Gedion Zelalem Signs for NYCFC

A 22 year old is no longer a prospect. I’m sorry. He is who he is now.

Haak is a prospect. JPT is a prospect.
Exactly. Had he had the potential to be even a decent MLS player, we would have seen it last year. Perhaps no coach in MLS is better at getting the most out of Americans who failed to catch on elsewhere than Vermes.
 
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Maybe project is a better term although prospect is still not so far off. Parks is 22 and I still viewed him as a prospect or project. He also showed flashes on the US unders. He showed potential at Benfica (b) but never really broke through. He came here and shined in the right spot. The two may not be perfectly parallel, but 22 and prospect are not so inconsistent (at least the way I think of it).
The difference though is that Parks had been moving forward with Benfica while GZ has languished for years now.
 
Exactly. Had he had the potential to be even a decent MLS player, we would have seen it last year. Perhaps no coach in MLS is better at getting the most out of Americans who failed to catch on elsewhere than Vermes.
Bad take. His style was not suited for SKC.

Harrison looked lost his first loan in the championship and now he looks like a long-time pro who cemented on his second loan team.
 
SKC fans say he didn't pass the ball forward and basically did nothing, a la half our team from 2015. I've barely watched him, but from what I gather he seems like a talented guy that needs to be unlocked. Whether anyone can find the key remains to be seen.
 
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SKC fans say he didn't pass the ball forward and basically did nothing, a la half our team from 2015. I've barely watched him, but from what I gather he seems like a talented guy that needs to be unlocked. Whether anyone can find the key remains to be seen.
Feels possibly key that he trained under Pilkington.
 
That's nonsense. Many players progress well into their twenties. I.e. Ring became much better player in 2017 than he was in Germany, and he turned already 26 during his first season with NYCFC.
A great example of that just across the river in Aaron Long.
 
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That's nonsense. Many players progress well into their twenties. I.e. Ring became much better player in 2017 than he was in Germany, and he turned already 26 during his first season with NYCFC.

You mean he was better in MLS than he was in Bundesliga?
 
You mean he was better in MLS than he was in Bundesliga?

Yes, no doubt about that. While in the 1st Bundesliga with Gladbach, we don't really know because he didn't seem to get much of a chance to show what he could do, but throughout his time in Germany, he was still rash in tackle, weaker in distribution, much worse in positioning and way less commanding in central midfield than he was after only half a season's mentoring by Vieira. I think he admitted himself in some interview how much he learned from PV. His progress was also clearly visible in the Finland team, although he played only one really meaningful Finland game after signing for NYC, vs. Iceland, and in that match he was just boss. When you look at the 20 old headless chicken that Ring was, you wouldn't have betted for him being an MLS club captain in 2019. Many players get much better when they mature. I can't see why that couldn't apply to Zelalem, too.
 
I’m saying MLS is. Step down from Bundesliga

I don't think we are able to compare the leagues, or any league for that matter. The only ones who can do that are the players. Ring has said that NYCFC would hold its ground among the lower half teams in the 1st Bundesliga, and that MLS is much better than the 2nd BL. He's played in all three.
 
No doubt he’s technically gifted. His might have been a case of going to the next level too soon. Hopefully we give him a chance to grow. He’s still only 22 years old.
I agree with this. Worth noting, Serge Gnabry is technically an Arsenal reject too. Only difference (albeit big) is Serge got playing time at another club (Bremen/Hoffenheim) before showing full potential on the big stage with Bayern. Zelalem hasn't exactly gotten reps since leaving Arsenal. My worry is he becomes like Agudelo and has all this potential that never amounted to much because he went to Europe/too much too soon.
 
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