By: COLIN REESE
The following United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) XI selected by World Soccer Source is novel and noteworthy in its backing of Juan Agudelo and Clint Dempsey flanking Jozy Altidore as an attacking trident. Much like France listed Mathieu Valbuena as a right attacker on paper despite the fact that he really played as something of a playmaker so too does this USMNT XI deploy Dempsey as a support striker behind Altidore and Agudelo in a fluid attacking trident.
To see the rest of World Soccer Source’s USA XI look below, but the use of Agudelo and Altidore allows the United States to capitalize on the types of strikers that should be a handful for even top national teams. Two strikers of Agudelo and Altidore’s skill, size, and athleticism is a real threat to opposing defenses.
The midfield is a trio comprised of two attacking midfielders with a defensive midfielder deployed in a deeper role protecting the Back Four and providing defensive coverage for the attacking midfielders while also orchestrating the passing from a deep-lying role.
Below is World Soccer Source’s Best USMNT XI for September 2014 in a fluid 4-3-3 formation:
GOALKEEPER: Brad GUZAN
Given the fact the Tim Howard is taking a year off from international soccer, Brad Guzan is the obvious starting goalkeeper for the United States Men’s National Team, and many felt that Guzan has been on par or better than Howard for several years.
RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN
Despite Jürgen Klinsmann’s tendency to now use Fabian Johnson at right back, DeAndre Yedlin is the clear best right back in the American player pool with Johnson being the best left back. The best outside back combination for the USMNT is to put Yedlin at right back and Johnson at left back where he plays arguably better than he does at right back. Yedlin on the right and Johnson on the left is the proverbial no-brainer.
CENTER BACK: Geoff CAMERON
Geoff Cameron has a muscle injury right now, but all things being equal, he remains the first choice option to play the right center back spot unless there were a game tomorrow. Cameron combines ball-winning and ball-playing skills with size, strength, athleticism, and top notch experience.
CENTER BACK: John BROOKS
John Brooks is now the undisputed starting left center back over Matt Besler. Brooks is better on the ball, laterally quicker, better defending 1v1, and better with both feet. Brooks is a left-footed center back that can also play right center back with no problems. Additionally, Brooks is superior in the air to Besler. Besler has been a solid center back, but Brooks is better in basically every relevant category of measuring defenders.
LEFT BACK: Fabian JOHNSON
Fabian Johnson is one of the very best U.S. internationals along with Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley, and his skills as an outside back are sorely needed, especially on the left side of the defense. Johnson has gained global recognition for his play as a right back in the World Cup, but Johnson’s excellent left foot in addition to being totally two-footed makes him the USMNT left back par excellence.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER
While Mix Diskerud or Joe Corona look poised to be the next American Number 10, Benny Feilhaber is still the playmaker that brings the most skill and the best track record of effective playmaking against truly top level international competition. Feilhaber remains the American playmaker that can play against any opponent and be unfazed and effective in his passing and his ability to set up goals. Feilhaber is also an excellent dead ball specialist. Despite primarily being a creative and technical midfielder, Feilhaber has become a true two-way central midfielder that now plays with a new level of fitness and defending. The midfield trio of Benny Feilhaber, Michael Bradley, and Joe Corona described below is very much a free-flowing unit of three skilled midfielders with the exception of Bradley tasked with the defensive midfielder role.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY
Michael Bradley is an industrious ball-winner that is also a skilled passer that excels at making marauding attacking forays when the opportunity presents itself. Despite his technical ability and passing ability, Bradley always makes sure that he protects the Back Four by being in the right place at the right time as a defensive midfielder that is primarily tasked with defending and directing the passing from deeper in the midfield.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Joe CORONA
Joe Corona thrives as an attacking midfielder out wide or playing the Number 10 role, and in this fluid three-man midfield, Corona and Feilhaber are essentially playing more attacking roles with Bradley playing the deep-lying defensive midfield role. Both Corona and Feilhaber are attack-minded midfielders with Feilhaber possessing more defensive and two-way abilities. Corona gives Feilhaber and Bradley another technical midfielder that they can use to keep possession and link up with the attack, and Corona can float to the right or left side of the midfield to provide the width that Bradley and Feilhaber will need when they are looking for a passing outlet out wide. More so than Bradley and Feilhaber, Corona knows how to not only get into scoring positions in the box but also how to score goals.
RIGHT ATTACKER: Juan AGUDELO
Juan Agudelo is a striker that is equally as effective out wide where he can and does cut inside to put himself in more dangerous positions. An attack with Altidore and Agudelo as strikers with Dempsey as a withdrawn striker would present problems for almost any national team. When played together, Altidore and Agudelo can frequently stretch and disrupt even elite center back pairings. With the exception of Altidore who is really just a center forward, an attacking trident of Agudelo, Altidore, and Dempsey would be a fluid and interchangeable combination of attackers that can combine to break down defenses and score. Although it goes almost without saying for anyone that has watched him, Agudelo brings a nice combination of speed, quickness, trickery, and size that allows him to play in wide roles better than Altidore.
STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE
Since Juan Agudelo is without a club team, it seems only right to list Jozy Altidore as the best current striker option for the United States. The thing that is clear about Altidore is that he does excel when given service and attacking support, and players like Feilhaber, Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey certainly give him this. There is no reason to think that Altidore can’t score and be effective with that sort of support from players that know how to combine with him and feed him the ball to his feet or find him for a header. A partnership with Agudelo and Dempsey would also certainly be to his benefit and theoretically result in a higher scoring rate for Altidore.
LEFT ATTACKER: Clint DEMPSEY
Clint Dempsey has no set position that is easy to fit into a specific category or name. He has traditionally played excellently out left where he can receive the ball out wide and cut inside or where he can just cut inside without the ball to look to receive service in the final third. Dempsey also thrives on the right or when played as a second striker with another out-and-out striker or even another second striker. Dempsey’s game is predicated on attacking and trickery with constant passing and moving, and he always has basically a free role on the USMNT. Given the fact that Johnson or some other outside back will be attacking out wide, there is no reason for Dempsey to have to be restricted to the left side of the field. A 4-3-3 system works well with Dempsey’s strengths and playing style, and arguments that a 4-3-3 alienates Dempsey are off base because a 4-3-3 is a fluid and amorphous tactical formation with the exception of the defensive midfielder and the defense.
Tactical Formation (4-3-3):
GUZAN
YEDLIN CAMERON BROOKS JOHNSON
CORONA BRADLEY FEILHABER
AGUDELO ALTIDORE DEMPSEY