Americans Abroad, 2020-21: The Kids Are Alright

cromulence

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Adams playing at RB for Leipzig (ha), though it looks like he's getting a bit more central when they have the ball.
 

Schnerres

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In 3.Bundesliga (Augsburg loanee) maurice malone scored a hattrick for Wiesbaden.
I dont know if he is interested in USMNT.
Just turned 20yo in august.
 

Titans Bastard

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In 3.Bundesliga (Augsburg loanee) maurice malone scored a hattrick for Wiesbaden.
I dont know if he is interested in USMNT.
Just turned 20yo in august.
Malone is a player I keep tabs on. Since playing at the U17 WC for Germany in 2017, he played in a few German U18 and U19 friendlies in 2018 but doesn't seem to be on the radar anymore.

I also have no idea what he thinks about the USMNT.

Sometimes US fans obsess over dual national players like this, but Malone is rarely discussed. Part of this is that our crop of '00 forwards is rather deep by our standards and it isn't immediately clear that Malone would be an upgrade. It's also not immediately clear that he couldn't be an upgrade, but right now there just isn't a lot of urgency because we have some decent prospects and Malone hasn't done anything above the 3.Liga yet.
 

Quintanariffic

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NBD - two American teenagers played for Barcelona today in a Champions League game with one of them (Dest) scoring the game winner.

Ya know - the usual.

As much as I'll be trying to erase most of 2020 from my head, the breakthrough of what appears to be the first of several "golden generations" in US men's soccer is a bright ray of sunshine amidst a miasma of social-political shit.
 

Titans Bastard

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As much as I'll be trying to erase most of 2020 from my head, the breakthrough of what appears to be the first of several "golden generations" in US men's soccer is a bright ray of sunshine amidst a miasma of social-political shit.
It's amazing how quickly things have changed. I have been excited about this cohort for years, but it's all come together faster than I expected. I thought that the USMNT would only start to get interesting in 2021, and although we're almost in 2021 I think 2020 would have been a really fun year for the national teams had the pandemic not occurred. I just didn't think that McKennie and Adams would rise quite as high as they already have, nor that Gio Reyna would be so advanced at such a young age. Dest showed some interesting qualities when he popped up with the US U17s, but making it at Ajax's first team seemed like a big challenge, to say nothing of starting at Barcelona.

Here is the debate now:

Pessimist: The USMNT is about to have its golden generation
Optimist: This is the new normal
 

rguilmar

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NBD - two American teenagers played for Barcelona today in a Champions League game with one of them (Dest) scoring the game winner.

Ya know - the usual.

As much as I'll be trying to erase most of 2020 from my head, the breakthrough of what appears to be the first of several "golden generations" in US men's soccer is a bright ray of sunshine amidst a miasma of social-political shit.
Not to be the turd in the punchbowl, but Dest turned 20 earlier this month. We were very close to an American assisting on an American's goal for Barcelona, at which point my heart might just stop.

Pessimist: The USMNT is about to have its golden generation
Optimist: This is the new normal
While I would prefer the optimist view, I didn't think I would see the day for the pessimist view, at least at this level. I am personally dreading the day when a Yank signs for Real Madrid, which could potentially happen at some point in the next several years. I suppose that is the soccer version of first world problems.
 

dirtynine

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The kids are alright, man.

Besides the usual suspects (England, Germany, Netherlands, France, Brazil) there can’t be many in the world who wouldn’t trade their U23 situation for ours.
 

Titans Bastard

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The kids are alright, man.

Besides the usual suspects (England, Germany, Netherlands, France, Brazil) there can’t be many in the world who wouldn’t trade their U23 situation for ours.
At risk of going overboard because I'm venturing outside of my base of knowledge, but...are we sure the German U23 situation is better than ours right now?
 

dirtynine

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At risk of going overboard because I'm venturing outside of my base of knowledge, but...are we sure the German U23 situation is better than ours right now?
Same–I shouldn’t assume. I know they have a few top line prospects (Smardzic, Tillman) and during the Löw era have been reloading rather than going though fallow periods. But yeah, not sure if they stack up.
 

Quintanariffic

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The kids are alright, man.

Besides the usual suspects (England, Germany, Netherlands, France, Brazil) there can’t be many in the world who wouldn’t trade their U23 situation for ours.
I think the data tends to back this up. Here's the distribution of U-23 mins within the Big 5 Euro leagues by nationality:

View: https://twitter.com/NatFan9/status/1330963521438420992?s=20


But to make for better comparability between the countries with the Big 5 (England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy) and other nations, you need filter out Big 5 minutes played in domestic leagues. On that basis, the US is 6th in the world, behind only Brazil among non-EU countries. We also jump above Germany and Spain on this basis, to the conversation above.

View: https://twitter.com/NatFan9/status/1331079883242528769?s=20


When you further consider that US players face passport hurdles to a much greater degree than even EU residents who play in a "foreign" EU country, it's quite clear the gap is closing vs. the world leaders. Put another way, the US arguably has a Top 10 squad in the world in the U-23 age group.
 

cromulence

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Very exciting. Only downside is that it makes it trickier to root for Jesse Marsch. I guess let's root for Salzburg to pull off a 1-0 miracle with the goal having nothing to do with Richards.
 

Kliq

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Very exciting. Only downside is that it makes it trickier to root for Jesse Marsch. I guess let's root for Salzburg to pull off a 1-0 miracle with the goal having nothing to do with Richards.
1-1 draw, Salzburg scores on a terrible VAR decision and Richards scores on a set piece in extra time to salvage a point.
 

Titans Bastard

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Uhhhh....guys? This is from the gold standard source for FC Dallas issues. Buzz reports that Juventus are about to bid $6-7m for FC Dallas right back Bryan Reynolds.

Reynolds was a U17 wing/forward who seemed to be stalling out at the position and was converted to RB. There was a good deal of disagreement around his progress and potential, but despite very little MLS experience he was given the starting job after Cannon was sold and didn't miss a beat.

https://3rddegree.net/juventus-coming-in-strong-for-bryan-reynolds
 

Quintanariffic

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Uhhhh....guys? This is from the gold standard source for FC Dallas issues. Buzz reports that Juventus are about to bid $6-7m for FC Dallas right back Bryan Reynolds.

Reynolds was a U17 wing/forward who seemed to be stalling out at the position and was converted to RB. There was a good deal of disagreement around his progress and potential, but despite very little MLS experience he was given the starting job after Cannon was sold and didn't miss a beat.

https://3rddegree.net/juventus-coming-in-strong-for-bryan-reynolds
Wow.

So where does that leave us with homegrown MLS transfers in the winter window?

Aaronson - $6m to Salzburg
McKenzie - rumored for $2-3M to Celtic?
Reynolds- rumored for $6-7M to Juve
Edit: Joe Scally - sold to Gladbach for a reported $2M.

Pretty sure there are others that are rumored who I’m not thinking of. I guess you could count Caden Clark (alliteration!) in this window though I’d tend to count it only if/when he moves to Leipzig next winter.

Even these numbers are unprecedented and arguably represent a parallel (and necessary) revolution in US soccer comparable to the breakthroughs we’ve seen at big clubs in 2020. US players performing well in Europe is important. I’d submit that these transfers are the critical step that will make the cycle self-repeating by crystallizing the upside for MLS owners. It incentivizes the Unions and FCDs of the to double down on their early investments while providing more reticent owners with a clear model to follow. Teams within a given league keep their on field innovations close to the vest but commercial best practices are widely shared as part of the culture. Philly and Dallas won’t be isolated examples. When the next generation of clubs to make that climb hits (and to be clear it seems that some like LAFC and Seattle are close), we’ll see a ratcheting effect with the volume of high end talent moving to Europe and other top leagues.
 
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InstaFace

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Uhhhh....guys? This is from the gold standard source for FC Dallas issues. Buzz reports that Juventus are about to bid $6-7m for FC Dallas right back Bryan Reynolds.
View: https://twitter.com/TaylorTwellman/status/1331697570943557633

RonPaulItsHappening.gif

Seriously, this is starting to feel like "I don't even know what's going on anymore". Moving from NYRB to other RB franchises - yeah, okay, makes sense. McKennie being a standout in the Bundesliga, clearly the best player on Schalke, and then getting interest from Juventus, was surprising just for the status of the club, but at least in the realm of "okay, yeah, only a slight stretch - he's earned it".

"Juventus coming for an FC Dallas 17-year-old" just sounds like some dumbass trying to start a Twitter rumor so he can laugh at anyone who buys it. If it wasn't TB here attesting to the source, I'd be making fun of the notion. But then I go to that article and read the comments (I know, shush), and they all seem unsurprised and a few said that Reynolds was showing more than Cannon had, especially in attack. So who knows?
 
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Titans Bastard

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Wow.

So where does that leave us with homegrown MLS transfers in the winter window?

Aaronson - $6m to Salzburg
McKenzie - rumored for $2-3M to Celtic?
Reynolds- rumored for $6-7M to Juve
Edit: Joe Scally - sold to Gladbach for a reported $2M.

Pretty sure there are others that are rumored who I’m not thinking of. I guess you could count Caden Clark (alliteration!) in this window though I’d tend to count it only if/when he moves to Leipzig next winter.
I think $2-3m is a lowball offer for McKenzie and that he'll ultimately go somewhere other than Celtic. Moving to Celtic is a step up in terms of club, but a step down in terms of league, and I think McKenzie is ready for a bit more. The market is being set by other transfers in a way that should generate a higher fee for McKenzie.

Another player I'd look out for is Gianluca Busio, who has moved into a starting role on a good team in MLS and (shockingly!) has an Italian passport.

FC Dallas' Thomas Roberts is currently on trial with Hibernian in Scotland. Not sure if it's for a loan or sale. Roberts has had trouble breaking into the first team at FCD so they are letting him explore options.

I'm not sure there will be an absolute deluge of sales this winter that goes significantly beyond the players we've discussed, but I think the flow will be a bit steadier and more robust going forward. I think there are a lot of players who are 6-24 months away from having their transfer value (in MLS) peak.
 

Titans Bastard

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A little more info from the 3rd Degree podcast:

  • ~20 teams that Buzz knows of have showed up to scout Bryan Reynolds over the last few months / expressed some level of interest
  • In terms of bids, several teams are offering in the $4-5m range
  • Juventus is offering between $6-7m
  • Buzz reports that Juventus is willing to use their financial heft to outbid competitors if anyone matches their price, but we'll see
  • Regardless of what happens with the bidding, Buzz reports that all bidders want the transfer in January (not deferred to the summer), so he's confident Reynolds will be gone

It's all happened fast for Reynolds. As a converted attacker he's an offense-first RB. He still has work to do on the defensive side, but he's improved quickly and his athleticism gives him a high ceiling — he's fast, agile, and also very tall for a fullback (listed at 6'3"). I was reading online screeds about how FC Dallas ruined Reynolds by converting him to RB literally six months ago.
 

Quintanariffic

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I think $2-3m is a lowball offer for McKenzie and that he'll ultimately go somewhere other than Celtic. Moving to Celtic is a step up in terms of club, but a step down in terms of league, and I think McKenzie is ready for a bit more. The market is being set by other transfers in a way that should generate a higher fee for McKenzie.

Another player I'd look out for is Gianluca Busio, who has moved into a starting role on a good team in MLS and (shockingly!) has an Italian passport.

FC Dallas' Thomas Roberts is currently on trial with Hibernian in Scotland. Not sure if it's for a loan or sale. Roberts has had trouble breaking into the first team at FCD so they are letting him explore options.

I'm not sure there will be an absolute deluge of sales this winter that goes significantly beyond the players we've discussed, but I think the flow will be a bit steadier and more robust going forward. I think there are a lot of players who are 6-24 months away from having their transfer value (in MLS) peak.
Good catches re: Robert’s and Busio. So we have as many as 6 home grown moving this window, with at least 3-4 of those highly likely or already completed. Has there ever been another window with more than 1 such transfer? This may not be a deluge in global soccer market terms, but it’s a breakthrough in a US context that is likely to continue building.
 

Titans Bastard

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Good catches re: Robert’s and Busio. So we have as many as 6 home grown moving this window, with at least 3-4 of those highly likely or already completed. Has there ever been another window with more than 1 such transfer? This may not be a deluge in global soccer market terms, but it’s a breakthrough in a US context that is likely to continue building.
Yes, there have been several transfer windows with >1 MLS homegrown academy player sold, but this is a clear acceleration.

Tutul Rahman (good Twitter follow) has kept a running Google Doc. It doesn't make explicit mention of who is and is not a homegrown player, but still interesting.

View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16wX84wPjHUDLLPrcHyJ6owP0-bi6MGE5UmWQKf4pWGY/edit#gid=1254549295
 

Titans Bastard

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How is it I've never heard of Pity Martinez? $18M, that is a chunk of change.
Isn't the answer to "how is it I've never heard of ___________?" usually just "he doesn't play in the EPL" or a huge Champions League club? :)

Atlanta only made a small profit on him because they bought him for slightly less. It wasn't that he was bad in MLS, but he underperformed expectations and Atlanta were lucky that a petro-club was willing to take him off their hands for a price that high.

Prior to Atlanta, Pity Martinez was a key part of the 2018 River Plate team that won Copa Libertadores (Martinez scored in the second leg of the final) and won the South American Player of the Year award.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Do we have a good idea what percentage of Tim Weah’s problems right now are just continued recovery issues versus just plunging down the depth chart?

They do compound of course, hard to get match fit when you can’t get game time in.

US Soccer twitter tends to panic and worry that someone needs a move once they go two games without a start, but Weah seems to legitimately need at least a loan to get match fitness back if not a move.
 

Titans Bastard

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Folarin Balogun '01 scored less than 60 seconds after he made his first team debut for Arsenal in the Europa League against Molde. He'd need to file a one-time switch to play for the US, but he's a triple(?) national that I'm tracking. It's fair to say that his interest in the US is something more than zero because he participated in a US U18 camp once.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Gosh we have come a long way since celebrating like U15 highlights of guys like Andrew Carleton and Gedion Zelalem.
 

Titans Bastard

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I realized I never posted the big overview at the beginning of the season:

Pos First Last Yr Lg Club Loan
LB Aleksandar Isaevski
1995​
ALB-1 Vllaznia
FW Kyrian Nwabueze
1992​
ALB-1 Laçi
AM Joel Sonora
1996​
ARG-1 Talleres de Cordoba
AM Alan Sonora
1998​
ARG-1 Independiente
AM Matko Miljevic
2001​
ARG-1 Argentinos Juniors
CB Erik Palmer-Brown
1997​
AUT-1 Austria Wien Manchester City (ENG)
CB Bryan Okoh
2003​
AUT-2 FC Liefering Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)
GK Ethan Horvath
1995​
BEL-1 Club Brugge
CB Brendan Hines-Ike
1994​
BEL-1 Kortrijk
CB Matt Miazga
1995​
BEL-1 Anderlecht Chelsea (ENG)
CM Chris Durkin
2000​
BEL-1 Sint-Truiden
FW Joe Efford
1996​
BEL-1 Waasland-Beveren
CB Darick Kobie Morris
1995​
BIH-1 Tuzla City
AM Nermin Crnkić
1992​
BIH-1 Tuzla City
CM Johnny Cardoso
2001​
BRA-1 Internacional
CB Matias Fracchia
1995​
CHI-1 O'Higgins
AM Andres Souper
1999​
CHI-1 Antofagasta Universidad Catolica (CHI)
AM Mukwelle Akale
1997​
CYP-1 Pafos
FW Chris Cortez
1988​
CZE-1 Pribram
GK Mike Lansing
1994​
DEN-1 AC Horsens
AM Emmanuel Sabbi
1997​
DEN-1 Odense
AM Jonathan Amon
1999​
DEN-1 FC Nordsjælland
AM Jannick Liburd
2001​
DEN-1 SønderjyskE
FW Haji Wright
1998​
DEN-1 SønderjyskE
GK Jacob Samnik
2000​
DEN-2 Hobro IK
RB Chris Thorsheim
1994​
DEN-2 Nykøbing
CM Christian Cappis
1999​
DEN-2 Hobro IK
FW Steven Enna
1995​
DEN-2 FC Fredericia
FW Lucious Deedson
2001​
DEN-2 Hobro
GK Zack Steffen
1995​
ENG-1 Manchester City
RB DeAndre Yedlin
1993​
ENG-1 Newcastle United -
CB Tim Ream
1987​
ENG-1 Fulham -
LB Antonee Robinson
1997​
ENG-1 Fulham
AM Christian Pulisic
1998​
ENG-1 Chelsea
RB Matthew Olosunde
1998​
ENG-2 Rotherham United
CB Geoff Cameron
1985​
ENG-2 Queens Park Rangers
CB Cameron Carter-Vickers
1997​
ENG-2 Bournemouth Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
CB Giles Phillips
1997​
ENG-2 Wycombe Wanderers
CM Duane Holmes
1994​
ENG-2 Derby County
FW Charlie Kelman
2001​
ENG-2 Queens Park Rangers
GK Duncan Turnbull
1998​
ENG-3 Portsmouth
RB Niall Mason
1997​
ENG-3 Peterborough United
RB Marlon Fossey
1998​
ENG-3 Shrewsbury Town Fulham (ENG)
AM Lynden Gooch
1995​
ENG-3 Sunderland
AM Shane McLoughlin
1997​
ENG-3 AFC Wimbedon
AM Indiana Vassilev
2001​
ENG-3 Burton Albion Aston Villa (ENG)
RB Sergino Dest
2000​
ESP-1 Barcelona
CM Yunus Musah
2002​
ESP-1 Valencia
AM Konrad de la Fuente
2001​
ESP-1 Barcelona
RB Shaquell Moore
1996​
ESP-2 Tenerife
GK Victor Vidal
1999​
ESP-3 Lleida
LB Leonardo Sepulveda
2001​
ESP-3 Salamanca
AM Josh Perez
1998​
ESP-3 Ibiza
AM Armando Shashoua
2000​
ESP-3 Atlético Baleares
GK Tim Murray
1987​
FIN-1 FC Honka
GK Michael Hartmann
1994​
FIN-1 FC Haka
RB Macario Hing-Glover
1995​
FIN-1 HIFK
CM Jacob Bushue
1992​
FIN-1 Haka
AM Timothy Weah
2000​
FRA-1 Lille
FW Nicholas Gioacchini
2000​
FRA-2 Caen
FW Patrick Koffi
2001​
FRA-2 Paris FC
RB Timothy Chandler
1990​
GER-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
CB John Brooks
1993​
GER-1 Wolfsburg
CB Chris Richards
2000​
GER-1 Bayern Munich
CM Tyler Adams
1999​
GER-1 RB Leipzig
AM Giovanni Reyna
2002​
GER-1 Borussia Dortmund
FW Josh Sargent
2000​
GER-1 Werder Bremen
CM Alfredo Morales
1990​
GER-2 Fortuna Düsseldorf
AM Jann George
1992​
GER-2 Jahn Regensburg
AM Julian Green
1995​
GER-2 Greuther Fürth
AM Kevin Lankford
1998​
GER-2 St. Pauli
FW Marc Heider
1986​
GER-2 VfL Osnabrück
FW Bobby Wood
1992​
GER-2 Hamburg
CB Ryan Malone
1992​
GER-3 VfB Lübeck
AM Marcel Costly
1995​
GER-3 Waldhof Mannheim
AM Jalen Hawkins
2001​
GER-3 Ingolstadt
FW Terrence Boyd
1991​
GER-3 Hallescher FC
FW Justin Butler
2001​
GER-3 Ingolstadt
GK Treston Kederer
1995​
GER-4 SV Heimstetten
RB Ashton Götz
1993​
GER-4 Drochtersen/Assel
RB Lucas Stauffer
1995​
GER-4 Carl Zeiss Jena
RB Ken Gipson
1996​
GER-4 Sonnenhof Großaspach
RB Darian Gurley
1998​
GER-4 Astoria Walldorf
CB Dallas Aminzadeh
1993​
GER-4 Altona 93
CB Lamar Yarbrough
1996​
GER-4 Schweinfurt
CM Yannis Becker
1991​
GER-4 Viktoria Berlin
CM Sean Vinberg
1994​
GER-4 Heider SV
CM Mohamed Lamine Diakite
1996​
GER-4 Sonnenhof Großaspach
CM Kofi Twumasi
1996​
GER-4 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
CM Adam Lenges
2002​
GER-4 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
AM Malik McLemore
1997​
GER-4 Union Fürstenwalde
AM Isaiah Young
1998​
GER-4 Rot-Weiß Essen
AM Benyas Junge
1999​
GER-4 Germania Halberstadt
AM Corey Williams
2000​
GER-4 Eintracht Norderstedt
MF Alex Zarikos
2000​
GER-4 Altona 93
FW Del-Angelo Williams
1993​
GER-4 Elversberg
AM Gboly Ariyibi
1995​
GRE-1 Panetolikos
AM Edwin Rivas
1992​
GUA-1 Xelajú
FW D.J. Dean
1998​
GUA-1 Antigua GFC
CM Will Seymore
1992​
IRL-1 Sligo Rovers
AM Josh Gatt
1991​
IRL-1 Dundalk
GK Josh Cohen
1992​
ISR-1 Maccabi Haifa
CM George Fochive
1992​
ISR-1 Hapoel Kfar Saba
CM Weston McKennie
1998​
ITA-1 Juventus Schalke (GER)
FW Andrija Novakovich
1996​
ITA-2 Frosinone
CM Gennaro Nigro
2000​
ITA-3 Potenza Roma (ITA)
GK Taishi Brandon Nozawa
2002​
JPN-1 FC Tokyo
CM Justin Kinjo
1997​
JPN-2 Thespakusatsu Gunma
MF Carlos Duke
2000​
JPN-2 Fagiano Okayama
CM Mamadou Balde
1995​
LUX-1 Differdange
GK Benny Diaz
1998​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana
CB Ventura Alvarado
1992​
MEX-1 Atlético San Luis
CM Fernando Arce, Jr.
1996​
MEX-1 Necaxa
AM Sebastian Saucedo
1997​
MEX-1 Pumas UNAM
AM Alejandro Zendejas
1998​
MEX-1 Necaxa Guadalajara (MEX)
AM Jonathan Suarez
1997​
MEX-2 Pumas Tabasco
AM Antonio Nava
1999​
MEX-2 Dorados de Sinaloa Tijuana (MEX)
AM Pedro Santos
1999​
MEX-2 Dorados de Sinaloa Querétaro (MEX)
MF Luis Rodriguez
1999​
MEX-2 Atlético Morelia
FW Manuel Lopez Terrazas
2000​
MEX-2 Tampico Madero Santos Laguna (MEX)
RB Desevio Payne
1995​
NED-1 FC Emmen
AM Luca de la Torre
1998​
NED-1 Heracles Almelo
AM Richy Ledezma
2000​
NED-1 PSV Eindhoven
AM Ulysses Llanez
2001​
NED-1 Heerenveen Wolfsburg (GER)
CM Mael Corboz
1994​
NED-2 Go Ahead Eagles
FW Sebastian Soto
2000​
NED-2 Telstar Norwich City (ENG)
RB Henry Wingo
1995​
NOR-1 Molde
CB Stefan Antonijevic
1989​
NOR-2 Øygarden
CM Ernest Nungaray
1992​
PER-1 CA Mannucci
CM Ben Lederman
2000​
POL-1 Rakow Czestochowa
AM Kenny Saief
1993​
POL-1 Lechia Gdańsk Anderlecht (BEL)
RB Reggie Cannon
1998​
POR-1 Boavista
AM Armand Bagramyan
1995​
POR-2 Leixoes
LB Andrew Gutman
1996​
SCO-1 Celtic
CM Dillon Powers
1991​
SCO-1 Dundee United
CM Ian Harkes
1995​
SCO-1 Dundee United
CB Danilo Radjen
1994​
SRB-1 Bačka Topola
FW Jordan Siebatcheu
1996​
SUI-1 Young Boys Rennes (FRA)
GK Nicholas Ammeter
2000​
SUI-2 Aarau
FW Nasuhi-Noah Jones
2002​
SUI-2 FC Wil
FW Ismar Tandir
1995​
SVK-1 Zemplin Michalovce
FW Eduvie Ikoba
1997​
SVK-1 Trencin
GK Jake McGuire
1994​
SWE-1 Örebro
RB Christopher McVey
1997​
SWE-1 Elfsborg
CM Mix Diskerud
1990​
SWE-1 Helsingborg Manchester City (ENG)
AM Romain Gall
1995​
SWE-1 Örebro Malmö (SWE)
FW Aron Jóhannsson
1990​
SWE-1 Hammarby
GK Josh Wicks
1983​
SWE-2 AFC Eskilstuna
GK Jeff Gal
1993​
SWE-2 Degerfors
AM Brian Span
1992​
SWE-2 Våsterås
FW Andy Stadler
1988​
SWE-2 Akropolis
RB Eric Lichaj
1988​
TUR-1 Fatih Karagümrük
AM Tyler Boyd
1994​
TUR-1 Besiktas
FW Victor Mansaray
1997​
VIE-1 CLB Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh
GK Wojciech Gajda
1998​
WAL-1 Haverfordwest County





Academy players:

Pos First Last Yr Lg Club Yth
CM Rokas Pukstas
2004​
CRO-1 Hajduk Split U-17
FW Masango Akale
2002​
CYP-1 Pafos U-19
GK Marcus Alstrup
2004​
DEN-1 OB Odense U-19
CB Nicholas Douglas
2002​
DEN-1 Midtjylland U-19
GK Damian Las
2002​
ENG-1 Fulham U-18
GK Chituru Odunze
2002​
ENG-1 Leicester City U-18
GK Alex Borto
2003​
ENG-1 Fulham U-18
CB Eric Ameyaw
2002​
ENG-1 Fulham U-23
CB Jonathan Tomkinson
2002​
ENG-1 Norwich City U-23
CM Kyle Scott
1997​
ENG-1 Newcastle United U-23
CM Owen Otasowie
2001​
ENG-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers U-23
CM Matteo Ritaccio
2001​
ENG-1 Liverpool U-23
CM Zach Booth
2004​
ENG-1 Leicester City U-18
AM Hassan Ayari
2002​
ENG-1 Sheffield United U-18
CB Ifeanyi Udanoh
2003​
ENG-2 Stoke City U-18
LB Jaheim Headley
2001​
ENG-2 Huddersfield Town U-18
AM Adrian Galliani
2001​
ENG-2 Nottingham Forest U-23
FW Augustus McGiff
2002​
ENG-2 Reading U-23
GK William Hayden Evans
2002​
ENG-4 Salford City U-18
AM Jack Imperato
2002​
ESP-1 Villarreal U-19
AM Federico Oliva
2004​
ESP-1 Atlético Madrid Infantil B
FW Jeremy Saravia
2001​
ESP-1 Huesca Juv B
FW Luca Koleosho
2004​
ESP-1 Espanyol U-17
CB Henry Hysenagolli
2002​
ESP-2 Leganés U-19
CM Amadeo Chapru-Tate
2001​
ESP-2 Leganés U-?
CM Andre Luque Queiroz
2002​
ESP-2 Leganés U-19
FW Mateo Perez-Nance
2004​
ESP-2 Leganés U-?
FW Kaile Auvray
2004​
FRA-1 Lille U-?
GK Kevin Malone
2003​
GER-1 Augsburg U-19
GK Carver Miller
2004​
GER-1 Arminia Bielefeld U-17
RB Corey Anton
1999​
GER-1 Mainz II
RB Grayson Dettoni
2005​
GER-1 Bayern Munich U-16
CB Lennard Maloney
1999​
GER-1 Borussia Dortmund II
CB Michael Edwards
2000​
GER-1 Wolfsburg II
CB Mason Judge
2002​
GER-1 Eintracht Frankfurt U-19
CB Jan Riecke
2002​
GER-1 Union Berlin U-19
CB Michael Wentzel
2002​
GER-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach U-19
CB Niklas Dossmann
2003​
GER-1 Mainz U-19
LB Kobe Hernandez-Foster
2002​
GER-1 Wolfsburg U-19
DF Ruwan Thoumoung
2005​
GER-1 Augsburg U-16
CM Taylor Booth
2001​
GER-1 Bayern Munich II
CM Maximilian Dietz
2002​
GER-1 Freiburg U-19
CM Bryang Kayo
2002​
GER-1 Wolfsburg II
CM Pablo Santana Soares
2002​
GER-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach U-19
CM Lukas Tamarez
2004​
GER-1 Hoffenheim U-17
AM Nick Taitague
1999​
GER-1 Schalke II
AM Evan Rotundo
2004​
GER-1 Schalke U-17
AM Noah Banks
2005​
GER-1 Augsburg U-15
FW Quincy Butler
2001​
GER-1 Hoffenheim II
FW Matthew Hoppe
2001​
GER-1 Schalke II
FW Joel Imasuen
2004​
GER-1 Hertha Berlin U-17
FW Malick Sanogo
2004​
GER-1 Union Berlin U-17
FW Isaiah Thomas
2004​
GER-1 Wolfsburg U-17
CB Nico Carrera
2002​
GER-2 Holstein Kiel U-19
LB Stuart Ritchie
2001​
GER-2 Hannover 96 II
LB Adam Armour
2002​
GER-2 Nürnberg U-19
LB Tom-Julian Kanowski
2003​
GER-2 Osnabrück U-19
CM Joel Bustamante
2000​
GER-2 Greuther Fürth II
CM Leon Flach
2001​
GER-2 St. Pauli II
AM McKinze Gaines
1998​
GER-2 Hannover 96 II
MF Luca Fava
2004​
GER-2 Bochum U-17
FW Javon Hendricks
2004​
GER-2 Nürnberg U-17
GK Jordaine Jaeger
2002​
GER-3 Türkgücü München U-19
GK Daniel Peluffo-Wiese
2003​
GER-3 Unterhaching U-19
AM Joon Kang
2002​
GER-3 Dynamo Dresden U-19
MF Sebastian Burke
2003​
GER-3 Unterhaching U-19
MF Adrian Colon
2004​
GER-3 Kaiserslautern U-16
FW Mansour Ouro-Tagba
2005​
GER-3 1860 Munich U-17
CM Mateja Milasinovic
2001​
HUN-1 Újpest II
AM Zyen Jones
2000​
HUN-1 Ferencváros II
CM Kevin Bright
2003​
ITA-1 AC Milan U-17
FW Andrea Schifano
2002​
ITA-1 Parma Prim
GK Gabe Becchi
2004​
ITA-2 Ascoli
GK Marco Canales
2001​
MEX-1 Juarez U-20
GK Hector Holguin
2001​
MEX-1 Santos Laguna U-20
CB Fernando Alvarez
2003​
MEX-1 Pachuca U-17
LB Sebastian Medina
2001​
MEX-1 Atlas U-20
LB Ralph Orquin
2003​
MEX-1 Club América U-17
DF Bryan Romero
2003​
MEX-1 Club León U-17
DF Edwin Avalos
2005​
MEX-1 Tigres U-17
CM Jared Romero
2000​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-20
AM Jacobo Reyes
2000​
MEX-1 Monterrey U-20
AM Orlando Sanchez
2000​
MEX-1 Atlético San Luis U-20
AM Emmanuel Haro
2001​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-20
AM Mauricio Isais
2001​
MEX-1 Club León U-20
AM Mario Lopez Morales
2002​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-20
AM Bryan Osuna
2002​
MEX-1 FC Juárez U-20
AM Natanael Uribe
2003​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana Ter
MF Cesar Mata
2002​
MEX-1 Necaxa U-20
MF Miguel Ramirez
2002​
MEX-1 Club América U-17
MF Tarek Sirdah
2002​
MEX-1 Club América U-20
MF Eric Ayala
2004​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-17
MF Nicolas Nava
2004​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-17
FW Jose Adame
2000​
MEX-1 Mazatlán U-20
FW Luis Alberto Salazar
2000​
MEX-1 Toluca U-20
FW Sagir Arce
2002​
MEX-1 Mazatlán U-20
FW Domingo Contreras
2002​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-20
FW Ruben Hernandez
2002​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-20
FW Fernando Sanchez
2002​
MEX-1 Toluca U-20
FW Princewill Achinulo
2004​
MEX-1 Pachuca U-17
FW Diego Arce
2004​
MEX-1 Club Tijuana U-17
FW Christian Scott
2004​
MEX-1 Pachuca U-17
LB Chris Gloster
2000​
NED-1 PSV Eindhoven II
DF Davis Boogman
2003​
NED-1 Vitesse U-19
CM Alex Mendez
2000​
NED-1 Ajax II
CM Coby Sultan
2001​
NED-1 VVV Venlo U-21
CM Aethan Yohannes
2004​
NED-1 AZ Alkmaar U-17
AM Levi Skyum
2004​
NED-1 Feyenoord U-17
RB John Hilton
2001​
NED-2 Volendam II
LB Rickson van Hees
2002​
NED-2 NEC Nijmegen U-21
GK C.J. dos Santos
2000​
POR-1 Benfica U-23
CB Ethan Bayer
2002​
POR-1 Boavista U-19
MF Patrick Leal
2003​
POR-1 Sporting CP U-15
FW Johan Gomez
2001​
POR-1 Porto U-19
GK Aaron Cervantes
2002​
SCO-1 Rangers II
AM Cameron Harper
2001​
SCO-1 Celtic II
GK Tristan Zesiger
2002​
SUI-1 Servette U-21
GK Dominic Haldemann
2003​
SUI-2 Rapperswil-Jona U-17
CM Yannik Scheidegger
2001​
SUI-2 Grasshopper Zürich U-21
 

ninjacornelius

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 18, 2005
584
Austin, TX
Mix Diskerud! I remember him! Boy am I thankful I haven't thought about him (and Johansson, and dozens of others) in years.
Yeah, TB’s (invaluable and very much appreciated) yearly roundup always offers some choice “let’s remember some guys” candidates. I haven’t thought about Josh Gatt since the Obama administration. And somehow Haji Wright is still only 22 years old, even though it feels like I’ve been keeping tabs on him for a decade now.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
Yes, there have been several transfer windows with >1 MLS homegrown academy player sold, but this is a clear acceleration.

Tutul Rahman (good Twitter follow) has kept a running Google Doc. It doesn't make explicit mention of who is and is not a homegrown player, but still interesting.

View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16wX84wPjHUDLLPrcHyJ6owP0-bi6MGE5UmWQKf4pWGY/edit#gid=1254549295
Amazing that New England hasn’t sold a player internationally since 1997, although they’ve been content to let several key contributors leave for free.
 

cromulence

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2009
6,699
Gio comes off the bench and immediately sets up Hazard. Been a pretty dismal display from Sancho/Reus/Brandt.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
There were recent reports that Matthew Hoppe has begun training with Schalke's first team, and additional reports that he might be in the squad today. Lo and behold, he's *starting*.

Hoppe was a Development Academy scoring hero for Barça Academy in Casa Grande, AZ (same club Caden Clark, and other newly minted young pros, played for). Schalke seem to like him, even though he hasn't scored much for their U19 and reserve teams.

This is a good sign of progress for him, though there's the caveat that Schalke totally suck, will probably get relegated, and are in "throw shit against the wall to see what sticks" mode.
 

Jimy Hendrix

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 15, 2002
5,846
Schalke looking more “fun mess” and less “joyless drudge”.

Hoppe not lighting the world on fire, but making his runs and throwing into a few challenges.

Pleasing to be in the position where he’s just another iron in the fire and we don’t need to hyper focus on him.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
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Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Do we have a good idea what percentage of Tim Weah’s problems right now are just continued recovery issues versus just plunging down the depth chart?

They do compound of course, hard to get match fit when you can’t get game time in.

US Soccer twitter tends to panic and worry that someone needs a move once they go two games without a start, but Weah seems to legitimately need at least a loan to get match fitness back if not a move.
I am not as agitated by this as others are. So far it hasn't been great, but we need to be patient. Weah was out for a long time and even though he was an expensive buy two summers ago, he was still an unfinished product then.

The nice thing about having expensive players in our pool is that teams are more motivated to give them a longer leash in hopes of avoiding a loss of money on their investment.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
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Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Not sure where this might go but the new EPL/EFL/Brexit agreement with prohibit teams in top 4 tiers from signing overseas players before the age of 18.

https://www.thescore.com/engch/news/2062245
I don't think this will have a huge impact on American players. Most American kids can't legally sign with English clubs, anyway. There are some players with the right second passport who have gone to England at age 16/17, and now they'd have to wait until they turn 18. It's not a huge deal, and in any case I'd rather fewer Americans youth players sign with EPL clubs, not more.
 

Section30

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2010
1,260
Portland OR
I don't get the age restriction. Also the top 4 tiers, really? German teams are bringing in and developing young players from all over the world and reaping huge benefits.

TB -what about players outside the PL? Don't we want American players to sign with teams that develop players in the Championship or league one levels?
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
Is there any explanation available on how the point system is calculated? It’s is opaque enough that superclubs will still be able to sign whomever they like (e.g. Matt Pollster)?
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
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Dec 15, 2002
14,446
I don't get the age restriction. Also the top 4 tiers, really? German teams are bringing in and developing young players from all over the world and reaping huge benefits.

TB -what about players outside the PL? Don't we want American players to sign with teams that develop players in the Championship or league one levels?
International U18 transfers are banned by FIFA, but there is an exception for transfers within the EU. Since the UK will no longer be part of the EU and the common European labor market, they cannot take advantage of that loophole. I don't think this is something that the EPL or the FA affirmatively chose to do.

Americans with UK passports can get in at 18, everyone else has to go through the WP process; not sure how harshly that will treat players from the US.

As mentioned, I think the EPL is a bad place for young Americans to go. It's just a huge leap from the youth ranks to the first team, where you are competing against very expensive veteran signings.

Some lower division clubs could be a good fit for some players, but I just don't see it as a big loss. First of all, even under a slightly more open system for American players, not many guys are going to lower division clubs in England anyway. Second of all, maybe I'm relying on old lazy stereotypes but how many lower division English clubs are really great places for development? I know there are some, but most don't exactly seem on the cutting edge of development. Lastly, if you are a good American prospect chances are that you will get more attractive offers than Bristol Rovers or Nottingham Forest anyway.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Is there any explanation available on how the point system is calculated? It’s is opaque enough that superclubs will still be able to sign whomever they like (e.g. Matt Pollster)?
I haven't seen it.

I know that under the old system, the necessary threshold for a successful WP appeal was much lower for Scottish clubs to account for the level of the SPL. I don't know if that disparity in the WP process will continue to exist or not.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
I haven't seen it.

I know that under the old system, the necessary threshold for a successful WP appeal was much lower for Scottish clubs to account for the level of the SPL. I don't know if that disparity in the WP process will continue to exist or not.
I guess a more pertinent example would be Brad Friedel having his work permit denied for Newcastle, Sunderland, and Southampton but then magically accepted on appeal for Liverpool.
 

Titans Bastard

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Where things stand for our players in UEFA competitions with one matchday left:

Champions League
Richards — clinched R16
Marsch (and soon Aaronson) — home win vs. Atlético clinches R16, otherwise Europa R32
Steffen — clinched R16
Pulisic — clinched R16
Reyna — clinched R16
Horvath — away win @ Lazio clinches R16, otherwise Europa R32
Dest — clinched R16
Konrad — clinched R16
McKennie — clinched R16
Adams — likely need home win vs. Man U to clinch R16, otherwise Europa R32


So we have seven players on clubs who will definitely be in the knockout rounds, with as many as three more who could join them. Pretty cool! No one will finish fourth and be knocked out of Europe entirely.

Given the clubs involved, it's not out of the question that an American player could win a CL trophy for the second time ever. Depending on the situation, it could be a player with more substantial involvement than our first CL winner.


Europa League
Siebatcheu — needs win/draw vs. CFR Cluj to clinch R32
Wingo — needs win/draw, or one-goal loss that's not 0-1 @ Rapid Wien to clinch R32
Balogun — [currently with England YNTs] clinched R32
Ledezma — clinched R32
Weah — clinched R32