Total American Futbol: Five MLS Players Vying For USMNT Spots
Major League Soccer kicked off its 2011 season at rainy, slick-turfed Qwest Field this week, with the Los Angeles Galaxy defeating the home Seattle Sounders 1-0 in a nationally televised game. We got re-introduced to Alexi Lalas, John Harkes, soccer on awful non-natural grass surfaces and all the other unsavory treats that MLS forces its fans to endure.
But we also can now begin to examine a few select players across the league that are prospects to feature on the United States’ national team in the near to distant future. Despite some remaining warts, MLS has enjoyed a deepening of the quality of the player pool. It has played a vital role producing and developing national team mainstays like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore and many more.
Who could be a part of the next wave of key U.S. players to blossom from MLS’ now-fertile soil? Here are a few players who can firmly plant themselves onto the national team radar with a quality season in MLS.
Ike Opara, CB, San Jose Earthquakes: Much of the attention goes to Tim Ream of Red Bull New York, who enjoyed a stellar 2010 rookie season and is already a few caps into his national team career. But San Jose’s 22 year old Ike Opara has the potential to either develop into Ream’s partner in the center of the U.S. defense, or perhaps challenge the redhead for playing time on the national level. Opara was felled by a broken foot in 2010 that derailed his season and restricted him to just 11 games (in which he still managed to score three goals). He heads into 2011 fully healed and poised for a potential breakout. A strong year on the Quakes’ back line and I could see Opara challenging for national team appearances come World Cup qualifying.
Zach Loyd, FB, FC Dallas: Left back has been reduced to a virtual black hole for the USMNT. Jonathan Bornstein and Carlos Bocanegra get the most play at the position, but Bocanegra has Father Time hunting him down, and Bornstein gets burned more times than he successfully shuts down a forward. Enter Zach Loyd, who remains young and not wholly cemented as a left back. He’s already been capped once by Bob Bradley, appearing at left back in the Chile friendly back in January and holding his own admirably against a country with some skilled and speedy playmakers. However, he has experience playing both on the back line and as a holding midfielder, so he’s not exactly a left back through and through. His season at FC Dallas is a crucial one, for if he develops and regularly logs 90 minutes on the back line, it’s more and more likely that he gets further chances to lay claim to the left back position at the national level.
Perry Kitchen, MID, D.C. United: Midfield is a wholly stacked position for the United States, unquestionably the strength of the current player pool. But Kitchen is the type of player who can force his way into the mix thanks to an extremely strong pedigree and an A+ last name that opens up a plethora of opportunities for puns, headlines and further stupidity. Kidding aside, Kitchen’s sink-full of talent saw him excel at Akron in his one season on campus, playing a key part in leading the team to the NCAA title. He opened enough eyes to warrant selection third overall in the 2011 MLS Super Draft. D.C. United is bucking tradition in MLS and sending Kitchen right into the thick of things, announcing that he’ll be in their starting XI as of opening night. He’s considered extremely mature and it’s feasible he makes his mark quickly and consistently throughout the 2011 season. For now he’s playing at the international level for the U.S. Under-20 team (he’s just 19, by the way?), but the senior level may not be too far off for Kitchen.
Juan Agudelo, FWD, Red Bull New York: Agudelo has inherited the much-desired Jozy Altidore Memorial Hype Machine. It’s raging in full effect thanks to the 18 year old having a dream debut for the national team, scoring on the decisive strike against South Africa in a friendly last fall. The appearance came after Agudelo emerged to start both of the Red Bulls’ playoff games in 2010, and he’s now slotted in as the presumed replacement for the departed Juan Pablo Angel up top, playing alongside superstar Thierry Henry. If Agudelo finds the back of the net with regularity and shows a flair and connection with Titi, he and Altidore could wind up paired together up top for the U.S. national team. Quite the dynamic duo, although they can barely even legally buy a drink (in the U.S., at least, although I guess Jozy can buy for Juan like the good mentor he should be).
Charlie Davies, FWD, D.C. United: Yes, Charlie Davies has a ton to prove, but it’s not just to Bob Bradley and the U.S. national team staff. Bradley made the shrewd and correct (if unsentimental) decision to not select Davies for the U.S.’s 2010 World Cup camp or ultimate roster, a move that was questioned once the dreaded Robbie Findley started every single one of the team’s games in South Africa. The car crash and rehab have been well chronicled, but now it’s finally time for Davies to prove once and for all how far back he’s come and what is left of his game after the awful, deadly accident. Tons of American soccer eyes will be on Davies game in and game out, and if he enjoys a great season in D.C., he could very well push his way back into the national team picture. Davies is still young and has the pedigree and already-displayed skills to make an impact internationally, and his loan spell with D.C. United will be key in seeing if he can restore himself as one of the stars of U.S. soccer.
Bob Bradley is sometimes criticized for relying heavily on MLS players, but his strategy is reinforced by the fact that the league is improving year to year, and an abundance of talent with national team potential calls it home. These five guys are just scratch the surface of players who have something to prove to coach sweatsuit this year. They should provide for some quality MLS watching, which you should all do, no matter what negatives you’ve heard about the league.
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