DeAndre Yedlin: This could be a golden generation for the US

Define "golden generation": Semi-final of a WC in the next 8 years?

I will get excited when we start winning on the road consistently during qualification. Otherwise, yes, we have some young players with potential which may or may not carry forward towards results.

 

Is Yedlin including himself as part of that generation or not?
He's only 25 and one of our only Premier League starters, but the fanbase is pretty eager to ditch him for half a dozen younger shinier RBs like Dest...

 

I think Yedlin's perspective may be a little skewed because he was one of the few decent players in the age group that was in their prime during the last WC. He was part of an unusually bad cohort, so even if the next cohort turns out to just be the new normal, they would look fantastic to him.

 

I definitely agree. A very tangible and attainable goal for growth for the USMNT is to start winning those away CONCACAF matches against teams we should be better than on a neutral field.

 

That's entirely possible, given the record so far of our young players plus the fact that we're hosting.

Take a look at Croatia's World Cup final starting lineup. I only see one player (Rakitic) who was playing at a level comparable to Pulisic, McKennie, or Adams at age 20. Most of their starters - including Modric - were still in the domestic league at that age. Perisic was playing in Belgium.

Being a strong Bundesliga player as a teenager is more than just "potential." And having several players who fit that description is a golden generation by almost any country's standards.

If the current level of youth talent is in fact the "new normal," as other posts have suggested in this thread, then the US can expect to be a perennial world power.

I certainly wouldn't assume that'll be the case - we might end up being like the Czechs, who had Nedved, Koller, Poborsky, and Smicer all born within about a year of each other, but haven't done much since those players retired. At the same time,even if McKennie, Pulisic, Adams, Weah, and Sargent all suffered career-ending injuries tomorrow, the current youth class might still be the best one we've ever had. So the current success is probably more than just a random blip.

 

Golden generation is actually the 2026 cycle.

And even that relies on forecasting potential.

 

IMHO, so-called "golden generations" are more prone to Fredua-like failure than any form of success. I'm tired and leery of this phrase of would-be praise. The current crop that will play tonight, along with those who will contribute in the near term, are simply a serious step up in quality from any group the US has put on the pitch since WC02. I look forward to watching them, but they are not "golden." What a horrible burden to bear.

 

You can't really define it based on a single World Cup. It must be defined by the totality of the talent in the pool. We could draw Argentina in the Round of 16 and get knocked-out, but it could still be our golden generation.

 

It's good to know Yedlin has some comedic chops to fall back on when he loses a step.

 

I think that it's a combination of talent and results. A group of players who are successful at the club level, but don't produce at the national level is not "golden" in my book.

 

I tend to agree, but it can't solely be based on a single world cup performance because of the randomness of the tournament. We could win our group but then get Argentina or Brazil or something in R16...wouldn't make the generation any less golden.

 

Agreed. In that respect, would you say the 2002 Team was a golden generation. They lost to Germany who went on to the finals. I would suggest that they were a golden generation with many of them playing overseas:

Frankie Heyduk - Bayern Leverkusen
John O'Brien - Ajax
Eddie Lewis - Fulham
Joe Max Moore - Everton
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover
Tony Sanneh - FC Nurnberg
Claudio Reyna - Sunderland

That doesn't even include some of the older players like Freidel and Stewart.

 

Sure I think everyone agrees that was our best squad.

 

Sadly, the 2002 team was a flash in the pan that overachieved in one tournament, not a real Golden Generation.

IMO, the 2013-14 teams were the closest thing that the U.S. had to a Golden Generation. The greatest U.S. player of all time, two lung-busting box-to-box midfielders, excellent (by US standards) fullbacks, a goalkeeper at the peak of his powers, and the best U.S. goalscorer of all time. Of the vital players, only Howard was older than 32. It was the best of the Bob Bradley era teams combined with the best of the influx of new players following the FIFA rule change on dual nationals. Compared to other U.S. teams, the relative weakness would be center backs, IMO.

 

My personal opinion is the 2009-10 team was probably the best one we ever had.

 

My opinion is that the 1995 Copa America team was our best, but it's very close.

 

Certainly not a bad answer; I feel the '95 team was probably more solid top to bottom, but lacked the high-end dynamism that the '09-'10 side had.

 

Yeah, I could get behind this. A good 1994 WC followed by a coaching change which relaxed the team and allowed the team to play more freely. Unfortunately, three years later it went the wrong direction after the team started to age out.

 

Amazing how history ended up repeating itself...

 

The previous Golden Generation was Donovan, DMB, Convey, Dempsey and Gooch. Born within a year of each other.

I think Pulisic, McKennie and Adams, with a couple others, could be better. A lot of things need to go right, including avoiding injuries. But they could take the team further than the previous GG.

 

Maybe he'll be right but a golden generation needs results, not just a club resume. The previous gen that's largely seen as a failure had plenty of players that left their "comfort zones" and played in Europe. Plus is "comfort" always a bad thing? I imagine CP initially having his dad with him and involved in the organization helped him get where he is today.