Can the U.S. youth (finally) catch Mexico?

To answer the op question.








Not till 2018.

 

Argh. Do not copy and paste an entire article.

 

Madrid plays a very different style of play than Barcelona yet somehow Spain National team seems to do OK. How about making the first step developing some world class players by creating well run youth programs with good coaching that get kids to practice soccer as much as kids in this country practice things like basketball and baseball.

 

Our Youth program just absolutely sucks big time. That eventually needs to get fixed, but for the time being we don't suffer that much from our youth program because so many guys go to Europe at early ages.

It would be great if our youth program eventually gets fixed, but as long as our best young players are going to Europe at young ages we will be even with Mexico on the National Team level.

 

I have seen nothing to suggest:

1. That our "best" young players are actually going to Europe at "young ages"; or
2. Even if this was the case, and they were all going in their late teens, that this would make up for bad youth development overall.

 

I am not going to sit here and find 20 examples, but for example that young kid at Barcelona. Who knows if he will ever amount to anything? However, its good that he is developing at the best academy in the world.

It doesn't make up for bad youth development since it doesn't improve our youth development at all, but it helps the USMNT stay steady by getting the best talent that are playing in Europe. I would like all of our players to be developed in the USA, but thats not the case. I am happy with a guy like Packwood who has spent a long time in England or a guy like Brooks who never even lived in the USA.

Just look what happened with Gil. He hasn't regressed, but he really hasn't gotten any better. He probably is an average MLS player right now, but if he is ever going to amount to anything, he can't be an average MLS player. Maybe he just isn't as good as he was originally thought to be but how can we figure it out when Ned Grabavoy is starting over Gil?

 

He still has a way to go, but he sure looks better to me.

 

Gil is fine.

It's people's expectations that are out of whack.

He's exactly where I want him (as long as he's in the US). He's at a club that's trying to play attractive football under Kreis, learning from the likes of Javier Morales.

Why is Grabavoy starting over him? Because right now Kreis thinks Grabavoy gives him a better chance to win. Simple as that.

 

Don't you think thats a little alarming though? Ned Grabavoy an MLS journeyman is starting right now over our best HG prospect in the MLS. He isn't just another guy, he is supposed to be our best real youth prospect in the MLS, the guy who turned down offers from Real Madrid and Arsenal to play in the MLS.

Maybe he just isn't as good as people think he is. I don't really know exactly, but I find it alarming that a guy could get offers from clubs like Arsenal and Real Madrid two years ago, but he can't even start over Ned Grabavoy. Gil isn't some young 16 year old kid anymore, he is still relatively young at 18, but our best young players in the MLS have always rose up to starters in a year or two. Donovan came in right away and started, Bradley was a starter his second year and Altidore his second year as well. Maybe he won't ever be a player on the level of these guys, but he got all this hype a few years ago that he was the next big thing for the USA and now he hasn't delivered.

 

I'm impressed with the amount of over reaction you've squeezed into 2 paragraphs. He's only 18 and has nearly 50 league caps for one of the best teams in the MLS. He's doing fine.

 

Look who is in front of him though, Ned Grabavoy. Thats what I worry about. He is not good enough yet to start over a purely average MLS player, which means he is no more than an average MLS player at this point. Thats not bad for an 18 year old, but for an 18 year old with all this hype its rather underwhelming. I don't know, maybe I am just paranoid about his playing time situation, but I don't like that he cant displace Ned Grabavoy in the starting lineup.

 

No, Morales is ahead of him. Grabavoy is playing different position. So you can stop worriyng.

 

Mexico finally caught up with Nigeria. Good job!

 

Ned Grabavoy was a sometimes starter (in a crowded midfield that featured Bobby Convey and Clint Dempsey)on the US under 20 team that made the final eight of the under 20 world cup. He was also the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. In college he was a first team All American while leading Indiana to the national championship. He was a Project 40 signing and first round draft pick. Since then he has won two MLS Cups and an Open Cup at the professional level and has learned a lot about winning at the professional level.

There is the world of difference between being an under 20 phenom and a productive professional. I think that we don't always distinguish how much of a difference that there is and how hard it is to make the jump.

 

Does Nigeria's FA spend upwards of 40 million dollars on their youth national teams?

Does Nigeria have a succesful professional league sharing the youth development load with the FA?

Did Nigeria experience a success boom with their youth and junior NTs less than three years after restructuring their youth development approach?

I didn't think so.

Keep thinking this is all a fluke.

 

Nigeria was found guilty of using overage players I seem to remember.

 

Maybe you are looking at this from the wrong angle. It seems that too many of the next best thing are rushed ito starting roles and are not learning to move through a system properly. Gil is being groomed at a great pace by a really good club.

 

Luis Gil is good enough to be a starter.

 

You have a long way to go then.

 

Our goal is to win the World Cup.

 

Winning lesser tournaments would be a great way to start.

 

Well, we have won the Milk Cup a couple of times. Eventually we will win some FIFA tournaments but not winning them doesn't mean that we are not seeing progress. Brazil have never won the Olympics but they've won the World Cup 5 times.

 

Yeah Brazil hasn't won Olympic Gold, but you better believe they've tried and wanted it badly. Never said whatever and sent a scrub team.

 

You've won the Milk Cup twice and so has Mexico.

Progress is measured differently as players get older. Mexico can point towards factual progress at all age levels over the last three years.

Can you say the same?