Kicking it Off
With qualifying matches for the 2020 Olympics right around the corner, it makes sense to do a deep-dive into the potential player pool. Club commitments/worries/issues make it nearly impossible to craft a complete roster for the Olympics. It’s very conceivable to believe that some of the more high-profile guys won’t be allowed to participate in the Olympics.
With that said, this piece is speaking more to the ever-growing talent base within the United States. It also illustrates what appears to be an exceptionally bright future. Never before has the United States boasted this level of young talent playing either abroad or domestically.
As you’ll see reading this piece, there are a number of potentially transcendent players ready to help the senior team grow immediately. As they say, the kids are coming…
Honorable mentions: Kobe Hernandez-Foster, Michael Edwards, Sebastian Saucedo, Jose Gallegos, Folarin Balogun, Chituru Odunze, Jeremy Ebobisse, Brandon Servania, Owen Otasowie, Chris Durkin, Matthew Hoppe, Aaron Herrera, Justen Glad, Jonathan Amon, Djordje Mihailovic, Brenden Aaronson, Niko Gioacchini, Hassani Dotson, Cameron Harper, Jonathan Lewis, Alan Soñora, Charlie Kelman, Ricardo Pepi, Keaton Parks, Edwin Cerrillo
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30. David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake — 18 Years of Age)
Ochoa is one of the most talented keeper prospects in the entire country. He usurped the starting keeper gig from Brady Scott at the U-20 World Cup (despite being only 17 years old). With Nick Rimando retiring, Ochoa — now given the No. 1 kit number — looks primed to start for Real Salt Lake as an 18-year-old. He opted to pass on a potential deal with Manchester United in order to garner first-team minutes at a quicker rate. Based on the recent turn of events, it appears as if Ochoa made a wise choice.
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29. Chris Gloster (PSV Eindhoven — 19 Years of Age)
A strong showing at the U-20 World Cup led to Gloster inking a deal with Dutch giant PSV Eindhoven. Gloster’s best trait might be his coolness on the ball. Even when peppered with pressure, Gloster has proven to be quite composed when shuttling the ball up the pitch. He’s recently garnered starts for Jong PSV in recent weeks. He might not be far off from making a first-team debut by the end of the season.
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28. Cameron Carter-Vickers (Luton Town — 22 Years of Age)
Carter-Vickers is the classic journeyman (despite not yet seeing his 23rd birthday). He’s clearly not in the plans for Tottenham. Interestingly enough, Carter-Vickers has been loaned out to five different clubs since the start of 2017. The burly central defender isn’t comfortable with the ball at his feet. He has a tendency to not look to link up — but rather boot the ball over the top. However, relative to other U-23 options, Carter-Vickers does boast plenty of professional experience. For that reason, he’s a real option for the U-23 Olympic roster.
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27. Christian Cappis (Hobro IK — 20 Years of Age)
Cappis has quietly developed into a weekly starter for his club in Denmark. A two-way player, he’s quite capable at both distributing the ball for teammates, as well as breaking up play defensively. He was called into the January camp by Gregg Berhalter (though he didn’t feature in the friendly versus Costa Rica). If anything, Cappis is certainly on the proverbial radar.
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26. Sebastian Soto (Hannover 96 — 19 years of Age)
Despite being only 19 years old, Soto is at a bit of a crossroads. He’s been publicly called out by club officials for not working hard enough. Soto hasn’t broken through to Hannover’s first team in a consistent manner (though he does have some appearances). The long-rumored move from the club might be a good option for Soto to get his career back on track. Along with the U.S., Soto is eligible to play for both Mexico and Chile.
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25. Indiana Vassilev (Aston Villa — 19 Years of Age)
Named after the famed fictional character Indiana Jones, Vassilev is a bit of an adventurous bloke himself. The winger out of Georgia plays the game as if his hair is on fire. He’s constantly buzzing about — looking to press opponents into mistakes. In January, Vassilev became the second-youngest American to ever play in the Premier League. After appearing for the U.S. U-17 team in 2018, Vassilev is on track to be a member of the U-20 squad (despite interest from Bulgaria — the birth country of his parents).
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24. Mason Toye (Minnesota United — 21 Years of Age)
Toye’s torrid form towards the end of last season put him squarely in contention for an Olympic spot. The 6-foot-3 striker out of New Jersey scored some absolute crackers for Minnesota United (specifically against LAFC). One could see his confidence growing by the match. There’s still a question as to whether he’d be a better option than some of the others vying for a spot on the roster. However, Toye has at least placed his name in the conversation.
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23. Emmanuel Sabbi (Hobro IK — 22 Years of Age)
Sabbi is a bit of a wildcard in U.S. Soccer circles. Plying his trade in Denmark, there are questions about the quality of the league. However, Sabbi has proven to be one of the most dynamic players on his side Hobro IK. He’s unafraid when attempting to take players on in space. He’s also got a flair for the dramatic — as evidenced by some of his goals over the last couple years. We’d like to see him play at a potentially higher level. With that said, he deserves a look during Olympic qualifying. Few in this pool possess Sabbi’s combination of technical ability and athletic prowess.
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22. Julian Araujo (Los Angeles Galaxy — 18 Years of Age)
Araujo is a player bursting with upside. He made several appearances last season with Los Angeles Galaxy after a fast-track to the first team. Araujo is more than adept when defending in space. Fast and athletic, he’s able to not only track back quite well, but also contend with older players in duels. Duly, Araujo isn’t shy about bursting forward into the attack. He very well could lock down a starting spot with the Galaxy this season. Should this occur, constant call-ups to the senior national team won’t be far away. Like Konrad de la Fuente, Araujo is a complete lock to be on this cycle’s U-20 team (likely as a starter).
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21. Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union — 20 Years of Age)
This upcoming season is a big one for McKenzie. He’ll get plenty of opportunity to play extended minutes for Philadelphia Union. It was a shame McKenzie wasn’t fully healthy during his run with the U-20s in the World Cup. Now back to form, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him leap to Europe sooner than later. McKenzie is calm on the ball, strong in distribution, and versatile from the standpoint he can play both centrally and out wide.
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20. Konrad de la Fuente (FC Barcelona — 18 Years of Age)
Konrad was the youngest member of the U-20 World Cup roster this past year. While he did start a fair amount of the matches, he somewhat struggled. That’s not to say his future isn’t bright, however. Konrad has been reared in the famed La Masia academy since he was a child. Most recently, the Miami native was promoted to Barcelona B — the reserve side of FC Barcelona. It’s unknown as to whether Konrad will be good enough to ever appear for the senior team. At the very least, he should get some opportunities to leave for first team football in the near future. Konrad is a stone-cold lock for the upcoming U-20 cycle with the USMNT.
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19. Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes — 22 Years of Age)
Yueill could be on the cusp of leaving for Europe. The style with which he plays certainly caters to more of a ball-movement system. The former UCLA Bruin is adept at spraying the ball around the park. Yueill isn’t a complete defensive liability — though he certainly needs to improve in this facet of his game. He likely is a lock for the Olympic roster.
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18. Alex Mendez (Ajax — 19 Years of Age)
It doesn’t matter whether Mendez is in the Ajax reserve side or not. He possesses the best left foot of any player within the U.S. pool — regardless of age. It’s almost akin to a wand in the way Mendez manipulates shots on goal and passes like. He always keeps his head up — searching for the open opportunity. While he’s yet to break into Ajax’s first team, Mendez is certainly trending in a positive direction. He’s got far too much natural talent to toil around in second divisions the rest of his life.
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17. Johnny Cardoso (Internacional — 18 Years of Age)
Cardoso is a fast-rising prospect. Gregg Berhalter took it upon himself to reach/recruit the New Jersey-born/Brazil raised prospect. Despite being only 18 years of age, Cardoso recently featured in a U-23 camp for the United States. He’s a hard-nosed No. 6 with surprisingly good ball skills. He’s also been getting first-team minutes with famed Porto Alegre-based club Internacional (including making the Libertadores roster). With it being clear that Berhalter rates Cardoso, look for the youngster to remain in the picture for the foreseeable future.
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16. Matko Miljevic (Argentinos Juniors — 18 Years of Age)
There’s a lot of intrigue as it pertains to Miljevic. Born in Miami to parents of Bosnian and Croatian backgrounds, he’s technically eligible to represent Argentina (the country he grew up in), the United States, and Croatia. After featuring for Argentina’s U-20 and U-18 teams, Miljevic found himself back with the Americans in 2020 (appearing in a U-20 camp). A tricky yet dynamic player, Miljevic is already receiving first team minutes with Argentinos Juniors in the Argentina Primera Division. He can line up as a second striker, a winger, and as an attacking midfielder.
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15. Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas — 20 Years of Age)
Pomykal is an interesting player. There’s much debate over where he best fits — whether as a No. 10, a No. 8, an inverted winger, or even a deep-lying No. 6. He performed admirably in the U-20 World Cup. One can see the energy he plays with. However, Pomykal has a habit of being injured quite often. He’ll have to shake that bug if he’s to reach his potential. Otherwise, Pomykal might be seeing some other prospects leaping him in the proverbial pecking order.
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14. Chris Richards (Bayern Munich — 19 Years of Age)
Richards hasn’t yet played first-team football for Bayern Munich. There’s no guarantee that he’ll ever feature for the club in that capacity. Despite playing for their reserve side (in 3. Liga), Richards is still one of the most promising American prospects in the pool. He also was one of the top performers at the 2019 U-20 World Cup (regardless of position). Richards can play as both a center back and as an outside back. He’s terrific in the air, can play the ball out of the back comfortably, and has anticipatory skills far beyond his actual age. Richards should secure a spot on the Olympic roster.
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13. Antonee Robinson (Wigan — 22 Years of Age)
If it weren’t for a last-minute snafu, the athletic left-back would’ve been headed to AC Milan this past January. Robinson has consistently graded out as one of the best players at his position within the Championship (second division in the pyramid of English soccer). He’s excellent going forward — though can be caught out of position in transition. Robinson should be the penciled-in left-back on the Olympic squad (assuming Sergino Dest is a no-go). However, there’s the possibly Wigan holds onto him for another transfer this summer.
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12. Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas — 21 Years of Age)
With Sergino Dest stationed on the left, Reggie Cannon is currently making a real play to become the senior team’s starting right back (though DeAndre Yedlin may have something to say about that). Cannon performed well versus Mexico in the Gold Cup final, and has since strung together a solid run of play. Cannon is rarely caught out of position. Tactically, he plays within himself — which includes making forays into the attack when needed. Liga MX teams were interested in Cannon last year. If he continues on this trajectory, it won’t be long until he’s south of the border (or across the pond).
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11. Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas — 19 Years of Age)
The U23 team — and the senior team for that matter — are both in need of a legitimate target forward. The 19-year-old (originally from Colombia) recently got his U.S. citizenship this past January. It was a major boon for the USMNT considering Ferreira’s talent. The 5-foot-8 striker is immensely talented in creating pockets of space for himself. Ferreira knows when to make the darting run into the box. Technically, he’s one of the best of his age group currently playing in North America. With the striker pool extremely thin, don’t be surprised to see Ferreira contend for major time moving forward.
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10. Uly Llanez Jr. (VfL Wolfsburg — 18 Years of Age)
Tricky. Clever. Dynamic. Threatening.
All of the characteristics listed above truly describe the playing style of LA native Uly Llanez. Traditionally, the U.S. operates with ‘workmanlike’ wingers. These two-way guys (Paul Arriola, Jordan Morris) are decent — though they seriously lack the attacking flair brought to the table by Llanez. The first team certainly rates the 18-year-old, as he was brought up for the senior team friendly this past January versus Costa Rica (a match in which Llanez scored). Duly, Wolfsburg just added him to its Europa League roster. It won’t be long until Llanez gets first-team minutes in Germany.
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9. Richie Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven — 19 Years of Age)
The senior national team — much like the Olympic team — is in desperate need of a real No. 10. Ledezma has proven to play the game with clinical rhythm. He’s quite skilled in picking out teammates via precise yet sophisticated deliveries. Ledezma’s vision is tremendous — as is his ability to create for himself in tight spaces. Fans of the USMNT should be quite excited over the prospect of Ledezma making a first team appearance for PSV sooner than later. He’s unlike any other prospect in the pool at his position. Quite simply, Ledezma has the ceiling to develop into one of the most gifted footballers in the history of the United States.
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8. Miles Robinson (Atlanta United — 22 Years of Age)
Robinson has quite the upside — hence why he’s ranked as one of the top 10 U23 prospects within this list. There’s a real chance that he could be one of the starting centerbacks in Tokyo this summer (assuming he stays healthy). Strong, fast, physical, and good in the air, Robinson is easily one of the league’s better defenders. The one knock (pun unintended) on Robinson is that he has a habit of picking up untimely injuries. Atlanta is hoping that his most recent ailment (a quad strain) won’t be too serious. With another big year in 2020, he could be off to Europe sooner than later. Former MLS/European vet Michael Parkhurst called Robinson “the best one-on-one defender [he’s] ever played with in [his] entire career.”
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7. Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen — 20 Years of Age)
The red-haired striker out of Missouri is in a bit of a funk. While given opportunities, Sargent has been unable to put together a string of positive performances for Bremen. To be fair, Bremen is an absolute mess at the moment. We’d like to see Sargent’s work-rate continue to improve (along with his competitiveness). As he approaches his 20th birthday, there’s still a lot to like about Sargent’s game. It could be a case where a move to another club would do wonders for his ability to attack with venom.
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6. Tim Weah (Lille — 20 Years of Age)
Weah is on the cusp of returning to Ligue 1 side Lille after suffering a nasty hamstring injury. The timing is quite perfect for the younger winger — particularly with the slate of March friendlies coming up next month. Weah isn’t a perfect player by any stretch. However, he does have a tendency to make you go ‘wow’ once or twice in every single match. While blessed with terrific pace, it’s Weah’s ability on the ball which has people excited. Traditionally, Lille is a great place for young players to develop. The soon-to-be 20-year-old should continue to blossom as a potential starter on the right wing for the United States senior team (assuming he can stay healthy). He accrued six goals and an assist during his 860 minutes of professional football with both Lille and Celtic. This impressively equates to a goal or an assist every 120 minutes.
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5. Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund — 17 Years of Age)
Oh, boy…here we go. The United States has an unpleasant way of overhyping young players as ‘the next big thing’ before they’re really ready (cough, Freddy Adu, cough). In the case of Reyna, the hype appears warranted. The son of former USMNT member Claudio Reyna is one of the world’s brightest starlets. The younger Reyna has real quality on the ball. He’s not afraid to attack players on the flanks with his combination of above-average speed and surprising size. He’s already been integrated with Borussia Dortmund’s first team, and appears primed to see more time as the season progresses into the spring. Don’t be shocked to see Reyna with the senior national team in March. He could be the most talented prospect ever produced by the United States.
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4. Weston McKennie (Schalke 04 — 21 Years of Age)
McKennie is essentially a jack of all trades. He’s featured virtually at every position for Schalke sans goalkeeper. While we do love his versatility as a player, we hope he’ll be given a chance to hone in at one spot in order to further build his skill-set. Regardless, McKennie has been a multi-year starter in one of the world’s best leagues at only 21 years of age. He figures to be slotted next to Tyler Adams in the midfield during the March friendlies in Europe.
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3. Sergiño Dest (Ajax — 19 Years of Age)
The USSF did a wonderful job in getting Dest to commit to the United States over the Netherlands. Simply put, Dest is a transcendent player. He might be the most techincal player in the entire pool regardless of position. As a right back for Ajax, he terrorizes the opponent with his flashy nature on the ball. Dest is excellent when joining in on the attack. It’s a reason why he’s likely to make the rumored move to Bayern Munich in the summer. An American starting at right back for one of the world’s biggest clubs? Get ready to see it.
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2. Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig — 21 Years of Age)
After a long layoff, Adams reintroduced himself seamlessly to a side fighting for a Bundesliga title. Adams has been situated both as a destroyer central midfielder, and as a right wingback. In both spots, he continues to demonstrate his invaluable nature for Leipzig. He hoovers up loose balls as efficiently as the world’s best vacuum cleaner. Whether it be marking a man in space — or stalling an opposition’s attack before it becomes ignited — Adams is proving himself to be one of the world’s best young central midfielders. It’s only a matter of time before he makes the jump to an even bigger club.
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1. Christian Pulisic (Chelsea — 21 Years of Age)
Despite strong performances from Dest and Adams over the last month, Pulisic remains as the best player within the pool. He had a sublime run of play with Chelsea before sustaining yet another knock. Even with missed time, Pulisic has five goals and two assists in only 16 matches. There’s been real conviction with Pulisic as it pertains to taking players on. Duly, his runs off of teammates appear to be much more nuanced when compared to earlier in his career. When healthy, he’s clearly been the most dangerous player on the pitch for Chelsea. Never before have we seen an American at such a big club perform to this level. The most exciting thing for USMNT fans: Pulisic doesn’t turn 22 until September.
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