THE FINAL THIRD

Questions arise about what happened yesterday in the 0-5 loss to Paraguay. Ultimately, the score will be forgotten, but you can be sure that Thomas Rongen and his staff are up late analyzing the match. USA plays again tomorrow (Wednesday) against Colombia.

The USMNT U20′s have arrived in Peru for a “friendly” tournament in Arequipa. Here is a video and also the schedule and roster for the tournament. USMNT U20 coach Thomas Rongen has assembled a squad comprised only of professional players, no college players on this trip. Surely this sends a message that Rongen is looking to players training in a professional environment. Also, habla bíen en espanol el Sr. Dave van den Berg!!

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USMNT U20 coach Thomas Rongen speaks to “Yanks Abroad” about preparing for the 2011 U20 World Championship. At the end of the article he speaks about what it will take to compete for the World Cup in the not so distant future. The foundation is there, we just have to cultivate it,” he stated. “We have to get better coaches at the youth levels. We have got to structure certain things better. We’ve got to a better job at coaching education. If we really target zone one starting tomorrow, which is [ages] 6-12, we can make sure all those players are all technically and fundamentally sound.”

Link to article

Final Third favorite, Moises Orozco, the Oxnard, CA attacking midfielder, now training at Tigres in Monterrey, Mexico, scored the only goal Monday in the USMNT U20 victory vs the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Dallas Cup. Blogs have reported European scouts are scrambling to figure out who Moises is, as he has been flying under the US Soccer Federation radar. Ricardo Argueta, the Real So Cal Academy U18 manager has known Moises and his cousin Emilio for years. Emilio spent two years at U17 residency in Bradenton, Fl. The central defender/defensive midfielder looks a sure bet to make some waves as well.

How many more players like Moises are out there, playing at a level that can help the National team program? US Soccer must work harder to identify players like Moises earlier in their development. The USSDA (US Soccer Development Academy) is a good start, but out there in places like Oxnard, there certainly are more.

Yanks Abroad has a match recap. Read it here.

The U20 cycle begins anew with a camp held in Chula Vista, CA. Thomas Rongen and several players talk about the camp in the following video. The next World Cup for U20 will be in 2011 in Colombia.