With
World Cup fever in full swing, many in the United States are becoming immersed
in soccer for the first time. However, with the World Cup drawing to an end,
the interest in soccer, specifically Major League Soccer, is also starting to
cool. Major League Soccer (MLS) has always faced an uphill climb in the United
States. While the average attendance of MLS games ranked third behind the National
Football League and Major League Baseball, the total attendance of MLS games
paled in comparison to the National Basketball League and the National Hockey
League. As such, MLS gets very little national attention. I can count on one
hand how many times I have seen SportsCenter give MLS more than a passing
glance in their national run-down. I
cannot say I blame them: More people want to know what LeBron James ate for
breakfast this morning than how the New York Red Bulls did last night in their
clash against the Columbus Crew. It is a simple case of supply and demand, and
there is simply no supply.
Before I really get into this, I just want to make one thing clear: This article is not about how more Americans need to support MLS. This is not about proving wrong the idea that MLS is “watered down” soccer. This is about something special happening in MLS, specifically in Salt Lake. This is about an American-born playmaker turning down the likes of Arsenal to sign with an MLS team. This is about a midfielder being technically gifted with absurd potential. This is about Luis Gil.
If you haven’t heard of Luis Gil, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. He plays in a small market in MLS, a death sentence for national name exposure. Pop in his tape, however, and you can see why Gil has so many National team officials drooling over his game. Gil is a creative and dynamic playmaker who plays as a classic number 10. Gil can make every pass and has the ability to slice up any defense with his excellent vision. While not a speedster like Deandre Yedlin, he has speed to burn which allows him to be a deadly counterattacking weapon. While not a goal scorer, he has shown an impressive ability to score when needed, as he netted five goals last year for Real Salt Lake. His shot is like a rocket coming off his right foot. While he is a bit on the shorter side at 5 foot 9' (as compared to the average midfielder size of 5 foot 10’ ½), he simply looks the part of a star midfielder and has the brains and skills to back it up. He is a complete offensive package, a 5 foot 9 dynamo donning Claret and Cobalt.
So, by now, I am sure you are wondering why Luis Gil was not on the plane to Brazil helping the United States scratch and claw out of the Group of Death. Well, for starters, Gil is still young and incredibly raw. At the tender age of 20, Gil is not even legally old enough to purchase an alcoholic beverage. While youth and raw ability can still prove successful on the world stage (see Yedlin, Deandre and Green, Julian), putting too much on a player too fast can stifle a player’s growth (see Adu, Freddie). The small market of Salt Lake City and his former coach Jason Kreis have largely shielded Gil from national hype. To be exposed so quickly to such large amounts of pressure could be a shock to the system from which a young player like Gil never recovers. In addition, Gil is still developing his game to become a complete midfielder. Coming up in the youth system, Gil was told to attack, attack, attack. However, on the world stage, such an attitude is simply not feasible. He needs to be able to drop back and defend when needed so that he can spearhead deadly counterattacks. In short, Gil is young. Really young. And youth needs to develop before it can be properly unleashed.
In Brazil, the United States National Team put Michael Bradley, a holding midfielder at his best going box-to-box, in this playmaking role and he struggled mightily. I have the utmost belief that Russia 2018 will see a different attacking midfielder crack the starting XI, one that will make Bradley’s struggles a thing of the past. He will take the national scene by storm and he is the next big thing in world soccer. So, go ahead and jump on the bandwagon now. I promise it will be worth it. We have a star among us. His name is Luis Gil. We just don’t know about him. Yet.
Before I really get into this, I just want to make one thing clear: This article is not about how more Americans need to support MLS. This is not about proving wrong the idea that MLS is “watered down” soccer. This is about something special happening in MLS, specifically in Salt Lake. This is about an American-born playmaker turning down the likes of Arsenal to sign with an MLS team. This is about a midfielder being technically gifted with absurd potential. This is about Luis Gil.
If you haven’t heard of Luis Gil, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. He plays in a small market in MLS, a death sentence for national name exposure. Pop in his tape, however, and you can see why Gil has so many National team officials drooling over his game. Gil is a creative and dynamic playmaker who plays as a classic number 10. Gil can make every pass and has the ability to slice up any defense with his excellent vision. While not a speedster like Deandre Yedlin, he has speed to burn which allows him to be a deadly counterattacking weapon. While not a goal scorer, he has shown an impressive ability to score when needed, as he netted five goals last year for Real Salt Lake. His shot is like a rocket coming off his right foot. While he is a bit on the shorter side at 5 foot 9' (as compared to the average midfielder size of 5 foot 10’ ½), he simply looks the part of a star midfielder and has the brains and skills to back it up. He is a complete offensive package, a 5 foot 9 dynamo donning Claret and Cobalt.
So, by now, I am sure you are wondering why Luis Gil was not on the plane to Brazil helping the United States scratch and claw out of the Group of Death. Well, for starters, Gil is still young and incredibly raw. At the tender age of 20, Gil is not even legally old enough to purchase an alcoholic beverage. While youth and raw ability can still prove successful on the world stage (see Yedlin, Deandre and Green, Julian), putting too much on a player too fast can stifle a player’s growth (see Adu, Freddie). The small market of Salt Lake City and his former coach Jason Kreis have largely shielded Gil from national hype. To be exposed so quickly to such large amounts of pressure could be a shock to the system from which a young player like Gil never recovers. In addition, Gil is still developing his game to become a complete midfielder. Coming up in the youth system, Gil was told to attack, attack, attack. However, on the world stage, such an attitude is simply not feasible. He needs to be able to drop back and defend when needed so that he can spearhead deadly counterattacks. In short, Gil is young. Really young. And youth needs to develop before it can be properly unleashed.
In Brazil, the United States National Team put Michael Bradley, a holding midfielder at his best going box-to-box, in this playmaking role and he struggled mightily. I have the utmost belief that Russia 2018 will see a different attacking midfielder crack the starting XI, one that will make Bradley’s struggles a thing of the past. He will take the national scene by storm and he is the next big thing in world soccer. So, go ahead and jump on the bandwagon now. I promise it will be worth it. We have a star among us. His name is Luis Gil. We just don’t know about him. Yet.
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