Dominik Yankov

[Ruffian]

So this whole argument comes from Yankov vs Pozuelo? We have absolutely no chance of having Pozuelo play for Canada and there is no real reason for him to feel like he should versus Yankov, who is a young prospect who could end up at a much higher level. Good thing Bayern Munich didn't dismiss Davies because he was playing in a 3rd rate North American league.

[Free kick]

1 hour ago, Ruffian said:

Good thing Bayern Munich didn't dismiss Davies because he was playing in a 3rd rate North American league.

When we hear stories (from legitamate or credible independant sources) that clubs like Bayern Munich are showing an interest in this kid, then let us know.    Then i will be interested.  But i suspect that, if that time ever comes,  he will be on the radar of the the bulagrian FA.  And he will choose them. 

There are hundreds of kids, playing in the the MLS academies,  does that mean i should paying attention to all of them thinking they will be the next Phonzie?  There are tens of thousands maybe hundreds of thousands playing overseas at varying levels.   Some will invariably have some Cnd connection.  What value is ther to pay attention to all of them?   

is this forum for MNT discussions and chat for fans?  Or this is Linkedin site for aspireing soccer players (or their agents) looking to create or boost a profile with the objective of selling their services?  

Edited September 14, 2020 by Free kick

[Ruffian]

5 minutes ago, Free kick said:

is this forum for MNT discussions and chat for fans?  Or this is Linkedin site for aspireing soccer players (or their agents) looking to create or boost a profile with the objective of selling their services?  

This chat right here is a chat by CMNT fans about Dominik Yankov a potential CMNT player.

[Shway]

21 hours ago, Buchta said:

His goal

 

What a basic finish from a man wearing #64, has no name on his back in an empty stadium. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Shway
this was intended sarcasm.....

[Free kick]

10 hours ago, Ruffian said:

a potential CMNT player.

Thats the key words right there.  “Potential”.   We all want to know about those with potential.  But To define potential you have to draw the line in the sand somewhere.   And thats going to be based a lot on club situation.   Some secondary consideration have to be given to age and status at a club.  I get that you, me and the next guy will draw the line at differnt places.   But surely to gawd people who follow the game at even cursory level cant be that far appart.   In two to three pages of players posts in the MNT forum,  i would say the 60-90% would be player profiles who are NOT above the line.  Like the third string keeper in serie B Lecce for example.   So why should these be of interest or concern to anyone with interests ito canadians in the national teams and intl soccer discussion?  Are we that bad as a national team?  

They are advertisements rather than informative content.  So
why is it that outside this forum,  i have no issues when talking to people who have some basic or advanced understanding of the games club structures so we reach a narrow consensus as to where to draw that line.   

Edited September 15, 2020 by Free kick

[Ruffian]

5 minutes ago, Free kick said:

Thats the key words right there.  “Potential”.   We all want to know about those with potential.  But To define potential you have to draw the line in the sand somewhere.   And thats going to be based a lot on club situation.   I get that you, me and the next guy will draw the line at differnt places.   But surely to gawd people who follow the game at even cursory level cant be that far appart.   In two to three pages of players posts in the MNT forum,  i would say the 60-90% would not player profiles who are above the line.  Like the third string keeper in serie B Lecce for example.   So why should these be of interest or concern to anyone with interests ito canadians in the national teams and intl soccer discussion?  Are we that bad as a national team?  

why is it that outside this forum,  i have no issues when talking to people who have some basic or advanced understanding of the games club structures so we reach a narrow consensus as to where to draw that line.   

I think CMNT fans digging through every world league to find Canadians has become a tradition because of the historic shallow pool of Canadians for our national team. The term "potential" may have changed with recent depth, but old habits die hard.

[Free kick]

12 minutes ago, Ruffian said:

I think CMNT fans digging through every world league to find Canadians has become a tradition because of the historic shallow pool of Canadians for our national team. The term "potential" may have changed with recent depth, but old habits die hard.

That i agree with. 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Free kick

[Trois Reds]

Look at the team, not the league.

Ludogorets has won the Bulgarian league ever since it was promoted. 9 years now. It has played in the Champion's League twice, and only once didn't make it out of the group stage in Europa League. Bigger European teams notice their players.

Yankov started and scored for Ludogorets last game. He's 20 years old and can play for Canada. I'd be excited.

[kacbru]

15 hours ago, Buchta said:

His goal

 

They must be using one of those virtual stadiums as a backdrop to block out the trees and cow pastures...

[toontownman]

Regardless of the MLS/Bulgaria playing standard argument, I think there is also something to be said with the experience and background of playing in a different country, culture, playing style and league.

What does that player bring into the national team set up that can be utilized that is different. That can obviously be a plus or a negative depending on what you are looking for and who Canada are playing. Shouldn't be discredited though. I think it also brings a wider culture and experience to the set up tbh.

 

 

[SthMelbRed]

2 hours ago, Trois Reds said:

Look at the team, not the league.

Ludogorets has won the Bulgarian league ever since it was promoted. 9 years now. It has played in the Champion's League twice, and only once didn't make it out of the group stage in Europa League. Bigger European teams notice their players.

Yankov started and scored for Ludogorets last game. He's 20 years old and can play for Canada. I'd be excited.

I spent a few days in Sofia 4 years ago. It's a beautiful city, and well worth a visit. According to a couple of chats I had with a local driver we used, as far back as 2016, Ludogorets had pretty much ruined Bulgarian football. They were bought by a super rich guy when in the second division and he sank so much money in immediately that they promoted that first year and have run away with the league ever since (9 in a row and counting). The guy I spoke to supported Levski, one of the two traditional Bulgarian giants from the capitol. Overnight, they became no-hope also-rans, as did CSKA, and within a couple of years, their attendances had plummeted. There is no competition anymore.

Just a bit extra on the topic of the Bulgarian league...

[Free kick]

4 hours ago, Trois Reds said:

Look at the team, not the league.

Ludogorets has won the Bulgarian league ever since it was promoted. 9 years now. It has played in the Champion's League twice, and only once didn't make it out of the group stage in Europa League. Bigger European teams notice their players.

Yankov started and scored for Ludogorets last game. He's 20 years old and can play for Canada. I'd be excited.

Everybody who wins a national championship in europe gets play play in champions league.  Including those from UEFA minnow countries.    UEFA Champions league normally starts in mid to late August.   The real interest in the competition starts at around the 32 team group stage phase.   That doesnt mean that there arent some good clubs interspersed in the early stages.   Of course there are.  

But think about this:   If we were talking about a true prospect, why does the entourage need to come here to promote his services?  

[Northvansteve]

On 9/13/2020 at 6:59 PM, Free kick said:

edit.:  again,  i am in no way intending to pick on this player.   More than fify percent of the player threads in the MNT, should not be of any significaance the the Canadian national teams or national team followers.    Obviously, there might migh be one or two where that could change.  But i want to hear about it when it does. Not before.
 

Sorry I'm jumping in late to this thread, but one of the things we do on this site - and this section in particular - is talk about future national team prospects.

As we have seen over and over, they can come from anywhere (a 15-year-old from Edmonton? a veteran of the Scottish League? a Canadian university player?). That's one of the reasons I and many others come here. How do we know what significance these players have until we identify them and discuss them?

[Buchta]

50 minutes ago, Free kick said:

But think about this:   If we were talking about a true prospect, why does the entourage need to come here to promote his services?  

Who is promoting? I just see people talking about a Canadian soccer player. If you really think that, I assume you feel the same about the threads on Canadian prospects players playing in the CPL or MLS? 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Buchta

[El Hombre]

13 hours ago, Free kick said:

Thats the key words right there.  “Potential”.   We all want to know about those with potential.  But To define potential you have to draw the line in the sand somewhere.   And thats going to be based a lot on club situation.

Mark-Anthony Kaye was playing USL at 23 years old.
Richie Laryea didn't play a professional match until he was 21.
Derek Cornelius was playing in Serbia at 20 years old.
Samuel Piette was playing third division Spain at 20 years old.
Jonathan Osorio turned 21 during his first professional season.
Tosaint Ricketts made his professional debut at 21 years old in the Finnish league.  He has since played in Romania, Norway, Turkey, Israel, and Lithuania.  He is also the active leading scorer for the national team.
Atiba Hutchinson was playing with the Toronto Lynx at 20 years old.

Dom Yankov turned 20 a month and a half ago.  He has been playing in the Bulgarian league since the age of 17.

[archer21]

@Free kick, Ludogorets is not your average Bulgarian team. They are miles ahead of everyone else in their league. Yes the league is terrible, and if he was on any other team in Bulgaria I would agree with you. But Ludogorets is a very good team and he is starting for them at 20 which is impressive. On top of that, he has played for Bulgaria at multiple age levels so they obviously rate him as well. We have not had any matches in ages and have no matches in the near future. What else are we supposed to talk about if we aren’t allowed to discuss prospects like this?

[Bertuzzi44]

Yankov is younger and plays at a higher level than a guy like Millar, who has senior caps and gets plenty of love on this board

[scullion44]

18 year old Filip Krustev was called up and even played in Bulgarias last set of matches so the coach will imo definitely think about calling Yankov up next set of fixtures if Yankov is fit.

[Colliedor]

Started in the rivalry match against Sofia today. Caught the second half of it.

Managed 2 assists. Nearly got a third after sending a teammate on a breakaway with a nice through ball but the striker couldn't convert.

[Strait Red]

Yankov has extended his contract with Ludogorets.

https://ludogorets.com/en/news/?i=3742

[Buchta]

A recent interview with Yankov.

https://blitz.bg/sport/intervyu/novata-perla-na-ludogorets-prizna-pred-blits-shche-igraya-za-tozi-natsionalen-otbor-koyto_461551.html

[SpecialK]

Alittle google translate for everyone. 
 

Our youth national Dominik Yankov has been playing for Ludogorets since the beginning of the season. The 20-year-old midfielder scored his first goal for the champions in the efbet League, scoring in the 3: 1 victory over Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) on September 12. Yankov also has four assists in the six games this season in the championship - one against the Black Sea (4: 1), two at 2: 2 with CSKA and one against Beroe (2: 0).

 

Few people know that Dominic was born in Canada, where his parents live and work while he was 13 years old.

 

Yankov gave an interview to BLIC, answering the most important question - which national team will he play for - the Bulgarian or the Canadian?

 

 

 

Dominic, congratulations on a strong performance since the beginning of the season. Is it difficult to fight for a place in the composition of Pavel Varba? - Thank you, I try to do my best. Things are achieved with a lot of effort. I'm ready for men's football, but it's very difficult. There are many classy foreigners in Ludogorets. But when I show good training qualities and perform well, things work out.

 

 

How does coach Pavel Varba motivate you before putting you in the game? - I am very grateful to him for the chance he gave me. He always explains to me not to worry and to play my game. He told me that he had seen qualities in me when he arrived at the club. I try to thank him and give myself in every training session and every match.

 

Who are the people who help you grow? - Everyone in the club helps each other.

 

Tell us about your childhood in Canada and your first steps in football there? - I trained at FC Power's school until I was 13 years old. I was born in Toronto, where I grew up. After FC Power I was in England for three years - in Sunderland. And my first Bulgarian club is Vekta (Plovdiv). I was in this school for a year, after ours returned to Bulgaria for a year, when I was 7. Then we went to Canada again, where they worked.

 

Did you miss Bulgaria? - Yes, but every summer I came for the holidays. Either in Varna, where my mother is from, or in my father's hometown of Plovdiv. Now they are here too, we have returned from Canada. They are very happy for me, they support me, they watch every game of mine.

 

How did you end up in Sunderland and how did your three-year stay there go? What did you learn about the three years in England? - The English came to watch me in a tournament in Canada. I was 10 years old then, I received invitations from Sunderland, Fulham and Aston Villa. I went to Sunderland first, but only briefly. I was small, only 10 years old. The second time I was invited, I was already 13. I played in Sunderland until I was 16 years old. It was very good, the conditions were unique. I played against strong teams and grew a lot. You could say that England hardens me for football.

 

Surely you dream of being in an English club again in time, but already at a high level? - Of course. Everyone dreams of reaching a big club. Now I am focused entirely on my performance in Ludogorets. I want to reap great success here, and after a while to play in a club from the top championships of Europe.

 

Are there other athletes in your family? - Some time ago my father played football. I have an older brother, but he is not a footballer.

 

Is it true that you received an offer for the Canadian national team? - I have not received such information, I read from the media. I know that the coach of Canada monitors my development. Before the pandemic, I had an invitation from the youth national team of Canada under 23, but you saw what happened then - we were closed and trained at home.

 

If you receive an invitation now, which country will you choose - Bulgaria or Canada? - The best solution would be to choose the country that sent me the invitation first.

 

Did your stay in Botev (Vratsa) last season help you return stronger in Ludogorets? - I am very glad that I was there for rent. In Vratsa I had the opportunity to show what I am capable of, to develop. It was important for me to gain experience in the efbet League. I think it was a good period. (BR - Yankov scored 3 goals for Botev in the championship)

 

Which team do you sympathize with abroad? - Juventus.

 

You obviously support Ronaldo, not Leo Messi? "Oh, on the contrary." I prefer Messi, but now I also support Ronaldo because he plays for my favorite Juve.

 

Who is the next team you want to score on? - Dynamo (Brest). I hope I score on Thursday and we win. A difficult visit awaits us, but our goal is to qualify for the groups of the Europa League. Playing on the European stage is another dream come true. I am grateful to the management of Ludogorets, to the coaching staff headed by Pavel Varba and to everyone in the club.

[toontownman]

Can we mock up an invite to send to him? 

[VinceA]

Sounds like he's leaning towards Canada. Makes sense considering the Bulgarian program has a lot of issues, and he's seen first hand the financial and organization issues with the Bulgarian top division. Looks like he's just waiting for the call-up once things can proceed as normal again.

[SpecialK]

He should be called up ASAP! U23 team , gold cup team for sure!