U20s - Mission Accomplished?

The question has long been debated among those who follow the US Youth National Teams – is it more important to win youth tournaments, or is it more important to develop great young players? Realizing the two aren’t mutually exclusive, the best answer of course is, “Both.”

If I had to choose, though, I am in the camp that would rather see 3-4 potential senior national team fixtures over teams that perform well in youth tournaments like the U20s, but don’t have any obvious stars. This is why I believe in spite of Coach Rongen running his players into the ground this year, and despite some questionable substitutions or lack thereof, I’m not overly upset about another premature departure from a youth tournament.

We knew Rongen was an almost-coach before the tournament began. We knew he could put together exciting teams to watch and fill his attackers with confidence and freedom. We also knew he would make some bone-headed substitutions. We also knew he wouldn’t adjust to his opponents, instead choosing to sit quietly on the bench as an opponent’s game plan is neutralizing the attacking players who just a couple game before looked so promising. This tournament’s bow out falls on Rongen, but give the man some credit. Once again, he’s uncovered some talent.

The biggest eye opener, or reopener, is Freddy Adu. He’s still among the very best group of players in the world +/- 2 years his age. Another player that opened eyes, before he was injured and looked less effective, was Sal Zizzo. Look for him to land and develop in Europe as a novelty in US Soccer – a right midfielder. We all knew about Jozy Altidore, and he delivered. It is still refreshing to see a forward willing to attack the goal, but playing within the concept of the team as well. What some people may not realize is that perhaps the biggest gamebreaker during qualification was Johann Smith, unfortunately injured right before the tournament. And there are still players like Nathan Sturgis and Chris Seitz, Michael Bradley, and Robbie Rogers.

Bottom line, this team was a collection of a few young players who look like locks in the National Team a few years down the road. And if a couple other guys pan out as well, it may make the biggest contribution to the US Team, in terms of quality and quantity, of any US Youth Team since the 1999 U17 team. That, in my mind, is a team still worth being excited about, and ultimately, a mission accomplished.