Julian Hall player profile

Primary position: center-forward
Secondary position: left-winger
Date of birth: 03.24.2008

Hall has a technical profile that's adequate but lacks elite qualities. That said, I've noticed his first touch has gotten considerably better over the last year. He has become more reliable in retaining position in dififcult, high pressure scenarios. His close control is pretty good, which stems from his time as a winger. He has some comfort facing defenders and attacking 1v1 from the channel, though his foot speed and creativity are only adequate, which is why striker is a better fit for him long term.

His hold-up technique is a fast growth area, and his one-touch passing has become a real strength. He shows the ability to use his strong lower body appropriately and display a soft touch to either set up his next action or pass off to a teammate.

His ball striking is adequate, not great, and fairly limited in the types of techniques he feels comfortable using. He hasn't shown the ability to bend and finesse shots consistently, usually preferring a driven shot that at times gets pulled left or skied because he's leaning too far back. We saw a version of that against Chile, when he rounded the goalkeeper after a Berhalter through ball and skied the finish from a tight angle. It's an area he's still refining. He also needs to work on being able to get off shots more cleanly without getting blocked in more condensed areas.

His biggest gap right now, from what I've seen, is that he's pretty unwilling to shoot with his left foot, even in situations where that's the higher-leverage technique.

He doesn't compete for a ton of headers, but his technique there is decent, which was on display with his goal against Chile. The height and timing of his jump was very good.

Off-ball movement is his superpower as a striker, and it's a combination of desire, physical ability, instincts and intelligence. He's fearless running to the near or back post, with little regard for the physical harm that could await, and he shows a true hunger to get into goal-scoring positions. His speed is a weapon when running vertically or into channels, though from what I've seen, the timing and anticipation of those runs can still improve.

He truly moves into every reasonable area a striker can occupy: vertically between the two center backs, off each center back's shoulder into the channels, the near post, the back post and the cutback zones. He shows the instincts to find space in all of them. He's also willing to drop into midfield and support the build-up. Because of the spaces he gets into, he generates a very high expected-goals rate and most of his goals come inside the six, with very few coming outside the box right now.

His passing vision is pretty good for such a young player. He shows good combination instincts and a strong understanding of where his teammates are, as evidenced by the dummy he played against Chile for Sebastian Berhalter's goal, letting Sergiño Dest's low cross run through his legs.

Hall is a versatile striker that could play in a lot of roles. Ideally, I think he is your number nine in a single striker setup, but he can also play off of another number nine and if you needed him to shift out wide, he can do that as well. He was developed as a left-winger and still plays that role from time to time with Red Bulls. Tactically, he can play in many different systems, both possession based where he can be useful player in the build up and a counter-attacking scheme where he can run behind back lines. The only system he would not be ideal for is a highly direct system where the goal is to get a lot of crosses into the box.

He isn't the tallest striker, but he has a strong lower body that gives him good balance, strength and initial burst. He handles contact well and can move center backs off the ball in duels. His vertical jump is good, which makes him a moderate aerial threat even without prototypical height. His headed equalizer from Gio Reyna's cross against Chile was a good example.

His lateral quickness is decent, not exceptional. He's better in a straight line than side to side, and better in short bursts than long sprints.

Hall has a top mentality, which shows in his work rate, his desire to run and make a difference, his confidence and his resilience. He doesn't get too down when he misses a chance. He'll come back and fight for the next one with just as much enthusiasm. He's tough and doesn't shy away from contact or a challenge.

He has clear confidence in his abilities and is very brave in his choices within a game. Overall, he's a super charismatic kid who should be a highly engaging face of the program. He seems like a very likable teammate and player to coach.

After scoring and assisting on his debut against Peru, he scored again against Chile, becoming the youngest player in program history to score in back-to-back matches. With Mexico and Canada still to come in this window, he has a chance to keep building on a terrific start.