Footyeh Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 55 minutes ago, El Diego said: He is 100% a midfielder imo. Breaks through presses with dribbling and passing. His ability to dribble would be wasted at CB. I was really hoping he would be a long-term CB option and he certainly could be in a back 3, but wow we don't have another CM with his poise, control and technique. Obvious heir to Atiba IMO. Thank god him and Eustaquio weren't developed here😅 TOcanadafan, Corazon, toontownman and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Smith is likely to have a new manager soon at Nice. I hope that doesn't hurt his development Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueseeka Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 6 hours ago, El Diego said: He is 100% a midfielder imo. Breaks through presses with dribbling and passing. His ability to dribble would be wasted at CB. Absolutely, he is so much better on the ball than I expected. I am sure he can fill in as a CB but he can definitely step in Fraser or Piette right now Corazon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyslexic nam Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) I sure wouldn’t mind having a really effective CB who is comfortable on the ball and can effectively play it out of the back and move it forward through the midfield… Edited June 21, 2022 by dyslexic nam YorkRegionFan, Ivan, Unnamed Trialist and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YorkRegionFan Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 17 minutes ago, blueseeka said: Absolutely, he is so much better on the ball than I expected. I am sure he can fill in as a CB but he can definitely step in Fraser or Piette right now If Justin Smith can get some first team minutes come this fall, he definitely will leap frog those two and also Kone. He definitely is the standout for this U20 team. Obinna, toontownman, Corazon and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costarg Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 7 hours ago, El Diego said: He is 100% a midfielder imo. Breaks through presses with dribbling and passing. His ability to dribble would be wasted at CB. It sucks that i'm actually disappointed to see everyone labeling him as a mid, we're dying for quality CB's! I was banking on this guy. johnyb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJsens1 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 I’m sure it wasn’t mentioned earlier but what’s his connection to Canada? I assume parents but he was born in Paris and grew up in France correct? So is he not interested in playing for France or is that a pipe dream or he’s still considering it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pottsy3 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, EJsens1 said: I’m sure it wasn’t mentioned earlier but what’s his connection to Canada? I assume parents but he was born in Paris and grew up in France correct? So is he not interested in playing for France or is that a pipe dream or he’s still considering it? Parents are both from Quebec. I think he’s just too far off of the France squad, and surely sees the opportunity to earn his way into a World Cup squad. I was a bit surprised he was given the captain’s armband so quickly, but I’ve taken that as a slight indication of his long-term dedication to the program. Edited June 21, 2022 by Pottsy3 Approve My Account Pls, dyslexic nam, EJsens1 and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PopePouri Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Given his height and awareness, I wouldn't rule him out of CB quite yet. Corazon, dyslexic nam, Obinna and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diego Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 I'm sure he'd be fine as a hyper modern centre back, but if I was coaching him I would keep developing him as a mid Obinna and Unnamed Trialist 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpursFlu Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 I think because the lack of CBs on planet earth its the best career choice is stick to CB. The fact he was playing midfield was just a testament to his ability Northvansteve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stryker911 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 I know this is premature for someone that has never played a senior minute, but I'm ready to put him in our core for 2026 and if he makes some sub appearances for Nice this summer to get a call in September for a shot this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueseeka Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 He is just so far advanced from the rest of the team. Happy is the captain too. You can see him pointing to areas to move the other players around into better defending areas. He is a leader out there. At one point late in the tight game, he did a spinaroni with the ball, just outside Canada's box. He got taken down and the pressure was relieved with a free kick. His confidence to attempt to pull that off, so late in the game was so impressive. Corazon, An Observer and johnyb 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Considering we still need more defensive players to emerge for the future of our NT, especially CBs/CDMs, it’s great to see him play like this. Hopefully he becomes a better/more versatile version of Piette. Pottsy3, Jack1997, An Observer and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diego Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 19 minutes ago, Bdog said: Considering we still need more defensive players to emerge for the future of our NT, especially CBs/CDMs, it’s great to see him play like this. Hopefully he becomes a better/more versatile version of Piette. If I had to compare him to any of our current mids I would say he's most similar to Atiba Obinna 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJsens1 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 25 minutes ago, El Diego said: If I had to compare him to any of our current mids I would say he's most similar to Atiba His speed and composure running with the ball is what really impressed me YorkRegionFan and El Diego 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Smith looks like a player who makes the bench with a mid table Ligue 1 club. Confident and polished. Not surprised he's been our best player, but I am surprised just how good he's been, funny enough. He's definitely going to be in the senior pool soon. Club Linesman, YorkRegionFan, johnyb and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diego Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 18 minutes ago, EJsens1 said: His speed and composure running with the ball is what really impressed me 4 minutes ago, Obinna said: Smith looks like a player who makes the bench with a mid table Ligue 1 club. Confident and polished. Not surprised he's been our best player, but I am surprised just how good he's been, funny enough. He's definitely going to be in the senior pool soon. Agreed with all these points. He was far and away the best player in the Cuba game but I wanted to see him versus the USA to get a better gauge. He was probably still the best player in that one, too. I think he wouldn't look out of place in the senior team right now -- like someone mentioned above he is so far advanced of his Canadian u20 team mates. Obinna and Jack1997 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceA Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 I'm very hopeful for this group of MFs coming through ahead of 2026 and 2030. Early days but many of them have a lot of tools and profiles that are worth getting a bit excited about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 1 hour ago, El Diego said: If I had to compare him to any of our current mids I would say he's most similar to Atiba Maybe not so much play style but positionally. Having a guy who can break up the play while being good on the ball would be huge. Either way, other than Eustaquio (and Atiba, who’s presumably on his last WC cycle), I don’t think anyone else is the midfield is a lock and I’d love if Smith can fill that void. No pressure Obinna 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 5 hours ago, dyslexic nam said: I sure wouldn’t mind having a really effective CB who is comfortable on the ball and can effectively play it out of the back and move it forward through the midfield… While we can never have enough of these, especially if they have a right foot, I would like to see where his development goes as a 6 or an 8. I feel that Waterman is knocking at the door of the senior team, while McNaughton seems to be reaching a point where he may be useful as a stop gap, which is a good thing. Meanwhile, Halbouni could be one to watch if his 2.Bundesliga foray goes well with Magdeburg. Of those 3, Waterman and Halbouni undoubtedly fit the bill of "CB who is comfortable on the ball". There's a good chance both become regularly members of the pool next cycle. Should that play out, do we want Smith in the mix there as well, or is it better for him to get reps in the midfield, where we are losing Hutchinson? It's a fun thing to ponder, but the reality under John may be that he'll fit in where he can, and when he can. I can see him being used in both roles and we may end up being happy he can do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyslexic nam Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Obinna said: While we can never have enough of these, especially if they have a right foot, I would like to see where his development goes as a 6 or an 8. I feel that Waterman is knocking at the door of the senior team, while McNaughton seems to be reaching a point where he may be useful as a stop gap, which is a good thing. Meanwhile, Halbouni could be one to watch if his 2.Bundesliga foray goes well with Magdeburg. Of those 3, Waterman and Halbouni undoubtedly fit the bill of "CB who is comfortable on the ball". There's a good chance both become regularly members of the pool next cycle. Should that play out, do we want Smith in the mix there as well, or is it better for him to get reps in the midfield, where we are losing Hutchinson? It's a fun thing to ponder, but the reality under John may be that he'll fit in where he can, and when he can. I can see him being used in both roles and we may end up being happy he can do so. I get it, but Waterman is 26 and only relatively recently locked down the starting spot at Montreal (last year). Great to see MacNaughton having a decent season - but he hasn’t been anything like a standout in MLS and he is 27 years old. I get that CBs can play longer than some but those two are not elite prospects - they are guys in the primes of their careers and doing decently in MLS. That isn’t exactly the kind of foundation I want to build a national team defense on for the next decade. Contrast with Smith who is 19 and already playing like a boss. He is in an amazing environment and is poised for a breakout year (I believe Nice wouldn’t have him on their bench unless they believed he was truly capable of playing in Ligue 1). Not sure why we would be hoping he develops into something other than the monster CB we have all been screaming for over the last number of years At the national level it feels like we have more guys coming through the midfield pipeline so for me it isn’t even a question. It just seems weird that there is this idea that somehow Smith is too skilled to play as a CB or that it would be a waste of his talent or somehow suboptimal. If anything, I think the exact opposite. Edited June 21, 2022 by dyslexic nam johnyb, PegCityCam, h coach and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diego Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 The truth is that Nice will develop him how they develop him, and we will use him how we use him. Just look at Davies Obinna and narduch 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 3 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said: I get it, but Waterman is 26 and only relatively recently locked down the starting spot at Montreal (last year). Great to see MacNaughton having a decent season - but he hasn’t been anything like a standout in MLS and he is 27 years old. I get that CBs can play longer than some but those two are not elite prospects - they are guys in the primes of their careers and doing decently in MLS. That isn’t exactly the kind of foundation I want to build a national team defense on for the next decade. Contrast with Smith who is 19 and already playing like a boss. He is in an amazing environment and is poised for a breakout year (I believe Nice wouldn’t have him on their bench unless they believed he was truly capable of playing in Ligue 1). Not sure why we would be hoping he develops into something other than the monster CB we have all been screaming for over the last number of years At the national level it feels like we have more guys coming through the midfield pipeline so for me it isn’t even a question. It just seems weird that there is this idea that somehow Smith is too skilled to play as a CB or that it would be a waste of his talent or somehow suboptimal. If anything, I think the exact opposite. Fair point on the ages. Waterman and MacNaughton may have just a single cycle in them, and it's not even clear yet if the latter is even up to snuff (I have no doubt Waterman is). Halbouni is almost 4 years older than Smith with seemingly a lower trajectory. I definitely see the desire to blood a talented 19 year old to be the cornerstone for years to come. I can be convinced into a different position, but right now my view is that Smith projects as a midfielder. Admittedly there's recency bias on my part, having observed him twice as a midfielder (and 0 as a defender), but at some point last season Nice stopped listing him as a defender and started listing him as a midfielder, didn't they? That may suggest he breaks into Nice as a midfielder, where there may be less pressure (if you know what I mean). If you want guys playing the same position for country as for club (some believe it's less important than others), the signs seem to point to Smith being a midfielder for Canada. But all of that said, I wouldn't mind too much if Herdman built around him at the back. It's hard to hope for seeing what he's doing at the moment, but again that's recency bias for you (well, for me actually lol). johnyb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 @dyslexic nam specifically to the point about being too talented to be a defender, my line of reasoning is that offensive gifts should be nurtured, not hidden. For example, the way he dribbles out of trouble with composure, skill and power is attractive. We have a small sample size but it's understandable people want to see more of that, no? I suspect he would make a fine center back. His anticipation for ball winning seems very good and the composure is obviously important, but since he has those traits he strikes me as the type of player who could thrive in midfield and begin transitioning to center back in his late twenties. Anyone else feel the same way (based on this very small sample size)? toontownman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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