8.29.14
ASN Morning Read: We'll See If The Kids Are Alright
The U.S. begins the 2018 World Cup cycle with an extremely young roster that includes four teenagers and six uncapped players; Sacha Kljestan and Julian Green learn their Champions League opponents.
BY
Jesse Yomtov
Posted
August 29, 2014
8:11 AM
Jurgen Klinsmann went very young with a 22-man squad for the Sept. 3 friendly in Prague. It features 10 players from the World Cup roster. Surprise selection Jordan Morris, a sophomore at Stanford, and 18-year-olds Rubio Rubin and Emerson Hyndman are among the six players who look to earn their first cap. “We are curious about the next generation of players breaking in,” Klinsmann said. “It’s an especially good opportunity for us to look at the younger players based in Europe, which we don’t get to do very often because of their schedules.”
More on the roster from John Godfrey.
Among the fresh faces is Greg Garza. “I always told myself to focus on my club but in the back of my mind it’s always been my dream to play at the top level internationally,” the 23-year-old told American Soccer Now.
It's easy to get excited about the kids, but ProSoccerTalk reminds us about the night in South Africa that Juan Agudelo burst onto the scene months after the 2010 World Cup.
Stanford coach Jeremy Gunn on the inclusion of Morris, a Sounders Academy product: “Not only is it an incredible pat on the back, but it should definitely serve as inspiration to keep pushing forward and to continue improving as a player.”
Sacha Kljestan and Anderlecht will face Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage. Julian Green and Bayern Munich are grouped with Manchester City, CSKA Moscow and AS Roma.
Michel Platini won't run against Sepp Blatter, making it even more likely the incumbent will run unopposed... again.
Finally, because this is amazing:
