I look at the teams that have qualified and think....................why not us? To me a lot comes down to: 1) The luck of the draw. 2) The extend to which Tab can bring his "best team." If Berhalter and Ramos really decide to send their "best team" to the U20 WC in order to instill a "culture of winning," then this team can go far.
People on here on going to flip out when Atlanta United releases Barco for the World Cup and not Carleton.
i've said before, but the forward group in the 2013 WC was the single worst position grouping of any WC team at any level the USA has ever had. absolutely brutal . -Daniel Cuevas (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.) Danny Garcia (North Carolina; Dallas, Texas) -Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.), -Alonso Hernandez (C.F. Monterrey; El Paso, Texas) -Mario Rodriguez (1. FC Kaiserslautern; North Hollywood, Calif.), -Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.)
Hey, at least they made it to the final of qualifying and qualified for the U20 World Cup. The previous cycle, which included players like Lletget, Wood and Garza, were knocked out in the quarterfinals of qualifying by Guatemala.
Amazingly, maybe, that Guatemala match is on YouTube in its entirety. Here are some highlights. I admit that I didn't remember who the U.S. goalscorer was until the announcer said his name after the goal. Presumably one of you will pretend that you totally did.
Out of curiosity, I looked back at pools under Ramos to see how many guys he'd called in who were "playing up" an age group. As it happens, that has steadily risen (as a percentage of total players called into U20 pools) from 2.5% in 2013 to 5% in 2015 to 8% last time out. Right now, we're running between 2015 and 2017 numbers, though with quite a bit of the cycle to go. It doesn't seem crazy that that number could rise -- the obvious names being Konrad and Bello, though there are others who might also get looks. I'd say it would be a good thing if the U18 (and U19 programs) turned out to be useful springboards for advanced players, rather than "holding pens" where people wait their turn. If, over time, the "playing up" callup percentage continues to rise, that might be a sign that it's happening, though not a perfect indicator because of how many other variables there are.
I think Tab was interviewed a while back and asked about this and his reply was something along the lines of "It depends, if the younger player won't start when playing up, we would rather keep him with his age group. It doesn't make sense if he moves up to sit in the bench".
Well, sure. That's why I referred specifically to "advanced players." Four of 6 "up" players from 2017 made the finals or qualifying squads. (I'm not counting Leo Lopez.) In 2015, it was 3 of 4. In 2013, 2 of 2. And so far this cycle, it's 3 of 4, with Araujo, Ochoa and Llanez going to qualifying, but not Booth.
I’ll bet he’s running into more “release issues” than in past cycles. If he can’t get his preferred players he might have to go younger in certain positions to execute his tactical vision.
"I can’t believe how far he’s come along in the last year and a half. In the U-17 World Cup he was good, but now I think Gloster would be a starter in MLS, I think for almost any team, as a left back."- Tab Ramos on 18-year-old LB Chris Gloster (Hannover 96) pic.twitter.com/4cxuMTQjq1— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 14, 2019 I think that pretty much rules out one of those potential younger players, assuming health and the release by his team. I’ve said all along that we need to wait and see who is released before we make any assumptions about this group. I’m betting a lot more than just 2 Schalke players aren’t released for this tournament.
I'm not sure the quote about not taking younger players to sit on the bench would apply to the actual World Cup. One thing not to play Bello up and sit him for some tourney in Czechoslovakia or friendlies in Florida. But there is a history of Tab, and many others, bringing "next cycle" guys to a World Cup for the experience. Now, if Bello is starting for an MLS team, no reason to get him experience for the 2021 WC, as he will be beyond it most likely.
When, or if, we truly have a left back who's so accomplished that he's too good for his U20 cycle (which generally implies to me that he's a top 30 MNT pool player) then, my fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over, and I'll stand up on a box of soap and declare that American Soccer Is No Longer At A Crossroads. Then he'll probably get hurt.
Hell, there’s a decent chance Bello doesn’t get released for the U17 WC because of that tournament’s timing with this MLS season.
I don’t think Tab is the type of guy who will play a kid up a cycle when there is a good option already filling that position. I think he likes Gloster too much to play Bello up. I also agree that I’m not even sure Bello will he released for the u17 tournaments.
I don't see much point in picking Bello. I have a hard time believing he's currently better than Gloster. If he's not going to be the first string LB, why would you pick a back up LB who doesn't have positional versatility and you probably don't want to end up using in the tournament? It would make much more sense to pick only 3 full-backs, have Lindsey back up Dest and Gloster, and have back up CB's who can fill in at fullback in a 3rd or 4th string role (Araujo, Keita). Also, playing up a cycle isn't easy. Some players who've turned into very good players have struggled with it. Thats also usually for players who are odd year players playing up a year in the U-20's, its even harder for even year players. Bello hasn't had a good preseason with Atlanta. Its hard to know how much he'll play because they have a new coach, but he appears to have lost the starting spot to Shea. Maybe Bello isn't yet ready for the accolades some have put on him. If an even birth year player is selected to play up a cycle, I think the only choice who makes any sense is Las. Ramos likes to pick a keeper who will be on the team next cycle. I'm not sure that Las is one of the best 3 keepers, considering the keeping depth this cycle. Is he better than Trey Muse or Eric Lopez? if you don't care the caliber of your third keeper, that would make some sense to pick him as the third keeper. More likely, none of these players are good enough to play in the U-20's this cycle. Its unlikely that many 01's are good enough to play in a full strength (or close to full strength) U-20 team at the U-20 WC. The only '01 who I think is likely to make a full strength U-20 team is Araujo (as a back up CB), and thats due to the big weakness in the team at CB. Players like de la Fuente, Booth, Llanez are very good prospects, but probably not capable of beating out what is a strong crop of U-20's. Its even more unlikely that a weak '02 year would have players good enough to play up.
It's possible, but with only 18 field players it's hard to bring 4 fullbacks. Lindsey played some LB last season and probably will again this season with SKC.
Lindsey. Keita as 3rd string. You could also use Dest at LB and Araujo at RB instead of using Keita at LB. I think @ielag is right. 3 full-backs, the back up full-back should be able to play both fullback spots. It'll also help if the CB's have some positional versatility, which Araujo has. I also think Keita could play LB or McKenzie at RB, if released.
Thats what Doug Roberson (the beat reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution) is saying. Shea also started Atlanta's last preseason friendly where they played what looked to be their starting lineup. I'd prefer Bello plays, but it looks like Shea won the starting spot.
I think Shea was always going to start the year while they bring Bello along. But this may be a good thing because... well, he’s Brek Shea. He’s going to be easy to bench by this summer
"Gloster would be a starter in MLS, I think for almost any team, as a left back." Wouldn't that make Gloster, by transitive property, the best starting left back for the USMNT? Unless Berhalter is bringing back Fabian Johnson or Tim Ream or something...