What is slightly concerning is that we don't have a player of the caliber of Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, etc in the pipeline, at least not one who stands out as obviously as they did.

Maybe Jozy... but that might be it.

That said, Dempsey didn't really develop until later, but Donovan and Bradley both had shown by age 20 that they were something special.

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Posted by sawillis

Member since Aug 2011

126 posts

Posted on 7/29/13 at 9:40 pm to cwil177

10 yrs ago, Luis Gil would have already been called up, as would Jack Mac and others. Luis Gil balled out at the U 20s and I think he is a special, special prospect.

There are some young players coming through MLS right now that can fill some of the voids.

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Posted by crazy4lsu

Member since May 2005

36571 posts

Posted on 7/29/13 at 9:48 pm to cwil177

quote:
That said, Dempsey didn't really develop until later, but Donovan and Bradley both had shown by age 20 that they were something special.

The standards are much higher now, but that's not denying Donovan and Bradley were special players as teenagers. Bradley was a physical specimen as a 17 year old, and Donovan was superb at the U-17 WC. We need IMG to step up and produce someone else like that. But I suspect that with the evolution of youth academies, we are in a generational gap with young, first team ready players.

To think, this incoming class of 96, 17 year olds, will not have known a time there wasn't professional soccer in the U.S. That should mean great things for the youths born after that as well, so we can hope we will have a prodigy or two between this WC and the next.

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