This is the year the cycles end. Which means another round is just around the bend.
The U.S. gracefully bowed out of the U20 World Cup over the weekend with a heart-rending loss to Serbia in penalties. The U17 team, meanwhile, begins its cycle-defining moment in October when boot hits ball to kick off the U17 World Cup in Chile. After those two events, the two most vitally important youth national team age brackets will turn over and reset again.
For the U20s, that time is already here. U20 coach Tab Ramos will almost assuredly be given control of a third two-year cycle if he chooses not to step down before the next spin cycle begins. By its treatment of Jurgen Klinsmann and its slow trigger with both Ramos and U17 coach Richie Williams after less than satisfactory 2011-2013 cycles, it’s clear U.S. Soccer places a fair amount of value on continuity.
Beyond coaching, the true measure of the next U20 cycle will be in its player production line. The 2013 team produced a handful of capable defenders, but forwards and midfielders with future full national team prospects were scarce in hindsight. With talent like Tommy Thompson, Maki Tall, Emerson Hyndman and Gedion Zelalem, this 2015 team upped the individual ante significantly.
It won’t take long for the next crop of U20 stars to be carried into the system on the high tide of the team’s run to the World Cup quarterfinals. Here’s a look a five players born after the Jan. 1, 1997 cutoff who could well be stars at the 2017 U20 World Cup in South Korea.
One thing’s certain. With the increasing and diversifying number of quality American players available, the expectations will only increase over the next two years.
