The 20 best USMNT prospects and stars of the future

Discussion in 'Youth National Teams' started by Eighteen Alpha, Nov 8, 2016.

  1. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    #1 Eighteen Alpha, Nov 8, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2016
    We already have the 2017 Breakout Youngster thread but I thought it would be cool to get a feel for who folks believe are the top 20 prospects. This list from Fox Sports is 21 and younger and has some glaring omissions and head scratching inclusions but it is interesting nonetheless. My idea is to limit the list to prospects who have a wisp of chance of seeing the pitch this year with their first team (so that would include kids like Pomykal but exclude pure academy players like De La Fuente) but not attach arbitrary age limits.

    Edit: This list have several that have already earned full NT caps and/or are regular starters for their club. Since this is stars of the future, we should probably leave guys like Pulisic off of ours but I will leave it up to you.

    I'll provide my list in a subsequent post but here are the first ten Fox Sports prospects...


    julian-green-pi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Julian Green


    desevio-payne-2016-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Desevio Payne

    brooks-lennon-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Brooks Lennon

    erik-palmer-brown-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Erik Palmer-Brown

    haji-wright-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Haji Wright

    cameron-carter-vickers-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Cameron Carter-Vickers

    matt-miazga-right-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Matt Miazga

    joshua-perez-right-2014-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Joshua Perez

    kellyn-acosta-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Kellyn Acosta

    rubio-rubin-with-the-ball-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Rubio Rubin
     
  2. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    The next ten:

    luca-de-la-torre-right-2016-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Luca de la Torre

    amando-moreno.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Amando Moreno

    gedion-zelalem-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Gedion Zelalem

    justen-glad-right-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Justen Glad

    101716-Ethan-Horvath-USMNT.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg

    Ethan Horvath

    paul-arriola-2016-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg

    Paul Arriola

    zack-steffen-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Zack Steffen

    lynden-gooch-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Lynden Gooch

    emerson-hyndman-notpi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Emerson Hyndman

    christian-pulisic-pi.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg
    Christian Pulisic
     
  3. deejay

    deejay Member+

    Feb 14, 2000
    Tarpon Springs, FL
    Club:
    Jorge Wilstermann
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    I'm trying to keep this list short so I removed anyone with a full NT start.

    So for me the best prospects with no full NT starts would be: Zelalem, EPB, Wright, CCV, Gooch, Rosenberry, Perez, Carleton.
     
    Eighteen Alpha repped this.
  4. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    That Fox Sports list is poor, IMO.

    Reads like the list of someone who just follows the mainstream, not the YNT's.
     
  5. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    My list

    EPB
    CCV
    Hyndman
    De La Torre
    Brooks Lennon
    Joshua Perez
    Weston McKennie
    Brandon Vazquez
    Mukwelle Akale
    Gedion Zelalem
    Nick Taitague
    Ebobisse
    Haji Wright
    Kai Koreniuk
    Tim Tillman
    Marlon Fossey
    Tyler Adams
    Seb Saucedo
    Andrew Carleton
    McKinze Gaines

    I left off some guys that I rate highly either because they already play regularly (Parker, Redding, Glad) or because they are not quiet out of Academy status (Pomykal, Ferreira, Lederman et al)

    Saucedo absolutely has to get to a setup that values him but I still have high hopes. Sabbi needs to start playing at Las Palmas Atlético to make this list. Keaton Parks and Shaq Moore could surprise us in the future. Guys like Craft and Williamson could have made it but I am not as familiar with their body of work, nor with the play of most NCAA prospects.
     
  6. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    I agree its a pretty weak list. But I like the pictures. I'd love to know who would make your list.
     
  7. Peretz48

    Peretz48 Member+

    Nov 9, 2003
    Los Angeles
    My main issue is with the title of the list- prospects and stars of the future. How do we define all that? Pulisic is no longer a prospect, he's now a core member of the USMNT. Is he a star of the future or a budding star of the here and now? How young do we go? Is it fair to compare a possible prospect, like Perez, with someone who is already in the full USMNT camp, like CCV?
     
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  8. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    I left it pretty open in the OP as far as age limits. And obviously the Fox list included at least ten who could no longer be considered prospects. For my own list, I didn't include prospects such as De la Fuente, Xuxuh, Lederman, Garcia-Morillo, etc. who don't seem likely to to get out of the youth academy in near future but you certainly could do so. I think CCV is still a fair inclusion, albeit an easy one, because he has yet to reach his promise, though he will likely do so sooner rather than later. Hope this helps.
     
  9. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    No Jordan Morris on the original list?
     
  10. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    Weird huh? :oops:
     
  11. UnitedBorn

    UnitedBorn Member+

    Dec 7, 2015
    301
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    List is 21 and under
     
  12. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Yeah, I'll get around to it. I just couldn't really focus yesterday, given it was election day, so I was in no position to actually put any thought into anything.
     
  13. LouisZ

    LouisZ Member+

    Oct 14, 2010
    Southern California-USA
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You are missing ManU. U23 Matthew Olosunde
     
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  14. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    I know what you mean. I posted this early while nothing was going on.
     
  15. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    He didn't make the cut, brother. Maybe due to his unfortunate club choice. ;)
     
  16. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My top 15 in the precise order of potential/upside.

    1) CCV
    2) Tillman
    3) Weah
    4) Green
    5) Zelalem
    6) Perez
    7) EPB
    8) Taitague
    9) De La Torre
    10) Hyndman
    11) Lennon
    12) Akale
    13) McKennie
    14) Gooch
    15) Haji

    Ferreira/Carleton types are too young for now.
     
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  17. Brotheryoungbuck

    Jan 24, 2015
    parts unknown
    Weah is as old as Ferreira and Carleton.
     
    Tom Collingsworth and Gacm32 repped this.
  18. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    But he is in Europa! Makes him great automatically.
     
    Mario Balotelli, xbhaskarx and SUDano repped this.
  19. barvsenal

    barvsenal Member

    Apr 19, 2016
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    McKennie is that far down for you? Jeez. I bet the kid turns out to be the best of this bunch. Carleton is the talent to do what Pulisic is doing, he just needs to put it all together going forward. Heard that Ferreira is special, but I haven't watched him enough to judge
     
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  20. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're right, I should have taken your stance and put BJIV at the top of the list since playing in the states automatically makes one world class.
     
    Lookingforleftbacks repped this.
  21. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Any number could jump to the top. What's between the ears is the biggest factor yet the toughest to tell from afar.
     
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  22. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    Pretty good list. I didn't have Green or Weah but the rest are in my 20. I left Green off because scoring a goal in the World Cup kind of put him out of the prospect category for me. I could have gone with Weah. He has had a game or two with the U-19s IIRC. I'd like to see him in a USYNT game or two before I go all in. My Carleton inclusion is based on his already having a pro contract at such a tender age (and he's damn good).
     
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  23. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    By the way, I think it bodes exceptionally well for the future that we could easily expand this list.
     
  24. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    I don't know if players who can't play for youth teams are really considered prospects, so I'd say its 97's or younger. I'm not going to include any players that aren't currently in our NT set-up.

    1. Carter-Vickers('97)
    2. Pulisic('98)
    3. Wright('98)
    4. Palmer-Brown('97)
    5. Carleton('00)
    6. Glad('97)
    7. Ebobisse('97)
    8. de la Torre('98)
    9. Taitague('99)
    10. Perez('98)
    11. McKennie('98)
    12. Ferreira('00)
    13. Redding('97)
    14. Durkin('00)
    15. Akale('97)
    16. Pomykal('99)
    17. Silva('98)
    18. Weah('00)
    19. J. Vom Steeg('97)
    20. Gloster('00)
     
  25. justinpaul10

    justinpaul10 Member+

    Sep 2, 2013
    Great thread always interesting to look back and say oh yeah I thought that guy was can't miss and wtf is he doing now or vice versa.
     
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