make it in footie, he´s got another potential in him.

(He was already playing for the german U18, but that was already half a year ago, when he was still with 1.FC Kaiserslauterns U19. Now with Hoffenheim, he wasn´t picked, yet, if I didn´t miss it. But he´s playing at Hoffenheims U19 and if he keeps playing, he could be picked up to the U18 again. If he won´t get picked for Germany´s Under XX teams, he could decide that he joins the US teams. That´s my guess.)

 

[Titans Bastard]

Anton played for Hoffenheim U19 as recently as late August, but Transfermarkt says he's out with a "cruciate ligament rupture", which sounds bad and long-term.

We really need some decent fullback prospects, so that's not helpful.


In other news, Luca de la Torre has signed an extension at Fulham.


He made three League Cup appearances last season, but has yet to debut in the Championship. This year, he's been dealing with an injury from preseason.

 

[eddiew112]

CCV scores the lone goal (and winner) for Sheffield United on his debut.

 

[Titans Bastard]

CCV scores the lone goal (and winner) for Sheffield United on his debut.

Video of the goal, a scramble of a corner:

 

[Dummy Hoy]

I'm not really a club over country kind of guy, but fuck all that noise.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Ben Grant, a kid from the Richmond area is apparently with Norwich City.


Based on an article from a few years ago, he has an English father, hence his move before age 18 and no work permit hurdles.

 

[DJnVa]

That picture looks like he should be playing U13

 

[Titans Bastard]

Another kid spotted by internet sleuths. Luca Lewis, an '01 goalkeeper who spent a couple of years playing in the DA with IMG Academy, is now with Torino's U17 squad.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Yedlin played 90 for Newcastle yesterday. It will be a huge relief to have him back in US camp in October.

Down in Mexico, another start and well-reviewed performance for Jonathan Gonzalez:


A few local media outlets named him MOTM. Monterrey won again and remain unbeaten after nine. Gonzalez won't get too much hype in the US based on club play because Liga MX flies under the radar here. However, the speed with which he's ensconced himself in a very good midfield at his age is, I think, really impressive. The Mexican press reported that Monterrey's manager has talked to Juan Carlos Osorio about him, but Gonzalez is provisionally cap-tied to the US and my understanding is that there's not much flight risk here. If things continue, I would not be shocked if he's given a look in US camp before the World Cup.


Random: Monterrey's opponent Atlas brought Ravel Morrison off the bench in the same game.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Weston McKennie is about to make his first Bundesliga start. It's against Bayern, so good luck kid!

In less consequential news, former RSL academy midfielder Sebastien Des Pres has made the long distance move from Blackpool to Fleetwood, both in League One. He's only ever played in secondary cups thus far.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Josh Sargent's rumored move to Werder Bremen is now official:


It sounds like he will arrive in Bremen sometime after next month's U17 World Cup, but that he may not be eligible to play any official youth games until the 2018-19 season. He doesn't turn 18 until February, which is outside the player registration window in Germany.

Haji Wright got around this by signing a one-year contract with the New York Cosmos because this allowed him to enter Germany as an out of contract professional rather than as an amateur like Sargent. My understanding is that out of contract pros can sign outside transfer windows, but amateurs cannot. If I were Sargent's representation, I would have tried to get a symbolic PR contract with a local club like Saint Louis FC this season in order to circumvent these restrictions.

 

[Senator Donut]

Down in Mexico, another start and well-reviewed performance for Jonathan Gonzalez:

A few local media outlets named him MOTM. Monterrey won again and remain unbeaten after nine. Gonzalez won't get too much hype in the US based on club play because Liga MX flies under the radar here. However, the speed with which he's ensconced himself in a very good midfield at his age is, I think, really impressive. The Mexican press reported that Monterrey's manager has talked to Juan Carlos Osorio about him, but Gonzalez is provisionally cap-tied to the US and my understanding is that there's not much flight risk here. If things continue, I would not be shocked if he's given a look in US camp before the World Cup.

An 18-year-old American won a starting position on the best club in Liga MX and just delivered a MotM performance? I understand why he's not getting Pulisic-level hype because he's doing it in UEFA Champions League, but I feel like US soccer fans should be more enthusiastic about his potential.

 

[Titans Bastard]

More details on Sargent's move to Bremen. Twellman, whose sourcing always seems to be very solid, says Sargent turned down BVB and Bayern. There were probably others, too.


Sargent looked good for the U20s despite being U17 eligible; nobody that young has ever played in the U20 WC for the US since Freddy Adu. He looks to be one of our best prospects from his age cohort. I'm not surprised that he turned down offers from bigger clubs because he'll have an easier path to playing time at Werder.

 

[Titans Bastard]

An 18-year-old American won a starting position on the best club in Liga MX and just delivered a MotM performance? I understand why he's not getting Pulisic-level hype because he's doing it in UEFA Champions League, but I feel like US soccer fans should be more enthusiastic about his potential.

The hype is ramping up in the Mexican press.

There are a number of factors that I think explain why Gonzalez hasn't gotten much press at all here:

1) Anglo America largely ignores Liga MX

2) Despite various players who received hype at some point (Torres, Castillo, Ponce), there has still yet to be a Mexican-American player who came through the ranks in Liga MX who turned out to be a truly influential player for either the USMNT or El Tri. Although he's no longer down there, maybe Arriola will pan out more than the others did. Omar and Herc Gomez came from MLS and neither have ever been core players for the US anyway.

3) Gonzalez has really come out of nowhere. He stood out from the many other Mex-Am prospects in Liga MX academies in that he was a regular with the U18 national team, but we've seen that before. Other than that he was just toiling in the U20 league like everyone else. He was not eased into the first team through Copa MX like many prospects (it's like the League Cup, except twice a year and it has a six-game group stage, so there are lots of games). He just appeared, fully-formed, as a starter in preseason.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Video of Pulisic's goal today:

 

[DJnVa]

Nice first touch as ball was right at his feet.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Miazga started for Vitesse in a 2-1 win over Ajax in Amsterdam. CCV started for Sheffield United in a 4-2 win at Wednesday (sorry @Dummy Hoy).

Yedlin now has two full 90s under his belt since returning from injury, which is excellent news.

McKennie made his second start for Schalke yesterday morning at Hoffenheim. You can tell he's still adjusting to the pace of the game in the Bundesliga, but he definitely doesn't look overwhelmed. Clearly Tedesco has some confidence in him and his upside.

Cameron is still out for Stoke. That's not good.

Boyd came on as a late sub and scored for Darmstadt.

Gooch scored his first goal for Sunderland in league play, although it was only a penalty.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

This was a brief heart in mouth moment to contemplate the existential horror of another Zusi-laden international break, but seems to have had no ill-effect in the end.

http://www.espnfc.us/brighton-and-hove-albion/story/3212565/tomer-hemeds-stamp-on-deandre-yedlin-an-accident-brighton-boss

 

[bosox4283]

I know we fawn over Pulisic, but it was cool to see the Spanish site/paper AS praise Pulisic and post an interview with his dad:

https://as.com/futbol/2017/09/25/champions/1506356076_894833.html

 

[DJnVa]

He's not in starting 11 today against Madrid. Boo.

 

[cromulence]

Neither Yarmolenko nor Phillip has looked very good, so I'm guessing he gets in at some point.

 

[Titans Bastard]

McKennie signs a contract extension with Schalke through 2022.

 

[Titans Bastard]

McKennie is starting for Schalke again.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Joe Enochs was fired by Osnabrück, who are in the 3.Liga relegation zone after 11 games. He had been at the club in some capacity (player, youth coach, manager) since 1996.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Rafa Hoenigstein had some really nice stuff to say about McKennie on one of the FW type shows. Said people in Germany think really highly of the kid.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Santiago Cortes Galera, a '99 midfielder from Pateadores in SoCal has signed a pro deal with Santos in Brazil. Apparently he's been down there as an academy player since earlier in 2017, but this is the first I've heard of him.

http://pats.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=1400901&player=33786289

 

[Titans Bastard]

Another start for CCV in Sheffield United's 1-0 win over Ipswich. Chatter from random Sheffield United supporters on social media seemed really positive about him so far.

Geoff Cameron started and played 90 at DM as Stoke got pistol-whipped by Man City.

Weston McKennie is out this week with a thigh strain.

 

[McBride11]

Geoff Cameron started and played 90 at DM as Stoke got pistol-whipped by Man City.

He was well rested after having last week off

 

[Titans Bastard]

An 18 year old MOTM for the Liga MX leaders:


Gonzalez really should get called in next month. He's only played 13 pro games, but he's getting good reviews every week and he's beaten out high level players for his job.

There's a lot of help coming the USMNT's way at CM and CB.

 

[Titans Bastard]

McKinze Gaines made his 2.Bundesliga debut for Darmstadt yesterday in a loss to Nürnberg. He's a 19 year old winger who I've seen described as a speed merchant (a term I tend to construe as a backhanded compliment).

He was productive for Wolfsburg U19 last year, but they sold him with a buyback clause. He seemed to have a big preseason for Darmstadt, but then didn't even make the 18 until yesterday. Hopefully this is a sign of progress.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Bill Hamid's contract is expiring at the end of the year. He's been in a contract dispute with DC United that now looks unsalvageable. He's been frozen out of the 18 for several games now and this article makes it clear he's not coming back.

Midtjylland in Denmark is the rumored destination. That would be an underwhelming, largely lateral move, but at least in comparison to bigger leagues he'd have a stronger chance of playing right away.

Danish club Midtjylland is the front-runner, one source said. Although Denmark is not a high-paying destination, another source said, Hamid sees it as a springboard to a bigger league in Europe.

“I think you are going to find out in the next 48 hours,” he said of his next club. “I am extremely excited for what’s next. It’s a big opportunity. It’s a big steppingstone to what can come later on in my career.”

 

[Cellar-Door]

Holy crap.
Bill Hamid is only 26!!!!!
I feel like he's been around for 15 years. If you had asked me to guess his age I would have said at least 30.

 

[Titans Bastard]

A lower profile player to keep an eye on: Andrija Novakovich.

He's a big center forward from Wisconsin who signed for Reading when he turned 18, which generated a little hype. He got into a couple of Championship games in the 2014/15 season and the club even refused to release him for the 2015 U20 World Cup so that he'd be around for all of preseason, but eventually their manager got canned and future first team chances haven't materialized. He's toiled for Reading's U23s for the last two seasons except for a brief one-month loan at Cheltenham Town.

This year he was loaned out to Telstar for the season and he's doing well. He's scored six goals in ten games so far and has even made various league teams of the week a couple of times when he didn't get on the scoresheet.

He's not incredibly young (just turned 21) and he's playing at a low level (Dutch second tier), but big center forwards do have a habit of developing at a slightly slower pace.

It wouldn't shock me if he got called up to the Portugal game, depending on how experimental they go with the roster. He hasn't necessarily earned it, but there aren't many Euro-based forwards who will be on the right side of 30 come 2022. Wood, Green, Novakovich, and Wright basically. Since the November international break is in the middle of MLS playoffs, whoever picks the roster will bypass domestic players whose teams are stillalive and I think some Euro-based edge cases will make the squad.

 

[DJnVa]

Thanks for the tip on him.

The US should cast as wide a net as possible. As you said, some guys develop slow, and he could fill a niche somewhere.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Bill Hamid to Midtjylland is official.

http://www.espnfc.us/story/3240380/bill-hamid-signs-for-midtjylland-in-denmark-after-dc-united-farewell

He turned down Eintracht Frankfurt because he would have been a backup:

Hamid said on Sunday that he had received offers to play in the German Bundesliga but chose to move to Midtjylland, where he will be able to start.

"I was going to be a No. 2 at [Eintracht] Frankfurt, and I didn't know if I would have preferred that. But this is an opportunity to walk in, be a starter and continue playing, which is important," he said.

 

[Titans Bastard]

John Brooks is on the bench for Wolfsburg. His recovery seems slightly ahead of schedule.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Timothy Chandler had surgery on his right knee (meniscus) and is out for two months.

20 year old RB Shaq Moore is making his debut for Levante in Copa del Rey. He's been on the bench a bunch of times but has yet to play in La Liga.

 

[cromulence]

Looks like it went OK - he went 90 minutes and they kept a clean sheet.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

The two stupidest teams in England's second division are on ESPN3 this afternoon at 2:45. I only mention this because Cameron Carter-Vickers has been playing CB for one of the dirtbag squads.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Speaking of Championship defenders from the States, Eric Lichaj scored a pretty nice goal for Forest last Saturday and proceeded to lap the entire stadium, pointing at the crowd in celebration. I can't find footage of more than about 10 seconds after the goal, but he apparently took about a minute just sprinting around the perimeter of the pitch.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The two stupidest teams in England's second division are on ESPN3 this afternoon at 2:45. I only mention this because Cameron Carter-Vickers has been playing CB for one of the dirtbag squads.

There are rumors that the other dirtbag squad in that game is interested in Aron Johannsson this winter, btw.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

There are rumors that the other dirtbag squad in that game is interested in Aron Johannsson this winter, btw.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Luca de la Torre, a 19 year old attacking midfielder who has been on U17 and U20 WC teams, made his Championship debut for Fulham today. He played in some League Cup matches last year and it looked like Fulham were going to give him a real shot in preseason, but he got hurt. He's just recently gotten back to fitness, so it bodes well that he's already being thrown into the end of games.

DLT is a tidy player, but he's not a speed demon. The big question is whether he'll develop to have enough creativity and skill to avoid being a tweener (too slow for the wing, not inventive enough to play as a CAM).

 

[Titans Bastard]

First-place Monterrey beat second-place América 2-0 yesterday and have opened up a five point lead at the top of Liga MX. Jonathan Gonzalez started as usual. I found some stats & highlights.

He's all over the place defensively:


He could be on the ball more, but Monterrey did play a man down for over half an hour.


This was impressive 1v3 work in tight spaces:




Gonzalez is very young and not a finished product, but he'd be a good candidate for the next US camp. He's part of the future. One snag: Monterrey plays crosstown rivals and now #2 team Tigres four days after the Portugal game. It's possible something will be worked out to keep him in Monterrey. It's stupid that the USSF didn't schedule a second friendly, then the US could have started him in the first game and sent him home before Portugal.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Older news: Triple national (USA, France, Cameroon) forward Jordan Siebatcheu was Ligue 2's player of the month for September.


He played in a friendly for France U21 this past summer, but nothing even partially cap-tying. France is, shall we say, an unlikely option for him and I'm not sure of his interest in representing USA v. Cameroon if he continues to develop.