MLS Player on trial.

[Tambo]

Sorry if posted anywhere else.


FC Dallas*homegrown midfielder*Thomas Roberts*is currently in Scotland to trial with Hibernian FC, the club confirmed to MLSsoccer.com.*3rd Degree*first reported the news*on Tuesday. He is currently undergoing mandatory quarantine.*

Roberts, 19, is a highly touted graduate of the Dallas academy. He made six MLS appearances (three starts) during the 2019 season, but hasn't appeared in a match in 2020. He has received regular playing time with North Texas SC, Dallas's USL League One affiliate. He was in the starting XI in last year's USL League One final, which North Texas won.*

[Vault Boy]

Central midfielder and out of contract at the end of the month. Interesting.

[S4uzee]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

[calumhibee1]

Not massively exciting on paper but gives us an insight as to the kind of signings we might start looking at though.

[Tambo]

A little more from the article.

The midfielder has*been a regular with various U.S. youth national teams, including being called into the most recent United States Under-20 camp in January, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.*

Roberts was*one of four FC Dallas youngsters*to go on a training stint with Bayern Munich over the offseason. Hibernian are currently third in the Scottish Premiership, behind Rangers and Celtic.*

[Magpie]

They got any left midfielders?

[Dmas]

Wonder if FC Dallas could be the MLS club Ron was talking about

[Radge70]

Wonder if FC Dallas could be the MLS club Ron was talking about

Makes sense that JR is after some of their players anyway

[JimBHibees]

Makes sense that JR is after some of their players anyway

:greengrin

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Makes sense that JR is after some of their players anyway
Does this mean Bobby Williamson will come out the shower and it’s all been a bad dream 😃

[The 90+2]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

No need.

[Hiber-nation]

Does this mean Bobby Williamson will come out the shower and it’s all been a bad dream 😃

😂

[kaimendhibs]

Can he take a pressure penalty?Poor taste

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

[RoYO!]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

Dire patter.

[bingo70]

Wonder if FC Dallas could be the MLS club Ron was talking about

https://www.fcdallas.com/academy/about

Certainly seem to have a good academy and that was one of the criteria Ron mentioned I think.

Saw on Twitter someone asking what it is Dallas do that other MLS clubs don’t do that allows them to keep producing good young players.

Would be a promising link up if it is them.

[Itsnoteasy]

They got any left midfielders?

Or left backs

[Kojock]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

Given the circumstances I don’t know why anybody would come out with such a crass comment. Sad 😞

[Jones28]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

Can you?

[04Sauzee]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

Really?

[Tambo]

I have just checked some of his youtube videos out and hes a left footed deep play maker from the looks of it.

[CraigHibee]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

💩

[staunchhibby]

Poor comment

[Wilson]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

You were joking of course but I'll be perfectly happy to see Nisbet walking up to take the next one.:aok:

[HoboHarry]

https://www.fcdallas.com/academy/about

Certainly seem to have a good academy and that was one of the criteria Ron mentioned I think.

Saw on Twitter someone asking what it is Dallas do that other MLS clubs don’t do that allows them to keep producing good young players.

Would be a promising link up if it is them.
Oooh oooh pick me pick me - I'll go to Dallas and scout players for Hibs - only three hours away :greengrin

[bingo70]

Oooh oooh pick me pick me - I'll go to Dallas and scout players for Hibs - only three hours away :greengrin

Do you know much about them? Are they known for being a decent club, probably more specifically with regards to producing young players?

You reckon this could be the club Hibs are getting a link up with? A quick google search suggests they don’t have links with any other European clubs.

[Greenbeard]

You were joking of course but I'll be perfectly happy to see Nisbet walking up to take the next one.:aok:
Doesn't excuse the post. Take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror S4uzee.

[lyonhibs]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

Not sure why this post is getting so much hate, apart from being a tad needless. Are folk just being mega protective of Nisbet or is there some hidden meaning I'm not getting?

[CraigHibee]

Not sure why this post is getting so much hate, apart from being a tad needless. Are folk just being mega protective of Nisbet or is there some hidden meaning I'm not getting?

i'd say it's more down to the week that Nisbet had, a young guy loosing his dad then having the balls to play and take a penalty in a big game

[Sir David Gray]

Not sure why this post is getting so much hate, apart from being a tad needless. Are folk just being mega protective of Nisbet or is there some hidden meaning I'm not getting?

:agree: We just lost a cup semi final to Hearts after missing a penalty, I can understand why that question's been asked. Would anyone be criticising the post if Martin Boyle or Joe Newell had missed? If not then before commenting that it's because of Kevin Nisbet's personal situation, he has already said he doesn't want anyone to think he missed because of what's happened with his dad or for anyone to make excuses for him missing the penalty;

"The penalty miss was a real disappointment, but my own situation had no bearing on that.

Better players than me have missed penalties in the biggest games, and I could just as easily have hit the bar if I was playing without a care in the world. I wouldn’t stand for anyone trying to make any excuses for me."

[Brightside]

:agree: We just lost a cup semi final to Hearts after missing a penalty, I can understand why that question's been asked. Would anyone be criticising the post if Martin Boyle or Joe Newell had missed? If not then before commenting that it's because of Kevin Nisbet's personal situation, he has already said he doesn't want anyone to think he missed because of what's happened with his dad or for anyone to make excuses for him missing the penalty;

"The penalty miss was a real disappointment, but my own situation had no bearing on that.

Better players than me have missed penalties in the biggest games, and I could just as easily have hit the bar if I was playing without a care in the world. I wouldn’t stand for anyone trying to make any excuses for me."

Maybe just show a bit of class and dont bring it up though?

[lyonhibs]

i'd say it's more down to the week that Nisbet had, a young guy loosing his dad then having the balls to play and take a penalty in a big game

TBF, I'd missed the news about his dad. That is pretty poor patter in that case.

[Hibernian Verse]

I think a more pertinent question would be;

What does Nisbet's penalty have to do with us having a player on trial?

I'll answer. **** all.

[Hibee Mac]

I like that we're clearly looking at bodies in midfield, still think we could do with strengthening there if not now then in January if possible.

Wonder if it has a bearing on Newell's future, if he's made it clear he doesn't want an extension then we will be in real need for another next season.

[Sir David Gray]

I like that we're clearly looking at bodies in midfield, still think we could do with strengthening there if not now then in January if possible.

Wonder if it has a bearing on Newell's future, if he's made it clear he doesn't want an extension then we will be in real need for another next season.

Agreed I think we're in real need of extra bodies. Our first XI is as good as any other team outside of Glasgow, beyond that though we don't have a great deal of depth.

[Fanforlife]

Maybe just show a bit of class and dont bring it up though?
👍

[04Sauzee]

Some good footage of hime here altough in this clip he's playing for North Texas who i think are 3rd tier

https://youtu.be/nRJsAOWwFtc

[Robbo6-2]

Some good footage of hime here altough in thid clip he's playing for North Texas who i think are 3rd tier

https://youtu.be/nRJsAOWwFtc

His style and movement looks very similar to Joe Newell

[scottish_sleepy]

Seems happy to have the ball at his feet and drive forward. Only concern is seemed to pick the wrong options a lot of the time or never found the person with a through ball. Although balancing that he is a young guy and a lot of that comes through experience. Definitely worth a closer look at.

[Hibernian Verse]

Seems happy to have the ball at his feet and drive forward. Only concern is seemed to pick the wrong options a lot of the time or never found the person with a through ball. Although balancing that he is a young guy and a lot of that comes through experience. Definitely worth a closer look at.

He'll fit in the the SPFL then!

[Lago]

Not sure why this post is getting so much hate, apart from being a tad needless. Are folk just being mega protective of Nisbet or is there some hidden meaning I'm not getting?
Supprised you need it explained.

[CMurdoch]

I have just checked some of his youtube videos out and hes a left footed deep play maker from the looks of it.

He is a young guy who is playing against low level players in the clips. He shows good ability receiving the ball, running with it and passing but generally receives the ball under little or no pressure. He does everything with his left foot. Can't shoot if the clip shows his best. It will be interesting to see how he copes with the likes of Gogic all over him at training. It won't be easy for him to make his mark at Hibs so folk need to manage their expectation levels.

He is 5'11" but only 10 Stone 10 lbs so Hibs will need to get him on the Guinness

[badabing67]

Some good footage of him here although in this clip he's playing for North Texas who i think are 3rd tier

https://youtu.be/nRJsAOWwFtc


The guy wears 23 hope that's not a sign

[lyonhibs]

Supprised you need it explained.

You've not read the whole thread have you? :faf:

[St Pauli Hibee]

Looks like 3 players on trial in the coming weeks with an MLS club partnership to be announced imminently.

Big Ron looking to home for new players.

[Vault Boy]

Looks like 3 players on trial in the coming weeks with an MLS club partnership to be announced imminently.

Big Ron looking to home for new players.

Love it, great idea. Hopefully one or two impress and can challenge for first team positions, as mentioned by JR in the article.

[neil7908]

Looks like 3 players on trial in the coming weeks with an MLS club partnership to be announced imminently.

Big Ron looking to home for new players.

Any idea who and what the partnership will mean in practical terms?

[St Pauli Hibee]

Any idea who and what the partnership will mean in practical terms?

In practical terms it will probably mean loan deals from the MLS team to Hibs & possibly vice versa (Youth Players). Aberdeen & Atlanta United have a "Strategic Partnership" which entails Aberdeen getting £2 million from the Atlanta United parent company on top of £3 million invested by Dave Cormack to deal with the day to day running of Aberdeen. They also get to tap into Atlanta's scouting network across South America which in return Aberdeen give details of players in Europe.

I think it will possibly be something along the same lines as the above. Aberdeen had one player on loan from ATL last season, his name was Jon Gallagher.

Trialists

The one named player Thomas Roberts (19yo left sided midfielder) is coming from FC Dallas, the other two aren't public knowledge yet. As mentioned previously we should know more in the coming days

Interestingly FC Dallas have been ranked as the No.1 youth academy in the MLS with LA Galaxy & New York Red Bulls in 2nd & 3rd place respectively

[Unseen work]

Interesting the lad Roberts had a trial at Bayern Munich too along with some other Americans who got signed.

Looks similar to Sam Stanton in how he plays.

Interesting how they’re mentioned for the development team, must be a few young players coming in. Rumoured of 3 plus Thomas Roberts.

Hopefully we get a couple of bargains but I’m not sure how that would work? Surely they won’t want to give their bright talent away on the cheap.

A couple of rapid, strong, physical specimens would be ideal for starters.

Based on absolutley nothing but guesswork I’ll say the 4 are

Thomas Roberts
Ricardo Pepi
Justin Che
Dante Sealy

[JimBHibees]

Looks like 3 players on trial in the coming weeks with an MLS club partnership to be announced imminently.

Big Ron looking to home for new players.

Sounds promising that hopefully we get the benefit of that. Could create some positive competition in the squad. Could be good loan opportunities for our young players going the other way.

[lord bunberry]

Sounds promising that hopefully we get the benefit of that. Could create some positive competition in the squad. Could be good loan opportunities for our young players going the other way.
It does sound promising, the further we cast the net the better.

[PatHead]

I have heard one of the players had a trial at East Kilbride and wasn't taken on.

Going to reserve judgement as I am worried we will end up with a bunch of players no better than we could have picked up in the lower leagues here. I hope I am wrong though.

[I'm Spartacus]

Can he take a pressure penalty?

Talk about kicking a man when he's down. Utterly ***** patter.

[Iain G]

I have heard one of the players had a trial at East Kilbride and wasn't taken on.

Going to reserve judgement as I am worried we will end up with a bunch of players no better than we could have picked up in the lower leagues here. I hope I am wrong though.

This is nothing but positive and a good sign of us developing new ideas under Ron.

The USA are 23 places higher than us in the world rankings and are from a country that is professional and very well set up to develop young sporting talent.

Don't see why this couldn't and shouldn't be positive news for Hibs?!?

[Brightside]

I have heard one of the players had a trial at East Kilbride and wasn't taken on.

Going to reserve judgement as I am worried we will end up with a bunch of players no better than we could have picked up in the lower leagues here. I hope I am wrong though.

We arent going to end up with anyone. We may not sign anyone. It just opens up another market which can only be a good thing. Aberdeen, Rangers and Celtic already do it. Daft if we dont.

[Mr. Wonderful]

I have heard one of the players had a trial at East Kilbride and wasn't taken on.

Going to reserve judgement as I am worried we will end up with a bunch of players no better than we could have picked up in the lower leagues here. I hope I am wrong though.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

I'd bet a large majority of our youngsters over the years have typically gone on to play for clubs like EK or worse anyway

[Ibleedgreen]

Defender Leland Archer and midfielder Robbie Crawford are the names of 2 arriving.

[SteveHFC]

Defender Leland Archer and midfielder Robbie Crawford are the names of 2 arriving.

Sure Crawford played for ayr.

[St Pauli Hibee]

Defender Leland Archer and midfielder Robbie Crawford are the names of 2 arriving.

Correct, Crawford was at Rangers from 2012-2016 playing 45 games. Leland Archer is a 6ft 4" centre half from Trinidad & Tobago.

The strategic partnership has been announced with USL club Charleston Battery

[neil7908]

Correct, Crawford was at Rangers from 2012-2016 playing 45 games. Leland Archer is a 6ft 4" centre half from Trinidad & Tobago.

The strategic partnership has been announced with USL club Charleston Battery

Must admit I was hoping for an MLS club.

[bingo70]

Sure Crawford played for ayr.

I’m all for this link up and it sounds promising.

Robbie Crawford though?! Is that really the point of this? If we want an average 27 year old local guy we can get that here, thought the point in this was to find players that wouldn’t otherwise be on our radar.

Sure I’ll get stick for that but to me, getting someone like that on trial to train with us defeats the purpose altogether.

[Andy74]

I’m all for this link up and it sounds promising.

Robbie Crawford though?! Is that really the point of this? If we want an average 27 year old local guy we can get that here, thought the point in this was to find players that wouldn’t otherwise be on our radar.

Sure I’ll get stick for that but to me, getting someone like that on trial to train with us defeats the purpose altogether.

It says we are giving players the opportunity to train with us. I very much doubt they will all be on here on trial. A bit more like sharing resources and ideas.

[bingo70]

It says we are giving players the opportunity to train with us. I very much doubt they will all be on here on trial. A bit more like sharing resources and ideas.

Is the hope for them then that Robbie Crawford comes across here, sees the sort of intensity our players train at then takes that back to them?

I see the point in young Hibs players going across there, I see why we would take the likes of the Trinidad player we’re getting. I just don’t get the Robbie Crawford one if it’s not a trial.

[Brightside]

Nobody is on trial. Why do people never read anything. Its just a strategic link. Have Rangers signed anyone from Orange County? These things are generally just a promo for both clubs.

[Bad Habits]

Is the hope for them then that Robbie Crawford comes across here, sees the sort of intensity our players train at then takes that back to them?

I see the point in young Hibs players going across there, I see why we would take the likes of the Trinidad player we’re getting. I just don’t get the Robbie Crawford one if it’s not a trial.

It mentions somewhere that both those players are over here to keep fit over the American leagues closed season, for Crawford I imagine it's an opportunity to come home over the break and see his family aswell. I wouldn't imagine we are considering him as a signing, we have provided training facilities to plenty of players before without the intention of signing them.

[JimBHibees]

It mentions somewhere that both those players are over here to keep fit over the American leagues closed season, for Crawford I imagine it's an opportunity to come home over the break and see his family aswell. I wouldn't imagine we are considering him as a signing, we have provided training facilities to plenty of players before without the intention of signing them.

Pretty much this I think.

[bingo70]

It mentions somewhere that both those players are over here to keep fit over the American leagues closed season, for Crawford I imagine it's an opportunity to come home over the break and see his family aswell. I wouldn't imagine we are considering him as a signing, we have provided training facilities to plenty of players before without the intention of signing them.

Fair points and I suspect you’re right.

Cheers

[1875Sean]

The Evening news suggest these players will be for the development team, not sure how much of a team there is for this season as there isn’t a league but maybe looking for next season rather than first team players