Ayo Akinola

[Kadenge]

19 minutes ago, Bertuzzi44 said:

Yes but why switch for an imaginary game?

March is coming 😊

[Canadian Chuck]

This news is pretty big for the chances of Akinola going to Canada. Siebatcheu is a former France U21 who was born by chance in the US and then raised in France. He may be the top striker in the Swiss league this season and also scored three goals against Bayer Leverkusen in Europa League. Siebatcheu is immediately near or at the top of the striker depth chart for the USA.

Also, Josh Sargent and Daryl Dike have each scored three goals in the last few weeks for Bremen in the Bundesliga and Barnsley in the English Championship. They are beginning to step up. Just cannot see Ayo named to the USMNT for the near future ahead of them unless an MLS-only camp (or maybe a recruiting ploy by the US federation). 

 

[Dominic94]

20 minutes ago, Canadian Chuck said:

This news is pretty big for the chances of Akinola going to Canada. Siebatcheu is a former France U21 who was born by chance in the US and then raised in France. He may be the top striker in the Swiss league this season and also scored three goals against Bayer Leverkusen in Europa League. Siebatcheu is immediately near or at the top of the striker depth chart for the USA.

Also, Josh Sargent and Daryl Dike have each scored three goals in the last few weeks for Bremen in the Bundesliga and Barnsley in the English Championship. They are beginning to step up. Just cannot see Ayo named to the USMNT for the near future ahead of them unless an MLS-only camp (or maybe a recruiting ploy by the US federation). 

 

Writing is on the wall now, he’s not even the best commit they could get. I’m pretty sure the Swiss league is stronger.

[Canadian Chuck]

6 minutes ago, Dominic94 said:

Writing is on the wall now, he’s not even the best commit they could get. I’m pretty sure the Swiss league is stronger.

Yeah, they are trying to get Folarin Balogun given England's striker depth. Balogun has actually played for the US already at youth level. Balogun and Siebatcheu would secure that position for the US even though neither was developed by the US.

[Dominic94]

1 minute ago, Canadian Chuck said:

Yeah, they are trying to get Folarin Balogun given England's striker depth. Balogun has actually played for the US already at youth level. Balogun and Siebatcheu would secure that position for the US even though neither was developed by the US.

A little crazy, but I did know about Balgoun. 
 

I just don’t see how at this point he doesn’t commit.

[TFC2017]

Cmon Ayo, do the right thing

[CanadaFan123]

And this is the competition he’s faced with at 20. All strikers around his age and that pool will inevitably grow year by year. Above all else, he is Canadian and it would be crazy if he didn’t pick us.

[Canadian Chuck]

3 minutes ago, Dominic94 said:

A little crazy, but I did know about Balgoun. 
 

I just don’t see how at this point he doesn’t commit.

The United States inherently has so many global connections that it can patch developmental shortcomings by simply recruiting foreign-raised dual-nats. John Brooks, Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers in defense; Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Owen Otasowie in midfield; Siebatcheu, Balogun, Akinola in the attack, and so on. Hopefully they drop Akinola.

[Dominic94]

2 minutes ago, Canadian Chuck said:

The United States inherently has so many global connections that it can patch developmental shortcomings by simply recruiting foreign-raised dual-nats. John Brooks, Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers in defense; Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Owen Otasowie in midfield; Siebatcheu, Balogun, Akinola in the attack, and so on. Hopefully they drop Akinola.

I won’t lie Dest picking the US was a shock, he would have be the Holland right back and won a World Cup.

 

agreed on your other points, at some point the smaller nation duals won’t commit.

[Kent]

2 hours ago, Dominic94 said:

I won’t lie Dest picking the US was a shock, he would have be the Holland right back and won a World Cup.

 

agreed on your other points, at some point the smaller nation duals won’t commit.

I don't mean to derail, but what? Netherlands is obviously a great soccer nation, but they have never won a World Cup and didn't even qualify for 2018. What makes you so sure they would win a World Cup during Dest's career if he committed to them? Yes they have 3 top 4 finishes in the last 6 editions, but it's still quite a leap of faith to say they will (or would have with Dest) win in the next few World Cups.

[Dominic94]

8 minutes ago, Kent said:

I don't mean to derail, but what? Netherlands is obviously a great soccer nation, but they have never won a World Cup and didn't even qualify for 2018. What makes you so sure they would win a World Cup during Dest's career if he committed to them? Yes they have 3 top 4 finishes in the last 6 editions, but it's still quite a leap of faith to say they will (or would have with Dest) win in the next few World Cups.

They’re loaded right now, and their young talent is supposed to be their best crop ever. Dest was to be a part of that group. 

[Canadian Chuck]

2 hours ago, CanadaFan123 said:

And this is the competition he’s faced with at 20. All strikers around his age and that pool will inevitably grow year by year. Above all else, he is Canadian and it would be crazy if he didn’t pick us.

Doing some research this is what I found.

 

Jordan Siebatcheu -- perhaps the top striker in Swiss Super League, previous caps for France U21

Josh Sargent -- Bundesliga starter

Matthew Hoppe -- Bundesliga starter

Daryl Dike -- EFL Championship starter

Timothy Weah -- Ligue 1 backup, sometimes a starter paired with David

 

Haji Wright -- Danish Superliga starter, was the league's player of the month in October

Sebastian Soto -- EFL Championship backup

Charlie Kelman -- EFL Championship backup

Jesus Ferreira -- MLS starter

Nicholas Gioacchini -- Ligue 2 starter

 

The first five are pretty clearly ahead of Akinola for now, and the next five are about even with him. Then there's the wild card of Folarin Balogun who the US may get. Average age of about 21 so the writing should be on the wall for Akinola. I wasn't so sure before he would want to switch to us but it should be obvious to him now.

[Dominic94]

16 minutes ago, Canadian Chuck said:

Doing some research this is what I found.

 

Jordan Siebatcheu -- perhaps the top striker in Swiss Super League, previous caps for France U21

Josh Sargent -- Bundesliga starter

Matthew Hoppe -- Bundesliga starter

Daryl Dike -- EFL Championship starter

Timothy Weah -- Ligue 1 backup, sometimes a starter paired with David

 

Haji Wright -- Danish Superliga starter, was the league's player of the month in October

Sebastian Soto -- EFL Championship backup

Charlie Kelman -- EFL Championship backup

Jesus Ferreira -- MLS starter

Nicholas Gioacchini -- Ligue 2 starter

 

The first five are pretty clearly ahead of Akinola for now, and the next five are about even with him. Then there's the wild card of Folarin Balogun who the US may get. Average age of about 21 so the writing should be on the wall for Akinola. I wasn't so sure before he would want to switch to us but it should be obvious to him now.

If he goes to Europe it will help his chances of starting.

 

I watched the Documentary on him and it was a youth coach from Canada who informed the US about him... ironic.

Reality is he’s 4th for us, but if we used Larin on the wing and heck David as a 10 it’s not like Akinola couldn’t start. I also wouldn’t rule out Akinola becoming better than Cavalini and Larin in the near to mid future. Another strong season or even a good start and I would argue he’s #3.

[red card]

None of the above mentioned have done anything at the USMNT level. A couple of them have never been called up.

Sargent & Dike have been in form in the past month. But not much beyond a season. Hoppe hasn't done anything besides 2 matches. Siebatcheu seems to be similar to Zardes style but better technically. 

So, Ayo will always face competition as the US will always have quantity. He will just be part of a rotating group of 4/5 strikers that get called or not until if & when somebody starts stepping up to replace Jozy.

With Canada, he won't be first or second choice today but he won't be facing a guantlet to be selected for the bench.

 

[gator]

I want him to choose Canada because he wants to join this group of up and coming talent, not because his preferred choice is the US but he doesn't like the competition he faces so we are a good plan B!

[Dominic94]

1 hour ago, red card said:

None of the above mentioned have done anything at the USMNT level. A couple of them have never been called up.

Sargent & Dike have been in form in the past month. But not much beyond a season. Hoppe hasn't done anything besides 2 matches. Siebatcheu seems to be similar to Zardes style but better technically. 

So, Ayo will always face competition as the US will always have quantity. He will just be part of a rotating group of 4/5 strikers that get called or not until if & when somebody starts stepping up to replace Jozy.

With Canada, he won't be first or second choice today but he won't be facing a guantlet to be selected for the bench.

 

The reality is that no one in US soccer circles ever saw Ayo’s ceiling as anything worth noting, I don’t even think they saw him as above average in MLS and I’d bet he’s better then they expected.

he’s never been rated by them nor is he rated by them now, they want him and keep in just in case.

By rated I mean that they never really thought he’d be anything great or the best of his crop.

It was always Weah and Sargent, and now they think Dike has a higher ceiling, they love Pepi and Ferreira, and oh wait theres Balgoun and Hoope now...

it’s never been Ayo and it will never be Ayo.

Ayo is around if case they don’t take the pretty girl to the dance.

they want to cap him for the same reason they capped Bunbury, so we don’t get him and they don’t lose out.

I would even argue it’s the same deal for Alvarez and more so Araujo. Bunbury might not be a starter for us not but I’d venture to guess that he would have 20 or so caps, with another 10 in the future.

[LeoH037]

1 hour ago, gator said:

I want him to choose Canada because he wants to join this group of up and coming talent, not because his preferred choice is the US but he doesn't like the competition he faces so we are a good plan B!

Ideally... but personally I'm pragmatic

[gator]

16 minutes ago, LeoH037 said:

Ideally... but personally I'm pragmatic

At the end of the day if he was to choose us and became a useful part of our squad I probably wouldn't care how he arrived,I just feel that wanting to play for a team instead of it being plan B will most likely lead to more success within that program!

[Canadian Chuck]

8 hours ago, Dominic94 said:

The reality is that no one in US soccer circles ever saw Ayo’s ceiling as anything worth noting, I don’t even think they saw him as above average in MLS and I’d bet he’s better then they expected.

he’s never been rated by them nor is he rated by them now, they want him and keep in just in case.

By rated I mean that they never really thought he’d be anything great or the best of his crop.

It was always Weah and Sargent, and now they think Dike has a higher ceiling, they love Pepi and Ferreira, and oh wait theres Balgoun and Hoope now...

it’s never been Ayo and it will never be Ayo.

Ayo is around if case they don’t take the pretty girl to the dance.

they want to cap him for the same reason they capped Bunbury, so we don’t get him and they don’t lose out.

I would even argue it’s the same deal for Alvarez and more so Araujo. Bunbury might not be a starter for us not but I’d venture to guess that he would have 20 or so caps, with another 10 in the future.

It really is remarkable how aggressive the US federation is with dual-nats. Not only the major ones from Europe such as Dest and Musah, but also the likes of Alvarez, Araujo, and Akinola who have little or no path to ever being a starter but they don't want them playing for a rival nation. Araujo is just not going to get much time over Dest, Reggie Cannon, Bryan Reynolds. Nor Alvarez over Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, Richard Ledezma, and so on. Shady tactics aside, their federation has been very effective in this. Almost every recruiting "battle" they win and they're surely still trying with Akinola, even if he is tenth-string depth.

[TFC2017]

US Soccer has a clear goal and that's to be a top 10 nation(In terms of Fifa Rankings) by the time 2026 comes around. I remember seeing this I believe it was Fox Soccer who reported on it. 

 

Them becoming stronger will increase interest in America, interest increasing in America will increase interest in Canada. That's just how it is so I don't mind the USA becoming stronger. 

 

[dyslexic nam]

46 minutes ago, TFC2017 said:

US Soccer has a clear goal and that's to be a top 10 nation(In terms of Fifa Rankings) by the time 2026 comes around. I remember seeing this I believe it was Fox Soccer who reported on it. 

 

Them becoming stronger will increase interest in America, interest increasing in America will increase interest in Canada. That's just how it is so I don't mind the USA becoming stronger. 

 

But capping guys in a predatory manner just to deny competing CONCACAF nations of their services isn’t about becoming stronger - it is just about winning in the short term.   
 

The good news is that anyone with smart advisors who may or may not be in their long term plans will recognize the strategy and resist the siren’s call of they come knocking.   Getting one cap with the US isn’t going to provide any real benefit so a lot of guys in that situation should be realistic about their chances and pursue other options.  

[Dominic94]

2 hours ago, Canadian Chuck said:

It really is remarkable how aggressive the US federation is with dual-nats. Not only the major ones from Europe such as Dest and Musah, but also the likes of Alvarez, Araujo, and Akinola who have little or no path to ever being a starter but they don't want them playing for a rival nation. Araujo is just not going to get much time over Dest, Reggie Cannon, Bryan Reynolds. Nor Alvarez over Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, Richard Ledezma, and so on. Shady tactics aside, their federation has been very effective in this. Almost every recruiting "battle" they win and they're surely still trying with Akinola, even if he is tenth-string depth.

Agreed, I don’t think Alvarez ends up there but it seems like Araujo will and it would be dumb, unless he switches after the olympics ? Dest and Reynolds are going to be starting every game between the 2 of them for the next 10 years, and if neither is a available Cannon is going to be in France... and then I believe Joe Scally is a right back...

[costarg]

2 hours ago, Canadian Chuck said:

It really is remarkable how aggressive the US federation is with dual-nats. Not only the major ones from Europe such as Dest and Musah, but also the likes of Alvarez, Araujo, and Akinola who have little or no path to ever being a starter but they don't want them playing for a rival nation. Araujo is just not going to get much time over Dest, Reggie Cannon, Bryan Reynolds. Nor Alvarez over Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, Richard Ledezma, and so on. Shady tactics aside, their federation has been very effective in this. Almost every recruiting "battle" they win and they're surely still trying with Akinola, even if he is tenth-string depth.

What also helps USMNT is their deep pockets. Like someone said yesterday, when Gonzalez says the US pays $18k per match where Mexico pays $2k. What does Canada offer?  A team trip to McD's?  The decision becomes a little easier for some.

Not sure what the EU nations are paying, but i wouldn't be surprised if they're based more on pride as opposed to $$$.  Might be an easy choice for the mercenary types, and there are loads of those.

[Obinna]

39 minutes ago, Dominic94 said:

Agreed, I don’t think Alvarez ends up there but it seems like Araujo will and it would be dumb, unless he switches after the olympics ? Dest and Reynolds are going to be starting every game between the 2 of them for the next 10 years, and if neither is a available Cannon is going to be in France... and then I believe Joe Scally is a right back...

I don't want to detract from your main point, but I really want to jump in here quickly about Reynolds (and a few others).

I know Roma paid a lot of money for him, but to the best of my knowledge he hasn't played a single game yet. He hasn't even been named to the bench. Should we be putting him in the same category as Dest, who has played more-or-less regularly for Barcelona? Maybe I am ignorant because I haven't seen him play.

I have questions about Joe Scally as well. Again, take it with a grain of salt because I haven't watched him, but how many games has he played since joining Monchengladbach? Still early days and a lot can change, I know, but still...

A lot has to happen for Cannon to move to France. For starters he must impress in Portugal, which is hard to do as a defender playing for a relegation threatened team. 

For the foreseeable future it's Dest and everyone else......

[SthMelbRed]

2 hours ago, costarg said:

What also helps USMNT is their deep pockets. Like someone said yesterday, when Gonzalez says the US pays $18k per match where Mexico pays $2k. What does Canada offer?  A team trip to McD's?  The decision becomes a little easier for some.

Not sure what the EU nations are paying, but i wouldn't be surprised if they're based more on pride as opposed to $$$.  Might be an easy choice for the mercenary types, and there are loads of those.

I can't recall how much they get per player, per game, but I know that the England players collectively donate their playing fees for the national team to charity. It's an easy thing to do when they're all millionaire Premier League players, though.