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Frank Costanza
08-06-2009, 12:56 PM
TFC is very lucky to have a roster mixed with vets and young players who are the future of our francaise

Of these youngsters (and if i forgot one appologize vote other) who would you say is the most promising youngster on our side???

Yohan
08-06-2009, 12:58 PM
it's a bit hard question to answer right now, because other than Ibby and Nana, we haven't seen enough of other youngsters to make a good judgement on their abilities

but I think most would agree that Nana will have a big role in TFC defence for years to come

Nodoubtguy
08-06-2009, 01:00 PM
I think Frei has the biggest potential career ahead, but that also means that I don't see him being in MLS beyond the next few seasons.....

Belfast_Boy
08-06-2009, 01:01 PM
it's a bit hard question to answer right now, because other than Ibby and Nana, we haven't seen enough of other youngsters to make a good judgement on their abilities

but I think most would agree that Nana will have a big role in TFC defence for years to come

I picked Nana too. we've seen him the most and I'm sure he'll be a great asset for TFC for years to come. I wonder how he'd do in another position.

Yohan
08-06-2009, 01:05 PM
I picked Nana too. we've seen him the most and I'm sure he'll be a great asset for TFC for years to come. I wonder how he'd do in another position.
well, he can play CB and RB. if he develops a bit of left foot, i don't think it would be too much of stretch for him to learn LB too

Jay P
08-06-2009, 01:44 PM
it's a bit hard question to answer right now, because other than Ibby and Nana, we haven't seen enough of other youngsters to make a good judgement on their abilities

but I think most would agree that Nana will have a big role in TFC defence for years to come


agreed!

Belfast_Boy
08-06-2009, 02:00 PM
well, he can play CB and RB. if he develops a bit of left foot, i don't think it would be too much of stretch for him to learn LB too


I was thinking a little further up the field. seen him make some impressive runs on the right wing.

Shaughno
08-06-2009, 02:06 PM
Cronin, easy. Frei # 2. Nana #3.

trane
08-06-2009, 02:10 PM
Mark67

We need defenders first.

Attakora, Cronin and Frei have all impressed me. However, I picked Nana simply because he address our primary concern, at this point.


But Cronin seems to be underappreciated. I think he could develop into a great midfielder, perhaps a CM.

billygrieveuk
08-06-2009, 02:47 PM
Cronin, he has impressed me this year.
plus him and Frei have been starters for most games.
which says alot.

Shaughno
08-06-2009, 02:49 PM
^^ Amen to that Billy

SilverSamurai
08-06-2009, 02:54 PM
Nana. He should be a solid regular for the CMNT.

Lennon
08-06-2009, 02:54 PM
I voted Nana ... mostly because Frei isn't really a youngster anymore ...

mmmikey
08-06-2009, 03:05 PM
wow. this was one of the first polls i couldn't answer in a split second. good question..

cronin & frei won't get my vote mostly cause i feel they are past the promising youngster phase in my mind. they came in as rookies, but i feel like they have already proven themselves and now its just a matter of how far they go before they end their development.

OBW doesn't get my vote either because of the knee.. most athletes say it takes a year or more before they really feel totally comfortable after an ACL tear. hopefully we will be saying something different at this time next year.

Nana vs Gomez. I gotta say, im really liking Gomez's game. Makes some rash decisions, but the tools are there to be REALLY good once he gets some of that intangible experience. in the end though.. ill give it to Nana, mostly cause by now, it's hard to see him NOT succeeding. he has looked so good and unless its a faulty memory he looks much bigger to me this year. He just looks so smooooth out there.. Kinda reminds me of Ledley King (u know, without the knee held together with duct tape).

H Bomb
08-06-2009, 03:11 PM
I think frei may have the best career when it's all said and done. Nana has a huge skill set but is a little short for a CB...didnt stop Canavaro though. Gomez seems awesome and they say Sanyang is better. Maybe they'd be monsters...maybe they wont, i just dont know yet. Sammy is great and I think he'll be a many time MLS all star, someone in the light of a Sasha Klesjen and hopefully be with us for 10 years.

Shway
08-06-2009, 03:16 PM
24 isnt quite considered young

H Bomb
08-06-2009, 03:27 PM
for Frei? 24 is a young keeper (which just shows what a freak Cech is) when you hit 30 you've got between 6-8 years of prime playing as a keeper. It's a brain and experience position.

rocker
08-06-2009, 03:52 PM
nana... the guy is only 20 years old and i feel safe with him on defense already. cronin and frei are good too, but older... frei has really impressed me at times, but cronin can be quite quiet... nana seems to always do something smart every game.

Frank Costanza
08-06-2009, 04:00 PM
franks vote was nana, and i see im not the only one, love this kid , honourable mention to our goalie stefan frei i think he will be among the best goalies in mls very soon if he stays in mls

barca99
08-06-2009, 04:03 PM
wow. this was one of the first polls i couldn't answer in a split second. good question..
(u know, without the knee held together with duct tape).

Good point. With all of these great young talents, it makes me wonder whether management should ship off some of the veterans to make room? After all, there doesn't seem to be room for all of the players on the team to get the minutes they need to develop.

And by the way my pick is Cronin. He is underappreciated going forward and should be a great CM. Although I can't believe the nerve of Gomez! His turns away from attackers, and play on the ball is amazing for an 18 year old!

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
08-06-2009, 04:06 PM
give GOMEZ 2 seasons.....and europe will be a callin!

Frank Costanza
08-06-2009, 04:48 PM
give GOMEZ 2 seasons.....and europe will be a callin!
thats my fear, hopefully he stays with the team that gave him his first chance paycheque stardom fame.. etc.

Shway
08-06-2009, 05:16 PM
my list would be :

1. Nana (MPY for sure, by far, 20 years old - wouldnt be surprised if Europe comes calling him)
2. Frei (young great keeper)
3. Gomez
4. Sanyang
5. Cronin (cronin has impressed me, hes just played safe, and hes 24, not neccessarily considered to be young anymore, in football talk)
6. OBW (looking really shaky, but i guess ill give him time to heal)

David_Oliveira
08-06-2009, 05:38 PM
I think frei has the better career infront of him but nana will stick around longer

TFCRegina
08-06-2009, 05:45 PM
it's a bit hard question to answer right now, because other than Ibby and Nana, we haven't seen enough of other youngsters to make a good judgement on their abilities

but I think most would agree that Nana will have a big role in TFC defence for years to come

I voted for Nana, and I hope not. I hope he ends up in Europe and as a fixture for our national team, barring MLS making drastic rule changes to make this a league where guys like Nana can stay and develop into not just good players, but great players...

I_AM_CANADIAN
08-06-2009, 06:01 PM
Right now IMO it's Nana.

TFC OZZ
08-06-2009, 06:03 PM
I feel like wayyyyy too many people rub Nana Attakora's nuts too much.... don't get me wrong, I think he's got a bright future, but I think that he, Frei and Cronin are all similarly talented, and Gomez has a ton of potential based on the appearance against PR in Toronto. Hopefully they all turn out to be solid contributors here for a long time

Dirk Diggler
08-06-2009, 06:21 PM
Cronin, easy. Frei # 2. Nana #3.

Exactly what I was going to post.

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
08-06-2009, 08:12 PM
I think if Gomez had a regular spot...his totals would be off the chart...cant wait till this kid gets a role with this team!

I would say Frie will be off to europe shortly...

torontocelt
08-06-2009, 08:32 PM
Most promising is Frei by quite a bit. Good goalkeepers do not just grow on trees, they are a very specialized position. Frei has made a few mistakes but the defence in front of him frequently land him in trouble. If Frei continues to develop then he will go far and will most definitely play in Europe.

jloome
08-06-2009, 09:01 PM
We have several very promising players.

Frei will eventually be a top pro goalie. His reactions are top-notch, his command on the box is usually very good, his distribution is very, very good. His command of crosses into the box and his ability to control a busy box are shaky right now, but that will come. Could use a little more muscle, given he has a naturally big frame.
On a Euro youth-level comparison he's an A-plus prospect.

Nana hasn't set a foot wrong playing for us. He's very composed. I don't know how well he runs his man at the byline or how quickly he can close across the box, because I haven't seen him had to do that yet. Also, I can't judge his work in the air or distribution yet, as he simply hasn't had to do much of either. Suffers a bit on the size front as a centre-half but has made up for it so far on great marking and smart play. As a top prospect, I'd grade him a b-plus.

Gomez hasn't played enough to say for sure. His confidence on the ball is worrisome if you assume it's the "laid-back African player" stereotype. But given his age I don't think so. He seems preternaturally coolheaded, and he tackles very well. Obviously needs to gains serious weight and muscle. Can't Grade him yet.

Sanyang. Same as Gomez. Haven't seen him enough yet. He didn't pick up a man on the switch during his first appearance, which contributed to the goal. But he's very quick to close and a monster tackler, apparently. Can't grade him yet.

Cronin has major prospects, maybe as good as Frei's. People don't see it yet, because he plays conservatively on a team full of guys making rash decisions. But he can pass with absolute pinpoint accuracy, and puts the ball where defenses don't expect it. He needs better shooting accuracy, or to start putting on weight if he's going to be more defensive. As things are, his one threat right now is being trapped as a "box-to-box" midfielder but not quite having enough offense or enough strength to qualify.

If he picks up his game offensively, he reminds me very much of Jimmy Bullard, formerly with Fulham and Wigan but is at hull now (and perenially injured, unfortunately.) Very good passer, hard shot, super movement.

B-Plus for cronin, going to an A if he rapidly picks up the offensive end of his game.

O'Brien White - Too Early. Can't grade him when he's only played 14 minutes.

Ibby Ibrahim - His first step is very, very quick and he has a long enough stride that he's hard to mark. It's disappointing that his few rare appearances late last year, in preaseason and this season, have been on the wing. I can see why, but if all coaches had stuck with the tried and true mould, Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry would be out-and-out wingers and Kevin Phillips would've been a fullback.

Plus he's shown zip on the wing to continue the idea. As a striker, he's a b-minus prospect. As a winger, tough to grade due to lack of appearances.

Gabe Gala - Underrated as a wing prospect, because he's mobile and strong, despite being very small. Hasn't played enough to judge fairly. If I had to, I'd say he's a solid b-minus at wing but has looked a little nervous at fullback, maybe a 'c'.

Brian Edwards - Doesn't read the ball well off the foot. Commands the box well, delivers the ball well. Nothing particularly special though, from the little we've seen. I'd say he's a c-minus.

T_Mizz
08-06-2009, 09:08 PM
First off I'd like to say this is my kind of thread, no negativity just a bunch of us glass-half-full-ers looking forward to the future.

My vote is for Gomez, he's only 18 and looks solid defensively already. Also he seems to be a better physical specimen than Nana. However, Nana is definitely much better at this point and I look forward to both of them having bright futures and bullying MLS defenders for years to come.

Shakes McQueen
08-06-2009, 10:14 PM
Frei and Attakora are absolutely my #1's. Cronin is #2. Gomez, from what I've seen could become a solid #2 pick as well, but I want to see more of him first. A couple of good games isn't enough.

- Scott

King Tut
08-07-2009, 01:07 AM
Ibrahim

Shakes McQueen
08-07-2009, 01:28 AM
Ibrahim

Really? What has Ibby done this season, to deserve such high praise?

- Scott

Cashcleaner
08-07-2009, 02:03 AM
I vote for Stefan Frei.

Wait, I don't think that's convincing enough.







I VOTED FOR STEFAN FREI!!!

That's better.

King Tut
08-07-2009, 03:48 AM
Really? What has Ibby done this season, to deserve such high praise?

- Scott

He barely played. I am judging him based on last season and his off-the-ball movement.

Ossington Mental Youth
08-07-2009, 04:27 AM
He barely played. I am judging him based on last season and his off-the-ball movement.

i agree, im a fan of him as well but sadly he hasnt gotten the chance OR they are trying to avoid giving Dallas those draft picks (if he plays a certain amount of games etc etc)

Shakes McQueen
08-07-2009, 05:33 AM
I think Ibbe was decent last season, and certainly looked promising - but more promising than Frei or Attakora? Both have been absolute rocks in their respective positions this season.

- Scott

deacon
08-07-2009, 09:26 AM
cronin is 22, was playing college soccer 8 months ago. CM has the steepest learning curve of any position in professional soccer.Give him balance of this year, and first of next year and he will be one of top 3 contributors to TFC.See him playing in Europe 2012 and beyond

tlear
08-07-2009, 04:19 PM
Well in soccer unless you are a keeper you are not a youngster past 18-19 :) Frei is a safe choice I think. I voted for Gomez (even so he had little play time). Seems to have ice in his veins, fast, tall, seems to have good awareness, tackles really well. Hopefully he starts today, really looking forward to seeing him play.

The Oz
08-07-2009, 08:49 PM
Frei is gone to Europe by beginning of 2011, mark my words. That boy is a great prospect. Same with Nana and for the love of god, if I see another game where Velez is in and he isn't, I will lose my shit.

TFC RealDeal RPB
08-07-2009, 09:02 PM
I don't think Frei is all that great to be fair Edwards looked better tonight over Frei maybe CC sould give him a shot next week.


For me the best youngster is Nana.

JonO
08-07-2009, 09:04 PM
Frei is gone to Europe by beginning of 2011, mark my words. That boy is a great prospect. Same with Nana and for the love of god, if I see another game where Velez is in and he isn't, I will lose my shit.
Frei is a very good keeper for MLS, but it still not near the top keeper in the league. Needs to improve quite a bit for the Europe talk imho...

King Tut
08-08-2009, 12:50 AM
I think Ibbe was decent last season, and certainly looked promising - but more promising than Frei or Attakora? Both have been absolute rocks in their respective positions this season.

- Scott

I don't consider Frei a youngster. He's a rookie but definitely not a youngster. Frei is 23, Ibrahim is 17 (now that's a real youngster). Frei and Nana Attakora are solid for sure, but when the word "youngster" is mentioned, the names that come to my head are Ibrahim, Gomez and Sanyang..

barca99
08-08-2009, 05:54 AM
Does anyone know the status of Nana for next week's game vs. DC? I can't seem to find any updates other than "Questionable."

Cheers:drinking::scarf:

DichioTFC
08-08-2009, 10:19 AM
Frei will eventually be a top pro goalie. His reactions are top-notch, his command on the box is usually very good, his distribution is very, very good. His command of crosses into the box and his ability to control a busy box are shaky right now, but that will come. Could use a little more muscle, given he has a naturally big frame.
On a Euro youth-level comparison he's an A-plus prospect.


Completely disagree with the comment. There was an entire thread on the fact that Frei can't pick out a TFC midfielder with his kicks. As stellar as he's been, that's one glaring aspect that definitely needs improvement (and that he should get slack for, as opposed to us subconsciously blaming the mids)

I voted for Cronin. Nana has obviously done well, especially in place of Wynne, but I just think that Cronin is just a bit better consider the dynamic / multi-faceted nature of playing CM and how well he has preformed. I think he gets taken for granted - especially true since he only has 13% of the vote.

jloome
08-09-2009, 11:10 AM
There was an entire thread on the fact that Frei can't pick out a TFC midfielder with his kicks.

Yeah, well it must be true then.

ALthough in the real world, I'd check the video on that. He hits the man he's trying to hit. If, tactically, Cummins wanted the ball distributed to the mid instead of to the headmanning forwards, he'd tell him that. Either way, Frei get the ball to our guy, which puts him light years ahead of Sutton.

prizby
08-09-2009, 12:28 PM
im shocked that it took 30 posts b4 ibrahim wasn't even mentioned AS A YOUNG GUY

Menelaos
08-10-2009, 01:32 PM
I voted Frei but I also don't know how much of a 'youngster' he is when compared to a 17 year old.

Yet, I have seen him move better since the begining of the season and I like his growing confidence. He is quicker to react and faster to come out and challenge.

Regards,
Richard

Shway
08-10-2009, 02:25 PM
if i can change my vote, i would change it from NANA, to GOMEZ

Gomez has a promising future, he can play anywhere in the defence, and i can see him playing CDM. I think its time to Robbo starts proving his worth, and Cronin IMO is a 12th man, good player to come off the bench, if we are trying to hold a lead. If not keep him off

CoachGT
08-11-2009, 10:25 AM
I didn't consider Cronin nor Frei to be "youngsters" but can understand the thought. Both will have long, successful careers.

Voted for Gomez. Confidence to come, but he just seems to have a natural ability, both with and without the ball, that could lead him to be a stellar player. Great touch, excellent instincts, and in the few games he has played, and in the RM game, thought he has shown exceptionally well.

CoachGT
08-11-2009, 10:27 AM
im shocked that it took 30 posts b4 ibrahim wasn't even mentioned AS A YOUNG GUY

Yes, and he's already been here for two years!

Moe911
08-11-2009, 11:34 AM
Why has ibbe gotten any playing time this year? I would seriously start him ahead of vitti right now.

Dirk Diggler
08-11-2009, 11:38 AM
I don't consider Frei a youngster. He's a rookie but definitely not a youngster. Frei is 23, Ibrahim is 17 (now that's a real youngster). Frei and Nana Attakora are solid for sure, but when the word "youngster" is mentioned, the names that come to my head are Ibrahim, Gomez and Sanyang..

Even though I voted for Cronin, I agree. Traditionally I wouldn't consider college draft picks like Cronin or Frei young either ... but I do believe that Cronin will be the best amongst the names mentioned.

Gazza_55
08-11-2009, 11:39 AM
cronin is 22, was playing college soccer 8 months ago. CM has the steepest learning curve of any position in professional soccer.Give him balance of this year, and first of next year and he will be one of top 3 contributors to TFC.See him playing in Europe 2012 and beyond

Is it me or does Cronin look out of sorts since he's come back from the Gold Cup? I still think he will be a very good player but that damn Bob Bradley & the US set-up......

CoachGT
08-11-2009, 12:18 PM
Why has ibbe gotten any playing time this year? I would seriously start him ahead of vitti right now.

Ibbe has been away at the U20s, and I thought he was at another tournament before that. I think that starting him ahead of Vitti might be a little more pressure than any coach would want to put on a young player right now - he's better suited to coming in later in a game.

And Vitti has played pretty well recently.

donnie_rpu
08-11-2009, 12:48 PM
This is my 1st time posting & i'm not going to pretend that i've had the opportunity to watch all the games this year....but here's my take:

Nana - He's been great whenever i've watched him. Consistently the best defender on the field. He's not as aggressive as Serioux, so he doesn't make as many WOW plays....but also doesn't make mistakes & marks very well. Exactly what you want.

Gomez - Only seen him twice....and not all of those games either. But he looks very poised & strong. Considering how little he's gotten to play, he's done VERY well.

Frei - He's looked very good this year. Good reflexes. Good size. Seems to have command of the box & the field. My only problem with him is how often he comes off the line with the ball and doesn't get it to an open player....he's forever saying "sorry" with his gloves to players...just get the ball moving. But no complaints.

Cronin - He's by far the least impressive on the field. However, his real position is DM.....so i guess its not a position where looking impressive is important. Unfortunately, since we already have a DM, he's been put out on the wing. Whenver i see him he's pretty much invisible. I think, however, that when he eventually moves to his natural position, he will have a long successful career.

Ibrahim - He's slow. Not sure what exactly can be done about that. We'll see how he progresses.