Who are the top players for the Columbus Crew U-15s?

Similar to the Columbus Crew U17 team, the U15s have great depth and boast a solid list of good prospects. They don't have as high level of prospects as their U17 team, but they have some players that could get there with good development over the next couple of years. The 2006 to 2008 classes are showing that the Crew are starting to become one of the most formidable Academies in MLS, but there has been some turnover in the department, so it will be interesting to see if the momentum continues.   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.   CM, [player_tooltip player_id='124086' first='Austin' last='Su'] (2008)   What kind of player is he? Su is my favorite player from the Crew's 2008 class and it's primarily because of his technical ability on the ball and his tactical understanding of how to apply his skills to the game, though there is room for improvement there. As of right now Su is average physically, if that improves at all I think he can become a Youth National Team level player. His composure and decision making on the ball is excellent and he is savvy at finding pockets of space and making himself available in the build up. Defensively is where I would like to see him improve, both in commanding his space and being more effective in duels.   Level: Tier 3, Tier 2 Upside   LB, [player_tooltip player_id='130924' first='Jhostyn' last='Jimenez'] (2008)   What kind of player is he? Jimenez is primarily a left-back but he can also jump to the attacking line and play winger because he is an attack minded full-back. I really like Jimenez' ball control, manipulation and creativity — he is consistently looking to nutmeg his opponents. He also has good passing range showing the ability to hit driven and finesse diagonal passes. Jimenez is slightly above average physically. Tactically is where he has the most room for improvement. His decision making on the ball is inconsistent as is his positioning against the ball.   Level: Tier 3   WING/CF, [player_tooltip player_id='124087' first='David' last='Salukombo'] (2008)   What kind of player is he? Salukombo plays both wing and center-forward for the Crew, but his skills lean more towards that of a winger, though he lacks the pace that I like to see from that position. He does have good size and can beat defenders using tidy dribbling and leverage his body to shield the ball. Salukombo is steady, but lacks dynamic traits on the ball and off the ball, but he is a very reliable player. Salukombo was invited to a recent U15 National Team camp, which was a little surprising to me because I am not sure he is at that level at this time.   Level: Tier 3   CF, [player_tooltip player_id='104242' first='Chase' last='Adams'] (2008)   What kind of player is he? Adams is one of the better 2008 strikers in MLS Next, though it's not one of the strongest positions in a very strong class overall. Adams has good size and enough quickness to be respected. I really like his technical ability on the ball. He can use the dribble to beat defenders more often than many strikers his age. I'd like to see Adams get more involved in the build-up by being a connection point for his teammates and I would also like to see a higher variety of movements in the final third.   Level: Tier 3   AM, [player_tooltip player_id='130928' first='Isaac' last='Tortola'] (2008)   What kind of player is he? Tortola is a fun player to watch and his dribbling ability is by far his greatest asset. He is very good in tight spaces and controls the ball super well and manipulates the ball creatively. He is an undersized player with average athleticism and his impact on games is still inconsistent, but I do really like his toughness.   Level: Tier 3   CM, Bright Asante (2008)   What kind of player is he? Asante is a really interesting prospect. He is very tall — looks to be comfortably over 6-0 tall as a 14 year old. Asante is still quite raw, but he is a player that could have a high ceiling. He is comfortable in rondo type situations, consistently looking to move the ball quickly with one touch passes and overall his ball control is pretty good. He still doesn't quite know how to impact the game most effectively, but that should come with more time and training. The biggest concern I have right now is that it looks like he doesn't really love contact. It does not look like he is going into duels with a ton of spirit, I could be wrong, but that is what my eyes are telling me.   Level: Tier 3

Similar to the Columbus Crew U17 team, the U15s have great depth and boast a solid list of good prospects. They don't have as high level of prospects as their U17 team, but they have some players that could get there with good development over the next couple of years. The 2006 to 2008 classes are showing that the Crew are starting to become one of the most formidable Academies in MLS, but there has been some turnover in the department, so it will be interesting to see if the momentum continues.