Who are the top players for Chicago Fire U-17s?

The Chicago Fire U-17 team is actually pretty deep with six players that I grade at a tier 3 level or above. They may lack potential homegrown players within the 2006 and 2007 class, but have a very bright 2008 player playing two age levels up. This could have been a top age group before losing a handful of quality players to other academies. While the team struggles at times to get results, there is definitely talent to appreciate.   My grading system   I use a numerical scoring framework to grade players. I look at what I consider to be the most important traits and skills for each position and apply a numerical value to each of those categories. I take into account the age of the player when grading for each category.. The categories include physical traits, technical ability, intellectual understanding of the game and their mentality in how they approach the game. I average those individual scores in order to generate a holistic grade of the player. The score helps me identify what tier of prospect a player is.   Tier 1: A high impact player with all the tools to be a first choice youth national team selection and an obvious homegrown contract candidate.   Tier 2: A very good youth prospect that should likely get youth national team consideration and a potential homegrown contract candidate.   Tier 3: A solid youth prospect that should get a look in MLS Next Pro or is likely getting recruited to play high level college soccer.   WING/AM, [player_tooltip player_id='11162' first='Dylan' last='Borso'] (2006)   What makes him special: Borso is an attack minded winger that does his best work in transition, dribbling at defenders. He has quick feet and a strong frame which makes him difficult to take the ball from and he can strike the ball well with both feet.   How he can take it to the next level: Borso has pretty good vision and from time to time he can pick out a cross, but overall his passing accuracy is inconsistent.   Level: Tier 2   Borso is one of the better wingers in the 2006 class and while he has not been invited to a youth national team camp I think he is worth getting a look at. Borso is a player I expect Chicago to give an opportunity to in MLS Next Pro to help make a decision on whether to give him a first team deal.   CF/WING, [player_tooltip player_id='33351' first='Michael' last='Ramirez'] (2006)   What makes him special: Ramirez is a tricky and skillful left-footed attacker that can play striker or wing. Ramirez is at his best when linking up with teammates or using his technique and imagination to dribble by players — he loves a nutmeg.   How he can take it to the next level: Ramirez is very left-footed which can make his pass and shot creation movement predictable. I'd also like to see the placement of his passes be more consistently accurate.   Level: Tier 3   RB, [player_tooltip player_id='49785' first='Aaron' last='Deppe'] (2006)   What makes him special: Deppe is a very good defensive right-back with the versatility to play left-back and both center-back positions. He has good size for a full-back, good agility and he is a smart defender off the ball, covering depth well.   How he can take it to the next level: Deppe is solid on the ball but does not provide a ton of dynamic qualities going forward. I'd like to see him a little bit more to his game offensively, whether that is his crossing or one on one dribbling ability.   Level: Tier 3   RB, Jayden Quezada (2007)   What makes him special: Quezada is the more offensive full-back on the squad and he does a really good job unbalancing defenses by beating players off the dribble with his quick feet and ability to manipulate the ball. Once Quezada is in space he can beat you by either picking out a pass or shooting from distance. He has shown the ability to deliver a banger to the back of the net.   How he can take it to the next level: Quezada isn't the biggest or fastest guy, but he does a good job covering the back post, however, I would like to see him improve in one on one defensive situations.   Level: Tier 3   GK, [player_tooltip player_id='11240' first='Patrick' last='Los'] (2007)   What makes him special: Los is a very athletic keeper with good feet and an advanced ability to distribute the ball. His athleticism comes through in how fluidly he moves in the box and his ability to explode out of his stance to block shots.   How he can take it to the next level: Right now Los is an undersized keeper, but could become a pretty intriguing prospect if he grows a few inches, but that's not something he can control. What he can control is his focus and decisiveness in the box, which I think can be improved.   Level: Tier 3   Los recently was invited to a U.S. U-16 camp and while I don't think he is the level of prospect I would expect in a youth national team camp, the 2007 lacks depth at keeper, so if Los does hit one last growth spurt he could become the top keepers in the class.   RCB, [player_tooltip player_id='104161' first='Christopher' last='Cupps'] (2008)   What makes him special: Cupps is the youngest player on the U-17 team, playing up two age groups, and he likely has the highest ceiling. He is a very mature and well rounded center-back for his age. He has good size, mobility and is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He looks to break lines with his passes and does so consistently. He is very sound in his defensive positioning and is very patient in one on one situations, forcing his opponent to make mistakes.   How he can take it to the next level: There are not many holes in Cupps game, so the focus for him is to just continue to improve in every aspect of his game, get stronger, and to try and take his passing to an even higher level.   Level: Tier 2   Cupps has been a consistent call-up to the U.S. U-15 team and has captained the group at times. The 2008 class is a very deep at center-back and Cupps is one of the best right-footed players that will likely be a key member going forward. Cupps also has the make-up of a player Chicago would look to sign to a first team deal if he continues to develop at his current rate.

The Chicago Fire U-17 team is actually pretty deep with six players that I grade at a tier 3 level or above. They may lack potential homegrown players within the 2006 and 2007 class, but have a very bright 2008 player playing two age levels up. This could have been a top age group before losing a handful of quality players to other academies. While the team struggles at times to get results, there is definitely talent to appreciate.