Who are the top players for Houston Dynamo U-15s?

The Dynamo U15 team took a bit hit when they lost Lio Gitau who is one of the top talents in this age group. The team now lacks game changing, high impact talent and have to rely on the group working well together to get results. They have a solid core of players from the backline up to the frontline, however this group is not in the top tier, talent wise, in comparison to other MLS Academies at this level.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-large-font-size">My grading system</h2>   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:   <ul> <li>High impact Youth National Team Player, often times playing up an age group</li>   <li>High impact club player, often times plays up an age group and still heavily impacts games</li>   <li>On the fast track to the first team</li> </ul>   Tier 2:   <ul> <li>Depending on strength of the age group, likely Youth National Team pool or core player</li>   <li>High impact player within his age group</li>   <li>Potential future first team player</li> </ul>   Tier 3:   <ul> <li>On the outside looking in to the Youth National Team</li>   <li>Consistently one of the more impactful players on his club team</li>   <li>On track for a look in MLS Next Pro, USL or NCAA soccer</li>   <li>Possesses some high level skills or traits, but also holes in his game</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-large-font-size">LCB/LB, [player_tooltip player_id='90045' first='Micah' last='Harris'] (2008)</h2>   What kind of player is he?   Harris is a left-back, left center-back "tweener" with soft feet and solid technique on the ball. Harris' top quality is his passing technique and range. He can be a weapon when the opponent is pressing by splitting lines and creating transition opportunities. Defensively Harris is steady and reliable — he does a pretty good job winning the majority of his ground duels. Harris' physical development will determine what position is best suited for him long term. If he grows, he can be a very effective ball playing center-back. If he doesn't end up having the physical profile to play center-back at higher levels, he will need to get more comfortable higher up the field.   Tier: High 3   <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-large-font-size">DM, [player_tooltip player_id='16597' first='Omar' last='Bolanos'] (2008)</h2>   What kind of player is he?   Bolanos is a versatile player that can step into the right-back, defensive-mid and center-mid positions. He has good size and plays with good strength and balance, but lacks fluidity and quickness. Technically, he has good touch and can control difficult passes and retain good ball control in traffic. He is adequate as a passer, but does not consistently execute high difficulty passes — he keeps it pretty simple. Defensively, he has solid positioning off the ball, but can be exposed in one on one situations.   Level: Low 3   <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-large-font-size">CF, [player_tooltip player_id='90003' first='David' last='Garcia'] (2008)</h2>   What kind of player is he?   Garcia has very good length and has a pretty strong lower body, but he isn't the most mobile striker. Garcia serves as an advanced hold up target for this age because he has a consistently soft touch and he shows consistent ability to connect with his teammates in build up. Garcia has a good goal scoring record at this level and shows good instincts in the final third. He also has shown good timing on his runs, but could use more variety in how he finds openings in the final third.   Level: Low 3   <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-large-font-size">LB, [player_tooltip player_id='90222' first='Joshua' last='Jaimes'] (2008)</h2>   What kind of player is he?   Jaimes is a solid technical player with the ability to connect with teammates through one touch passing. Jaimes has good technique, accuracy and range as a passer and uses his passing ability to break pressure and find teammates in the final third. Jaimes is a respectable defender, but does not standout as a lockdown defender and his anticipation off the ball is up and down.   Level: Low 3

The Dynamo U15 team took a bit hit when they lost Lio Gitau who is one of the top talents in this age group. The team now lacks game changing, high impact talent and have to rely on the group working well together to get results. They have a solid core of players from the backline up to the frontline, however this group is not in the top tier, talent wise, in comparison to other MLS Academies at this level.