US Soccer Looks Bright: 9 Names to Remember for USMNT

Get excited United States national team fans, because the future of the USMNT looks extremely bright.

The number of young Yanks playing abroad and domestically have grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade.

Couple that with the fact that Jurgen Klinsmann is targeting young talented Germans with any American lineage, and the pool for American prospects is considerably deeper.

While only nine players will be on this list, there are a considerable number of young prospects who are doing quite well currently.

The MLS Draft this upcoming Thursday will include multiple quality prospects who may have a future for the USMNT senior team as well (UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe comes to mind).

With that said, here are nine players that you very well could hear from in the future as guys who will eventually replace the likes of Donovan, Dempsey and Bocanegra.

Villyan Bijev: Forward for Liverpool (On Loan at Fortuna Düsseldorf )

Bijev is a player that came out of nowhere and has now become one of the most interesting and exciting prospects for the USMNT set-up.

The Bulgarian-born star moved to the United States as a young child and flourished in the club soccer scene. While growing up in Fresno, California, he had yet to garner US citizenship, and thus was not able to represent the USA in any competitions.

At 17 years old he obtained American citizenship, and his play did not go unnoticed, earning a scholarship to the University of Washington. The summer before he was set to attend UW up in Seattle, he trialed at Liverpool and shocked the Merseyside club with his play.

Due to his strong showing (in which he scored five goals and had two assists in two games), he was offered and signed a three-year contract with a club option for an additional two.

Bijev has since been loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany’s second tier division, the Second Bundesliga, to get some seasoning and professional experience.

He recently participated in a U-20 camp in Florida last month, where he was said to have performed well. There is still a possibility that the 18-year-old could represent Bulgaria internationally, but for now he's set on playing for the United States.

Terrence Boyd: Forward for Borussia Dortmund

Boyd truly has a chance to become a striker on the senior team if everything goes to plan. He's eerily similar looking to Teal Bunbury in appearance and (evidenced by his interviews) is very popular amongst his national team teammates.

He joined Borussia Dortmund, the reigning Bundesliga champions after a successful campaign at Hertha Berlin. Currently, Boyd plays for the U-23 reserves side for Borussia Dortmund, but a move to the first team is in the near future as he is the leading scorer for his reserves side.

The 20-year-old is part of the Afro-German/American trend that's becoming a staple on American national teams. Just like players such as Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones and Danny Williams (among others), Boyd's father is an African-American serviceman that was stationed in Germany.

Boyd's mother is German and Boyd was raised in Germany, but due to his father's background, he's eligible to play for the United States.

Boyd has participated in recent U-23 camps and looks to be an integral part of the 2012 Olympic team. He's fighting against the likes of Juan Agudelo and others for a starting spot, but if he continues his stellar form, he's a lock to start, and at the very least a spot on the squad.

Fans should be excited about Boyd, he has the potential to one day be an impact player for the senior team.

John Anthony Brooks: Center Back for Hertha Berlin

John Anthony Brooks might have more upside than any other prospective USMNT player and could make an appearance for the senior team sooner rather than later.

The 18-year-old, just like Boyd, has an African-American serviceman father and a German mother. While that's the case, he's respected his father's background and is quite fond of the American culture.

He's a left-footed center-back, and at 6'2", has a great frame for the position. While he's still on the slight side, his physical development is sure to improve as he gets older. Currently, he's playing for the reserves side at Hertha Berlin and often trains with the first team as well.

He is so highly thought of, that German giants Bayern Munich offered him a professional contract. Brooks turned it down however, because he felt comfortable at Hertha.

His appeal is so high largely in part to the position that he plays, his smoothness with the ball at his feet, and his above average distribution out of the back.

Brooks sounds like a great bet at being a stalwart on future American national teams, including a possible starting position on the 2012 Olympic team.

If his rising trajectory continues on course, he'll be a household name for American soccer fans in no time.

Josh Gatt: Winger/Outside-Back at Molde FK

The Michigan product Josh Gatt is one of the only players on this slideshow that gets consistent first-team minutes.

His Norwegian club is managed by former Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. OGS is a big reason as to why Gatt has developed into quite a highly thought-of prospect.

Gatt never played for any American youth national teams, existing in obscurity while playing high school soccer in Michigan instead. He caught the eye of European scouts at a club tournament however, and ended up signing with an Austrian club before making the transition to Norway.

Solskjaer is a huge fan of Gatt's, and even recommended Manchester United keep an eye on him in the future. That just illustrates the expectations he has for the 20-year-old.

The 5'9" Gatt is still a somewhat raw prospect, but has has sublime pace. He's known for making adventurous runs on the flank from either his outside-back or winger position. His versatility makes him an intriguing player as well and he's currently a starter for Molde as an outside-back.

Former manager Bob Bradley considered him for the 2010 Gold Cup, but Gatt ultimately was not chosen.

Regardless, he's definitely a big part of the U-23 team and his call-up to the senior team is not far away.

Here's a recent interview from Gatt at the U-23 camp

Luis Gil: Midfielder for Real Salt Lake

The diminutive Gil is one of the more creative players in the youth pool. Alhough he's only 5'8", he's been pretty impressive in his short time playing professionally for Real Salt Lake in MLS.

The Southern California native has been a member of American youth national teams for quite some time, dating back to his residency at the renowned IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, FL, and his participation in the U-17 World Cup.

A move to the famed English club Arsenal at 16 was in the cards, but Gil was not able to secure a EU work permit and instead was taken by Kansas City Wizards in the MLS lottery. He was then traded to Real Salt Lake.

Initially he had a tough time finding playing time, but this past season he flourished and became a regular for the talented MLS side at 17 years old. He has great technical ability and was able to spray the ball all around the park for his teammates, showing great effort on the defensive end as well.

He's become very adept at running the show and pulling the strings in the midfield. He's not a physical specimen, but he's an very clever and smart player. His style of play should be perfect for the new system Klinsmann is implementing, which focuses on possession and attack-minded play.

Gil has an extremely bright future and after a couple years in MLS, will look forward to making the jump to Europe.

Joseph Gyau: Forward/Winger for Hoffenheim

The Maryland native is an absolute speed demon out on the flanks for German side Hoffenheim. Currently, the 19-year-old is on Hoffenheim's reserves side but has recently trained, and been impressive, with the senior side.

The small winger has very impressive technical ability and has been a thorn in the side for many competitors. Gyau is also a veteran of American youth national teams, which includes a stint at the IMG Academies.

Gyau had very impressive showings in international tournaments, paving the way for him to join the German club alongside fellow American Charles Renken.

He is a very unique prospect for the United States in the fact that he's an all-and-out attacking player with great ball skills to support his wonderful pace. The proposition of Gyau on one side of the midfield and Josh Gatt on the other has American fans drooling.

He looks to be a lock for the 2012 Olympic team and will most likely play on the wings due to the team's depth up top.

*Note: Gyau's father, Philip, was also a former member of the USMNT, and his grandfather, Joseph, was a star for Ghana on the world stage. Through his grandfather, Gyau is eligible to represent Ghana internationally.

Sebastian Lletget: Midfielder for West Ham United

Sebastian Lletget, a 19-year-old from San Francisco has been a member of West Ham's academy for three years and has been a constant for the reserves side.

The creative midfielder has displayed great skill and ability throughout his time participating in the USMNT program. He was a member of the IMG Soccer Academy, but ultimately left to pursue other options, which resulted in a move to England.

He was once spotted spotted at a tournament by a famed West Ham scout who told him he'd be the most talented youth player to ever play for the club (and that list includes Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand).

Lletget has played in friendlies with West Ham's first team and looks to make the full leap to becoming a regular sooner rather than later. He hopes to perform well in hopes of securing a spot in the 2012 London Olympics.

*Since he has Italian heritage, he is also eligible to play for Italy and, by extension, Argentina, as Argentina recognizes double nationality with Italy.

Marc Pelosi: Midfielder/Outside Back for Liverpool

Marc Pelosi captained the USside in the 2011 U-17 World Cup and parlayed an incredibly strong performance into a contract with Liverpool.

The versatile California native not only patrols the center of the park, but can also play outside-back. And thus far in England, reports indicate that he's performing exceedingly well at outside-back for the Liverpool reserves side.

Throughout the U-17 World Cup games in Mexico, he displayed a grit and toughness not seen by many his age.

Pelosi was not adverse to doing the dirty work and the little things for his team's success. For the most talented player on a squad to play like that, it shows that he wants to be great and has the mental makeup to do so.

The 17-year-old looks to keep progressing with Liverpool and hopes to make some noise for the club. He'll definitely be one to look out for in the future.

*Note: Although he was raised in Northern California, he was born in Germany and is thus eligible to represent the Germans internationally.

Daniel Potts: Outside Back for West Ham United

Daniel Potts is a very interesting story. He is the son of former West Ham United captain Steve Potts who was incidentally born in Connecticut.

Due to his father's birth country, the 17-year-old left-back is eligible for the United States and has participated in a recent U-20 US camp in France.

Although born and raised in England, he has not participated for any English youth national teams despite just signing a professional contract with West Ham. He's been so impressive that he's even earned first-team minutes, logging time in three professional games with West Ham's first team recently.

Part of his massive appeal to Klinsmann and and the US program is that he's left-footed and plays left-back—the elusive position that's plagued the USMNT for years.

*Note: Potts was diagnosed with leukemia at 12 years old and has since beaten the disease. Cheers to the young lad for following his dream and playing professional soccer.