Much has been said about Sullivan over the last year or so and the hype train continues to pick up pace. He’s young, who knows what will happen, but for now, just enjoy the ride and hope for health. He can play as an 8, 10 or wing and it will be interesting to see where he ends up long term. He is the only U.S. 2009 born player that plays with the 2008 group for the U.S. Youth National Team. He is one of three 2009 players that consistently starts for a U17 team at the club level. Skill, intelligence, athleticism, mentality — he’s got them all. He also has a German passport which means he can move to Europe at 16, a golden ticket for a player like him. The chances of him signing with Philly are slim to none unless a seismic change occurs in the very near future. From what I hear, a decision on his future will be announced soon and he will likely be committing his future to one of the biggest clubs in the world. We will see, nothing is done until it is officially announced.

Romero is another special talent and it will be difficult to retain his services. He’s considered the best left-back in his age group in Spain and he has a father who played for the Uruguayan National Team. But he did just recently play for the United States U15 team and judging by his body language, he acclimated to the group and enjoyed his time with that group very much. Who knows, he just may love being an American! He has all of the tools to be an elite left-back: pace, dribbling ability, instincts and a wicked left-foot. 

Spivey might be the most dominant player in MLS Next at the U15 level right now. His combination of size, strength and athleticism are unmatched and unplayable at his age group. Spivey is the prototypical box to box midfielder that can win the ball and progress the ball with ease and he also has decent instincts in the final third. I hope to see Spivey move up to the U17 level this spring where he can be challenged a bit more. A Borussia Dortmund scout was at one of San Jose’s games at MLS Next Fest and Spivey made a good impression. San Jose is likely looking to lock him up as soon as they can. 

Mehmeti is looking like the next homegrown for RBNY and he is already a very good U17 player in MLS Next. Mehmeti is a six, through and through. He is highly disruptive defensively and he is as good of a passer as you will see at this age. He has vision, deception, technique and range that most first team players do not have. RBNY loves him and are pushing him through the pipeline aggressively. He was probably the MVP of the United States U15s set of games in Portugal. He was absolutely everywhere defensively and spraying the ball all over the pitch.

Albert was another standout for the United States at the U15 tournament in Portugal. He is the best prospect the LA Galaxy have had in their system in quite some time. Even better for Galaxy, he looks like one of the best young wingers in the United States Youth Pool. He has good size, coordination, mobility and he is very tricky on the ball. He is also getting better in the final third. Albert is another player I’d like to see moved up to the U17 level this spring. 

Hassan and Albert form a very lethal winger duo for this age group. Hassan is a different kind of player, one that relies on speed, change of direction, tireless work off of the ball and relentless pressing. He is a coach's dream, he never stops running and is always focused on the task at hand. 

Ream is an exceptional full-back talent that can play on the left or the right. He is extremely two-footed. He has the profile of a modern day full-back with good pace, contact balance, skill on the ball and good service into the box with his left and right. I am puzzled how he has been left off of both U.S. U15 camps to date, but am confident that he will work his way into the group before too long. 

Borges is a player that many likely haven’t heard of, but he is a super well rounded midfielder that is smooth on the ball, has great passing range and has an above average physical profile. He started last season at D.C. United, but left pretty quickly and went to Achilles FC in MLS Next. He hasn’t played with Achilles this year and I’ve heard he could be on the move. Look out for news on this in the new year. 

Avalos is the top keeper in this class for me and a modern day goalkeeper. He stands at about 6-2 and he may not be done growing. He is very comfortable on the ball and has good coordination and flexibility. His communication is solid as well. He was brought into the first United States U15 camp, but was left off the roster that was taken to Portugal which was a questionable decision in my opinion. He holds an Icelandic passport which means he can go to Europe at 16.

Degny is another player that has been overlooked by U.S. Soccer in my opinion. I have him as the top 2009 center-back and he is one of three players that is starting regularly for his club’s U17 team as a 14 year old. He is quite tall, around 6-3 or 6-4 and he is very good defensively. He is pretty conservative on the ball, if he can become a little more dynamic as a line breaking passer, he could be a future tier 1 player. 

Ostrander is one of the most technically and tactically sound players in this group — he rarely takes a poor touch or makes a poor decision. He has played mostly as a winger from what I have seen, but San Jose has been playing him in the midfield a little more as of late and I like that future for him. Dortmund was in attendance for all of Will's games at MLS Next Fest.

Chavez looks like he’s the top Mexican-American from this class and has already appeared in camps for both U15 teams. He is a left-footed attacking-mid with one of the best first touches you will see at this age level. He was not with the United States in Portugal and was instead with Mexico in Spain. I don’t know if that was by choice or because he was not selected to the U.S. team (His father is a U.S. Soccer scout). 

Simmons might be known by a select few, but not by many here in the States. He has been in Germany for the last year playing at Hertha Berlin’s International School and he was the only player from that program to be selected by Hertha’s official academy team to play as an unofficial player. That was with the U16 team and he is a U15. That means he trained with them most days and played in their friendlies. He does not have access to an EU passport, so while Hertha wanted to sign him, they cannot until he is 18, so he is back in the States and looking for his next club. I’ve been working with the family to set that up and find the best fit. My hope is that he will be with his new club before the Generation Adidas Cup and everyone can get to know the big, skilled and hungry defensive-mid. 

Sokoloff is another one of the four Red Bull players on this list. He is a fiery attacking-mid that can also float out wide. He is a playmaker that loves to get on the ball and make things happen. He played well for the United States in the recent U15 tournament in Portugal.

Mbaye is another Red Bull that has been in both United States U15 camps to date. He is a tall and rangy center-back with good feet, instincts and skill as a passer. 

Howard is a pacey center-forward that likes to take players on one on one and is comfortable floating out wide. He caught my eye when North Carolina played friendlies against New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union a few months ago and he was a problem. Charlotte FC have been trying to recruit him for a while, and although he occasionally plays with them, he is still a full-time North Carolina FC academy player. 

Espy has a lot of great tools and a great foundation to build from as a center-back. He has length, mobility and flashes good skill on the ball and passing range. 

Gomez captained the United States U15s in Portugal and is a versatile defender and leader from the backline. He can play both as a center-back and a right-back. If he hits another growth spurt or two, he could be a very compelling center-back prospect, if he doesn’t, he has the skill and mobility to be a good right-back prospect as well. 

Steelman is an intriguing center-forward prospect because he has good athleticism, quick feet, likes to combine, and likes to take people on. It isn’t the strongest center-forward class, but Steelman fits what U.S. Soccer likes in youth center-forwards.

Pehar is the second best passer from this age group behind Mehmeti and he is very good with both feet. He plays with tempo and with creativity and can be a metronome in the midfield. I’d like to see him get on the ball a little more and he needs to be a little more disruptive defensively, but the offensive skill set is really fun. He also has an EU passport which allows him to go to Europe at 16, which will make it more challenging for Chicago to keep him around. 

These are the players I have not watched because it is hard to get tape on players abroad at this age group if they are not playing with our National Team. There are likely many others playing abroad that I am not aware of yet: GK, Leonard Prescott, Bayern Munich / RB, Mattias Fernandez, Atletico Madrid / AM, Xander Newstead, Ajax / AM, Cristiano Briceño, Atletico Madrid.

If you know of other United States eligible players at big academies abroad, please reach out!