Even for the brightest prospects, the leap from academy standout to first-team contributor can be a daunting chasm.
And while time is usually on the side of teenagers, when it comes to youth national team preparations, it can cause unexpected challenges. A lack of match fitness can hold players back from peak performance when stepping on the field for a youth tournament.
That won’t necessarily be the case for the US Under-20 team as they gear up to begin the Concacaf Championship on Saturday, which could lead to a 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2024 Olympics berth. The continued evolution of MLS reserve teams, including this year’s launch of the MLS NEXT Pro competition, has been critical in getting minutes for several players on this roster.
“I think the direction our country is going in terms of the competition platform that allows for the development of top talent is improving year in and year out,” U-20 head coach Mikey Varas told reporters in a conference call. “And whether it's USL Championship, USL [League] One, or MLS [NEXT Pro], it’s helping tremendously, because it's not easy to break into a first-team at the age that these guys are.”
Seventeen of the 20 players summoned by Varas to Honduras are currently on MLS rosters. Eight of those have earned significant minutes in MLS NEXT Pro. That includes North Texas SC starting goalkeeper Antonio Carrera, who will battle Chris Brady for minutes in goal. For the US, match reps for that duo are going to be particularly useful; Brady has made four appearances for Chicago Fire II, while Carrera has made seven starts for North Texas SC.
Brandan Craig, Paxten Aaronson, Quinn Sullivan and Jack McGlynn have bounced between Philadelphia Union and Philadelphia Union II. Left back Noah Allen, who made his MLS debut earlier this year, has kept sharp with Inter Miami CF II. Offseason homegrown signing Niko Tsakiris has made two appearances for Earthquakes II.
Varas acknowledged the challenge first-team coaches face, which can make it harder for younger players to earn minutes. And he indicated that club form factored into the selection process, making minutes critical.
“The first division is about winning games, and the coach's job is on the line all the time,” he said. “It’s not the easiest thing to do just to throw the young players in. So having the second platform for them to play games is massive. A lot of these guys are playing, training every single day with their first team; breaking in, getting some minutes, and then they get the consistency of their longer minutes with their second team. And I believe it's absolutely massive and I hope that we can continue to invest in these infrastructures that will help our talent develop.”
And while MLS NEXT Pro served as one platform, players enter the tournament with USL Championship experience this year as well. Center back Jalen Neal has logged more than 1,000 minutes for LA Galaxy II. Before being transferred to Real Salt Lake recently, Diego Luna was excelling for El Paso Locomotive. New York Red Bulls homegrown midfielder Daniel Edelman has played a handful of games for New York Red Bulls II.
With the roster composition, the Concacaf Championship experience will not only test the player pool of the US U-20 squad, but also reflect the match preparation experienced in those leagues.
Varas feels the group is ready.
“The culture is incredible,” he said. “There's an amazing feeling amongst the boys in terms of finding the right balance of, we have really, really good people who care for each other and care for their country and care for the program. We have people who love learning, and who are obsessed with getting better, and they're never satisfied with what they have. And we have people who embrace competition, they love the pressure moment.”
