Shibb
01 Apr 2005, 10:37 PM
I was thinking ahead tonight, to 2010. I think we're in a transition period, between the old guard and the new. There are several USMNT regulars who have really about 0% chance of being with the Nats in 2010. Reyna, McBride, Keller will be gone.
With that in mind, I was wondering who's out there that currently gets short shrift. Low playing time, not yet on the radar, or too young. I'm thinking of guys like:
Clint Dempsey (not very many minutes)
Alecko Eskandarian (looks so-so on paper but has a lot of intangibles, IMO)
Freddy Adu (still unproven and could be a washout by 2010)
Jonathan Spector (still a bit young)
Peter Philipakos (playing in a league that doesn't get much exposure in the USA)
Giuseppe Rossi (may play for Italy)
Jemal Johnson (young and unproven, but great speed and potential)
Jay DeMerit (still a ways to go)
I'm not that up on the Youth teams, but I know there are some young studs in the pipeline, that will be 20-27 years old by 2010. And there are bound to be a couple that come out of "nowhere" to suddenly have a role to play. But what I'm thinking is that by taking the current USA second string or off the radar screen guys, you'd have a team that could compete (although they might not win) to get a berth in WC 2006. So eshewing the regulars (Landon, DMB, etc) and old pros (Reyna, Keller, McBride, etc) who would you put on a team that might make a competitive run at qualifying if the USA were allowed a second entry in WC06 qualification?
With that in mind, I was wondering who's out there that currently gets short shrift. Low playing time, not yet on the radar, or too young. I'm thinking of guys like:
Clint Dempsey (not very many minutes)
Alecko Eskandarian (looks so-so on paper but has a lot of intangibles, IMO)
Freddy Adu (still unproven and could be a washout by 2010)
Jonathan Spector (still a bit young)
Peter Philipakos (playing in a league that doesn't get much exposure in the USA)
Giuseppe Rossi (may play for Italy)
Jemal Johnson (young and unproven, but great speed and potential)
Jay DeMerit (still a ways to go)
I'm not that up on the Youth teams, but I know there are some young studs in the pipeline, that will be 20-27 years old by 2010. And there are bound to be a couple that come out of "nowhere" to suddenly have a role to play. But what I'm thinking is that by taking the current USA second string or off the radar screen guys, you'd have a team that could compete (although they might not win) to get a berth in WC 2006. So eshewing the regulars (Landon, DMB, etc) and old pros (Reyna, Keller, McBride, etc) who would you put on a team that might make a competitive run at qualifying if the USA were allowed a second entry in WC06 qualification?