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Lletget rapidly progressing at West Ham
By Justin Rodriguez
-ESPN SoccerNET
Sebastian Lletget figured the scout was at camp to run the team through some drills.
Sebastian Lletget has made rapid progress in West Ham's academy system.
And this wasn't any scout. This was Mike Leigh of famed West Ham United. As it turns out, Leigh hadn't traveled to Santa Clara Sporting to run a few one-on-one drills and tell the charges some stories about the English Premier League.
The Hammers sent Leigh all the way to northern California in June 2006 to check out Lletget -- 13 at the time -- after hearing about him from Santa Clara Sporting coach Carlos Brasil.
"I was in shock when [Leigh] came up to me and started talking to me about Sebastian," says Lletget's father, Francisco. "I used to be a player, but I didn't have Sebastian's skills. To be honest, to hear that, this was a like dream come true."
Or, at the very least, the beginning of an American soccer dream. Fast-forward almost four years later and Sebastian Lletget is now an attacking midfielder for West Ham's U-18 team. He routinely works out with the reserve and full teams at Upton Park.
"I'm giving myself a chance to be with the full team by the end of this year," says Lletget, who turned 18 in September. "I want to play for the first team and I think I can do it. The way I'm playing, I can see it, and that would be really big for me. That's the way I feel."
And as for Lletget thinking he can play for West Ham's full team this season? "I made this statement to his father last year: If he keeps going like he is, he could play for the full team in a year," says Leigh. "The first thing you notice about Sebastian is that he just has such great ball control. He's a great passer and he's always one play ahead of the game. I think the only thing he needs to do now is shoot more, which he's working on."
Adds Leigh: "I think if an opportunity arises, I think [Lletget] could make a start this year. If not, definitely next year. [West Ham manager] Giancarlo Zola likes him."
According to Leigh, West Ham super scout Jimmy Hampson once told him that Lletget is the best 14-year-old to ever play for the famed club. Keep in mind, West Ham has developed, among others, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole.
As long as Lletget's game keeps developing, he's likely to make the grade for West Ham. He received his European Union passport -- his grandfather is from Italy -- last spring. Leigh adds that Lletget earned his work permit in December.
Lletget's run to EPL glory began when he just a young boy. His father brought him to Brisbane Park in south San Francisco with a soccer ball as soon as he could walk.
Francisco instilled a passion for the game in Sebastian.
U.S. Soccer blog
Get exclusive insight into the U.S. national team and its players as they prepare for South Africa. Read
Back in June 2006, when the younger Lletget learned that Leigh's eyes were fixated on him, he lit up a U-14 tournament in Sacramento, with the scout on the sideline; Lletget recalls scoring at least 10 goals in six games.
By July 2006, Lletget was at West Ham on a two-week trial. Only 13, Lletget was assigned to the club's U-18s, because the Hammers didn't have any younger squads. Even if it was just training, Lletget remembers the experience well. Here he was, an American kid, unknown at this big-time academy across the pond. Lletget gathered the ball on the run for the first time at the 18. He beat a defender and then the keeper far post.
"Within 10 minutes of seeing [Lletget], Tony Carr [West Ham's director of youth development] said that the kid is special," Leigh says. "He thought Sebastian was fantastic; he just blew Tony away."
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After lighting up Upton Park in the summer of '06, Lletget made return trips to train with West Ham during breaks with the U.S. U-17 residency team. Lletget left the U-17 program in May 2009 when he signed a two-year youth academy contract with The Hammers.
"I love being here; I love taking my game to the next level," says Lletget, being mentored by West Ham's American defender Jonathan Spector, who often takes the up-and-comer to dinner. "I'm tested every day, especially because I'm American. At first, the coaches wouldn't even shake my hand; they just had to see me play. I just had to earn everyone's respect."
By Justin Rodriguez
-ESPN SoccerNET
Sebastian Lletget figured the scout was at camp to run the team through some drills.
Sebastian Lletget has made rapid progress in West Ham's academy system.
And this wasn't any scout. This was Mike Leigh of famed West Ham United. As it turns out, Leigh hadn't traveled to Santa Clara Sporting to run a few one-on-one drills and tell the charges some stories about the English Premier League.
The Hammers sent Leigh all the way to northern California in June 2006 to check out Lletget -- 13 at the time -- after hearing about him from Santa Clara Sporting coach Carlos Brasil.
"I was in shock when [Leigh] came up to me and started talking to me about Sebastian," says Lletget's father, Francisco. "I used to be a player, but I didn't have Sebastian's skills. To be honest, to hear that, this was a like dream come true."
Or, at the very least, the beginning of an American soccer dream. Fast-forward almost four years later and Sebastian Lletget is now an attacking midfielder for West Ham's U-18 team. He routinely works out with the reserve and full teams at Upton Park.
"I'm giving myself a chance to be with the full team by the end of this year," says Lletget, who turned 18 in September. "I want to play for the first team and I think I can do it. The way I'm playing, I can see it, and that would be really big for me. That's the way I feel."
And as for Lletget thinking he can play for West Ham's full team this season? "I made this statement to his father last year: If he keeps going like he is, he could play for the full team in a year," says Leigh. "The first thing you notice about Sebastian is that he just has such great ball control. He's a great passer and he's always one play ahead of the game. I think the only thing he needs to do now is shoot more, which he's working on."
Adds Leigh: "I think if an opportunity arises, I think [Lletget] could make a start this year. If not, definitely next year. [West Ham manager] Giancarlo Zola likes him."
According to Leigh, West Ham super scout Jimmy Hampson once told him that Lletget is the best 14-year-old to ever play for the famed club. Keep in mind, West Ham has developed, among others, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole.
As long as Lletget's game keeps developing, he's likely to make the grade for West Ham. He received his European Union passport -- his grandfather is from Italy -- last spring. Leigh adds that Lletget earned his work permit in December.
Lletget's run to EPL glory began when he just a young boy. His father brought him to Brisbane Park in south San Francisco with a soccer ball as soon as he could walk.
Francisco instilled a passion for the game in Sebastian.
U.S. Soccer blog
Get exclusive insight into the U.S. national team and its players as they prepare for South Africa. Read
Back in June 2006, when the younger Lletget learned that Leigh's eyes were fixated on him, he lit up a U-14 tournament in Sacramento, with the scout on the sideline; Lletget recalls scoring at least 10 goals in six games.
By July 2006, Lletget was at West Ham on a two-week trial. Only 13, Lletget was assigned to the club's U-18s, because the Hammers didn't have any younger squads. Even if it was just training, Lletget remembers the experience well. Here he was, an American kid, unknown at this big-time academy across the pond. Lletget gathered the ball on the run for the first time at the 18. He beat a defender and then the keeper far post.
"Within 10 minutes of seeing [Lletget], Tony Carr [West Ham's director of youth development] said that the kid is special," Leigh says. "He thought Sebastian was fantastic; he just blew Tony away."
Tweet, tweet
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After lighting up Upton Park in the summer of '06, Lletget made return trips to train with West Ham during breaks with the U.S. U-17 residency team. Lletget left the U-17 program in May 2009 when he signed a two-year youth academy contract with The Hammers.
"I love being here; I love taking my game to the next level," says Lletget, being mentored by West Ham's American defender Jonathan Spector, who often takes the up-and-comer to dinner. "I'm tested every day, especially because I'm American. At first, the coaches wouldn't even shake my hand; they just had to see me play. I just had to earn everyone's respect."
Is this that kid who had #10 at one youth championship that took place in 2009?
There was one sick American boy, who was much younger than the rest but at least 20 times more talented than all of them together. I think Arsenal were interested in him.
Is this the same kid or it was someone else? If it was someone else could you tell me who he was?
There was one sick American boy, who was much younger than the rest but at least 20 times more talented than all of them together. I think Arsenal were interested in him.
Is this the same kid or it was someone else? If it was someone else could you tell me who he was?
Yes and no. It will be good if he won't have the media pressure on him, but it's also gonna be very helpful in he joins a good European youth school asap.
You know, I can imagine how frustrating it must be for you as a football fan to watch what's happening with football in the US.
People often say that Americans and football don't go together, how you don't have the talent etc. Quite the contrary, imo. You know how they say that the Spanish, Portuguese, South Americans, Balkans, Africans etc are naturally talented for football. Well, the US has all of them in the country and also has mixed marriages between them. Hell, your entire country is made of Europeans, Africans, Native Americans or Arabs. If it's the blood and the natural talent that makes one country good in football, then the US should be the best. The natural talent is there and you have lots of it. All you need are strong investments which will attract kids to play the sport and, naturally, interest in the sport which will attract investments.
If you do that I'll dare to predict that the USA is the only nation that stands a chance to join the traditional football giants (Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Spain, France, Germany, England) and become one of them.
Unfortunately, it looks like soccer will not become a very popular sport there in the next decades.
You know, I can imagine how frustrating it must be for you as a football fan to watch what's happening with football in the US.
People often say that Americans and football don't go together, how you don't have the talent etc. Quite the contrary, imo. You know how they say that the Spanish, Portuguese, South Americans, Balkans, Africans etc are naturally talented for football. Well, the US has all of them in the country and also has mixed marriages between them. Hell, your entire country is made of Europeans, Africans, Native Americans or Arabs. If it's the blood and the natural talent that makes one country good in football, then the US should be the best. The natural talent is there and you have lots of it. All you need are strong investments which will attract kids to play the sport and, naturally, interest in the sport which will attract investments.
If you do that I'll dare to predict that the USA is the only nation that stands a chance to join the traditional football giants (Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Spain, France, Germany, England) and become one of them.
Unfortunately, it looks like soccer will not become a very popular sport there in the next decades.
Well, soccer is the most played youth sport in the nation. That is the one hope for us. But unfortunately, propaganda and media idiots like Jim Rome push kids away from the sport, labeling it childish adjectives and not giving it much of a spotlight. The media here loves to highlight how we aren't very good at the game and how we might "never go far because soccer just isn't our sport." Horse shit, we have kids all over the country playing it.
The problem is a combination of things. Mediocre coaching, poor investment, peer pressure and idiotic stereotypes are certainly part of it. But perhaps the most detrimental fact of all is that NBA, NFL and MLB players get outrageous salaries, far more than an MLS player ever will. If that could be reversed overnight, I bet that in the next decade or two we'd have better athletes on the pitch. After all, folks go where the money is. If there wasn't so much hardcore marketing of these other sports, we'd be in great shape.
Which is why I hate the likes of Jim Rome and hope he is removed from the airwaves. He is a cunt, pure and simple.
The problem is a combination of things. Mediocre coaching, poor investment, peer pressure and idiotic stereotypes are certainly part of it. But perhaps the most detrimental fact of all is that NBA, NFL and MLB players get outrageous salaries, far more than an MLS player ever will. If that could be reversed overnight, I bet that in the next decade or two we'd have better athletes on the pitch. After all, folks go where the money is. If there wasn't so much hardcore marketing of these other sports, we'd be in great shape.
Which is why I hate the likes of Jim Rome and hope he is removed from the airwaves. He is a cunt, pure and simple.
Fox Soccer Channel just highlighted the United States in their "Passport to South Africa" World Cup Preview Program, and HOLY SHIT, these guys are morons.
First, their starting lineup for the US was:
Howard
Spector - Gooch - DeMerit - Bocanegra
FEILHABER - Bradley - Clark - BEASLEY
Donovan - Altidore
OK, first off, these were the SAME COMMENTATORS that laughed off my idea of playing DeMerit centrally and pushing Bocanegra out wide. Now I guess they changed their tune and decided to go with my idea and play Boca in his natural slot at LB.
Secondly, they have Feilhaber at right-wing, a spot he's never really played for us at all. Why the hell they would place him there in FSC's "expected lineup" is beyond me. He's never played the position for us, and never will. Where the hell is Holden and... who's that other guy? You know, that ex-Rev player who has been tearing up the Prem?
Oh yeah, that guy is Clint Dempsey. The one clown on FSC said that "Dempsey is one of those second tier players looking to get in." What the fuck? Dempsey has always been one of the main guys in our midfield, from qualifying to the Confederations Cup, so how is he considered "second tier" and not chosen in their "expected lineup"? That's one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard, and I have heard a lot of imbecilic shit on Fox Soccer Channel.
Then we come to Beasley. The one dude, Chris I think his name is, claimed that Beasley adds a lot of extra stuff to the side and is always a threat. He said that him and Donovan are two influential players and Beasley has played well over the years. WTFHELLAREYOUTALKINGABOUT? He hasn't played well at all over the "years", has always been piss poor, and no, he is not a threat. To use his name in the same sentence as Donovan's shows yet another lack of understanding for this group of vagabonds.
That was one of the WORST preview segments I have ever seen on television. And to think this was for my own nation, the nation this channel serves, the nation this channel is supposed to be an "expert" on. What the fuck.
You can take your "Passport to South Africa" and fly it into a goddamn stadium.
First, their starting lineup for the US was:
Howard
Spector - Gooch - DeMerit - Bocanegra
FEILHABER - Bradley - Clark - BEASLEY
Donovan - Altidore
OK, first off, these were the SAME COMMENTATORS that laughed off my idea of playing DeMerit centrally and pushing Bocanegra out wide. Now I guess they changed their tune and decided to go with my idea and play Boca in his natural slot at LB.
Secondly, they have Feilhaber at right-wing, a spot he's never really played for us at all. Why the hell they would place him there in FSC's "expected lineup" is beyond me. He's never played the position for us, and never will. Where the hell is Holden and... who's that other guy? You know, that ex-Rev player who has been tearing up the Prem?
Oh yeah, that guy is Clint Dempsey. The one clown on FSC said that "Dempsey is one of those second tier players looking to get in." What the fuck? Dempsey has always been one of the main guys in our midfield, from qualifying to the Confederations Cup, so how is he considered "second tier" and not chosen in their "expected lineup"? That's one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard, and I have heard a lot of imbecilic shit on Fox Soccer Channel.
Then we come to Beasley. The one dude, Chris I think his name is, claimed that Beasley adds a lot of extra stuff to the side and is always a threat. He said that him and Donovan are two influential players and Beasley has played well over the years. WTFHELLAREYOUTALKINGABOUT? He hasn't played well at all over the "years", has always been piss poor, and no, he is not a threat. To use his name in the same sentence as Donovan's shows yet another lack of understanding for this group of vagabonds.
That was one of the WORST preview segments I have ever seen on television. And to think this was for my own nation, the nation this channel serves, the nation this channel is supposed to be an "expert" on. What the fuck.
You can take your "Passport to South Africa" and fly it into a goddamn stadium.
