There was the time when everyone was talking about guys like Kylle Martino, Ricardo Clark, Szetela ( and i am affraid Adu too ) etc ... i was so sure that these guys would be the future stars for USNT but, they happened just desappeared to be just regular players, what is wrong, was it the system failed them or because they're playing on the wrong club teams right now ?
not all players develop at the same time, some are late bloomers and some are early bloomers. i don't think any system failed anywhere, all of the mentioned players are still fairly young and inexprierenced on the professionel level. clark and martino are 24 and 22 and could still develop into very good players. i don't know how you are lumping szetela and freddy adu into the same group as clark and martino because both are very young and still have a lot of developing to do to become men's team regulars. sometimes guys who never played for the youth teams become stars for the men's team and guys who were stars for the youth teams become just normal pro players, its not really the system, its just the way things go.
Indeed, it is a shame that Adu and Szetela have failed to develop. We've given them long enough and I think we can call it at this point.
His point about Martino is valid though - it seems his stock has really fallen or perhaps BigSoccer has finally recognized that he didn't offer all that much to start with. Clark is another that needs to take his game up a notch if he is to work himself onto the Nats. His problem though, is that D-mid is a solid position right now, with Mastro, Reyna and JOB in the mix.
For every Martino that falls off - a Dempsey come up. For every Clark, there is a Quaranta. You can only have so many prospects - as some dim others start glowing. I wouldn't worry about it until there is no one to start glowing.
And the US is in a unique position that the skill set of the average player is increasing rapidly. Today's wunderkind is tomorrow's has-been just on that basis.
.....or we here at BigSoccer are so desperate to find the next and best we after one big game we fail to realize that they are just teenagers.
This is silly. You are just now noticing that some of the highly touted young players don't end up as the country's top players? First off, these guys are still young so let's not write off their Nats career just yet. But for all the guys we were told to watch as the next up and comers, there is an equal list of guys who have made an impact "out of nowhere". Where's the thread for the appearance of future Nat players? The system hasn't failed anybody nor have the clubs (well, maybe in Kyle's case...), it's just that prediciting who the next young impact player will be is difficult, so often we get it wrong.
and perhaps the most disappointing failure, Craig Ziadie after 2 games as a pro this kid was on the FAST track
I hope this is a troll because being dissapointed about a 16 YEAR OLD who's still adjusting to MLS hasn't starred for the Nats yet is disturbing.
The biggest issue with the development of young players is their ability to adapt their game as they mature. Martino is still every bit the player that got him raves a few years back. Problem is, once the defenses adjusted to his game with physical play, he has failed to make the needed adjustment. Few youth player brings a complete game, but it is the special player that counters each career transition. As pace goes, the mental game becomes more important. Finishing gets stronger with experience, even though the ability to create the opportunity may diminish. Raw athletic skill takes a back seat to game understanding and positioning. The quicker the learning curve, the better the player is at a younger age. In this regard, I couldn't be prouder of a McBride for what he's become given where he started. Eddie Johnson has made tremendous strides in the past year, and Dempsey showed growth in the second half against England so it's not like it has to take years. Martino is still playing the same game he had in 2003, and that's part-player and part-coaching. But his future didn't disappear, as much as he failed to grab it. Adu, Szetela, and Clark all are in similar positions with different next steps to take, but aren't as stuck as Martino. Being on the Crew (with the exception of Busch) tends to set back progress. Early promise only means that they could be great IF they can make the needed adjustments. Some will, some won't, and all of these guys mentioned still have time to become USMNT factors......
I think partly what was going on is that the combination of his coach and his, I dunno, complacency, stymied his development. Also, he's one data point in an experiment...when a kid is a first year pro after having spent, say, 3 years in college, and he's, say, 21 years old, do you anticipate he'll develop like a Euro who is 21 years old, or like a Euro who is a first year pro? In Martino's case, given his age and position when he hit MLS, his development has been pretty much what you'd expect from a Euro who was the same age and an attacking player. If you ignore that he was a first year pro, there hasn't been anything surprising. In Martino's case, the age seems to have been a better indicator of his ceiling than his experience. And Rico...I've liked what I've seen of him in San Jose. Bruce's successor will likely take a long, long look at him after WC 2006...and I wouldn't discount the chances of him grabbing one of the last roster spots for Germany. EDIT: Heathens made some of my same points, and very well. Alas, I'm temporarily out of rep.
This is a truly outstanding post. For the most part, the guys who are considered the top 2 in their Bradenton classes (Donovan/Beasley in 99, EJ/Quaranta in 01, Adu + Spector/Memo, it was kind of a wash who was more heralded) seem to have so much ability that they're probably going to advance to at least the fringes of the national senior team, no matter what. However, whether they are a fringe player or a star player for USMNT depends on future adaptability. And below those two levels -- the next 18 guys in that Bradenton class, plus the many good players who are not found by Bradenton -- well, they all have a chance. It comes down to intelligence, desire, and willingness to learn & change. The mental attributes are so important and so hard to predict, which is why even though soccer is a young man's game it's so hard to know where an 18 year old's career might go.
Others have made this point, but I don't think Rico Clark is finished. The few times I've seen him with the Quakes this year, he seems to have really stepped up his game. Maybe last year was his sophmore slump? The change of scenery really seems to have benefited him.
Is Mia Hamm preganant yet? Doesn't the Republican Party platform hold that players can be capped at the moment of conception?
Exactly. Clark had a sophomore slump, no doubt. But this season, he's back to, or ahead of, his rookie form of 03. He's really playing great soccer right now and making his team better. Whether he gets into the national team picture before the WC remains to be seen but if he keeps up this form, it will be a matter of time before he gets a look. And remember, he'll only be 27 at the 2010 WC so he has plenty of time.