For the healthy guys to not make a roster of the top 50 of your age group that’s not a good sign...especially when the 2000’s and younger are much better.
That's why Gyasi Zardes is such an inspiration. Dude wasn't even in consideration for the 2012 qualifying team!
OK, let's play. Here are the guys implied by @David Kerr's post. Pick the 5 you think stand the best chance of someday playing in a competitive match for the MNT: Acosta George Akale Mukwelle Cerrillo Edwin Hamalainen Niko Klinsmann Jonathan Koreniuk Kai Lindley Cameron Maher Jack Olosunde Matthew Perez Emanuel "Manny" Pines Donovan Pos Lucas Rogers Sam Scott Kyle Thomas Andrew Vom Steeg Justin Williamson Eryk Wright Haji Zelalem Gedion Picking 5 is probably tough. If it was easy everybody would do it.
If you don't like pointless exercises, I have very bad news about this whole BigSoccer Dot Com thing.
George Acosta if he impresses in Miami Jonathan Klinsmann not sure why he fell out of consideration Matt Olosunde - chance of joining our rapidly increasing RB depth chart - even odds he keeps on his current path What’s up with Koreniuk? I didn’t get to five
Out of Cerillo, Acosta, Pines, Williamson and pick one more (Olosunde, Klinsmann, Perez), I'd say there's something like a 30% chance one of them gets a cap? It's not a big chance. But the odds were long before this announcement.
I don’t personally agree, but I also think it’s important to keep in mind that this is only Jason Kreis opinion of the top 50 players in the pool, nor some definitive list. He’s a part time coach with a spotty track record. I would put very little stock into this roster that was released.
I'll pick 5 but let's remember that players are not on the list for release issue. Any of the above might be in the "top 50" according to Gregg or Kreis, but were not going to be released. We could very well see some of the above in the senior camp. I would generally agree that any MLS based player is probably deep in the wilderness. But they are all, by definition, still very young. Olosunde Klinsman Wright Akale Vom Steeg
I think that we will have a few unknowns like Zardes/Long coming late rather than healthy available well known players beyond those 50.
Jonathan Klinsmann (thin position) Donovan Pines (thin position) George Acosta (has potential for a breakout and is a 2000 so he’s still young) The rest I think should be written off in terms of having a USMNT future. We’re now at the point where we’re producing a lot of quality players. The ones with ceilings of average MLS players won’t make the cut anymore and i don’t even see most of these players even making it to that level. The 2001-2005 graveyard four years from now will have much better players which is something we should be happy about because the average level of our prospects is progressing at a very good rate.
I haven't watched Acosta in a while but I'll disagree with him because there's going to a glut of fairly good midfielders who are better prospects than him. He was never that athletic and I never really thought he was a good playmaker either, especially when compared with Carleton. I'll take a stab: Klinsmann Jonathan: If he gets some first team time with anyone in the next couple years you're already fairly close to a call up. Olosunde Matthew: My most likely - I think he's guaranteed to be in the Championship next year and that in itself is close to a call up already. Perez Emanuel "Manny": Could be a nice full back when he gets time. We'll never know but I suspect he'd be getting some playing time in MLS at this stage already. Pines Donovan: Position where a lot of guys who are up and coming play in weird places that might preclude them from earning a call up. Wright Haji: Position where there aren't many contenders right now and he could have some season in the Eredivisie where he puts away 10 goals and that's an auto call up.
I think Olosunde would be a good shout if Dest, Cannon, Yedlin, Chandler and Araujo weren't already ahead of him. By the time Yedlin and Chandler become too old then guys younger than Olosunde like Joe Scally and Mauricio Cuevas will have taken their place. For a lot of the players on that list if you ask yourself could they ever become a top 5 option in that position for the USMNT and for all of them its a very simple no.
I'll cast an additional vote for Donovan Pines, although I think his MNT promise (as with many other CBs) will depend on being paired with the 'right,' complementary CB. Pines can bring both the brains and the (yes, still necessary) brawn, but he's only decently quick (for his size) and his foot-skills/passing are not far above average from what I've seen. Great attitude, extremely positive, can get tough when the going gets tough - a big asset imo.
From most to least likely: Olosunde Matthew Cerrillo Edwin Acosta George Wright Haji Pines Donovan "Perez Emanuel ""Manny""" Akale Mukwelle Vom Steeg Justin Klinsmann Jonathan Williamson Eryk Zelalem Gedion Hamalainen Niko Koreniuk Kai Lindley Cameron Thomas Andrew Scott Kyle Rogers Sam Pos Lucas Maher Jack I would be surprised if in 10 years, these guys have 0 caps between them. Between January camps, friendlier, injuries, and who knows what else they will get opportunities. Of course, half this list may not even be in the sport in 5 years.
1. Niko Hamalainen— Left backs are always in short supply. He’s young and already starting for his club in Europe. 2. Jack Maher — Possibly a ROY candidate. Or he could become the next Andrew Wenger or Jason Garey. We’ll see. 3. Matthew Olosunde — Might be in the championship next season. If he could make an argument that he could play on the left then he’s likely to be included. 4. Haji Wright — His year so far has not gone well, but he has been playing. Which, sadly, is more than most. 5. Edwin Cerrillo - In a crowded midfield situation at Dallas, but he was alright for a youngster. I’d push for a transfer if I were him and pretty much guarantee he might be brought up to get minutes for club and maybe country later.
It's smart to pick Hamalainen if for no other reason than if he never switches to the U.S., it's not really your fault that he didn't make it to the MNT. It's like the free space in bingo. Not necessarily surprising though maybe interesting that nobody has called for a Kyle Scott breakout yet!
Because no one thinks Kyle Scott will have a breakout. He's at a premier league club and does not have the ability to be a premier league center mid and at 22 years old it is highly unlikely that he ever will be given the chance to become one.
Now that Gold Cups are pretty much meaningless every two years I think anyone on that list could get official minutes in the future against a Caribbean nobody.
This is very close to how I'd rank them. It seems likely that there'll be some caps on the list. Let's just take the first 5 as examples: Olosunde Matthew Olosunde is a 21 year old starter at outside back for the top team in League One (equivalent to a bottom-tier Championship side). We currently have a 22 year old starter at outside back for a relegation bound Championship side that has 7 caps, and many think should be the starting USMNT LB.Cerrillo Edwin It was less than a year ago that Cerrillo beat out a player to win the starting (albeit temporary) DM job in Dallas. The player he beat out just got capped for the full USMNT.Acosta George I really liked what I saw of Acosta at the U-17s. I have to say that I have not seen him play since. Obviously he didn't break through in Argentina, but two years training at a club like Boca, who knows what he may have picked up? Let's see what happens in Miami.Wright Haji Wright is a 21 year old starter for the 14th placed side in the Eredivsie. Last year we had a 22 year old starter for the 15th placed side in the Eredivsie. That player got 3 caps with the USMNT.Pines Donovan As a 20 year old, Pines had 10 appearances (9 starts) with DC United, and played very well. As a 20 year old, the current starting CB for the USMNT was at UC Riverside. Certainly possible they don't make it. Obviously these examples have considerable variability to each one, but they illustrate the many journeys to getting a few caps, if not being a serious contributor. Writing any of the players off seems harsh.