Martínez’s first camp runs Oct. 22-29 in Chula Vista, Calif., and it’s the second U15 camp for the new 2012 generation. It’s a completely new squad. That follows the same approach U.S. Soccer took last year, when the first two camps were used to widen its understanding of the new class. It’s my understanding that the next 2012 camp will be based in Europe in November. I’d expect that roster to be a collection of the top players identified from the first two camps, a few European-based players and a few domestic players who have yet to get a look.
The roster
GK, Sebastian Bell, Columbus Crew
GK, Samuel Ekpolegyene, D.C. United
GK, Calen Mueller, Philadelphia Union
LB, Yohann Calixte, Inter Miami
LB, Nathan Maura, Charlotte FC
RB, Jackson Chacon, LA Galaxy
CB, Evan Boyette, FC Dallas
CB, Patrick Collins, Sacramento Republic
CB, Ricardo Esparza III, LA Galaxy
CB, Jason Mitchell, Orlando City
CB, Noah Pine, Philadelphia Union
DM, Kellen Biondolillo, LA Galaxy
CM, Mateo Arriaga, FC Dallas
CM, Luke Dixon, Colorado Rapids
CM, Evan Uiuiu, Seattle Sounders
AM, Boston Kahoalii, New England Revolution
AM, Declan McDonald, Real Salt Lake
AM, Hassan Sakr, Red Bull New York
AM, Matthew Teruel, Orlando City
AM, Jordan Vazquez, Philadelphia Union
W, Crosby Ackermann, Columbus Crew
W, Brayden Brunson, San Jose Earthquakes
W, Yaseen Zaghdoudi, NYCFC
CF, Rashid Gbla, Columbus Crew
Before I get into my position-by-position reactions, I want to be clear about which players I haven’t yet been able to scout in an acceptable level of detail this season: Calen Mueller, Jackson Chacon, Evan Boyette, Patrick Collins, Kellen Biondolillo, Mateo Arriaga, Yaseen Zaghdoudi and Rashid Gbla.
Goalkeepers
Bell and Ekpolegyene are both on my watch list as players I’ll continue to monitor. For me, that means they’ve shown enough to be considered prospects worth tracking. Mueller hasn’t caught my eye yet, but I’ll go back and take a closer look. Of the three, Ekpolegyene is the most interesting prospect and could have a chance to make the next camp.
Left-backs
The two left-backs in this camp are early candidates for my top two left-backs in the class, but as I said, it’s very early. Calixte is my LB1 right now and looks like a top 20 player in this class. Maura is very good on the ball, but has physical profile questions. Both have a chance to make it through to the first set of international friendlies in November.
Right-backs
There are no natural right-backs on the roster, so I’m assuming Jackson Chacon, who’s typically an eight, is slated to be looked at here. I broadly support this approach by U.S. Soccer. The best long-term right-backs don’t usually start at right-back. They usually start as right-wingers, eights or center-backs. I think it’s smart to bring more high-potential players to these camps rather than trying to fit players neatly into the positions they’re currently used to and right-back is always a weak position at the earlier age groups where talanted players have not transitioned there yet.
Center-backs
From my early review, center-back is the strength of this class, and Noah Pine will be in the running to be the top player in the class. He started the year injured and just made his first start last weekend against Montreal. I expect him to be a core player for this class for years to come.
There are four other natural center-backs in camp. I don’t yet see any of them as super-high-potential players, though Esparza has already been with Mexico a few times. Collins, the son of Sacramento Republic’s first-team coach, has an intriguing skill set. Mitchell is a former midfielder with some good skills on the ball.
Pivots
Dixon is the top player in this group and is looking like a top 5 player in this class to me so far. He’s played a year up with Colorado for the last two seasons and looks more than comfortable doing it.
Biondolillo is a player I really liked when I scouted him last year, but I haven’t been able to scout him yet this season. He’s a left-footed, deep-lying playmaker type. Uiuiu caught my eye on first watch, which is a very good sign, and he’s a player I’m excited to keep learning more about. He has played both on the wing and in midfield for Seattle. He is listed as an attacker by U.S. Soccer which indicated he will play on the wing, but I like him more in a central role. All three look like players who could stick, with Dixon looking like a lock from here on out.
Attacking-mids and wingers
I’m grouping these two positions because there are so many tens in this camp that I assume a few will be looked at as wingers. This is an approach U.S. Soccer continues to take that I don’t really align with. First, in my experience, small attacking-mid types have a low success rate in the United States. Second, that profile doesn’t tend to translate to playing on the wing at the professional level. Wingers are a much more modern and valuable position at the highest level, and I’d like to see us prioritize developing high-potential wingers over attacking-mid types. I digress.
I’ll be honest, none of the players in this group really excite me yet. None are in my preliminary top 20 right now, and I have big but different questions about each of their ceilings. Teruel and Sakr are the two highest performers right now. Teruel has been a top-performing 2012 for a long time, but I worry he’s peaking early. Ackermann really impressed me last year, but I haven’t seen the same spark so far this year. The story is similar with Brunson, but I have more to study on all of these players, so it’s very possible I’m missing something.
Center-forward
Gbla is the only natural striker on this roster and may well be CF1 for this class. Like Pine, he’s just getting back into action and saw his first minutes last weekend. He’s played up with the 2011s since last year, and he looked like a top 10 2012, especially toward the end of last year.
Top players yet to be in a camp
We now have two 2012 camp rosters, and I have a stronger understanding of the class, so let’s identify the top 10 players who have yet to be in a camp. One caveat: a player might not be called in for plenty of reasons that aren’t visible from the outside, including club release decisions and injuries. This list reflects what I can see from my own scouting, not a judgment that these players were overlooked.
CB, Adrian Applewhaite, FSV Mainz 05 (2012)
Applewhaite was also invited to the first camp but wasn’t released by Mainz, because these camps don’t fall within an official international window. He’s a left-footed center-back who’s considered one of the best in Germany in this class, and he’s already getting invited to Germany camps too. His older brother, Anthony, is a 2010 USYNT midfielder.
If the next camp is indeed in Europe and within an international window, and Applewhaite is fit, I’d fully expect him to be there. He may well be one of the top prospects in this class.
CM, Landon Lucas, Eintracht Frankfurt (2012)
Lucas is a former Orlando City Academy player who moved to Frankfurt this summer. He’s a small but mighty midfielder who’ll be a handful once he catches up physically. He was one of my favorite 2012s to watch last year. He’s another one I’d expect to see in the first set of European friendlies if he’s available.
CB, Owen Hemphill, Chicago Fire (2012)
Hemphill has really impressed me in the two games I’ve watched so far this season. He might be the best center-back in the class in distribution, he likes to defend and he has a projectable profile.
W, Ryu Roberts, Houston Dynamo (2012)
Roberts has the burst and dynamism you need to play on the wing. From what I’ve seen, I’d have liked to see him in this camp ahead of some others.
CF, Nico Cook, Seattle Sounders (2012)
I don’t know if Cook is a striker long term, but he’s a player, and he could probably play almost any position on the pitch. He’s over six feet tall and left-footed, has very good burst and pace and does nice things with the ball at his feet.
CM, Anthony Garcia Cortez, San Jose Earthquakes (2012)
Garcia Cortez really caught my eye last weekend against a pretty good Seattle team. He dominated the midfield, showing footwork, close control, strength and burst as he continuously carried the ball through the middle. I worry a little about whether he’s close to physical maturity, but the ball-progression skills are really intriguing.
W/CM, Abdul Hamadi, Seattle Sounders (2012)
Hamadi is one of the most creative and entertaining players in this class. There’s still growth needed in his consistency, but this is a talent U.S. Soccer should nurture.
CF, Tyson Apollo Thompson, D.C. United (2012)
Thompson has shown enough high-level flashes this year that I’d like to see him get an opportunity with the youth national team.
CF, Gino Cecere, Philadelphia Union (2012)
Cecere is another long-term project U.S. Soccer should be interested in.
W, Olaoluwa Sowemimo, D.C. United (2012)
Don’t get me wrong, Sowemimo is super raw right now, but if developed, he has one of the highest ceilings in this class.
Roster grade: C-
It’s still very early in my evaluation of the 2012 class, and I have some real challenges with the squad selection, but let’s start with the positives. Pine, Dixon and Gbla all look like top players at their positions and potential top 10 players in this class. This is their first camp, and the expectation is that they perform at a high level and establish themselves as core players for this class going forward. I also like the Calixte, Maura, Biondolillo and Uiuiu selections, and there’s a cast of other selections I more or less understand.
My bigger issues come down to three things:
Uncalled players. From what I can see, and without knowing the full picture on availability, injuries or club release decisions, I rate a number of uncalled players over some of those selected.
Profile priorities. I continue to disagree with prioritizing small, technical attacking-mids over long-term winger or box-to-box midfield profiles.
One striker. I don’t understand bringing only one striker when there are some intriguing long-term striker talents in this class.
In my view, U.S. Soccer continues to over-prioritize players who fit a certain ball-control style. It also continues to favor current high performers over high-potential players whose games translate more clearly to the higher levels, especially at these younger age groups.
