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Aaron Nielsen ,

May 28, 2018 Email

Aaron Nielsen



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Canada makes their first appearance in the French Toulon Tournament. one of the biggest male youth national tournaments in the World. The tournament goes the last week of May and first week of June and includes soccer powers starting with the host France, England, Mexico and Portugal. Canada is in Group C along with Portugal, Japan and Turkey. The tournament allows players up to the age of of 21, although both Portugal and Japan are sending a very young squad to the tournament, while Turkey has yet to name their squad for the tournament. Canada brings a mix between young and older players with varying experience, although they could play a team under the age of 19 depending on how John Herdman and Mauro Biello sets the the team. The roster also includes a number of players new to the U20 national team, with only four players returning for the disappointing performance at the 2017 U19 CONCACAF Tournament and a further five who played with Canada in the 2017 U17 CONCACAF Tournament. Of the players picked, some have impressed so far in 2018, including three Montreal Impact Academy players who so far have had a very successful U19 USSDA Academy season with the general talent of Canadian players improving. That being said, I don't expect great success in the tournament but happy with the quality of players, which makes me very excited to follow the tournament as it progresses as well as the individual players, some whom will be stars in the CanPL. Goalkeepers

James Pantemis, Montreal Impact

I've written about Paternis prior being on the fringes of both the Montreal Impact first team and even the Canadian National Team. Now 21, hecan use the tournament to showcase some of his skills as well as actually give him some meaningful playing time. There is a crop of Canadian youth goalkeepers with potential, although the Impact still are happy with Pantemis's progression training against MLS quality players, as well earning him a spot in the tournament. Alessandro Busti, Juventus

There has been good excitement regarding Busti, first for gaining first team minutes with the Juventus youth team in Italy and his interest in representing Canada. The 17 year old from Toronto joined Juventus in 2016 and so far has played one UEFA Youth Cup game, two Primavera games, Italy's top youth league and a number of U18 and friendly games. He has very good reflexes, although as he gets older he'll need to be more aggressive as well improving his distribution of the ball. Defenders

Julian Dunn, Toronto FC II

Dunn has all the athletic ability to become a very valuable defender. He has great size, strength and enough speed to play the full-back role comfortably. Because of his sill set, Toronto FC has progressed his career fairly rapidly, including 18 games with TFC II and now two first team MLS appearances. It should be said that at 17, he has struggled on the defensive side of the ball in terms of making smart decisions and defensive coverage. Dunn has done well in terms of the technical aspects of the game, especially for someone of his age and size so there is still great hope that he can reach his potential. Derek Cornelius, Javor Ivanjica

Maybe the most interesting call up, because he's playing first team minutes this season in a European Top Division. After playing youth soccer in his hometown of Ajax, North York and Unionville, Cornelius tried out in Europe at the age of 15. First with CSKA Moscow, where he was prolific goal scorer, then he moved to VfB Lubeck in Germany making his pro debut in the Regionalliga before moving to VfR Neumunster slowly making the transition to Central Defender. Now 20, Cornelius played 22 games in the Serbian Superliga during the 2017-2018 season and had good defensive numbers, including 10 challenges and 4 aireal duel wins per game and 4 tackles. Emile Legault, AJ Auxerre

The Montreal native is currently playing in France with Auxerre academy side. Not a flashy or overly athletic player, but plays the full back position very well in terms of knowing what is required from the position. He has the ability to run the right flank with the ball at his feet and send in a dangerous cross. He also reads the game well defensively, which he showed for Canada at the U17 CONCACAF tournament playing in all 270 minutes. Kosovar Sadiki, Lokomotiva Zagreb

Sadiki recently moved from Stoke City Academy in England to Lokomotiva Zagreb in Croatia. The 6'4 Central Defender has had difficult time finding games in Europe, only playing a handful of games with Stoke main youth team since joining them in 2015. The Kitchener native looks to be the perfect candidate for CanPL, where in Europe teams will take a chance on him due to his potential but have no commitment in playing him. Based on his size and skill especially in the air, I feel Sadiki could be very impressive in CanPL, which could lead to a move to a MLS club. Michael Baldisimo, Vancouver Whitecaps Academy

With Vancouver ending their USL program, Baldisimo returned to the USSDA U19 side where he has played 22 games this season and 83 games at that level since 2015. He played 15 games in USL last season and performed well as an attacking fullback and showed a good ability in terms of both passing and dribbling with the ball. The main questions are his defensive ability, where I would say Micheal should be regarded more as a midfielder then defender based on his skill set, although even then there are some concerns regarding his overall athleticism. Daniel Kinumbe, Montreal Impact Academy

Like Baldisimo, I would say Kinumbe is more of a midfielder then defender, although he does have the ability to play fullback but is on the smaller size at 5'8 and less then 150 pounds. When you watch Kinumbe play the first thing you notice is his ability to dribble the ball, not only his speed and technique, but his confidence in running all over the pitch with the ball at his feet which can give you some comparisons to Alphonso Davies. Daniel is in his second season with the Montreal Impact Academy playing in 36 games and scoring 10 goals. Clement Bayiha, Montreal Impact Academy

Again, another player who I would regard more as a Midfielder than a defender, although is stronger in size so could play fullback if asked. Bayiha came to Montreal from Cameroon so it is good to see him playing for Canada as he also qualified for France internationally. Where Clement has been most effective is as a winger pressuring opponents and then capitalizing on mistakes scoring 13 goals in 60 career games in the Montreal Impact Academy program. His overall work rate will allow him to be effective as a defensive player, although I feel he could struggle matching up with attacking players in his own 18 yard box. Midfielders

Noble Okello, Toronto FC II

Like Dunn, Okello is getting a lot of interest because of his overall size and athletic ability. Okello is 6'5 but has the technical ability of a player six inches shorter. This has been shown both in his play with Canada at the U17 CONCACAF tournament and even in USL where he is also playing against players 5 to 10 years his senior. He averages 50 touches a game and passes the ball over 80%. My concern for Okello at this stage of his career is he is not as dominant as he should be based on his size, especially against players his age. That being said, I see him as a solid MLS center back and if reaches his full potential he could play in a top five league in the world. Aidan Daniels, Toronto FC II

Aidan joined the Toronto FC Academy in 2012 from Richmond Hill and over the past six years have played 100 games with the TFC Academy, including 50 games now with Toronto FC II in USL. He made his Major League Soccer debut this season with Toronto FC. Daniels has improved as an overall player relying less on his ball control and playing more a team game which is shown both in his passing numbers and overall assists. The concern is whether he has reached his peak and being not the most athletic player I don't project him as a MLS starter, although I can see him being a very effective player in CanPL. Kris Twardek, Millwall

Twardek was a huge catch for Canada when the Ottawa native decided to move youth teams from the Czech Republic to Canada and now is a Senior National Team player after making his first appearance against El Salvador last September. Twardek is also a professional player now being loaned out to both Braintree Town and Carlisle United during the 2017-2018 season from his club team Millwall. As an attacking player, Twardek struggled especially when used in a more forward position. It can be argued that the lower divisions in England don't fit his style and maybe a return to Canada playing in the CanPL can help him regain the reputation he had as a 17 year old. David Norman Jr., Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Son of former Vancouver Whitecaps NASL and CSL player David Norman, who played for Canada 51 times between 1983 and 1994, David Junior is making a name for himself as a hard nosed, yet technically sound defensive midfielder. Norman played with the Whitecaps Academy before heading to Oregon State in NCAA where he had a very successful freshman season scoring two goals in 17 games. He decided to leave school signing a pro contract with Whitecaps 2 in USL before signing a MLS contract at the start of this season. He is strong passer of the ball in the center of the park and is also not afraid to challenge a player, including tackling or even fouling if necessary. I feel he has the ability to have a long career in MLS, but could also be a key player for any CanPL side. Noah Verhoeven, Fresno FC

Currently on loan from the Vancouver Whitecaps, Verhoeven has been making highlight clips with his technical skills and comfort on the ball. The concern in evaluating him is trying to figure out what his best position is. He doesn't have the athletic ability or overall speed you expect from a winger and doesn't participate enough defensively to be identified as a full-back or holding midfielder. That being said, when he does have the ball he is good at maintaining possession and if he is able to turn some of his tricks into scoring opportunities he can impact any game. Shamit Shome, Montreal Impact

Shome has sort of disappeared since leaving Edmonton for the MLS draft. Since the Impact drafted him in 2017, the Montreal Impact only used him once for their first team and he was loaned to Ottawa Fury in USL but hasn't played for Ottawa either. His reputation earlier in his career in Edmonton was that he was a player who was very comfortable on the ball and a someone who could potentially move into a number 10 role, a position Canada has always struggled with. My assumption is that Shome will be playing in CanPL next season and maybe a return to Edmonton can revive his once promising career. Mathieu Choiniere, Montreal Impact Academy

Younger brother of Montreal Impact senior player David Choiniere, who is currently out with an ankle injury. Mathieu has the same technical upside as his brother and has impressed with the Academy side scoring nine goals in 18 games. Although professionally, Mathieu projects as a holding midfielder, whose greatest skill set is finding his quick wingers/strikers in full stride with a through ball, while also being good sending in crosses on set plays. Mathieu also has a gritty side, although will have to improve his tackling and awareness if he wishes to be an asset on defense Forwards

Liam Millar, Liverpool

The most high profile player on the side, Millar continues to impress as a youth player with Liverpool in England. So much so, he recently made his senior debut with the Canadian National Team at 18 years old. The Mississauga native moved to play in England at 13 first with Fulham before joining Liverpool in 2016. Millar has scored goals at the U18 level as well as the UEFA Youth Cup where he was a regular. His quick play allows him to be open on many opportunities and he also has the ability to finish off chances when given them. He will most likely be loaned out to a first team club next year and will be very interesting to watch his career progress. Matthew Roberts, Swansea City

Roberts is another player playing Academy football in the UK with Swansea City and scored three goals in 11 games in the U18 Premier League, the highest level at that age group. He also qualifies to play with Northern Ireland where he was born. A technically sound player, Roberts does the little things well, especially how he holds up the ball and passes the ball off to a teammate. He is also gritty enough to challenge for balls either in the air or 1v1 and looks like a player who would be comfortable gaining experience in the lower divisions in England. Jonathan David, KAA Gent

David was my most exciting call-up and player during Canada's recent U17 and U20 Concacaf Tournaments. He already had a reputation for himself in his native Ottawa for his ability since the age of 12, although while he has also embraced the athletic requirements now needed to be a successful player in the game. This has allowed an easier transition to Belgium side KAA Gent where he has already been scoring goals, including against top teams such as Standard Liege. David's best position might be on the wing as he lacks the height of some of the top strikers such as Cyle Larin, although I expect him to be regular in the Canada Senior Men's Team as well. Theo Bair, Vancovuer Whitecaps Academy

Bair is an interesting pick since there are a number of other forwards who could of been considered such as Shaan Hundal, Adonijah Reid, Vincent Lamy or Bair's teammate Jose Hernandez. The other four have greater reputations than Bair, including a better track record of scoring goals. That being said, they don't have the athletic upside he has, which makes him an exciting prospect. Bair stands 6'2 and is a plus player in other athletic categories, while a good run with the Whitecaps U19 Academy team has seen him score 17 goals in 28 games. Aaron Neilsen is a co-founder of Prospect XI (Prospect Eleven), a scouting network and online magazine dedicated to tracking/highlighting young players that refer to as "prospects" as well as their development pathways both within North America and worldwide. Follow PXI via www.prospectxi.com or on twitter @ProspectXI.