By: COLIN REESE
How Can the USMNT Improve in 2015?
Making instant improvements to the United States Men’s National Team after the friendlies against Chile and Panama with a somewhat limited roster is something that is easy for Jürgen Klinsmann and U.S. Soccer.
Call up Ventura Alvarado and make him a starting center back
Starting Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks at center back at the soonest opportunity is something Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team should do.
Alvarado brings two-footed skill, size, speed, a good reading of the game, sound defending, and versatility to the American defense.
Jermaine Jones is a good center back even at 33 years old, but Alvarado is 22 and playing for Club America.
This center back tandem of Alvarado and Brooks opens the door to starting Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielders, which has proved to be a good partnership where both players know their roles.
This formula gives the United States a young, talented, and athletic center back pairing with a defensive midfield pairing with a more clear cut assignment of roles.
Start Cameron and Bradley as the defensive midfielders
Let Cameron stay back a bit deeper with Bradley free to play a box-to-box role filled with plenty of defending and attacking forays.
Getting past both Cameron and Bradley should prove to be much more difficult than breaking down the center of the American line-up previously.
Stacking the heart of the midfield and the defense with Bradley, Cameron, Alvarado, and Brooks would certainly make for a more imposing and effective United States.
What would the defense look like?
The rest of the American defense has more or less been solidified with DeAndre Yedlin at right back and Greg Garza or Fabian Johnson at left back, and Brad Guzan is of course the undisputed starting American goalkeeper.
Guzan in goal with Yedlin, Alvarado, Brooks, and Garza as the Back Four with Cameron and Bradley lining up in front of them is something for American soccer fans to get excited about.
Who should start in the attack?
This defense and defensive midfield pairing gives the United States the freedom to stack the attack with talented, creative, and fast players that can actually go at the opposition with aggressive, technical, and spontaneous attacking play.
An attack with Joe Corona, Mix Diskerud, and Clint Dempsey lining up behind Jozy Altidore at striker is really a no-brainer.
While they are other players to test and give minutes to, this line-up is a massive improvement over previous American line-ups.
Alejandro Bedoya has been doing well as a wide player for the United States, but Corona is a better passer and creator. Corona should start over Bedoya, who is a fast and talented attacker that actually plays in Ligue 1.
Alvarado in particular is key to this improvement in the USA XI because he not only solves the center back problem, but he also solves the defensive midfielder problem.
If Cameron is available to play with Bradley in the heart of the midfield, then there’s no need to force Bradley into too constrictive of a role as either a playmaker, which is Klinsmann’s bizarre preference, or as a midfield destroyer.
This set-up also allows Diskerud to play his natural position as a Number 10 or central attacking midfielder. He has vastly improved his defending and overall two-way play as well.
There are lots of talented and exciting players in the American player pool, but these 11 players are ready to go right now.
With Alvarado actually playing for a team of Club America’s stature, there’s no real need for any other evidence of his abilities. The evidence is right there to see when he plays. The United States cannot allow Mexico to cap-tie a player like Alvarado, who is an American from Phoenix.
Klinsmann has fielded a wide variety of illogical and unbalanced rosters, but going with the 4-2-3-1 formation with the players proposed above is hard to heavily criticize.
With the defense proposed above being self-explanatory, the attacking strategy is quite obvious as well; Diskerud plays a Number 10 role (with plenty of defending), and Corona and Dempsey are free to roam all over the attack supporting Altidore, setting him up, and looking to score themselves.
In many ways, both Corona and Diskerud are primarily tasked with providing final balls and service for Dempsey and Altidore, which has been one of the United States’ weaknesses along with a center back to start with Brooks.
The other problem for the United States has been who should play left back, but Garza and Johnson have solved this problem nicely.
The USA XI described above is a strong and balanced selection with quality players deployed in their natural positions, and there is a strong defense without sacrificing a capable attack.
There are plenty of players in the American player pool that the United States needs to test out and give minutes to, but the Starting XI outlined below is a balanced and talented line-up that at least makes perfect sense.
What should the Starting XI be?
USA XI (4-2-3-1): Guzan; Yedlin, Alvarado, Brooks, Garza; Bradley, Cameron; Corona, Diskerud, Dempsey; Altidore.