The US Men's National Team has two upcoming friendlies related to their January team training camp.  The first is Saturday, January 22nd vs. Chile at 10pm ET / 7pm PT at the Home Depot Center.  The second is Wednesday, February in Egypt with the time still unannounced.

Based on this roster Bob Bradley is clearly giving new players a chance.  This is very sensible considering that the next World Cup is so far off.  There should be plenty of chances for these players to make an impact and work their way onto the roster during the next cycle.  Additionally, many of players are young enough that they will fit under the U-23 age requirements for the 2012 Olympic roster. The focus is not just on youth either, considering that there are a half dozen players that are 25 or older.  Jeff Larentowicz has a chance at his first international cap, which is long past due when you look at his continued success in the MLS.  Larentowicz is the sort of player that just wins, he doesn't always blow you away with top tier skills or supreme technical ability, but he's willing to do the dirty work in midfield that helps make a difference.  It is also nice to see that Chris Wondolowski is getting a chance after his impressive MLS campaign.  During the previous season he managed to rise from relative obscurity to top-notch goal scorer and MVP candidate.  He also has a "nose for the goal" which the US team desperately needs, but it's yet to be seen if those skills will translate to the next level.

Matt Pickens and Nick Rimando are both experienced keepers with minimal international experience.  While both are skilled, goalkeeper has long been the deepest position for US Soccer talent.  As a result, I see Pickens and Rimando fighting with other camp invites Dominic Cervi and Sean Johnson for the 3rd goalie position for the 2014 team.  This is taking into consideration that Tim Howard will likely be attempting to stave off Brad Guzan trying to retain the starting goalkeeper position.

The rest of the roster shows a clear youth movement.  Some of the players are so young that they may not be ready for 2014, but may be featured by the time 2018 rolls around.  Conversely, Bradley hasn't been shy about putting young players in difficult situations.  I can't say that I necessarily disagree because if a player is ready to contribute then they should be considered regardless of age.  

There are 3 young players in particular that have caught my eye in the last year:
1) 18 year old, Colombian-American Juan Agudelo - He scored a well-placed, clutch goal (vuvuzela warning on the link) to snatch a victory in the US team's November visit to South Africa.  Plus he put together an impressive goalscoring record with the US U-17s putting home 12 goals in just 16 appearances. Agudelo is currently in a good position club-wise with the New York Red Bulls.  With the departure of Juan Pablo Angel, it is likely that he'll have a chance to at least split time up front with Theirry Henry.  Additionally, if Henry is willing and capable of teaching, then Agudelo will be able to learn at the feet of one of the all-time great goalscorers.

2) 20 year old, Norwegian-American Mikkel Diskerud - He assisted on Agudelo's goal against South Africa in his only full international appearance. If you watched the video provided above, it's clear that his tricky footwork was almost as critical as Agudelo's finishing.  Diskerud looked electric during his brief time in the South Africa game, threading in dangerous passes and creating chances.  Even if it's just as a late game sub, I could see him figuring into the plans for 2014.  Additionally, his club situation is fair considering that he starts and finishes the majority of games.  The only negative is that he's currently playing for a mid-table team in Norway, ideally the coming years would see him moving up to the Netherlands, Germany or France, while still having the opportunity for regular playing time.

3) 20 year old, American, Brek Shea - Despite his flamboyant haircut, I do actually like Shea's skills.  He hasn't necessarily lived up to his ability during his stints with the US youth teams, but he certainly has potential.  He has impressive size at 6'4" which comes with matching strength, making him tough to push off the ball especially for many midfielders and speedy wing defenders.  Shea was also one of the keys to FC Dallas' postseason success.  He still has to show improvement at the top level, but the talent is there to be a contributing member during the next few years.

I must first recommend that everyone planning on reading this article opens up the final draft results in a separate tab so you can follow along. They can be found here: MLS Draft Results 

For those of you who don't follow the MLS regularly may not know that there are 2 more expansion teams (bringing the total to 4 in the last 3 seasons). This years expansion teams are the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers. Both are looking to duplicate the kind of success seen by the Seattle Sounders expansion season of 2009. They finished 3rd in the Western Conference (4th overall), but got shut out in the opening round of the playoffs. A more likely result would be one similar to the Philadelphia Union the 2010 expansion team, which finished 7th in the Eastern Conference (14th overall). Despite the tough season the Union were certainly an entertaining team. They didn't shutout an opponent until the 23rd game of the season, which was coincidentally the only MLS game I went to last season.  

As expansion teams the Whitecaps and Timbers don't really have the chance to "draft for need." Accordingly, the short term strategy would be to draft college players who are closer to their peak and will be able to step right in as starters. The long term strategy would be to take the teenage players that project well.

The Whitecaps had the #1 overall pick and clearly opted for the long term strategy by taking 17-year old Forward Omar Salgado. Salgado was not necessarily projected as a top pick, but you can see the attraction. He's played for the Mexico U-17 and U-20 teams before switching allegiance and joining the USA U-20s. He's also 6'4" which may make him a good target if he ever fills out beyond his current weight of 170lbs.

The most amazing thing about this draft was what happened with the 7 picks immediately following Salgado. 5 of the next 7 picks played on the same team last season, which was the University of Akron Zips. That is not a typo. There were FIVE players taken in the top 8 in the draft from the same college team.

While Akron had been the team the beat in their conference for nearly 2 decades winning 12 of the last 18 conference titles including the last 6 in a row, they really established themselves as a force over the last few seasons. In 2008 they went into the NCAA tournament ranked 5th, but were upset in the round of 16. In 2009 the Zips lost in penalty kicks in the championship. 2010 was finally their breakthrough in which they won the National Championship. Including the postseason tournaments they finished a very impressive 23-1-1.

Despite this success, having half of the outfield players drafted in the 1st round is still unprecedented in any sport. On top of that Akron saw 2 more players taken in the 2nd round. This is really testament to the Zips coach Caleb Porter who took over the program in 2006. Not only is he excelling in recruiting, but also by developing pro-ready talent better than any other program. In addition, Akron is likely going to become a "soccer factory" as many players with professional aspirations will gravitate towards Porter's system knowing that he gives them them the best chance of realizing their dreams. It is truly one of the situations where "the rich will get richer."

Now back to the draft:
The 2 picks following Salgado were widely projected as the #1 and #2 overall players going into this draft, being Darlington Nagbe and Perry Kitchen both Akron midfielders leaving with some college eligibility remaining. Picks 4-9 saw a run on defensive players with 4 defenders, 1 goalie and 1 offensive midfielder. Picks 4, 7 and 8 were all Akron products at all. The goalkeeper taken was Zac MacMath an athletic 19-year old out of Maryland. He'll be expected to step right in for the Philadelphia Union a team that desperately needed to upgrade their defense.

Team by team:
Vancouver Whitecaps - Besides Salgado the Whitecaps traded back into the 1st round by sending Nathan Sturgis (picked up through the expansion draft) to Toronto FC for the 8th overall pick. This pick was used to take Michael Nanchoff (Akron). This was followed in the 2nd and 3rd rounds by a defender and midfielder both out of Notre Dame. Simply taking the best players available, which is never a bad idea.

Portland Timbers - Due to a series of trades, they only ended up taking 2 players in the draft itself but picked up allocation money from 2 teams along the way. They drafted Nagbe 2nd overall who is widely regarded as the most pro-ready player in the draft, giving the Timbers an immediate scoring threat. They also took a defender in the 2nd rounder and acquired defensive midfielder Jeremy Hall for a 3rd round pick.

DC United - They appeared to be the team with the most holes going into the draft after a terrible 6-20-4 season. They had very few bright spots beyond Rookie of the Year Andy Najar, who at only 17-years old appears to be a star of the future. A future that likely will include time in one of Europe's top leagues. Their vast needs were reflected by their drafting of a midfielder, defender and goalkeeper. I would imagine that they are excited that Perry Kitchen fell to them in the 3rd spot.

Chivas USA - Chivas traded away allocation money to move up for another 1st round pick. They took a defender with the 4th overall pick and then chose forward Victor Estupinan with the 14th pick. Estupinan was playing sparingly for one of the top Ecudorian teams and decided to enter the MLS. Due to unique rules attempting to maintain some balance of power, the MLS requires that non-transfer international players are entered into the draft.

Philadelphia Union - Zac MacMath was a smart pick-up for a team that needed to boost their defense. I'm not entirely sure it was a goalie problem though. The expense of the next 2 picks on a midfielder and forward was also puzzling because the offense was as good or better than a number of midtable teams.

New England Revolution - Possibly one of the most boring teams in the MLS, which is looked at as a boring league. The Revs were another team that spent their 3 picks on a defender, midfielder and forward, in that order. Having Matt Reis back full time will likely have a more profound effect on this team than any of these picks in the following year. But AJ Soares should help out the defense which was the league's worst last year.

Houston Dynamo - After a reign atop the MLS, the Dynamo fell like a stone to 7th in the Western Conference. I attribute this largely to the loss of Stuart Holden to Bolton of the EPL. His effect may not have been blatantly obvious when he was in Houston, but the boost he has provided to Bolton has been significant. This was another team that traded often and ended up with just 2 picks, both 1st rounders, at #7 and #11 overall. One spent on a defender and the other on a forward.  

Toronto FC - Toronto seems to be unable to ever gain any traction having failed to reach the playoffs in their 5 seasons in the league. They ended up with 4 picks, a 2nd rounder and 3 3rd rounders. Despite having one of the worst offenses they neglected to take a forward, instead choosing 2 defenders and 2 midfielders.

Chicago Fire - Chicago spent their 1st round pick on a defender Jalil Anibaba out of UNC. Which bolsters a defensive unit that was fairly strong last season. They also used 2 3rd round picks on forwards. This is likely a reaction to the loss of Brian McBride who retired at the end of the 2010 season. Side note: McBride was a very entertaining player, whose aerial prowess has never been matched by an American player. His fearlessness was truly remarkable and I will miss the opportunity of seeing him play on a regular basis.

Sporting KC (formerly Kansas City Wizards) - Sporting a new name (I promise I will never make that joke again) KC made one pick in each round. They spent them on a defender, forward and midfielder, in that order. The biggest news out of KC this year is their soccer-specific stadium which is scheduled to open mid-season.

Seattle Sounders - The Sounders did the most wheeling and dealing on draft day ending up with 4 2nd round picks and a 3rd round pick. This strategy is similar to the one I covered in the article about the New England Patriots. Taking the most shots reduces the effect of a single bad pick. Their first 2 picks were spent on defenders and their 3rd was used on a GK, which was likely in preparation for the impending retirement of Kasey Keller.

Columbus Crew - After another strong season the Crew still look to be one of the best in the East and will likely to compete with the Red Bulls for 1st place in the conference. They spent their 2 first round picks on a forward and a defender, who are likely being seen as replacements for Hejduk and Lenhart. Their 2 later round picks used on midfielders, which is never a bad place to spend picks when you don't have many needs.

New York Red Bulls - The Red Bulls certainly made the biggest splashes in the MLS in 2010 by bringing in Henry and Marquez. With Juan Pablo Angel's departure to the Galaxy, a major void developed up top. Accordingly their first round pick was spent on F Corey Hertzog out of Penn State. He has some tough shoes to fill, but luckily for him soccer is largely ignored by the New York media. Hopefully he can get through his growing pains without too much scrutiny. With their first 2nd round pick they took John Rooney, who as you likely know, is Wayne Rooney's younger brother. I doubt he'll have a major impact this season but he has the 2nd most pro experience among players taken in this year's draft.

Real Salt Lake - Real had a single pick which was 52nd overall (3rd from last). They spent this pick on a midfielder but most of their action was in the trades they made. They picked up allocation money, F Luis GIl and F Arturo Alvarez. GIl is a player I'm particularly enamored with. He has amazing technical ability, which is typical of players with Mexican heritage. Additionally, he had been offered a place with Arsenal and he's still only 17.

San Jose Earthquakes - San Jose had just 1 draft pick which they spent on Akron midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong, which is clearly the best name in this year's draft. He is undersized, but he runs all day and is a tough guy. He actually makes me think of Wes Welker as a soccer player. The only downside is he can get a little bit single-minded and lose track of his teammates, but strong coaching can easily iron that out. San Jose also managed to pick up Steven Lenhart via trade which gives them an aerial threat which could help open up lanes to the net for Chris Wondolowski setting him up for another great season.

LA Galaxy - The Galaxy spent both of their picks on midfielders, joining possibly the 2 most successful midfielders in the MLS in Landon Donovan and David Beckham. This could be a great learning experience for both Paolo Cardoza out of Argentina and Hector Jimenez of UC-Berkeley.

FC Dallas - Dallas was virtually the only team not to participate in any trades on draft day, but when your happy with what you have then why make changes. Dallas is a great example of what can happen when you fully invest in a youth movement. Now that players like Brek Shea and Dax McCarty have started to reach their prime, Dallas has good chance to be in the championship hunt for a few more years. Their draft focus was clearly on defense considering that's how they spent their 1st and 3rd rounders. Keep in mind that this team only allowed 28 goals last season, which made them one of the best defenses already.

Colorado Rapids - The Rapids were the surprise MLS champions last season, but their home field advantage certainly helped. It was the second consecutive year that a Rocky Mountain team won the Cup after squeaking into the playoffs. The key is obviously peaking at the right time. Both of the Rapids picks were spent on defense where they will join Marvell Wynne who is possibly the fastest player in the MLS, but he still needs to learn how to use it. If this defense coalesces, the Rapids could make a run at another championship.