2019 U-20 World Cup Roster Discussion

Makes sense. We had been told that he had to wait until his 18th birthday to become eligible. His 18th birthday is Dec. 24th.

I don't know if he makes the roster is everybody is available. But with Sargent, Weah, Amon, and Soto potentially not being available (should they be with the USMNT or not released by their clubs)....................developing some depth at the forward/winger position is crucial.

 

He should be called up for January camp.

 

If Soto has a career as good as Conor Casey, I'll be pleased.

Casey helped a B2 team get promoted, winning the second division title. He played 44 Bundesliga games and scored 4 goals. He played 50 B2 games and scored 21 goals. He was an MLS Best XI player and won MLS Cup. He earned 19 USMNT caps and scored a pair of (crucial away) WC qualifying goals. He won a Gold Cup and was on a team that came in second in the Confederations Cup. He played for an Olympic medal. Like, was on a team that made the semifinals and could played the consolation game for a bronze medal.

If any of our current U20 players has a career like that, it's a hell of a run.

 

If I remember correctly...................he was also supposed to play a crucial role in our 2004 CONCACAF U23 Championships team. [Arguably the best roster of any USYNT that "failed" in qualification.] If I remember correctly, both he and Onyewu weren't released. But my memory is hazy.

 

I agree that this cycle has some nice talent. I don't get the decision that players like Adams, Sargent, & Weah are beyond the U20 level. Many other countries will be bringing their very best U20s, including some that are better than any of ours. There seems to be a bit of old fashioned U.S. arrogance in this. Let the kids celebrate the end of their innocence, which to me the U20 stage provides, and there will be plenty of time to play Big Boy soccer.

 

Do you have an example of a player that was significant to the senior team then went to the U20 WC? Dembele didn't go for France last cycle. MBappe didn't go either. Rashford didn't go. Kai Havertz didn't go. Renato Sanches didn't go.

It seems to me that what the USA is doing is what is done.

 

I don’t think it’s old fashioned US arrogance. Clubs are not required to release their players for youth tournaments, period. Adams, Sargent and Weah all have over 5 full national team caps. Their club teams all could easily say, if we’re “losing” them to international duty, it damn well better be the full squad, and not youth level

 

For me Adams and Sargent are already USMNT players, and will be playing plenty of games with the USMNT this year. Adams might be a starter for the USMNT. No reason to overwork these kids.

We don't have to look any further than Pulisic and McKennie for kids that did the same. Skipped over the U20 level.

Weah, on the other hand, may slide back down to the U20s. He's rumored to be going on loan elsewhere in France this January, and maybe he'll get more playing time there.

If you're good enough; you're old enough.

 

Yep, their clubs might say you can have them for only one of the Gold Cup or U20 WC, not both. What happened with Bradley in ‘07 is extremely rare, mainly because he was with a mid table selling Dutch club. Not owned by Leipzig, Werder, or PSG.

The debate is more if say Weah is one of the last guys on the GC roster, compared to starting for the U20’s.

And at the end of the day, winning the GC (which likely means beating Mexico) and qualifying for the Confederations Cup will take precedence.

 

That scrub Messi.

 

He wasn't playing for the senior team when he played for Argentina's U20s. A better example would be Paul Pogba who had already started a couple of games for France in World Cup qualifiers, then played at the U20 World Cup.

 

Messi played a cycle up in ‘05 when he hadn’t yet got a senior team cap. He didn’t play in ‘07, same year as a Copa America.

 

And the France senior team didn’t have anything going on during the U20 WC. If the GC wasn’t this year, I’d wager all age eligible players would be at the U20 WC.

 

Tab will try to get every single player he can, no arrogance on his part. Adams is just most likely too important for the Gold Cup much like Pulisic was last time. Meanwhile Sargent is 50/50 to not get released by Bremen. Heck, Schalke didn't release McK when they had the BL U19 championship on the line. The timing is a lot better now since the BL is over a week before the U-20 cup and it's in Poland. I can see that happening. But Bremen might just deny him and there is nothing we can do about it. The Germans just don't care about these youth cups.

 

I think we have enough depth in our U20 player pool, that we don't need the players who are getting caps with the senior team.

Jesus Ferreira, Jacobo Reyes, M. Hundley and Konrad De la Fuente should be called up for the U20s.

Also, I think that Tab needs to call up more '01s

T. Booth
A. Gonzalez
C. Bassett
M. Vargas

 

The most absurd denial of release still has to be Reading with Novakovich in ‘15. Which shows there’s no guarantees with releases.

 

Both Gonzalez and Vargas have professional experience. Gonzalez scored 3 goals and had 3 assists this season.

Bassett because he has a little bit of pro experience but already looks like he can be a regular contributor for Colorado.

I'm sure there are others that should be called up as well. I don't want to see anymore of Dorsey, Amaya, Akinola, and the others who didn't impress in qualifying.

 

Yup. Its completely up to the clubs. Their reasons don't need to make sense.

There are a couple of kids advancing rapidly enough where you could imagine the "Novakovich treatment." Sebastian Soto is a real concern in this regard for me. He's training with the first team this winter. I say that because our depth at the #9 position isn't all that great if both Sargent and Soto are unavailable. Weah can play there too, and he might not be available either. We've got some cover at other positions.

We also assume we'll get all of our MLS players. The day will come when an MLS club will decline a callup of a USYNTer that's key to their first team. It might not be this cycle, but its coming.

 

Sargent with a second goal in BL. I am thinking he will be a definite call up to the Gold Cup at this rate.

 

Sargent is our best prospect since Pulisic. He's a can't miss guy. The full team will need him because he's our best forward already. He doesn't have much experience and he doesn't need the pressure just like Pulisic didn't but he's that good. If he had been at U20 qualifying I could see him 10+ goals easy. Just look at all the ones Akinola and Rennicks missed. Sargent wouldn't have missed nearly as many. He's way past that level now.

 

Dest won't be there. I think a lot of players won't be there.