Following the first six games of the Ocho, a media narrative has tried to gain traction that excuses the inconsistent performances on the age of the players. There is no doubt most of the players are young. But are they so much more inexperienced than prior teams?
You might ask, well, if their average age is younger than past teams, how could they not be less experienced professionally? It is a good question, and the answer is that the development of players in the USA has radically changed. In the past, kids went to college at 18 and stayed amateur, playing the unique NCAA game on a limited schedule, until they were drafted by MLS teams or moved abroad at 21-22.