Andrew Farrell’s Ready to Be DeAndre Yedlin’s Backup for the United States
The United States Men’s National Team’s defense is better than it has been in years, but the outside back positions still aren’t two players deep. Andrew Farrell of the New England Revolution can help with the depth at the right back position, plus Farrell’s best position is actually center back. One of the criticisms of DeAndre Yedlin, the starting right back for the national team, is that his actual defending is still developing, but that’s never been said of Farrell.
Farrell is difficult to get past as a defender, and that’s not only due to his ball-winning and marking, but also due to his speed. Something that both Yedlin and Farrell have in common is that both are fast even for professional soccer standards. Recently, Jürgen Klinsmann has been having Geoff Cameron play right back, which is not his best position. Calling up Farrell allows Klinsmann to start Cameron at center back or even at his very best position: defensive midfielder.
You could make a strong argument that Farrell is a better right back than Yedlin because he provides Yedlin’s speed and technical ability with better defending and more of an intimidation factor.
Even though Farrell is a top defender in MLS, it would be an exaggeration to say that he’s a world-beater at the international level. He’s only been a pro for several seasons, but he does solidify and improve the right side of the United States’ defense.
Is Farrell or Yedlin better? That’s in the eye of the beholder, but Klinsmann would be wise to at least let Farrell be Yedlin’s back up. It also wouldn’t hurt to also give the national team another center back who brings an impressive combination of defending, technical ability, and athleticism.