I didnt think you were. I also wasnt trying to sneak in extra players. Given this thread is about young players, I think that is the best way to compare. I think it should be players born from 1997 to 2002.
I didnt think you were. I also wasnt trying to sneak in extra players. Given this thread is about young players, I think that is the best way to compare. I think it should be players born from 1997 to 2002.
Six year range? So let's compare that to 79-84. 79: Howard, Cherundolo, Bocanegra, DeMerit 80: Corey Gibbs 81: Jermaine Jones, Buddle 82: Donovan, Onyewu, Beasley, Beckerman 83: Dempsey, Convey, Clark 84: Johnson
Included the three years before 98 as well since I dont know the last two years that well and too early to tell on most. 80, 84, 96, and 98 were pretty sparce year. 1998 has low numbers, but one big time player. 2000 may turn out to be the best birth year ever. There are some very high potential prospects from 01 and 02. 95: Steffen, Horvath, Miazga, Arriola, Roldan, 96: Moore 97: CCV, EPB, Sabbi, Glad, ARobinson, MRobinson, Hamalainen, Yeuill, Parks 98: pulisic, de la Torre 99: Adams, Scott, Pomykal, Servania, Cappis 00: Richard's, Dest, Gloster, Ledezma, Mendez, Arronson, Durkin, Weah, Soto, Ferreira, Sargent 01: Ochoa, Araujo, de la Fuente, Llanez, Vasilev, Harper, Kelman 02: Reyna, Foster-Hernandez, Odunze, Scally, Kayo
Another McKennie hater, I see (1998). You’ve hit upon the impossibility of certainty here. Evaluating if these later classes are hype or not is really purely subjective... until it’s not, and then the debate is irrelevent. I don’t count 95, 96, and maybe even 97 in the question — despite some good players. They aren’t part of the lost generation despite 96 being terrible. But the new wave really seemed to begin in 98 and Christian. Taking those 4 years, I already have four players I am very confident will be big time difference makers for the US and top 4 league players. Christian, Tyler, Weston and Sergino. Many will differ on the last, but I am sold. I think Reyna is about to be in that bucket. So that’s 5, if I am right. With a ton of other possibles. Including Sargent, who is 20 in the Bundi, Pomykal, Richards, etc. I don’t know how many make it out of that crew to that level. But 3-5 there is not a bad start with the youngest class still 17.
If we expand the 79-84 period by a couple years we pick up some pretty good players as well O'Brien (77), Wolff (77), Olsen (77), Ching (78)
I knew I'd screw it up. The first few years were to compare the years LD/DMB vs CP. I think the big reason to think things are finally changing is the number of prospects that look like they could be very special starting in 2000.
1977, the birth year of injuries. Ching was a role player. I'd think you'd want to go the other direction... 84: Johnson 85: Feilhaber, Holden 86: Spector, Zusi I think 98/99 will compare pretty well vs 82/83. Where I think things change is the few years that come after. I expect 2022 squad to look much, much better than the one from 2006 and would be surprised if the 2026 isnt consider the best ever by a large margin. 00: Richard's, Dest, Gloster, Ledezma, Mendez, Arronson, Durkin, Weah, Soto, Ferreira, Sargent 01: Ochoa, Araujo, de la Fuente, Llanez, Vasilev, Harper, Kelman 02: Reyna, Foster-Hernandez, Odunze, Scally, Kayo
There will always be injuries that wipe out large chunks of promising careers. Olsen. Mathis. O'Brien. Wolff.Gibbs. Holden. There will be multiple members of the new gen group who will fail to reach potential due to injury. That's the way the cookie crumbles.