I'm not so convinced Molde is a low level. I know this debate has been done ad nauseum on this site, but I'd probably put Molde amongst the best teams in MLS.
The 94 forward has started three of four matches for Molde so far. The 97 came off the bench this weekend for the first time (and scored), but I have to assume he's playing regularly with the reserves as well. I don't think it's reasonable to spin the situation in a way that portrays Spencer as someone who is well behind these two, but I also wouldn't try to spin the situation to say that somehow this means that Spencer is valued more.
DieKlinsMannschaft @klinsmannschaft 7h U.S. U-20s won't be going to Toulon or the Milk Cup this summer, but are likely to host a domestic tournament instead.
Always thought we could host a strong annual U20 tournament, especially since Nike could get involved like with the U17 friendlies. Play it at some good little USL/NASL stadium.
Personally I prefer the tournaments away from the US. I feel the added adversity and difficulties faced in these away trips are good experience for the players. The 20 World Cup ain't the US after all............................
The flip side of the argument is that at the U20 level these days more of these guys are already being challenged regularly in professional environments and there is surely value to getting the group together in more convenient settings to work on the actual team-building -- just like a senior. That's somewhat different from than younger groups where, if they stay in the States, the best age-appropriate competition is limited. Obviously the U20 setup has already been to Europe once this cycle, and also received some good competition in the Dallas Cup. It's not an either-or. Selfishly of course I'm sure we'd all like to be able to watch the team in Toulon against elite nations on nice web streams or whatever. But they continue not to run U.S. Soccer to my precise specifications for some reason.
Is playing in front of 300 neutral fans at the Milk Cup really that much adversity? And I doubt this will be the only tournament we'll play in between now and U20 qualifying. If we can get some of the top Nike teams, we could put on a pretty damn strong U20 tournament, since other countries love coming to train/play in the U.S.
I know. I just think that dealing with the travel, living arrangements, food situation, etc. on away trips is good preparation for off-the-field challenges that players face at important tournaments like the U20 WC qualifying and U20 WC. That's all. The Milk Cup.........to me..............might be the most over-rated tournament we play. We won the thing in 2010 by beating China and Northern Ireland. Big deal. So if can arrange a summer tournament in which we play games against Argentina, Portugal, and Ghana that would be REAL preparation. That would be the equivalent of a really good Toulon tournament. And we could probably arrange that kind of thing.
Our country's big enough to have pretty much all of that while hosting a tournament. Also, I know we've hosted Olympic qualifiers the past few cycles, but when's the last time we hosted a boys U17 or U20 CONCACAF Championship?
Trevor Haberkorn to Cal is official: http://www.socceramerica.com/articl...r-back-with-u-20-haberkorn.html?edition=11668 "Trevor is a tremendous signing for our program,” Cal head coach Kevin Grimes said. “He has been involved with our U.S. national youth team program for several years. Trevor has all of the skill and ability to follow in the footsteps of the many great Cal central defenders who have gone on to be drafted and play in Major League Soccer and Europe. His impact on our team will be significant and our coaching staff is really looking forward to further developing his game."
From the U-20 perspective, I wonder whether this camp was a struggle for Haberkorn. He only got into one match, was an unused sub in two, and did not make the squad in the other two. Despite the schedule dictating a heavy squad rotation, Ramos seemed to be looking for ways to not play Haberkorn and Dainkeh.
The UEFA U19 championship is a direct qualifier for the U20 World Cup. The 2014 UEFA U19s determine the UEFA representatives at the 2015 U20 World Cup. The age cutoff for both tournaments is the same, it's just that there's a difference in nomenclature because, since it's a year earlier, it's U19 with the UEFA tournament starts.
As @Balerion points out, UEFA U19s are qualifiers for the U20 WC It actually makes perfect sense why Green is ineligible now for the U20 WC although I imagine next year, US fans will be bummed about it
Perhaps some, but not me. While I certainly wouldn't mind winning a competition like the U20 World Cup, to me the primary purpose of youth national team competitions is to scout, challenge, develop and display our talented youngsters, with the goal of it assisting in them becoming senior national team members. I'm much happier that we got Green for the senior national team than I am that we can't use him for the U20 World Cup.
This is not directed at your post but ties into what I want to say. One mistake that I think get's made on these boards (side note* off all the boards on BS, to me, this one might actual have the best discussion) is overlooking winning games. Now there needs to be a balance of winning and playing good teams but I think we consistently undervalue the winning mentality that is developed at this age. Beating up on a bunch of scrubs is not going to be helpful either. I think there is value in playing in a tournament with decent competition with the expectations going into it that we need to win it. Put us in a tourney with Argentina, Portugal, and Ghana and getting draws and out of the group is now a success. There needs to be a variety to apply different pressures to the development of players is all I am saying I guess.
It's obviously now they are not the answer for the backline. The only position I see that maybe filled by college player 2015 is GK. Too many pro options available. Plus how is college player gonna be match fit June 2015 after end of college season over 5 monts previously. Don't give me BS about spring season ... a joke.
Well, Matt Miazga is the only professional CB in the entire pool of 95s and 96s. It is possible to bring in Redding or Glad to play up a cycle as they are doing with Palmer-Brown, but it's a small and very inexperienced group to work with at that position right now if you limit yourself to the pros. From what Ramos has said about qualifying, it sounds like it is taking place earlier than in previous cycles (January vs. Feb/Mar). That means that new GA and HGP players for the 2015 season won't even have a preseason as exposure to the MLS level of play. So we really can't expect any reinforcements from the pro ranks before qualifying except in nominal terms (players who may sign one month before qualifying). We have Miazga and three 97s. In that light, I would expect at least one college CB to be on the roster. I hope that Ramos continues to evaluate options and doesn't let roster inertia dictate his future personnel choices. Also on the amateur front, John Requejo, Jr. seems to be a favored player; he's one of a few who has played in every U-20 match under Ramos this cycle. He is committed to UCLA, although I don't know if he has ambitions/chances to go pro prior to his freshman year this fall. If he plays at UCLA this year, he's another college guy who looks to have a reasonably strong chance of making the roster. Shaquell Moore is another player who may still be an amateur come qualifying, although I get the sense that he is trying to go pro ASAP. But if you are worried about the level of play in college, Moore is looking at nothing more than DA games and maybe some first team training. He can't sign abroad until November, though, so his chances of getting pro games between now and qualifying are pretty much zero. I agree that it's a tough road for any college midfielders and forwards, but you never know. Kelyn Rowe was a player who was brought in later in the cycle and made the squad in 2011. We may have a deeper squad now, but if you have a Rowe-level talent who puts up a huge freshman year like Rowe did at UCLA in 2010, it would be foolish to ignore him.
Will be interesting to see how/if UCLA lines up Requejo this fall. Unless he performs really well, he could easily end up on the bench.