World Cup: U-20 World Cup 2017 Thread
- Thread starter Alex Jones
- Start date
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
I expect very little from the USA. This team should get out of the group, and then after that, will probably only advance with an easy next opponent. This is the most decimated US team I've ever seen for a major youth tournament. Its a very talented group of players, but most are not on this team. Pulisic, McKennie, Wright, Perez, Pomykal, Farfan, Taitague, Fossey, Vom Steeg, Akale to name a few are all missing.
US players to watch out for:
Erik Palmer-Brown: Team captain and best player. Out of contract at the end of 2017. European teams will be queuing up. Won the Golden Ball in the qualifying tournament. Can play defensive midfield, but is a CB. Five star talent.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: Struggled with fitness of late and hasn't played much this season, but he played in this tournament in 2015 and was one of our best players. Exceptional defender at the CB position. Same type of play as 2015 is expected this year.
Justen Glad: Had a really good year in MLS last season. He got injured in the finals of qualifying, and hasn't played since, but looking likely to be fit for this event. Very steady player. Another CB, so he might play out of position, if he's fit enough to play.
Brooks Lennon: The most reliable offensive player on a team that has nearly no attacking talent. Plays wide right, but can play centrally or on the left. Good set piece delivery and good goal scorer. Was excellent in qualifying and has done well in MLS this season.
This team has three younger players who can play in this event in 2019, Tyler Adams, Brady Scott and Josh Sargent. All have nice potential, but I don't expect that much from any of them this year. Adams figures to have the biggest role as a likely starter, Sargent will play but I don't know how much, Scott will be the third keeper.
US players to watch out for:
Erik Palmer-Brown: Team captain and best player. Out of contract at the end of 2017. European teams will be queuing up. Won the Golden Ball in the qualifying tournament. Can play defensive midfield, but is a CB. Five star talent.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: Struggled with fitness of late and hasn't played much this season, but he played in this tournament in 2015 and was one of our best players. Exceptional defender at the CB position. Same type of play as 2015 is expected this year.
Justen Glad: Had a really good year in MLS last season. He got injured in the finals of qualifying, and hasn't played since, but looking likely to be fit for this event. Very steady player. Another CB, so he might play out of position, if he's fit enough to play.
Brooks Lennon: The most reliable offensive player on a team that has nearly no attacking talent. Plays wide right, but can play centrally or on the left. Good set piece delivery and good goal scorer. Was excellent in qualifying and has done well in MLS this season.
This team has three younger players who can play in this event in 2019, Tyler Adams, Brady Scott and Josh Sargent. All have nice potential, but I don't expect that much from any of them this year. Adams figures to have the biggest role as a likely starter, Sargent will play but I don't know how much, Scott will be the third keeper.
Last edited:
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
The german squad isn't great. At CB; Gimber, Torunarigha and Ananou, are all rated by some; but I'm not convinced by any of them and see a group of Rudiger's and Mustafi's.
LB is a strength with Mittelstadt and Horn both already having put in some excellent performances for their senior squads; both are dynamic and skilled. Though the right is much less talented.
The attack is weak, although Reese has a lot of talent, he's just struggled to stay healthy and effectively put it to use. With Philip Ochs' weak season he could really use a stand out performance at this tourney to get himself a loan or move somewhere where he'd see PT. He's been playing on the left for the senior squad, but thrived as a supporting striker on his way up.
In the midfield I'm not a big fan of Serdar's and Fechner is very blah; but I love Amara Conde. He'll need to provide a lot of creative impulses with his weaving runs for this team to be any fun to watch.
Shame there's no Havertz, Maier, Teuchert, Ferati, Schreck, Akkaynak, or Donkor; and one or two of Uduokhai / Rinderknecht / Besuchkow wouldn't hurt either.
LB is a strength with Mittelstadt and Horn both already having put in some excellent performances for their senior squads; both are dynamic and skilled. Though the right is much less talented.
The attack is weak, although Reese has a lot of talent, he's just struggled to stay healthy and effectively put it to use. With Philip Ochs' weak season he could really use a stand out performance at this tourney to get himself a loan or move somewhere where he'd see PT. He's been playing on the left for the senior squad, but thrived as a supporting striker on his way up.
In the midfield I'm not a big fan of Serdar's and Fechner is very blah; but I love Amara Conde. He'll need to provide a lot of creative impulses with his weaving runs for this team to be any fun to watch.
Serdar/Mittelstadt - Reese - Ochs
Mittelstadt/Horn - Conde - Serdar/Neuhaus - Bader/Schad
Horn/Fechner - Torunarigha - Ananou
Ochs - Reese
Mittelstadt - Conde - Neuhaus* - Serdar*
Horn - Torunarigha - Ananou - Bader/Schad
Mittelstadt/Horn - Conde - Serdar/Neuhaus - Bader/Schad
Horn/Fechner - Torunarigha - Ananou
Ochs - Reese
Mittelstadt - Conde - Neuhaus* - Serdar*
Horn - Torunarigha - Ananou - Bader/Schad
Shame there's no Havertz, Maier, Teuchert, Ferati, Schreck, Akkaynak, or Donkor; and one or two of Uduokhai / Rinderknecht / Besuchkow wouldn't hurt either.
Last edited:
France was going to have one heck of a team but...
Mbappé and Dembélé won't come (they're selected to the NT) and Lopez won't come either (OM wanted him for the last games of the season).
Still, Lafont in nets, Diop at CB, Michelin at RB (coming off 6 months injury however), that midfield of Poha/Nkunku/Tousart, Blas/Harit/St Maximin up front, JK Augustin at striker.
That's a solid squad. Might miss some magic to win it all.
Mbappé and Dembélé won't come (they're selected to the NT) and Lopez won't come either (OM wanted him for the last games of the season).
Still, Lafont in nets, Diop at CB, Michelin at RB (coming off 6 months injury however), that midfield of Poha/Nkunku/Tousart, Blas/Harit/St Maximin up front, JK Augustin at striker.
That's a solid squad. Might miss some magic to win it all.
Hercules Rockefeller
Registered User
Savi
Registered User
Germany's U20 is as expected. None of the top players from the younger birthyears and basically just the leftovers from the U21. We never take this age group that serious. Training camp starting while the league is still going also doesn't help either.
Me too, and he had a great season with Lyon. But he did have some awful performances in the last part of the season, particularly in the EL.
Alex Jones
BIG BOWL 'A CHILI!!
Probably to avoid too many tournaments going on at the same time fighting for TV time. Confed Cup and U21 EC start mid June and the U19 EC starts early July.
Alex Jones
BIG BOWL 'A CHILI!!
Par usual, Korea is going to put on an absolute clinic in this tournament....
On how not to defend. Because these guys are (predictably) horrible at it.
That said, this team is a lot better tactically and have a much better technical skillset as compared to what I've witnessed in the past. They have actually accepted who they are and basically just try to run up the score as much as possible while praying to avoid too many disasters in their own end. It won't work and I don't see the home team getting out of the group, but at least it's better than putting nine guys behind the ball just to watch the keeper let the ball roll thorough his legs.
Korea have a deeper midfield with players that can actually pass so I expect to hold possession reasonably well, though I don't think that there are any stars here. A couple of these guys might eventually end up playing in the bottom half of a league like Bundesliga or Ligue 1. Lee Jin Hyun is a university player that has played well coming into the tournament and could interesting to watch.
Will be interesting to watch the attack. I think this tournament might be the last stop for Lee Seung Woo to have his name mentioned as one of the better prospects in Europe. I don't think that he will ever play a minute for Barcelona, so he needs a good showing here to help convince other top clubs that he might be worth an investment. I guess that would also go for Paik, although he's more of a guy that would be looking to go somewhere closer to mid-table.
I think that Cho is a very good striker that has a good chance of getting European offers after the tournament. Plays with good pace and nonstop enthusiasm. Finishes well at the youth level, but will probably end up outside at the senior level. Interested to see how his offense translates in the future as he's still 18.
Prediction: third in the group, possibly though as one of the third place teams. Loss in the first R16 game if that happens anyway. Oh well.
On how not to defend. Because these guys are (predictably) horrible at it.
That said, this team is a lot better tactically and have a much better technical skillset as compared to what I've witnessed in the past. They have actually accepted who they are and basically just try to run up the score as much as possible while praying to avoid too many disasters in their own end. It won't work and I don't see the home team getting out of the group, but at least it's better than putting nine guys behind the ball just to watch the keeper let the ball roll thorough his legs.
Korea have a deeper midfield with players that can actually pass so I expect to hold possession reasonably well, though I don't think that there are any stars here. A couple of these guys might eventually end up playing in the bottom half of a league like Bundesliga or Ligue 1. Lee Jin Hyun is a university player that has played well coming into the tournament and could interesting to watch.
Will be interesting to watch the attack. I think this tournament might be the last stop for Lee Seung Woo to have his name mentioned as one of the better prospects in Europe. I don't think that he will ever play a minute for Barcelona, so he needs a good showing here to help convince other top clubs that he might be worth an investment. I guess that would also go for Paik, although he's more of a guy that would be looking to go somewhere closer to mid-table.
I think that Cho is a very good striker that has a good chance of getting European offers after the tournament. Plays with good pace and nonstop enthusiasm. Finishes well at the youth level, but will probably end up outside at the senior level. Interested to see how his offense translates in the future as he's still 18.
Prediction: third in the group, possibly though as one of the third place teams. Loss in the first R16 game if that happens anyway. Oh well.
Duchene2MacKinnon
In the hands of Genius
- Aug 8, 2006
- 45,300
- 9,465
For Argentina Barco wasn't allowed by his club to participate.
FYI looks like Martinez made a miraculous recovery and will be able to play in the tournament.
Duchene2MacKinnon
In the hands of Genius
- Aug 8, 2006
- 45,300
- 9,465
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
Nothing much, they're just not good enough to be regular starters for our NT. Not when Boateng & Hummels are still in their primes and Sule & Tah have broken through in senior football.
Last edited:
Really? Have the usa best players aren't showing up. Can't imagine were the only country with that problem.
Duchene2MacKinnon
In the hands of Genius
- Aug 8, 2006
- 45,300
- 9,465
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Someone missed the joke
Haha, yeah completely didn't see the dates
Thought you were serious.
spintheblackcircle
incoming!!!
- Mar 1, 2002
- 66,322
- 12,247
