US Coach Bob Bradley Begins Building National Team Foundation Against Chile

CARSON, Calif. -- For the casual fan of the U.S. national team, Saturday's match against Chile probably seemed a bit unusual. Where was Landon Donovan? Why wasn't the game on English-language TV? Who the heck is Mikkel Diskerud, and why is everyone calling him "Mixx?"

The simple answers to these questions are that Landon Donovan is in Los Angeles preparing for the upcoming MLS season.

The game wasn't on television because ESPN is contracted to show a certain number of matches annually and this one wasn't selected.

And Mikkel Diskerud is a promising 20-year-old midfielder from Oslo whose American mother (hence his U.S. passport) nicknamed him "Mixx" when he was a child.

The reason for all of this confusion? The game against Chile was basically a scrimmage -- the international soccer equivalent of a JV game. Which is why Landon Donovan was given the night off. And why ESPN chose not to air the game. And why Diskerud got the start instead of Michael Bradley or Clint Dempsey or Stuart Holden.

With all this in mind, it would be quite easy to assume the 's match was inconsequential. Totally meaningless. There was no trophy on the line, no valuable qualification points up for grabs. What was the point?

The point was growth.

The game against Chile, and the three-week training camp that preceded it, was designed to do one thing -- introduce a group of young players to international soccer. Bradley likely wasn't concerned so much with the final score as he was with the quality of the play and the potential of the players. He was concerned with finding out which of America's rising stars has what it takes to withstand the tempo and pressure of the world stage.

"Games like this give you a snapshot of where guys are," Bradley told reporters after the match. "You have a sense as to the bigger pool and who's moving on. It's a big puzzle, and tonight helps us understand that a little bit better."

As has become custom for the U.S. national team's annual January camp, Saturday's match featured largely young and inexperienced talent. Seven players (Sean Johnson, Anthony Wallace, Jeff Larentowicz, Chris Wondolowski, Zach Loyd, Sean Franklin, and Eric Alexander) earned their first international cap, and were given an introduction to the high-tempo pace of the game at the national team level.

"From the start of this camp, we talked about how international games are faster," Bradley said. "It's a fast game. There were probably are some periods where our ability to stay tuned in and move quickly broke down, but there was also a strong response when we were down. I thought that was quite good ... When you have a young group of guys in camp, you want to put it to the test. It gives you a good picture of where these guys are, and I think that part was excellent."

The speed of play seems to be the biggest stumbling block for most players looking to take the next step, which is exactly why exposing them to international competition at an early age is crucial to their development. FC Dallas' Brek Shea is a great example. The 20-year-old was overwhelmed against Colombia in his national team debut last fall, but had already showed vast improvement when he earned his second cap against Chile on Saturday.

"Against Colombia, Brek said at halftime, 'That's faster than anything I've ever been in,'" Bradley said of the young midfielder. "That day, it was going so fast from the start that he couldn't really find a way into the game. Tonight, for 20 to 25 minutes, you could see his growth. It was a good sign to see the progress and hopefully going forward, these are the kind of games that will help him."

Beyond Shea, there were several other players that impressed on Saturday. Dallas rookie Zach Loyd was solid in his debut and has already earned himself a place in the great debate over who should be Bradley's go-to left defender.

"We know that Zach Loyd is a very good competitor," Bradley said. "I thought his pure ability to compete on plays in that part of the field was excellent. You see it in training, but now it gets put to the test and it's great when it comes out during the game."

The strike partnership of Teal Bunbury and Juan Agudelo, too, turned heads. The young pair ? Agudelo is 18 and Bunbury is 20 ? was introduced in the 60th minute and proceeded to wreak havoc on the Chilean defense. Bunbury netted the only goal for the Americans in the 75th minute, slotting home a penalty kick after Agudelo was taken down in the box.

"They both came on the field and give us a good lift," Bradley said. "As you work with these young guys in camp you see the potential. There still are little things that need a lot of work. A lot has to happen quickly for both of them. Hopefully, we can keep moving them in the right direction."

As Bradley prepares for the 2011 Gold Cup ? which will determine the CONCACAF participant in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup ? it's very likely that a few of the young players from this January camp will be included on the roster. So while it may have seemed a bit meaningless on paper, Saturday's game against Chile was actually a crucial step in the process of growing the next generation of American soccer talent.

"The hope would be that there are some guys now that have done enough that, maybe they move along," Bradley said. "We constantly remind these guys that they need to continue to improve, and then we keep looking for opportunities where we think it makes sense to move guys along and bring them in."

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