The Full Autopsy - U23 Qualifying

Really? Is every single thing that is posted on big soccer total new information that you haven't heard?

{Scratches head}

I don't understand this argument.

Marc Pelosi will continue to get U20 callups this cycle. I'd place a bet on that. But he's nowhere close to the senior USMNT. Not yet anyway. He happens to play one of the deepest positions on the USMNT. If he was a striker (like Boyd), or played a position of real need, then perhaps he'd get capped earlier.

If the U20 staff wants to grab a U17 for a weekend, they can do that. Freddy Adu did that when he was with the U17s. Hell, Freddy Adu got his first senior USMNT cap when he was 16.

It all depends how the U20 staff evaluates the player.

One could argue that Flores plays a position that the U20s are actually fairly deep in.......believe it or not: Luis Gil, Benji Joya, Alejandro Guido, Daniel Garcia, Mikey Lopez, Collin Martin, Wil Trapp, etc. etc.

The question the U20 staff would have to ask themselves is whether Flores is actually more advanced right now skillwise than a player like Daniel Garcia. I have no idea...............................

I do agree that if the U20 staff thinks that is the case, then he should be allowed to attend a U20 camp. Keep pushing kids up the ladder if they're ready for matches at a more advanced level.

Its much more important to play up based on where you train daily with your club. I think the playing up for a youth national team for one player, for one game, for one tournament has minimal value in overal development. I think this issue is getting overblown when we don't have an integrated system for Flores or players like him can play up. Its too late now but in some ways I would like for him to play DCUnited U18 academy and playing up with DC United U21's (that doesn't exist) and play for DC United reserves (for more than 10 games and they're out of season), decided by a professional staff of coaches and evaluators. That's where playing up on a daily basis really works.

Possible. If I remember correctly the tournament is late 2013 ending in November so he'll probably be 17 and he'll be able to start the long process of moving to Germany prior to 18 like Renken and Gyau did. I don't know when he turns 18 or what the gap is between the end of U17 WC and his 18th birthday.

Logically it seems he'll shut it down after such intensive training up through November 2013. He'll rest through the holidays with family then start the process of moving to Germany so he can start training in Feb/March 2014. I can't see him taking any significant diversion in playing with Dortmund wanting thier investment showing up without injury.

Maybe I didn't state my point well enough, but this is basically what I was saying. If Flores isn't ready, he isn't ready. However, if he is, what is the harm in pushing him up to a U-20 camp?

Thats what I said. My original statement was that I wouldn't be surprised if Flores gets a shot with the U-20's if he is ready. I don't see why that caused such a big discussion.

Yeah, if Flores is special enough to play with guys that are a few years older than him, what's the problem with that?

We get it! If my aunt had a penis he'd be my uncle. We get the 'if' statement. If I win the lottery I'd be rich. When you put an 'if' in front of some logically conclusive statement then by deductive reasoning that statement would be true but doesn't necessarily make that conclusion definate. And the opposite of that is if Junior Flores is not special enough to play with guys a few years older than him then what's the problem with him not playing with them. Right?

This is a legit question though. There is no clear conclusion that we can come to. None of us have seen Flores enough to know if he is good enough to play for the U-20's.

Please stop. I have seen him enough for me to conclude he is not good enough to play for the U20's right now. The U20's coaches have not called him up so I'm assuming he's not good enough. The U18
s have not either........Who really cares. I hope he develops with Dortmund so he takes us to the World Cup one day, and I don't mean the U20's Youth World Cup.

World Cup...

Nothing.

You do then take a training or roster slot away from a player in that U20 age group. In this case that could be another really good prospect like say Collin Martin or Wil Trapp.

If a player is really advanced like Freddy Adu was as a youngster, than people are all for it.
But most prefer to widen our developing talent pool at the youth level. You want to give as many youngsters as possible a chance to go to these types of youth competitions (U23, U20, U17). So unless a kid is REALLY special you keep the U17s with the U17s, the U20s with the U20s, etc. If Flores goes to both the U17 and U20 world cups, that denies another kid the opportunity. I personally think Flores is a good prospect, but I'm not sure he's so special that we need to play him up an age group. That's for the talent evaluators in the USSF to figure out.

Remember, most people feel like these youth competitions are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. Yes, we want to win youth competitions and would like to take our best team. But the real goal is to win the senior World Cup. And to do that you may consider broading opportunities for kids.

I am just a firm believer that you take your best players. I realize that maybe Flores might take a roster spot away from an actual U-20 in an official competition, but I think you take your best players. I don't care if its not "fair" to the actual U-20's. This isn't some type of recreational league.

Unless its some official competition, why can't Flores be called in? Can't you call in how ever many players you want for a camp? Look, if Flores is good enough, there should be no problem with getting him into at least a camp. Thats just what I think though.

And if Flores is not determined to be good enough for the U20's there should be no problem with him not being called into a camp.

Is this a judgement from watching a few games from the Nike friendlies or a game or two on the internet, or have you seen more than a few games?

I am not neutral. From what I have seen, I think he might be a better option than some of the guys that have been called up recently to the U-20's. I just am curious how someone can make a definitive statement that a guy isn't good enough when the U-17's play about three or four times per year on TV or streamed on the internet.

Thought this was U-23 reflection thread. And this is one failure I don't want to reflect about.

Anyways, I'd keep Flores at U-17, no need to rush or for him to be a bench player with U-20s.