USL Feature
Friday, June 24, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. – The United States National Team faces Mexico in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at the Rose Bowl tomorrow night, and the U.S. squad boasts some familiar faces to the international scene that started their climb through the ranks playing in the USL Super Y-League. Juan Agudelo, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector, Jozy Altidore, and Freddy Adu all gained experience against elite-level competition in Super Y.
Agudelo, who currently plays with the New York Red Bulls of MLS, played for the Red Bulls Academy in Super Y in 2008. That same year, he was identified by U.S. scouts and invited to the U17 Men’s National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. A year later, Agudelo was named in the U17 World Cup Roster for the USA.
Blossoming from the Red Bull Academy, which was ranked as the best Academy in North America by Super- Y in 2006, Agudelo has enjoyed unprecedented success already in his young career. In 2010, he became the second player from the Red Bull Academy to sign a professional contract with the first team and has gone on to score two goals for the US, with his first coming late on against South Africa and his second against Argentina in the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Lichaj has put a string of impressive performances together to get the nod at left back for the United States. The Aston Villa defender has done well going forward for the United States in the Gold Cup, with shades of his Super Y days as a forward for the Chicago Magic coming to mind.
In the 2003 Super-Y League Final against FC Delco, Lichaj headed in a corner to put his team up 1-0. After the Magic scored a second, it looked as if the U14 title was headed to Chicago. However, FC Delco scored twice to level the game at 2-2. Late in the game, Lichaj collected a long ball out of the back and drilled a low, hard shot off the far post and in to secure the 3-2 victory and the Super-Y League North American Title. Since breaking into Bob Bradley’s starting 11, Lichaj hasn’t found the back of the net but poses an offensive threat down the left flank.
Spector will hope to see the field for the first time in the Gold Cup tomorrow night as the former Manchester United defender looks to break back into a starting role for the national team. Spector played in the center of midfield for West Ham United for a portion of this past English Premier League Season, before West Ham was relegated to the nPower Championship.
The highlight of Spector’s season was scoring twice against his old club, handing Manchester United its first loss of the season in the Carling Cup. Spector played Super Y for the Chicago Sockers and was recruited to play at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton.
Now injured and out of the current Gold Cup campaign, Altidore has established himself as a regular in the international setup.
Altidore played Super Y at Schulz Academy before making the jump to the NY/NJ Metrostars, six weeks before they became the New York Red Bulls. His performances with the Schulz Academy grabbed the attention of national team scouts and he joined the Bradenton Academy U17 program.
Altidore then went on the represent the United States in Canada at the FIFA U20 World Cup, scoring two goals against Brazil, and four goals total in the tournament. Altidore has had incredible success at the international level, representing the United States at the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Altidore has also scored two goals in the Gold Cup, against Canada and Guadeloupe. His Super- Y League club has also had a fair amount of success by claiming the U14, U15, and U16 Boys National Championships in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Adu, who is still one of the most promising young talents in American soccer, subbed into the Gold Cup semifinal against Panama and changed the game. His immediate impact won the game for the United States after his long ball found Landon Donovan in stride, and Donovan then crossed to Clint Dempsey for the winning goal.
Still only 22 years old, Adu has struggled on the European club scene. After being signed by Portuguese giants Benfica, Adu has jumped around Europe on loan and has tried to find the form that once made him the most electric young talents in the United States. Adu played in the USL Super-Y League under the D.C. United youth system, before being signed to a professional contract at the age of 14.