5 American Soccer Players About to Burst Onto the Scene

Copa America Centenario comes to a close this weekend, with the U.S. Men’s National Team playing in Saturday’s third-place game after a 4-0 shellacking at the hands of Argentina, the world’s No. 1 ranked team according to FIFA. Likewise, the curtain may also be descending on what has perhaps been the most decorated and accomplished generation of individual talent in the history of U.S. soccer. Landon Donovan has already retired, Tim Howard has been relegated to backup duty, and despite their positive work in this year’s edition of Copa, Clint Dempsey (33), and Jermaine Jones (34) are old enough that any additional contributions they make going forward should just be considered a bonus.

So now, we ask the critical question: who replaces them?

MichaelBradley has been a national team regular for years, and that's unlikely to change. John Brooks, Fabian Johnson, and Deandre Yedlin are all good players who fill key roles in the present and figure only to grow in stature in the future.

But that's where the "sure things" really end. Jozy Altidore can't stay on the field. Gyasi Zardes needs to prove he has the technical ability to be a difference-maker. Julian Green, Mix Diskerud, Brek Shea, and many others have yet to prove they can perform at a high level on a regular basis. Young, hyped players like Gedion Zelalem and Rubio Rubin still have a way to go in their development before they can reasonably be expected to make an impact on the big stage.

But it's not all doom and gloom for the United States' footballing future. Despite what seems on the surface to be a dearth of available talent, there are actually several young players poised to step in and replace the older departing stars of the past. If the loss to Argentina proved anything, it’s that the current crop of players can only take this team so far. With an eye towards the not-too-distant future, here's a look at 5 American Soccer Players About to Burst Onto the Scene.

Bucking the long, storied tradition of bald-headed stalwarts protecting the United States' goal, Zack Steffen is nevertheless the most promising goalkeeper in the U.S. system considering his age and early accomplishments. After two standout seasons at the University of Maryland, he signed with Germany's SC Freiburg in late 2014 and was the starter for the club's reserve squad last season. While just 21 years old—practically an infant in goalkeeper years—Steffen has already demonstrated remarkable athletic ability and a sense of positioning well ahead of his years.

After an outstanding performance in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand that prompted former U.S. National Team goalkeeper Kasey Keller to say that Steffen lacks "any obvious weaknesses," Steffen was the starter for the U.S. U-23 team attempting to qualify for the Olympics this past spring before suffering an unfortunately-timed injury just before the playoff loss to Colombia that kept the Americans out of this summer's Olympics.

Jürgen Klinsmann has already taken notice of Steffen, calling him up for the May "transition camp" prior to Copa America. While Steffen was ineligible for the tournament roster due to not being on the 40-man preliminary list of players, he was able to train alongside Howard and 31-year-old starter Brad Guzan, thus proving to Klinsmann firsthand that he is the future in net should Guzan—who, it must be said, had an outstanding tournament—falter either now or later down the road.

The hype for Christian Pulisic has slowly been building over the last 18 months ever since the Pennsylvania native signed with German talent factory Borussia Dortmund in January 2015, just a few months after his 16th birthday. Not yet old enough to drive but old enough to shred on the pitch, Pulisic shot through the Dortmund youth system over the course of the next year and earned a call-up to the senior team and made his Bundesliga debut just over a year after signing. He scored his first goal on April 17 at the tender age of 17 years and 212 days old, making him the youngest non-German player (and fourth-youngest overall) ever to score in the 53-year history of the Bundesliga.

Can you begin to understand why people are so hyped about this kid?

Pulisic has been no slouch for his country, either. He captained the U.S. at the 2015 U17 World Cup, and on March 27 of this year earned his first call-up to the senior team. In part because he was also eligible to play for Croatia—who were actively pursuing him—Pulisic made a brief cameo debut for the U.S. in order to permanently tie him to the team. His performances in the warm-up games prior to the Copa, which included some dazzling moments of individual skill against Ecuador and a goal against Bolivia, made him a favorite among fans and helped earn him 45 minutes of playing time against Argentina.

It’s hard not to be excited about Pulisic’s future, especially considering he has a grand total of 14 senior team appearances. If you had to wager on one future star of American soccer, this would be your guy.

One of the most decorated college players ever after a three-year career at Stanford that culminated last season with a national championship and a Hermann Trophy (the NCAA Division I Player of the Year award), Jordan Morris had already emerged from relative obscurity to make a name for himself amongst USMNT fans. In April 2015, he came on as a substitute and scored a goal in a U.S. friendly against Mexico that, despite being played in San Antonio, was effectively a road game due to the huge contingent of Mexican fans that filled the Alamo Dome.

Since turning pro following his standout career in the amateur ranks, Morris has overcome a slow start with the Seattle Sounders to score five goals in his last nine games, including a stretch of four straight games with a goal. His poor run of form to start this season, however, put him on the outside looking in for Copa; before the tournament, Klinsmann commented that “Jordan knows he has to become a two-way player, has to learn [to deal with] high pressure, how to defend and how to make decisions, when to pass and when to cross. He has to improve his left foot, his aerial game. There are many areas where he knows, ‘I’ve got to work on it.’”

Despite this seemingly far-reaching criticism from his coach, Morris has plenty going for him, too. He has both pace and strength up top, something the U.S. traditionally covets in its forwards and a skill that simply cannot be taught. Along with his nose for the goal and still young age (he won’t turn 22 until October), Morris is clearly a player who will be heard from often in coming years.

Maybe it’s because he plays a position (center back) that doesn’t get a lot of media attention, but Matt Miazga signing with Chelsea and making two Premier League appearances for the defending champions in their disappointing campaign this past season was a big deal. It’s not every day that an American player is playing in England’s top flight, but it seems that many casual fans aren’t even aware that Miazga exists.

Born to Polish parents but choosing to play for his home country, Miazga turned 21 years old less than a week ago and still has much room to grow as a player. Klinsmann said as much before the Copa—where Miazga was left off the roster in favor of established players like John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, and Matt Besler—when commenting that, “The potential that Matt Miazga has…is just wonderful.”

Even if he is loaned out next season to a lesser team than Chelsea (which seems likely), Miazga seems poised to follow a similar career pattern as Brooks, who has made dramatic steps forward as a player and become a national team regular after a few seasons of top-level football. A Miazga-Brooks pairing in the middle could potentially anchor the U.S. back line for multiple World Cups, and this should make you feel very good about the future of USMNT.

Another center back with an impeccable footballing pedigree, Cameron Carter-Vickers is a name known to only the most diehard of American fans. But don’t let the 18-year-old’s obscurity fool you; he’s a future star whose name you’ll be hearing a lot. He caught the attention of Tottenham scouts at the tender age of 10 and, by the following year, was placed in the Spurs’ youth academy, where he has remained ever since.

Starting at center back for the club’s U-21 squad last year, Carter-Vickers practiced with Tottenham’s outstanding first team all season and made the match day roster several times (although he did not make any appearances). Likewise, despite his young age he anchored the U.S. U-23 team’s defense in their Olympic qualifiers, missing the playoff with Colombia only due to a season-ending back injury.

While first-team minutes with Spurs will once again be hard to come by, Carter-Vickers won’t remain on the sidelines for much longer. Whether it’s with Tottenham or on loan to another team, he figures to see first-team action in the coming season; if that’s the case, a call-up to the U.S. senior team will not be far behind.