Agree... the odds of a us eligible teenager playing for a senior Italy mens team are slim to none in soccer.
That was 17 year old Justin Che. They couldn’t come to terms with Bayern for a permanent transfer for now but I have a feeling he’ll be headed back to Munich after a good MLS season. Wouldn’t be shocked if they have a deal done under the table but was easier to wait than deal with a sale and immediate loan back.
Bayern has had a ton of interest in MLS talent. Obviously Alphonso Davies is the shining star but they’ve bought Richards and Taylor Booth (RSL) in the past few years. Wouldn’t shock me to see Pepi get a real long look too.
Hoffenheim fans voted him into their team of the season despite joining in January. He was excellent there.
Yuell looks out of his league. Can’t wait for Zardes to score 5 goals against crap competition only to crap the bed in the ocho.
He’s also clinical. Got a decent haul for a Schalke team that was one of the worst in any of Europe’s top divisions. They had almost no possession and he scored a lot against the run of play. Can definitely be a vital skill as a sub or when we’re overmatched by an opponent.
My concern is that he doesn’t seem to have any plus athletic skills. The poacher profile doesn’t translate to the international level… see Wondo and Twellman for a couple of examples of poachers who never found huge success at w the natties and they both had more athleticism than Hoppe.
That’s a fair point but Wondo in MLS and Hoppe at his age in the Bundesliga are different animals. If he sticks with Schalke and plays a ton in the second division this year that could be really good for his development. And agreed on Zardes. I’d much rather see him late running at people after Dike or another of the younger bigger strikers have physically attacked CBs all game.
