Jordan Pefok | Chasing A Cup

Background 

Jordan Pefok is a 6-2 ½  Striker born in 1996 who performs for BSC Younger Boys in the Swiss Super League (to start with tier). Jordan is a French, Cameroonian American from Washington DC that designed through the Stade Reims Academy in France. You have possible found that Jordan also goes by Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu. Siebatcheu is his father’s previous identify and Pefok is his mother’s maiden name. He has been obvious that he would desire to be referred to as Jordan Pefok, so that is what we’ll do.

Club Record

Stade Reims (2014 – 2018)

French Ligue 1 & 2

74 appearances / 22 ambitions / 10 helps

LB Châteauroux (2016 – 2017 , loan)

French Championnat Countrywide (Third Tier)

16 appearances / 11 ambitions / helps

Stade Rennais FC (2018 – 2020)

French Ligue 1

44 appearances / 8 aims / 2 assists

BSC Younger Boys (2020 – 2022)

Swiss Tremendous League (First Tier)

75 appearances / 33 targets / 6 helps

USMNT (2021 – Current)

8 caps / 1 objective

Jordan committed to the US Men’s Countrywide Workforce at the beginning of 2021 and designed his debut on March 25, 2021 versus Jamaica in a 8 moment physical appearance off the bench. In complete, he has 8 caps and 1 aim, a activity winner in the 2021 Nation’s League semi-remaining versus Honduras. He’s performed in two Globe Cup Qualifiers in the September window, but has not been called back again given that.

Scouting Report 

Bodily

Jordan is a huge and solid striker that uses his size and toughness properly in maintain up engage in, aerial duels and finding in superior positions in the box. He lacks shorter spot quickness, explosiveness and top close pace, but has more than enough movement to maintain defenders straightforward. He is not a striker that is adept at managing driving defenses or earning dynamic runs in the box, but he knows how to optimize the actual physical presents that he does have.

Technically

Jordan is not what I would describe as an overly specialized striker, but there are areas within just his recreation that he does have robust complex potential. His touch is commendable. He will not impress with elaborate or harmful to start with touches, but he receives himself in shooting position efficiently and he is not likely to harm you in build up perform. He’s not a tremendous dynamic passer, but he can successfully url up with midfielders and does very well to distribute in keep up circumstances. He is really productive in aerial conditions. He’s a technically sound when utilizing his head the two when shooting on purpose and flicking on to other teammates. He is not a striker that is likely to threaten you exterior of the 18, but his overall body positioning will allow him to strike the ball swiftly and with somewhat steady accuracy in the box.

Mentality

Jordan is a bodily presence in equally his bodily profile but also in the way that he performs the video game. He’s ready to use his body to defend defenders and build factors of leverage for hold up participate in and maneuvering his way into hazardous spots in the box. He’s remarkably aggressive in both ground and aerial duels and he is also efficient as the place male in the push. His operate price is laudable and he is snug mixing it up in all areas of the pitch. His activity footage illustrates that he is a challenging and tricky operating player. 

You can get a taste of this in his Four goal effectiveness in a league match vs Lugano listed here. 

Statistical Breakdown 

Jordan has been on an absolute tear for Champions League aspect Younger Boys this earlier 12 months. He has 18 targets and 2 helps in 32 appearances throughout all competitions. In 2,112 minutes, that will come out to a aim each 117 minutes.

Beneath, you can see how his uncooked numbers stack up to some of the other strikers in the USMNT pool. You can see that Jordan potential customers on all significant aim scoring types, such as ambitions for every 90, envisioned ambitions for each 90 and shots for every 90. What is even far more spectacular is that his non penalty plans and predicted plans per 90 are in the 99th percentile. That’s outrageous.

He is tied for previous in expected assists and shot generating odds for each 90 and second to only Daryl Dike in carries and effective dribbles per 90. 

His defensive metrics amazed me the most. He is 1st in tackles and interceptions for each 90, but second to final in strain per 90. He ranks third in aerials gained for each 90 driving Zardes and Sargent. 

It is crucial to not just glimpse at quantitative facts in a vacuum. These players participate in in varying degrees of competitive leagues and clubs which impression these information details. Additionally, not all of these gamers play in a one striker method where they are the main #9. 

Josh Sargent performs on the wing for Norwich and Jesus Ferreira has played a lot more of a shadow striker / attacking midfield for Dallas. Josh performs in the most aggressive league of the six forwards featured here. Pepi now performs in the 2nd most competitive league, adopted by Dike who recently moved to The Championship. Pefok’s league (15th) is comparable to Ferreira and Zardes in the MLS (14th), according to Soccer League Rankings.

At the club level, Pefok plays at the optimum rated club (87th), Ferreira plays at the worst (349th), according to Worldwide Club Soccer Rankings by FiveThirtyEight.

#9s in USMNT Procedure

Dependent on what we have noticed from Gregg Berhalter around the past couple of yrs, we can surmise that Gregg wishes strikers that are potent pressers, connectors and continuously display dynamic movement in the box. 

According to Paul Harvey’s exploration short article on how the USMNT have been scoring objectives, you can see that they have moved absent from direct play and have focused much more on create up participate in and capitalizing on turnovers from their press. 

Paul also identified that the most frequent steps that have led to USMNT objectives are crosses from the endline, cutbacks and layoffs. This suggests that we are seriously reliant on attacking from extensive spots and leaning on our fullbacks and wingers having in and getting teammates in harmful positions. 

USMNT carries on to wrestle to engage in by way of and behind the middle of defenses, which is typically the most compact and defended space, but also the most productive way to rating if you can break your opponent down. 

In Summary

Planet Cup Qualifying enables for expanded squads, so at the least, it would be strategically audio to see 3 different styles of strikers on the roster to make it possible for for tactical overall flexibility. A presser / dynamic mover (Pepi/Sargent), a connector / probability creator (Ferreira/Pepi) and a direct participate in / concentrate on guy (Pefok/Zardes). Dike is kind of the outlier. While you would imagine that he profiles as a concentrate on male, he is most helpful jogging powering and at defenses. 

Pefok does not in shape Gregg’s desired #9 profile. He is a capable, but not elite presser. He’s solid in hold up play, but not a perilous likelihood creator and connector. He also is not super dynamic in the box, but he does have an intuition for getting in the right put at the suitable time. He’s most successful in a system that attempts to be far more direct. 

He is most identical in profile to Gyasi Zardes, who has been a steady variety for Gregg Berhalter when healthier. Gyasi is marginally stronger in carrying the ball and generating likelihood, but fails to examine to Pefok in nearly all other types (target scoring, hold up perform, pressing).

At the finish of the working day, a #9’s career is to rating plans. And no one is acquiring in far more goal scoring predicaments and capitalizing on purpose scoring cases than Jordan Pefok. It’s really hard to reconcile why Gyasi has been getting calls around Pefok apart from the record and comfortability that Gregg has in Zardes.