Marcelo Flores

[Tyler55]

1 hour ago, Kadenge said:

Other than activate our youth program, not sure what else Canada, the CSA, JH or us fans can do. Marcelo was born, grew up and played youth soccer in Canada before moving to England at 14? We have a real chance at 2022, host 2026, rank  top 3 in Concacaf, taken 4 points from Mexico, currently on top of Concacaf WCQ, our star players are in his age group... If that's not enough clearly his heart is not with Canada.

Let's just relax and wait for January if he isn't there its clear where his heart is. He said he wanted to go to a camp with Canada unprovoked, some say it was to put pressure on Mexico but his dad could have done that no need to say anything other than "let's wait and see". Ruben posting Marcelo in Mexico shirts doesn't change anything it's clear he has a preference but nothing definitive from Marcelo yet.

[BuzzAndSting]

On 12/6/2021 at 9:58 AM, grigorio said:

This is all so crazy. The Mexican Federation just posted this tweet for Wednesday's game with Marcelo listed on it. Would be pretty wild if he backed out now... 

 

 

Look at that list of sponsors... Jealous.

[Kadenge]

18 minutes ago, Tyler55 said:

Let's just relax and wait for January if he isn't there its clear where his heart is. He said he wanted to go to a camp with Canada unprovoked, some say it was to put pressure on Mexico but his dad could have done that no need to say anything other than "let's wait and see". Ruben posting Marcelo in Mexico shirts doesn't change anything it's clear he has a preference but nothing definitive from Marcelo yet.

The vast majority of us are relaxed. Nothing more to do. It's up to Marcelo

[Unnamed Trialist]

14 hours ago, P-O said:

We are all talking about potential here.

Ballou Tabla would have never signed at Arsenal academy at 16 to play in the U18.

As a United fan, Doughty only filled a jersey to make up numbers, which isn't the case of Flores.

I fixed your post, which left huge gaps between phrases. 

Ballou Tabla played in Spanish 2nd division his first months at Barça, for the B team, when he was still u-19 age. That is a higher level of play than any of our youth prospects. Only Jebbison had minutes (and just a few) at a higher level at or before his age.

I appreciate if you are an Arsenal fan you think their academy is just wonderful, Okay it is in there, they are doing well, where it should be, and that it is. It is full of kids from 17-21 years of age, and Marcelo still has not played for them.  They are guys younger than him on their u-23s.

It is not better than the Sporting academy where Lucas Dias is. Lucas Dias is playing Youth League for Sporting, who topped their group BTW, beat Ajax away yesterday (Lucas was not in the line-up, not sure why but he normally has been). I'd say, frankly, that Dias has the highest upside of all our guys at his prospect level.

 

[Atlantic]

5 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I fixed your post, which left huge gaps between phrases. 

Ballou Tabla played in Spanish 2nd division his first months at Barça, for the B team, when he was still u-19 age. That is a higher level of play than any of our youth prospects. Only Jebbison had minutes (and just a few) at a higher level at or before his age.

I appreciate if you are an Arsenal fan you think their academy is just wonderful, Okay it is in there, they are doing well, where it should be, and that it is. It is full of kids from 17-21 years of age, and Marcelo still has not played for them.  They are guys younger than him on their u-23s.

It is not better than the Sporting academy where Lucas Dias is. Lucas Dias is playing Youth League for Sporting, who topped their group BTW, beat Ajax away yesterday (Lucas was not in the line-up, not sure why but he normally has been). I'd say, frankly, that Dias has the highest upside of all our guys at his prospect level.

 

I’ve mentioned this before and it does make me question what exactly his potential may be. Obviously potential isn’t linear and he could always make a quick jump to the first team over the next year but being 18 playing for the U18s doesn’t scream star player. 
 

Tons of 2003 and 2004 born players on the Arsenal U23s as well.

[Unnamed Trialist]

10 minutes ago, Atlantic said:

I’ve mentioned this before and it does make me question what exactly his potential may be. Obviously potential isn’t linear and he could always make a quick jump to the first team over the next year but being 18 playing for the U18s doesn’t scream star player. 
 

Tons of 2003 and 2004 born players on the Arsenal U23s as well.

Exactly: there are kids younger than him on the u-23s. He is not even their best prospect, according to their academy directors (his father says he had lunch with Mertesacker, the Arsenal junior academy director, and they had positive plans for him). 

I would love to be able to offer Marcelo a camp, even January, so he could get a feel for being with us. His father also said that the fact he did not have good Spanish meant he often did not understand the press hype in Mexico and is affected him less. He speaks with an accent, and awkwardly, in Spanish. If it were not for their anxiety at a mediocre WC qualifying campaign, he would not be with the senior NT now.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Unnamed Trialist

[Matro25]

28 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Exactly: there are kids younger than him on the u-23s. He is not even their best prospect, according to their academy directors (his father says he had lunch with Mertesacker, the Arsenal junior academy director, and they had positive plans for him). 

I would love to be able to offer Marcelo a camp, even January, so he could get a feel for being with us. His father also said that the fact he did not have good Spanish meant he often did not understand the press hype in Mexico and is affected him less. He speaks with an accent, and awkwardly, in Spanish. If it were not for their anxiety at a mediocre WC qualifying campaign, he would not be with the senior NT now.

Also they already took hits this fall with Pepi & others choosing the USMNT over them, I think that was looming over their head.

If Canada was out of WCQ right now Flores would not have been a topic of discussion in Mexico no doubt, so in a funny way we kinda shot ourselves in the foot their unintentionally by getting results against Mexico 😂

 

 

[VinceA]

I think for me the issue here is so far this has all felt one sided, similar to Enes Sali where ultimately it seemed like we never got a chance.

Mexico, like Romania are giving this kid the world right now and we haven't even been given a chance to breathe and do something from our end.

Our only saving grace is that it seems Marcelo is adamant he wants to attend a Canada camp, but like if he's been given a whole cake already and all we can give him is a cookie, all we can really hope is that our cookie is fresh from the bakery and the cake was on the sell now shelf at Wal-Mart.

[Macksam]

49 minutes ago, VinceA said:

I think for me the issue here is so far this has all felt one sided, similar to Enes Sali where ultimately it seemed like we never got a chance.

Mexico, like Romania are giving this kid the world right now and we haven't even been given a chance to breathe and do something from our end.

Our only saving grace is that it seems Marcelo is adamant he wants to attend a Canada camp, but like if he's been given a whole cake already and all we can give him is a cookie, all we can really hope is that our cookie is fresh from the bakery and the cake was on the sell now shelf at Wal-Mart.

But how are Mexico giving him the World? 

[Tyler55]

1 hour ago, VinceA said:

I think for me the issue here is so far this has all felt one sided, similar to Enes Sali where ultimately it seemed like we never got a chance.

Mexico, like Romania are giving this kid the world right now and we haven't even been given a chance to breathe and do something from our end.

Our only saving grace is that it seems Marcelo is adamant he wants to attend a Canada camp, but like if he's been given a whole cake already and all we can give him is a cookie, all we can really hope is that our cookie is fresh from the bakery and the cake was on the sell now shelf at Wal-Mart.

He accepted an invite to camp poutine last year, but couldn't attend due to covid. Herdman is in constant contact with these guys just because it isn't put out in the media doesn't mean we aren't doing anything.

[Bison44]

From what Herdman has said on interviews, he has staff assigned to players/groups of players and they monitor them. So I picture guys watching tape, stats, game reports etc (kind of like this board or Canucks abroad)...you would think some sort of contact with the duals that are potential call ups is being done.  Especially Flores who we know was already invited to a senior CDN camp. Thats about all Herdman can do now, and I'm pretty sure he is doing it.  

[Tyler55]

35 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

From what Herdman has said on interviews, he has staff assigned to players/groups of players and they monitor them. So I picture guys watching tape, stats, game reports etc (kind of like this board or Canucks abroad)...you would think some sort of contact with the duals that are potential call ups is being done.  Especially Flores who we know was already invited to a senior CDN camp. Thats about all Herdman can do now, and I'm pretty sure he is doing it.  

When Akinola joined in June he said a key factor was that Herdman called him after every TFC game since 2019 and that he's never seen that level of dedication from a coach before. This suggests along with other pieces of evidence that Herdman does talk to duals on the bubble regularly (Mitrovic recently is an example as well).

[EJsens1]

 

[narduch]

Subbed on in the 83rd minute tonight 

[Shway]

Little 10 min cameo.…because they know he’s not staying.

[narduch]

1 minute ago, Shway said:

Little 10 min cameo.…because they know he’s not staying.

Or he's not ready for this level 

[Honest Footy Fan]

He’s getting bodied. 
The hype for him needs to relax. 

[Matro25]

So does this mean he can't be called unless he does that one time switch clause now? such a shame man, for just 10 minutes and now he can't be called in January.

It is what it is. Good luck kid. 

[Obinna]

6 minutes ago, Matro25 said:

So does this mean he can't be called unless he does that one time switch clause now? such a shame man, for just 10 minutes and now he can't be called in January.

It is what it is. Good luck kid. 

Nothing stopping him from coming and training with us though, or playing in a friendly that is unofficial.

[Weng]

Chile was going out of their way to be rough with him.  Rojas gave him a shove and he literally flew like 5 yards.  Anytime he got the ball he was fouled almost immediately.  Definitely needs to beef up quite a bit before he’s ready for that level.

[Matro25]

7 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Nothing stopping him from coming and training with us though, or playing in a friendly that is unofficial.

So he can still play in the Guatemala match without filing for anything? If that's the case I hope the kid answers the call. 

[Honest Footy Fan]

6 minutes ago, Weng said:

Chile was going out of their way to be rough with him.  Rojas gave him a shove and he literally flew like 5 yards.  Anytime he got the ball he was fouled almost immediately.  Definitely needs to beef up quite a bit before he’s ready for that level.

How’s he going to survive in the Prem?  Or Championship for that matter?

He has skill, but let’s see him be a regular vs men first. 

[prairiecanuck]

6 hours ago, Honest Footy Fan said:

How’s he going to survive in the Prem?  Or Championship for that matter?

He has skill, but let’s see him be a regular vs men first. 

When I was 18 I was very slight.  Some 18 year olds are full grown men.  Other's will mature into their 20s like I did.  It's pretty clear that Marcelo needs fill out some.  There's a reason he's not even playing under 23s for Arsenal.  Corbeanu was playing under 23s at that age and dominating and at 19 is playing with the owls and according to fans is dominating too!

[prairiecanuck]

7 hours ago, Obinna said:

Nothing stopping him from coming and training with us though, or playing in a friendly that is unofficial.

I'm not very knowledgeable about these things, but what's the difference between an official and unofficial friendly?

[David Pinto]

7 hours ago, Weng said:

Chile was going out of their way to be rough with him.  Rojas gave him a shove and he literally flew like 5 yards.  Anytime he got the ball he was fouled almost immediately.  Definitely needs to beef up quite a bit before he’s ready for that level.

Sounds like someone could use a little brampton coming to his aid