Ali Ahmed

[El Hombre]

3 minutes ago, An Observer said:

And also worth noting that Ahmed is the same age as Davies. 

Yes, I was surprised by that when I looked it up because I thought he was a teenager still.  A year younger than Buchanan and two younger than Johnston.

Maybe he'll be a (relatively) late bloomer though like Laryea.

[An Observer]

10 hours ago, El Hombre said:

Yes, I was surprised by that when I looked it up because I thought he was a teenager still.  A year younger than Buchanan and two younger than Johnston.

Maybe he'll be a (relatively) late bloomer though like Laryea.

Or Johnston for that matter

[Jack1997]

Has looked very good tonight so far.

[CanadaFan123]

Watched a bit of the match just for him and he was really impressive. Reminds me of Laryea with his tenacity and directness. 

[An Observer]

I watched the last 30.  He seemed to be running out of gas a bit but still is very good on the ball, moves into small pockets to get it, doesn’t lose it when he gets it, moves forward quickly and uses his teammates. Quite impressive really. He is also deceptively quick. I would like to see if he has the killer pass in his repertoire and whether he can make better runs into the box to get himself into scoring positions. He could bulk up a bit. 

But at this stage, he is definitely on track to be this year’s MLS Canadian break out player of the year. 

[pod818]

43 minutes ago, An Observer said:

I watched the last 30.  He seemed to be running out of gas a bit but still is very good on the ball, moves into small pockets to get it, doesn’t lose it when he gets it, moves forward quickly and uses his teammates. Quite impressive really. He is also deceptively quick. I would like to see if he has the killer pass in his repertoire and whether he can make better runs into the box to get himself into scoring positions. He could bulk up a bit. 

But at this stage, he is definitely on track to be this year’s MLS Canadian break out player of the year. 

I think Mo Farsi is in contention for that award and maybe Kyle Hiebert as well

[Watchmen]

4 hours ago, An Observer said:

I watched the last 30.  He seemed to be running out of gas a bit but still is very good on the ball,

His 5th game in 2 weeks (4 starts), so I think it's a bit understandable.  Also an indication of how Sartini has started trusting him.  Might have bumped Raposo out, depending on formation/usage, though a Raposo as the LB and Ahmed in the 8 on the left side seems like a definite possibility as well.

[footballfreak]

7 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

His 5th game in 2 weeks (4 starts), so I think it's a bit understandable.  Also an indication of how Sartini has started trusting him.  Might have bumped Raposo out, depending on formation/usage, though a Raposo as the LB and Ahmed in the 8 on the left side seems like a definite possibility as well.

Vanni has said Schöpf should be back for the Colorado game. While he may not be ready to start yet, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ahmed sees some starts at LB over Raposo once Schöpf is fully fit.

Edited April 16, 2023 by footballfreak

[Watchmen]

3 minutes ago, footballfreak said:

Vanni has said Schöpf should be back for the Colorado game. While he may not be ready to start yet, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ahmed sees some starts at LB over Raposo once Schöpf is fully fit.

Yup, that's a definite possibility.  But in either scenario, Ahmed is a likely starter.  Will be up to Raposo to raise his game.

[footballfreak]

1 minute ago, Watchmen said:

Yup, that's a definite possibility.  But in either scenario, Ahmed is a likely starter.  Will be up to Raposo to raise his game.

As it currently stands, Ahmed is the one of those three that 100% deserves to start until further notice. I’d currently give the edge to Schöpf over Raposo, but it may come down to wanting to keep Ahmed in that 8 spot where he’s found success rather than shunting him over to LB. Raposo has been... interesting. At times he seems up for a challenge, but you can tell he just doesn’t have that natural defender’s instinct.

[BearcatSA]

Keep Ahmed as a midfielder and rotate him as needed between Schöpf and Gressel.  Also, keep Raposo in a forward role off the bench, preferably in the inverted  left wing of this Christmas tree.  He might not log as many minutes but his two way work rate late in games could help seal results.  Don't f*ck around with trying to turn these young guys into utility knives

We all know Martins is a defensive adventure at LB but he has one particular strength:  he has an above average natural left foot (though he had a bad giveaway last night).  And with that threat and his natural preference to stay wide and overlap on the attack, he makes space inside for the other attackers to operate.  

[BearcatSA]

Also, find a rube on dire straits to pawn Dajome off on.  Once Caicedo gets to full speed, he is the gamechanger off the bench.  

[footballfreak]

50 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

Keep Ahmed as a midfielder and rotate him as needed between Schöpf and Gressel.  Also, keep Raposo in a forward role off the bench, preferably in the inverted  left wing of this Christmas tree.  He might not log as many minutes but his two way work rate late in games could help seal results.  Don't f*ck around with trying to turn these young guys into utility knives

We all know Martins is a defensive adventure at LB but he has one particular strength:  he has an above average natural left foot (though he had a bad giveaway last night).  And with that threat and his natural preference to stay wide and overlap on the attack, he makes space inside for the other attackers to operate.  

Does he? I feel like every cross he’s attempted this season has been scuffed right into the first defender. I’m not saying Raposo is the solution, but Martins has been woeful on both sides of the ball.

[yothat2]

assuming there's no threat of Ali playing for Ethiopia or Somali 

[VinceA]

7 hours ago, yothat2 said:

assuming there's no threat of Ali playing for Ethiopia or Somali 

Somali has called up Canadians in recent years so it wouldn't shock me if he's on their radar. Eithiopa is a stronger program than Somalia so they could be eyeing him too.

I think though he'll reject them for a little while and wait for us. Granted Herdman shouldn't drag his feet.

[Yo123]

1 hour ago, VinceA said:

Somali has called up Canadians in recent years so it wouldn't shock me if he's on their radar. Eithiopa is a stronger program than Somalia so they could be eyeing him too.

I think though he'll reject them for a little while and wait for us. Granted Herdman shouldn't drag his feet.

Is he both Somali and Ethiopian? He’s got more of a Somali name I think. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Yo123

[Macksam]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:27 AM, VinceA said:

Somali has called up Canadians in recent years so it wouldn't shock me if he's on their radar. Eithiopa is a stronger program than Somalia so they could be eyeing him too.

I think though he'll reject them for a little while and wait for us. Granted Herdman shouldn't drag his feet.

Logically speaking unless his career trajectory goes downhill from here and we don't want him. 

[BearcatSA]

On 4/16/2023 at 11:40 AM, footballfreak said:

Does he? I feel like every cross he’s attempted this season has been scuffed right into the first defender. I’m not saying Raposo is the solution, but Martins has been woeful on both sides of the ball.

From the few times I have seen him this season, he has not been anywhere close to providing the service he showed in last season's final playoff push, agreed.  However, when reviewing the different available online analytics sources, his ratings haven't been as bad as one would think (even without the Montreal turkey shoot where everyone was a superstar)

Like Dajome and White, he was signed by Schuster to a significant contract extension (guaranteed until the end of 2024) so I don't see the TD wanting him riding pine for long stretches but hoping instead that the Portuguese LB comes good as a consistent starter.

Edited April 19, 2023 by BearcatSA

[footballfreak]

Named to the team of the round in the Canadian Championship. Well deserved.

He’s been excellent this year in MLS as  well. FotMob has him 2nd on the team in avg rating, behind only Julian Gressel. Personally, I would bump him down a couple places to fourth, behind Cubas, Gressel, and just behind a slow-starting Gauld. That’s very good company to be keeping. He works his socks off, he’s tidy on the ball, he creates turnovers, he’s not afraid to beat his man and run at defenders. 

In my view, he has made a very strong case for Gold Cup inclusion.

[BearcatSA]

13 hours ago, footballfreak said:

Named to the team of the round in the Canadian Championship. Well deserved.

He’s been excellent this year in MLS as  well. FotMob has him 2nd on the team in avg rating, behind only Julian Gressel. Personally, I would bump him down a couple places to fourth, behind Cubas, Gressel, and just behind a slow-starting Gauld. That’s very good company to be keeping. He works his socks off, he’s tidy on the ball, he creates turnovers, he’s not afraid to beat his man and run at defenders. 

In my view, he has made a very strong case for Gold Cup inclusion.

I really like what he has shown so far in all the areas described here, particularly with progessive and positive plays in taking guys on with dribbling:  he has a craftiness about him that deceives opponents.  Like other young players, he can be a little loose with possession via passing decisions and/or their execution and I am also not sure about his marking abilities in the defensive third, but these will develop with experience.  There is much to be excited about as the season progresses.

Edited May 13, 2023 by BearcatSA

[Dominic94]

I thought he was a LB ?

[PiedPilko]

1 minute ago, Dominic94 said:

I thought he was a LB ?

He's been playing CM under Vanni. Not usually a fan of his forcing youngsters into new positions, but Ahmed has slotted in very naturally.

[BearcatSA]

1 hour ago, Dominic94 said:

I thought he was a LB ?

He played some there in preseason.

[BearcatSA]

Ahmed needs to be back starting, either in Schöpf's spot or higher up in Vite's position, not the bench.

[Watchmen]

1 hour ago, BearcatSA said:

Ahmed needs to be back starting, either in Schöpf's spot or higher up in Vite's position, not the bench.

They're rotating the squad right now.  His being on the bench is not a indictment of his play.