US U-20 National Team Names 2006 Milk Cup Roster...

Head coach Thomas Rongen named eighteen young American soccer players to the 2006 Milk Cup roster yesterday. As you read about back on July 10th, the Milk Cup is hosted in Northern Ireland every year and hosts some big names in youth soccer. As defending champions, the US is going to want to win again to show they're not a fluke. Winning these types of competitions builds confidence in the players and will bode well for those who can make the senior roster in the future. Their international experience will also help their game as they return to college and pro teams after the cup is done.

Here's the roster going to Northern Ireland this week:

GOALKEEPERS (2):

Mike Gustavson (South Carolina)

Chris Seitz (Maryland)

DEFENDERS (6):

Tony Beltran (UCLA)

Amaechi Igwe (Santa Clara)

Chance Myers (UCLA)

Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana)

Julian Valentin (Wake Forest)

Blake Wagner (FC Dallas)

MIDFIELDERS (6):

Carlos Borja (Chivas USA)

Rodrigo Lopez (Chivas USA)

Dax McCarty (FC Dallas)

Brad Ring (Indiana)

Robbie Rogers (Maryland)

Jonathan Villanueva (Virginia)

FORWARDS (4):

Josmer Altidore (N.Y. Red Bulls)

Johann Smith (Bolton FC)

Preston Zimmerman (Hamburg SV)

Sal Zizzo (UCLA).

It is great to see so many bolded names, meaning they are professional players. Of the 18 man roster, 39% are professional with 28% playing in MLS; Zimmermann and Smith being the only players currently in Europe. Of the college players, UCLA is best represented with three members of the squad playing college soccer in sunny Southern California.

A more interesting fact is that 50% of this team were named to the ESP All*Star team the summer they participated in that camp. 67% of these kids played at the camp. That is a very high percentage and I believe shows the close link between ESP and the National Team. It continues to worry me that you need to be one of a hundred or so kids to have a strong chance of making the National Team. Obviously there are other ways to get noticed for the National Teams, but ESP is the best way, and not enough kids get to play at ESP. For example, Colin Vint didn't play at ESP. He was able to be recognized by the University of Richmond, but since he wasn't in the circle already, when he graduated from college he was held back from MLS and is now over in Ireland. Young American players shouldn't have to go to Ireland to get quality coaching and playing time.

Good luck to the 2006 Milk Cup team. If we keep winning these types of youth tournaments, the praise and recognition from international soccer will continue to build.