Jayden Nelson

[sose]

Really looks so much better in the middle of the pitch compared to being out wide.  He's very creative on the ball and without the ball he's not exposed defensively as he has much more cover in the middle. 

He will probably break into the CanMNT next spring/summer but I don't think he will be on the plane to Qatar.

 

[dyslexic nam]

I have said it a bunch - this guy will be a core player for us for a decade.  He is skilled, always looking to attack, and has a burst of speed that took me by surprise earlier this year.  Not that the TFC (TSN) commentators are authorities but I have heard a couple of times how he can make as much of a contribution, right now, as MAK.   Kid is 19 and will be learning from elite Italian veterans who have played at the highest levels.   In 2026, he will be playing for our WC team.   

[Obinna]

Latif Blessing transitioning to a central player under BB reminds me of what's happening to Nelson at the moment. The more positions he can play, the more likley he earns call ups in the future. I am sure Herdman is taking note of the versitility Nelson has been demonstrating. 

I agree with Nam. I think Nelson is going to be a core player for us next cycle. In fact, I think we may start seeing him getting looks as early as 2023. 

And with our relative lack of depth in the central areas, the way Nelson has developed this season is a welcomed sight. 

[narduch]

Once MAK is back from injury he will be on the bench too

[Obinna]

14 minutes ago, narduch said:

Once MAK is back from injury he will be on the bench too

Certainly, but he'll be part of the rotation, perhaps primarily in the midfield 3, but possibly as a wide forward, which of course is his natural position. 

To date, Nelson has racked up 1461 minutes. That is only slightly behind Kaye, who's racked up 1286 with Colorado and 235 with Toronto. Not making an argument for him playing over Kaye, just comparing for fun.

Last year Nelson played just 247 minutes, so he's taken a major leap.

Kone has played 1184 minutes thus far, by the way.  

[baulderdash77]

I think he has been better as a CM than a winger.  Out wide he plays really undisciplined.  Also he doesn’t have amazing feel in the final third.

At CM he’s played a bit more in the system and as a playmaking CM he does seem to fit a bit better.

Its easy to remember he’s still only 19.  So his big minutes this year are going to go a long way to his development.  I’ve liked what I’ve seen the past few weeks though.

[El Hombre]

Sublime ball by Nelson into Akinola to draw the penalty.  This kid is so much fun to watch when he's playing in the middle of the park.  Love seeing his progression.

[PegCityCam]

I feel like he's improving each and every game. Quicker decisions, better movement off the ball, trickier footwork and dribbling. Already some superb long balls/passing today.

[dyslexic nam]

4 minutes ago, PegCityCam said:

I feel like he's improving each and every game. Quicker decisions, better movement off the ball, trickier footwork and dribbling. Already some superb long balls/passing today.

And a bunch more effort (and second efforts) on the defensive side of things.  This kid keeps impressing me. 

[canuckgbp]

 

[El Hombre]

17 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

And a bunch more effort (and second efforts) on the defensive side of things.  This kid keeps impressing me. 

I think it's his defensive work that makes him ideal for Herdman's system.

[Gian-Luca]

6 hours ago, canuckgbp said:

 

My guess is that it wasn’t Matt Doyle then who was speaking with a heavy Spanish accent in the post game presser asking Bob Bradley why he didn’t take Nelson off earlier in favour of Jimenez. Bob didn’t appear impressed with the question, especially since Nelson was replaced by Kerr and he felt that he had a good game. 

[dyslexic nam]

3 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

My guess is that it wasn’t Matt Doyle then who was speaking with a heavy Spanish accent in the post game presser asking Bob Bradley why he didn’t take Nelson off earlier in favour of Jimenez. Bob didn’t appear impressed with the question, especially since Nelson was replaced by Kerr and he felt that he had a good game. 

I was surprised at the sub actually.  Nelson was involved a lot and looked like he was still contributing.  

[rydermike]

I've been pleasantly surprised by Nelson since the position switch. I feel when he was playing the wing, he got too much time and space on the ball and started to overthink plays, which led to losing possession a bit more often than it should've. Playing in midfield, he has no much less time and space that he's starting to play more instinctual, which is resulting in much better play. It shows just how important playing a player in the right position is critical. Not all players are multi-use/utility players who can play anywhere on the field. It's why I gave Kosi Thompson a pass this season. He's not a right back who played right back. Of course he was going to have some struggles and not be as adept at it as Laryea.

  

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

I was surprised at the sub actually.  Nelson was involved a lot and looked like he was still contributing.  

I actually had called both subs. TFC needed to switch something up to try to change something since NE had them stopped in their bunker. Ayo and Nelson coming off were the only two possibilities in my mind, despite how they were playing. Bernadeschi and Insigne are the ones who can score out of absolute nothing so they wouldn't come off (even though LI's passing was off all game), Osorio is just a class player all around who has been getting onto a lot of passes and banging in goals recently, and Bradley is the coach's son who has only been subbed off once in 26 games (during a blowout) so I knew there was 0% chance of him coming off. So, the changes in my mind were nothing due to their play, but just to switch up some player styles and a get couple of fresh legs and Ayo and Nelson were the only options.

Edited August 18, 2022 by rydermike

[InglewoodJack]

19 minutes ago, rydermike said:

 Bradley is the coach's son who has only been subbed off once in 26 games (during a blowout) so I knew there was 0% chance of him coming off.

This is such little league stuff, lol

[Snowcrash]

For me, the pass across the field to switch play down the right wing was even more impressive than the pass to Akinola that lead to the PK.

At the beginning of the season, he was a dumpster fire version of Jonathan Bamba. Everytime Nelson received a pass on the wing, he'd just keep running with it until he turned it over. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Snowcrash

[canuckgbp]

He has elite speed in the middle of the park. If his defensive game continues to improve, he has the ability to be an interesting player in that position. On the smaller side but he has that fire in him that makes up for it. 
 

Playing with Insigne is obviously helping because of the amount of attention he receives. 

[narduch]

1 hour ago, InglewoodJack said:

This is such little league stuff, lol

In all seriousness it can't be good for the dressing room dynamic to have the team captain also be a mole

[Kadenge]

You guys are really gonna piss off Big_M  😄

[dyslexic nam]

11 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

You guys are really gonna piss off Big_M  😄

ALL CAP RESPONSE INCOMING. 

[InglewoodJack]

18 minutes ago, narduch said:

In all seriousness it can't be good for the dressing room dynamic to have the team captain also be a mole

I figure that if you play at such a high level, we're talking about the former captain and head coach of the USMNT, you can put professionalism ahead of nepotism, but yeah, I wonder what that dynamic is like. I'm sure Michael Bradley is held in high esteem in the dressing room given the type of experience he brings to TFC, but I wonder if the vibes get weird, all things considered.

[canuckgbp]

One thing to remember is that TFC had little midfield coverage for most of the year. Priso and Okello were both hurt.  Osorio as well. Lots of games they had no midfielder on the bench or just one of the TFC 2 kids. Now they traded Priso and Kaye is hurt. 

I still think MB4 would have played every minute even if they had more depth based on form (and some nepotism) but MB4 has really stepped it up this year. He doesn't need to be starting every game, especially when they have S-W-S schedule. 

Next year will be the test (assuming they don't go with another thin squad again). 

Wonder if they use Kaye in the MB4 role and keep Nelson where he is right now. 

[Snowcrash]

If Nelson develops an extra lung, or barring that, just builds up his stamina and endurance as he physically matures, he can be a more dynamic, better passing version of Delgado which isn't bad at all. 

[PegCityCam]

2 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

This is such little league stuff, lol

He's sorta okay sometimes tho lol...

 

[Obinna]

What exicites me about Nelson is the progression of thought we have seen recently. He's always had the touch, skill, creativity and dribbling, but now he's reading the game and playing in stride with Osorio, Bradley, Insigne and Bernardeschi, to the point where he's becoming an effective cog, not just a young player who will make mistakes.

Now that his speed of thought has basically leveled up, he's beginning to show off the natural tools he has (vision to pick out akinola on the thru ball, accurate long cross field passss, playing one touch, control in thight spaces, etc.).

This is vastly different than several months ago, where he had the tools to take players on and create, but he was dribbling into bad areas and not combining well with others. The 3 Italians and Laryea raised the teams IQ and Nelson has benefitted tremendously.

I am starting to believe he could sneak into the National team this september. Hutchinson, Eustaquio, Osorio, Piette, Kaye, Kone....and Nelson? It wouldn't surprise me and frankly it would probably be deserved.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Obinna