2010 Top 20
December 2024
It’s very early days and so much can and will happen over the next several years, but early signs are that 2010 is another strong class. It’s not at the same level as the 2009 class, but it looks comparable to the 2008 and 2007 class. There is a good mix of elite physical exciting technical, and high ceiling tactical profiles.
The class is particularly strong through the middle of the pitch. It looks like the deepest striker class since the 2007 class and there is also quality at the ten, eight and goalkeeper positions. The class is a little weaker out wide, but a few of the strikers have the ability to play out wide and could balance the class out there.
A lot will change, but it’s another class to be excited about and there will certainly be new players that emerge from Europe over the years as is the case with every class. On average, we usually see around five dual-national players in the top 20 that are developed in Europe. As of right now, there are two that I am aware of and have scouted.
2010 Class at a Glance
4.45
Top 20 Average Rating
CF, AM, CM, GK
Positional Strengths
WING, DM, CB, RB, LB
Positional Weaknesses
1. CF/WING, Jamil Danjaji, Columbus Crew
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Danjaji is an attacker that can play up top or out wide. He is a vertical/direct threat that puts a ton of strain on the backline with his pace, quick feet and off ball movement He has five star potential if he can continue to improve his touch, close control and instincts on the ball. These are areas where he has shown a lot of growth the last two years.
2. DM/CB, Nathan Tchoumba, Colorado Rapids
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Tchoumba is both a disruptive and playmaking six that also has the size to play center-back. He has incredible feet and fluidity for a player of his size and often uses his high level technique and dribbling ability to progress the ball. Those feet also come in handy against the ball where he is very successful in duels and tackles. He should look to continue to improve his passing range. He doesn’t execute a lot of through balls or long diagonals. If he can improve in that facet of his game, he has five star potential.
3. AM, Robert Turdean, Chicago Fire
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Turdean is a true offensive difference maker at the attacking-midfield position. He has excellent quickness, ball control and mental processing in tight spaces. He is a surgeon in the final third. I am not overly concerned about his lack of size because he has the quickness to make up for it, but I don’t see him playing any position other than as a ten in his future. Right now, his value is primarily on the offensive end. He doesn’t provide a ton of value against the ball.
4. CM/AM/DM, Vicente Garcia, LA Galaxy
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Garcia is an out and out ball player who can legitimately play all three midfield positions at a very high level. He is technically very good as both a dribbler and passer and he also has a great feel for the game. Defensively, he is a total nuisance for the other team. He compresses space and dispossesses dribblers incredibly well. He needs to improve his positioning and awareness when defending off of the ball.
5. LB, Ahmed Abarkane, FC Barcelona
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇦 🇪🇸
Youth National Team: 🇲🇦 U-15
Abarkane is exactly what you would expect from a Barca academy player. He has outstanding footwork, technique on the ball,is incredibly clever and poised under pressure. He has good size, strength and straight line speed. At this time, he is much more advanced on the ball, going forward, than he is as a defender. He can be exploited as a one on one defender from time to time, but his off ball defending is a bit more reliable.
6. AM, Will Recupero, Stuttgarter Kickers
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇩🇪
Youth National Team: No appearances this cycle
Recupero is another super technical, playmaking midfielder with great feet, close control and vision. He has a little more defense to his game than most attacking-mids at his age and he may be able to play as an eight down the line. His decision making needs work, but there is no doubt about his ability to impact a game.
7. CF/WING/CM, Da’vian Kimbrough, Sacramento Republic
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15, 🇲🇽 U-16
Kimbrough can play a ton of different positions and he himself has said that he is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, yet he has had a lot of success as a striker. I think he might be more of an attack minded eight long term due to his great physical profile and ball progression skills. He has a great combination of size, athleticism and technical ability. I’d like to see him find his position soon and start to dominate in the role he is asked to play.
8. GK, Connor Dale, Inter Miami
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Dale has all the tools: size, athleticism, reflexes, coordination and comfortability on the ball. He can also distribute the ball well with both feet. Dale’s ceiling is going to come down to how well he masters the finer points of being a goalkeeper. Things like decision making under pressure, footwork, punching/perrying, positioning, how he controls the box and when he leaves his line. Dale does all of the natural goal keeping things extremely well, but can get in his own way at times. If he cleans that up, he can be a top tier keeper.
9. WING, Ikenna Chidebe, LA Galaxy
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇳🇬
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
There are a lot of very smart, positionally flexible players in this class and Chidebe is another one of them. Chidebe is a left-footed player that can play on both wings, but he also likes to float into the midfield and make plays from central positions. He is a little undersized, but he is quick and fluid and is very smooth on the ball. He is happy to do the defensive work as well and could potentially end up playing left-back if he needs to move back at any point in his development.
Matthew Arana, center-midfielder for Houston Dynamo
10. CM/AM, Matthew Arana, Houston Dynamo
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
Youth National Team: 🇲🇽 U-15
Arana probably has the best dribbling ability of anyone in this class and nobody makes progressing the ball through the midfield look easier. Arana has the instincts and composure of a player much older than he is. He has the profile and progression abilities to play as an eight, but he doesn’t bring the same impact to the defensive side of the game as he does to the offensive side, making pairing him with a more defensive minded midfield important.
11. CM/AM, Kamil Castillo, DC United
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇩🇴
Youth National Team: No appearances this cycle
Castillo is a versatile midfielder that has the physical profile to play as an eight, but the skillset and mentality that leans more towards a ten. He is a maestro with the ball at his feet with excellent touch, control and footwork. He has advanced deceptiveness to his game and also shows good passing vision. His defensive game is behind his offensive game, especially on the ball.
12. CF, Jayden Kouadio, Philadelphia Union
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Kouadio is a versatile striker that can hold up play and successfully bring his teammates into possession, float out wide and face defenders and dribble by them and he can find pockets of space in the final third. He has a very impressive physical profile with very good pace and agility. I have also heard he is expected to grow to around 6-2 or 6-3. Technically, he is also quite good on the ball. He needs to continue to improve his decision making and focus in tight spaces.
13. CM, Lisandro Torres, LAFC
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15, 🇲🇽 U-15
Torres is a technically gifted box to box midfielder with exceptional ball control and vision. His ability to progress the ball and pick out key passes at the right time makes him a creative force in the midfield. However, he can look uncomfortable under pressure and needs to improve his defensive awareness and positioning.
14. CB, Owen Jorgensen, St. Louis City
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Jorgensen is a mobile and versatile center-back with excellent ball control and passing range. His ability to play with both feet and play with the appropriate tempo under pressure makes him a valuable asset building out of the back. However, his smaller stature and occasional lapses in decision-making can be exploited by larger and more physical opponents.
15. CF, Timoni Gbalajobi, Philadelphia Union
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇳🇬
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Gbalajobi is a physically imposing striker with exceptional pace and athleticism. His ability to hold up the ball and create goal-scoring opportunities with his powerful runs makes him a threat in the final third. However, he can improve his ability to maneuver in tight spaces without turning it over and his ability to create plays for his teammates.
16. AM, Juan Martinez, LA Galaxy
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
Youth National Team: 🇲🇽 U-15
Martinez is a technically gifted attacking midfielder with a knack for scoring spectacular goals. His ability to beat defenders with his dribbling and strike the ball with power and accuracy makes him a dangerous attacking threat. However, he can be inconsistent in his performances and struggles to maintain possession under pressure. Additionally, his passing range and awareness of his surroundings could be improved.
17. CF, Kane Kraus, St. Louis City
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Kraus is a powerful striker with exceptional strength and a nose for goal. His ability to hold up play, create space for himself, and finish clinically makes him a dangerous goal scorer. However, his agility can limit his ability to change direction quickly, and he can be prone to turnovers when pressed by defenders.
18. WING, Josh Boney, Barca Residency
Rating: 4.5 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: No appearances this cycle
Boney is a physically advanced winger with explosive pace and exceptional dribbling ability. His ability to beat defenders one-on-one and finish with power or finesse makes him a constant threat. However, he can be inconsistent in his work rate and tends to hold onto the ball for too long, which can impact the rhythm of his team's attacks.
19. WING, Oscar Avilez, DC United
Rating: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸 🇭🇳
Youth National Team: No appearances this cycle
Avilez is a dynamic winger with exceptional control in transition and a knack for creating goal-scoring opportunities. His ability to control the ball at high speed and deceive defenders makes him a nightmare for opposing full-backs. He is also an exceptional defender against the ball, making him a weapon in the press. However, his inconsistent first touch and tendency to stand still when not in possession can limit his overall impact on the game.
20. CB/RB/DM, Landon Mulvenna, Philadelphia Union
Rating: 4 ✮
Nationalities: 🇺🇸
Youth National Team: 🇺🇸 U-15
Mulvenna is a tough, versatile, intelligent and skilled player that can play as a center-back, full-back and defensive-midfielder. His physical profile will dictate where he ends up, but my guess is that he will be a six if he does not end up with center-back size. His strengths are his work rate, passing range and anticipation. He needs to improve his tackle timing and his pace and agility are fairly average.
Disclaimer
I have not had the opportunity to scout the following players: GK, Milan Johnson (Ajax), DM/CB, Miles Aalbersberg (Ajax), CM/AM, Anthony Applewhaite (Mainz), CM, Ben Moskowitz (Leeds), CM, Andre Bistrain (AD Alcorcón), AM, Vinny D’Annunzio (Feyenoord), WING, Jonathan Puslecki (Heerenveen), WING, Jayden Eldridge (Nordsjaelland), CF, Esan Olawande (SD Surf), CF, Titus Prince Veith (Eintracht Frankfurt)
If you have full match video of any of these players and would like to share that with me so that I can scout them, please reach out. Additionally, if you know of other United States eligible players that are playing Internationally, please reach out.
Scouting Approach
How I approach scouting, grading and tiering youth prospects.
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