re: USMNT: U-20 WCQ roster set

While that is very true, especially regarding the "elite" since technically we are taking the "elites" scraps, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's not like we are devoting a bunch of resources/youth squad/friendly callups to players who are going to stiff us in the end. It's kind of like scratch off lottery so to speak, pay $1 (getting our hopes up about dual citizen footballers) to win $10 (having them choose us.)

We in America still need to make a concerted effort to improve youth development, but it in this day and age it would be foolish not to use the worlds resources (having kids in foreign youth academies.) honestly with the way the DFB has altered their youth development, I can see very minimal reasons why we wouldn't want our kids over there. The Germans have adjusted to the 'modern' game very well, as evidenced by their results on the international scene the last few WC/euro cycles. Im not much of a soccer historian, but I'd imagine if in the 90's you told a German that in the next few decades the team would be filled with small, shifty, technical players, ala götze and Reus, that they would probably laugh.

More on the taking of "elites" scraps, I've found that all players have very different development arcs and players who show decent potential at age 20/21, but not quite good enough at the moment to join Germany or whoevers national team, can get the US callup. At that point they are forever tied to us, if they end up one day being good enough for the German team it really doesn't matter bc they can't play and if they don't, hopefully they can contribute to our team in some fashion, be it added depth or an actual starter. I think a few years down the road when Phillip lahm is no longer the best RB/LB (i say LB bc jogi plays him there on ocassion) in the world they will regret letting Fabian Johnson slip away. Perhaps not, but it's fun to think about anyway.

Probably tl;dr and typed on my phone, so probably all sorts of grammatical errors I'm not going to correct.

Liverpool didn't let Pelosi join the team because they pit him on their Europa League roster. Does anyone know if he got to play yesterday?