Per Cybersoccernews, the U.S. Under 23 team roster has been named for friendlies against Canada in February. Interestingly, no LAG player is on the roster. Reaction? Does LAG have no under 23 player that merits inclusion? Is this significant?
More than half the guys on the squad are still in college and will be available in the draft next month. Most of the MLS players on the squad come out of college or didn't go. I don't see it as being a big deal at all. Besides, how many players on the current squad played at the U23 level and are now pushing for a spot on the full national team?
The only significance is this: with the salary cap issues in MLS, a team cannot afford to get mature across the board. There always has to be a feeder supply of young guys (read "cheap") to replace ones who would put you over the cap. Chicago is now a good example of a team that stayed together too long without phasing out older players for young ones, and there will be a lot of salary cap bloodletting this year as a result. Califf, Vagenas and Victorine are all coming into their own at the same time, and they came up through the Olympic/U-23 route. I don't see anyone of similar quality behind them - except maybe Glinton. But the rest of the young guys on the team do not show that level of quality, or at least have not yet.
Not yet, but maybe soon. This is one of my biggest concerns about Sigi. He totally blew off the draft last year, basically thinking that the roster was set and indeed he wasn't far off. But, with a tight cap, how many years in a row can you draft Hemir Niebles and not even bother with him? Sometime, and maybe soon, that will come back to bite him in the rear.