Speaking of balance, are the USA imbalanced? We know they have some fantastic young players, but sometimes I feel they are lacking a veteran presence. Are we more balanced in this regard? Canada Youth: Davies, David, Cornelius, Brault-Guillard, Miller, Eustaquio Prime: Osorio, Kaye, Adekugbe, Laryea, Larin, Cavallini, Piette, Henry Vets: Arfield, Hoilett, Hutchinson, Vitoria, Borjan USA Youth: Pulisic, Reyna, Dest, Sargent, Adams, McKennie, Cannon, Prime: Steffan, Morris, Boyd, Roldan, Yedlin, Brooks, Long Vets: Altidore, Zardes, Bradley, Ream Now trying to be fair and not cherry-pick, I selected the best players for each country. I started with us and chose who think of as starters, or at least debatable starters. I never gave too much mind to position, but I did pick one goal keeper for each. I then did the same for the USA. So what to make of the results? The first thing which is clear is that almost all of their best players are in the youth category. They are going to be scary good in a few years, but right now they have talent without experience. That won't last for long, but experience in a team is critical. Youth players need Vets to lead them, but in order to lead you must still be effective. You must be a pillar of the team. Being a "bench" leader only counts for so much. This is where I think the USA may struggle for this cycle. Look at their vets. Bradley is just about past it at this level with all due respect. Altidore is not far behind. I love both of these players, but this is true. Zardes is having a career year in MLS and Ream is a steady eddy, but are these guys who Pulisic, Adams, Dest and co. are going to be motivated by or inspired by? Who is going to drag the team to victory when the going gets tough? The best players. However, if the best players are the young players, the moment may prove too big. They don't have the reference points when push comes to shove. This is where you need leaders with experience. We have a much better outlook in this regard. Hutchinson is still playing at a high level. When he shows up he plays a key role for Canada. He never just comes in to round out the numbers. Same goes for Arfield and Hoilett. These are not "fringe" vets, these are core players for Canada. They command respect with their play. I am not even saying they are better players than their USA counterparts (though you can argue they are), but I am saying in the context of our team they are big players. The USA vets are not the big players, their youth are the big players. In fact, I would say the 6 most talented players from that USA group are arguably what I call Youth. For Canada, I think of out of our top 6 we have 2 from the Youth, 1 in their Prime and 3 who are Vets. I mean, it's all subjective but you know what I am getting at. Basically I think the USA will go through growing pains before they become the juggernauts some people expect.