Sebastian Lletget Should Be the New U.S. Men’s National Team Attacking Midfielder
Sebastian Lletget is a viable Number 10 type attacking midfielder that can start for the United States Men’s National Team. Under coach Jürgen Klinsmann, any attacking midfielder has been a persona non grata, and this was also the case under Bob Bradley and Bruce Area.
This isn’t a Klinsmann problem as much as it is an overvaluing of non-stop full-speed running and defending to the detriment of skill and smooth passing. Despite being a striker as a player, Klinsmann’s refusal to deploy attacking midfielders might be his German mentality taking precedence over his attacking mindset as a former Number 9. Although Lletget is a young player and one who hasn’t represented the United States before, Lee Nguyen and Darlington Nagbe have played well for the national team on multiple occasions, and even this didn’t convince Klinsmann to start a Number 10.
Lletget is arguable better player than Nguyen and Nagbe, and he has a higher ceiling. There’s no evidence that he has trouble with the spotlight or playing in big games, and he appears to be fully ready right now. He would be a big boost for the national team’s poor passing, creativity, and creative play.
With center forward Bobby Wood putting in great performances for the United States in the Copa America Centenario, Lletget would be even more useful. Now that the United States has a more dangerous, aggressive, and active center forward in Wood, a true playmaker would make Wood even more of a threat.
Compared to Nagbe and Nguyen, Lletget is more creative and technical, and he’s more dynamic in his constant probing and searching for openings in the defense. Lletget is a versatile attacking player who can play wide or centrally as well as in the midfield as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker up top. He can also play as a wing in the midfield or in a forward line.
The LA Galaxy forward and midfielder not only has the trickery and technical skill to help his team keep possession and attack, but he also has a low center of gravity and a strong ability to shield the ball and not get muscled off the ball by defenders. These shielding and physicality qualities make him more resistant to overly physical defending or just very physical defending. Some coaches dismiss Number 10 like players as luxury players because these players supposedly don’t hustle or defend, but that’s not true of Lletget. The LA Galaxy man works for his team non-stop with or without the ball, and he covers lots of ground either defending or presenting himself as a passing option for his teammates.
Anyone who watches Lletget notices a player who plays with more skill and creativity than is average in MLS where there is still too much out of control passing and movement plus a scary dose of dirty, nasty defending which borders on criminal. Skill players are still heavily criticized in MLS unless they just wipe the floor with the opposition as Sebastian Giovinco does as he is really a Serie A fantasista playing with people well below his skill level. Giovinco himself suffered from being labelled a luxury player by many coaches who also viewed his tiny size as major deficiency.
But, the problem for Lletget might be that his advanced skill level isn’t at the level where he simply embarrasses and destroys opponents like Giovinco does.
Lletget has been a standout talent since he started in MLS at the beginning of the 2015 MLS season, and the United States would be wise to bring him into the fold for the national team even if he were just to substitute into the game for the final 20 to 30 minutes. The United States needs more skill players, and they need playmakers to link the midfield to the attack and improve the creativity of the team. None of those claims are controversial, but there remains not only a reluctance for players like Lletget to be used but also for more fans and media members to call for their inclusion on the national team.
Lletget should have already been on the national team, but it’s unlikely that playing for the LA Galaxy that he will continue to be underrated much longer. He doesn’t always start for the Galaxy, but that is simply a reality of player rotation in a deep squad.