I remember thinking during the Confed Cup run last year when we were anticipating 2010: "We should really enjoy this. This is quite an accomplishment, and it may be our best shot. Anything can happen in a year's time with injuries, playing time, form..." It has turned out to be very true. Davies. Onyewu. Spector. Three cogs in the CC run who couldn't be relied on this time around. (Although hats off to Cherundolo for coming into amazing form out of nowhere. You win the Tony Sanneh award for 2010, my friend. Best span of Nats games your entire career.) Donovan and Dempsey are special players. Early steps into qualifying will be fine, but I'm not sure their bodies will hold up at this level another four years. I hope so, but if not they will leave mighy large shoes to fill. Can Holden step up to fill Donovan's? Can Feilhaber? We will lose something. How do we replace Dempsey's presence? Do we release Bradley further up the field to attack out of midfield? We will also lose something. We need to start over on defense the way we revamped our midfield after 2006. I want to be optimistic, but I'm not ready to project a Golden Generation just yet.
I regret using the term Golden Age, as far too much discussion has revolved around that worthless idiom. What I was trying to say is, "Get ready for the best US Team ever." I do believe we are entering that period. I wish the debate and disagreements focused on that concept, not the definition of a Golden Age and whether the US is entering one. My mistake. Will not be my last.
I want to hop on board, but I need to see who is going to step up in our glaring need positions (striker, defense).
Fafa Picault and Tony Taylor at the forward positions and Gale Agbossoumonde and Omar Gonzalez anchoring the back!
Do everything to assure omar gonzalez playes for the stars and stripes, he has the potential to be one of the best centerbacks in the world in a few years. Tall, fast, powerful... He's the total package, and an absolute must in the heart of our back 4.
I thought Gyau was going to be our future star, but apparently he'd rather play for Ghana now (yanks abroad).
But you can't even say that for sure. The 1st IMG group the guys that placed at the U17 World Championships and had Donovan/Beasley with the Gold/Silver balls have accomplished... 1. 3 Gold Cups 2. 2nd place in the Confederations Cup 3. a Top 8 finish in the 02 World Cup Now to say that the young guys coming up are going to at least match this between the ages of 19-28 is a very hard thing to say. In fact it would be quite remarkable if our young guys can just match that level of success. Our guys coming out now are not 'better' than the group in 99' MAYBE on the same level but certainly not enough to say that this next generation will be the best our USNT has ever been.
The difference is that we have more than a handful of good upcoming players. We're not just talking about Convey, Donovan and Gooch. We're talking about 30-50 guys who all could be starting on the field in 4 years. That seems like a larger pool of legitimate prospects than we have ever had before. Plus I wouldn't put too much weight into one youth tournament. There doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between winning a youth tournament and having a dominant senior team in later tournaments. Youth tournaments are fun and a good experience but they are not a determining factor in future national team success.
We had 30-50 prospects during 'project 2010' that were as strong if not stronger than then the prospects coming up now. What I don't see if anyone showing me why this crop of players were better than the generation before. What have they done? A few guys are playing at reserve teams for little euro clubs at age 20 and Luis Gil was offered a trial at Real and Arsenal...that proves this crop is better? If youth tournaments and this groups failure at them doesn't 'count' what does? Why are these guys going to do better than the generation before? Yes I haven't seen all these kids yet, and some will of course grow into strong players but if we are comparing our young guys in 2010 vs 1999 I think our kids in 99' looked stronger or at least they were pretty close, the OP is saying that this crop will be much better...and I don't buy it. It could happen, but nothing yet proves it will happen.
The biggest goal for the next few years to to try out as many different players as we can. Remember that it was Johnson and Ching as the best starting forward options till injuries forced Bradley to play Davies, and the rest we all know. Player the youngsters, what the hell do we have to lose?
but look at the original post. His list of players are a joke. Guys who are 22-25 already and most of them in MLS or small euro leagues. These are guys nearing their prime. Even Mexico has guys 20-22 who are playing at big euro clubs already. They are much closer to having a 'golden age' then we are. I mean come on Cameron, Bornstein, Findley, Klestjan...these guys are a golden age generation. They are in their mid 20s. By that time Gio-Jonathan-Vela-Hernandez are going to be close to world class maybe one could truly be considered world class (my guess is Jonathan). And we are throwing out Spector who was destroyed in the EPL last year and guys who have been having average MLS seasons. This is insane to call this a Golden Age that will some how guarantee better results than our previous generation. If that list is going to be our core in 2014 then we are in big trouble. Bradley could be a very very good player by then, but it is impossible to tell. If in 2006 we said that Convey-Adu-Johnson would be out of our talent pool, we would all have been shocked. But it happens. Who knows that the future will bring. But that list given in the original post should not lead anyone to believe that a golden generation is coming. We have some good young prospects like Renken, Gyau, Gil but it is far too early to say if where they will be in 4 years.
The thing is, that list from the first post in this thread is *better* than what the list would have been 10 years ago. I'm not sure where you are coming from with your idea that there was a better list previously because there wasn't. We have more prospects and talent in the pipeline than ever before, IMO.
I can absolutely say that in my opinion, this next cycle will be the best collection of talent in US history. You can disagree.
Pity about the injuries this time. I know every team has them, but I can't help thinking what would have been if Gooch would have been fit, Jones healthy, and Davies able to go at near his former self. Heck, if Holden had been a go for 1/2 year at Bolton, I think it would have helped a ton as well. Suddenly, the backline is a bit better, we know Bradley's CM partner, and we have a second striker with speed. Still, I think the next team has the potential to be the best ever. Howard, Gooch, Donovan, and Dempsey should be the veteran core. Heck, and LD could be loads better with top notch Euro experience by then. Heck, all 4 could be. Then, the young guys in midfield should all improve. Bradley, Edu, Holden, Torres, and Feilhaber all fall into that category. Plus guys who just missed out like Rogers, Adu, Kljestan, and Bedoya will all be better. And guys like Clark and Beasley will still be in their early thirties and able provide some experience and know how. On defense, it seems bleaker, but I really don't think so. Gooch will be 32 and should be solid. Boca, DeMerit, and Dolo are probably too old, unless Dolo channels Hejduk. But we have some good defenders. Look at the 25 and under bunch of defenders: Fullbacks: Bornstein (25), Pearce (25), Franklin (25), Spector (24), Wynne (24), Castillo (23), Alston (22) Lichaj (21). Centerbacks: Marshall (25), Cameron (24), Orozco (24), Ream (22), Gonzalez (21), Opara (21), Agbossoumonde (18). Now, is every one of these guys going to hit? No. But add them to guys with WC experience like Gooch and Bornstein (and Spector & Goodson, who'll be 32), and I think we can piece together a pretty good back line. Franklin--Gooch--Boss--Bornstein FB depth: Spector, Alston, Lighaj. CB depth: Cameron, Marhsall, Gonzalez, Opara. At forward, hopefully we'll have a coach with the sense to put Dempsey (or Donovan) alongside Altidore if Davies isn't healthy. But Jozy + Clint + Charlie + LD ain't that bad, and that's assuming no one develops at all. Midfield will be loaded.
Oh no, not again! I know Ghana always beats us, but this is lame. Another Rossi/Subotic situation in the making.
This is exactly why we need to be looking at our current 17-18 year olds and asking, "Are any of these guys going to be starting in Europe in 3 years?" If not, why aren't we cranking them out? Case study here: Germany's starting lineup, with 4 guys under 23.
Its much easier for a German to be starting in Europe than for an American. They grow up in a club and get developed and get chances.
I love the Nats, and I'm glad they are improving over time but I hope to god we don't win a WC in 2014, 2018, or 2022. Winning that early would be a shocking success and would give inaccurate feedback to our national federation. That kind of giddy early accomplishment would keep them from taking the hard steps that need to be made to improve the way we identify and develop young players. Our entire national team pool (past, present, future) is financed by parents or a handfull of local good samaritans. The only 'gold' in our 'golden generation(s)' is the fortune that their mom and dad paid to get them advanced through higher and higher level clubs before they got on someones radar. End pay-to-play, end the political bull in youth club soccer, and you will have so many world class stars that Texas, California, and New York will each need their own World Cup team. And they would put our last 3 WC teams to shame.
in 1999... 26 year old playing at Rangers (Reyna) 25 year old playing at Leverkusen (Hejduk) 23 year old who won a Champions League at Dortmound (Kirovski) 22 year old who was actually playing at Ajax (O'Brien) 20 year old playing at Hannover (Cherundolo) 19 year old playing at 1860 Munich II (Twellman) 17 year old who won the golden ball at the U17s (Donovan) 17 year old who won the silver ball at the U17s (Beasley) and a host of Project 40 players some like Nino DaSilva and Jamar Beasley straight out of high school. The list a decade ago is not that much different from the list you can put together right now. It happens EVERY SINGLE cycle. We over rate our guys and we think every player who goes to europe will come out a super star. The fact is that we have had some average players (on a global scale) for the last 2 generations. And from the looks of the list given on the original list, and how poorly we've played in the youth tournaments there is nothing that says our next group is going to be better than our last group. It may happen I'm not saying it is impossible, but nothing has actually happened to convince anyone that it will happen for sure. Only time will tell.
Problem is that there isn't a Donovan in sight to replace the Donovan that is now at his peak and will be 32 next WC. There isn't a player of that quality anywhere on the horizon. Maybe ( a very big maybe) if Bradley continues to develop at a rate over the next 4 years as he did over the last 4. Dempsey in 4 years won't be the same Dempsey we see today. I don't see the Defense being any better than current edition with that list of characters. Forward could be better but depends on Altidore and Dempsey continuing to improve and being healthy and in-form in 2014.