This is the first of a new blog series, where you get the chance to respond and interact with the missives I'll be writing. I look forward to the chance to publicly correspond (I'm already writing back and forth with some of you privately, so why not take it into the open).

It should be no surprise that the subject of the blog will generally be elite youth players. We'll also have guest bloggers discussing topics of interest to coaches and parents of players, coming very soon.



Full Women's Team prompts question about U17 WNT fortunes


Watching the USA Women's National Team edge a short-handed Brazil team 1-0 today, it raises questions about just where our team is less than a month before The Olympic Games begin.

The memory of the shocking blowout loss to Brazil last year is still pretty fresh, and one that even the team's  public relations/advertising arm tends to focus on, preaching a theme of upcoming redemption.

The appointment of Swedish coach Pia Sundhage was supposed to be the ticket to a more attractive, progressive brand of soccer for our women, but you'd have to say the returns on that thus far are iffy. Today in fact, the team seemed to be in two minds about how they want to attack the other team's goal. USC's Amy Rodriguez seems to be stepping into an important role, and its good to see 2 strikers employed, but the sophistication and flair in terms of linking and combination play isn't there yet. Here's hoping.

I mention all of this for the purpose of discussing our U17 Women's National Team. Head Coach Kaz Tambi has named the roster for the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament, which begins this Friday in Trinidad & Tobago. Three teams out of eight will qualify from this event to the inaugural FIFA U17 World Cup, to be held this November in New Zealand.

Looking at the roster you have to be reminded that Kaz Tambi is his own man. The Seton Hall head coach also has built the World Class Arsenal club program in Northern New Jersey, where he collects and moulds top players into a squad that repeatedly plays in the U18 age group, and perennially contend for regional and national honors.

So, in what has been a 2-year selection process, it's no surprise to me anyway, that there are a few surprises with the squad. I say this not so much regarding the players who were picked, but for many who weren't.

As it is with the boys program, it is pretty hard to select 20, or even 40 top players from our national player pool. Usually there are a half-dozen or so players for whom you say "Yeah, these are the best…." but then you may find twice as many players (of comparable ability) as there are remaining spots on the team. So it's a pretty impossible task for the coach to fool anybody.

What I wonder about is how most of the players I'm surprised were not included are attacking-type players. Not to put anybody on the spot, but it's no surprise to readers of the site to know I'm impressed with players like Lauren Matheson , Courtney Garcia , Kim Castleberry , Ahsha Smith , Alyssa Rich , Nicole Lipp , Caroline Miller , Alexandria  Hampton and others. All of these bring something special to the table in terms of creativity, athleticism and one way or the other, offensive firepower.

Now to reiterate, I'm an admirer of every player who made the roster for the CONCACAF event, and I don't argue with the inclusion of any of them. Players like Amber Brooks , Kristen and Samantha Mewis , Tani Costa and Olivia Klei are some of our very brightest prospects in the national player pool. Taking lesser-known talents like Erika Tymrak and Sydney Payne will, I'm confident, be seen in hindsight as smart decisions by Tambi, who has an eye for identifying talent.

I would also add that any argument that a player playing up 2 years shouldn't be included is poorly founded. This team is not an entitlement. If you're good enough, you're old enough. FIFA has also decided that unlike the Boys side, players can play in multiple U17 World Cups, so there's no worry about jeopardizing future eligibility.

What I DO want to be careful about is perpetuating a rut I think the full national team is now trying to break from. Every good team is going to have a certain amount of what I call water carriers. These are players who serve in a role that requires perhaps a bit more grit and heart than it does skill and flair.

What we need to remember is that players who exhibit these qualities in large numbers are not prohibited from also having tremendous skill and even flair. There's no regulation against a player being able to have both sets of qualities. At the minimum you want to have enough of the creative players to produce a quality offensive attack to go with organization and strong defense. I understand the FIFA World Cup requires a bit more technique than the CONCACAF even probably will, but we still want to build a quality, attacking side.

So, this is not a rant against the team selection by any means, but more a note of caution as we search (which I believe we are still doing) for our national identity and style on the international stage. Here's wishing the best to the U17s beginning this weekend and for the entire player pool as competition for team spots begins anew going into the November World Cup.


What do you think? Do we value water-carriers over skill and flair players in our national women's game? How did you like the U17 WNT team selection for the CONCACAF Qualifying Event. Here's your chance to sound off on TopDrawerSoccer.com  Tell us how you feel. Just remember to keep it clean and be respectful that these young players are still teenagers.