The 2007 class marks a turning point in U.S. youth development, where we begin to see real depth return after a stretch of thinner cohorts from 2004 to 2006. I’m more bullish on this group than most, especially as momentum builds with early MLS breakthroughs from Peyton Miller, Zavier Gozo, and Jonathan Shore. Miller is the lone five-star prospect for now, but Gozo is making a strong push with his current breakout year. Behind them, players like Neil Pierre, Justin Ellis, and Drew Baiera look MLS-ready and are just waiting on opportunities. 

This is one of the rare American classes with high-potential full-backs on both flanks and a center-back group that features four legitimate USMNT-caliber prospects. The striker pool is diverse and deep, and attacking-mid has some real quality in Marvin Dills and Gavin Turner. Central and defensive midfield are weak spots, lacking both top-end talent and depth. The winger group is carried by Gozo and thins out quickly behind him. Goalkeeper is another area of concern domestically, though there may be some viable options in Europe.

This class has a large contingent of European-based dual-nationals—many at top academies—who could significantly raise the ceiling. Tyler Meiser, Christian McFarlane, Marvin Dills, Montrell Culbreath, Michael Bresser, Zane Okoro, Dino Klapija, Jykese Fields, Giorgio De Marzi, and Bruno Klimek all have the tools to contribute and are realistic U.S. prospects given the difficulty of breaking into their other national teams.

Overall, this is a well-balanced and upward-trending group that could eventually produce over a dozen full USMNT players. With the 2007s set to lead the next U-20 cycle, they’ll have the chance to solidify their place as one of the most impactful American age groups in recent memory.