A New United States Midfield Three
The American midfields under national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann have been ever changing, and the United States Men’s National Team would benefit from order and consistency.
A three-man midfield is as good as any, and one of the hallmarks of a three-man midfield is the inclusion of a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, and an attacking midfielder.
Frequently, three-man midfields have one defensive midfielder and two box-to-box midfielders with the attacking midfielder or playmaker up with the Front Three.
Who should be in the American Midfield Three?
World Soccer Source backs the use of Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielder with Darlington Nagbe and Dillon Powers as box-to-box midfielders.
One bonus of using Nagbe and Powers is that both of these players have the endurance of Number 8 midfielders with the creativity and technical ability of attacking midfielders.
Nagbe has often been praised for his ability to roam all over the field and transport the ball from deep in the midfield into the attack, and this Number 8 role allows him to do that with the national team just like he does with his club team, the Portland Timbers.
Dillon Powers has to be high on the list of underrated American soccer players. After winning MLS Rookie of the Year several years back, Powers has continued to show why he is a much more talented and complete midfielder than the types of midfielders that the United States used to produce. Too many of these midfielders were simply hustle players that were hard tacklers, but they lacked the actual skill to be able to perform at the international level against better competition.
After years as coach of the United States, it’s unclear why Klinsmann has never once used Powers. There’s no justification or explanation for it. His competition was never Bradley and Jermaine Jones, as both of those players could mesh well with Powers.
With the Copa America Centenario coming up this summer, the United States needs to greatly improve the overall skill and tactical formation of its midfield or risk getting embarrassed by superior South American competition. A Midfield Three of Powers, Bradley, and Nagbe makes so much sense, and given how little thought it took to propose it, it’s a wonder that Klinsmann has never bothered to try it.
After Nagbe has shown well for the United States, he still doesn’t appear to be one of the first names on the lineup sheet for Klinsmann, and this is worrying. If deserving players can show well and impress their teammates and still not become starters, then how much hope can there be of Klinsmann using a better midfield this summer?
With both Powers and Nagbe in the Midfield Three, Sebastian Lletget is best used on the right in the Front Three as Clint Dempsey should be the first option to line up out left in that free attacking role.