US player pool for the next 4 year cycle

[af102]

The first list is our 23 man roster from Brazil. I expect everyone below Dempsey to be done by Russia 2018. It will be interesting to see how much Jurgen uses them in friendlies in 2015 and the Copa America in 2016. While it's good to win games, we need to develop the younger guys.

The second list is guys that were either on the 30 man roster, or played in a decent amount of qualifiers. Also, I threw in Stu Holden in case he ever gets healthy again. He, Charlie Davies, and Taylor Twellman may go down as the best talents that had their careers ruined by injuries. Remember, Davies and Holden are both 28 right now and would have been in the prime of their careers.

Gedion Zelalem was born in Germany to Ethopian parents, and lived in the from ages 9-15 before being signed by Arsenal. His dad is a permanent resident and is supposed to be getting citizenship soon. No update on the story from back in may, though.

There are a ton of young guys over in Europe and in the MLS that will develop a ton over the next 4 years. Think about this- Julian Green, DeAndre Yedlin, and John Anthony Brooks were all in high school during the last world cup. The future is bright.

Julian Green 19
DeAndre Yedlin 20
John Brooks 21
Mikkel Diskerud 23
Aron Jóhannsson 23
Timothy Chandler 24
Jozy Altidore 24
Omar Gonzalez 25
Brad Guzan 26
Fabian Johnson 26
Michael Bradley 26
Matt Besler 27
Alejandro Bedoya 27
Graham Zusi 27
Geoff Cameron 28
Clint Dempsey 31
Chris Wondolowski 31
DaMarcus Beasley 32
Jermaine Jones 32
Brad Davis 32
Kyle Beckerman 32
Tim Howard 35
Nick Rimando 35

Bobby Wood 21
Josh Gatt 22
Terrance Boyd 23
Joe Corona 23
Brek Shea 24
Danny Williams 25
Stewart Holden 28

Gedion Zelalem 17

 

[KurtRambis4]

We really

need to find two centerbacks for the next cup that are more skilled (with the ball) and physical.

We really need Mix to progress, too.

 

[o_1984Dawg]

This is a pretty good resource to look at the player pool: ASN 100

 

[DudyDawg]

Guzan is 29

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

Is that where Oguchi Onyewu (sp?) played? What happened to him this year? Or is he just too old? I don't follow soccer, but I remember him and liking his physical game.

 

[KurtRambis4]

Yeah,

he's just gotten older and has lost a step or two. He's also had a few knee problems.

 

[hatfieldms]

Is Tim Howard done?

....

 

[tcdog70]

we Can't beat a Country the size of OHIO. What's up with that. If you took the best soccer player from every State and worked with them for 4 years you should be able to beat anybody. When the other team attempts more shots than you do by over 20 you are a beat *** most of the time. Why are we scared to play offense? I admit I don't know **** about futball and don't really give a **** about it. But Stevie Wonder can see what our problem is.

 

[af102]

He ruptured a tendon in his knee in October of 2009 in a US game after signing with AC Milan in July. He recovered in time to play some in the 2010 WC, but was never really the same. His game was built on speed and physicality, and he just couldn't keep up after the knee problems.

Also, he is 32.

 

[KurtRambis4]

ThEY TOOker JObs!!1

!

 

[MSUDC11]

The older guys will be replaced by younger ones very soon, but the question is how soon. Does Jurgen start rebuilding now or keep some veterans on until after the 2016 Copa America? That is a huge tournament for us, way bigger than any Gold Cup that we've played in.

We will see what happens with Gedion Zelalem. He is exactly what we need at center mid if he ends up panning out. He hasn't technically decided if he will play for us or Germany, but the signs tend to point to him playing for the USA.

He's only 17 right now though, so you can't tell if he will be a superstar or another Freddy Adu.

If you were wondering, US Soccer has our next match listed as a friendly in Prague against Czech Republic in early September.

 

[Sutterkane]

Losing Jozy in the first match really, really hurt us. From that point on we basically were relegated to playing defense and trying to score on counterattacks.

 

[stateguy]

This is a pretty good resource to look at the player pool: ASN 100

I'm far from a soccer expert, but if Michael Bradley was the best American soccer player on May 1st, he either went crap quickly or we should have never gotten out of the group stage. He was not from the best player I saw and was really no where close

 

[KurtRambis4]

Granted

he had a bad cup, but he wasn't exactly playing where he's comfortable.

 

[RebelAlumnus]

My predicted starting lineup for Copa America 2016:
4-3-3 L-R:

Guzan

Fabian Johnson; John Brooks; Omar; Yedlin

Cameron
Mix Bradley

Bedoya Green

Altidore


30-man:

Guzan
Sean Johnson
Bill Hamid
Fabian Johnson
Eric Lichaj
J Brooks
Tim Ream
Omar
Besler
Yedlin
Chandler
Cameron
Bradley
Mix
Luis Gil
Green
Altidore
Bedoya
Brek Shea
Josh Gatt
Johannsson
Boyd
Agudelo
Corona
Gedion Zelalem
Will Trapp
Stu Holden
Dempsey
McInerney
Kljestan or Danny Williams

 

[RebelAlumnus]

I'm far from a soccer expert, but if Michael Bradley was the best American soccer player on May 1st, he either went crap quickly or we should have never gotten out of the group stage. He was not from the best player I saw and was really no where close

He was playing out of position and was playing on a foot injury that wasn't talked much about. This is part of the reason I expect Diskerud to be part of the midfield with Bradley and a holder (Cameron hopefully) as Mix is much more comfortable being forward, but Bradley has to be a part because of his defending and his ability to open a defense from a little deeper role (ex: Julian Green's goal. Also Fab J goal in warm up games. Those balls were world class).

I have Green inverted in a 4-3-3 because of his ability on both feet and a desire to cut inside to his right foot.

 

[patdog]

I like that lineup. We've got some very promising young players coming up.

 

[patdog]

I can't see any reason to keep more than a couple of the older guys after this year. Yes, the 2016 Copa is a big tournament, but it's the 2013 and 2015 Gold Cups that will get us into the 2017 Confederations Cup (we've already clinched at least a playoff for that spot). What we don't need is to be bringing in new players in 2017 with the next World Cup only a year away.

 

[Sounder68]

SI Planet Futbol - 23 for 2018

Here's SI's early take on the 2018 WC roster. I'm sure, by 2018, there will be 10 guys added we've never heard of - just like this WC squad (and the 2006 squad was, etc.). And at least a handful of the young guys we're all talking about will flame out or suffer an injury. Remember Charlie Davies?

http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/07/02/usa-2018-world-cup-roster

The guy I'm really excited about is Gedion Zelalem, if he joins the US (and I think Klinsmann is showing he can recruit). I keep up with Arsenal and several of their veterans have spoken highly of him and compared him to Cesc Fabregas in his skill and maturity at a young age. The US really lacked an attacking mid who could play high up, hold the ball and lead the attack. Bradley, like someone said, tried to play there and did okay, but it would be nice to have him back in a deeper position.

Onward!

 

[shotgunDawg]

Here's SI's early take on the 2018 WC roster. I'm sure, by 2018, there will be 10 guys added we've never heard of - just like this WC squad (and the 2006 squad was, etc.). And at least a handful of the young guys we're all talking about will flame out or suffer an injury. Remember Charlie Davies?

http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/07/02/usa-2018-world-cup-roster

The guy I'm really excited about is Gedion Zelalem, if he joins the US (and I think Klinsmann is showing he can recruit). I keep up with Arsenal and several of their veterans have spoken highly of him and compared him to Cesc Fabregas in his skill and maturity at a young age. The US really lacked an attacking mid who could play high up, hold the ball and lead the attack. Bradley, like someone said, tried to play there and did okay, but it would be nice to have him back in a deeper position.

Onward!

Good discussion, but just curious:

How do you guys feel about needing Germany to develop our players?

I am all for Klinsmann recruiting players with US connections to make our team better, but at what point do we start developing our own players?

The root of our problem really isn't improving when we have to go recruit German Americans to play for us. Until the US starts producing it's own players, I don't see how we will ever be a world power.

 

[rem101]

Jozy going down really hurt Bradley and our styl of play as well.

 

[RebelAlumnus]

The best players train in and play in Europe from an early age. If you're American and are offered to train in Europe, you do it. It will take decades for our developmental academies to catch up to theirs.

In other words, I don't care. Get the best American players and push forward.

 

[patdog]

We absolutely have to start doing a better job of developing players, and I think we're taking steps in that direction. But it's going to be a long process before we can even come close to doing as good a job as places like Germany do. But as for picking players for national teams, we need to continue to pick the best players available, no matter where they grew up and learned to play.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Frankly, the European system is better at this time. For the US to start developing our own players, we'd almost have to follow the European model with club academies and even then it'd only reach maybe 10 percent of youth players.

(Edit to add: I'm not saying that 10 percent of youth players would be in such academies. I'm saying that since there are so few teams in MLS as opposed to the European leagues which cover a similar population focus that there will be less players in the US pool as opposed to Europe.)

And with youth academies, there would have to be a setup so that youth academy players would receive collegiate grants-in-aid in lieu of not receiving athletics scholarships because you know that the NCAA would rule the youth academy players to be professionals and not allowed to play collegiately.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Howard will be 39 so I'd say doubtful.

 

[esplanade91]

Frankly, the European system is better at this time. For the US to start developing our own players, we'd almost have to follow the European model with club academies and even then it'd only reach maybe 10 percent of youth players.

(Edit to add: I'm not saying that 10 percent of youth players would be in such academies. I'm saying that since there are so few teams in MLS as opposed to the European leagues which cover a similar population focus that there will be less players in the US pool as opposed to Europe.)

And with youth academies, there would have to be a setup so that youth academy players would receive collegiate grants-in-aid in lieu of not receiving athletics scholarships because you know that the NCAA would rule the youth academy players to be professionals and not allowed to play collegiately.

We do have youth academies. DeAndre Yedlin is the 1st domestic academy product to ever make the US 23 man World Cup roster.

The thing is in order to get to a European level of youth talent we need to scrap NCAA soccer completely. OR completely overhaul the system.

 

[EurekaDog]

Club Sports

We do have youth academies. DeAndre Yedlin is the 1st domestic academy product to ever make the US 23 man World Cup roster.

The thing is in order to get to a European level of youth talent we need to scrap NCAA soccer completely. OR completely overhaul the system.

I've become an advocate of club sports, especially at the High school level and below. To a degree, for some NCAA sports, I think the "club sports model" is better. (Heck, even for football, there'd be no grade worries, the NFL would have a minor-league, etc.)

In Europe, the club sports mode seem to work better in developing athletes. In my opinion, the clubs, by placing a higher priority on fundamentals (so much more than the US high schools), that in the end, the athletes tend to "overachieve" simply "by doing the little things better". While this may be boring to the American spectator, and the young American athlete (who only focuses on highlight reel material/moves), it also results in a larger pool of excellent athletes who (1) have been cleansed of most of their bad habits and (2) are more highly skilled at the sport they are playing.

Frankly, I also think that ridding our high schools of sports (other than intramurals) would eliminate a lot of negative stuff that goes along with a big time HS athletics department. (Grade issues, booster issues, cost of construction and maintenance of facilities, coaches having to teach academic classes, etc.)

 

[esplanade91]

It's the same reason why you're seeing a 3rd of the NBA draft coming from overseas. Kids sign with Barcelona BC when they're 16 and WAAAAAAY overachieve.

 

[KurtRambis4]

I'm not

exactly sure what you are talking about specifically, but there has been more than a few USMNT players that went to "academies" for soccer that went to the cup.

 

[esplanade91]

exactly sure what you are talking about specifically, but there has been more than a few USMNT players that went to "academies" for soccer that went to the cup.

Yedlin is the 1st domestic academy product.

He has been in the Sounders organization for a really long time now. He took 2 years and went to Akron but left and went back to Seattle... Because NCAA soccer is a joke.

 

[KurtRambis4]

IMG Academy,

in Brandenton, FL , has been around for a while and has sent a great number of guys on to pro soccer (and a few to the USMNT 23 man roster).

I think what you meant to say was he's the first MLS academy player to make it.

FWIW, IMG was in place long before any MLS academy and is still considered one of the best, if not the best.

 

[RebelAlumnus]

This is true. Justin Mapp, of Brandon, MS, went to IMG and has played in the MLS for years now. He's been capped as well, though not for a World Cup.

 

[esplanade91]

in Brandenton, FL , has been around for a while and has sent a great number of guys on to pro soccer (and a few to the USMNT 23 man roster).

I think what you meant to say was he's the first MLS academy player to make it.

FWIW, IMG was in place long before any MLS academy and is still considered one of the best, if not the best.

Yes, I was referring to a pro team academy.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

We do have youth academies. DeAndre Yedlin is the 1st domestic academy product to ever make the US 23 man World Cup roster.

The thing is in order to get to a European level of youth talent we need to scrap NCAA soccer completely. OR completely overhaul the system.

I think I agree with you. I would love to get CEO2044's take on this though.