- Status
Desaparecido
Player Valuation: £15m
Thanks for the update 
Update:
The heart of the youth academy at Everton is summed up in four Latin words that make up its motto: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.
"Nothing but the best is good enough" for the kids of the English Premier League club, which has produced a steady stream of top level professionals for at least a decade. England's very best, Wayne Rooney, is the brightest
example.
So when academy boss Ray Hall tells the legal guardian of a 16-year-old from Canada that inside the penalty area the kid is the best he has seen since Rooney, it's a pretty awesome moment.
"He told me they were extremely happy with him and inside the box they did not have a youth player that good," Phil Roberts said. "Ray told me Wayne Rooney was the closest they could compare Abe to."
However, Hall has never pulled any punches with Roberts, an assistant football coach at the University of Ottawa, and his next sentence was a swift kick to the shins. "In the next breath, he told me that, outside the box, Abe has a lot of issues. He has a lot to learn."
These might be issues that end Abe Donzo's dream of a professional life at Everton.
Right now, the 16-year-old -- plucked from an African refugee camp some four years ago and brought to Ottawa to start a new life -- is concentrating on building his dream during a two-month stay at the academy.
The "natural goalscorer" title Donzo has picked up so quickly is understandable. Five games into his trial, he has scored 13 times. That includes four against Wolves before being taken off at half time, and there were two more against Burnley.
So far Donzo, who won his original chance at Everton thanks to a TV contest designed to find the best 14- to 18-year-old player in Canada, is enjoying the challenges presented by his stay. He is housed at the academy and includes school work in the program. This is done on his own, unsupervised, but we can be sure it is not being neglected. His guardian -- the man Abe calls Dad -- is a teacher and his "Mom" is a school principal.
For the academy, soccer is what's most important. They practise or play every day, and the competition is extremely stiff.
Naturally, with the visa restrictions that apply in England, it is not surprising that Everton concentrates mostly on home-grown talent. It's almost as if Hall was hoping Donzo would not make the grade. Now that he is showing such promise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to cast him aside. Besides, no major club would turn away top talent, if that's what Donzo turns out to be.
The teenager, who lives in Metcalfe, returns home on March 24, giving him six more weeks to impress.
Being a football coach, Roberts is the first to admit he is still learning about soccer, but he has many years experience grooming young athletes and he is not shy about giving advice.
He says Donzo has been struggling a little to understand exactly what his Everton coaches want of him. He is aware that they are looking for much more from him than scoring goals.
Gone are the days when a striker was a striker and nothing more. There was a time when such a player never ventured back to his own half to help defensively or to forage for the ball. He waited for his teammates to provide him with passes, set up his goal chances. His job was to score goals. Nothing more.
Today's strikers are important in their own penalty areas as defenders. They are important as decoys, drawing opposition defenders out of position to allow space for others. They need to know how to tackle and how to read the game.
Maybe those are among the areas being suggested for improvement. Maybe Donzo needs to develop his all-around knowledge of the game.
Roberts and Donzo are in regular contact via Skype, and that is when advice is passed along. Last week, Roberts told the youngster that, if he was unsure what is expected of him, he should ask.
"I told him: 'You are on the training ground every day, so ask your coaches to go over video with you for an hour before training or after it. Make sure you do that for me,'" Roberts said.
"When he started, Abe was rated a 2-on-10 outside the box. Now he is up to 3.5. That's good, but there is obviously a need for improvement."
How much more the lad improves may be the difference between being invited back or not. Hall will be making that decision soon. If he decides to keep him, Donzo will return again in the fall, but not with a professional contract. That, if it comes, is still 18 months away because English Football Association rules do not allow him to sign until he turns 18.
-
Donzo, who has been playing for the Ottawa Fury, is not the only local player attracting interest from Everton.
Ottawa South United has established a partnership with Everton and follows the Premier League club's player development system. This has led to visits by coaches from the English club. Kris Twardek, who plays for the OSU Force U-13's, caught their eye in particular, which is why he has just returned from two weeks at the Everton academy. OSU general manager Jim Lianos, says the academy was impressed enough to ask him to return. In addition, Marco Natoli, who plays U-16 with OSU, has also been invited to England on a one-week trial.
The heart of the youth academy at Everton is summed up in four Latin words that make up its motto: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.
"Nothing but the best is good enough" for the kids of the English Premier League club, which has produced a steady stream of top level professionals for at least a decade. England's very best, Wayne Rooney, is the brightest
example.
So when academy boss Ray Hall tells the legal guardian of a 16-year-old from Canada that inside the penalty area the kid is the best he has seen since Rooney, it's a pretty awesome moment.
"He told me they were extremely happy with him and inside the box they did not have a youth player that good," Phil Roberts said. "Ray told me Wayne Rooney was the closest they could compare Abe to."
However, Hall has never pulled any punches with Roberts, an assistant football coach at the University of Ottawa, and his next sentence was a swift kick to the shins. "In the next breath, he told me that, outside the box, Abe has a lot of issues. He has a lot to learn."
These might be issues that end Abe Donzo's dream of a professional life at Everton.
Right now, the 16-year-old -- plucked from an African refugee camp some four years ago and brought to Ottawa to start a new life -- is concentrating on building his dream during a two-month stay at the academy.
The "natural goalscorer" title Donzo has picked up so quickly is understandable. Five games into his trial, he has scored 13 times. That includes four against Wolves before being taken off at half time, and there were two more against Burnley.
So far Donzo, who won his original chance at Everton thanks to a TV contest designed to find the best 14- to 18-year-old player in Canada, is enjoying the challenges presented by his stay. He is housed at the academy and includes school work in the program. This is done on his own, unsupervised, but we can be sure it is not being neglected. His guardian -- the man Abe calls Dad -- is a teacher and his "Mom" is a school principal.
For the academy, soccer is what's most important. They practise or play every day, and the competition is extremely stiff.
Naturally, with the visa restrictions that apply in England, it is not surprising that Everton concentrates mostly on home-grown talent. It's almost as if Hall was hoping Donzo would not make the grade. Now that he is showing such promise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to cast him aside. Besides, no major club would turn away top talent, if that's what Donzo turns out to be.
The teenager, who lives in Metcalfe, returns home on March 24, giving him six more weeks to impress.
Being a football coach, Roberts is the first to admit he is still learning about soccer, but he has many years experience grooming young athletes and he is not shy about giving advice.
He says Donzo has been struggling a little to understand exactly what his Everton coaches want of him. He is aware that they are looking for much more from him than scoring goals.
Gone are the days when a striker was a striker and nothing more. There was a time when such a player never ventured back to his own half to help defensively or to forage for the ball. He waited for his teammates to provide him with passes, set up his goal chances. His job was to score goals. Nothing more.
Today's strikers are important in their own penalty areas as defenders. They are important as decoys, drawing opposition defenders out of position to allow space for others. They need to know how to tackle and how to read the game.
Maybe those are among the areas being suggested for improvement. Maybe Donzo needs to develop his all-around knowledge of the game.
Roberts and Donzo are in regular contact via Skype, and that is when advice is passed along. Last week, Roberts told the youngster that, if he was unsure what is expected of him, he should ask.
"I told him: 'You are on the training ground every day, so ask your coaches to go over video with you for an hour before training or after it. Make sure you do that for me,'" Roberts said.
"When he started, Abe was rated a 2-on-10 outside the box. Now he is up to 3.5. That's good, but there is obviously a need for improvement."
How much more the lad improves may be the difference between being invited back or not. Hall will be making that decision soon. If he decides to keep him, Donzo will return again in the fall, but not with a professional contract. That, if it comes, is still 18 months away because English Football Association rules do not allow him to sign until he turns 18.
-
Donzo, who has been playing for the Ottawa Fury, is not the only local player attracting interest from Everton.
Ottawa South United has established a partnership with Everton and follows the Premier League club's player development system. This has led to visits by coaches from the English club. Kris Twardek, who plays for the OSU Force U-13's, caught their eye in particular, which is why he has just returned from two weeks at the Everton academy. OSU general manager Jim Lianos, says the academy was impressed enough to ask him to return. In addition, Marco Natoli, who plays U-16 with OSU, has also been invited to England on a one-week trial.
Basil Fawlty
Player Valuation: £35m
[video=youtube;m10156d4Zl4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m10156d4Zl4[/video]
Good spot mate, Ray Hall comes across like a bit of Ted in that.
* I counted 200 times "dream come true"'s!
* I counted 200 times "dream come true"'s!
Blue Lou
Player Valuation: £750k
Played one game for Ottawa Fury in the PDL (USA 4th tier) this season
http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2011/22365.html#STATS
http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2011/22365.html#STATS
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