US' young roster provides plenty of hope for the future

SALVADOR, Brazil – The future. When Jurgen Klinsmann named this World Cup roster, the questions were raised. Julian Green? DeAndre Yedlin? John Brooks? Was Klinsmann bypassing the chance to win today with an eye on building for the future?

With the security of a contract through the next World Cup, was 2018 more important? As it turned out, after a riveting 120 minutes, the United States' 2-1 loss to Belgium seemed to validate Klinsmann's roster gambles and reaffirmed his vision for the future.

Yedlin, the 20-year-old defender, appeared in two games before he was named to the World Cup team. After the team was selected, he said it took only two or three days in training camp for the young players on the team to bond. They ate together, spent their down time together, and, as Yedlin put it, became lifetime friends.

"We call ourselves the young guns because we're going to be the next generation, hopefully," he said.

In the first half, the Americans lost their best fullback, Fabian Johnson, who went out with a strained hamstring. Yedlin, a long shot to make the roster two months ago, found himself battling Eden Hazard, Belgium's star and one of the best players in Europe.

But there Yedlin was, running down Hazard on the wing, beating him to balls, holding his own.

"I'm excited he plays on our team because he has tools other guys don't," defender Matt Besler said. "When he ran down Hazard on the sideline, you don't see Hazard getting outrun like that, and he blew by him. He showed composure and fight."

Said Klinsmann: "There was just no fear at all."

Green, 19, hadn't played a minute in the World Cup until he came on in extra time. In the 107th minute, he took a pretty chip from Michael Bradley and volleyed the ball into the back of the net for the Americans' only goal. And Green's first international goal.

"Julian was growing at a very fast speed in the last seven weeks, and we guided him through that process," Klinsmann said of the German American who plays for Bayern Munich's second team. "It was just phenomenal how he came in and scored that goal. It's fun to watch that kid grow."

Before he was named to the roster, Green, a dual national who chose to play for the U.S. in the spring, had appeared in one game for the national team. Against Belgium, he became the youngest U.S. player in history to compete in a World Cup game.

With four games of experience with the national team, Brooks, 21, was a surprising addition to the American roster. A surprise then became a stunner. In the opening game, Brooks made his mark against Ghana, scoring the winning goal in the 86nd minute in the 2-1 win. Afterward, he was so stunned he fell to the field and was smothered by his teammates in one of the U.S. team's most memorable moments of the tournament.

So where does this leave the U.S. going forward? In a promising place. Four years from now the roster will look very different, given Klinsmann's insistence on leaving the past in the past, and Landon Donovan at home.

But before the next World Cup in Russia in 2018, there are important tournaments ahead. After missing out on the London Olympics in 2012, the Americans must qualify for the 2016 Games to further their youth movement. There's the Gold Cup next summer, Copa America in 2016 and perhaps the Confederations Cup in 2017.

After Tuesday's game, Michael Bradley took a few of the younger players aside to talk about just that. Given the letdown and the lull between big events, he wanted to remind them of the work that needs to be done.

"It will be a big four years for us, for all of us, but especially for the young players who now have a taste of what it's like to compete at this level and play well," Bradley said.

Given the talent gap between the Americans and Belgium (and Germany and Portugal), the future might be promising, but there still are miles to go before the Americans field a team capable of going deep in the tournament.

Growth, and progress, is mental, too.

"There is still a little too much respect on our end when it comes to the big stage. It is something that we have to go through. I don't know how many years it takes," Klinsmann said.

He wants players to take on stars like Hazard, and know they can beat them.