Ayo Akinola

[Bertuzzi44]

I contend Hoilett definitely benefited from joining Canada. If you recall, this was years ago and his career had really stalled. After joining Canada he started to play a lot better and eventually made it back to the Prem.

[Free kick]

On 12/6/2023 at 7:39 PM, Obinna said:

In 2020, Akinola got hot at the MLS is back tournament and uncharacteristically scored 5 goals in 3 games. We strip that out and we're left with 4 goals in 13 MLS regular season appearances. 

Stats wise, that is not much different than Jordan Hamilton scoring 4 goals in 14 MLS regular season apperances (2019).

 

But that right there is big difference.  And reinforces my point.   Plus there was a big difference (as i recall) in the significance and relevance of the goals scored by each player in statistical comparison that you indicated. 

[RS]

Scored against Columbus yesterday. These highlights make it look like he was lively (hard to tell from highly edited social media videos, of course).

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3MNS3QrRlU/

[Unnamed Trialist]

15 hours ago, RS said:

Scored against Columbus yesterday. These highlights make it look like he was lively (hard to tell from highly edited social media videos, of course).

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3MNS3QrRlU/

Still looks heavy to me. I know it may not be fair, since he is very thick, and it is no uncommon to really work the gym for legs after the type of injury he had. But the girth looks like it could be shredded a bit. 

Could the guy do a pullup? How many?

[dyslexic nam]

4 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Still looks heavy to me. I know it may not be fair, since he is very thick, and it is no uncommon to really work the gym for legs after the type of injury he had. But the girth looks like it could be shredded a bit. 

Could the guy do a pullup? How many?

That’s my problem too.  Just too much girth.  

[Unnamed Trialist]

29 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

That’s my problem too.  Just too much girth.  

Your problem with Ayo or your problem with you?

I mention pull-ups because I decided such a thing sounded appetizing, back in October, then promptly discovered my girth and lack of shredded muscle meant I could not do one. Or maybe one, like if I fasted, took off my belt and shoes, and got lucky with barometric pressure. 

Now thanks to the proverbial calisthenics videos I have really improved, am getting up there, but especially this: aspiring to pull ups is a great motivator to keep your weight down.

I hope everyone is getting how pathetic this is when we are talking about a well-paid pro athlete.

[Bigandy]

22 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Your problem with Ayo or your problem with you?

I mention pull-ups because I decided such a thing sounded appetizing, back in October, then promptly discovered my girth and lack of shredded muscle meant I could not do one. Or maybe one, like if I fasted, took off my belt and shoes, and got lucky with barometric pressure. 

Now thanks to the proverbial calisthenics videos I have really improved, am getting up there, but especially this: aspiring to pull ups is a great motivator to keep your weight down.

I hope everyone is getting how pathetic this is when we are talking about a well-paid pro athlete.

I get your point, but pull ups favor a bigger upper body and a smaller lower body. The opposite of soccer players. I'd also argue that pull ups arent great for soccer specific training so its a bit of a waste of time to focus on pull ups. Theres pro hockey players who cannot do a pull up either and their sport favours this type of exercise way more than soccer. 

I wouldnt use a pull up as a metric for how fit a soccer player is. 

Having said that, ayo is girthy and could use some extra fitness training. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 minute ago, Bigandy said:

I get your point, but pull ups favor a bigger upper body and a smaller lower body. The opposite of soccer players. I'd also argue that pull ups arent great for soccer specific training so its a bit of a waste of time to focus on pull ups. Theres pro hockey players who cannot do a pull up either and their sport favours this type of exercise way more than soccer. 

I wouldnt use a pull up as a metric for how fit a soccer player is. 

Having said that, ayo is girthy and could use some extra fitness training. 

Now I'm sad about my pullups, because you are right, of course.

What you say about no hockey player being able to do a pull-up is concerning though.

I mean, pull-ups, here I was thinking they were cool.

[Bigandy]

3 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Now I'm sad about my pullups, because you are right, of course.

What you say about no hockey player being able to do a pull-up is concerning though.

I mean, pull-ups, here I was thinking they were cool.

Pull ups are cool! However, if you or I cannot complete them, its 100% because we have soccer player builds and absolutely nothing to do with an appreciation for pizza or beer....

[Unnamed Trialist]

7 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Pull ups are cool! However, if you or I cannot complete them, its 100% because we have soccer player builds and absolutely nothing to do with an appreciation for pizza or beer....

I have decided to eliminate all excuses, now in my 7th decade of life, and am going for it. Not fully extended, I am up to doing three series of six.

 

[Bigandy]

7 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I have decided to eliminate all excuses, now in my 7th decade of life, and am going for it. Not fully extended, I am up to doing three series of six.

 

Thats fantastic!  Congrats on the hard work! 

[Unnamed Trialist]

3 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Thats fantastic!  Congrats on the hard work! 

It's all pathetic in a sweet dad bod way.

We'll do a Voyageurs challenge next World Cup, in Vancouver we'll go up the Grouse Grind the day before.

Ayo, I hope you are reading this...

 

Edited February 12 by Unnamed Trialist

[narduch]

Getting a half hour run out for TFC 

[Atlantic]

I know it’s 30 minutes of one game but I think his time as an MLS striker is soon over, he just doesn’t look capable of performing at this level 

Edited February 25 by Atlantic

[Ally McCoist]

Can we launch this guy outta here and into the CPL please? He is so finished. This guy looks gassed all the time and runs at the speed of a sloth.

Edited February 25 by Ally McCoist

[narduch]

1 minute ago, Atlantic said:

I know it’s 30 minutes of one game but I think his time as an MLS striker is soon over, he just doesn’t look capable of performing at this level 

Not sure he is even good enough for CPL 

[dyslexic nam]

My PVR apparently cut off after 20 minutes so can’t rewatch it (I switched to the U20s).  This all sounds pretty bleak and like he picked up right where he left off last season.  I find it baffling that he wouldn’t put the work in to hit the necessary fitness targets.  Kid is making $700k per year and can’t put in the required work?  Damn.

It is depressing that he is on track to flame out of MLS after getting one solid contract.   Maybe that is a bit premature but if he really is in the same condition that he was in last year (which was nowhere near what is required at that level) I just don’t see him suddenly course correcting and pulling it all together.  

[PastPros]

Today's Apple TV announcer questioned his official weight.🫣

[Obinna]

Ayo isn't terrible, I think we just need to lower our expectations. Will get ever be a mainstay for the national team? I doubt it. Will he get any more caps in the future? Possibly.

I don't think a lack of speed is a big problem, because he wasn't the fastest to begin with, so he didn't lose a big part of his game now that he's lost a step. He's still the same player: tries to use his frame to hold the ball up and then relies on his movement off the ball, but a half step slower I think.

More worrying for me is his decision making on the ball. It's inconsistent and sometimes he seems to lack vision, not seeing a pass but then by the time he sees it and plays the ball the gap has closed. This happened a few times today. Maybe that's rust and he shakes it off as he gets sharper physically and mentally.

Edited February 25 by Obinna

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, narduch said:

Not sure he is too good enough for CPL 

FYP

Ayo can definitely play and do well in the CPL, but I wouldn't say he's too good for it like some of our other strikers, like Ugbo or Bair.

The level he is at now is fine IMO.

[blueseeka]

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

My PVR apparently cut off after 20 minutes so can’t rewatch it (I switched to the U20s).  This all sounds pretty bleak and like he picked up right where he left off last season.  I find it baffling that he wouldn’t put the work in to hit the necessary fitness targets.  Kid is making $700k per year and can’t put in the required work?  Damn.

Game is available for free on Apple. Just need to log into an apple account and can watch it. TFC looked much more well structured today under Herdman

[BearcatSA]

6 hours ago, Obinna said:

I don't think a lack of speed is a big problem, because he wasn't the fastest to begin with, so he didn't lose a big part of his game now that he's lost a step. He's still the same player: tries to use his frame to hold the ball up and then relies on his movement off the ball, but a half step slower I think.

When he was scoring in his break out season (MIB), I thought that his stock in trade was a sneaky burst of pace/separation to run onto through balls and put them away.  He doesn't have that separation burst/anticipation anymore.  I felt that he struggled with the technical parts of his game with regards to hold up play and protecting possession, either by keep the ball or drawing fouls in the process.  

[Shway]

11 hours ago, dyslexic nam said:

Kid is making $700k per year and can’t put in the required work?  Damn.

This is my biggest frustration with him. You would think that in his contract year, and after being shipped out for shitting the bed, he would put in the necessary work to be physically in his prime...but nope he looks the same. 

You're not the overgrown kid playing with other kids smaller than you...you are now the overweight and overpaid man who's career is going to take a 180 turn.

At 24, 5'10 and 200Lbs and an ACL injury...I hope he has done well with his money because he'll either be in the CPL/USL or someone will give him a veterans 90K minimum (what Kerr who is 2 years younger is currently being paid)

[Obinna]

4 hours ago, Shway said:

This is my biggest frustration with him. You would think that in his contract year, and after being shipped out for shitting the bed, he would put in the necessary work to be physically in his prime...but nope he looks the same. 

You're not the overgrown kid playing with other kids smaller than you...you are now the overweight and overpaid man who's career is going to take a 180 turn.

At 24, 5'10 and 200Lbs and an ACL injury...I hope he has done well with his money because he'll either be in the CPL/USL or someone will give him a veterans 90K minimum (what Kerr who is 2 years younger is currently being paid)

Ayo won't go from 600k to 90k, but realistically that's the type of contract in line with his current ability. I'd like to think he still has a future in MLS, but next contract will probably have to be closer to 200k, maybe slightly below that.

He's had multiple seasons at 600k USD, so while that's not something you can retire on, it's a lot of money that should hopefully have set him up nicely.

 

[Obinna]

9 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

When he was scoring in his break out season (MIB), I thought that his stock in trade was a sneaky burst of pace/separation to run onto through balls and put them away.  He doesn't have that separation burst/anticipation anymore.  I felt that he struggled with the technical parts of his game with regards to hold up play and protecting possession, either by keep the ball or drawing fouls in the process.  

I do agree with this actually. And since the rest of his game needed work, he's very much an average player at the moment. That burst of pace meant he was promising even with average ability in most areas.

If I can be an optimist for a second, let me say that while he is inconsistent, at he is capable of some very good combination play at times. He's still relatively young, so maybe he learns to be more consistent and more focused mentally. When you do your ACL, or have some other major injury, you are forced to use your brain more anyways, so maybe that speeds up the process.