Contributions to MNT by our Academies

[tmcmurph]

3 hours ago, DigzTFC said:

The best producing academy is Sigma IMO.  Bekker, Larin, Laryea, Welshman.

Larin is the only consistent starter in that group. To be a player who can make a difference for the CMNT we need to consider that a minimum level. Take and hold a starting position in MLS or equivalent Euro/SA league.

[DigzTFC]

15 hours ago, tmcmurph said:

Larin is the only consistent starter in that group. To be a player who can make a difference for the CMNT we need to consider that a minimum level. Take and hold a starting position in MLS or equivalent Euro/SA league.

I agree.  Does that diminish Sigma's accomplishments?

 

 

[spidoo]

In no way. The pure fact that they are in the conversation with the professional academies says something about what they have accomplished in a short order of time. 

[TRM]

1 hour ago, DigzTFC said:

I agree.  Does that diminish Sigma's accomplishments?

No. Their accomplishments so far are as good or better than any of the 5 pro clubs in Canada. It speaks volumes about their coaching staff and ability to retain players like Larin for 7 straight years. All on a shoestring budget compared to others.

[Havoc88]

On 2016-02-08 at 2:13 PM, shermanator said:

The best producing academy is Sigma IMO.  Bekker, Larin, Laryea, Welshman.

I'm starting to believe that sending players to the NCAA maybe a better idea than sending them to USL Pro for MLS purposes.  Even though the Super Draft is losing relevance, it still hypes up players and showcases them to american teams.  If you're an academy kid, it seems that if you don't make the first team you have to find your way in europe because no other MLS team gives you a chance.

+++++++++++++++

Callum Irving can be seen as the counterpoint tot his argument. Leaves VWFC to play for Kentucky, by the end of his college career was considered the 2nd-3rd best GK available. Not drafted.

A distinction that should be made between these two is that when you look at the 100+ players Sigma has sent to the NCAA, opposed to Irving for example, is that - Sigma are not attached to any one club and have close ties with several MLS teams as well as being capable of arranging opportunities in Belgium, Germany, Spain, etc ... so those players IMO have a better chance of getting looked at and going the NCAA route has proven to be very effective.

While Irving could have been seen as Whitecaps property and therefore might not have been scouted or 'in the ear' of MLS teams in his final season. IIRC it was pretty close to the end of the season when it was finally, definitively made clear he wasn't homegrown and unless he had a standout combine, teams might not have really had him on their radar or also be willing to take a chance on a keeper for an international slot.

I think now maybe the counterpoint should include the fact Irving was a keeper, which is a very tough position to play and break into MLS as a rookie, even as an American, but probably even harder for a Canadian.

 

[IceCreamMan]

Shouldn't FC Edmonton be included with Boakai and Roberts?

[TRM]

6 hours ago, IceCreamMan said:

Shouldn't FC Edmonton be included with Boakai and Roberts?

Discussed this back a few pages. Boakai has not played for our MNT yet, Roberts was at NAIT until past 20 years old when he joined FCE.

[tmcmurph]

Updated with our 2 against Mexico. Henry (2), Straith (1), Larin (2) & James (1).

[tmcmurph]

Welcome to the list Michael Petrasso! Updated after our 1-1 draw vs the Azeri squad.

[TRM]

Updated with the 2-1 win over the Uzbeks. Petrasso makes his 2cd appearance, James his 5th and Ouimett & Henry are getting to be regulars at 16 & 19 respectively.

[TRM]

So our 2018 WCQ ends with 2 games in which 4 players featured. Henry (2), Straith (2), Larin (2) & James (2).

I was a bit surprised by James getting 2 starts but the others were regular callups under Floro. We'll have to see if a new manager goes in a different selection direction.

[TRM]

Onto the next era with our 4-0 and 0-4 games vs Mauritania and  Morocco.
AJH makes his first appearance (first of many I'm sure) so congrats and welcome aboard.
No Larin this time.

[TRM]

Updated with the Korea game stats.

[TRM]

Updated with the game against Bermuda.

Lots of first time appearances. Callum Irving & Sean Melvin between the pipes, 2 Ben's (Fisk & McKendry) along with Jay Chapman making their debut.

Thank you all for committing to our MNT.

 

 

[TRM]

Updating after the Scotland game and came across Charlie Trafford and La'Vere Corbin-Ong both with their first game for our MNT. Both were in the Whitecaps but seem to fall into the Wandrille Lefevre category of being at or close to 20 when they first joined. I'll leave them off for now. In Charlie's case his Wikipedia entry is blank for the youth years just showing the clubs.

In any case thanks for committing to our MNT.

[TRM]

Updated with the game against Curaçao.

Question on Juan Córdova if anyone knows. Where did he do his 12-19 year old training at?

Also I'm curious about Edwards. He is listed as 2001-2013 at Erin Mills SC then TFC for 2014 & Sheridan Bruins for 2014-2015 then 2 years with TFC2 2015-2016.  I'm leaning towards putting his development with Erin Mills SC. Any opinions on that?

[El Hombre]

14 hours ago, TRM said:

Updated with the game against Curaçao.

Question on Juan Córdova if anyone knows. Where did he do his 12-19 year old training at?

Also I'm curious about Edwards. He is listed as 2001-2013 at Erin Mills SC then TFC for 2014 & Sheridan Bruins for 2014-2015 then 2 years with TFC2 2015-2016.  I'm leaning towards putting his development with Erin Mills SC. Any opinions on that?

Only that if you do that, it would make sense to do the same with Alphonso Davies re. Edmonton Strikers.

[TRM]

9 hours ago, El Hombre said:

Only that if you do that, it would make sense to do the same with Alphonso Davies re. Edmonton Strikers.

Not the same at least according to wikipedia. Davies entry doesn't list the years he was with either the Edmonton Internationals or Strikers. He was 6 when the family moved to Edmonton and 15 when he joined the Caps. Max 9 years in Edmonton between 2 teams.

Edwards played at Erin Mills SC from 6 to 18 years of age. 12 years at one club.

This is getting more murky the longer it goes on 

[jpg75]

Edwards is a 95, so 19 yrs old when he joined TFC. I would not add him.

 

[El Hombre]

On 2017-06-17 at 8:57 PM, TRM said:

Not the same at least according to wikipedia. Davies entry doesn't list the years he was with either the Edmonton Internationals or Strikers. He was 6 when the family moved to Edmonton and 15 when he joined the Caps. Max 9 years in Edmonton between 2 teams.

Edwards played at Erin Mills SC from 6 to 18 years of age. 12 years at one club.

This is getting more murky the longer it goes on 

Regardless of whether it was with the Internationals or the Strikers, he only spent one year with the VWFC academy.

My point was more along the lines of TFCII having a lot more to do with Edwards' development than VWFCII had with Davies.  Edwards played with TFCII in 2015 and 2016 while Davies played with VWFCII in 2016.

In this completely subjective categorization, it's difficult to say that one definitely belongs while the other doesn't.

[TRM]

Yes it is very difficult making the list kind of murky at best. I would like to give Erin Mills SC credit as they did develop Edwards for 13 years. That is a new record. Larin at Sigma FC for 7 was the other long term.

Huge problem is that most kids move around to a lot of clubs. Short of asking each player who they feel developed them the most in their youth I don't see any way to make this list accurate.

Maybe time to just let the list die. We've got players coming up all over the place and that is a great thing, just hard to keep track of.

When I started this list I was sure that the 3 MLS teams would dominate it. SigmaFC really shocked me. I'm sure that the 3 MLS academies will attract most of the talent but when you see players like Larin and Edwards stick with a club for that long it is very encouraging.

[red card]

Based on an article on why Pulisic's emergence doesn't mean the American system has finally learned how to develop football players.

Instead, "the club complex is merely a repository for the talent, a place to stash it and watch it grow as opposed to the creator of the seed itself. We’ve grown so enamored with the idea that coaches and systems Make Players that we’ve largely forgotten that the best ones are knitted together at birth and largely nurtured in the most substantive ways at home and in the street." 

Pulisic embarrassed children as a microscopic 9-year-old. This is not normal, nor was it coached into him by any holistic club system. It was his father, a former player himself, working with him for hours and hours on end. It was Pulisic working in unstructured environments at 6, 7, 8 years old, hitting balls alone against backboards and house siding and playing 3v3 with friends with coke cans and sweatshirts as goalposts.

You cannot make a talent,” Menze (Schalke's development head) said. “That is the work of the parents. Sometimes I hear (from academy coaches), ‘I have made him.’ No. I say, coach, you have given him some lessons and perhaps an organizational frame to keep him in and to guide him to the point where he ended. But you did not make him."

 

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/the91stminute/2017/06/the-christian-pulisic-blueprint-is-that-there-is-no-blueprint/

 

[TRM]

Coaches can teach the game to a player but skills take about 10,000 hours of work (The Talent Code) and that can only come from a kid who just loves to play his sport more than anything else.