Stephen Eustaquio

[LeoH037]

8 hours ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Good lord this man can ball. No doubt about it, he could have stayed with Portugal and played for them... unlike Ferreira.

He's sort of like a Michael Bradley. I can't wait to see him lead our midfield.

I agree, he was and is good enough to play for them, its why getting him to commit is a coup, even if it goes a bit under the radar

[Shway]

Portugals midfield is no slump....they have lottssss of guys playing in/at top quality leagues and clubs. If you don't play for Sporting, Benfica, or Porto....you're not considered. 

Nevertheless, I'm glad we have him.

[LeoH037]

If he hadn't had that freak Injury at CA (or arguably had not gone to CA to begin with), it think it's likely he'd be in a top 4 European League by now. He was a standout in a youth team full of current Portugal stars for a reason.

[Strait Red]

Article from Portuguese website, use the google translate function 

https://goalpoint.pt/eustaquio-coracao-e-cerebro-do-pacos_98359

[Obinna]

3 hours ago, Strait Red said:

Article from Portuguese website, use the google translate function 

https://goalpoint.pt/eustaquio-coracao-e-cerebro-do-pacos_98359

My favourite sentence:

And play for the National Team? Too late. Eustáquio is an Under-21 international for Portugal, but at senior level he has already played a game for the national team of Canada . That's when we have to follow him on the international stage.

[Dominic94]

7 hours ago, Obinna said:

My favourite sentence:

And play for the National Team? Too late. Eustáquio is an Under-21 international for Portugal, but at senior level he has already played a game for the national team of Canada . That's when we have to follow him on the international stage.

If he’s playing that well a move to a bigger club will follow, if he even reaches Atiba level in terms of talent it’s massive for us. If he is actually good enough to play for Portugal is he not better than anyone the US has in the midfield, or are Adams and McKennie that good ?

[LeoH037]

Different players, but Adams is pretty damn good

[N1ckbr0wn]

29 minutes ago, Dominic94 said:

If he’s playing that well a move to a bigger club will follow, if he even reaches Atiba level in terms of talent it’s massive for us. If he is actually good enough to play for Portugal is he not better than anyone the US has in the midfield, or are Adams and McKennie that good ?

McKennie, Adams and Reyna are all real good. So is Stephen though, they all bring different things to the table. Ask me in 5 years I guess because all 4 are real promising 

[Bertuzzi44]

I love Eustaquio, but let's pump the brakes a bit here. Adams is younger and plays for a much better team in a better league. Same goes for McKennie. The Americans also have two 17 year-olds (6 years younger than Stephen!) playing at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia respectively in Reyna and Musah.

I would take all those players over Eustaquio at this point if I am being honest.  

[Floortom]

6 hours ago, Bertuzzi44 said:

I love Eustaquio, but let's pump the brakes a bit here. Adams is younger and plays for a much better team in a better league. Same goes for McKennie. The Americans also have two 17 year-olds (6 years younger than Stephen!) playing at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia respectively in Reyna and Musah.

I would take all those players over Eustaquio at this point if I am being honest.  

Probably me too. McKennie though I must be missing something. I’ve never been impressed when I’ve watched him but he keeps getting more successful and moving up so there’s obviously something there I’m not seeing.

but yes - let’s see where Esutaquio can end up in another year or two. 

[LeoH037]

On 11/4/2020 at 1:25 AM, Bertuzzi44 said:

I love Eustaquio, but let's pump the brakes a bit here. Adams is younger and plays for a much better team in a better league. Same goes for McKennie. The Americans also have two 17 year-olds (6 years younger than Stephen!) playing at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia respectively in Reyna and Musah.

I would take all those players over Eustaquio at this point if I am being honest.  

I dunno, I'd argue Eustaquio is on the same level as Adams, or at least was in the same trajectory prior to his injury. Also, neither Mackenie nor Adams (at least from what I can tell so far, and I do watch me quite a bit of Bundesliga and Juve) have Eustaquio's touch or his passing range/accuracy. if he can stand out and be the best player on the pitch against the likes of Porto/Benfica/Sporting then he has the quality to compete in a top 5 league. The guy is a workhorse too, and it won't be at all surprising if he is able to make up for that year he was forced to be sidelined. I don't see his long term future with either Cruz Azul or Pacos. So far this season he is the only Primeira Liga player to have 3 MOTM performances, and be in the League's best XI, and it's still a young season. Pacos are relatively high on the table too, and no doubt he is a big reason for that. I hope he is able to transfer to a team that competes in Europe in the near future. This season is huge for him, and its clear he knows it.

Edited November 5, 2020 by LeoH037

[Obinna]

On 11/3/2020 at 11:25 PM, Bertuzzi44 said:

I love Eustaquio, but let's pump the brakes a bit here. Adams is younger and plays for a much better team in a better league. Same goes for McKennie. The Americans also have two 17 year-olds (6 years younger than Stephen!) playing at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia respectively in Reyna and Musah.

I would take all those players over Eustaquio at this point if I am being honest.  

I originally agreed with this, but LeoH37 makes a good case. It is tempting to look at age and club and declare one player over another. The temptation is in the potential of a player who is at a big club at such a young age. In reality, nothing is guaranteed. Many players start out at big clubs or start with big potential and never hit the trajectory people expect.

Hoilett is a good example. He was not at a big club like Dortmund or Barcelona, but Blackburn were a stable Premier League club and he was their star player at 20/21 years old. That is a really big deal. There was every reason to believe he would transfer to an Arsenal or a Chelsea or some other similarly big club, but he instead chose a very ambitious QPR who ultimately failed to live up to their billing and Hoilett kind of got swallowed up in that. Sure, he went on to a very solid career, I bet he is amongst the leaders in terms of games played in the EPL for concacaf players, but he never turned into a world class player, which is the hope people have for Reyna, Dest, Adams, McKennie, etc. None of those guys are there yet. Perhaps they all will be. Perhaps none of them will be. Perhaps it will be a mixed bag. We just don't know.

I would say Pulisic is already there, if not he is on the cusp. Same goes for Davies I would say, who has a lot he needs to improve, which is kind of scary for everyone and good for us. 

So going back to Eustaquio, I am buying what LeoH37 is selling here. You have to look at his performances. It is starting to look like he is a Sporting/Benfica/Porto level player who is not yet at one of those clubs. And if he were I bet our tune would change. We would quickly be comparing him to McKennie or Adams. He is actually only 2 years older than Weston and basically 2.5 years older than Adams, so it is not too much of a stretch to put him in that generation of players, or close to it anyway.

And although both of those American players are obviously at much larger clubs, they play much smaller roles. Would both of them have a similar impact to Eustaquio in Portugal with Pacos? Probably. Would Eustaquio be useful as a rotational player for Juventus, or a dependable starter for Leipzig? Probably. At least it is in the realm of possibility.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Obinna

[Bertuzzi44]

^ Well, then one could just use that logic with Eustaquio as well, right? He's doing very well, but outside of the big 3, the portugese league is nowhere near the competition you'll see in Serie A, La Liga, or the Bundesliga. 

People saying they would take stephen (who is at pacos) over guys like Adams and McKennie, who are younger and actually play at a much higher level (Leipzig and Juventus) is a bit of a head scratcher.

Anyway, one thing we can all agree on I'm sure is Eustqauio looks great and hopefully can move up and have the same impact at a higher level! 

[Ansem]

Eustaquio took a club flirting with relegation (without him they would have been) and elevated them to mid-table team with a shot at Europa.

I mean, you can't just say this guy plays in Bundesliga and the other in Serie A = he's better. Eustaquio's impact stands out way more in my opinion. Watching him tear apart Porto's midfield was a thing of beauty.

He can play Top 4 league football. Cruz Azul are about lose him for nothing and you'll see clubs line up for him. Even if he stays in Portugal with Benfica, Sporting or Porto, that's huge

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by Ansem

[Obinna]

33 minutes ago, Bertuzzi44 said:

^ Well, then one could just use that logic with Eustaquio as well, right? He's doing very well, but outside of the big 3, the portugese league is nowhere near the competition you'll see in Serie A, La Liga, or the Bundesliga. 

People saying they would take stephen (who is at pacos) over guys like Adams and McKennie, who are younger and actually play at a much higher level (Leipzig and Juventus) is a bit of a head scratcher.

Anyway, one thing we can all agree on I'm sure is Eustqauio looks great and hopefully can move up and have the same impact at a higher level! 

Not really sure that is the same logic I am using. It sounds like the opposite. Regardless though, I agree he looks good and I am with you in hoping he moves up a level and shows what he can do. 

[Corazon]

Is Jonathan David a better player now that he plays for the current top team in France instead of in Belgium last year?

I would say the step up to a top 5 league in Europe is usually going to lead to progression in the long term.  David in the past few seasons was instrumental with Gent.  Eustaquio is having a similar impact with a less quality club in Portugal (even more impressive). 

I'm not here to say Eustaquio is better than McKennie or Adams but playing in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe doesn't necessarily automatically make you a better player than players playing in the next tier of European football leagues.  This time last year, Dani Olmo was playing for Zagreb while Tyler Adams was already nearly 12 months on at Leipzig.    Is/was Adams better than Olmo because Olmo was playing for "lowly" Zagreb?  Olmo joined midway through last season during a pandemic and then proceeded to play more and have a greater impact than Adams had for the remainder of the season.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Corazon

[PiedPilko]

I've been the biggest fan of Eustaquio from the beginning, but I think this is a bit extreme. Playing in a bigger league definitely doesn't make you better than someone who doesn't, but the reason we use it is because of what it indicates. If you play for a big team in a big league, it means someone who should be pretty good at their job thought you were good enough to be there, and if you succeed, it's a pretty good indicator that you're talented.

Would it be possible for Eustaquio to succeed in the same position? Yeah, for sure, but we haven't seen it yet. Keep in mind, I think we're overreacting to the Porto game, because he's been just as good all year! People say he struggled after his knee injury, but I never noticed that.  His ability to pick out what he needs to do and execute within seconds really sticks out in a sort of mediocre team.

 

I think he'll move on to a bigger team soon, because he seems too talented not to, but I think whether or not he succeeds at that level will give us the necessary information to make this kind of claim. 

[Obinna]

7 minutes ago, PiedPilko said:

I've been the biggest fan of Eustaquio from the beginning, but I think this is a bit extreme. Playing in a bigger league definitely doesn't make you better than someone who doesn't, but the reason we use it is because of what it indicates. If you play for a big team in a big league, it means someone who should be pretty good at their job thought you were good enough to be there, and if you succeed, it's a pretty good indicator that you're talented.

Would it be possible for Eustaquio to succeed in the same position? Yeah, for sure, but we haven't seen it yet. Keep in mind, I think we're overreacting to the Porto game, because he's been just as good all year! People say he struggled after his knee injury, but I never noticed that.  His ability to pick out what he needs to do and execute within seconds really sticks out in a sort of mediocre team.

 

I think he'll move on to a bigger team soon, because he seems too talented not to, but I think whether or not he succeeds at that level will give us the necessary information to make this kind of claim. 

I agree with this. It is easy for us to get ahead of ourselves after such a good game against Porto.

That said, I am still very bullish on his future and I still do not think it is a stretch to compare him to McKennie or even Adams. I still give those two players the edge because they are younger and are at better clubs, but I would be confident with him in our midfield. And to my earlier point about age and potential, I would even say I would feel confident if we put out a midfield 3 of Hutchinson-Arfield-Eustaquio against Reyna-McKennie-Adams midfield.

If I am building a club team I obviously go with the young Americans, but in a one-off game where potential is not a factor I would feel very comfortable with our group of 3. I call that even or slight advantage USA.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Obinna

[Corazon]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I agree with this. It is easy for us to get ahead of ourselves after such a good game against Porto.

That said, I am still very bullish on his future and I still do not think it is a stretch to compare him to McKennie or even Adams. I still give those two players the edge because they are younger and are at better clubs, but I would be confident with him in our midfield. And to my earlier point about age and potential, I would even say I would feel confident if we put out a midfield 3 of Hutchinson-Arfield-Eustaquio against Reyna-McKennie-Adams midfield.

If I am building a club team I obviously go with the young Americans, but in a one-off game where potential is not a factor I would feel very comfortable with our group of 3. I call that even or slight advantage USA.

Just look what Fraser was able to do vs McKennie and the American midfield last year.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Corazon

[Bertuzzi44]

I'm not saying this player is better than that player, etc, I'm just saying objectively speaking my "homer alert" goes off when people start to claim Eustaquio is better than any American midfielder, especially when they have younger players playing at a higher level. That's all!

He could be better than all of Adams, McKennie, Reyna, Musah, etc, but it will be easier to make those comparisons when he moves up to a better level (like the ones those players are currently at).

I hope he's better than all of them!

Edited November 5, 2020 by Bertuzzi44

[red card]

You also to take into account that Adams isn't a regular starter with Leipzig while Eustaquio is. In 2020, Adams also has come off the bench depending on the match situation rather than being a first choice. Adams isn't a game changer.

I'll wait to see how McKennie does at Juve but he is more in line or is better than Eustaquio. 

Reyna shouldn't be in this mix since he plays much further up the field and hasn't shown much tendency to help out defending.

[Nate3322]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lavanguardia.com/deportes/20201118/49531909148/stephen-eustaquio-el-luso-que-quiere-llevar-a-canada-al-mundial-de-catar.html%3ffacet=amp

Interesting interview on Eustaquio it's in Spanish so you'll have to translate it. He seems to be really happy and excited to play for Canada and he says that goal for the NT is to qualify for the World Cup. Also claims that we are playing Panama in January.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Nate3322
Spelling

[BrennanFan]

 

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Edited November 20, 2020 by BrennanFan

[BrennanFan]

2 minutes ago, BrennanFan said:

His quote re. CMNT from above article:

The Canadian coach called me as an U21, but I was already playing for Portugal. I looked at Portugal with their many good players, and on the other side was a nation that gave me everything until I was 7, and a coach who really liked me. I started to think about how I could help Canada. The things presented to me were magnificent and I an really happy. I believe we can compete in many competitions, including Qatar 2022.

We will have a camp in January because in America (the continent) play stops then and there is a chance for a short camp. In January we will play Panama, then in March we begin qualifying for Qatar. 

 

 

[Obinna]

Does short camp make anyone else think European players may be involved, or am I reaching?