1.28.15
ASN Morning Read: Game Day in Rancagua, Chile
Jurgen Klinsmann leads his charges into their first game of the new year. What will we see?; One of the U.S. Soccer success stories gets some love in the press; the best and the brightest youngsters.
BY
Noah Davis
Posted
January 28, 2015
7:43 AM
How about some facts and figures about today's game between the United States men's national team and Chile? Here's one: Eight players will be looking to earn their first cap for the senior team: Steve Birnbaum, Matt Hedges, Jon Kempin, Perry Kitchen, Shane O’Neill, Dillon Serna, Wil Trapp and Gyasi Zardes.
Many people want to talk about DeAndre Yedlin. One is Brad Friedel: “The pace of the game isn’t what it is in England but there aren’t too many leagues out there that can compare in that area. Nor does the MLS have the over 100 years of tradition that the English leagues have. But I think it’s a great move for all concerned and now the talking really needs to stop. He just needs to get his head down and play and get on the pitch.”
And Yedlin himself: “Everything is just faster, just so much faster. Trainings here are short, sharp, intense. In America, it’s slower, more relaxed. Here, everything is high-paced.” He also had New Years dinner at Harry Kane's house.
The best American players under 21 include Emerson Hyndman, Julian Green, and Tommy Thompson.
Gedion Zelalem can't play for the U.S. quite yet. Actually, he can't play for another five years according to "a little-known stipulation in FIFA's statutes that would require him to live in the U.S. for five years from Jan. 26, his 18th birthday, before suiting up for the Yanks in official matches." Oops. The Americans are petitioning FIFA to remove that requirement. "We're going through the FIFA process and hope to have Gedion eligible by March or April," Sunil Gulati said. "We don't expect any issues."
The ASN 100 is hard at work.
He stole our line:
