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Emerson Hyndman, 19, midfielder: Left the United States at the age of 15 to join Fulham FC’s youth academy, and has worked his way up from there. Four years later, and Hyndman captained the U-20 side in this year’s World Cup and is getting regular play for Fulham’s first team. He may lack size, but he has huge potential.

Gyasi Zardes, 23, midfielder: He may be the oldest on the list, but his slow ascention was quite deliberate. Now a firm member of Klinsmann’s squad and the LA Galaxy, his energy in the Gold Cup game against Haiti was transformative. At just 23 years old, he’s got a lot of time to grow and lead a team of younger players onto the world stage.

Rubio Rubin, 19, forward: Aside from a great name, Rubin is another of the European based players to already be getting regular playing time for his club in the Netherlands. The country has produced some of the greatest players ever, so the opportunity is there for the dogged forward to join their ranks, but play in a red, white, and blue jersey.

Julian Green, 20, midfielder: His past year in Germany may have been patchy – he only played nine times last season after being loaned to Hamburger SV by Bayern Munich – but most will remember him for his first touch goal against Belgium in last year’s World Cup. Bayern believes in him, and regular playing time at another loan club will boost his confidence.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, 17, defender: Carter-Vickers already has many of the physcial traits of a central defender, and possesses a cool enough head at the age of 17 to be named captain of Tottenham’s U-21 squad. A growing rock at the back with a lot of longevity fo the U.S team.

DeAndre Yedlin, 22, defender: A speedy, classic wingback with great crossing ability, his energy tranformed the U.S. team against Belgium last year, and while a move to the Premier League may not have yielded much first team action, but he could develop into a solid option as a member of Team USA for years to come.

Christian Pulisic, 16, midfielder: Recently signing with German team Bortrussia Dormund, Pulisic has been around soccer since he was born. He trained at Chelsea and Barcelona growing up, and it’s likely this long exposure to the game has developed him into a creative, skillful player he’s heralded as in the media. He’s already been called up for a training session with the Dormund first team so don’t be surprised to see his star ascend sharply.

Zack Steffen, 20, goalkeeper: His textbook one-handed penalty save against Colombia in the U-20 World Cup was unsurprising, given that he has a combined total of 117 saves from his first two seasons of college soccer at the University of Maryland. This year he moved up and signed to German team Freiburg. The young keeper is on track to develop into a world class force.

Bobby Wood, 22, forward: The USA has had bad luck with forwards in recent years (see: Altidore, Adu), but Wood could change that. His growing record of poaching important goals against big opponents (one in each game against the Netherlands and Germany) is promising, and his confidence should be at a high at a crucial point in his career.

Gedion Zelalem, 18, midfielder: The newest U.S. citizen on the list, Zelalem has plenty of people excited for U.S. soccer, including English club Arsenal. He signed for the club in 2013, and spent his summer this year playing for the U-20 squad in New Zealand’s World Cup. He’s already drawing comparisons to Spain’s Cesc Fabregas, and that’s a good thing.

John Brooks, 22, defender: Another big center back for the USA, best known for scoring a headed goal against Ghana in last year’s World Cup. Brooks is getting regular first team play for both the USMNT and Hertha BC, and if Bayern Munich is watching him, you probably should too.