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Talented U.S. squad set to kick off Under-17 World Cup

 

Photo by John Dorton/ISIPhotos.com

By RYAN TOLMICH

Seven months after booking its spot in the tournament, the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team is bound for Chile and the Under-17 World Cup.

Led by highly-touted prospects like Christian Pulisic, Haji Wright and Daniel Barbir, the U.S. boasts one of the more talented U-17 rosters in the country’s history. In total, 15 of the group’s 21 players are associated with professional clubs, an unprecedented number in the team’s history.

A tough task lies ahead in the form of what might just be the competition’s group of death. Set to face off with hosts Chile, reigning champions Nigeria and European powers Croatia, the U.S. faces a grueling road to the knockout rounds of the competition.

Saddled with the weight of high expectations and destined to face quality opposition throughout, the U.S. is under major pressure to make a run in Chile. Head coach Richie Williams believes the current group is more than ready to display its talents on the biggest international stage.

Here is a closer look at the U.S. U-17s squad, schedule, and a preview of what to expect:

U.S. U-17 SQUAD FOR 2015 U-17 WORLD CUP

GOALKEEPERS: Eric Lopez (LA Galaxy II; Westminster, Calif.), William Pulisic (Richmond United; Mechanicsville, Va.), Kevin Silva (Players Development Academy; Bethlehem, Pa.)

DEFENDERS: Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls II; Wappinger Falls, N.Y.),Hugo Arellano (LA Galaxy Academy; Norwalk, Calif.), Danny Barbir (West Bromwich Albion; Allentown, Penn.), Tanner Dieterich (Real Salt Lake Academy; Nashville, Tenn.), John Nelson (Internationals; Medina, Ohio), Matthew Olosunde (New York Red Bulls Academy; Trenton, N.J.), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union Academy; Media, Pa.), Alexis Velela (New York Cosmos; San Diego, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS: Eric Calvillo (Real So Cal; Palmdale, Calif.), Luca de la Torre (Fulham F.C. San Diego, Calif.), Thomas McCabe (Players Development Academy; South Orange, N.J.), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund; Hershey, Pa.), Alejandro Zendejas (FC Dallas; El Paso, Tex.)

FORWARDS: Pierre da Silva (Orlando City SC Academy; Port Chester, N.Y.), Joe Gallardo (C.F. Monterrey; San Diego, Calif.), Josh Perez (Unattached; La Habra, Calif.), Brandon Vazquez (Club Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Haji Wright (New York Cosmos; Los Angeles, Calif.)

U.S. U-17s GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE

SATURDAY: USA vs. Nigeria – 4 p.m.

TUESDAY: USA vs. Croatia – 4 p.m.

FRIDAY: USA vs. Chile – 7 p.m.

KEY PLAYERS

CHRISTIAN PULISIC – Viewed by many as one of the brightest prospects in the U.S. system, Pulisic will all but certainly be the team’s most consistent playmaker in the center of the field. Technically impeccable and with creativity to match, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder has drawn praise from former manager Jurgen Klopp while earning comparisons to some of the club’s biggest names. With the ability to play either as a No. 10 or on the wing, Pulisic will have the opportunity for a major coming out part in Chile.

HAJI WRIGHT – Earlier this year, Wright made the decision to join the New York Cosmos, forgoing the more traditional route to the professional level in pursuit of playing time. A talented forward that has the speed and technique to play out wide, Wright is one of the group’s more dynamic options at the forward position. Having now experience a season of tutelage from legendary Raul, the World Cup will present Wright with a chance to demonstrate that his reading of the game has caught up to his oft-praised physical abilities.

LUCA DE LA TORRE – Emerson Hyndman isn’t the only American attacking midfield prospect  coming out of the Fulham system. A frequent contributor to Fulham’s U-21 team, De La Torre will help lead the U.S. midfield alongside Pulisic. With Pulisic drawing much of the attention, De La Torre will be tasked with creating from the center of the field.

JOSH PEREZ – Perez asserted himself as the team’s best goalscorer throughout the qualifying run. With six goals in 2015, Perez will be in charge of leading a talented U.S. firing squad, one which has, for the most, part been one of the more consistent areas of the team.

DANNY BARBIR – A hulking central defender, the 6-foot-3-inch tall Barbir is currently at England’s West Brom and has appeared throughout the club’s youth setup. Technically solid on the ball due to an attacking background, Barbir has continued to adapt to his role as a centerback, a position which he has made his own while with the U-17s

TEAM OUTLOOK

Like most national teams throughout the U.S. Soccer pyramid, the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team knows how to deal with the weight of expectations.

Having seen the U.S. fail to qualify for the U-17 World Cup in the previous cycle, the current group had to deal with plenty of pressure in its own qualifying tournament. The U.S. then squandered their chances in falling to Jamaica in the group stages before going to penalty kicks against the same opponent with a berth in the World Cup on the line.

The Americans persevered, booking a spot in the tournament while earning one of the most difficult groups. Now set to face off Nigeria, Croatia and hosts Chile, head coach Richie Williams knows his group can handle the weight of expectation given everything they’ve been through along the way.

“This group was able to advance, they got the job done,” Williams said. “They’ve had a successful two years. They’ve proven that they’re a good group of players and a good team. Now, it’s a new tournament and there shouldn’t be any pressure other than you want to go out there and you want to play well and want to show the world that, over the last two years, that it wasn’t a fluke and that you’re a good team that can do well in the tournament.

“You hope that the experience has helped them develop and grow and understand that, in soccer, there are going to be tough games and you have to perform and take your opportunities when you can. If you have to win through penalties, you win through penalties. I think it helped them get valuable experience.”

With that experience in tow, Williams has opted to include a group of familiar faces.

Of the 21 players on the roster, 19 were a part of the team that battled through qualifying in Match. Eric Lopez has been added as the team’s third goalkeeper,while midfielder Auston Trusty of the Philadelphia Union has impressed Williams in recent months with his development.

Other than that, it’s more of the same, with 20 players on the roster coming up through the development academy.

What sets the team apart from those of previous years is its players’ experiences on the club level. Last cycle, only eight players were associated with professional teams at the time of the tournament, while this year’s group has 15 players currently playing or training with professional clubs.

“Of course they’ve grown. They’ve developed even more,” Williams said. “It’s been about six months. We’ve also looked at other players. With the youth team setup, you’re constantly looking at other players because they’re young, 15,16,17-years-old and they develop at different times in their lives. Players sometimes fall off and players excel at different periods of time. We have looked at other players.

“We were happy with the group, and we spoke with the group and said. ‘you’re not guaranteed a spot in the World Cup just because you were on the qualifying roster’, and they were up for the challenge and they kept training well and competing and developing. We were happy with the players that, for the most part, led us through qualification and we have faith in them that they’re going to do a good job here at the World Cup.”

Perhaps the Americans’ most talented unit is located in the midfield, a group littered with impressive playmakers.

Fulham’s Luca Della Torre and FC Dallas product Alejandro Zendejas both provide plenty of versatility, but most eyes will be on the play of Borussia Dortmund youngster Christian Pulisic.

A mainstay with Dortmund’s youth teams, Pulisic has been one of the major leaders for the U.S. in recent months, and Williams foresees much more of the same in World Cup qualifying.

“We have high expectations for Christian, and I’m sure he does for himself, and we think he’s a super talented player,” Williams said. “He’s obviously done very well in Germany with Dortmund and, again, with us, we expect him to be a leader in the attack for us, set up goals for us and just to be Christian.”

“He’s a good person. He’s super competitive, so on top of him having a lot of talent and the ability to create and score goals, he’ll also defend or do whatever he needs to do for the team,” Williams said. “He’s super-competitive and wants to win, so I think that’s obviously what we have to have throughout the whole team, and I think Christian is one of those leaders that leads by example through his competitiveness.”

Ahead of Pulisic, the U.S. has a talented stable of forwards that have the ability to interchange effortlessly between the wide and central positions.

Leading the line will likely be Haji Wright and Josh Perez, the latter of which was the team’s leading scorer with six goals in the calendar year.

In total, the U.S. returns nine players that have tallied goals in 2105.

However, it hasn’t been all sunshine for the current group. Williams was quick to point to the qualifying loss to Jamaica, a game that the saw the U.S. squander several chances before giving up a second-half penalty kick.

“They have to understand that when they have opportunities at this level, they have to put them away and they have to do better with it,” Williams said. “They have, for the most part, over this cycle shown that they are capable of doing that. We have confidence in them. We have to make sure that they’re confident going into the games and that they’re aggressive in that final third and creating and scoring goals for us.

“We feel comfortable with the group that we’ve brought in,” Williams added. “They’ve proven over the last two years that they’re capable of creating chances and scoring, taking their opportunities. They’ve scored a lot of goals. We do have confidence in them and we know that they have the ability to do it.”

If the team can get its goal-scoring unit clicking, Williams expects his team to compete while in Chile. Goalkeeper William Pulisic started every match in qualifying, while a defensive unit included New York Red Bulls product Tyler Adams, Barbir and the LA Galaxy’s Hugo Arellano lead a talented defensive unit with plenty of depth for Williams to mix and match.

Now, it’s about putting it all together in the face of a tough group. Nigeria enters as reigning champions, a perennial powerhouse on the youth levels. Chile has the advantage of playing on home soil, while Croatia continues to standout as a soccer nation in Europe.

Familiarity will, once again, be a factor. The U.S. has already beaten Croatia in friendly play while also earning a draw with Chile. In addition, Williams said that the team has found video on Nigeria, which has allowed to team to scour properly ahead of the group stages.

Playing against teams with such lofty resumes, Williams knows his team has much to prove, especially in the wake of recent senior and Olympic team struggles.

But, according to Williams’, it’s not about setting some sort of tone for U.S. soccer as a whole; it’s about being the best the team can be and taking things as far as possible.

“Our goal, just like any team here should have this goal, is that we don’t go to any tournament saying we want to come in second place,” Williams said. “Our goal is to come here and win the World Cup. If any team says any different, they shouldn’t be here. Our goal is to win the World Cup. You get there by taking it one game at a time.”

Comments

  1. Just got done watching US vs Nigeria. Awful play from the U.S. The same style of play on all levels, sit back and defend. We don’t put any pressure on the ball, and the other team has all day to pass it around. Versus the other team is all over us as soon as we touch the ball. Most talented team ever? We will go nowhere with that style of play. We won’t win one single game.

    The sad thing is it is so obvious. Why aren’t the coaches telling the players? They should be swarming all over the other team. If you sit back you will keep the other team from scoring for awhile, but eventually they will score, and you will lose.

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    • Is this U17 team seriously considered the most talented ever? If so, that is a shocker. They were pathetic today. It was men against boys. If that team is the most talented ever, U.S. soccer is much worse off than I thought.

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  2. The U17’s, although having good players, have been remarkably average this year, going 7-7-3. The previous years were not much better, most of the games were against Concacaf opponents. a losing record against European teams, and playing no African teams. It’s hard to judge youth teams, especially against their senior counterparts. Successful youth programs may help in assessing the better opponents, but really, it’s a tossup. There are 3rd place teams in the round of 16, and third place teams at the youth level always cause havoc. Expect the SA teams to do well because of the lack of travel. Mexico is in a group with Germany and Argentina.

    How well can the US do? Getting out of the group is probably 50/50. It’s coin toss after that. It may be three and out. I think the key is the US’s defense. While the US has active scoreres with Wright, Gallardo, Zendejas and Pulisic. The teams that go far are the ones who do not allow goals. and that is a suspect factor for the US. The key in the US group is getting by Nigeria. One win is probably going to be needed to get out of the group stage, and 4 point is a guarantee. But any further is really a crapshoot either way

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    • All on point. While it is a nice achievement if the team can go far, from the standpoint of the development of US soccer, I think the most important thing is that our most promising players play well and up to their potential and continue to develop and advance in their pro careers.

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  3. Gentlemen, does anyone know what Sunil’s email address is? I dont care if its st Columbia or USSF. I think we need to bombard him with emails to expres our feelings regarding the lousy job both he and JK is doing.

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  4. I have a question for El Comandante.

    What is the training schedule for the Mexico u17s look like a year before they go to the World Cup.

    Ty what do you mean by Bradenton going wayside. My point was that at the time Beasley, Landon etc.did not have as many opportunities elsewhere. Now players do.
    We need to spend our money better than the set up in Bradenton. We need to invest a lot more money in player development at a much younger age. Much, much more money in a comprehensive program. And money needs to be invested in attracting the best coaches which means paying them well.
    I have spent a lot of time in Bradenton. The top 5 players don’t develop because there is no one down there to challenge them.
    I cannot argue that our results were better in 2002 but I think we only had two players come out of residency on that team. I think there were 6 on the last World Cup roster

    Perhaps we just had a better coach in 2002!

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    • I think that there is a bit of a myth about 2002. Look at every time the US has gotten out of its group. In 2002 they were 1-1-1, had 4 points and came in second in the group. Then we played Mexico and beat them. I would argue that Mexico in 2002 was no where near as good as Belgium in 2014 and maybe not as good as Ghana in 2010. The 2002 group we were in had Korea, a host, Portugal, and Poland. We beat Portugal, drew with Korea and lost pretty decisively to Poland. It was a middling hard group with middling results. We were lucky to get Mexico in the Round of 16 and then played very well vs. Germany. In 2006 the group was much harder and we were dominated by Czechoslovakia, who were ranked #3 in the world art the time. Then we drew with Italy, despite playing with one less player for much of the game. Italy was the eventual champion. Our last game we were robbed of a point when the ref made one of the worst calls I have ever seen to give Ghana a PK and a 2-1 win. This group was probably equal to the 2014 group in difficulty and we were really only out of the first game. So although the results were much worse than 2002, the team’s play was not that much worse, IMO. In 2010 we won the group because we went 1-0-2 for 5 points and England greatly under achieved. If we hadn’t had the last gasp goal we wouldn’t have gotten out of the group. Then we lost to Ghana in the round of 16. We were the only team to win its group and not win in the Round of 16. So, when you look at things in totality, the US has been pretty consistent at being okay to pretty good. A whole lot has been determined by the luck of the draw. And when you compare the quality of the various groups, the US did well to get out of its group in 2014, with the same # of points that they had in 2002. Only instead of getting Mexico in the Round of 16 as in 2002, we ran into a much superior Belgium team in 2014.

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      • The 2002 group was relatively easy, and Mexico is Mexico, but what made that World Cup truly memorable was the Germany game. Beckenbauer said we outplayed his team and the Germans got lucky. I saw the game and wouldn’t say that – play was mostly even, but I also had the impression that it was more likely to break in Germany’s favor at any point than ours. Still, we played Germany pretty evenly in a World Cup knockout round!

        Conversely, I had the opposite impression in the Ghana 2010 game. Again, pretty evenly played, but I had feeling we were the better team and things breaking in our favor were more likely. But any given game… I still can’t believe Howard got beat near post from a shot outside the box. Great shot, though.

        I’m with you on Belgium. Those guys are for real, despite what happened in the quarters last year. By the way, their coach is a relatively inexperienced (though, granted, not completely inexperienced) former Belgium national team midfielder.

      • Just looked up data on Wilmots. He is the guy who presided over this current Belgium ‘golden age.’ After 70 appearances with the Belgium national team, he played his last game in 2003 for Schalke. Later that year, he was named manager of a Belgium club and was sacked before the completion of his first season. After a stint out of the game as an elected Belgium politician, he was hired in 2009 as an assistant on the national team, and three years after that was named head coach.

        Clearly not the resume that many here on these discussion boards would look for in our next USMNT coach. Yet, he’s done fine with their national team.

      • Wilmonts was a Belgian national team legend and a very important figure in the locker room (captained the ’02 team, for example). Belgium had poor managers for many years after that tournament and their issue is a lack of team spirit because of the divisions between the French and Dutch speakers (also why the country almost split up in the past). Hiring someone like Wilmonts was exactly what they needed. He was actually a similar hire to Klinsmann for Germany in ’04. When poor team chemistry is an issue, hiring a former great that the players all respect can be the right idea, even if he is inexperienced.

        Now that we have had a whole generation of players that have gone on to play at the highest levels, I really wanted to see some of them go on to management. Our last two captains, Reyna and Bocanegra, would have definitely been ideal candidates. They have the personalities and probably the brains to be top-flight managers. Unfortunately, they’ve opted for front-office roles, which I find incredibly disappointed. I do have high hopes for Cherundolo and Berhalter though. I would way rather pick someone who is familiar with the game at the highest levels than someone who has hardly stepped foot outside the US.

      • Boca, you don’t say. Now there’s an interesting thought. And I wouldn’t worry that he hasn’t put himself on a coaching track as yet. Wilmots was a senator in Belgium before taking a job on their national team staff.

      • Soccer fan, FYI Reyna was technical director and he was a trainwreck. No personality, no integrity.
        Trust me on this one

      • First of all, there’s a huge difference between being a technical director and a manager. Success or failure at one doesn’t necessarily translate to the other.

        Second, what on earth are you talking about? No personality? Lack of integrity? Claudio Reyna is one of the classiest American players ever…really don’t see how you can criticize him for not having “integrity.”

      • Excellent analysis, although I disagree with a few points (especially about ’06).

        Germany in ’02 was not really that good. They had been in serious decline and made it to the finals with the easiest route in history. They didn’t beat a single good team that tournament. The Euro ’00 and ’04 was a better indicator of how that team actually was. This isn’t to knock ’02, of course, but I think you’re right that that tournament was a bit of anomaly (not to mention all of the other crazy results because the tournament started two weeks earlier and the European players were tired), and people hold it on a pedestal maybe more than they should.

        The Czech Republic (not Czechoslovakia, that country was split into two a long time ago) wasn’t that good, either. They were ranked third in the world but we all know how BS those FIFA rankings are. Weren’t we ranked fourth? It’s been a really long time since the Czech Republic has done much in a tournament. They were decent in the Euro ’04 I guess but let’s not pretend this was a great team. We did tie Italy with nine men thanks to the grit of our players (I don’t think that Italy team was all that great, either, and probably one of the worst World Cup winners in history). Ghana was very inexperienced at that time and while they did have help from the refs, I don’t think we played that well in that match.

        On the whole, I think the ’06 World Cup was a bit of a disaster. The team completely lacked cohesion and a clear tactical plan…in the first and third games the players looked pretty clueless as to what everyone was supposed to be doing. In the second half of the Ghana game, for example, they sat back and defended but we were toothless in the final third and couldn’t make anything happen.

        IMO our most impressive tournament, considering the circumstances, was ’94, with ’02 and ’14 being close behind.

      • Are you trolling?

        He captained not one but two clubs abroad and was always extremely respected and popular everywhere he played. He spends most of his time working at his NGO that helps serve underprivileged youth.

      • This is accurate and it is useful to take such an objective view on history.

        Of all the world cups that saw us advance past the group stage, we were the most comfortable in 2014.

  5. Sepp. I’m not sure you realize our program has gotten worse since the Bradenton academy went wayside. El Comandante is spot on in his analysis.

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    • For development of soccer skills, pro clubs are the places to be. However, many young prospects never pan out, and if the player isn’t fully committed to the game, then college is probably better.

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  6. The success of this team really means little in terms of the future of US Soccer. It was a great idea years ago to assemble the best young players in Florida but the concept has become obsolete.
    It puts too much emphasis on results at the World Cup and short changes the true development process. It also puts the head coach in a pressure situation that forces him to focus more on results. The money can be spent in better ways in terms of player development.
    The other problem is that the top 5 players in residency do not get challenged like they do in a real pro club setting. The people in charge of US Soccer think that we need to get results at the u17 World Cup and this is a microcosm of the real problem from top to bottom which is we have no vision or no real plan.
    I am not being negative and I am very excited for this tournament. We have some good players in this group and the best thing that could come out of this is that some of our players will sign on with some bigger clubs.

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    • 1999 FIFA U-17 WC USA lost in PK to Australia in the semis; Landon Donovan ad Damascus Beasley in the team. Fast forward, 2002 World Cup Korea, USA almost made it to the semis after losing 1-0 to Germany a game they dominated and almost tied to take it to ET. See the connection.

      More, El Tri FIFA U-17 2005 and 2011, Champions. Fast Forward, Olympics London 2012, Champions. That group is not finish winning yet.

      Sayonara.

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      • Kind of a tenuous connection and most likely coincidental, as indicated by the fact that Australia never threatened to reach the finals of the senior World Cup.

      • What I am trying to say is if we do good in these youth tournaments, we will have a better chance to finally break through.

      • Mexico’s experience certainly doesn’t show that at all. By your reasoning, they should have been dominating at the 2014 WC rather than struggling to qualify for it.

      • There are no guarantees in either life or soccer, but sometimes it tgakes a while for a group of players to gel. Belgium has an outstanding group of individual players in 2014, but were nevfer really in it vs. Argentina in the quarters. I think they have to be considered among the favorites for 2018. Argentina, BTW, wins a lot of youth tournaments and they’ve been pretty good for quite a while, but sometimes seem to under perform.Certainly it is likely to be better to have a good youth team than a bad one.

      • However, in 2006 when players like Cahill were in their prime, Australia did get to the round of 16 and were very unlucky to lose to Italy. They really outplayed Italy in that game and got robbed of a goal as I remember.That WC was their best performance ever, so there is some correlation.

      • I don’t remember that, but good point. If there is a connection that we ought to be seeing good things in a few years, because I do remember our U-17s a few years back playing everyone tough and beating Brazil at some ‘friendly’ tournament in Florida. Always thought that was funny – a tournament of competitive ‘friendlies.’ That was the team with Rubin, Flores… I was about to say Zimmerman but he’s older. Anyway, if there is a connection from U17 performance to senior team promise, USMNT should be fine in a few years and able to play evenly with anyone.

  7. Forget the group they are in. If the U-17s have to get through all these video advertisements on the sidebar, they are Funcked.

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  8. Yea, but can the, under pressure, pass the ball to team mates (vs the other team) and are they able to control the ball with their feet without consistently losing it to the other team.

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  9. Can anyone answer me what nation won this year the CONCACAF U-17, U-20, U-23 (Pre-Olympic), Gold Cup, and CONCACAF Cup, all five regional tournaments? Let’s see if you know about soccer like you pretend to do.

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      • No, I am not trolling. You wanna be the best in CONCACAF, then accomplish 2/3 of that. I am tired of underachieving. Yeah, yeah, Dos a Cero, blah blah blah.

      • Unfortuantely, the best in Concacaf doesn’t mean much outside of the countries that do not play here. In the end it’s better to have a strong USA and a strong Mexico along with the other nations to help elevate this region to where people take us seriously. Until that point even if Mexico or the USA or another nation is the best in Concacaf, Conmebol and UEFA will use the same tired (but in some ways true) “concacaf is non-competitive argument.”

      • So you can pump your chest and because America deserves it, right.

        You fail to acknowledge how hard this sport is, and that even better athletes, more money, more tv, more video gamers, more orange slices and gatorade, whatever you want, doesn’t guarantee we’re going to beat those small and poor countries – whose kids learned to play in the streets very young – all the time.

      • No substitute for repetition on the ball and in particular, repetition at a very early age… when the brain is still developing… like pre-seven. That innate, spatial awareness/proprioception between person and ball and surroundings is the foundation of top players. Where, touch on the ball, where the defender is is autonomic and no conscious effort is expended there, the player can pick up his head, see the entire field, think three steps ahead because no effort at all is being used to keep the ball.

        Here’s the rub. Pre seven year olds have a short attention span when it comes to drudgery, drills, adults barking at them, an anal retentive, over controlled kill-joy environment.

        Fun. Joy. Freedom to create innovate,make “mistakes” be spontaneous… p l a y.

        Put a group of energetic, unencumbered kids on a field. Throw a ball at their feet. Put a few goals in place. Tell them they can only control the ball with tier feet. Get the F out of the way.

        That is how “natural” crazy talents are born, not in some hyper controlled, contrived system.

  10. After convincingly defeating Jamaica this talented team made it to the U17 WC. Based on past results and in my experience with USU17NT and other youth US teams, only a miracle will see them progress from this group. Sorry, cannot be optimistic, although I hope my predictions are wrong. Now, let the hatred and insults begin.

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    • We need to cautiously optimistic about this team. You could be right but I can’t help but believe they will be very competitive.

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  11. This is one of the most talented group in history but qualified by luck in PKs against Jamaica?
    I know the bar was set pretty low by previous teams but let’s wait and see what they do before we call them the most anything of anytime.

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    • It’s talented but has a guy in over his head in charge of the team. Barbir is probably the best centerback but yet sits on the bench.

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    • Results at the youth level are wildly unpredictable – be it in friendlies or official matches such as this. Win or lose the U-17 WC will gives these guys valuable experience. Here’s hoping they can play as a cohesive unit, show some good combination work, and hopefully enough to vault a handful of them up the rung to the next level.

      Cautious optimism is key here. Youth success doesn’t necessarily translate in success at the senior level…

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      • That doesn’t automatically makes them talented. They could be big, fast, strong and able to kick the ball a long way but not necessarily talented.
        We should just settle for promising.

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