Ayo Akinola

[Grizzly]

9 hours ago, Keegan said:

 Just as we thought Aleman was the next De Rosario. 

Aleman hasn't broke out yet and established himself but he hasn't bombed either and he still could be the next De Rosario. At 23 De Rosario was just signing with San Jose and it was a few years after that before he started to be a good player for them. A positive development is that recently we are getting players establishing themselves professionally at a younger age instead of late bloomers or guys who have a hard time finding a good situation for themselves.

[Blackjack15]

3 Questions:

• Is Ayo Akinola still with TFC Academy? (He doesn't appear to be on the active roster of the reserve team)

• I'm guessing he can't go to college? since he's already signed a contract and played 10 games in the USL

• Next month is the U-17 World Cup in India; you'd think with his record of 25 appearances & 24 goals he's a no brainer for US soccer and will not only get selected but be a starting player?

 

[harrycoyster]

37 minutes ago, Blackjack15 said:

3 Questions:

• Is Ayo Akinola still with TFC Academy? (He doesn't appear to be on the active roster of the reserve team)

• I'm guessing he can't go to college? since he's already signed a contract and played 10 games in the USL

• Next month is the U-17 World Cup in India; you'd think with his record of 25 appearances & 24 goals he's a no brainer for US soccer and will not only get selected but be a starting player?

 

1) No. TFC has given him permission to stay at US u17 residency in Florida through the u17 World Cup.

2) Correct.

3) He appears to have lost his starting spot in the American team since Llanez has rejoined the US program from Mexico. Akinola is a very good MLS prospect, but Llanez is a cut above. The US u17s can compete with nearly any u17 team in the world at forward. Recently they have lined-up in a 4-3-3 with Andrew Carleton, Uly Llanez and Josh Sargent up front. Given Timothy Weah (PSG u17 starting striker and world-class prospect) will join the US in India, it's unlikely Akinola will see much of the field. Unless the US asks Josh Pynadath or Gianluca Busio to play up two years, which I doubt, he's a near lock to be selected though.

Edited September 15, 2017 by harrycoyster

[Ivan]

I thought I read somewhere that Akinola didn't make the preliminary roster for the US U17s?

[Floortom]

5 hours ago, harrycoyster said:

1) No. TFC has given him permission to stay at US u17 residency in Florida through the u17 World Cup.

2) Correct.

3) He appears to have lost his starting spot in the American team since Llanez has rejoined the US program from Mexico. Akinola is a very good MLS prospect, but Llanez is a cut above. The US u17s can compete with nearly any u17 team in the world at forward. Recently they have lined-up in a 4-3-3 with Andrew Carleton, Uly Llanez and Josh Sargent up front. Given Timothy Weah (PSG u17 starting striker and world-class prospect) will join the US in India, it's unlikely Akinola will see much of the field. Unless the US asks Josh Pynadath or Gianluca Busio to play up two years, which I doubt, he's a near lock to be selected though.

damn the US has some riduculosuly good young attacking talent coming up the ranks :(.....Pulisic too obviously

[Blackjack15]

2 hours ago, Ivan said:

I thought I read somewhere that Akinola didn't make the preliminary roster for the US U17s?

Where did you hear that? 

[harrycoyster]

2 hours ago, Ivan said:

I thought I read somewhere that Akinola didn't make the preliminary roster for the US U17s?

He was left out of the team during a recent set of friendlies due to injury. Maybe you are thinking of that. He's still very much in the US u17 picture.

1 hour ago, Floortom said:

damn the US has some riduculosuly good young attacking talent coming up the ranks :(.....Pulisic too obviously

For whatever reason the US has been producing incredible youth attacking talent recently. Transitioning to the pro game is always a different story however. The US 2015 u17 attackers (Pulisic, Wright, Perez) were every bit as good as their current u17 players and only Pulisic has lived up to his talent so far. Haji Wright is on loan in the 2. Bundesliga and Josh Perez is in the third tier in Italy.

I guess you can afford that at the rate they are producing. I know many think that the US 2019 u17 class (Busio, Reyna, Pynadath) will be the best off the three cycles. The rise of the US youth program in the attack has coincided with a pretty significant drop in defending talent...like our youth teams the US is top heavy at basically every youth level.

Edited September 15, 2017 by harrycoyster

[Ivan]

49 minutes ago, harrycoyster said:

He was left out of the team during a recent set of friendlies due to injury. Maybe you are thinking of that. He's still very much in the US u17 picture.

Yeah, maybe.  Thanks.

[harrycoyster]

Ayo was just called up to the final US training camp before the u17 World Cup. Timmy Weah declined the call-up to play in the UEFA youth CL, but I'm pretty certain Bryan Reynolds will be the player cut for him when the tournament rolls around. 

FORWARDS (6): Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Ulysses Llanez (LA Galaxy; Lynwood, Calif.), Jacobo Reyes (C.F. Monterrey; Houston, Texas), Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; O'Fallon, Mo.)                

[One American]

13 hours ago, harrycoyster said:

He was left out of the team during a recent set of friendlies due to injury. Maybe you are thinking of that. He's still very much in the US u17 picture.

For whatever reason the US has been producing incredible youth attacking talent recently. Transitioning to the pro game is always a different story however. The US 2015 u17 attackers (Pulisic, Wright, Perez) were every bit as good as their current u17 players and only Pulisic has lived up to his talent so far. Haji Wright is on loan in the 2. Bundesliga and Josh Perez is in the third tier in Italy.

I guess you can afford that at the rate they are producing. I know many think that the US 2019 u17 class (Busio, Reyna, Pynadath) will be the best off the three cycles. The rise of the US youth program in the attack has coincided with a pretty significant drop in defending talent...like our youth teams the US is top heavy at basically every youth level.

I don't actually watch a whole lot of the US YNT. But this is a good summary of what I've read. It's why I've been saying not to worry about Akinola in the long term. It's going to be hard for him to cut it in the numbers game. 

Edited September 16, 2017 by One American

[ChuckMe92]

Llanez is a big recruiting victory for the US Soccer Federation over the FMF, but let's not forget about Jacobo Reyes either. Mexico called up the young Texan not to just U17 camps but even a U18 one. Monterrey has one of the best academies in Liga MX. Reyes is younger than half of Rayados' U17 team yet is a starter for their U20s. A late 2000-born player starting for a U20 Liga MX side, let alone one of the best ones, is rare. His club teammates are '97s, '98s, and '99s. Like Llanez, who has been reported as being coveted by El Tri, Reyes is a case of a player voluntarily choosing the US over Mexico despite Mexico wanting him. It's not a case like Julio Morales who accepted a USMNT callup only because Mexico stopped calling him up.

The upshot of this is the US seems to be loaded with young attacking talent, and it will be a tough path for Akinola when it gets to the US senior level. Canada has a very good shot at him in the long run, and he can still certainly be an asset even if he doesn't quite make it with the US.

[harrycoyster]

1 hour ago, ChuckMe92 said:

Llanez is a big recruiting victory for the US Soccer Federation over the FMF, but let's not forget about Jacobo Reyes either. Mexico called up the young Texan not to just U17 camps but even a U18 one. Monterrey has one of the best academies in Liga MX. Reyes is younger than half of Rayados' U17 team yet is a starter for their U20s. A late 2000-born player starting for a U20 Liga MX side, let alone one of the best ones, is rare. His club teammates are '97s, '98s, and '99s. Like Llanez, who has been reported as being coveted by El Tri, Reyes is a case of a player voluntarily choosing the US over Mexico despite Mexico wanting him. It's not a case like Julio Morales who accepted a USMNT callup only because Mexico stopped calling him up.

The upshot of this is the US seems to be loaded with young attacking talent, and it will be a tough path for Akinola when it gets to the US senior level. Canada has a very good shot at him in the long run, and he can still certainly be an asset even if he doesn't quite make it with the US.

The FMF was reportedly very upset about losing Llanez, who was offered a "major" role by the Mexican u17s despite playing a year up (Mexico typically doesn't let players move up in age groups...they didn't have a single 2001 in their u17 qualifying team). Reyes isn't held in the same regard. Jacobo Reyes is good, but the major recruiting battles between our southern friends are over Llanez, Efrain Alvarez, and Jonathan Gonzalez...all of whom are as good as prospects get in North America. 

You never know how kids will translate at the pro level, but you'd imagine Akinola has realized he isn't likely to be a US senior mainstay, he's like maybe the 10th best attacking prospect the US has in the 1998-2002 age range. He'd instantly become our third best attacking prospect in the age range behind Davies and Millar.

Edited September 16, 2017 by harrycoyster

[Ivan]

I haven't actually seen Akinola play (if I have watched a game I don't recall it anyway), but I came away impressed with Jonathan David after watching the U17 qualifiers.  You think Akinola is better than David?

[jpg75]

Tabla's a '99 (yes it's not looking good for us at the moment, but he's still capped to us) and i would think he's a better prospect than Akinola.

[Keegan]

1 minute ago, jpg75 said:

Tabla's a '99 (yes it's not looking good for us at the moment, but he's still capped to us) and i would think he's a better prospect than Akinola.

Also, Shaan Hundal

[badname22]

16 minutes ago, Keegan said:

Also, Shaan Hundal

and liam miller

[harrycoyster]

2 hours ago, jpg75 said:

Tabla's a '99 (yes it's not looking good for us at the moment, but he's still capped to us) and i would think he's a better prospect than Akinola.

You're right I forgot about Tabla.

2 hours ago, Keegan said:

Also, Shaan Hundal

Akinola is a better prospect than Hundal. I think Hundal will have a good MLS career and might end up being the better player if Ayo doesn't pan out, but he has a lower ceiling. Akinola's skill set (finishing, hold-up play) projects well to the professional game, even as his size advantage disappears. Hundal's major assets are speed and agility, which are probably the least transferable skills from USL to MLS, due to the increase in the speed of the game. Hundal's potential is capped unless he develops a level of finishing and passing he has yet to show in USL. Akinola still has Jozy Altidore potential, even if he's been outshined by the USA's 5 star striker prospects of Sargent and Weah.

[ChuckMe92]

9 hours ago, harrycoyster said:

The FMF was reportedly very upset about losing Llanez, who was offered a "major" role by the Mexican u17s despite playing a year up (Mexico typically doesn't let players move up in age groups...they didn't have a single 2001 in their u17 qualifying team). Reyes isn't held in the same regard. Jacobo Reyes is good, but the major recruiting battles between our southern friends are over Llanez, Efrain Alvarez, and Jonathan Gonzalez...all of whom are as good as prospects get in North America. 

You never know how kids will translate at the pro level, but you'd imagine Akinola has realized he isn't likely to be a US senior mainstay, he's like maybe the 10th best attacking prospect the US has in the 1998-2002 age range. He'd instantly become our third best attacking prospect in the age range behind Davies and Millar.

Totally fair. I didn't intend to say Reyes was coveted by Mexico to the great extent that Llanez was, just that Reyes would certainly be good enough for El Tri youth teams and has been called up by them, but chose the US. He is a good prospect but not quite as good as Llanez. Both are better prospects than Akinola.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

30 minutes ago, harrycoyster said:

You're right I forgot about Tabla.

Akinola is a better prospect than Hundal. I think Hundal will have a good MLS career and might end up being the better player if Ayo doesn't pan out, but he has a lower ceiling. Akinola's skill set (finishing, hold-up play) projects well to the professional game, even as his size advantage disappears. Hundal's major assets are speed and agility, which are probably the least transferable skills from USL to MLS, due to the increase in the speed of the game. Hundal's potential is capped unless he develops a level of finishing and passing he has yet to show in USL. Akinola still has Jozy Altidore potential, even if he's been outshined by the USA's 5 star striker prospects of Sargent and Weah.

I thought Hundal looked better than Akinola last year when they were both playing for TFCII. I didn't see anything from Akinola at TFCII other than him use his pace. I've haven't seen a second of him for the yanks. 

[One American]

Keep in mind, too, that the USA also has a couple of promising dual-national attackers of considerable who are not in the fold at this time. Tim Tillman is 19 and has been the subject of quarreling between Barcelona and his current club Munich. Sam Shashoua made the bench for the last game of 2016-7 for Tottenham at 17. 

[ChuckMe92]

Akinola made the USA's final roster for the U17 World Cup. So did Reyes. Sargent (just signed with Werder Bremen and reports of possibly joining their first team by next season), Weah (signed pro deal with PSG), and Carleton (debuted in MLS) are the stars. Somewhat shockingly, Llanez was cut and will only travel as an injury replacement.

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/09/21/16/40/20170921-news-u17mnt-world-cup-roster-release

FORWARDS (6): Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Jacobo Reyes (C.F. Monterrey; Houston, Texas), Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; O'Fallon, Mo.), Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Rosedale, N.Y.)

The "hometown" is what's listed by each player. Akinola is the only one of those who wasn't really raised in the US. He was born in Detroit, which automatically gave him US citizenship, and moved to his hometown Brampton before his first birthday.

[ChuckMe92]

On 9/16/2017 at 7:30 PM, One American said:

Keep in mind, too, that the USA also has a couple of promising dual-national attackers of considerable who are not in the fold at this time. Tim Tillman is 19 and has been the subject of quarreling between Barcelona and his current club Munich. Sam Shashoua made the bench for the last game of 2016-7 for Tottenham at 17. 

US could definitely get those two. Germany and England are loaded with young attacking talent. Even if they are eventually good enough for those senior teams, the US could entice them with a a senior callup much sooner.

Another one to keep in mind is France U21 international Jordan Siebatcheu, the best player on Stade de Reims, the leaders of Ligue 2. He's currently the second-leading scorer in Ligue 2 with 5 goals, and has 4 assists as well. But France is so ridiculously stacked with young attacking talent that his future very may well lie with the USMNT, which he has already expressed interest in. Siebatcheu would be a big pickup for the US, and a very realistic one as long as he doesn't reach the level of Griezmann, Lacazette, Mbappe, Coman, Martial, both Dembeles, etc.

Yet another one to keep in mind is Germany U17 Maurice Malone. Just named to Germany's final U17 World Cup squad. He's the next big German-American after Tillman. But he hasn't been a starter for their youth teams, just mostly a sub, so his future may well lie with the US as well.

The upshot of all this is Akinola is likely to be a Canadian international in the long run.

Edited September 21, 2017 by ChuckMe92

[harrycoyster]

3 minutes ago, ChuckMe92 said:

US could definitely get those two. Germany and England are loaded with young attacking talent. Even if they are eventually good enough for those senior teams, the US could entice them with a a senior callup much sooner.

Another one to keep in mind is France U21 international Jordan Siebatcheu, the best player on Stade de Reims, the leaders of Ligue 2. He's currently the second-leading scorer in Ligue 2 with 5 goals, and has 4 assists as well. But France is so ridiculously stacked with young attacking talent that his future very may well lie with the USMNT, which he has already expressed interest in. Siebatcheu would be a big pickup for the US, and a very realistic one as long as he doesn't reach the level of Griezmann, Lacazette, Mbappe, Coman, Martial, both Dembeles, etc.

Yet another one to keep in mind is Germany U17 Maurice Malone. Just named to Germany's final U17 World Cup squad. He's the next big German-American after Tillman. But he hasn't been a starter for their youth teams, just mostly a sub, so his future may well lie with the US as well.

The upshot of all this is Akinola is likely to be a Canadian international in the long run.

That's very just the tip of the iceberg too. The amount of US eligible English and German youth players is dizzying. IIRC 5 players got German u17 caps last year that were US eligible.

It's the lesser thought about advantage of having 100,000 men placed on military bases in foreign countries I guess.

[harrycoyster]

22 minutes ago, ChuckMe92 said:

Akinola made the USA's final roster for the U17 World Cup. So did Reyes. Sargent (just signed with Werder Bremen and reports of possibly joining their first team by next season), Weah (signed pro deal with PSG), and Carleton (debuted in MLS) are the stars. Somewhat shockingly, Llanez was cut and will only travel as an injury replacement.

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/09/21/16/40/20170921-news-u17mnt-world-cup-roster-release

FORWARDS (6): Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Jacobo Reyes (C.F. Monterrey; Houston, Texas), Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; O'Fallon, Mo.), Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Rosedale, N.Y.)

The "hometown" is what's listed by each player. Akinola is the only one of those who wasn't really raised in the US. He was born in Detroit, which automatically gave him US citizenship, and moved to his hometown Brampton before his first birthday.

Llanez has a hamstring injury and didn't even travel to the US camp from what I can tell.

[Blackjack15]

Has Akinola ever said publicly he'd be open to representing Canada at the senior level? He seems very sold on the USMNT