MLS Next Playoffs : Focus on U15s

<strong>FRISCO</strong>, Texas - MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs is nearly over with the finals for the various age groups coming up this weekend. The U15 (2007) age group is in the spotlight from the action on recent days. The following is a run down of the talent I saw over the week in the U15s age group. These are the standouts from the U15 age group from various games over the last week in Texas as part of the playoffs and showcase. Joel Rosa , IMG Academy U15 Position: Forward/Wide #7 With his abilities, keen sense of direction and bravery, Joel particularly stood out to me. He is very quick. His agility and ability to be in the right place at the right moment are both excellent. He possesses a great sense of how to read a game. He is quick in mind and has the athleticism to match too. Joel is a great ball player who isn’t afraid to go up against opponents one-on-one or thread a pass in the middle of the field. Keeping an eye on this kid will be worthwhile in the future. Oliver Glenn, IMG Academy U15 Position: Forward/Wide #9 Oliver stood out to me with his skills, eye for goal, and movement. He moves fairly quickly. and has good size about him as well. He works well up and down the wing. Not scared to defend either. He has a superb understanding of how to read games. He moves quite quickly and with great assurance, didn’t see him lose the ball often. Oliver is also quite confident with the ball and not afraid to take on opponents in 1v1 situations or play a pass in between the lines. Aidan Stokes, New York Red Bulls U15 Position: Goalkeeper #1 Aidan stood out to me with his positioning, communication, and organization. His positioning throughout games was excellent. He has a good size about him as well. His talking and organization are great. Not scared to tell his players where they should be either. He has a superb understanding of how to read games. He moves quite quickly across his box and with great assurance, didn’t seem to be unfazed under high balls. Aidan is also quite confident with the ball and has quite good distribution. Jaydus Camacho,Charlotte FC U15 Position: Defender Central #48 Jaydus stood out today in a really good game. He has good height and body size. He is a very good talker and organized his defensive teammates quite well throughout the game. He has an excellent reading of the game also. He is quick in mind and has the athleticism to match too. Jaydus is also very comfortable on the ball also and not afraid to step up and play further up park also. Axel Uriostegui, Real Salt Lake U15 Position: MID/FWD #44 ’Little’ Axel, as he is known, is very confident on the ball and able to play with both feet. He has clever movement, great in 1v1 situations, and dribbling. He is skilled and strong on the ball, not knocked off the ball easily. He possesses a great pass and a good eye for knowing when to shoot. He is a very nice link player and direct. He is not afraid to be the first defender either, a very likable player. [caption id="attachment_42542" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-42542 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/04/RealSaltLakeU15-300x175.jpg" alt="[player_tooltip player_id="17021" first="Zavier" last="Gozo"], Real Salt Lake 07" width="300" height="175" /> [player_tooltip player_id="17021" first="Zavier" last="Gozo"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="17021" first="Zavier" last="Gozo"], Real Salt Lake U15 Position: MID/FWD #51 Zavier is very confident on the ball and able to play with both feet. He always wanted the ball, great in 1v1 situations and dribbling. He is a very skilled and strong on-ball, not knocked off the ball easily (a team trait with RSL). He possesses a great pass and a good eye for knowing when to go short or go long with passes. He is a very nice link player also and very direct. He seems like he would be very comfortable playing as a #10 or #8, he has that ability. David Lora, Real Salt Lake U15 Position: MID Central #33 David is another RSL player that is very confident on the ball and able to play with both feet. He is good at exploiting other teams’ weaknesses in the middle of a park with his movement. He was always looking for a pass as an outlet for his teammates. He kept talking to teammates about their positioning as well. He gets the team moving and is direct. He can definitely play anywhere central in the middle of the team and he can shoot and score too. Omar Marquez, Sacramento Republic U15 Position: Attacking Mid #10 Omar is so fun to watch. He is a natural player, who plays with freedom and loves scoring goals too. From the moment game starts he is on the front foot. He possesses a very good shot. He is a very good passer of the ball, he is quick with the ball and also without the ball too. He has very clever movement and had defense on the move at all times. He is happy using both feet as well and is very good at dribbling too. For his age he had really good movement in between lines from his below forward position in the half-spaces, he knows how to score and he is deadly inside the box. He is very exciting, I enjoyed his play.