Soccer Prospect Discussion Thread IV

[John Pedro]

Dutch Prospects

1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Frenkie de Jong	Carel Eiting	Justin Kluivert	Kik Pierie	Chieck Toure	Jayden Braaf	Xavi Simons
Donny van de Beek	Timothy Fosu-Mensah	Mathijs de Ligt	Delano Ladan	Daishawn Redan	Ryan Gravenberch	Naci Unuvar
Steven Bergwijn	Rick van Drongelen	Ferdi Kadioglu	Achraf el Bouchataoui	Myron Boadu	Brian Brobbey
Calvin Verdonk	Teun Koopmeiners	Perr Schuurs	Zakaria Aboukhlal	Kenzo Goudmijn
Sam Lammers	Kaj Sierhuis	Noa Lang	Ludovit Reis	Wouter Burger
Arnaut Groeneveld	Javairo Dilrosun	Joel Piroe	Mitchel Bakker	Liam van Gelderen
	Sam van Huffel	Donyell Malen	Lutsharel Geertruida	Nigel Thomas
		Che Nunnely	Orkun Kokcu	Enric Llansana
		Bobby Adekanye	Juan Familia Castillo
		Tahith Chong	Thomas Buitink
		Armando Obispo

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Top prospects in each age group. My top 5 atm would probably Frenkie de Jong, Justin Kluivert, Mathijs de Ligt, Daishawn Redan and Orkun Kokcu in some order. Xavi Simons and Naci Unuvar are both supertalents but have a long way to go. Chelsea just signed Braaf (they can start ****ing off any time they want buying and ruining Dutch talents). Groeneveld is a really interesting case because he seems to have all the tools to be a really good player but didn't break out until playing in the Dutch 2nd division (Mertens took a similar route, fwiw).

I don't rank keepers because it's too hard to judge them before they get to the top level (imo).

In 4 years I'd love for our NT to have some variation of this:

TFM - de Ligt - van Dijk - Bakker
van de Beek - de Jong - Vilhena
Bergwijn - Redan - Kluivert

How do you see Ekkelenkamp as a prospect? Is he a potential starter for Ajax/NT?

 

[YNWA14]

How do you see Ekkelenkamp as a prospect? Is he a potential starter for Ajax/NT?

Potential starter for Ajax yes but I think with the midfield talent we have coming up he would have to be pretty lucky to get into the NT. Technically he's not great and he's not a great athlete either. He seems to be pretty smart and productive but I would compare him more to a Siem de Jong or maybe even Davy Klaassen (if everything goes right for him) type prospect. There isn't anything super special there but he can be a pretty good all around footballer.

 

[Savant]

I saw Tim Weah live for the first time on Tuesday. Only got 5 minutes but certainly didn't look out of place. Very comfortable with the ball not afraid to run at players, won a free kick that could have been dangerous if he had better team mates to take it. its a shame he didnt get more minutes.

So yeah I scout PSG young players now too. Eat your heart out @Evilo

 

[Evilo]

 

[YNWA14]

Sooo after having posted that list the prestigious 'Future Cup' (u17) was won by Ajax (beating Juventus in the final) this weekend and Naci Unuvar ('03) became the youngest player to ever compete in the tournament, finished as the tournament top scorer (also the all time tournament leader in goals with 7) and scored both of Ajax's goals in the final. Supertalent.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

 

[Savant]

For the Canadians on here:

The next Academy star 'perfect' for Klopp's Liverpool identified

Millar is probably comes in after Brewster and Jones in terms of Liverpool's prospects, but it's clear they have an eye on him.

 

[John Pedro]

Potential starter for Ajax yes but I think with the midfield talent we have coming up he would have to be pretty lucky to get into the NT. Technically he's not great and he's not a great athlete either. He seems to be pretty smart and productive but I would compare him more to a Siem de Jong or maybe even Davy Klaassen (if everything goes right for him) type prospect. There isn't anything super special there but he can be a pretty good all around footballer.

Seems like Ajax has promoted Azor Matusiwa to their first team. Do you know/like him? Ekkelenkamp also up with 1st team.

 

[YNWA14]

Seems like Ajax has promoted Azor Matusiwa to their first team. Do you know/like him? Ekkelenkamp also up with 1st team.

A little surprised he's been called up. He's never stood out. A small ball winner with no real standout qualities IMO, not that I've paid much attention to him. But if you're not standing out in youth games generally that's not a good indicator for future success (though some are late bloomers).

 

[Deficient Mode]

Moukoko is up to 34 goals in 20 matches this year for the BVB U17s I believe. Apparently scored a couple stunning goals today. Got a hat trick. Still 13 years old...

 

[cgf]

Moukoko is up to 34 goals in 20 matches this year for the BVB U17s I believe. Apparently scored a couple stunning goals today. Got a hat trick. Still 13 years old...

Our NT better score all of the goals in the 2020s when we can pick between him, Werner, Eggestein, Arp, Sane, Brandt, OBM, Kuhn and Yeboah, to lead our line

Those kids all have the talent to start for a CL winner someday. So it’ll be fun to follow their growth & see which of them actually continue to develop well; as well as which late bloomers can pull a Sane and join that tier.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

7:30. Watch.

 

[Deficient Mode]

7:30. Watch.

Pfffft. Scrubby first touch. 2/10. Sell him immediately.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He needs 10 goals over the last 4 to break the league record, despite being 3 years younger than most in the league.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

delete

 

[cgf]

Just some fun german U23s (I stopped at the 2001ers, exception being Moukouko):

​

Lineups (mostly by current level/form & senior team readiness...i.e what we could look like at a U23 tourney this summer or next):

3-4-3/3-2-4-1/3-4-2-1 (facing a parked bus)
Werner/Arp/Selke
Eggestein/Evina - Goretzka/Kühn
Sane/G.L. Itter - Dahoud/Havertz - Geiger/Weigl - Kimmich/Brandt
Tah/Torunarigha - Süle/Mai - Kimmich/Kehrer
Früchtl

3-1-5-1/3-6-1/3-1-4-1-1/3-1-5-1/3-4-2-1 (facing a battle for possession)
Werner/Arp/Goretzka
Kühn/Goretzka - Havertz/Amiri
Sane/G.L. Itter - Dahoud/Meyer - Geiger/Weigl - Kimmich/Brandt
Tah/Torunarigha - Süle/Mai - Kimmich/Kehrer
Früchtl

3-1-4-2 (vers.)
Eggestein/Arp - Werner/Moukoko
Sane/G.L. Itter - Dahoud/Amiri - Havertz/LeGo - Kimmich/Brandt
Geiger/Weigl/Meyer
Tah/Torunarigha - Süle/Mai - Kimmich/Kehrer
Früchtl

4-3-3 (vers.)
Sane/Kühn/OBM - Werner/Arp - Brandt/Evina/OBM
Dahoud/Amiri - Havertz/LeGo
Geiger/Weigl/Meyer
Itter/Klostermann - Süle/Kehrer - Tah/Kehrer - Kimmich/Henrichs
Früchtl
​

Depth Chart (ranked more on potential than current form):
FW (9): Moukouko (’04, BVB) / Eggestein (’98, Werder) / Makanda (’01, FCN) / Werner (’96, Leipzig) / Arp (’00, HSV) || D. Otto (’99, TSG) / Selke (’95, BSC) / Krüger ('99, S04) / Kiprit ('99, BSC)​

W (14): Batista Meier (’01, FCB) / Sane (’96, ManCity) / Kühn* (’00, Ajax) / Evina* (’00, FCB) || Yeboah (’00 FC VW) / Brandt (’96, B04) / Massimo* (’00, Bielefeld) || Herrmann* (’00, FC VW) / Hartmann* ('01 Leipzig) / Gnabry (’95, FCB) / Pohlmann* (’01, FC VW) || Hack (’98, TSG) / Jastrzembski (’00, BSC) / Dardai (’99, BSC)

10 (6): Havertz* (’99, B04) / Abouchabaka* (’00, Leipzig) / Schreck* (’99, B04) || *Mukhtar* (’95, Brondby) / Maina (’99, H96) / Barkok (’98, Frankfurt)

8 (7): Mbom (’00, Werder) / Dahoud (’96, BVB) / Goretzka* (’95, FCB) || Schneider (’01, Werder) / Kübler ('99, S04) / Amiri (’96, TSG) / Neuhaus (’97, BMG)

6 (8): Geiger (’98, TSG) / Meyer (’95, S04) / Weigl (’95, BVB) / Maier (’99, BSC) / Kaan Kurt (’01, BMG) || Akkaynak (’99, B04) / Cetin (’00, Frankfurt) / Janelt (’98, Bochum)

FB (7): Kimmich (’95, FCB) / G.L. Itter (’99, FC VW) || Henrichs (’97, B04) / Ludewig (‘00, Leipzig) / Klostermann (’96, Leipzig) / Passlack (’98, BVB) / Mittelstadt (’97, BSC)

CB (10): Tah (’96, B04) / Torunarigha (’97, BSC) / Süle (’95, FCB) / Kehrer (’96, S04) / Mai (’00, FCB) / Aidonis (’01, TSG) / G. Can (’00, S04) || Hanraths (’99, BMG) / Bongard (’01, BMG) / Löwen (’97, FCN)

GK (2): Früchtl (’00, FCB) / Plogmann (’00, Werder)

*may well end up at other positions moving forward; the Wingers at Forward or AM, and the 10s at Winger, the 8, or Forward...and there will probably be other midfielders that are converted into fullbacks; like Lahm, Kimmich & Henrichs were

Mostly Schalke (5), Leipzig (5, was 6 before Kühn left this winter), Bayern (8), Hoffenheim (5), Hertha (7) & Leverkusen (6) properties at the top; with sizeable contingents from Werder (4), Gladbach (4), & Wolfsburg (4). A couple Nürnberg (2) & Frankfurt (2), kids make the cut as well...though Makanda is either set to move from FCN to Frankfurt this summer or already has. And one-offs from Citeh (2 if Nmecha is as good as hyped), Ajax, Brondby, Hannover, Hamburg, Bielefeld & Mainz (once I get enough viewings of Eyibil to rate him as highly as others do).

Also gotta point out that a handful of these kids at bigger clubs have roots in the Bochum & Karlsruhe academies...which have been some of the most productive academies of the past decade despite their senior teams not having even dreamt of returns to the 1st division most seasons; especially when you include the kids who got poached to bigger & richer academies before making the step to the senior level...and hertha would have a few more names high up on theses lists as if they had not lost them to richer & more prestigious academies.

PS There’s a few Mainz kids in the 2000-born (and later) age groups that I need to watch more of, but who may also deserve a place in these rankings...the 2001s & later are generally an age group where I have yet to see all of the bigger talents, thus their exclusion from these & the following rankings:


2001:
Oliver Batista Meier (W/AM, Bayern)
Jabez Makanda (FW Nürnberg)
Keanu Schneider (8/10, Werder)
Kaan Kurt (6/8, Gladbach)
Antonis Aidonis (CB, Hoffenheim)
***Erkan Eyibil (AM/FW, Mainz)***

Fabrice Hartmann (FW/W, Leipzig)
Ole Pohlmann (FW/W, Wolfsburg)
Leon Dajaku (FW/W/AM, Stuttgart)
Rene Biskup (FW, Schalke)
Jordi Bongard (CB, Gladbach)
Oliver Bias (FW/W Leipzig)
Bleart Dautaj (FW, Hoffenheim)

Ryan Adigo (W/FW, Gladbach) - BMG rates this BMG 2001-born winger more
Jonas Pfalz (W/FW, Gladbach) - DFB prefers this one
Laurenz Dehl (FW, Union)
Max Brandt (MF, Wolfburg)
Mohamed El Bakali (FW/W, Gladbach)

-A lot of talent in that second group, but I have no clue how to separate it yet as some of them belong in the top tier and some in a third tier, but we need to see how they develop further to start doing so effectively...I'm also not sold that Schneider, Kurt & Aidonis are actually elite like OBM & Makanda seem to be; or if they're just really good talents who look more impressive at the lower levels than they will be at the senior one; but that's not rare for kids who are just turning 17 this year.

A-/B+; the top end looks special, but we'll see just how deep the top end ends up, and I'm still curious about how the next levels develop

2000:
Nicolas Kühn (FW/W/AM, Ajax)
Jean-Manuel Mbom (8/AM, Werder)
Elias Abouchabaka (10/8, Leipzig)
Franck Evina (FW/W, Bayern)
Fiete Arp (FW, Hamburg)
Christian Früchtl (GK, Bayern)

John Yeboah (W/WB, Wolfsburg)
Lars Lukas Mai (CB, Bayern)
Sahverdi Cetin (6/8, Frankfurt)
Roberto Massimo (W/AM/FW, Bielefeld) - *Dunno if he’s playing for us or Italy*
Jesaja Herrmann (FW/W, Wolfsburg)

Gorkem Can (CB, Schalke)
Kilian Ludewig (W/WB, Leipzig)
Luca Plogmann (GK, Bremen)
Dennis Jastrzembski (W/SS, Hertha)

Daniel Eidtner (W/FW/AM, Union!!!)
Yannik Keitel (6/8, Freiburg)
Lukas Krüger (FW/W, Leipzig)
Yann Aurel Bisseck (CB, Köln)
Noah Awuku (FW, Holstein Kiel)
Josha Vagnoman (LB/LWB, Hamburg)

-That second tier would be part of the top tier in basically any other age group, and that third tier has more talent than some of the other age groups' second tiers. Hell even the 4th tier kids I could see sitting on the bench for the senior NT some day. There was just a stupid amount of highend talents born after Y2K didn't kill us all...

A/A+; the elite talents are elite as f*** and there's a lot of them. Stacked n deep these kids could be the core of a WM winner for us

1999:
Kai Havertz (MF/FW/W, Leverkusen)
Arne Maier (6/8, Hertha)
Gian Luca Itter (LB/LWB, Wolfsburg)
Atakan Akkaynak (8/6, Leverkusen)
Sam Schreck (10/8, Leverkusen)
David Otto (FW, Hoffenheim)
Jannis Kübler (8/10, Schalke)

Florian Krüger (FW, Schalke)
Muhammed Kiprit (FW, Hertha)
Linton Maina (10/FW/W, Hannover)
Palko Dardai (W/FW/10, Hertha)
Mika Hanraths (CB, Gladbach)

Adrian Fein (MF, Bayern)
Torben Müsel (FW, Kaiserslautern)
Benjamin Goller (W/AM, Schalke)
Nikos Zografakis (W/AM, Hertha)
*Timothy Tillman* (W/10, Bayern)
Julius Kade (W/AM, Hertha)
Lennard Maloney (CB/8, Union!!!) - can't rank him but his talent objectively belongs in this tier
Lennart Moser (GK, Union!!!) - I suck with goalies but he gets hype from the right people for me to feel confident putting him in this tier despite my homerism.

-I won't argue too much about swapping some of those tier 2 & tier 3 kids...or with bumping Kruger n Kiprit up alongside Akkaynak, Schreck & the Otto that doesn't suck to make that a new second tier; with Havertz, Itter & Maier forming a tier of their own since they are already showing that talent at the senior level. Although with David Otto's massive season, I wanted to put him a tier above Kruger n Kiprit...at least for the moment...and firmly believe that Schreck, Akkaynak & those two will make the transition successfully as well.

B/B+; a very exciting top tier with nice depth, but I question the ceilings & talent levels of the second & third tiers

1998:
Johannes Eggestein (FW, Werder)
Dennis Geiger (6/8, Hoffenheim)
Atmen Barkok (AM/W, Frankfurt)
Felix Passlack (FB/WB, Dortmund...on loan at Hoffenheim)
*Gokhan Gul* (CB/6, Dusseldorf)

Vitaly Janelt (6/8, Bochum)
Niklas Dorsch (6, Bayern…)
Robin Hack (W/FW, Hoffenheim)
Salih Ozcan (AM/W, Koln)

Gorkem Saglam (AM/FW/W, Bochum)
Felix Gotze (CB, Bayern)
Tim Handwerker (LB, Köln)
Dzenis Burnic (6/CB, Stuttgart)

-Gul almost got caught in my latest cull. This is probably his last appearance if he doesn't break out early next season. The second tier guys can become BuLi starters, but I don't see anyone there ever in the mix for a senior NT spot...although with Janelt & Dorsch that's mostly because of the insane wealth of super talents we have at the 6. Probably woulda split JoJo & Geiger up from Barkok/Passlack/*Gul* if this age group had more talent. Also won't argue with anyone who likes Saglam more than Ozcan.

C-; top tier lacks depth, and the third tier is poor, but the strength of Geiger & Eggestein really carries this group

1997:
Jordan Torunarigha (CB, Hertha)
Benjamin Henrichs (8/FB, Leverkusen)
Florian Neuhaus (8/10, Gladbach)
*Philipp Ochs* (W/FW, Hoffenheim)

Maximilian Mittelstadt (LB/LW, Hertha)
*Amara Conde* (8/10/W, Wolfsburg)
Cedric Teuchert (FW, Schalke)
Eduard Löwen (CB/6, Nürnberg)

Jannes Horn (LB/LW, Köln)
Suat Serdar (8/10/W, Mainz)
Felix Uduokhai (CB, Wolfsburg)
Lukas Mühl (CB, Nürnberg)
Marvin Mehlem (8, Karlsruhe)

-Conde is in a similar place to Gul with the 98s while Ochs just started to stall this season, and I probably should've split the top tier up after Torunarigh or Henrichs; but this group is so poor in high-end talent that I decided to group what high-end talent there was and give both Ochs n Conde another season to show that their skill is useful at higher levels.

D-/F; Top talent is still very raw and there aren't many of them. Decent depth in guys who can start in the BuLi, but few that'll make a difference for european clubs.

1996:
Leroy Sane (W/WB/FW, Manchester City)
Timo Werner (FW, Leipzig)
Mahmoud Dahoud (8, Dortmund)
Julian Brandt (W/FW, Leverkusen)
Jonathan Tah (CB, Leverkusen)

Nadiem Amiri (8/10, Hoffenheim)
Lukas Klostermann (RB/CB Leipzig)
Thilo Kehrer (CB/FB, Schalke)
*Levin Oztunali* (W/AM, Mainz)

Timo Baumgartl (CB, Stuttgart)
Marcel Hartel (AM/W, Union!!!) - no homer
Waldemar Anton (6/CB, Hannover)

Lukas Klünter (RB, Köln)
Robin Koch (CB, Freiburg)
Max Christiansen (6/8, Ingolstadt)
Maximilian Eggestein (6, Werder)
Pascal Stenzel (RB, Freiburg)

-Top two tiers all have the talent & smarts to play for the NT, if not in russia then certainly by 2020. Maybe not all as indispensable starters, but at least as quality starters & top backups...though I am losing hope in Oztunali, he just doesn't have the mind to match his speed & skill. The third tier can be solid BuLi starters for the EL or midtable clubs.

A+; unreal top tier that's deeeeep, third tier isn't too special but those are still quality talents and the top two are phenomenal.

1995:
Joshua Kimmich (6/FB/WB/CB, Bayern)
Julian Weigl (6, Dortmund)
Niklas Sule (CB, Bayern)
Leon Goretzka (8/FW, Schalke)
Max Meyer (6, Schalke)

Serge Gnabry (W/WB/FW, Bayern…on loan at Hoffenheim)
Davie Selke (FW, Hertha)
*Hany Mukhtar* (AM, Brondby)

Marc Oliver Kempf (CB, Freiburg)
*Marc Stendera* (8, Frankfurt)
Niklas Stark (CB, Hertha)
Marius Wolf (W, Frankfurt)
Kevin Akpoguma (CB, Hoffenheim)
Robert Bauer (RB/CB, Werder)

-Again the top two tiers all have the talent to fit in nicely on the NT, though Gnabry, Selke & Mukhtar do need to break out at the highest level and show that they can use their immense raw talent to great effect against the best of the best; and so have more question marks than do Amiri, Klostermann & Kehrer.

These third-tier guys actually have the talent to give the NT depth in times of injury, or start for a CL club, if they can make some more progress...Kempf, in particular, I like a lot and only isn't in the second tier because he doesn't have the pure ceiling that those three do. If not for the depth of talents that have truly elite potential in this age group, that third tier would probably be split into the new 2nd tier and a third tier more in line with other age groups.

A; strong & deep top end, with excellent depth and a couple more potentially-elite wildcards. Really waffled on whether to give these guys, the 96ers, or the 2000ers the highest grade...and the 2001ers look like they could be in this tier as well



*name* (position, club)...are guys I'm losing hope in. Usually, these types drop tiers rapidly, if not outright bust...though Demirbay was in this category for a long time, before breaking out (even falling off my lists entirely briefly before his move to Dusseldorf); Max Meyer was half a season away from getting this designation before Tedesco moved him to the 6; Stendera is only there because of his health; and Mukhtar will lose his asterisks if he can repeat his performances in a stronger league. So it's not always the kiss of death...like it was for Kurt, Avdijaj, Bunjaki, Dadachov & Yesil.

 

[cgf]

For comparison here's how I'd list the top talents from prior age groups:

1994:
Philipp (FW/W, Dortmund)
Weiser (FB/WB/W, Hertha)
E. Can (8/FB, Liverpool)

Ginter (CB/FB, Gladbach)
Arnold (8/FB, Wolfsburg)
Pollersbeck (GK, Ha mburg)

Haberer (FW/10/8, Freiburg)
Vlachodimas (GK, Panathinaikos)
Gerhardt (8/FB, Wolfsburg)
Toljan (FB, Dortmund)

D/D+

1993:
Draxler (FW/W/10, PSG)
Demirbay (8/10, Hoffenheim)

Horn (GK, Köln)
Karius (GK, Liverpool)
Rüdiger (CB/FB, Chelsea)
Geis (6, Sevilla)

Füllkrug (FW, Hannover)
Max (LB/LWB, Augbsurg)
Younes (W, Ajax)
Heintz (CB, Köln)

B/B+

1992:
MAtS (GK, Barcelona)
Götze (8/10, Dortmund

Volland (FW/W, Leverkusen)
Plattenhart (LB/LWB, Hertha)
Leno (GK, Leverkusen)
Schwolow (GK, Freiburg)

Orban (CB, Leipzig)
Mustafi (CB, Arsenal)

A-/B+

1991:
Kramer (8/6, Gladbach)
Uth (FW, Schalke)
Vogt (CB, Hoffenheim)

Groß (8/6, Brighton)

Halstenberg (LB/LWB, Leipzig)
Bell (CB, Mainz)

D-/F

1990:
Kroos (6, Real Madrid)
Gundogan (8, ManCity)

Rudy (6/FB/WB, Bayern)
Baumann (GK, Hoffenheim)
Trapp (GK, PSG)
Hector (LB/LWB, Köln)

Bellarabi (W, Leverkusen
Didavi (AM/W, Wolfsburg)
Schurrle (FW/W, Dortmund)

A-/B+

1989:
Reus (FW/W, Dortmund)
Muller (FW/W, Bayern)

Hübner (CB, Hoffenheim)

Oczipka (LB/LWB, Schalke)

B+/B

1988:
Hummels (CB, Bayern)
Boateng (CB, Bayern)
Özil (10, Arsenal)

Stindl (FW/W/AM, Gladbach)
Kruse (FW, Bremen)

Fahrmann (GK, Schalke)

A/A+

 

[cgf]

btw have any of y'all that follow the english academies seen much of Felix Nmecha ('00)? He was one of the guys I got yelled at for not including in my lists, and unlike the other names that came up (other than Erkan Eyibil & the other Mainz boys), I haven't seen him at all as he only recently switched to the DFB and doesn't play for a german academy team that I track.

Nmecha & his older brother, Lukas, are Hamburg born Manchester City academy members. Lukas is still playing for england, but Felix switched to germany after leaving the English u16s.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Can I get your opinion on a few of the players eligible for the USA? Timothy and Malik Tillman, Lennard Maloney, Maurice Malone, Justin Butler?

 

[cgf]

Timothy Tillman just never impresses me, like Shabani (another Bayern AM/W), I just don’t see a stand out at the next levels. Malik I have much bigger hopes for if he can progress well, kid looks like he could become the player Zelalem was supposed to be.

Malone has good size which serves him well against kids and is why he’ll break through early, but he’s another I just don’t really rate for the senior level. He would slot in right behind Awuku as a plan B, if I had included him.

Butler I don’t have an opinion on; and Maloney I can’t be objective about because of the team he plays for. I think he has EL starter potential (if not more), but Eidtner is still the crown jewel of our youth teams.

 

[Savant]

@YNWA14 Adekamye just scored a great goal again Chelsea u23

 

[YNWA14]

@YNWA14 Adekamye just scored a great goal again Chelsea u23

Nice, can't watch atm will probably catch the game later. Adekanye is a talent though; hope his injury issues are behind him.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Please re-sign, I beg you.

 

[Cassano]

Reiss Nelson won PL2 player of the season.

Not really surprising.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I might as well write up my 2018 list of US prospects. Skip this post if you don't care to read about American players.

Same format. Only will list players who are eligible for the US youth teams, and are currently playing for the USA. I included one exception towards the bottom of the list, but read on to find out about that. I rank mostly on potential. Don’t care as much about who becomes an average professional.

Only will list from years 1997-2001. The players younger than those years are too young to include in lists with players who have already played 50+ first team matches. I didn’t even include many players in the 2001 year since its hard to compare them to players in 1997, for example.

I have a separate list for keepers where I described the keeper pool in each of those years. I also included two players to watch for in the 2002 and 2003 years.

Lists from previous years:

2017: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threa...sion-thread-iv.2039219/page-24#post-132535631
2016: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=118365381&postcount=163
2015:http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=100037677&postcount=636

2018 List:

1. Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund-1998): No one has unseated him yet, but his play this season kind of helps the point that it could happen eventually. He’s really good, but he needs to improve end product from this season to be spectacular. Didn’t have a good year with Dortmund, but was great with the National Team. He has games where he’s absolutely unplayable and can run circles around any full-back, but we need to see that more often.
2. Weston McKennie (Schalke-1998): Moves up to #2. He had a breakout season with Schalke. I saw it coming. He has been on a big-time upward ascendancy the last few years. He is a physical monster, despite only being around 5’10. Works so hard, very good in the air, excellent tackler. He’s also a good passer with a quality football IQ and has composure on the ball. Needs to improve his play in the opposition box. No goals or assists this season. That’s something he’s always struggled with.
3. Erik Palmer-Brown (Kortrijk via Man City-1997): Parlayed his success at U20 international level into a contract with Man City. Loaned out to Belgium at end of winter window, and has settled in well the past few months. Really talented CB who needs games. Once he gets that, I think he has a chance to be very good on the continent. Excellent athlete who is very comfortable on the ball and reads the game well defensively. He’s had a lot of pitfalls so far with bad-luck injuries and club situations that have limited his first division matches so far in his career.
4. Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United-2000): Technically superb CAM. He can bypass defenders with ridiculous passing vision and offensive creativity. Also a free-kick specialist who scores his share of goals. Lacking first team playing time right now because his club team is the best team in the league and he’s still only 17, so it’s hard for him to get many minutes. Average speed and athleticism is the main thing standing in his way from being an excellent professional player.
5. Konrad de la Fuente (FC Barcelona Juvenil A-2001): Electrifying winger who plays a pretty well-rounded game. Can score, assist, dribble and pass. He’s a very good athlete, also some positional versatility. Late in the season was moved up to an older age group at Barcelona along with one other player from his age group.
6. Haji Wright (Sandhausen via Schalke-1998): A center forward who had a really good preseason with Schalke, but then was sent out on loan. Struggled for minutes in his first professional season. He started well, but played less as the season went on. Only had three appearances after the winter break, and less than 600 for the full season. He has excellent talent, but is still a raw player. Might need some years to develop his game completely.
7. Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake-1997): Really unheralded CB who US fans don’t talk about enough, but he’s becomes one of the best defenders in MLS. He’s ready to move onto Europe. He’s mobile, very good defensively, and can pass the ball. Not overwhelming physically, but not a liability.
8. Keaton Parks (Benfica-1997): Interesting backstory. Was playing out of sight with his high school and then a lower US league team until around 18. Signed in the second division of Portugal. Did well there, got transferred to Benfica, A dispute with the transfer made him sit out half a season. 6’4 box to box CM who finds ways to score or assist goals. Excellent in the air, very good passer and dribbler. Moves well enough. Learning how to defend right now. Raw player with big potential. Slowly being integrated into Benfica first team.
9. Tim Weah (PSG-2000): Raw striker, but I’ve become a big fan of his game. There are presently better players I could list, but I think he has big potential when you consider his natural finishing ability, high quality runs he makes, and pace. Much better as a CF, but can play as a winger. Pretty much just a goal-scorer, doesn’t dribble or pass that well.
10. Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen-2000): CF from the same year as Weah. I think he’s a better current player than Weah. Not sure he has the same potential as Weah. Hard working CF, good in the air, has good mobility for his size, and he scores goals in just about every way. Pretty average technically, and I'm not sure he does anything great, besides potentially scoring goals, but we'll see if he can score goals at a great rate as a pro. I'm not sure. Joining Werder Bremen this summer, and is supposedly going to go straight into the first team.
11. Cameron Carter-Vickers (Ipswich via Spurs-1997): I’ve kind of soured on his potential. I think he can still be a good player, but I don’t think his potential is very high. He defends well, but he’s average at best athletically and on the ball. He had a very good loan at Ipswich. I don’t know if Spurs will ever integrate him, but I think he’ll be a good Premier League CB. I’m just not sure it’ll be a very talented one. He’ll get by though on toughness, smarts, positioning, aerial ability.
12. Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls-1999): Some people like his game way more than me, so I warn that I’m not his biggest fan. Already integrated into the Senior National Team, and he’s doing well in MLS. Very versatile player. He can play like 5 positions on the field, FB spots and all three CM spots. I don’t think he’s good as a CM. I would only play him as a full-back/wing-back. He has a ridiculous motor, athletic player, some bouts of skill, but I don’t like his positioning or passing and he’s not physically imposing. Therefore, I don’t think he’s a CM.
13. Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas-1999): Struggled the last year with injuries and playing time. He’s a CAM, but he can play box to box or as a winger. Very skilled. Scores and assists goals. Very good in combination play, smart player. Potential is high. Under the radar though. Most of his best performances come in reserve games, and with US junior teams instead of club’s first team.
14. Jonathan Amon (FC Nordsjaelland-1999): Recent breakout star. He was a regular in his US age groups until around 15, but then he disappeared. No one knew where he went. Nordsjaelland had spotted him, and then hid him from sight until he turned 18 for fear bigger clubs would sign him. Reappeared last summer, and was instantly doing well for their first team. Very athletic winger who dribbles incredibly well. Good end product, skilled, and a better passer than one might think. Reminiscent of Sadio Mane.
15. Taylor Booth (Unattached-2001): He’ll be joining Bayern Munich U-19 either in the summer, in the winter or the following summer. Depends on when he gets his Italian passport. He can play all three CM positions, but is best in the box-to-box role. Superb passer. Can play any pass on the field. Very smart player who almost always makes the right decision. He’s not a great athlete and only has average size, but he’s good defensively. Scores goals, assists them.
16. Chris Durkin (DC United-2000): Absolute warrior of a defensive midfielder, but he’s also a very good passer with composure on the ball. He’s recently broken into the starting lineup of DC United, and is showing well. Doesn’t play the most exciting role, but he’s very good. Some critique his athleticism, but I don’t see the issue. It’s not that bad, and he’s not known for that part of the game.
17. Danilo Acosta (Real Salt Lake-1997): The biggest LB talent the USA has who currently is a first team pro, but he had a feud with his club coach over some “off-field” issue and he’s barely played this season because of it. This is also not the first time the coach has disciplined him. There might’ve been no American player who improved as much in 2017 as Acosta. It’s a shame these issues are keeping him off the field.
18. Julian Araujo (US Barcelona Academy-2001): He’s a position-less player. He plays CB, but I don’t think he’ll be tall enough to play CB, even though he’s good in the air. Best ball-playing CB I’ve seen from the USA. He can spring goals, and dribble 30-40 yards out of the back. He’s also good defensively, taking into consideration he plays a high-risk game. I think he’ll play as a defensive midfielder in the pros, but he’s yet to play there. Plays CB for the USA, RB for his club team. Such a big talent. If he were two inches taller, he’d be 10-15 spots higher on this list.
19. Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas-1998): He’s broken into the starting lineup this season, and is starting to play well. He plays RB. Very athletic player who defends well. He has some ability going forward, although not that much. Not the highest potential, but there aren’t many quality full-backs in his age group.
20. Antonee Robinson (Bolton via Everton-1997): He’s a LB who had a good season on loan at Bolton. He’s struggled with injuries in recent years, so he’s behind the curve with his development, but he does have good potential. He’s good going forward and very athletic. He could work on his defense, but he’s a pretty good LB, and someone who I think is close to getting capped for the National Team.
21. Nick Taitague (Schalke U19-1999): Big talent, but he struggles to stay healthy, and that’s hampered him this season. I think he’ll get a first team contract with Schalke after this season, but I’m not sure. He plays as a winger, can also play as a CAM. Tremendous ball skills and tricks, also fast and a good dribbler. His end product is a problem, along with the injuries.
22. Josh Perez (Livorno via Fiorentina-1998): Struggled for minutes on loan this season. Left-footed attacking mid who likes to come from the right and cut in on his left. Can also play centrally or on the left. Good passer and also a smart player. I believe in his talent, but he hasn’t had the best year and a half of football.
23. Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire-1998): He plays as a CM, more of an attacking CM than defensive, although I could see him used in all three positions. He tore his ACL the last match of last season. It’s too bad because he was starting to improve. Good technically, good in possession, he has some creativity, and he doesn’t have bad size for the position. He should be returning to the field soon.
24. Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union-1998) Towering CB who has recently earned a spot in the starting lineup, and played well. He moves better than you’d think. He can cover some ground, but he struggles defending quick players. Not a good passer either, but good positional defender who is dominant in the air and not a bad athlete.
25. Sebastian Soto (Real Salt Lake U19-2000): He is shattering goal records in the youth leagues. He recently was called into a U19 camp for the USA, and won the Golden Boot at the tournament. He’s a CF, and he has good height to go along with excellent finishing ability. He’s overshadowed in his age group by Weah and Sargent, but I wouldn’t rule out that he might be better than both of them eventually.
26. Chris Richards (FC Dallas-2000): Another recent breakout player. He plays CB, and he’s very athletic. He also reads the game well, and has some ability on the ball. Very solid performer who recently was signed to a pro contract in Dallas.
27. Jacob Akanyirige (San Jose Earthquakes-2001): The youngest player on this list. He was born on the second to last day of 2001. Akanyirige is yet another CB. He might be the best athlete of any CB on this list. He’s pretty raw, but he’s making big improvements. He’s a very good carrier, he has ridiculous speed for a CB. I think his passing is only average, but he moves so well that he can carry the ball instead of pass it. Smart defensive player who has been developing physically recently. Incredibly high potential. He could skyrocket up this list next year.
28. Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers-1997): A goal scoring CF who unfortunately does not play very much for his club team. He does well when they let him on the field, but its not often. He has good height, he can hold up the ball and some skill on the ball, but he’s mostly a finisher. At this point, he’s ready to play regularly, and he might need to change clubs.
29. Chris Gloster (Hannover U19-2000): He’s one of the better LB’s in the system. I’ve soured on his game some. He was awful at the U17 WC, especially in the knockout loss to England. It could’ve just been a bad tournament because I’ve seen really consistent performances before where he showcased a high defensive IQ and good athleticism getting up and down the left side.
30. Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City-2000): Lindsey is the right-sided version of Gloster. They’ve been the starting right and left full-backs in their age group for years, and both are good prospects who play very similar styles. What I worry about here is that he plays for a dinosaur club coach who doesn’t like playing young players.
31. Chris Goslin (Atlanta United-2000): Box to box CM who has a knack for scoring goals. He’s also a set-piece specialist. Hard worker, good defensively, good athlete. His passing isn’t all that good, but he’s not a complete liability.
32. Richie Ledezma (Real Salt Lake U19-2000): Silky box-to-box CM who can also play in attacking positions. Good passer, he has composure on the ball, the ability to dribble. He only recently has become a highly-touted player, so he could be someone who is much higher on this list in a few years. Reminds me some of Mo Dahoud.
33. Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union-1999): He’s a CB with good mobility. He defends pretty well, and can also pass the ball. Not great at any attribute, but a reliable defender. Not the tallest CB, also capable of playing LB. He’s the third CB at his club team, and has done well so far in limited minutes.
34. Sam Rogers (Seattle Sounders II-1999): He’s a CB. You are starting to get the theme. The USA is producing a lot of good CB’s. Tall player who is very well built, dominant in the air. Not the best mobility, and raw defensively because his soccer IQ isn’t very good. Good passer of the ball.
35. Ulysses Llanez (LA Galaxy II-2001): Left-winger who likes to cut in on his right and shoot. Very good dribbler who has excellent acceleration, which allows him to skip past defenders. Goal scorer more than a set-up guy, although he’s not incapable at creating chances for teammates.
36. Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake-1997): Recently converted to RB from winger. I think he’s best as a striker. I don’t really understand using him as a RB because he’s not very athletic, but he’s a starter for his club team, and isn’t doing that bad, so he probably has a higher floor than most players on this list. Excellent crosser of the ball, very good set piece taker, good finisher. Average defender, average athlete, not much of a dribbler or creative player.
37. Tommy Redding (New York Red Bulls-1997): He’s had a very rough start at a new club. He plays CB and he was somewhat good in recent seasons with his former team, especially for a young player. He got injured in preseason, struggled in the one match he played, and has been in the reserves since. He passes well, reads the game well defensively, and is somewhat mobile. I wouldn’t write him off yet, and I might be underrating him based on a rough start to the season. I believe he’s injured again though.
38. Ben Mines (New York Red Bulls-2000): He plays as a winger, and he scored on his debut, but hasn’t played since. I’m not sure he’s the most talented player, but he’s a good athlete, works hard, and can finish. Players from the NYRB academy also tend to develop well, so that’s something I am taking into consideration here.
39. James Sands (New York City FC-2000): He plays as a defensive midfielder. Pretty generic player. Average size, passing, defensive play, athleticism. I don’t think he has a high ceiling, but he also should have a reasonable chance to be a decent professional, and maybe a National Team player.
40. Sergino Dest (Ajax U19-2000): He plays as a full-back, capable of playing on either side. He is pretty good on the ball going forward. Good, not great athlete. Good, not great defender. I might be underrating him here. Not the most exciting player, but reliable, and usually puts in good perforamnces.

Keepers:

1997: There are three keepers here who could have a decent future. Jonathan Klinsmann at Hertha Berlin. Good reflexes and good height, but he’s error prone. He got his debut this season, and did very well. Justin Vom Steeg is a more refined version of Klinsmann. He’s the back up for LA Galaxy right now. JT Marcinkowski isn’t as athletic and doesn’t have the same height as the other two, but is a good organizer of his defense and very consistent. He’s playing for San Jose right now in their reserve team.

1998: Not much here. No one has really made a name for themselves recently. Two main names are Will Pulisic and Kevin Silva. Pulisic is a pretty generic keeper, but did gain accolades in his first season of college soccer. Silva is more talented with very quick reflexes, but he played behind a terrible team this season that constantly hung him out to dry, so it’s hard to tell about his progress.

1999: Good year for US keepers. The three main keepers are Eric Lopez, Trey Muse and Brady Scott. Scott is the most polished and probably the best. He’s not the best athlete, but he’s a good enough athlete, and has good height. He’s playing right now at FC Koln, and got to sit on the first team bench in a Cup match early in the season, which is an accomplishment. Lopez and Muse are somewhat similar to Scott in playing style. Lopez has the most pro experience of all of them, and is progressing well in the LA Galaxy reserves. Muse had an excellent season in college soccer.

2000: Another good year for US keepers. Justin Garces is likely the most talented of all the keepers from 1997-2001. He was the starting keeper for the U17 WC team. He has good height, excellent reflexes, and tremendous ball-playing ability for a keeper. He’s playing in the Atlanta academy. Carlos Dos Santos plays in the Benfica academy. Good height and decent shot stopper. Looks like a pretty generic keeper. Sam Fowler is another highly rated player keeper in this year, but I’ve not seen him play enough to give an opinion.

2001: Not a good year for American keepers. Three best are Kris Shakes in the Philly Union academy, David Ochoa in the Real Salt Lake academy, and Nico Defreitas-Hansen in the Everton academy. Shakes is more of an athletic keeper, Ochoa and Defreitas-Hansen are tall keepers. None are particularly good.

2002 Players to Watch For:

Damian Las: Looks like the best keeper in the US youth system, and probably the best American player in his age group right now. Outstanding reflexes, organizes his back line really well already, and he has good height. He plays in the Chicago Fire academy.

Joe Scally: He’s a RB who was born on the last day of 2002, so he’s very young for his age group, but he’s very good already. Tremendous athlete. Good height, but also fast and powerful. Oustanding leaper who rarely loses headers. He combines well going forward, can put in crosses, but he’s also a very smart player, and he defends very well. Did an excellent job with the first team in preseason days/weeks after turning 15, and was signed to a first team contract recently with NYCFC. Highest potential full-back in the system.

2003 Players to Watch For:

Moses Nyeman: Not yet eligible yet for US youth teams, but I’m going to list him anyway because he’s an elite talent, and likely will be eligible eventually. He might be the biggest talent in the US system. He plays as a CM/AM. He does just about everything at an elite level, whether its athleticism, motor, speed, dribbling, technical ability, football IQ, creativity, passing, etc. A little undersized, but he’s also 14 years old. Takes over just about every game he plays. He plays in an older age group, but even those players can’t keep up with him. Just way too talented. Plays for the DC United academy.

Mauricio Cuevas: The Captain for the U16 National Team. He’s a RB who plays in the LA Galaxy academy. Good athlete who has good skill going forward, and I like his defense. He’s shown very well at both the National Team and club levels.