Julian Hall |

Julian Hall is one of those athletes that is simply a joy to watch.

Hall was an integral part in helping his New York Red Bulls side win the finals for the under-15 age group. The explosive winger used perfect transition along the sideline and the occasional cut inside to control his side of the pitch. He often times used underlaps to draw into the fearful defenseman and smoothly returned the ball to his overlapping teammate.

While there has been some concern with Hall’s decision making in the past, it seems that he has come into his own during the MLS NEXT Cup. His entire tournament was spectacular and his ability to lead from the front was next to none when it comes to the U15’s. During the final against CF Montreal, Hall made a beautiful movement and landed crisp contact with the ball in order to equalize the game around the 80th minute. This goal saved his Red Bulls team and turned the momentum of the game, leading eventually to a game winner from New York.

With all the talent in the world it is well deserved that Julian Hall won the U15 Most Valuable Player and helped his team win their age group. This kid truly has a bright future ahead of him.

River’s 3 traits to consider:Quick: Hall is fast. His movement on and off the ball is simply next level and puts him in a category above the rest of his peers. In a league where the best play the best and teams are extremely competitive, Hall is able to set himself apart from the rest.Decisions: As I said before, I heard a lot of questions regarding Hall’s decision making coming into this tournament. It’s safe to say that Julian Hall must have heard it too because he came out of the gates swinging from the moment the competition began. He seemed to make the perfect pass nearly every time, he positioned himself to score with technical runs and simply moved like a player coming into their prime. He may have had some decision making issues before but the new Julian Hall is here to prove that he’s much more than just his bad days.Positioning: I really admired how well he used his body on the outside of the pitch. He kept his hips at the perfect angle in order to control the flow of the game on his side of the field, and also kept his head on a swivel in order to control or release the ball into the right position. His positioning kept him in the game and he helped keep his team in the game.