Everyone is too scared to say it. The United States Soccer player pool is undergoing a skillful awakening and there is no hype or false expectations. Who can blame us? Historically speaking, the talent pool, along with the results, have always left Americans longing for more. The underachieving directly correlates with our nation’s penchant for false hope when it comes to our team and young players. The 3rd most populated country is one ready to pounce on the slightest glimmer of soccer hope(think Freddy Adu). It is the same song and dance over and over. The 2018 World Cup was no different as the Americans fell flat on their face in not qualifying. Fans no longer even retained false hope. In fact, most decided to give up on the daunting quest of one day hoisting a World Cup. All this has masked recent developments and finally our young players can develop with less pressure. Much like the most recent golden generation of Belgium, the United States have a dazzling crop of young players making their mark through beautiful attacking soccer.
Most Recent “Golden Generations”
2013-Present: Belgium
2008-2012: Spain
1998-2006 Italy
2001-2005 England
American soccer has never been able to produce quality players at the same rate as a lot of smaller countries around the world. Our quality is often second class and U.S. teams will try to make up for it with strength, athleticism and tactics. One player can change all this. The Red, White, and Blue just haven’t been able to produce their own LeBron James, Mike Trout, Michael Phelps, or Tiger Woods, on the pitch. That is until now. Christian Pulisic is a unique talent and exactly what the country has been lacking in the past. His sheer speed and athletic ability complement his training as an academy player at Borussia Dortmund. At Age 21, his technical ability is unprecedented for an American born player. An incredible young talent is finally spending his formidable years training with the best in the world day in and day out. He can flip any game on its head and must be dealt with for the full 90 minutes or he will make you pay. The USA has never had a game breaking talent in the same mold as this.
This is no one-man show. Although Pulisic will provide the national team with a consistent security blanket, there are other young American’s following the same path in droves. In Germany’s top flight, Weston McKennie(Schalke 04, Age 21) is making his mark in the center of the park for an underachieving team. There are matches in which he looks to be the most dynamic box-to-box player on his side. Gio Reyna(Borussia Dortmund, Age 17) looks destined to follow the same path as Pulisic to Dortmund’s starting 11. He has recently showcased his exciting playmaking ability to close out the Bundesliga, including an Assist in his first start. Tyler Adams(RB Leipzig, Age 21), may be the most important piece to this puzzle. Adams is extremely versatile and continuing to develop defensively. He should be asked to fill the Michael Bradley role and complement Weston Mckennie in the center of the field.
Success down the center of the field is critical to success, and John Brooks(Wolfsburg, Age 27) continues to stay healthy while gaining valuable minutes at Center Back. His leadership will be instrumental in allowing the attacking players mentioned above to shine brightest. Sergino Dest(Ajax, Age 19) is a rising star that has recently thwarted the storied Dutch side to play for the United States. Dest is a rare wingback who can impact the game offensively with an exotic skill set. This will finally allow the stars and stripes to move away from beloved 57-year old(just kidding, he is 38) DeMarcus Beasley. Other young players getting it done overseas include Josh Sargent(Werder Bremen, Age 20), DeAndre Yedlin(Newcastle, Age 26), Zack Steffen(Fortuna Düsseldorf, Age 25) and injured Timothy Weah(Lille, Age 19). Weah has drawn comparisons to Clint Dempsey for his creativity on the ball and willingness to take risks. Consistency and health would help his development tremendously. The new generation of Americans are more ambitious, skillful and willing to do what it takes to compete on the world stage. A 2022 World Cup Line Up could look something like this:
