2014 or 2018?

[tmcmurph]

This is the second person, Tony Waiters was the first, who has said that it will probably be 2018 before our 3 MLS academies develop enough quality players to be in the World Cup. While I put more stock Tony's view than Bobby L they both have been around a long time and know what we are up against.

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2010/12/mls-academies-will-benefit-canada

“My caution to people out there is that it will take a cycle,” he said. “The players that currently play for Whitecaps FC, for Toronto FC, and eventually for Montreal, are players that have got to where they’ve got to on their own hard work. We really haven’t done anything for those players and I don’t think we can claim them as results of our player development.

While I hope for 2014 and I think we can do it a lot would have to fall in place quickly. Has anyone else heard anything optimistic from knowledgeable soccer people who think we can make it in 2014?

[squizz1402635577]

It's definitely true that our academies won't be producing the players that will lead us into qualifying for 2014; it might be 2018 or 2022 before that happens (keeping in mind the two-year lag in qualifying).

But that's not to say we can't qualify for 2014. We're not that far from it; as many people (myself included) constantly say, all it really takes is for us to be better than a couple of our nearest competitors (Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, El Salvador) during the right 12-month period.

Remember, although the 2010 campaign was a disaster, if the ball had bounced differently a few times (I mean, literally, by a matter of centimetres) against Jamaica and Honduras in the first two games, everything could have turned out much differently.

To get back to your original point -- sure, the ideal scenario is one in which our CMNT is stocked with "home-grown" talent, but just because that's eight or 10 years away doesn't mean all hope is lost for 2014.

[thescottc]

Waiters has also said that we need to get out of CONCACAF. Not quite sure where we should go...

Personally, I think we enough talent that if we put together a good run at the right time we could make it in 2014. But if we want to be serious contenders in CONCACAF, we need to strengthen our academy systems and our national program in general.

[BearcatSA]

Remember, although the 2010 campaign was a disaster, if the ball had bounced differently a few times (I mean, literally, by a matter of centimetres) against Jamaica and Honduras in the first two games, everything could have turned out much differently.

But when it didn't go our way, we had too many guys who lacked the leadership and mental toughness needed to overcome that adversity.