The looming U17 CONCACAF Championships should provide us with a quality measuring stick with which to gauge the last two-year cycle. Arguably more changes in a player’s individual tactical countenance in the U17 cycle than in any other on the national team level, and the World Cup series - that is, qualifying and the tournament itself - is the ultimate weathervane.
For one player in particular, the coming event could be of heightened importance.
Toronto FC’s Ayo Akinola hasn’t been the single biggest star of the last U17 cycle. That honor probably goes to Andrew Carleton, a highlight reel warrior whose bevy of skill moves caught the eye of a skill-hungry soccer nation. That he was made the second-youngest Homegrown in history in 2016 with Atlanta United did nothing to diminish his rising star.
But Akinola’s quietly gone about the business of upping his on-field reputation, which has been somewhat shrouded from view by TFC’s lack of presence in the Development Academy. Nevertheless, Akinola’s been perhaps the team’s most integral attacking piece out of the midfield, believe it or not. And today, the TDS Scouting Report turns its magnifying glass to his prodigious and entrancing skill set.
