What does the success of the Youth National Teams mean to the Senior Team?

This!

 

Memory doesn't serve you good. 2005 team played really well. Messi wasn't suspended. How that's even possible to be suspended for a half game? They went undefeated and won a group with Argentina (future champion,) and Germany; had a good game against Italy and lost by one goal. Really good games, unlike 2015 team that had disasters against Ukraine, Colombia and Serbia, but was propelled to QF by Steffen's heroics.

 

It's a small positive, but pales in consideration to being on quality clubs and getting playing time with the top team.

 

If we have to rely on the fearless leaders who run USSF, we're screwed.

 

I was referencing, with my fuzzy memory, the fact that Messi was held out and didn't play until the second half, with the excuse being bizarre and utterly senseless (the sense I got going into the tournament was that Messi was the most talented player in the entire tournament, and he's suspended for tactical reasons? How does that make sense as anything other than a punishment? I could be wrong, but it still makes zero sense all these years later...).

They did win the group. But I don't view it like you do. Beating Argentina was extraordinary but aberrations still happen. Germany finished sixth in UEFA qualifying for that tournament, not a great German side, Italy finished fifth in qualifying so they weren't all that either. Egypt was runner up in CAF qualifying so there's that.

I wouldn't suggest that the '15 team was some dynamo, they didn't have many options at forward to begin with, and then lost just about all of them to injury, but what they did have was an outstanding defense and keeper, and that trademark ability Tab's teams have had to be really, really, really tough outs (other than that group stage finale debacle), I didn't see that with the '05 squad.

 

"Bizarre" excuse was that Messy came late. Sorry, 2005 team was fun to watch and 2015 was outplayed by everyone except for New Zealand.

 

In 1998, the Germans had a a serious fall in level with their NT. They started a new youth initiative that led to a new crop of professionalized, at a young age, players. They took these young players to the 2010 WC then won it with them in 2014.

I think many countries saw what the Germans were doing and copied them. Much was based on things already happening in France and Belgium. I think England went through the transformation 4 years later, after the 2002 World Cup and are reaping the rewards now. I think the USA has put the pieces in place and are maybe 4-6 years in.

How this is showing up is in progressive youth team results (At the U20 level: 3rd, 1st, Dominating) as our youth teams actually play with more and more players unavailable because they are with pro clubs. It is also showing up in how DA players can step into the U19 Bundesliga and hit the ground running. McKennie, Soto, Wright, Taitague, all had no problem with what used to be a jump in level.

Our second division is not up to England's or Germany's second division. But with most of our elite DA talent going overseas, we can maybe get by as USL catches up; if it ever does.

Even if the reboot starts, I don't think it really shows until you get players that come all the way through. In other words, the DA starts and most MLS academies are U15 and up. But those players can only make incremental gains. Mendez has been in an MLS Academy since an early age; Tyler Adams too. So, we are just starting to see them come through and they won't be prime age for another 6-10 years.

Flat U20 WC results compared to history can be explained by the fact that UEFA teams only recently started really competing in the tournament. The U21 Euro was always the focus for them and the clubs that have to release players.