El Floppo
Footballguy
I stopped listening/phine-watching at the half... Didn't notice him hurt.
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US Men's National Team (43 Viewers)
- Thread starter Premier
- Start date
B Maverick
Footballguy
What happened in the Dortmund game? Says suspended?
They're playing now. It looks really foggy, so I assume someone set off some stuff that delayed the start of the second half.
And as I type this...Reyna coming in at 58th minute
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Juventus remained undefeated with the near ridiculous record of 7-13-0
El Floppo
Footballguy
Oh... This was a cup game and pepi scored his 2nd in ET to put them up 4-3. Ended up winning 5-4, because Holland.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Last edited:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
OptaJack
https://x.com/OptaJack
@OptaJack
Nine players have recorded 10+ assists in Serie A since the start of last season.
Of those, only two represent the same country: Americans Christian Pulisic (12) and Weston McKennie (10).
https://x.com/OptaJack
@OptaJack
Nine players have recorded 10+ assists in Serie A since the start of last season.
Of those, only two represent the same country: Americans Christian Pulisic (12) and Weston McKennie (10).
El Floppo
Footballguy
That first touch on a full sprint was meow.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I can't entirely be sure, but I think these US numbers are going to take a big jump after WC2026, assuming they get the profit margin I am expecting...
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Unfortunately, it sounds like Trusty had an absolute horror show for Celtic today and was called out by his manager in the media. Not good.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
LDLT looks to be going to San Diego on loan.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
This is going to be an interesting move. If he can get playing time quickly, he will be under enormous pressure as they will be in a huge relegation battle the rest of the season.
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USMNT Otaku
https://x.com/USMNTOtaku
@USMNTOtaku
Bundesliga side, Holstein Kiel, are finalizing a deal to sign John Tolkin from the New York Red Bulls for around $3M. RBNY will retain a sell-on clause as part of the deal
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USMNT Otaku
https://x.com/USMNTOtaku
@USMNTOtaku
Bundesliga side, Holstein Kiel, are finalizing a deal to sign John Tolkin from the New York Red Bulls for around $3M. RBNY will retain a sell-on clause as part of the deal
TLEF316
Footballguy
Not good, but honestly....I think he missed his window anyway. He's a very back of the roster guy at best.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
whew! It was reported today that there is no injury. Just muscle fatigue.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
agreed he is back of the roster.
However, I think the move was very much needed. He was never going to get a call up with zero playing time at Celta. If he can find playing time and plays well in San Diego, Poch has made it abundantly clear, by his words at least, that he doesn't care as much where players are playing, he cares more about how they are playing.
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
The Mehvincibles
El Floppo
Footballguy
I assume Pre and Andy know more about this kid (and likely already talked about him recently).
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I have never seen him play as I think he only has one senior MLS appearance so far.
I know he has moved around a lot. He started in Minnesota (academy) and then moved to Philly 2, where he was eventually released (I don’t know the reasons for the release).
LAFC then signed him and after two years for LAFC 2, he was sold to Bayern Munich where I assume he will go to Bayern 2 for a while before a real loan in the future if he works out.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Looks like he may be a tri nat: US, Gambia and Finland.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I *think* the US is the better team of those if he pans out and has to decide.
Strange signing though, considering that resume.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Any one heard or read where Balogun is in his recovery?
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
18 year old Banks came on as a sub against Pefok today.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
GGG’s Chicago Fire have offered Neymar a two year contract according to reports.
Looking forward to seeing Neymar lob endless harmless crosses into the box next season
gianmarco
Footballguy
He had a 4 month setback just a couple weeks ago.
encaitar
Footballguy
Thank god. I thought it was stupid that not only did he go 90 in his first two games back from injury, but ran more than anyone else on the field. Hope they give him some good rest over the next few weeks.
prefontaine
Footballguy
This has to do with asinine MLS rules. I don't really understand but Minnesota doesn't really have a youth team so he went to Philly who couldn't sign him. Then he went to LAFC. Supposedly pretty talented but I've never seen him play.
He played for our U17s but we ultimately did not select him for the U17 World Cup. Our youth teams have not necessarily done a good job of identifying high end talent though (Noahkai Banks -- probably the most mature and ready CB in US history - got his first call up in the last window in that U17 cycle). So it's entirely possible this kid just got missed.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
====
21-year-old USMNT midfielder Paxten Aaronson has been FC Utrecht’s highest rated player this season, per FotMob.
Paxten has 10 goal contributions so far this season, the most of any Utrecht player, who are currently third in the Eredivisie, behind PSV and Ajax.
Aaronson is also the Eredivisie league leader in tackles and interceptions this season, doing the dirty work in midfield while also contributing in the final third.
A breakout season in Europe for the young American
21-year-old USMNT midfielder Paxten Aaronson has been FC Utrecht’s highest rated player this season, per FotMob.
Paxten has 10 goal contributions so far this season, the most of any Utrecht player, who are currently third in the Eredivisie, behind PSV and Ajax.
Aaronson is also the Eredivisie league leader in tackles and interceptions this season, doing the dirty work in midfield while also contributing in the final third.
A breakout season in Europe for the young American
The Z Machine
Footballguy
I actually really like both of those goals. The first was quite athletic, the second one quite cute to get something on it. Both showcase his ability to make something out of low xG chances.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Totally. And he makes both look easy.I actually really like both of those goals. The first was quite athletic, the second one quite cute to get something on it. Both showcase his ability to make something out of low xG chances.
The first.. I mean, it's classic eredivisie defending leaving him totally solo near the spot despite numbers back, but like you say- the athleticism to get to and perfectly direct that volley was great.
The second is the second time recently he's done that little chip over the gk dribbling to his right- really really nice skill and goal.
What's great too is that he's been scoring all manner of goals from all manner of positions- volleys, darting run and tap ins, driven from outside the box, headers. That range is quickly putting him compared to our elite historical goal scorers... Really hoping his next move supports this continued growth.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
https://x.com/BrianSciaretta
Brian Sciaretta
@BrianSciaretta
Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Şahin ahead of tomorrow's match at Eintracht Frankfurt: "Gio shows us that he wants to be in the first eleven. He is an option for tomorrow, he offers a lot in training."
Brian Sciaretta
@BrianSciaretta
Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Şahin ahead of tomorrow's match at Eintracht Frankfurt: "Gio shows us that he wants to be in the first eleven. He is an option for tomorrow, he offers a lot in training."
El Floppo
Footballguy
FYI, from ESPN+... Top 15 u21
Tier 1: USMNT stars -- and potentially European stars, too
There are undoubtedly some players out there who have this kind of potential. Some of you are probably smashing the letters "C-A-V-A-N S-U-L-L-I-V-A-N" into an email window as you read this. People have referred to the Philadelphia Union prospect, who will move to Manchester City when he turns 18, as the best 15-year-old in the world.
But just think about that for a second: HE IS 15 YEARS OLD. We literally don't even know how tall Cavan Sullivan is going to be in five years, let alone how effective he will be at soccer.
Someone is going to find his way into this tier eventually, but there are not currently any 21-and-under soccer players who I'm willing to say are more likely than not to become a star for the USMNT.
Tier 2: Fringe USMNT starters, mid-tier European pros
In Europe's Big Five top leagues, here's the list of 21-and-under Americans, per FBref, who have played at least 2,000 minutes:
Just kidding, there's no one. Last year, this tier featured Joe Scally, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi. This year, it's empty.
Tier 3: Can they make it in Europe?
1. Kevin Paredes, 21, winger, Wolfsburg
2. Caleb Wiley, 20, left back, Strasbourg (on loan from Chelsea)
3. Paxten Aaronson, 21, midfielder, FC Utrecht (on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt)
4. Noahkai Banks, 18, center back, Augsburg
5. Damion Downs, 20, forward, Koln
One of my favorite things to read each week is the Bayesian Quarterback Rankings from NFL analyst Kevin Cole on his Substack, "Unexpected Points." Rather than just adding up the player's stats from the current season to create the rankings, he looks at the stats for each quarterback across his career (while weighing recent performance more heavily), and then projects who is likely to perform the best going forward. Even in a relatively down year by his incredible standards, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains at the top each week because his career-long track record is so far ahead of any other player.
The opposite, though, happens with rookie quarterbacks. They come into the rankings with loose expectations based on their draft positions, but that is quickly overwhelmed by the evidence of their initial professional performances. Three games, say, is a small sample, but for a rookie, it's also the entire sample.
This is how I think of prospects in soccer, too. With Christian Pulisic, we have a pretty big sample of what to expect. A single game, or even a couple months, shouldn't really sway our opinion of the player all that much. But with these under-21 guys, I think we need to constantly be updating our opinions with each new bit of information we get.
See: Noahkai Banks. He's been near the top of the list for USMNT prospects-watchers for a while, but I wouldn't have had him here if we did this exercise a week ago. Except then he made his professional debut for Augsburg over the weekend.
All of a sudden, with his hourlong cameo against Stuttgart, Banks is an 18-year-old center-back who has played more minutes in a Big Five league than all but four other U21 Americans. Not only that, but he's also done it at a position that's not kind to teenagers. Among center-backs who were 17 or younger at the start of this season, only two players have been featured in more minutes than Banks, Giovanni Leoni of Parma and Barcelona prodigy Pau Cubarsí.
Kevin Paredes, meanwhile, stays atop the list because we've seen him play nearly 2,000 minutes at a young age in the Bundesliga. He's missed the season with a number of lower-body injuries, but no one else has really done enough to surpass him this season.
Caleb Wiley played a ton of minutes as a teenager in MLS for Atlanta United. That earned him a move to Chelsea -- great sign! But he's spent the season on loan at Chelsea's satellite club, Strasbourg, and has only played 250-plus minutes in Ligue 1, thanks to a succession of knee and shoulder injuries. He looked like a Ligue 1-quality player at just 20, but just hasn't played enough.
Paxten Aaronson, meanwhile, has been fantastic in midfield for third-place Utrecht, but unless you're playing for a Champions League team, it's really hard to judge the true quality of a prospect's minutes in the Eredivisie. Plenty go on to flourish at a higher level, while plenty of others wilt under the increased physicality and defensive organization in the Big Five leagues. We'll learn a lot more if he heads back to Germany next year.
Finally, Damion Downs played a little bit for Koln in their relegation season last year, but he's been one of the best forwards in the German second division for easily the best team in the German second division this season.
Tier 4: How do you judge any of them?
6. Gaga Slonina, 20, goalkeeper, Chelsea
7. Rokas Pukstas, 20, midfielder, Hajduk Split
8. Cole Campbell, 18, forward, Borussia Dortmund
9. Diego Kochen, 18, goalkeeper, Barcelona
On the one hand, Gaga Slonina's career has stalled. He went on loan to Barnsley in League One this summer, but that loan was just terminated after he struggled for playing time and then with a seasonlong injury. On the other hand, goalkeepers tend to peak much later than outfield players, and he was a starter in MLS and the Belgian first division before he turned 20. The early career minutes at a position typically reserved for older players bodes well for Slonina's future projection, even if this is going to be a lost season.
Rokas Pukstas broke out last year by becoming a full-time starter for one of the best teams in Croatia as a teenager. This season, he's playing significantly fewer minutes, but he's still been out there for more than half of the available game time. He's doing it for the team that's tied on points atop the Croatian league table. And he's still only 20.
Cole Campbell is another favorite of USMNT-prospect-watchers, and he's played just a little over 30 minutes for Dortmund as an 18-year-old. That's barely anything, but when you combine the pedigree with a Champions League appearance, I feel comfortable sliding him into the tier above the guys playing lots of minutes in lower-level leagues.
Same goes for Diego Kochen, who has literally zero professional minutes under his belt. But unlike Campbell, who can come on for tiny stretches at the end of matches in Dortmund's attack, Kochen is a goalkeeper, and managers don't sub their goalkeepers. Just ask Matt Turner.
Kochen, though, has already appeared on Barcelona's bench 30 times in his career. That's sort of a sad thing to celebrate, I guess, but there's probably at least a little of a signal in a goalkeeper who makes it that far up the pecking order for one of the biggest clubs in the world well before his 21st birthday.
Tier 5: Six more, plus everyone else
10. Quinn Sullivan, 20, winger, Philadelphia Union
11. Jack McGlynn, 21, midfielder, Philadelphia Union
12. Brian Gutierrez, 21, midfielder, Chicago Fire
13. Cade Cowell, winger, 21, Chivas Guadalajara
14. Chris Brady, 20, goalkeeper, Chicago Fire
15. Diego Luna, 21, attacking midfielder, Real Salt Lake
Last year, I said the bottom tier was occupied by the guys I listed in the bottom tier -- and then a long list of other players who didn't make the top 15. I think that's mostly true again this year, but I do think these six have separated themselves a tiny bit from the rest of the player pool below them.
While it's really hard to value a player's performance in a full-time MLS role vs. a bit-part role at a major European club, it's a lot easier to compare all of the players across MLS. Here, we can also start to take a look at actual performance, in addition to playing time. And we can do that by using Michael Imburgio's DAVIES model, which is the best publicly available metric that values everything a player does with the ball.
The model has data dating to the 2017-18 season for some European leagues and 2019 for MLS. Among 21-and-under seasons by American players, the best -- by far -- was Folarin Balogun's 2022-23 season with Reims. His overall DAVIES total -- a number that represents the goals a player provided above average, when controlling for both age and position -- was 7.85. No other under-21 American has broken 5.0.
However, Jack McGlynn's season with the Union last year was the fourth best from a 21-and-under American. Except, Quinn Sullivan's age-20 season last year with the Union was better than McGlynn's the year before, so we're giving Sullivan the slight edge.
One constant, from the DAVIES data is that most of the recent players who have gone on to become starters for the USMNT have put up positive seasons at age 20 or even younger. Brian Gutierrez did it at 19 and 20 and then he had another really nice season at 21 this past year. Cade Cowell, too, put up value-adding seasons at 18 and 19 in MLS and now he's playing half of the minutes for Chivas in Liga MX. All four of these guys should end up being solid pros somewhere -- and possibly back-end depth for the USMNT.
Chris Brady doesn't have any DAVIES data because he's a goalkeeper, but his Fire teammate Gutierrez is the only 21-and-under player still in MLS who has played more career minutes. He's still only 20 and already has two full seasons of league-average shot stopping in MLS. He's also a couple months older than Slonina.
Lastly, there's Diego Luna, who was on the same level as McGlynn, Sullivan and Guttierez last season, but doesn't also have those one or two seasons of above-average performance before turning 21. Chances are that someone in this group goes on to become a solid USMNT contributor over the next few years. Luna, though, seems the least likely of the six to get there.
Tier 1: USMNT stars -- and potentially European stars, too
There are undoubtedly some players out there who have this kind of potential. Some of you are probably smashing the letters "C-A-V-A-N S-U-L-L-I-V-A-N" into an email window as you read this. People have referred to the Philadelphia Union prospect, who will move to Manchester City when he turns 18, as the best 15-year-old in the world.
But just think about that for a second: HE IS 15 YEARS OLD. We literally don't even know how tall Cavan Sullivan is going to be in five years, let alone how effective he will be at soccer.
Someone is going to find his way into this tier eventually, but there are not currently any 21-and-under soccer players who I'm willing to say are more likely than not to become a star for the USMNT.
Tier 2: Fringe USMNT starters, mid-tier European pros
In Europe's Big Five top leagues, here's the list of 21-and-under Americans, per FBref, who have played at least 2,000 minutes:
Just kidding, there's no one. Last year, this tier featured Joe Scally, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi. This year, it's empty.
Tier 3: Can they make it in Europe?
1. Kevin Paredes, 21, winger, Wolfsburg
2. Caleb Wiley, 20, left back, Strasbourg (on loan from Chelsea)
3. Paxten Aaronson, 21, midfielder, FC Utrecht (on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt)
4. Noahkai Banks, 18, center back, Augsburg
5. Damion Downs, 20, forward, Koln
One of my favorite things to read each week is the Bayesian Quarterback Rankings from NFL analyst Kevin Cole on his Substack, "Unexpected Points." Rather than just adding up the player's stats from the current season to create the rankings, he looks at the stats for each quarterback across his career (while weighing recent performance more heavily), and then projects who is likely to perform the best going forward. Even in a relatively down year by his incredible standards, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains at the top each week because his career-long track record is so far ahead of any other player.
The opposite, though, happens with rookie quarterbacks. They come into the rankings with loose expectations based on their draft positions, but that is quickly overwhelmed by the evidence of their initial professional performances. Three games, say, is a small sample, but for a rookie, it's also the entire sample.
This is how I think of prospects in soccer, too. With Christian Pulisic, we have a pretty big sample of what to expect. A single game, or even a couple months, shouldn't really sway our opinion of the player all that much. But with these under-21 guys, I think we need to constantly be updating our opinions with each new bit of information we get.
See: Noahkai Banks. He's been near the top of the list for USMNT prospects-watchers for a while, but I wouldn't have had him here if we did this exercise a week ago. Except then he made his professional debut for Augsburg over the weekend.
All of a sudden, with his hourlong cameo against Stuttgart, Banks is an 18-year-old center-back who has played more minutes in a Big Five league than all but four other U21 Americans. Not only that, but he's also done it at a position that's not kind to teenagers. Among center-backs who were 17 or younger at the start of this season, only two players have been featured in more minutes than Banks, Giovanni Leoni of Parma and Barcelona prodigy Pau Cubarsí.
Kevin Paredes, meanwhile, stays atop the list because we've seen him play nearly 2,000 minutes at a young age in the Bundesliga. He's missed the season with a number of lower-body injuries, but no one else has really done enough to surpass him this season.
Caleb Wiley played a ton of minutes as a teenager in MLS for Atlanta United. That earned him a move to Chelsea -- great sign! But he's spent the season on loan at Chelsea's satellite club, Strasbourg, and has only played 250-plus minutes in Ligue 1, thanks to a succession of knee and shoulder injuries. He looked like a Ligue 1-quality player at just 20, but just hasn't played enough.
Paxten Aaronson, meanwhile, has been fantastic in midfield for third-place Utrecht, but unless you're playing for a Champions League team, it's really hard to judge the true quality of a prospect's minutes in the Eredivisie. Plenty go on to flourish at a higher level, while plenty of others wilt under the increased physicality and defensive organization in the Big Five leagues. We'll learn a lot more if he heads back to Germany next year.
Finally, Damion Downs played a little bit for Koln in their relegation season last year, but he's been one of the best forwards in the German second division for easily the best team in the German second division this season.
Tier 4: How do you judge any of them?
6. Gaga Slonina, 20, goalkeeper, Chelsea
7. Rokas Pukstas, 20, midfielder, Hajduk Split
8. Cole Campbell, 18, forward, Borussia Dortmund
9. Diego Kochen, 18, goalkeeper, Barcelona
On the one hand, Gaga Slonina's career has stalled. He went on loan to Barnsley in League One this summer, but that loan was just terminated after he struggled for playing time and then with a seasonlong injury. On the other hand, goalkeepers tend to peak much later than outfield players, and he was a starter in MLS and the Belgian first division before he turned 20. The early career minutes at a position typically reserved for older players bodes well for Slonina's future projection, even if this is going to be a lost season.
Rokas Pukstas broke out last year by becoming a full-time starter for one of the best teams in Croatia as a teenager. This season, he's playing significantly fewer minutes, but he's still been out there for more than half of the available game time. He's doing it for the team that's tied on points atop the Croatian league table. And he's still only 20.
Cole Campbell is another favorite of USMNT-prospect-watchers, and he's played just a little over 30 minutes for Dortmund as an 18-year-old. That's barely anything, but when you combine the pedigree with a Champions League appearance, I feel comfortable sliding him into the tier above the guys playing lots of minutes in lower-level leagues.
Same goes for Diego Kochen, who has literally zero professional minutes under his belt. But unlike Campbell, who can come on for tiny stretches at the end of matches in Dortmund's attack, Kochen is a goalkeeper, and managers don't sub their goalkeepers. Just ask Matt Turner.
Kochen, though, has already appeared on Barcelona's bench 30 times in his career. That's sort of a sad thing to celebrate, I guess, but there's probably at least a little of a signal in a goalkeeper who makes it that far up the pecking order for one of the biggest clubs in the world well before his 21st birthday.
Tier 5: Six more, plus everyone else
10. Quinn Sullivan, 20, winger, Philadelphia Union
11. Jack McGlynn, 21, midfielder, Philadelphia Union
12. Brian Gutierrez, 21, midfielder, Chicago Fire
13. Cade Cowell, winger, 21, Chivas Guadalajara
14. Chris Brady, 20, goalkeeper, Chicago Fire
15. Diego Luna, 21, attacking midfielder, Real Salt Lake
Last year, I said the bottom tier was occupied by the guys I listed in the bottom tier -- and then a long list of other players who didn't make the top 15. I think that's mostly true again this year, but I do think these six have separated themselves a tiny bit from the rest of the player pool below them.
While it's really hard to value a player's performance in a full-time MLS role vs. a bit-part role at a major European club, it's a lot easier to compare all of the players across MLS. Here, we can also start to take a look at actual performance, in addition to playing time. And we can do that by using Michael Imburgio's DAVIES model, which is the best publicly available metric that values everything a player does with the ball.
The model has data dating to the 2017-18 season for some European leagues and 2019 for MLS. Among 21-and-under seasons by American players, the best -- by far -- was Folarin Balogun's 2022-23 season with Reims. His overall DAVIES total -- a number that represents the goals a player provided above average, when controlling for both age and position -- was 7.85. No other under-21 American has broken 5.0.
However, Jack McGlynn's season with the Union last year was the fourth best from a 21-and-under American. Except, Quinn Sullivan's age-20 season last year with the Union was better than McGlynn's the year before, so we're giving Sullivan the slight edge.
One constant, from the DAVIES data is that most of the recent players who have gone on to become starters for the USMNT have put up positive seasons at age 20 or even younger. Brian Gutierrez did it at 19 and 20 and then he had another really nice season at 21 this past year. Cade Cowell, too, put up value-adding seasons at 18 and 19 in MLS and now he's playing half of the minutes for Chivas in Liga MX. All four of these guys should end up being solid pros somewhere -- and possibly back-end depth for the USMNT.
Chris Brady doesn't have any DAVIES data because he's a goalkeeper, but his Fire teammate Gutierrez is the only 21-and-under player still in MLS who has played more career minutes. He's still only 20 and already has two full seasons of league-average shot stopping in MLS. He's also a couple months older than Slonina.
Lastly, there's Diego Luna, who was on the same level as McGlynn, Sullivan and Guttierez last season, but doesn't also have those one or two seasons of above-average performance before turning 21. Chances are that someone in this group goes on to become a solid USMNT contributor over the next few years. Luna, though, seems the least likely of the six to get there.
Good write-up overall, but I think this one is a bit of a miss. To me, Aaronson's season similarly impressive as Tillman and Pepi were last year. He's playing more minutes on one of the better teams in the same league, arguably has been that team's best player...not really his fault that they didn't quality for Champions League, when he wasn't on the team last year.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
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There was a meeting in Düsseldorf on Wednesday evening between AC Milan’s bosses and Gio Reyna’s representatives. Milan is interested in Reyna. However, there haven’t been any talks yet between the clubs about a possible transfer.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
SBI Soccer
https://x.com/SBISoccer
@SBISoccer
Aidan Morris is back in Middlesbrough training ahead of a potential return this weekend.
https://x.com/SBISoccer
@SBISoccer
Aidan Morris is back in Middlesbrough training ahead of a potential return this weekend.
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