Something I've noticed in US youth soccer, at least when I played, was that most coaches pay almost no attention to consistency. I can't count the number of times where I had coaches who were enamoured of certain players simply because they can be seen making a flashy save or play...regardless of the fact that it was their stupid mistake that necessitated the save or play. Those players would time and again get playing time over the consistent players who did their job all the time and, as a result, not have to throw it all to the wind to make a lucky save.
Those saves may be flashy, but you have to look at why they were needed and more often than not, the type of mistake that caused them is caused over and over again..and the more times it's made, the more likely you are to get scored on because of it.
As a result though, the flashy players are getting pushed up through the ranks more quickly than the solid, dependable players because they have those sporadic bursts that catch attention.
Until we start fostering more consistent play, those dependable players are slowly going to be filtered out of the system because they simply don't get any playing time and we're going to be left with players at the top end levels who are just as hot/cold as the US team is. We need teams who can be consistently good, not blow hot and cold as a whole. It's one thing for a member here or there to step up and have a spectacular game or an average one, but the team as a whole needs to stay solid and reliable. We can't just rely on people because so-and-so made this fantastic play in this game two months ago, a game last year, and three games in the spring.
Everyone's got to step up and play hard, play smart, and play with heart. Relying on hype and "supposed" skill to pull you through isn't enough on the world stage.
