U-23 selections remind us of Crew's bright future

We know the Crew has a young and talented roster. The selection of goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and midfielder Aidan Morris to the U.S. Men’s U-23 Youth National Team tells us they have guys who are not just talented, but very talented. Make no mistake, the Crew has a bright future.

Schulte and Morris are a part of 23 players who are taking part in the Youth National Team training camp in Phoenix. They’ll play Mexico Wednesday night and take on Japan on October 17th. Why is this a big deal? Because Olympic soccer is contested by U-23 teams. This Crew duo has a chance to compete in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. The final roster will be named sometime next year.

When you look at the Crew’s current 30-man roster, eighteen players are age twenty-five or younger. We’re not talking guys who have spent most of their time as subs this year-we’re talking a core group of players who have played a big role in the success of the team. Diego Rossi is just 25, Cucho and Alex Matan are 24, Sean Zawadzki and Mo Farsi just 23. Take a look down the bench and you see 21-year-olds Max Arfsten and Jacen Russell-Rowe. Russell-Rowe has four goals and five assists in limited playing time and looks to have a very high ceiling. The future for the Crew is very bright.

When you have talented young players, there is always the chance they’ll progress to where some of the better leagues around the world begin to take notice. That’s just part of the game and there is no sense in us fretting right now that one of these young players will leave via transfer at some point. Let’s enjoy them while they’re here.

Schulte and Morris are not the only Crew players to receive a call up during this international window. Defender Steven Moreira will represent Cape Verde Islands in a friendly against Algeria on Thursday. All three will be back in time for the Crew's next game on October 21st against Montreal.