2008 Top 20
December 2024
The 2008 class has been thought of as the start of a new era in talent development in the United States because they are the first class to experience a more significant development infrastructure AND they did not get significantly disrupted by the pandemic at critical development stages.
You might ask, why do they have a similar rating to 2007? Well, 2007 is heavily influenced by top-end American eligible talent developed in Europe but the 2008 has more depth than the 2007 class. The 2008s are preparing for their first big international test, a U-17 World Cup. This group of players are competing to play in the U-17 World Cup Qualifiers in February and the U-17 World Cup later in 2025.
2008 Class at a Glance
4.45
Top 20 Average Rating
WING, DM
Positional Strengths
LB, AM
Positional Weaknesses
1. CM/DM, Jude Terry, LAFC (↑2)
Grade: 5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽 🇦🇷 🇮🇹
National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Terry is the total package in midfield. Athleticism, engine, technical ability on the ball, passing, instincts, vision, pitch control, disruption and confidence. I believe he is most effective as a box to box midfielder and he has all the tools to do that job, both on the ball and against the ball. He may end up being a six long term, but I would keep him as an eight for now and see how far he goes.
2. WING, Nimfasha Berchimas, Charlotte FC (↓1)
Grade: 5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇧🇮
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-19
Berchimas is an explosive winger that can strike it well with both feet and he seems to save his biggest moments for the biggest games. He is a decent decision maker on the ball and he moves fairly well off of it. Defensively, he works very hard and can be disruptive in the press. He tracks back with great effort as well. My biggest concern for Berchimas right now is that he is too inconsistent one on one and he is a little untidy on the dribble. If he can tighten that up he can be the total package.
3. WING/CF, Julian Hall, New York Red Bulls (↑1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇵🇱
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Hall is a powerful and explosive attacker that does his best work off of the ball. On the ball he wins with pace and power and has a good feel for making plays for teammates in the final third. He can be a little loose with the ball at times. If he can tighten up his close control and expand his one on one arsenal, he could move up into that elite, five star territory.
4. AM, Maximo Carrizo, NYCFC (↓2)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇦🇷
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Carrizo is a class Argentinian number ten who does his best work between the lines and in the final third. Technically and tactically, there might not be a better player in the U.S. youth pool and while he isn’t the biggest guy, he is ball secure and quick and smart enough to succeed against bigger and stronger players. Like many number tens, he isn’t on the pitch because of work rate against the ball, but his ball progression and playmaking contributions more than make up for it.
5. CF, Alexander Staff, Eintracht Frankfurt (↑1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇩🇪
Youth National Team: 🇩🇪 U-17
Staff is a supremely mature striker that has an incredible nose for goal. He doesn’t have any elite physical tools, but his intelligence and instincts are elite. He is also quite good at supporting the midfield and connecting play and has the strength and ball security to be an effective hold up outlet. Defensively, he has shown improvement against the ball and has become a bit more disruptive.
6. RB, Wesley Okoduwa, Wolves (↓1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🏴 🇳🇬
Youth National Team: 🏴 U-17
Okoduwa has an elite physical profile for a full-back with a great size and pace combination. His profile and footwork give him the potential to be a lockdown defender. He shows the technical foundation to be effective on the ball, but still struggles to pick his moments to join and contribute in the attack.
7. CM/AM/DM, Cristiano Oliveira, New England Revolution (↑1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇧🇷
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Oliveira is a tall and mobile midfielder that could truly play all three midfield positions well. He has the size and defensive desire to play as a six. He has the ball progression ability to play as a box to box and he has the playmaking and final third instincts to play as a ten. Technically, he is extremely clean, with great close control and quick feet. He is also a very accurate passer with both feet. He needs to learn how to move between the lines a bit better and get on the ball more so he can have more influence over games.
8. CB, Ian James, Sporing Kansas City (↓1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇱🇻
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
James is a big and athletic center-back that continues to develop at a positive rate. He is comfortable on the ball, willing to take space and force the opponent to make difficult decisions. He is able to break lines with his passing using both feet. He needs to improve his decision making on the ball and lacks instincts for pressure at times. As a defender, his length, mobility and aggressiveness make him a good one on one defender. Off of the ball, he is alert and disruptive at times.
9. CB, Ramiz Hamouda, Birmingham Legion (↑4)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇸🇩
Youth National Team: No appearances this cycle
Hamouda is one of the most skilled left-footed center-back in the U.S. pipeline. He is tall, fluid and very comfortable on the ball. At times, maybe too comfortable. He has the potential to be a very good passer and he is very comfortable dribbling out of pressure. Defensively, he has improved a ton since joining Birmingham in USL. He has had to learn how to defend physically against grown men, spending a lot of time in space at left-back. He needs to become a better decision maker, both on the ball and against the ball.
Landon Emenalo, defensive-midfielder for Chelsea
10. DM, Landon Emenalo, Chelsea (New addition)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🏴 🇳🇬
Youth National Team: 🏴 U-17
Emenalo is a big, strong and mobile left-footed midfielder that can play as an eight, but is likely a six long term. He has the ball control and press resistance to play as a single pivot and he can dribble himself out of tight spaces. As a passer, he keeps things pretty simple and has an opportunity to become a bit more dynamic by increasing his ability to complete difficult through balls and diagonals. He is extremely intelligent on the ball. He feels pressure well, is comfortable in tight spaces and plays with great tempo and timing. Defensively he is very strong in duels and is positionally sound.
11. CB, Christopher Cupps, Chicago Fire (↑5)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Cupps has prototypical center-back size and while he isn’t the most athletic center-back, he has enough mobility to play in space. He is comfortable on the ball and he has very good passing range. He plays pretty well under pressure and has good passing vision, but is susceptible to a poor decision. He is a very good one on one defender that can mirror attackers and get stuck in at the right time. He is an alert and intelligent off of the ball defender as well. He is also known for being a great leader with a fantastic attitude.
12. AM/CM, Leo Gitau, Houston Dynamo (New addition)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇰🇪
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Gitau is a quick and pacey central player that may end up being a box to box midfielder if he can add some bulk, but he has the offensive output to play higher up the pitch. Gitua is very good on the ball with great close control, footwork and an ability to beat defenders one on one. He can get to the endline and cross the ball well with both feet and he also shows good touch as a passer. He is a tricky player with good vision and deception with a good feel for pressure. He isn’t always the most active defender, but can be disruptive when he is interested.
13. CF/WING, Austyn Jones, PSV (↓3)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇳🇱
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Jones is a vertical striker that likes to float into channels, face defenders and attack one on one. He is a good finisher with a very good goal scoring record in large part because he moves well off of the ball and finds dangerous spaces. Like many young strikers, he can get lost in games at times and be anonymous in some games. Defensively, he has the profile to be more disruptive against the ball, but does not display the instincts for that at this time.
14. DM, DeCarlo Guerra, LAFC (↓1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇬🇹
Youth National Team: 🇬🇹 U-20
Guerra is a classic single-pivot six that can disrupt the game defensively and also progress the ball through his quick, high tempo distribution. He has gone from being a very simple passer to someone who is willing to expand his vision and his range. He is consistently ball secure and fairly press resistant.
15. RB, Gio Villa, Real Salt Lake (↓1)
Grade: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Villa is a tenacious one on one defender with elite lateral quickness and defensive footwork. He isn’t the biggest guy, yet he rarely struggles with big and physical attackers because he compresses space and is very tough. His defensive game is further along than his offensive game, but he is still useful in attack. He has good close control and typically applies the right weight to his passes.
16. WING, Jamir Johnson, Philadelphia Union (↓5)
Grade: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇯🇲
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Johnson is an athletic, hardworking, playmaking wide midfielder that profiles as a winger in a more traditional setup, but in Philly’s 4-4-2 diamond, wide midfield is his best fit. Johnson needs to add strength over time so he can be more ball secure. He has the ability to pass and strike the ball well with both feet. His decision making has been more inconsistent this year than I have seen in the past and I would like to see that cleaned up.
17. WING, Lorenzo Cornelius, St. Louis City (New addition)
Grade: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Cornelius is a shifty winger that can also invert and play inside. He has very good technical skills on the ball with strong close control, quick feet, ball security and one on one ability. He can also deliver a good cross consistently. He has a very unorthodox set of moves, using hesitations and feints to keep defenses off balance. The question for him is will he develop enough physically to be able to continue to be dynamic against tougher competition.
18. CM, Cooper Sanchez, Atlanta United (↑1)
Grade: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Sanchez is a midfielder that loves to play between the lines. He has a classy first touch and excels at receiving the ball on the half turn and driving at the defense. He is also very good at set play delivery. Defensively, he does enough to play as an eight, but his skill sets lean towards more of a free eight or attacking midfielder. Defensively, he isn't a nuisance and will make some plays. More often than not he makes the right rotations to the right spots.
19. CF, Chase Adams, Columbus Crew (↓10)
Grade: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Adams is a physical and intelligent striker that has good vision and a knack for making plays in the final third. He has a good first touch, good ball control and decent footwork in the final third, though I would like to see him use his strength and body positioning a bit better to protect the ball. He makes intelligent decisions in the final third and oftentimes creates great chances for others, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him be a little more selfish. He is still a work in progress against the ball. He isn’t the ideal striker profile to lead a high pressing system.
20. CB, Adrian Sanders, LAFC (New addition)
Grade: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-17
Sanders doesn’t quite have the size you want in a center-back, but his athleticism helps make up for it and ultimately I think he IS big enough. He is very solid on the ball and can be relied upon when building out of the back. He has good feet and understands when to take his space. He won’t do anything crazy as a passer, but he can find the right play and can break lines. He still makes too many mental mistakes on the ball, that needs to be cleaned up. Defensively, he is disruptive and reliable.
Disclaimer
I have not had the opportunity to scout the following players: GK, William Lodmell (Sporting Lisbon), GK, Mick Tiel (Utrecht), RB, Keehan Barrett-Underwood (Liverpool), RB/CB, Victor Vandenbroucke (Gent), CM, Liam Lambert (Unknown), AM, Jack Mize (Borussia Dortmund) and WING, Kaelen Dougan (Greuther Fürth).
Scouting Approach
How I approach scouting, grading and tiering youth prospects.
CHECK IT OUT.svg){kind=logo}
