Noble Okello

[Obinna]

Just now, El Diego said:

I was very harsh on him last match, so I will say that he was better against Montreal. Better at finding space and moving the ball. However, I wouldn't say he was great or even necessarily good. It felt like he lost of a lot of duels he should have won.

For sure. This is a big part of the "work in progress" in my mind - winning more duels.

Like I have said before though, it may just not be who he is as a player.

However, if he keeps improving in those other areas, such as passing and moving, he'll hopefully keep getting looks. With more game time there's more opportunity to get better at winning duels.

Hopefully he rounds off that part of his game, because he can be a real weapon if he manages that.

[canuckgbp]

Okello has been good all game. Good positioning all game. Defensively he has done well, his passing is spot on. His pressure and block on the ball lead to Altidore's goal. 

[Gian-Luca]

He was actually credited with an assist on the goal, even though he didn't actually pass it, it was blasted off his chest. Even so, good play on his part to press which led to the goal.

[Dominic94]

Looks like he was tried in Bradley’s old spot ?

[ag futbol]

10 hours ago, Dominic94 said:

Looks like he was tried in Bradley’s old spot ?

Pretty well, yep. Was mostly a stay-at-home option. 

That was a hard game to evaluate. Neither team played with much in the way of intensity and with a sparse crowd on a Wednesday night there wasn’t much energy in the place. 

Personally, I think that’s Priso’s spot to lose next year. He’s played at a high level and shown the chops that he might be an outstanding pro, perhaps even one that exits for Europe by his early 20’s if his progress continues.

But maybe Okello gets some burn as the backup option or turns into the team utility knife in midfield.Thought he (quietly) played well and the stats seem to suggest the same. I just find myself asking for a bit more intensity and action from a defensive midfielder. Like in the form of recovery runs or tackles. But maybe he’s a Gilberto Silva … where he’s clogging things up and you don’t even realize it?

[El Diego]

Once again, he looked better. No coincidence a run of games is making him more comfortable. The pressure that leads to the Altidore goal was great an exemplifies what he can do. He definitely looked more engaged yesterday. I still think that maybe his best position is higher up the pitch, but not sure.

[An Observer]

He seems to be developing into someone with his reach who is a very difficult person to pass around. The last few matches I have seen him get his long legs to deflect many passes which is great defense.  His intensity is also increasing as per the Altidore goal.  But still has a lot to work on but if he can keep moving in this direction the sky is the limit for him. Maybe he will just be a late bloomer.

[dyslexic nam]

13 minutes ago, An Observer said:

He seems to be developing into someone with his reach who is a very difficult person to pass around. The last few matches I have seen him get his long legs to deflect many passes which is great defense.  His intensity is also increasing as per the Altidore goal.  But still has a lot to work on but if he can keep moving in this direction the sky is the limit for him. Maybe he will just be a late bloomer.

I think he also needs to work on his speed.  I have two tall kids so I know it can be harder for big guys to have explosive energy, but the legacy of tall sprinters tells you that it is possible.  I think it is an area he needs to work on if he want to up his game.  

[RS]

44 minutes ago, ag futbol said:

I just find myself asking for a bit more intensity and action from a defensive midfielder. Like in the form of recovery runs or tackles. But maybe he’s a Gilberto Silva … where he’s clogging things up and you don’t even realize it?

A lot of that has to do with his size.

Just the fact that he can easily cover twice the ground in a single stride vs. a shorter, more "high energy" player means that he's going to look slower in comparison.

That's not to say he can't do more — he's still far too tentative in the tackle and in using his physicality to his advantage — but he seems to be more cognizant that he's a large player than he was even a few weeks ago.

[SoccMan]

If he can really blossom into something, this guy could be a very key player in our national team one day . If you watch that Altidore goal again if he can do things like that consistently, then we might have a real gem on our side , the potential is there .

[Approve My Account Pls]

I think we're starting to see his confidence grow with more consecutive minutes and starts. Hopefully that does let him come out of his shell more and stop playing scared/small. I'm still really high on this guy 

[Wingback6]

Off topic I know. But I watched some of the highlights from this one. Goodness Mavinga and Lawrence are TERRIBLE!!!

[toontownman]

On 10/28/2021 at 11:33 AM, Approve My Account Pls said:

I think we're starting to see his confidence grow with more consecutive minutes and starts. Hopefully that does let him come out of his shell more and stop playing scared/small. I'm still really high on this guy 

It is amazing seeing players like Schaffelburg, Priso and now Okello.. all these young players getting proper minutes and actually finding their feet. It is like consistent playing time and being given a chance other than sporadic cameos is beneficial. Who knew!  

Why TFC has wasted the past couple of months playing washed up players instead of blooding the youth properly is beyond me. Dunn simply cannot be worse than the other options. He looked fantastic in the CPL. It has been such a waste and detriment to that progress he made in the island games. Hugely disappointed for him and wish they had just sent him back to Valour if they had no intention of using him. 

[Bison44]

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

It is amazing seeing players like Schaffelburg, Priso and now Okello.. all these young players getting proper minutes and actually finding their feet. It is like consistent playing time and being given a chance other than sporadic cameos is beneficial. Who knew!  

NOOO, if the player doesnt make a significant breakthrough his first few appearances, really take his first minutes and play super aggressive and confident then there is little hope for him and might as well bury him deep, deep on the bench cause thats all he'll ever be.  You cant just gift these kids minutes based on potential.  What are we...building for the future???  PFFTTT!!!   You need to gift minutes to guys who were on the team in 2017.  Remember when we won in 2017.......you know Zav was on that team...sighhh!!!!  

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

It is amazing seeing players like Schaffelburg, Priso and now Okello.. all these young players getting proper minutes and actually finding their feet. It is like consistent playing time and being given a chance other than sporadic cameos is beneficial. Who knew!  

Why TFC has wasted the past couple of months playing washed up players instead of blooding the youth properly is beyond me. Dunn simply cannot be worse than the other options. He looked fantastic in the CPL. It has been such a waste and detriment to that progress he made in the island games. Hugely disappointed for him and wish they had just sent him back to Valour if they had no intention of using him. 

Indeed, TFC have done a shameful job of integrating some very clearly talented youngsters. Unsurprisingly, these players are going to show their potential when given the opportunity.

They have only gotten the chance because Toronto are eliminated and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. What is going to happen next season? Pozuelo, Bradley, Delgado, Osorio, Okello and Fraser (assuming he returns from loan) still feels like a log jam.

I have said many times before and I will say it again, Toronto should move Delgado on for assets. Bradley has a leadership role to play (hopefully there will be a real effort at transition next year). That said, I don't have any faith in either of these things happening. Delgado will still probably be around and Bradley will still be a starter. Osorio and Pozuelo are going to start the majority of games (rightfully so) and Delgado will get his minutes, surely.

What happens then to Okello and Fraser?

In my mind, Fraser can eat Delgado's minutes for a fraction of the price. Not holding my breath it will happen, because Toronto. 

Okello is clearly showing he has utility, but time is running out for him to make a real statement. In most other clubs it would be obvious to keep developing him next year, but with the way Toronto is I feel he has to be lights out just to get a sniff next year and he's probably falling short of that, despite the improvements. I can see them moving him and then he kicks on elsewhere, which is fine by me but a loss for the club (it would be a deserved loss though).

Edited October 29, 2021 by Obinna

[The Beaver 2.0]

Philadelphia's mindset for the past few years was: play the kids! Accept that you're going to lose a fair bit in the beginning, but build that into the planning. Other MLS clubs have done the same, some more than others, but the model in Philadelphia has indeed paid dividends so far.  They are not the finished product as an organization, but they are on a smart path.

Big question: Will the TFC brass and ownership have the patience for such an approach? Will the fans?

[Kadenge]

26 minutes ago, The Beaver 2.0 said:

Philadelphia's mindset for the past few years was: play the kids! Accept that you're going to lose a fair bit in the beginning, but build that into the planning. Other MLS clubs have done the same, some more than others, but the model in Philadelphia has indeed paid dividends so far.  They are not the finished product as an organization, but they are on a smart path.

Big question: Will the TFC brass and ownership have the patience for such an approach? Will the fans?

 TFC brass didn't have the "patience" this season eventhough the team was clearly out of the playoffs a  long long time ago... just not mathematically. I just hope they loan/sell players  that they don't intend to play

[Cblake]

48 minutes ago, The Beaver 2.0 said:

Philadelphia's mindset for the past few years was: play the kids! Accept that you're going to lose a fair bit in the beginning, but build that into the planning. Other MLS clubs have done the same, some more than others, but the model in Philadelphia has indeed paid dividends so far.  They are not the finished product as an organization, but they are on a smart path.

Big question: Will the TFC brass and ownership have the patience for such an approach? Will the fans?

I do not think the MLSE brass will have the patience, there were just over 5,000 fans in the stands the other night. That has become the norm of late. Plus it will also come down to who is coaching this team next year, there are lots of unknowns at this point. Does Liam Fraiser get recalled and get the minutes he has had in Columbus, do any of the kids step up and grab a starting spot ie a healthy Priso returns, does JMR take a real step up after getting some minutes of late. This team is going to have a really interesting off-season and a lot of how it goes will play a big part in what type of season the Reds have in 2022. 

[Big_M]

Philadelphia has made the playoffs in each of the last four years (including this year), and five of the last six, and have one supporters shield and one us open cup runner up in that time...a study is needed to know exactly what really is the situation...here is a very small part of that 

This year they have given around 2700 minutes to their homegrowns in mls...that includes sullivan, mcglynn, aaronson, harriel, turner, real, fontana and freese...the last three are 22-23 years old and together have 1000 of those minutes but we will let it go

Toronto this year they have given around 3900 minutes to their homegrowns in mls...that includes rutty, nelson, perruzza, singh, akinola, okello, shaffelburg and fraser...remove the 31 minutes of fraser and they are all 21 and under

Now lets say a bunch of those Toronto minutes were because they were eliminated...take away 1000 minutes...still more than philly...then if you want to talk about homegrowns 21 and under you remove 1000 minutes from philly so they go way under

So is Philadelphia's mindset really to play the kids and is it as simple as that? If it is their mindset, is it even more so than Toronto? Could it be that they are giving some of those minutes to youngsters but combining that with stable and solid pros who have been there for years which makes for good chemistry and a strong group that can have success year after year? Wagner, mbaizo, elliott, monteiro, santos, martinez, przybylko, burke have all been there for 2+ years and are 24-29 years old...add bedoya at 34 who is still very good and successful additions of glesnes, gazdag and flach

Again, a lot of pieces are needed for success and continuous success...the easy answer is not always the right one

[The Beaver 2.0]

2 hours ago, Big_M said:

Philadelphia has made the playoffs in each of the last four years (including this year), and five of the last six, and have one supporters shield and one us open cup runner up in that time...a study is needed to know exactly what really is the situation...here is a very small part of that 

This year they have given around 2700 minutes to their homegrowns in mls...that includes sullivan, mcglynn, aaronson, harriel, turner, real, fontana and freese...the last three are 22-23 years old and together have 1000 of those minutes but we will let it go

Toronto this year they have given around 3900 minutes to their homegrowns in mls...that includes rutty, nelson, perruzza, singh, akinola, okello, shaffelburg and fraser...remove the 31 minutes of fraser and they are all 21 and under

Now lets say a bunch of those Toronto minutes were because they were eliminated...take away 1000 minutes...still more than philly...then if you want to talk about homegrowns 21 and under you remove 1000 minutes from philly so they go way under

So is Philadelphia's mindset really to play the kids and is it as simple as that? If it is their mindset, is it even more so than Toronto? Could it be that they are giving some of those minutes to youngsters but combining that with stable and solid pros who have been there for years which makes for good chemistry and a strong group that can have success year after year? Wagner, mbaizo, elliott, monteiro, santos, martinez, przybylko, burke have all been there for 2+ years and are 24-29 years old...add bedoya at 34 who is still very good and successful additions of glesnes, gazdag and flach

Again, a lot of pieces are needed for success and continuous success...the easy answer is not always the right one

Yes, the key phrase in your analysis above is: this year.  This was not Year One in their plan.  But you are totally right: Playing the Kids is not an absolute directive, meaning that you need to play them with purpose and intelligence, providing them the right experienced leadership and role models.  TFC's strategy feels ad hoc, at best.  But to your point, to really find out what Philly is doing right requires a closer look under the hood.  What are they doing at every level of development?  

[Bison44]

Lets see if Curtis can drop the dead weight this offseason and bring in some useful pieces.  The good young talent is here...plus Poz, Soteldo, Lareya, Oso, Akinola, Westberg, Lawrence (at FB) are a good core, if we are stuck with Bradley, Gonzalez and Jozy, mb the right coach can wring one last good season out of them.  Bring in some productive healthy role players, let the new coach (or maybe the current one) have some say and an entire offseason to prepare, they could bounce back big time.  

[Bison44]

For all the comparison of minutes played...dont forget that the union (years into the play the kids) already sold the 2 best Homegrowns to Europe (Mckenzie and Aaaronson) and the minutes he is comparing is from the leftover guys.  Those 2 guys would have been 2000+ minutes each if they were still there or you take the millions of dollars that came from the transfer.  So a more apt comparison would be if TFC stuck with playing some kids and not retreads, ended up keeping a couple decent players (Okello,SIngh,Nelsen) and sold 2 stars (Rutty,Priso) to europe.    

[RS]

Rutty (17) and Priso (19) are four and three years younger than Aaronson (21) and McKenzie (22), respectively, so any comparisons made right now between their respective paths are far too early.

I now await to see how pointing this out is actually me defending the TFC front office.

[Bison44]

Like I said...Union are years into it, if TFC sticks with some of the kids...maybe they could be in a similar spot a few years down the line.  The investment paid off for the union, top club, pipeline of homegrowns and sales to europe etc.  Its one way to go.  

[canuckgbp]

Thought he played the Bradley role decently well tonight. Was using his length to incept passes and get on the end of errant passes from his teammates. 

He did have that poor backwards pass to Morrow that started the chain that led to the ATL goal. Think he had another poor pass that led to a chance thought memory is fading lol. 

He seemed to be more physical this game. He was the anchor in the center of the park and did well in that role. The greater playing time is helping him find his footing.