The "Way Too Early" View on 2018

With today's first two rounds of the MLS SuperDraft and it being a relatively quite period for the USMNT, I figured it was the perfect time to look at the future of US Soccer-specifically, the 2018 World Cup and young talents who could play a big role for the US in Russia.

It’s always fun to look ahead in international soccer. People are constantly searching for the next big time American soccer star and for current players replacements. And with so many key players on the US national team nearing the end of their international careers, there is much to look ahead to. Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Tim Howard—all fixtures of the USMNT for the past six plus years—will all more than likely be playing in their final World Cup this coming June. It is pretty clear that Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Brad Guzan look ready to replace those three as the faces of the national team and take on the leadership and responsibilities that come along with that role. But it isn’t just at the top that the US will have spots to replace. It’s very possible that eight of the eleven starters in the upcoming World Cup will be solidly on the wrong side of 30 come Russia 2018.

It is entirely possible that Michael Bradley could be the only starter in his 30s in 2018. And it’s also very possible that Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Fabian Johnson will be the only three players carried over from Brazil’s starting XI. This means that there is potential for huge turnover during the next cycle.

Luckily for US soccer fans, there are a lot of exciting prospects in the pipeline both at home and abroad. MLS teams are filled with young players in key roles, Europe has many Americans on their youth teams, and there are a few players who have already had a taste of the field with the USMNT who could force their way into a starting spot, and there’s a long list of players to “keep an eye on” who have a chance to be big parts of the next World Cup cycle.

In the current cycle we saw Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Omar Gonzalez, and Brad Evans all make the leap into the fold as possible starters, as well as Aron Johannsson, Mix Diskerud, and Alejandro Bedoya as key role players. All nine of them should be on the roster when the US kicks off against Ghana on June 16^th in Natal. So who will that be between 2014 and 2018?

List of field players 23 and under to keep an eye on:

Forward: Aron Johannsson (23), Juan Agudelo (20), Terrance Boyd (22), Jack McInerney (21), Jack McBean (19), Jose Villarreal (20), Omar Salgado (20)

Midfield: Darlington Nagbe (23), Mix Diskerud (23), Luis Gil (20), Julian Green (18), Gedion Zelalem (16), Joe Corona (23), Junior Flores (17), Marc Pelosi (19), Sebastian Lletget (21), Brek Shea (23), Paul Arreola (18), Josh Gatt (22), Perry Kitchen (21), Caleb Stanko (20), Duane Holmes (19), Diego Fagundez (18), Kelyn Rowe (22), Will Trapp (20), Dillon Powers (22), Joy Gyau (21), Gyasi Zardes (22), Benji Joya (20), Ukasha Wallace (15), Zach Pfeffer (18)

Defense: D: John Brooks (20), DeAndre Yedlin (20), Tim Chandler (23), Shane O’Neill (20), Amobi Okugo (22), Will Packwood (20), Kellyn Acosta (18), Andrew Jean-Baptiste (21), Greg Garza (22), Walker Zimmerman (20)

At the top of the list are dual citizens Julien Green (Bayern Munich) and Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal). Both are hugely talented teenagers who will have a decision to make between the United States and German national teams. While I’m not expecting to land both, Klinsmann has done a great job getting dual nationals into the American program recently and I am very hopeful that one of the two will end up our camp. The 18-year-old Green looks to be the more likely of the two, as he has spent most of his summers in America and is under clear pressure from his father to represent the stars and stripes. Zelalem is also just 16, so the potential of him making an impact on the 2018 team is less than Green’s. Both are attacking midfielders who are close to breaking into the first 18 of their club teams. Green has already made his Champions League to Bayern while Zelalem got significant time on Arsenal’s summer tour despite his youth.

Hopefully they can follow in the footsteps of Aron Johannsson and John Brooks, who both committed to the US in the past half year. Born in America but raised in Iceland, the 23-year-old Johannsson finally committed to the US after a while of flip-flopping between the two nations. The forward has been on fire since making his decision as he is tearing up the Dutch Everdivise for AZ Alkmaar. Brooks is a massive 20-year-old German American who plays center back for Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga. He has been slowed down this season due to injury problems, but the future ahead of him is extremely bright. Both players will have significant roles in the 2018 cycle. Brooks will most likely lock up a starting spot while Johannsson is already the #2 option at striker and is pushing hard to be the starter come June and beyond.  

One more dual national who has already committed to the US and will probably make an impact in Brazil this year is Norwegian American Mix Diskerud. Diskerud has quickly become one of the more popular US players even with his limited time. He plays for Rosenborg in Norway but will likely move either to MLS as a potential designated player or a club in a top 4 league following this summer’s World Cup. He is a central midfielder with great touch and creative ability. He has greatly improved the defensive side of his game, but still has a little way to go. He also needs to work on his finishing instincts before becoming a truly all around midfielder. His talent was summed up on one play in the World Cup Qualifier against Mexico this past September. He showed touch, vision, and creativity in three quick touches to put the ball on a platter for Landon Donovan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQEPyv7RtgA).

Another player who will almost certainly be in the mix is Darlington Nagbe, who will become eligible for the USMNT in December 2014. Nagbe (23) is one of the more talented players in the MLS for Portland, and this year he began to show the consistency needed to be a great international. Although he was born in Liberia, he has lived in America since he was eleven. He married his college girlfriend in 2011 and will be eligible for US citizenship three years after the marriage date, something he has been very adamant that he wants. Nagbe is a very creative attacking midfielder who can play on the right, left, or centrally. While he is not a primary goal scorer, he is more than capable of finishing. If you search “Darlington Nagbe Goal” on YouTube you will be flipping through videos for a while, as there are a LOT of pretty ones—especially his first career goal which was completely ridiculous and won “MLS Goal of the Year” in 2011. He has clearly grown in each of his three seasons and with each game becomes more confident and assertive on the field. If this continues he could be one of the key players on the USMNT for years to come. Also in the MLS is 20-year-old Luis Gil at Real Salt Lake. Gil was easily the best player on the U20 US team in this past summers U20 World Cup and has immense potential. He is a central midfielder who is very technically gifted and more importantly plays very smart. For the US U20 team he played in a more attacking role, but Jason Kreis had him just in front of Kyle Beckerman in the diamond midfield for RSL. Ideally I see him in the same type of role that Michael Bradley plays for the USMNT. Nagbe and Gil were numbers one and two in the MLS’ annual “24 under 24” this season (which ranks the 24 best players under 24).

Two more players who impressed during both the U20 World Cup and MLS season are defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Shane O’Neill, both 20. Yedlin is a RB for Seattle who fits Klinsmann’s style perfectly. He is fast, loves to get forward, is a constant threat offensively, and instantly adds width to your team. In July he was selected to the MLS All-Star team, becoming the first rookie to get the honor since 2005. O’Neill is a big central defender for Colorado. He started every game he was available for from June on for a defense that conceded the third fewest goals in MLS. He was born in Ireland and spent summers there but grew up in Colorado and has played for US youth teams exclusively. He has said, however, that he would be excited to play for Ireland or the US and is looking for an opportunity from either country, so Jurgen will have to move relatively soon on him.

MLS is home to a lot of other young midfielders who will try to become this cycle’s Graham Zusi. Kelyn Rowe (NE Revs), Dillon Powers (Colorado), Will Trapp (Columbus), Perry Kitchen (DC United), and Gysai Zardes (LA Galaxy) should all get chances to impress. Also at midfield is 18-year-old Diego Fagundez (NE Revs) who might still be too young and raw in 2018 (and could represent Uruguay—another dual national) but might have the most potential of any USMNT eligible midfielder or forward in MLS. At forward, Jack McInerney (Philadelphia) will look to regain his early season form and has already began to get looked at by the senior team (was a part of this summers Gold Cup roster), while Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal (both LA Galaxy) are very talented goal scorers who have chances to make an impact with the USMNT. Defensively, Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas) is already starting at RB for his club at 18 while Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia), Andrew Jean-Baptiste (Chivas USA), and Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas) are all talented center backs. Stanko, Acosta, Trapp, and Villarreal were all also on the US’ 2013 U20 World Cup roster.

Abroad there are many other players who have high potential. At forward Terrance Boyd is a regular for Rapid Wein in Austira while Juan Agudelo is looking for a European side to call home after his transfer to Stoke City fell through. Midfield is where the US has the most depth with many exciting players. Paul Arreola and Greg Garza are both getting starting minutes at Club Tijuana, Junior Flores is affiliated already with Borussia Dortmund, Sebastian Lleget is close to breaking into the first 18 at West Ham United, Marc Pelosi is at Liverpool, Brek Shea is at Stoke City, Joe Corona is at Club Tijuana, Josh Gatt is a starter for Molde in Norway when healthy, and the six foot four 15-year-old holding midfielder Ukasha Wallace is in the Arsenal youth academy.

Obviously a lot can change in 54 months, but as of right now the starting XI I am dreaming about taking the field in Russia are as follows:

Altidore (28)

Nagbe (27)                              Green            (22)                           Diskerud (27)

Gil (24)                                   Bradley (30)

F. Johnson (29)                                                                                             Yedlin (24)

O’Neill (24)    Brooks (24)

This lineup gives you a hold up forward in Altidore, who also has shown in the past that he is more than capable of scoring as he holds the all time US record for goals in a European season (31 in 2012-13 for AZ Alkmaar). With Nagbe, Green, and Diskerud you have three players who can all interchange on the field, making it very difficult for opposing defenses to stick with them and game plan, as they could be creating from anywhere. Green is the most talented scorer of the bunch by far, but Nagbe and Diskerud are both capable of goals on the wings and would create plenty of chances for Altidore and Green. Bradley and Gil are both very intelligent players who are very solid defensively. I usually like Bradley paired with a true holding midfielder, but with this lineup we won’t be as reliant on him to hold possession and push the attack, so having two box-to-box central midfielders is perfect. Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin both provide the team with width, which is very important as the wingers (Nagbe and Diskerud) are both most confortable as central players. They also give a lot of offense out of the back, something Klinsmann loves. Brooks and O’Neill give you two young center backs with very good size. They also both play well with their feet and will have no problem in possession or starting the breaks.

This lineup would allow the US to play the way that Klinsmann has wanted since he took the job. It would be a lineup that would possess the ball a ton and take it to the opposing team. The potential problems with it are shortage of experience, a lack of width, and maybe being too offensive-minded. Only four (possibly five) of the eleven here will have ever been to a World Cup before, and while Altidore and Bradley will both be exceptional leaders, that is very little experience for the rest of the squad. With two offensive-minded fullbacks and wingers who are forward/midfield hybrids, the team could potentially be exposed out wide. Offensively, there could be a lack of width and crosses from the wings, as Nagbe and Diskerud are both naturally central players. Even with these possible concerns, it is a very exciting and talented team that will score plenty of goals and play a very entertaining style of soccer—two things that Klinsmann has stressed in his tenure.