Is this by far the most highly pedigreed USMNT?

[PeetWeet1]

Berhalter looks to USMNT's future with exciting young squad

Calling in 14 players 20 or younger, Gregg Berhalter is balancing the USMNT's future with team building among players who've rarely played together.

www.espn.com

Lots playing in the biggest leagues and in European competitions.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Berhalter looks to USMNT's future with exciting young squad

Calling in 14 players 20 or younger, Gregg Berhalter is balancing the USMNT's future with team building among players who've rarely played together.

www.espn.com

Lots playing in the biggest leagues and in European competitions.

For young players, absolutely, but they are REALLY young.

The US produced about 0 top-level players during an expanded stretch which is why we didn't qualify for 2 Olympics and missed the WC. There are about no good players over the age of about 25.

 

[PeetWeet1]

For young players, absolutely, but they are REALLY young.

The US produced about 0 top-level players during an expanded stretch which is why we didn't qualify for 2 Olympics and missed the WC. There are about no good players over the age of about 25.

Isn’t that more impressive? When the two weakest club teams play in Brazil and the second French division, a whole lot is going right. I think 16 Of the 24 are either playing in a top league and/ or in a European competition. And I think the other 6 are playing in the Ajax league, in Belgium or Portugal. Also, we missed qualifying for all sorts of reasons. It takes a special effort to fail to make it out of Concacaf...

 

[mike412]

Dest was interviewed by ESPN about playing for Barcelona and the USMNT. He thinks the MNT will be a contender in 2026. Didn’t seem too Gung Ho about 2022.

He has played very well for a below average Barcelona team so far. Has played both left and right back. Has been really solid defensively but, as he acknowledges, hasn’t been really aggressive yet in going forward. With as shaky as Barcelona’s CBs have been, it has been vital for him to focus on defense.

 

[PeetWeet1]

Dest was interviewed by ESPN about playing for Barcelona and the USMNT. He thinks the MNT will be a contender in 2026. Didn’t seem too Gung Ho about 2022.

He has played very well for a below average Barcelona team so far. Has played both left and right back. Has been really solid defensively but, as he acknowledges, hasn’t been really aggressive yet in going forward. With as shaky as Barcelona’s CBs have been, it has been vital for him to focus on defense.

I had a lot of fun watching the kids play last night. It felt like they were just at another level than I have seen. Dest looked great at right back. How is Konrad doing at Barca?

It felt to me like the players were several steps more advanced than the announcers. I kept hearing they should stay home, not take chances, make the safe play, etc. Teams like Man City just don’t think that way. Neither do these kids. The first touches were great. The connections were smooth. Not afraid to make moves and passes in traffic. If available, the deep diagonals were hit - and taken well. And what I liked most is they had an edge to add to their skill. Fought for loose ball and were plenty willing to by physical.

 

[mike412]

Konrad is on the B team which plays in the third division. Haven’t heard much about him. When I can get back to Barcelona, the B games are broadcast on BarcaTV.

Tou are right about playing in Europe too. When I have seen youth soccer here, it is all about safe passing. No one takes on a defender 1on 1. It’s night and day different in Europe.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Konrad is on the B team which plays in the third division. Haven’t heard much about him. When I can get back to Barcelona, the B games are broadcast on BarcaTV.

Tou are right about playing in Europe too. When I have seen youth soccer here, it is all about safe passing. No one takes on a defender 1on 1. It’s night and day different in Europe.

That’s funny. I coach a high level high school team, and if games were won and lost via possession and passing strings , we’d likely still be in contention for a state title. Instead it was our worst season in years!! We out possessed every team we played this year except one, and in that game we won 4-1. Lol. Unfortunately I had no players who could play direct and take players on 1v1.

it’s interesting hearing Christian Pulisic praised by Frank Lampard for his direct play...yet coaches in this country and in Europe think that passing and possession is “playing the right way”. I think winning is playing “the right way”. If it’s playing direct fine. If it’s playing a possession style and breaking a team down in the attacking 1/3rd fine. Makes no difference to me. But watching the ball on Christian Pulisic’s foot is one of the best things going right now.

by the way, I loved Dest’s comment about winning the World Cup in 2026. There was a collective chuckle all over Europe that could be heard when he said it. But, this team could be a top 10 team by then...and that puts them in contention. England, France, Germany and Spain have a more talented group in their early 20’s than we do. But how exciting would a qtrfinal or semi run be??

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

But how exciting would a qtrfinal or semi run be??

Do you remember the run in 2002? Drawing Mexico in the round of 16 and then handling them pretty easily (dos a cero). And then losing to Germany 1-0 in the quarters in a game that Germany (Torsten Frings) should have been give a red card and the US should have gotten a penalty for handling the ball on the line as it was about to go into the net, but somehow the ref completely missed it (or was too afraid to make the call).

If we somehow would have pulled that out we would have played a South Korean team that we drew with earlier in the tournament for a place in the finals.