ASN: The place did it go flawed for the 2019 U-17 workforce and what’s subsequent?

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
November 04, 2019
12:00 AM

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THE UNITED STATES U-17 nationwide workforce crashed out of the U-17 World Cup after a brutal 4-0 loss by the hands of the Netherlands. That loss noticed the U.S. workforce end final in Group D with one level and only a single aim scored throughout three video games, with eight conceded.

It was one of many worst performances from a U.S. workforce at a youth World Cup in current reminiscence and with the failure, you will need to ask questions as to the place it went flawed with this group.

Don’t ring alarm bells, simply but
In contrast to the U-20 World Cup which usually focuses on gamers over two start years, the U-17 World Cup tends to focus closely on a single start 12 months. On this case, it was the 2002 class.

The key generational hole that also continues to plague the U.S. workforce (gamers born in 1990-1994 and 1996) was a slow-moving downside that everybody ought to have seen coming. The youth nationwide workforce outcomes from these eras produced poor outcomes – and now when these gamers are of their prime years, the U.S. workforce is, not surprisingly, at a low level.

The 2007 U-17 workforce, the 2009 U-17 workforce, the 2011 U-17 workforce, the 2009 U-20 workforce, the 2011 U-20 workforce, the 2013 U-20 workforce, the 2012 U-23 workforce, and the 2016 U-23 workforce have been all dangerous and generated little full nationwide workforce expertise. These groups comprise the “Missing Years.”

The fact, nonetheless, is that previous to this U-17 workforce, U.S. youth groups have been performing properly. The final three U-20 groups and the 2017 U-17 workforce have been stable. The 2015 U-17 workforce didn’t advance however nonetheless produced high-end expertise with Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams.

Because the US U17s ingloriously crash out of the WC, a couple of notes:

1) No, U17 outcomes do not imply all the pieces. The shroud of uncertainty is excessive at this age.

2) Sure, U17 outcomes do inform us one thing. Unlikely that the ’02s shall be a robust cohort.

— Jamie Hill (@_jameshill) November 3, 2019

One failed youth nationwide workforce doesn’t essentially sign that there’s a huge downside – by itself. If the following U-20 workforce, or the following U-17 workforce wrestle as properly, there ought to be a significant concern over one other improvement hole, which as wel know might be fairly painful for a program.

There are all the time going to be good start years and dangerous start years. The secret’s, after all, to have extra good years than dangerous years but in addition to essentially keep away from consecutive dangerous start years.

It’s unlikely that the 2002 start 12 months goes to turn into a very good one for U.S. Soccer primarily based on this U-17 World Cup. Positive, there may be some gamers that shock and emerge later however expectations ought to be dialed again.

What went flawed

This workforce performed poorly and crashed out resulting from many various elements. Sure, there was much less total expertise than the 2017 U-20 workforce however previously there have been American groups that carried out a lot better regardless of not having almost as a lot expertise because the opponents.

This workforce lacked grit, hustle, and the gamers have been robotic of their strategy. They weren’t sharp in profitable 50-50 balls. Particularly, their counter assaults have been abysmal. Time after time, promising counter assaults fell aside properly earlier than a scoring likelihood might be generated. A few of it was fundamental errors – lacking an open runner, not passing fast sufficient, or not shifting successfully into open house.

There was additionally the complicated system that Wicky utilized that mirrored the best way the total nationwide workforce performs – additionally unsuccessfully, up to now. It begs the plain query that except these gamers are taking part in this method for his or her golf equipment, does this oblique play make sense on the nationwide workforce stage?

20 years in the past, the aim was to make American gamers higher on the technical facet. U.S. groups on the time frequently outworked opponents and have been filled with coronary heart. The concept was that higher technical fundamentals would full the equation of getting the U.S. workforce compete the next stage.The U.S. groups are higher technically than they have been 20 years in the past, however this workforce lacked lots of the strengths of these earlier U.S. groups a few years in the past. It misplaced resulting from lots of the non-technical, however nonetheless crucial, elements.

A part of that’s the teaching. Tab Ramos had loads of success with the U.S. U-20 groups as a result of his groups performed extraordinarily laborious. Sure, he had many good gamers however he stored the strengths of the U.S. groups from when he was participant. That’s how his U.S. groups have been capable of beat groups like France and Colombia in knockout video games.

Raphael Wicky has an excellent resume for the U-17 stage and he was put in a troublesome state of affairs solely taking the job in March. However this efficiency doesn’t mirror properly on him. If he’s going to proceed with U.S. Soccer, what classes will he study?

Tab Ramos had a poor begin to his robust run with the US after the 2013 U-20 World Cup. Will Wicky observe go well with? Will probably be an enormous check for him.

As for the DA, it should additionally query this group of gamers and the place it went flawed? The DA is best funded now, however are the fitting classes being taught? Are the fitting coaches in place?

Seeking to the 2021 U-20 workforce
The subsequent step for a lot of of those gamers would be the 2021 U-20 cycle. That is the place separation tends to happen and a number of the U-17 gamers from this cycle don’t make it. Proper now, count on bigger share of those U-17 gamers to wrestle to make the soar.

Among the many robust 2017 U-17 workforce, six gamers made the soar to the 2019 U-20 World Cup workforce (Dest, Durkin, Dos Santos, Akinola, Weah, and Gloster) whereas two extra would have made it if not for different elements (Lindsey was harm and Sargent had senior workforce conflicts). Three of these gamers are age-eligible for the 2021 U-20 workforce (Vassilev, Reynolds, and Sales space).

It’s laborious to see this 2019 U-17 workforce pushing as many gamers as much as the 2021 U-20 workforce because the earlier U-17 workforce did.

For instance, the final U17s had extra attention-grabbing prospects. Some light out (Carleton, Goslin) however others appeared (Ledezma, Richards, et al). That may all the time occur, however you wish to begin with a stronger base. Anticipating a TON of gamers to emerge later ends in disappointment.

— Jamie Hill (@_jameshill) November 3, 2019

The subsequent U-20 workforce will doubtless should be constructed on the older 2001 start 12 months versus the 2002 start 12 months which made up all however two of the present U-17 workforce (Pepi and Leyva being the lone 2003-born gamers from this U-17 workforce and each these gamers are eligible for the 2023 U-20 workforce).

If the World Cup didn’t present sufficient strain, the strain is now much more intense on these U-17 gamers to show the World Cup was a blip, versus one thing extra revealing.

The 2001 start 12 months is fairly good so the 2002 gamers may have fewer spots on the upcoming U-20 cycle and maybe completely different prospects from this birth-year shall be given seems. Now with their golf equipment, did the World Cup present a wake-up name that they should be higher so as to transition to the skilled stage? We are going to see. However it’s not an ideal start line.