When discussing the US menās national teamās 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup draw, head coach Gregg Berhalter turned some heads when mentioning a trio of youngsters developing at D.C. United.
He singled out Moses Nyeman, Kevin Paredes and Griffin Yow, all of whom are 18 or younger and making considerable first-team impacts this season as Homegrown Players.
āYou see a lot of players rising to the occasion and rising to the challenges,ā Berhalter said at the time. āIt wasnāt that common that such young players are playing now in MLS. You look at Moses Nyeman from D.C., you look at Kevin Paredes, Griffin Yow ā those are good examples of young players making a good impact in the league. Other teams as well.ā
Then speaking ahead of D.C.ās Saturday home game against Atlanta United (7 pm ET | TV & streaming info), head coach Ben Olsen confirmed that heās had discussions with Berhalter about the clubās young trio. None have featured beyond the US U-17 national team, though theyāre clearly on the radar screen ā at least in a long-term sense.
Watch: Griffin Yow goal
āYes I have had conversations with Gregg,ā Olsen said. āGreggās a very hardworking coach and he watches every MLS game and probably about 100 games on the weekend from around the world. He is watching.
āI think that's a good message to young players that in this league, that if you do well, that youāre going to be put on his radar. I think Greggās a brave coach and heās got a lot of ideas and tactically if he sees a young player thatās going to fit into what he wants to do on the international stage, I donāt think heāll be afraid to give kids a shot.ā
Olsen said that Nyeman, 16, is likely to see more minutes as D.C. copes with injuries in midfield. He earned his first start last weekend, while Yow, an 18-year-old forward, also started in the 2-0 loss against the New England Revolution shortly after scoring his inaugural MLS goal. Meanwhile, Paredes is a 17-year-old midfielder whoās played the most (six starts, 10 appearances) out of the group but is currently injured.
Veteran center back Steve Birnbuam specifically spoke about Nyemanās growth, adding that he sometimes runs too much. Itās an eagerness that he believes will settle down with more matches played.
āI think heās done a great job coming in and heās really composed on the ball,ā Birnbaum said of Nyeman. āAt a young age, to be that composed and to kind of dictate the game is something to see. Heās also got great spatial awareness, knowing where to find the little pockets and pick up balls. I think heās got this kind of quickness to him that he can get out to players and you donāt really expect it. Heās a great player and weāre excited to have him in there and heās doing a great job for us.ā
Is a USMNT debut coming soon for any of D.C.ās youngsters? That doesnāt seem imminent, but theyāre on a promising trajectory and capitalizing on their opportunity.