Who are the top players for the Austin FC U-15s?

Austin's U-15 group is at a similar level of talent as their U-17 group — not a top class, but solid in comparison to other MLS academies. The current class has one consistent youth national team player, one player that was getting looks early on and one player that could enter the youth national team conversation. This class is similar to other Austin classes in that they appear to prioritize technical and tactical ability over physical attributes.   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='90863' first='Viggo' last='Ortiz'] (2008)   What makes him special: Ortiz is a player that could play as an attacking midfielder or a box to box midfielder with the pace to be able to fulfill that role. Ortiz has a lot of great offensive tools, including technical dribbling ability, creativity, vision and passing ability and the mentality to attack relentlessly.   How he can take it to the next level: Ortiz' future position will depend on how much he develops defensively. Right now, he lacks the pitch control and presence that is needed from a box to box midfielder, but if he can improve in this area it will give him more tactical and positional flexibility.   Level: Tier 2   Ortiz has not been invited to a youth national team camp, but I think he is one of the better center-midfielders in the 2008 class and he could earn a call over the next few camps.   LCB, [player_tooltip player_id='88489' first='Gavin' last='Wolff'] (2008)   What makes him special: Wolff — yes, another Wolff — has the coveted blend of size, left-footedness and ability on the ball. This profile is hard to find and always valued. Wolff plays with a mature level of composure on the ball and uses cleverness and technique to alleviate himself of pressure. He has good accuracy and range when passing the ball. He also shows good instincts defensively.   How he can take it to the next level: His calmness can at times be viewed as a lack of defensive urgency. There are times would like to see a little more grit and physicality to his one on one defense.   Level: Tier 2   AM, [player_tooltip player_id='88475' first='Abner' last='Zuniga'] (2008)   What makes him special: Zuniga is an attacking midfielder that is ball secure, savvy in the final third and plays with the confidence to push the game forward. His instincts and finishing ability have been promising this season.   How he can take it to the next level: Zuniga is a player that may not have the physical ceiling to be a dynamic winger or a box to box midfielder, so he will have to maximize his value at the attacking midfield position, a position becoming less and less common in the modern game. For him to be able to do that, I'd like to see more cutting edge as a passer, leading to a higher volume of chance creation.   Level: Tier 3   Zuniga featured early on in the current U-15 youth national team cycle, but has not been with the group recently which might indicate that others have passed him or the manager is still getting to know the pool. I don't quite see him at the youth national team level for what looks to be a very strong 2008 class.   RB, Daniel Wright (2009)   What makes him special: Write is a powerful and athletic right-back with decent ball control and passing ability. I have not seen a ton of Wright at the U-15 level, but he is a player that jumps off the screen and has the profile of a full-back that can be a very good one on one defender.   How he can take it to the next level: I need to see more of Wright, but from what I have seen, he looks like a player that needs to understand how to apply his tools within a game situation through more tactical understanding.   Level: Tier 3   Wright is likely a player that U.S. Soccer will look at in identification camps leading up to the next U-15 cycle in 2024.

Austin's U-15 group is at a similar level of talent as their U-17 group — not a top class, but solid in comparison to other MLS academies. The current class has one consistent youth national team player, one player that was getting looks early on and one player that could enter the youth national team conversation. This class is similar to other Austin classes in that they appear to prioritize technical and tactical ability over physical attributes.