XUXUH!!! NO TYPO, might be the next phenom!!

This kid is a beast! There's a kid in every youth league we enjoy watching but they probably don't compare to XUXUH!!!

      

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/the91stminute/2013/08/a-12-year-old-american-named-xuxuh-has-a-crazy-highlight-reel/

Good breakaway speed, nicely placed shots, and about average skills... against what looks to be subpar competition. Too early to label this kid a "phenom".

He's GOOD and all, but I would love to video my daughter playing vs the level of players he was playing alongside too.  Most starters (plus some) in Lake Highlands would be able to create a video making them look like a great player too, playing with that competition and taping some of their additional skills, strength and conditioning and practices.  His parents should be proud, but like previous poster, I say too early to tell.  IMO, he has excellent athleticism but just slightly better than average skills.

Is he related to you Valjoux13? If so you should be proud he is a talented boy and with continued hard work he may very well be the player the video poster/creator wants him to be!

Valjoux13 wrote:Good breakaway speed, nicely placed shots, and about average skills... against what looks to be subpar competition.  Too early to label this kid a "phenom".

And that right there is the bias that plagues American Soccer for decades and ONE of the reasons we don't have XuXuh's falling out the woodwork all over the country. You see the kid has speed and athleticism, so you assume his skills are average and the competition is subpar. He must be dominating weak competition with his athleticism...lol.

The kid is obviously VERY skilled for a 12-year-old. Some of those clips are against top competition including La Masia (yes THAT La Masia). The thing that impresses me the most is with all that speed and athleticism, he's being trained as an outside back and is extraordinarily comfortable with the ball at his feet. If he were in NTX he'd be the fast fwd with the team sending long balls over the top expecting him to dribble by 4 defenders, his team would win the vast majority of games, and he'd be clueless on how to play the game at a world class level by 16.

The kid's decision making appears to be top notch. The layoff at 1:55 is vision!  I don't know how many times I've seen the speed merchant fwd shoot that in the side net or straight to the keeper after dribbling 40 yards. This kid has his head up and tees up a teammate with the flair of a much older player.

I'm not a fanboy for the guys at 3four3 because I recognize they have a massive advantage in not using the pay to play model, but give credit where credit is due. They're doing an outstanding job with this kid. He might not be a phenom at 15, but he sure looks like the real deal at 12.

4-3-3 wrote:

Valjoux13 wrote:Good breakaway speed, nicely placed shots, and about average skills... against what looks to be subpar competition.  Too early to label this kid a "phenom".

And that right there is the bias that plagues American Soccer for decades and ONE of the reasons we don't have XuXuh's falling out the woodwork all over the country. You see the kid has speed and athleticism, so you assume his skills are average and the competition is subpar. He must be dominating weak competition with his athleticism...lol.

The kid is obviously VERY skilled for a 12-year-old. Some of those clips are against top competition including La Masia (yes THAT La Masia). The thing that impresses me the most is with all that speed and athleticism, he's being trained as an outside back and is extraordinarily comfortable with the ball at his feet. If he were in NTX he'd be the fast fwd with the team sending long balls over the top expecting him to dribble by 4 defenders, his team would win the vast majority of games, and he'd be clueless on how to play the game at a world class level by 16.

The kid's decision making appears to be top notch. The layoff at 1:55 is vision!  I don't know how many times I've seen the speed merchant fwd shoot that in the side net or straight to the keeper after dribbling 40 yards. This kid has his head up and tees up a teammate with the flair of a much older player.

I'm not a fanboy for the guys at 3four3 because I recognize they have a massive advantage in not using the pay to play model, but give credit where credit is due. They're doing an outstanding job with this kid. He might not be a phenom at 15, but he sure looks like the real deal at 12.

I watched it again. The kid is good... but some of his best plays come from equally great plays by his teammates. Most of what is shown in the video are breakaways followed by very good passes or shots. As for really creative movement with the ball, it's mostly just quick cuts and blowing by the competition. Nothing wrong with that, but not what I would label as exceptional skill. Your post is an extreme overreaction with a statement like "that right there is the bias that plagues American soccer..." He looks like a very good player; not necessarily a phenomena. Time will tell.

Valjoux13 wrote:I watched it again.  The kid is good... but some of his best plays come from equally great plays by his teammates.  Most of what is shown in the video are breakaways followed by very good passes or shots.  As for really creative movement with the ball, it's mostly just quick cuts and blowing by the competition.  Nothing wrong with that, but not what I would label as exceptional skill.  Your post is an extreme overreaction with a statement like "that right there is the bias that plagues American soccer..."  He looks like a very good player; not necessarily a phenomena.  Time will tell.

You should go to the site and watch the other vids on this kid. Those other clips show him breaking pressure with skill, making quick decisions, demonstrating patience. I'm not sure how you classify his technical ability as "average" for a 12-year-old.

Obviously 3four3 is hyping him, but looks like they've got something to work with. My point is you pigeon-holed the kid as "athlete" right off the bat. And that's a dirty word in U.S. soccer, and the same mentality a boatload of U.S. coaches would have if given the same raw material to work with.

Phenom might be the marketing they're heaping on the kid, but I don't think you get invited to play with international academies if you're average.

I think there are some very skilled outside backs that are very comfortable with the ball and attacking from the back in NXT that haven't been placed as forwards...

4-3-3 wrote:

Valjoux13 wrote:Good breakaway speed, nicely placed shots, and about average skills... against what looks to be subpar competition.  Too early to label this kid a "phenom".

And that right there is the bias that plagues American Soccer for decades and ONE of the reasons we don't have XuXuh's falling out the woodwork all over the country. You see the kid has speed and athleticism, so you assume his skills are average and the competition is subpar. He must be dominating weak competition with his athleticism...lol.

The kid is obviously VERY skilled for a 12-year-old. Some of those clips are against top competition including La Masia (yes THAT La Masia). The thing that impresses me the most is with all that speed and athleticism, he's being trained as an outside back and is extraordinarily comfortable with the ball at his feet. If he were in NTX he'd be the fast fwd with the team sending long balls over the top expecting him to dribble by 4 defenders, his team would win the vast majority of games, and he'd be clueless on how to play the game at a world class level by 16.

The kid's decision making appears to be top notch. The layoff at 1:55 is vision!  I don't know how many times I've seen the speed merchant fwd shoot that in the side net or straight to the keeper after dribbling 40 yards. This kid has his head up and tees up a teammate with the flair of a much older player.

I'm not a fanboy for the guys at 3four3 because I recognize they have a massive advantage in not using the pay to play model, but give credit where credit is due. They're doing an outstanding job with this kid. He might not be a phenom at 15, but he sure looks like the real deal at 12.

1more_dd_dad wrote:I think there are some very skilled outside backs that are very comfortable with the ball and attacking from the back in NXT that haven't been placed as forwards...

 

Yes there are. One plays on my daughter's team.

A great shot and the level of dominant athleticism vs peers this kid appears to have? Haven't seen any at outside back. A few attacking mids here and there, but by and large those extraordinarily gifted athletes are up top chasing down long balls winning games with their speed.

I just don't see transcendant athletes challenged and nurtured to become tacticians. It's pretty clear this TFA kid wasn't just labeled "athlete" and then pimped for his speed to win games. Somebody decided to teach this kid how to play.

Thought maybe the link was bad... Saw nothing more than a good fast soccer player. There are plenty that do what he did in this video every weekend.

Wow!!! Maybe I've been missing all the Boys talent here in NTX? The video I watched looked like a u12 kid that was playing and thinking the game on a U17 level. I don't think there are many of those in NTX at all IMHO. That kid looks like a phenom.

If you follow the 3four3 blog you see the coaching concepts and ideals they follow for those boys. Watch their YouTube clips and you will see that entire team is at another level and he is a stud for that squad.

He went to to toe with some of the best that there are out there at his age, not here in Texas, or the states, but the world.... maybe Phenom is the wrong word at his current age, but he is on the path. U12 called up for the U14 national squad. Any of the DDs or BBs here in NTX get that callup?

I see speed, great touch on the ball, quick change of direction, and excellent vision. That was very refreshing to see, and especially if he does it against top competition in the world. Not comparing, but Messi uses a lot of that quick change of direction and burst of speed, and not a lot of helicopters and rainbows. Just saying...

The thing I noticed most in the video besides the kids speed was the unselfishness of the players around him AND him continuing runs. One of the biggest things I have noticed is parents tend to tell thier kids they have to do it all. It is very frustrating to see a DD play a ball to a mid on a give and go or overlap only to see the mid then turn the ball to the middle and lose possession... So not only is this kid anticipating but the players around him are as well, he wouldn't be what he is without the support system. Unselfish play results in this type of play. An outside back that can push the ball and attack from the rear can be very deadly if the teams is players on the team are on board. Adversely if an outside back understands thos things and the mids do not it can expose the outside back in coverage.

4-3-3 wrote:

1more_dd_dad wrote:I think there are some very skilled outside backs that are very comfortable with the ball and attacking from the back in NXT that haven't been placed as forwards...

 

Yes there are. One plays on my daughter's team.

A great shot and the level of dominant athleticism vs peers this kid appears to have? Haven't seen any at outside back. A few attacking mids here and there, but by and large those extraordinarily gifted athletes are up top chasing down long balls winning games with their speed.

I just don't see transcendant athletes challenged and nurtured to become tacticians. It's pretty clear this TFA kid wasn't just labeled "athlete" and then pimped for his speed to win games. Somebody decided to teach this kid how to play.