Wake-up call: US U-20 fails to qualify for World Cup

Photo credit: Associated Press

The US youth system's Under-20 national team has qualified for every single World Cup tournament since 1995. Last night, however, a determined Guatemala side halted the US team's progress and eliminated them from the competition. How do we proceed after this?

Let's settle a few things. The game: poor defending and lack of final touch. Also, Guatemala played great defense and awesome saves by their goalkeeper. They were also at home with a sellout crowd. A game versus Honduras would have been more accessible, in theory.

The team: this was supposed to be one of the most talented U-20 squads in recent times. It was likened to the Bradley-Altidore-Adu team of 2007. This team boasted Salgado (#1 1st round pick in MLS), Conor Doyle (Derby County), Gyau (Hoffenheim), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Agbossoumonde (Djurgården), Perry Kitchen (DC United), Okugo (Philadelphia), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham). Sometimes, when a team is too good, their ego can be their undoing. Might this be the case?

The coaching staff: This is where it gets interesting. Thomas Rongen is a great coach. He has been at the helm of the U-20s since 2001. In the process, he left out Neven Subotic, among others, in previous tournaments. He peaked with the Adu-Altidore team of 2007 and never quite recovered. Perhaps it's time to shake up the staff?

In the end, it was comedy of errors that unraveled the US squad. A necessary evil in order to expose a stagnant youth development. If no changes are made by US Soccer, it is another point of criticism by American soccer media and US fans like yours truly. Please keep this in mind: these are the players of the 2014 and 2018 qualifiers and the future of the American soccer system. Dominant teams are expected to win in tough matches. Is the US still a dominant team?

Don't count them out yet: US U-20 trounces Cameroon

The US responded to their lackluster performance (0-3) against Germany with an equally (positively) impressive 4-1 win over African powerhouse Cameroon. First, I will not react to this prematurely. I saw patches of the match (30% of it, really), but what I saw today was a team vastly different from the one that played against Germany last Saturday. For all the doubters and non-believers, myself included, the team showed composed, dangerous and happy. Rookie mistakes abound and Opara's silly foul and conceded penalty is a reminder of this. They are under 20 after all.

Most notably in today's match against Cameroon was the inclusion of Bryan Arguez and Dily Duka (my favorite name right now). Both came on as substitutes versus Germany but emerged as starters today. And both showed why they should be on the pitch from now on for this team. Arguez plays his trade in Germany with Hertha Berlin, although he has been less than impressive with the Bavarian squad and mostly plays with the reserves. Duka is at Rutgers. Yes, as in New Jersey's university. I can see Arguez moving out of Hertha (perhaps on loan) and Duka also finding a good team (if he chooses to skip out on the next two years of college). Ownby and Taylor added to the score. Ownby was killed by the US soccer media and it's nice to see him respond with a goal.

In the end, they were all great goals and fun to watch. No highlights here but you can go to the FIFA site instead. Up next is difficult Korea, which tied Germany 1-1 today. Right now, as in the Olympics of last year, the US is in control of its own destiny. A win against Korea will send them through to the next round. The match should be about defense and avoiding mistakes. Korea will be looking for a win as well. It might be nice to see this modest American team shush its criticizers for once. Good luck.

Undermanned: US in the U20 world cup

They are under 20 and are undermanned. The US U-20 national team has started its U-20 World Cup adventure in Egypt with a 0-3 loss to powerhouse Germany. Why the negativity? This time around there aren't the Freddy Adus, Jozy Altidores and Michael Bradleys. They have grown up and are playing their trade in Europe. Added to their absence is the fact that most of the players on this U-20 side are collegiate players and not really club-based.

Indeed, some of the US soccer media have stated repeatedly that this year's batch of players lacks consistence due to the collapse of the MLS reserve league. I have to say I agree. When you have guys like Brek Shea (of FC Dallas and who hasn't scored) leading your attack, then you might be in trouble, especially considering the firepower of nations like Germany and Cameroon. For an in-depth look at the U-20 roster, check out this story from the SBI crew.

I guess my biggest worry is the lack of credibility and a potential slump in our youngsters' play. Mikkel Diskerud, Dilly Duka, and Bryan Arguez are not household names yet. Today's match versus Germany showed the lack of cohesiveness at the back, even with standouts like Ike Opara. The team had its share of chances but was nowhere near as impressive as the U-20s were in Canada when Adu and Altidore connected on so many impressive plays--including a win versus Brazil (which included Pato in its squad).

It remains to be seen if collegiate players that are part of an alternative, sometimes alien type of soccer with its substitute rules and timeouts, can deliver on the pitch at a major tournament. Missing regular top level play as Altidore, Bradley and Adu were involved in during their stint in MLS's defunct reserve league will undoubtedly hurt the US's chances in Egypt. I think I'm more excited about the U-17 crew, but there are still two more games to play: Cameroon and Korea. And as we've learned from the Confederations Cup, you can never count out the United States.