At a time when college soccer is under siege and held to task for not developing enough good professional players, Brent Latham's article on Yanks Abroad talks about that responsibility falling on the shoulders of Major League Soccer and the USSF.
Thomas Rongen's US Under-20 National team heads into qualifying with a roster that's nucleus is comprised of college players, and the lack of pros in the team come down to the simple fact that Major League Soccer is NOT developing young players themselves.
"The Generation Adidas program, with its predecessor Nike project 40, has been around for a decade, and has produced some quality players," writes Latham.
"But it provides a chance to only about ten young players each year, several of whom often are not Americans. An already small number, the impact is not likely to increase any time soon. Other than moving abroad, only the college option remains. Thus, the largely amateur U20 national team."
College soccer has offered a body of work to a number of these top young players, and look at young professionals in MLS or abroad that are not playing week in and week out give a limited reference point to identify these players. Even Neven Subotic - now a star at Borussia Dortmund and once considered for the US National teams before declaring intent to play for his native Serbia - fell through the cracks from the US youth national teams. In most cases, the players who have panned out with the US U-20 National teams have been guys with more practical experience at the collegiate level.
"While college players that have represented the US at this level sometimes turn out to be rough gems such as Benny Feilhaber or Marvell Wynne from the 2005 edition, or Sal Zizzo in 2007, there are simply too many players of nearly the same level to pick from," writes Latham. "Even for a scout with the experience of Rongen, it is a daunting task to determine which will be the standouts on such a small body of work - witness Rongen's utter failure to predict the rise of Neven Subotic."
We need to do a better job of developing young professionals in our country, but more of that onus needs to fall on the shoulders of Major League Soccer and the USSF than at the feet of the college game.
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