Too Much Youth Might Be a Detriment to U.S. World Cup Roster

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 1, 2010

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Out of the most likely twenty-three man roster for the U.S. Men's National team, only five players are over the age of thirty. One, Tim Howard, is a goalkeeper, and the thirties are a keeper's prime.

Another, Brian Ching, is expected to play a substitute's role.

That leaves three "old" players that may see significant playing time. Two are vying for starting positions, Carlos Bocanegra and Jay Demerit, and the last, Steve Cherundolo, should get substantial playing time. 

Because of the average age of the U.S. player pool, the team looks to be stable for the foreseeable future.

After this summer, the only area of the team in need of the overhaul will be the defense. Unfortunately, America's best fullbacks will be in their early to mid-thirties by the next World Cup, the age when the majority of fullbacks lose a step, so they will need some youth support.

But with Jonathan Spector, Clarence Goodson, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall, and Frank Simek all still in their twenties, with another batch of talent emerging in the MLS, there's a pretty good chance competent replacements will be found.

And yet, with all this youth, there is a clamor for more young guns right now.

Writers and fans have constructed arguments for international call-ups and World Cup roster spots for the likes of Alejandro Bedoja (23), Marcus Tracy (25), and Freddy Adu (arguably 21).

Patience does not appear to be a virtue for the U.S. fan.

A possible explanation for this trend might be the fact that the U.S. has never had a young player pool this deep in potential. Plus, the MLS seems to be taking most of its players only so far on the road to stardom that fans hope and pray their favorites will get a chance to improve at international competitions.

Therein lies the problem with this situation: There are only so many resources, so many roster spots, so many opportunities. How do...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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