Putting things in perspective - USMNT and youth squads

More perspective: The U23 team from that cycle that went to the Olympics was incredibly loaded with future talent.

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GOALKEEPERS Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis/Mexico), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS Freddy Adu (SL Benfica/Portugal), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen/the Netherlands), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County/England), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio/Italy)

FORWARDS Jozy Altidore (Villarreal/Spain), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF/Sweden), Brian McBride (out of contract), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

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Bolded are players who have made positive contributions to the national team in the past four years.

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and the only consistent contributors on your list are Altidore and Bradley.

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Edu too. Not on the Bradley/Altidore level, but he has been called up to every important squad the past 5 years.

was he the dude who scored when we won in Azteca? My memory is bad.

if so, he TOTALLY redeemed himself

At the end of the day, there are going to be more players who disappear than players who make the jump, and in reality, there isn't space at the full international level to accommodate all of these players. Some players won't have the ability to make it as a professional. Others won't have the mindset to make it as a professional. And, a select few will find their time better spent getting into bar fights with their bros.

But, most importantly, how many major contributors to the full national team were not involved in any capacity with our youth national teams?

Cameron is one. Herculez Gomez is another. Tim Howard. Demerit never played with youth teams either. Graham Zusi.

All of those players cwill listed were late bloomers in their career. That's a uniquely American problem we tend to have with youth development. Many of our best international players assert themselves in the US national pool later in their careers than most other international quality players.

DeMerit's pub league story is well documented.
Geoff Cameron never had a true position while with the Dynamo.
Herculez Gomez failed miserably with various MLS clubs before revitalizing his career in Mexico.
Graham Zusi played four years of college ball at Maryland, and then began his pro career at 22. Four years of college soccer is fairly rare for most of our national team players who played in college.

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Under-23s: Was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team that placed fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia … Under-20s: Started three games for the U.S. at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, helping the team into the second round … Collected a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg … Under-17s: Member of the U.S. team that competed at the 1995 FIFA Under-17 World Championship in Ecuador

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LINK

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Herculez Gomez failed miserably with various MLS clubs before revitalizing his career in Mexico

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That's a little strong. I would say he was somewhere around serviceable, but unexceptional.