I won't go into the debate about what is a #10 and if it is even a viable option in the modern game. But if you are talking playmakers (who play centrally or wide) I say its Gedion Zelalem (if he picks us). The kid is already better than every player on that list and he is 9 years younger than Silva. Yes he is still physically weak but as far as talent goes, he looked solid with the Arsenal 1st team at age 16. He'll probably get cup games this year for us. He is so good and has so much potential (Arsenal fans already compare him to Cesc at the same age) if I were Klinsmann I would offer him a guaranteed spot on the WC 23 roster if that is what it takes to cap him. I think he could eclipse Rossi and Subotic as far as 'what if' players.
is he playing in first division? Fat Ronaldo at a young age was already playing first division. if they are not playing first division anywhere, is safe to say they are still "developing." Silva and Villareal are already doing big things.
Ronaldo was arguably a top 10 player of all time. No one is comparing any of these kids to him. Zelalem is on the reserves but was on the First team for the pre-season tour and the friendly against Man City. How many 16 year olds get first team minutes with a top 4 club? Rooney and Cesc are the only I can think of. There are people putting him in that class. Jack Wilshere has been raving about how good this kid has been this summer. Silva is going to be 25 at the end of the season, he is 9 years older. He is not going to get THAT much better at this point. I think he is a good player and might be a fringe USNT player in the future the way a guy like Brad Davis has become, but he isn't going to be a huge part of the team. Villareal looks very promising. I think he'll be a part of the USNT for a long time. But if you are looking at potential being the 'next superstar' for USNT then its Zelalem if he picks us. His ceiling is just way higher then all these guys. Julian Green at Bayern is another kid that is a potential superstar. He was playing with the first team this summer and Pep has singled him out several times in interviews. There are a handful of kids I've heard about as being potential superstars but I've never seen them play so I can't really say how good they can be. Raul Mendiola comes to mind (the kid at Galaxy reserves and is going to get signed). Hugo Perez nephew Joshua Perez is supposed to be a great prospect too. But those guys are all really long ways off.
Regarding Gedion Zelalem: Can the US claim developing him since he has been in the us since 2006. If so, this is a big step in regards to development of youth. We may not have the end product, but something is working if that kid didn't burn out or decline as he aged because of our sp called "inferior" development. We may not have the finished product, but this is a step forward IMO regardless of whom he chooses to play internationally.
He played with our U14 and U15 teams, he has a green card. But he'd need to be naturalized. Its a long shot, but I think he and maybe Green are one of the few guys that you can point to that has the potential to be world class. The other guys listed might have good careers, but both of those kids could end up stars on the biggest clubs in the world. Something the US hasn't had.
First of all, thanks for adding something great to the thread, Americans like you, I like, you come here to give valuable information, #respect for you sir. A lot of kids with a lot of potential but at the end of the day, they can turn up to be Altidore or Agudelo. I think is great that those kids are believed to be the next stars but I think is better to focus on the ones that are already on first division, once kids start doing their thing in the big leagues, that is when they are ready for the big jump. I keep saying, Silva should have gone pro right after high school, we would have a really dominant player by now. Los Angeles has a lot of possible elite players, Villareal is getting there too, they are both from LA. Enzo Martinez used to do great things in high school and college but he is not doing so great at RSL... I invite people to bring videos of kids that are already playing in first division, let see what we got so far.
But why be so hung up on first division, not all 1st divisions are equal. Luis Silva is playing on one of the worst teams in MLS history right now. Is that really 'a higher level' then playing on Arsenal or Bayern B team and even getting some pre-season or cup games with one of the biggest clubs in the world? If you are going to ask the question about 'who is the next...whatever' then we need to start looking at youth players with potential. And I think you might be selling Agudelo short. He's played well for Revs this year and he is still very young (20 I think). He is on his way to Stoke and they seem to like playing Americans. I think he could be fine. We heard the same thing about Altidore being a bust when he first went to Spain. They ended up loaning him to an awful Hull team and I think only scored once all season. People thought he was a bust and now he did very well in Holland and is back in England a new player. As far as Silva goes, like I said he is going to be 25 and hasn't received a cap. I think he is a fringe player at this point. Zusi proved me wrong though and has been an excellent late bloomer, so I think its not impossible. But Silva has 0% at going to Brazil at this point which means his first WC wouldn't be until 2018 when he is close to turning 30. Not exactly the kind of guy you'd say is your next great player. I really like Villareal, he doesn't seem like as much of playmaker though. Luis Gil might be better in that department. I also keep hearing about Benji Joya. I had a friend of the family who coached on his old team talks about how incredibly talented he is. He is a similar age as the other kids and plays on a better team in Mexico. If he can start to get regular minutes this season, then he's someone I'll have to check out.
Playing for a B team is never the same as playing for the first division team, there is much more pressure. Yes, Silva has played for terrible teams but he is still pulling goals and great plays on his own. Altidore is scoring goals but when it comes to playing for big clubs, he hasnt done much yet, we will see about Agudelo. If Joya or Gill were as good as some people think, they will be starters for their club. I guess we can keep an eye on all the kids mentioned here including Jr. Flores and Perez. Doing great at youth tournaments doesnt mean much, look at Dustin Corea, but lets truly hope one of these kids finally develop into something great.
So Altidore hasn't done much because he hasn't played for a big club, but Silva could be the next big thing because he has 3 goals for DC United? Do you read what you write before you press enter? Future USMNT Playmakers: 2nd forwards: Nagbe, Lletget, Gil, Corona, Flores, Silva Midfielders: Diskeruud, Pelosi, Joya, Zalalem
I think the fact taht he's half salvadorian is clouding his opinion here. Silva is good...but there are a TON of options out there who are ahead of him depth wise. He seems injury prone too.
Altidore is not really a #10, and Im not saying he is bad but he is been around for a while. Corona, Silva, as far as I go. Dont know much about the other players, Flores is the Chivas usa kid huh, is he still alive? Diskeruud, isnt he more of a defensive mid? I think I saw Joya in the WC. Again, where are the proof of the other players, videos? Statistics? If they are 18 and older, they should be in first division teams already.
No. You're confusing him with Junior Flores. Salvadorian american who's contracted to play for Borussia Dortmund of Germany once he hits 18 (with the youth team). Look him up. He's the real deal.
yeah but he is not in first division, we can say the same thing about Perez too but they are just too young... lets not hype another Freddy Adu. btw Silva is not half Salvadoran, he is fully Mexican born in the States, he grew up playing with Salvadorans, this is why he plays with Salvadoran style but no, he is not half Salvadoran.
If you don't want to consider the youngins' then I am afraid we're stuck with what got on this cycle, which is not bad. The 16 year olds now may yield a play maker for the next cycle, which is what we ultimately care about. Btw, it's Salvadoran not dorian. Gotta rep it right.
Silva is 25, he is gone be 30 for the next world up... Who else should be consider for #10 for the next world cup?
Yea, none of the guys mentioned are going to be a part of this cycle. There is 0% chance that any of them are on a plane to Brazil. So we are really talking 2018 here for the 'next #10' (whatever that means). Basically post-Donovan years playmaker. At that point you need to consider the teenagers who will be in their early 20s during that cycle. I remember watching a kid a few years ago that I thought was really good for the U17s. Guido or something, he ended up going to Tijuana. Not sure if he gets any 1st team minutes yet, but I was impressed with him. I think he might be younger than Villareal and Gil. He seemed bigger too. Tijuana seems to want to bring Americans into their first team so he might be breaking into the first team like Corona did soon. He might be someone to look out for next cycle. I know I brought him up earlier, but supposedly Galaxy is going to sign Raul Mendiola. He was incredibly hyped a few years ago. Went on trial with Arsenal and Man City. Was named club player of the year. Galaxy also seems to be really interested in playing homegrown players, so he might get a shot at some playing time. I have never seen him play so I'd be really interested in watching him.
there is always hype with younger players. Sebastian Velasquez at RSL was invited to try out for Barcelona, prob the first American ever to have that chance, he is benching for RSL, both, him and Enzo were supposed to be elite players, both are benching or playing for reserves, they are not that young anymore. This is why Im saying, we should focus on players already on first division.