Pulisic was an outlier in terms of timing as he could go to Europe at 16 (due to his Croatian passport). But I think those that are the real USYNT watchers are starting to see a shift in the high-end prospects that we're producing. What's exciting is that Pulisic isn't an isolated case. There is a wave of young high-end prospects across youth squads right now. Not all will "make it." However, we're going to see a bunch of these kids break out into 1st team football. This past week we got to see Weston McKennie and Andrew Carleton debut. More to come.................. Whenever a new kid emerges, like Sargent has, folks are always trying to slow down. Which is fine. But as fans we should embrace the hype with these kids. CCV, EPB, Carleton, Sargent, and company deserve the hype. They are really good talents. Not just talents by USMNT/USYNT standards. CCV and EPB would be garnering attention if the were eligible for France. They are really good. Tyler Adams is really good. Really good. He's also so young he's eligible for the NEXT U20 cycle. So is Paxton Pomykol, who's debuted for FCD but can't get into our U20 national team. So is Nick Taitague of Schalke........................ To be honest, Carleton and Sargent are gaining so much attention.............................that folks aren't really noticing some other really good prospects at the U17 level. There's also Jesus Ferreira, who I had considered the best US-based prospect in the DA last season............(yes even ahead of Sargent and Carleton). Now that's just me, and I'm no talent scout. His US citizenship is imminent. Last year as a 15 year old he destroyed the U16 level of the DA. As a 16 year old in this academy season he' scored 9 goals in 17 games, but really was incredible in the Dallas Cup against kids 2-3 years older than him. We just don't get to see him as much as Carleton and Sargent.
I can't think of many stikers in our pool who could have scored a goal like that at any age. Yes, I said it.
Or have three perfect finishes with his right, left and head. Don't even mentioning the goal against Mexico in qualifiers where the last player who could have scored that was Clint. No, not Dempsey, Mathis. 15 years ago.
Morris couldn't. He can't turn off his shoulder and fire with his left with the power and placement El Sargent did today. Wouldn't even have tried. He'd have taken an extra touch with his right and....side netting.
It seems like the tide is rising for US Soccer. I have watched the game grow here since the early 1980's and never before have we had so many quality avenues for players to receive great coaching and emerge into so many different professional opportunities. The kids who break early go to Europe. The kids who break later go to MLS, then go to Europe or stay in MLS. We have our Pulisics, Kellyn Acostas, and our Dempseys. All of which charted their own professional path. It appears as though the academy system and the spread of soccer in our culture has produced a rising tide. How high has it risen? Not certain. However, the depth is impressive.
I've felt for awhile, that despite our two cycle gap in developing upper end players that by the 2026 cycle, pretty much our entire first XI will be playing for upper tier clubs in the top 4 leagues. Some of these elite NYTers are going to continue to filter thru these Euro systems and break thru. Then due to the global market and increased confidence in younger US players, the elite youngsters in MLS whom are signing at younger ages(Adams/Carleton) types are going to get bought and get over there by 20/21. And that's going to become the new standard. Some have argued the NT will only become more MLS heavy but I've disagreed about that for awhile. The seeds have been planted for a heavy switch to a Euro dominant NT (for various reasons outlined elsewhere) and those seeds are starting to hatch. America is still the most untapped market globally next to parts of Asia. The coming success of our youth abroad(Pulisic, McKennie, Haji around the corner) is going to turn into a microscope across our landscape where we're going to get raided. Essentially, we've been built on isolation and hiding from the global market but this wave of kids coming up is going to bust open our isolation and force our landscape into the global market.
In the short-term, we outsource development mostly to Europe for our top players, but no country with WC victory aspirations relies on that. In the long-term, Americans shouldn't have to migrate to play / develop in a top league.
Meh, there's pretty much the top 5 leagues and everyone else. That's the pyramid and I don't see it changing anytime soon. However, there's a clear distinction between have to and want to. Most are going to want to play at the highest levels they can. The opportunities will only increase. Most will still play in MLS but the elite will increasingly get offers in top leagues. It's the simple economics of the global market. Even if/when he have legit proven academies pumping out top talent, all that means is that team will earn more off transfer fees.
If you don't think the US can have a top soccer league, then you should be equally pessimistic about the NT ever winning the WC. We won't do it just by shipping players to Germany. So yes in the near term players will go over, but in the long term they will have the option of staying in the US and playing top quality soccer, like any other sport.
Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Portugal, Netherlands, France? There are only a few top leagues, and the World Cup isn't only won by the country's who's league that is.
I helped you by bolding the only countries that have actually won a World Cup. Uruguay's last win was more than 50 years ago, Argentina's 30 years ago, Brazil's nearly 20 years ago (2002) and at that time their league was much stronger. France could do it again next season, but they have a top league. My point stands.
I wonder where people would rank some of the leagues of the countries mentioned above. Would they be considered "top leagues"? I would expect that at least some of them can be considered top leagues and approximately half of those countries have not been a real contender for the wc in recent years, let alone win it (at least not with any kind of consistency). By top league, I guess we could define it as a league that is D1 in more than name only. It can't be a league to which an argument that a high quality D2 league (ie championship) is superior. Right now, many people debate the quality of MLS by comparing it to the championship...by that fact alone, MLS is not yet a top league. Do people feel LIgue 1 is inferior to the championship? How about Brazil's league? I know it would be much better if their top players played in Brazil. How do people rate their league (I don't follow and don't have an opinion)?
Of course, the counter-factual is England. The most successful league and the least successful world cup record. Identifying the 15-16s that will become the best players seems to be almost impossible. You need somewhere to let the late bloomers develop. MLS can certainly do that better than college has in the past. But MLS doesn't have to be one of the best leagues, just one that values and teaches technical and tactical skills.
Well, I didn't say having a top league means you will win the World Cup. Spain has had one of the best leagues in the world for decades and they historically underwhelmed at the WC and only won it fairly recently. And 2nd calling England the least successful is false, since England is one of a very few countries that's actually won a World Cup.Another note of importance: no World Cup winner has had a foreign manager, either. We should want to have not just the best players, but the best clubs, leagues and managers as well. That's what it takes to even be in the conversation about winning the World Cup.
The best USMNT prospect on this U20 World Cup roster? It's not Josh Sargent. It's Tyler Adams. https://t.co/Kgw7y8lQHd— Will Parchman (@WillParchman) May 26, 2017
I continue to find Adams overrated. His actual footballing talent is not that much. If he's N'Golo Kante, fine, thats enough, but are we sure he'll be that level of defensive terror with that type of motor against that level of competition? I'm skeptical he will. Besides that, I don't see beyond average soccer talent. The guy is athletic, but he's not that athletic. He's an okay passer, but not a great passer. He shows the occasional creative play, but doesn't really influence goals or assists that much with many creative plays. He is an okay dribbler, but not even a good dribbler. He has okay height, but not even good height. And Adams has not performed that well in MLS or with the U-20's. The best I think you can say is that he's been average. Maybe thats good enough, considering his age, but I don't particularly see a high ceiling, and don't think he's presently that good. Only my opinion though.
Might as well post this news here as well.............. Werder Bremen: Signing Josh Sargent is ‘unrealistic’ The club’s sporting director says bigger clubs will push them out. http://www.starsandstripesfc.com/us...remen-transfer-news-josh-sargent-usmnt-rumors
This article, from a respected site suggests some of the Under 20s may deserve some consideration for the roster in Russia. https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/usmnt-u-20-world-cup-analysis-josh-sargent-russia-2018 Even with a talent pool that has grown substantially stronger, it’s worth wondering whether Arena should look at some younger players to fight for a spot in Russia. Players like Tyler Adams, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Brooks Lennon and Josh Sargent all showed enough promise at the U-20 World Cup to consider them for potential debuts at the next January camp. Adams, 18, and Lennon, 19, are also proving themselves at the MLS level, while Carter-Vickers, 19, has made the bench for Tottenham. Sargent, 17, appears to be the target of more than a few European sides. Weston McKennie's meteoric rise has earned him a first team spot at Schalke That doesn’t even include players in this pool who did not go to the World Cup, like Weston McKennie and Haji Wright, both of whom could be playing in the Bundesliga next season.
In 2013, I would not have guessed that Yedlin, Brooks and Green would all make the World Cup roster and that all would actually play (and play well!) So I wouldn't be surprised if in a year's time, a member or two of the U20s makes the jump to the senior team. After all, Pulisic's rise from first call up to indispensable player was pretty quick. Of course, those players are going to have to earn it. I highly doubt a player with Julian Green's 2014 resume is going to make Arena's World Cup roster. It won't be enough to be a highly touted academy player at a big club occasionally making the 18. The Schalke players will actually have to play and play well to warrant consideration. Carter-Vickers will have to look like he belongs at Tottenham. MLS guys like Adams and Lennon will have to have stellar seasons and hope they get the chance to impress at the January camp.
I agree. I would also add what a wonderful experience it was in 2002 to see Beasley and Donovan and what they added to the effort.