13. Amobi Okugo
Pos: M | Philadelphia Union | Age: 23
Last Year in 24U24:#8
2014 Stats: Matches played: 27 | Goals: 1 | Assists: 0
Castrol Index (as of 9/24/14): #73
Is he a midfielder or a defender? Well, both. Okugo has shown the ability to play on the backline or as a box-to-box midfielder for Philly, handling both jobs with equal aplomb this year and even wearing the captain's armband early in the season. But perhaps his versatility has hurt him. He's recently been relegated to the bench, as interim head coach Jim Curtin has opted for Vincent Nogueira and Maurice Edu in the midfield, Carlos Valdes and Ethan White in the back.
What the technical staffers say: "An interesting player. He has more talent than he shows consistently. I thought he could be a really, really good number 6 coming out of college. It's terrific that he's shown the diversity to play both center back and at the number 6 position. But sometimes those guys are underappreciated because the coach will change his position so often, they don't know exactly where they fit in. I don't know if he's developed his game to the level he could've if he'd stayed at one position."
What Opta Sports says: Ranks fourth among players under 24 with 0.65 blocks per 90 minutes.
What do you think of Amobi Okugo? Tell us in the comments below.
