By: COLIN REESE
No one really knows what Jürgen Klinsmann’s United States Starting XI is, and he himself might not know yet either.
Could Landon Donovan even be dropped from the 30-man preliminary World Cup roster? It’s possible, but based on the players on the 30-man list, he shouldn’t be dropped.
Nevertheless, here’s my preferred pre-World Cup USA XI:
GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD (Everton)
Against top national teams, Tim Howard continues to make wonder saves that prevent the USA from losing or being blown out. Brad Guzan is probably just as good of a goalkeeper and just as good at delivering miracle saves.
RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN (Seattle Sounders)
People want players to have experience without ever being comfortable giving them experience: a Catch 22. DeAndre Yedlin has the speed to offer the USA the best chance of keeping pace with the Group G attackers, and Yedlin is very skilled on the ball, which helps the USA to keep possession and work the ball out of the back. Yedlin is an attacking threat, and his tackling and marking keep improving. Yedlin is a risk worth taking, but Timothy Chandler might prove that he’s a better starting option than Yedlin at this point.
CENTER BACK: Maurice EDU (Philadelphia Union)
Maurice Edu is exactly the type of player that the United States needs in the center of the defense. He’s a good marker and tackler, and he has elite athleticism. As a central midfielder or defensive midfielder, Edu’s technical ability is much higher than most of the other American center backs except Geoff Cameron or Michael Orozco who isn’t on the roster. Cameron might be more needed as the stay-at-home defensive midfielder than as a center back.
CENTER BACK: Matt BESLER (Sporting KC)
Matt Besler is a faster and more agile center back than Omar Gonzalez and Clarence Goodson. Besler is left-footed which is somewhat beneficial for a left center back. Besler’s right foot works just fine, but he needs to use it more. Edu and Besler give the USA two faster and more technical center backs than many of the other center backs used by the U.S. in the past.
LEFT BACK: Fabian JOHNSON (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Fabian Johnson plays as a left back or right back in the Bundesliga, and he seems like a much better option than someone like Michael Parkhurst or DaMarcus Beasley to use in the games preparing for the World Cup. Johnson is one of the most talented players on the team, and his ability to get forward should help the USA to produce more proactive soccer. Johnson is the best left back option on the 30-man roster in terms of technique, athleticism, and two-way skill.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)
Geoff Cameron demonstrated that he could play the stay-at-home defensive midfielder role better than Jermaine Jones who doesn’t like to stay deeper where he’s needed. Cameron is a key player to protect the Back Four and to help the United States keep possession and win back possession. As a defensive midfielder, Cameron can put more of a stamp on the game than as a center back.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY (Toronto FC)
Michael Bradley has become more of an attacking threat every year, and a two defensive midfielder system with a stay-at-home defensive midfielder like Cameron partnering with Bradley gives the United States the benefit of Bradley’s defending and service deep in the midfield with his lung-bursting runs into the attacking third. With Cameron sitting deeper, the USA has a quality passer and defender in front of the Back Four that gives Bradley the freedom to participate in the build up play and the attack more than when Jones plays with Bradley.
RIGHT WINGER: Joe CORONA (Tijuana)
Joe Corona is one of the most technical and creative players in the American player pool, and he thrives on either wing or as the central attacking midfielder. Since Dempsey thrives on the left, Corona can slot in on the right wing, which leaves space for Mix Diskerud to play as the central attacking midfielder. For a national team that has displayed poor passing and not enough service for Jozy Altidore, Corona is a player that gives the United States the ability to actually have possession and attack the opposition, and Corona is a better passer and more skilled player than both Graham Zusi and Alejandro Bedoya. A motivated Landon Donovan is the only player on this roster that should be above Corona on the pecking order for the right wing spot.
NUMBER 10: Mix DISKERUD (Rosenborg)
Unlike Corona, Mix Diskerud only thrives in the middle, and starting him as the central attacking midfielder gives the USA an orchestrator that can connect Cameron and Bradley to Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore; Corona also helps to do this. Looking at the 30-man preliminary roster, Diskerud has to be the central attacking midfielder because doing so gives the USA a skilled playmaker, while still leaving space for Corona to be one of the attacking midfielders.
LEFT WINGER: Clint DEMPSEY (Seattle Sounders)
Clint Dempsey’s position on paper matters very little. Dempsey likes to float around the first striker and roam all over the final third, but Dempsey has the fire, work rate, and fitness to log a lot of miles in games winning back balls and doing the dirty work. Players like Diskerud and Corona give Dempsey worthy teammates that see the game the same way he does and look to produce the same brand of quick passing and one-to-two touch soccer.
STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE (Sunderland)
Whatever went wrong at Sunderland, Jozy Altidore showed tremendous growth in the two previous years that he spent in Holland, and he’s now a player whose technique has caught up to his athleticism and physique. Altidore’s hat trick against Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly the free kick he scored, confirmed that his progress was real. When given enough service or support in the attack, Altidore is a dynamic, strong, and versatile striker that has all the tools to cause defenses problems in the World Cup.
