It’s always an odd thing for a coach who by all reports is doing well to depart mid-cycle. The U.S. U-17s seem to be on the up, having samba’d around Brazil to win the Nike Friendlies last month playing a brand of soccer that can only be described as aggressive and attractive.

Cabrera could be edgy and had his detractors, but by most accounts was doing a pretty good job. Now he’s out mid-cycle, reportedly by mutual agreement.

Put the pieces together and it likely means Bradenton’s done after this cycle.

The rumblings have been making the rounds inside the USSF for some time. Though officials won’t say it — Sunil Gulati staunchly maintained that there is no specific date to get rid of the program when I spoke with him last summer — you’d have to think at this point the deal is done.

With something like 78 development academy clubs producing a lot of talent, and MLS academies turning out pros in bunches, the idea of selecting 40 15-year-olds for a tournament two years out simply becomes a high-cost obstacle with too little flexibility.

The most compelling evidence for me was the selection of only 96s for this cycle — meaning no chance anyone would be left behind in high school at a dormant program after the 2013 U-17 World Cup. Previous cycles have always included at least a few precocious prospects playing up.

My guess, and it’s just a guess, is that Cabrera would have stayed had the prospects been more long-term, but they weren’t. He’s a talented coach, probably getting feelers from Colombia and elsewhere, and he decided to move on. With so much other evidence, the timing is likely not a coincidence.

by Brent