"This has been coming for a while. I think it's just kind of been building up," commented former US defender Marcelo Balboa.

In the World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago, Arena started only four players under the age of 25. The 19-year-old Christian Pulisic, US soccer's next potential big name, moved to Germany as a 16-year-old to train with Bundesliga power Borussia Dortmund.

"I think there are a number of reasons we're missing the best kids, but the fact is we are missing a lot of the best kids," said soccer legend Landon Donovan. "And that should not be the situation in a country of this size, with the resources we have, where kids are getting passed over for any reason, whether it's socioeconomic status, race, religion, proximity to a club."

There is precedent for soccer rejuvenation. Germany's program fell into disrepair in the late 1990s, culminating with a disastrous showing at the 2004 European Championship. That led to a total revamping of that country's system across all levels of the game -- and was followed a decade later by a World Cup triumph in Brazil in 2017.

"Our best, most talented kids should have the opportunity that everybody else has. There's no easy answer to that. But it's something that needs to be fixed," Donovan said.

"Everything's a lot easier when you're on the outside looking in, but it is time to re-evaluate and reassess what's going on and make sure we are doing the right things and implementing the right things to make sure this doesn't happen again," he added.

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