Gotti wrote:
txj wrote:
They had to first play in the academy before making it to the MLS first team; no? It takes progress to go from the Academy to the MLS. Bello had to progress from the Atlanta academy to the first team.
2. We have local scouts/agents. You even have agents coming from Europe to watch the Mock Nations Cup and similar tourneys...If a player has quality he will be seen.
But you are simply echoing my point about Nigerians being largely limited to the NT pathway for breaking into Europe.
Which brings us back to my main point about our comparatively low numbers of successful transition of players to top senior level football, relative to our dominance at this level and compared to other countries who have additional pathways ourside the youth NTs.
3. Again you miss the point about Adams. His ability to transition first from the academy to the MLS, and from thence straight to a starting place at RB Leipzig is indicative of both his quality and the quality of the development of players at both the US soccer academies and the MLS. The last time a Nigerian player went straight to a starting place in a top team from the domestic game was as far back as George Finidi.
4. Nigeria's dominance at this level has been based on age fraud. That is not an opinion but a well documented fact. Our dominance is also based on talent and superior physical strength.
What has been lacking and remains lacking is the right development of players for the modern game, that would allow them maximize their abilities and compete for places in Europe at the level THEIR TALENT DESERVES.
No different from the likes of Stanley Okoro going from Enyimba's feeder team (or some other local Nigerian academy) to Enyimba's (or any other NPFL) senior team. When Nigeria allowed players at NPFL and NNL league clubs play for the U17 Eaglets, these sorts "development" were common place.
Meanwhile, you keep citing Tyler Adams, who was already a full SENIOR US international before securing a transfer to Europe, but if he was not a relative OUTLIER how come all the other players who played with (as well as before and after) him in the US youth system did not achieve similar 'success'?
Nonetheless, how is his case SUBSTANTIVELY any different from that of (for example) Wilfred Ndidi, who went from the Nigerian youth NT system straight into the first-term of a Belgian league club (which is at least equivalent to the MLS) "and from thence straight to a starting place at" Leicester?!
Anyway, I believe
we have to agree to disagree here, given your continued insistence that kids in Agege, Uyo, Damaturu, etc., have SAME access to opportunities to play in Europe as US kids.
1. Really, Stanley Okoro? You've gotta be kidding me!!! Stanley was an adult playing with his peers in the NPFL...
2. Again I'm using Tyler to show you how quality development of young players work. And I am well aware of Ndidi's case, as well as the reviews of his coaches in Belgium on his arrival. But yes, it is quite similar, but also an outlier as it is quite rare for Nigerian players, unlike the US which currently can cite several examples (Weston, Steffen, Wood before them), from a league that is only 20+ years old.
3. Of course kids in Agege, etc do not have the same access! That was never my point. I'm saying the reason they don't have equivalent access comes down to lack of quality in their development.
As you can see, increasingly our U17 players even with worldwide exposure are not getting picked up as before, even as champions and MVP candidates...There's an interesting old report in deportivo about how Barca ran the rule on Kelechi and were not convinced about him and instead chose some Asian kids.
We have the talent. That is what we have proven again and again. But we are not developing them right...All you have to do is watch Manu's current team for 5mins!!!