By: COLIN REESE
DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, John Brooks, and Chris Klute. The new USMNT defense.
Before going any further, it’s important to point out immediately that Fabian Johnson has a really strong cases as a starter over Chris Klute.
Johnson has received rave reviews on the club and international level for his play as a left back and right back, and anyone that has seen him play knows his attacking quality, overall skill-level, two-footedness, and speed.
The Klute over Johnson opinion is based on the fact that Klute is more of a defender than Johnson and better at tracking back on defense sooner and not leaving open space behind him, and Klute is a lightning-fast player.
Johnson is a converted winger who is essentially world-class as a winger on either side who also does play the right and left back positions really well from an attacking standpoint, but Klute is a better defender who still excels at participating in the attack and playing crosses and passes from the flanks.
Johnson is a more technical attacker, but Klute is a better defender. Both players excel as left backs or as right backs.
Klute is a technical and two-footed player with underrated dribbling ability, but Johnson is a much more talented player in terms of his overall technical ability and attacking skills. Johnson can score goals, and Klute just doesn’t have the same ability to cut inside and score.
This is one of the the weapons that Klute needs to add to his game. His speed and ability to use both feet would be more dangerous if he looked to take shots and score more often than he does now.
But, if the USA wants a fast and modern two-way outside back, Klute provides much better defending while still bringing a constant attacking threat out wide. Klute’s speed is also something that is just an enormous weapon defensively and offensively.
Whatever gap there is between Klute’s technical ability and Johnson’s is made up for with the speed that Klute uses to track down attackers, to burst down the sideline in the attack, to cut off passes, to make tackles, and to dribble out of the back.
Perhaps the best use of Johnson is as a winger in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, but this would take a starting spot from Corona who knows how to orchestrate an attack and score and Dempsey who brings so much scoring ability and trickery to the attack.
Going forward, Yedlin and Cameron are the clear starting right back and right center back, and Brooks is a more complete and younger center back than Matt Besler who has done well for the United States and Sporting Kansas City.
The ability of Yedlin and Klute to get forward in the attack with pace and their ability to catch and defend speedy attackers make them the outside backs that the United States needs the most in the USMNT XI.
With Cameron and Brooks as the center back pairing and Yedlin and Klute as the outside back pairing, the United States has the type of defense that it’s looking for: a fast and technical one with strong defending.
Although this Back Four is a strong one and the type that the United States needs, the USMNT still needs to give Maurice Edu more minutes as a center back with Geoff Cameron, and Fabian Johnson and Chris Klute need to be tested against one another.
The Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute Back Four looks to be a strong one, but each of those positions need second-choice options, plus Johnson’s best role needs to be discovered.
As World Soccer Source will back a three-man midfield of Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Benji Joya in a latter article, in addition to an attack of Joe Corona, Juan Agudelo, and Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson’s attacking skill as a two-footed winger who excels on either side makes him a starting winger for most observers.
Maybe having Feilhaber and Corona in the Starting XI would cause those players to get in each other’s way, or maybe it’s necessary to have two playmakers like that for the USA to see better possession and create more scoring chances. Either way, Johnson is a lock on the roster, but really ironing out the best USA XI will take some experimentation and time.
For now, a Back Four of Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute is a good starting point for the American defense, and Klute is more of an outside back than Johnson who really plays his best as a winger on either side.
Here is the USA Back Four that World Soccer Source supports:
Right Back: DeAndre YEDLIN
Center Back: Geoff CAMERON
Center Back: John BROOKS
Left Back: Chris KLUTE