2017 may have marked a huge disappointment for the U.S. soccer team as they failed to secure qualification for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. The Stars and Stripes paid the price for relying too heavily on older players. While DaMarcus Beasley and Tim Howard have been great stars of American soccer for almost twenty years, they really looked out of it and should not have been part of the World Cup qualification campaign.
This disaster does indicate that the US soccer federation needs to start making massive progress. Considering that the US played in the CONCACAF region (which is one of the least competitive) and still failed to qualify for the tournament, it can be argued that they do not deserve to be playing in the World Cup.
Despite the US failing to qualify for the World Cup, there is some hope for the future. Below is a list of four up-and-coming talents that fans look forward to watching.
Christian Pulisic
At just 19 years old, Pulisic has come to be regarded as one of the best up-and-coming talents in the world. He is currently a first-team regular at Borussia Dortmund, and there has even been speculation suggesting that he could play for an elite club in England or Spain in the near future.
Pulisic has established himself as a key player for the US and was arguably the best player during the disastrous 2018 World Cup qualification campaign.
Despite the US enduring a disastrous 2017, the year was a good one for Pulisic. He went on to establish himself as an essential part of the Borussia Dortmund team and was crowned the US Male Soccer Athlete of the Year. He is rightly counted among the rising stars of American Soccer.
Kellyn Acosta
The 22-year-old Acosta is improving rapidly. With 17 national team caps to his name, his performances have been largely mixed. However, he can be a great defensive element in midfield, which the US have lacked during recent years.
Erik Palmer-Brown
Following some impressive performances for Sporting Kansas City in 2017, Palmer-Brown earned himself a move to Manchester City in January and is currently on loan with Belgian club KV Kortrijk.
Juventus tried to sign the youngster three years ago.
Judging by the attention he has garnered, Palmer-Brown obviously has talent. If he lives up to it, he could become a key player for the US in years to come.
Matt Miazga
Like Palmer-Brown, Miazga has also shown promise, so much so that Chelsea recruited him from the New York Red Bulls in January 2016.
With John Terry and Gary Cahill both injured, Miazga made his Premier League debut for Chelsea on April 2, 2016. He then earned a second game during the following match against Aston Villa.
Since then, Miazga has not played for Chelsea and has been on loan with Dutch club Vitesse, for whom he has made 45 League appearances and scored two goals.
Though he represented Poland at the U-18 level, Miazga has chosen to represent the US in international football and was part of the US senior squad that won the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup.