Among the persistent and inevitable debate about what the U.S.’s quarterfinal finish at the U20 World Cup meant in a broader sense, it was difficult to argue one fact that seemed as incontrovertible as any.
This team was deep. This pool was deep. And in both cases you could argue that depth was as considerable as it had ever been.
We spent much of the tournament engaging in debate about the players present on the ground in South Korea. Who starts, who plays where and which decisions U.S. coach Tab Ramos either did or did not meet hammer to nail. The depth among the 21 players in South Korea was plainly evident, but what we weren’t doing – and for good reason – was engaging in wider debate about who might make it to the USMNT among players who did not make the final World Cup roster.
That’s what today’s for.
The U20 cycle is about to flip over to a new group, but before it does let’s take a moment to survey the scene and pick out a handful of potential stars who could well break into a U.S. camp or two. The only criteria here? None of these eligible players made the 2017 U20 World Cup roster, for one reason or another.
So let’s take a look.
