Colin Reese, Author at World Soccer Source

Italy’s Midfield Tsunami

June 15, 2014 by Colin Reese

Andrea Pirlo, Italy's midfield maestro. (Photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) — Andrea Pirlo, Italy’s midfield maestro. (Photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

By: COLIN REESE

Against England, in Italy’s first game of the 2014 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli fielded an Italian side without three center backs, and this tactical choice allowed Italy to win the midfield battle without losing anything defensively.

England under Roy Hodgson fielded one of its best sides in memory, and while England posed a real attacking threat and scored a goal, Italy’s defensive problems were with the selection of Gabriel Paletta and not with the formation or tactics.

With a complete midfielder like Daniele De Rossi of Roma being something of a defensive midfielder virtuoso, there is no need to use the three-man defensive system used by Juventus and often by Italy; the gap between two center backs is plugged by De Rossi, and this allows one less defender to be used, so that more midfielders can be started.

This is precisely what Italy did against England in their first game and win of the 2014 World Cup, and the defensive problems were primarily with the unwise choice of starting Paletta as the left center back.

Prandelli had the option of fielding a Back Four comprised of Ignazio Abate, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Matteo Darmian, and this would have allowed Chiellini to play as a center back, which is the defensive position where he plays his best. In fact, Chiellini should be on anyone’s short list of the top center backs in the world.

Paletta is a talented defender, but too often he was beaten with speed or found giving away possession near the top of the box.

Barzagli and Chiellini are a much better and more proven center back pairing – not to mention the fact that Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus was also available.

Bonucci is considered by many to be a center back that performs much better in three-man defense, which basically consists of three center backs lined up right, left, and center, but Bonucci certainly has more experience and skill than Paletta to play as a center back in a four-man defense.

Despite the problems with the Italian defense, Italy’s midfield put on a clinic of passing, team defense, and overall skill against England. England played well, but the Italian midfield comprised of Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Candreva, Marco Verratti, and Claudio Marchisio would have been too much for anyone.

In addition to running non-stop, every one of Italy’s midfielders can receive and release the ball quickly, show for the ball or move into space, play incisive and inventive passes, tackle and defend, and attack and score; one-footed players don’t play for Italy.

Armed with an apex predator of Mario Balotelli’s natural ability and athleticism as the lone striker, Italy’s five-man midfield is stocked full of world-class two-way midfielders that no team in the tournament can match.

Using five midfielders that are all gifted passes maximizes Balotelli’s talent. Balotelli is often described as an athletic and powerful striker, but Balotelli is an artist and a prodigy.

Balotelli’s close range chip that was on its way into the net before a last second header from under the cross bar saved a certain goal was so ridiculous, audacious, and skillful that only a few players in the entire tournament could have executed it – even trying it requires a certain level of healthy but total disrespect for your opponents. Being able to chip a ball that high with defenders so close without the ball sailing over the cross bar is not something that many players can do against World Cup competition.

Balotelli’s full arsenal of skills, tricks, and physical gifts make the five-man midfield more essential for Italy because it allows Balotelli to receive not only quality service but a steady stream of it. All of Italy’s midfielders can play final passes and dangerous balls for Balotelli.

Italy’s new formation is a real threat to Brazil in this World Cup because it helps Balotelli, makes Italy harder to break down with passes, and it gives Italy more weapons.

Brazil’s XI is outstanding (as are the substitutes), but Brazil is not only a balanced mixture of defenders and players making up the Front Six, but also attack-minded and slightly more defensive-minded midfielders.

Italy’s midfield is just a tsunami of complete midfielders that make it close to impossible for opponents to win the battle of the midfield or break through the center.

Whereas in the last few years Italy often used three center backs, two wing backs, three midfielders, and a first and second striker, the Nazionale is now willing to use the more common four-man defense with De Rossi as the defensive midfielder providing that extra protection for the center backs. This allows Italy to possess the ball, defend, and attack, which makes Italy’s midfield more difficult to outplay or even contain.

Against Italy, England used electric attackers like Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, and Raheem Sterling along with a slightly older but highly-skilled and still reasonably fast attacker in Wayne Rooney, and this allowed England to break down Italy’s makeshift back four.

As soon as Italy fixes the Back Four (which Prandelli did not need to start), the vulnerability on the flakes will be gone, but since Candreva and Marchisio provided defensive help out wide anyway, the use of Abate and Darmian (or Mattia De Sciglio whenever he recovers from injury) will take away the one weakness Italy had.

Italy was so good that, even without Gigi Buffon in goal, Salvatore Sirigu was exceptional, just as everyone expected him to be. With Barzagli, Chiellini, and De Rossi covering the center of the defense, even attacks out wide will likely be shut down as soon as Barzagli, Chiellini, and De Rossi provide coverage when the outside backs are beaten.

The World Cup is just as much Italy’s to lose as it is Brazil’s. With Buffon or Sirigu in goal along with the defenders, midfielders, and striker discussed above, Italy is a scary opponent.

Gli Azzurri also have Antonio Cassano, Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile, Thiago Motta, and Lorenzo Insigne to set loose on their opponents.

Given how well Andrea Pirlo played for 90 minutes at 35 years old in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest and given how Mario Balotelli scored and performed well in his first World Cup game, Italy’s two players that skeptics like to target either because of age or perceived immaturity both proved to be more than up to the task of delivering in this World Cup.

It was only one game, but Italy is definitely one of the favorites to win the 2014 World Cup.

Italy’s Front Six comprised of De Rossi, Pirlo, Candreva, Verratti, Marchisio, and Balotelli is every bit as good as Brazil’s Front Six of Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, Hulk/Willian, Oscar, Neymar, and Fred.

Who Will Italy Start in the 2014 World Cup?

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014 by Colin Reese

Italian striker, Mario Balotelli. (Photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

By: COLIN REESE

Cesare Prandelli has a variety of formations available to him as the coach of the Italian national team, and each formation affects which players start and where.

Brazil, Spain, and Germany have been widely tipped to be the favorites in this World Cup, but perhaps Brazil and Italy are the real favorites because Brazil is Brazil and Italy has so many weapons and formation options available to them.

The 3-5-2 formation is a likely formation for Italy, but so too is the 4-3-2-1 formation. If Italy uses the 3-5-2 formation, then Prandelli will likely start Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano in the attack, but if Italy uses a 4-3-2-1 then perhaps Cassano is less likely to start with an overloaded midfield that would likely feature attacking midfielders and playmakers such as Antonio Candreva and Marco Verratti.

As for the defense, there is a belief amongst many people that Juventus center back, Leonardo Bonucci, performs much better in the 3-5-2 formation than in a four-man defensive set-up because he’s more famous as a ball-player rather than a ball-winner, but many observers feel that the Roma defensive midfielder, Daniele De Rossi, would perform better than Bonucci as the central defender in the three-man defensive set-up.

Italy could also start Leonardo Bonucci in the center of the defense with De Rossi as the defensive midfielder in the 3-5-2 system as well. Either way, Bonucci is a world-class center back that has the ability to perform at the World Cup.

At this point, it’s not clear what formation Prandelli will use, but whatever the defensive set-up, having Daniele De Rossi, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini all lining up centrally in defensive roles (and a defensive midfielder role in De Rossi’s case) is about as strong of a defense that can be found in the World Cup, with the obvious exception of Brazil which has Luiz Gustavo lining up as a defensive midfielder in front of Brazilian center backs Thiago Silva and David Luiz.

Given the quality of Italy’s players and the fact that they are very used to playing with one another, it’s more important to get the right players on the field rather than being married to a 3-5-2 formation or a 4-3-2-1 formation – or any other formation for that matter.

Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi will likely start in the midfield and Claudio Marchisio, Marco Verratti, and Antonio Candreva are key midfielders to find space for in the Starting XI.

With those five midfielders, Italy has De Rossi protecting the defense and providing quality passing from deep in the midfield with Pirlo floating around as the regista or deep-lying playmaker that not only orchestrates the passing but that also provides plenty of defensive coverage, and Italy also has Marchisio, Verratti, and Candreva providing everything one could ask for out of midfielders: creativity, defending, running, world-class passing, and attacking prowess.

After seeing Italy recently, it has become clear that Verratti is too talented of a passer and too active of a two-way midfielder to not start, and it has also become clear that the non-stop two-way play of Candreva and Marchisio prevents opponents like England from being able to just try to swarm Pirlo and take him out of the game; Italy’s other midfielders besides Pirlo are too talented and active to not pay constant attention to.

Italy’s opponents won’t be able to treat Italy as a squad that lives and dies by Pirlo because all of Italy’s other midfielders are world-class midfielders that almost any national team would love to have and start.

Prandelli no longer has to decide on the ideal strike partner for Balotelli because De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio, Verratti, and Candreva provide so much passing quality that Italy can flood the midfield with world-class midfielders who can all keep possession and create scoring chances for Balotelli or any of Italy’s midfielders, plus attacking midfielders like Candreva and Verratti can provide much of the passing in the final third that Cassano provides.

Candreva is a legit scoring threat and attacking weapon in his own right with or without Balotelli, and Prandelli will likely make starting Candreva in the midfield a bigger priority than given Balotelli a striker partner. Balotelli doesn’t need a striker partner.

Defending Italy and trying to attack Italy will be a problem for any national team because trying to not only contain all of those midfielders but also trying to pick them apart with passing will be a tall order given the quality and quantity of midfielders on the field at the same time. To make matters worse, Balotelli will be very active in stretching opposing defenses with his speed and skill and defending him is a nightmare whether or not he has quality service.

While Italy’s likely formation is anyone’s guess, Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio look poised to start as the right and left back or the right and left wingbacks, and Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli or Leonardo Bonucci are likely to start as the center backs.

If Italy uses a three man defense then Barzagli, De Rossi/Bonucci, and Chiellini looked poised to start, in which case Thiago Motta would slide into the defensive midfielder role.

Look for the following players to likely start for Italy perhaps in a 4-3-2-1 formation:

Gigi BUFFON; Ignazio ABATE, Leonardo BONUCCI, Giorgio CHIELLINI, Mattia DE SCIGLIO; Daniele DE ROSSI, Andrea PIRLO, Claudio MARCHISIO; Antonio CANDREVA, Marco VERRATTI; Mario BALOTELLI.

If Italy uses a 3-5-2 formation, the look for this Italy XI:

BUFFON; BARZAGLI, BONUCCI, CHIELLINI; ABATE, DE ROSSI, PIRLO, VERRATTI/ MARCHISIO, DE SCIGLIO; BALOTELLI, CASSANO/CANDREVA.

Who Should the USA Start in the 2014 World Cup?

June 9, 2014June 9, 2014 by Colin Reese

Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. (Source: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Europe)

By: COLIN REESE

The USA XI that started against Nigeria in the last of the United States’ official friendlies (and not scrimmages) before the World Cup looked promising, and it looked like probably 10 of the 11 starters from that game will start against Ghana.

Players like Tim Howard, Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore offer American fans some quality players to count on and cheer for, but some of the other starters for the United States are harder to count on or get excited about.

The opening World Cup game against Ghana is a game that Jürgen Klinsmann would be wise not to start Kyle Beckerman as the defensive midfielder because he will be directly facing off with Kevin-Prince Boateng as Ghana’s central attacking midfielder, and Kwadwo Asamoah and André Ayew will likely be on the wings with Asamoah Gyan as the lone striker.

If Beckerman doesn’t start, then the set-up that Klinsmann used to free up Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones to attack more against Nigeria goes out the window.

This is a real problem with no clear answer.

Maurice Edu was unwisely cut by Klinsmann from the USA’s World Cup roster, and this eliminated the possibility of using a more athletic and more experienced defensive midfielder against a fast, strong, and technical Ghanaian side.

With Edu on the roster, then the USA could have continued to deploy Bradley and Jones as box-to-box midfielders, but this option is now off the table for the opening game against Ghana.

In all likelihood, Jones will have to play Beckerman’s defensive midfielder role, which will mean that Bradley will be playing as a traditional box-to-box midfielder, as opposed to an attacking midfielder role, which isn’t a role that maximizes Bradley’s skill set.

While Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley will likely be the starting Back Four, moving Johnson to left back with DeAndre Yedlin at right back is a bolder attempt to use young two-way outside backs against a team with fast and skilled wings, but the question is whether it’s better to use the same Back Four or better to surprise Ghana by being very bold by starting Yedlin.

It’s important to note that DaMarcus Beasley did play very well against Nigeria, which was a game where he showed an ability to defend and be an important component of the attack, and the left-footed Beasley looked very confident and capable with his weaker right foot. Beasely is a left winger that was converted to left back, but against Nigeria, he looked to have possibly turned out his best left back performance yet for the United States – and he did it at the perfect time.

Setting aside the defense, the Front Six that was used against Nigeria won’t work against Ghana, Portugal, or Germany.

Just like Ghana will be a problem for Beckerman, so too will Portuguese players such as William Carvalho, Miguel Veloso, Nani, João Moutinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Eder be a problem for Beckerman. The Germans will be an even bigger problem with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Mario Götze, Mesut Özil, André Schurrle, and Thomas Müller likely starting.

None of those players are players that Kyle Beckerman can defend or compete against like Jermaine Jones or Michael Bradley can.

Beckerman is the definite weak link in the USA XI that Klinsmann used against Nigeria, and that belief isn’t a personal attack on Beckerman, but it is an indictment of Jürgen Klinsmann for preaching fitness and speed only to select a slower and less fit defensive midfielder over the more athletic and fitter Edu who has not only a better club resume (including years in Europe) but also quality performances in the 2010 World Cup.

Against any of the Group G opponents, Bradley will need a player that can help him to provide link-up play with the attack, and Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore will need some more creativity from the midfielders than Bradley can provide on his own.

Although Brazil’s Paulinho is simply a much better central midfielder than Bradley, many Americans would have you believe that Bradley doesn’t play Paulinho’s position, but rather they would have you believe that the American attack is being orchestrated by Bradley just like Oscar or Neymar pull the strings for Brazil’s attack.

Bradley is a Number 8, and he needs to be played in that role.

The United States needs to be realistic about the likely scenario of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Kevin-Prince Boateng making it very difficult for Bradley to run through the center of the Ghanaian midfield to play final balls and create scoring chances.

This problem is one of the reasons that the exclusion of Maurice Edu, Landon Donovan, and Joe Corona for that matter was such a mistake in this writer’s opinion. Had all three of these players made the U.S. roster, then Klinsmann would have had the option of using Edu as the defensive midfielder with Jones and Bradley as box-to-box midfielders with Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Joe Corona helping to keep possession and provide service for Jozy Altidore.

Alejandro Bedoya is a capable attacking midfielder, but his roster inclusion still afforded room for Edu, Donovan, and Corona to make the squad, provided that Beckerman, Davis, and Green or Zusi were excluded. While Bedoya has shown an ability to maneuver and pass in tight quarters, Zusi’s play is predicated on hopeful crosses and long balls often played blindly into the penalty box or over the endline.

Who will Klinsmann start against Ghana? Who knows?

Maybe Klinsmann elects to start Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielder and box-to-box midfielder with Alejandro Bedoya, Mix Diskerud, and Clint Dempsey as the line of three attacking midfielders behind Jozy Altidore, but Klinsmann hasn’t seemed willing to start Diskerud.

Perhaps Klinsmann has to start Diskerud, but will he do it?

Diskerud’s ability to be a link between Bradley and Jones and the attack allows Jones to stay deeper and for Bradley to play more of a box-to-box role rather than being asked to not only constantly support Jones but to also orchestrate the attacking play of the Americans.

I see a major problem for Klinsmann against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany, and this problem is two-fold: how does he start an athletically-lacking midfielder like Beckerman in the World Cup, and can he trust Jones and Bradley to form a strong defensive midfield partnership?

For all the talk of Bradley being an attacking midfielder, Bradley’s skill-set and talents are special because of his classification as a two-way central midfielder, and deploying him as a central attacking midfielder diminishes his potential to be effective and influential all over the midfield and not just in the attacking third.

Klinsmann’s best option is to start Diskerud in place of Beckerman, which changes how Jones and Bradley play, but will Klinsmann acknowledge the tremendous liability that Beckerman is as a player tasked with defending midfielders and attackers that are frankly all more talented and athletic than he is?

The coach of the United States is definitely a tinkerman, but starting a natural central attacking midfielder or Number 10 is not something that he has been keen on doing.

Therefore, Diskerud’s likelihood of starting is about as low as the percentage of Hispanics that Klinsmann included on the USA roster.

In the World Cup, look for Klinsmann to employ one of three options: 1.) use the same XI that beat Nigeria; 2.) remove Beckerman from the XI and start Zusi and Bedoya as the wings flanking Dempsey in a central role as a withdrawn striker; or 3.) remove Beckerman from the XI, and start Diskerud as a central attacking midfielder in between Dempsey and Bedoya.

Anything is possible when Klinsmann is picking the USA XIs, but starting this USA XI is perhaps Klinsmann’s best option without tinkering too much:

HOWARD; JOHNSON, CAMERON, BESLER, BEASLEY; JONES, BRADLEY; BEDOYA, DISKERUD, DEMPSEY; ALTIDORE.

Personally, I would like to see this USA XI against Ghana because I think it gives the United States the best combination of players to play Ghana to win and not the best XI to bunker in on Ghana and try to stop wave after wave of Ghanaian attacks:

HOWARD; YEDLIN, CAMERON, BROOKS, JOHNSON; JONES, BRADLEY; DISKERUD; JÓHANNSSON, ALTIDORE, DEMPSEY.

Will Italy Start Three True Playmakers at Once?

June 3, 2014June 3, 2014 by Colin Reese

Andrea Pirlo and Antonio Cassano. — Andrea Pirlo and Antonio Cassano

By: COLIN REESE

Three playmakers: Andrea Pirlo, Marco Verratti, Antonio Cassano.

Will Cesare Prandelli start all three at once?

Pirlo, The Regista. Verratti, The Falso Trequartista. Cassano, The Trequartista and The Fantasista.

FantAntonio Cassano was supposed to be Francesco Totti’s successor as Italy’s trequartista after the 2006 World Cup, but Euro 2012 gave Cassano some redemption in a career that hasn’t been as glorious and decorated as it was supposed to be.

Cassano isn’t a player that you should ever count out. Cassano had a congenital heart defect surgically-repaired, and he then excelled in Euro 2012. He was supposed to be past his prime for the 2014 World Cup, and his fitness test scores conducted by Italy’s doctors were excellent.

FantAntonio has proven to be an extremely resilient person and player, and his ability to recover and thrive after serious obstacles contradict his reputation for being a lazy jokester.

This summer in Brazil, Cassano will be wearing the Number 10 jersey for Italy, an enormous honor, and Totti is probably glad that a fellow fantasista renowned for his creativity, skill, and guile is wearing his jersey.

There was a possibility of Totti playing in the World Cup even at 37 years old because his club form has been so good, but at 31 years old, Cassano is either in the best shape of his life or at the level he was at in his early twenties. Time hasn’t caught Cassano yet, and an excellent showing in the World Cup would be a feel good storyline for soccer fans everywhere.

With Cassano partnering with Mario Balotelli in the attack and with the possibility of Verratti playing somewhere in between the attack and Pirlo in the back of the midfield, it is very possible that Italy will field three playmakers at the same time.

Each playmaker is different.

Pirlo will be playing as a regista in front of the defense, but he will be going wherever he wants.

Cassano will be playing as a second striker as opposed to being deployed as a true trequartista slightly deeper, but this distinction is all semantics.

Cassano’s ability to partner with Balotelli and his rare skill-set made him a vital inclusion for la Nazionale, but Verratti was more of a roster doubt because many thought that he might be seen as surplus to requirements on a squad with Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo – before he broke his leg – which isn’t really the reason that Verratti made the squad. He made it on pure merit.

The questions surrounding Verratti weren’t about his ability or club form, but rather they were just doubts about whether Prandelli would use a roster spot for a player who was thought to be just a deep-lying playmaker that was vying for a roster spot against even defensive midfielders with excellent passing skills like Daniele De Rossi and Thiago Motta who both also played right in front of the defense.

Verratti has proven to everyone that he isn’t just a regista, but rather he is a playmaking virtuoso that can play in more advanced positions like the so-called falso trequartista, which is the name of the position that Gazzetta dello Sport used to describe his role.

Verratti has proven to be something of a trequartista extradordinaire whose game is characterized by combining inventive and magical passing with aggressive defending and tackling.

Verratti covers a lot of ground, and he’s hard to box into a specific positional category. All that matters is that Verratti is a playmaker that covers a lot of territory recovering the ball and orchestrating the passing and attacking play of his team.

Pirlo is a legend and grandmaster. Cassano is a world famous enigmatic fantasista. But, Verratti, unlike the other two starters, is the player vying for a starting spot, which will not be in place of either Pirlo or Cassano.

Will Italy use three playmakers at the same time in the World Cup?

If Prandelli starts all three Italian masters, then soccer fans everywhere will be in for the treat of seeing three world-class passers and footballers putting on quite the display of creativity and excellence.

Prandelli might decide that three playmakers like Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano playing together at once will get in each other’s way, so a box-to-box midfielder like Claudio Marchisio might be a better option to field with Pirlo and Cassano.

But, on the other hand, Verratti has shown that he covers a lot of ground and that he goes where he’s needed.

Maybe, just maybe, Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano at the same time can work to deliver to Italy’s opponents a lethal dosage of passing excellence, and if all three start together, then this might be the first time Italy or anyone else has used something like this, unless you consider the combination of Xavi, Iniesta, and Fàbregas of Spain and Barcelona to be a similar set-up.

One thing is for sure, and that is that Italy once again is dispelling the stereotype that Italians and the Italian national team only play defensive soccer. This is a stereotype that has never really been very accurate.

Prandelli has a reputation for being a tactical master, and if he can field an effective Starting XI with Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano, then he will once again receive rave reviews from the global soccer media and fans alike.

To field all three playmakers at once, Italy would have to line up in a formation similar to the diagram below:

Is Italy’s World Cup roster deeper than Brazil’s?

June 2, 2014 by Colin Reese

Mario Balotelli will be a fixture at striker for Italy. (Photo by Joern Pollex/Getty Images)

By: COLIN REESE

To be perfectly clear, Brazil’s first-choice XI is clearly the best XI in the World Cup, and Brazil’s second-choice XI might be the second best XI in the entire tournament as well.

Nevertheless, Italy’s roster is more versatile than Brazil’s (and perhaps deeper) because Italy has the option of using so many different formations and so many different combinations of players, whereas Brazil’s roster is a well-oiled machine full of creative and athletic footballers who don’t care who they play and who are all able to instantly adjust to any line-up changes without missing a beat.

Brazil can beat anyone without even hiding or concealing which players Felipão is going to start, and each starter for Brazil is a master at his position.

The only possible line-up toss-ups for Felipão are Maicon vs Daniel Alves or Luiz Gustavo vs. Fernandinho. Hernanes could be chosen over Oscar for tactical reasons in some games, but Oscar is the starting meia-armador.

It’s worth mentioning that, for many Brazilians, Neymar is not only just the player wearing the famed Camisa Dez, but also the player really playing that role (despite lining up out left) with Oscar as his partner in crime.

NeyMaster in many ways is not only the most dangerous scoring threat but also the most gifted and important creator.

But unlike Brazil, Italy and Prandelli have a whole host of tactical adjustments and formations that they can surprise opponents with. Italy has footballers like Antonio Candreva that aren’t predicted to start but who are nevertheless dynamic and lethal talents. The Lazio attacking midfielder can be deployed as an attacking midfielder of several varieties in addition to being a legitimate and capable wingback option when Italy uses the 3-5-2.

Looking at Italy closer, a player like Marco Verratti who has been described as a regista and also as a “falso trequartista” by Gazzetta dello Sport is like Napoleon in size and spirit, and although he may or may not be a starter this summer, he is a true fantasista that tackles and runs with conviction.

Claudio Marchisio will probably start over Verratti to give Italy a box-to-box midfielder to compliment Thiago Motta as the mediano or defensive midfielder (assuming Daniele De Rossi is playing as the center back in the 3-5-2) and Andrea Pirlo as the regista with Mario Balotelli as the first striker and Antonio Cassano playing as the second striker or trequartista depending on your interpretation.

Italy has more weapons in its arsenal as well.

At forward, Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile, and Lorenzo Insigne are lethal attackers, but Italy’s first choice XI is likely the following 3-5-2 formation (shown below in a diagram looking like a 3-2-3-2 formation):

Gigi BUFFON; Andrea BARZAGLI, Daniele DE ROSSI/Leonardo BONUCCI, Giorgio CHIELLINI; Ignazio ABATE, Thiago MOTTA/Daniele DE ROSSI, Andrea PIRLO, Marco VERRATTI/Claudio MARCHISIO, Mattia DE SCIGLIO; Mario BALOTELLI, Antonio CASSANO.

There is a belief in Italy and amongst Azzurri fans that De Rossi will start over Leonardo Bonucci as the center back in the three-man defense, and this belief has been validated by Prandelli himself. Prandelli might still be planning on starting Bonucci in the middle of the defense, but he has alluded to starting De Rossi there as well.

Italy’s first-choice XI is formidable indeed, and it will be interesting to see if Verratti or Candreva win starting spots over Marchisio.

Perhaps, Verratti is already the starter over Marchisio.

With Verratti starting, Italy would be fielding three playmakers at once – Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano – and this makes for a very creative combination of players for a national team that is often incorrectly stereotyped as just a defensive-minded and tactically-sound squad.

Italy has always placed a premium on creative and imaginative players, and this Azzurri squad has Pirlo, Verratti, Candreva, Insigne, Cerci, Cassano, and Balotelli.

In this summer’s World Cup, Prandelli will likely field a variety of formations and line-ups, and it will be interesting to see if Prandelli ever goes extremely offensive and boldly deploys players like Candreva, Insigne, or Cerci as terzini fluidificanti or wingbacks instead of outside backs like Abate and De Sciglio (as well as Matteo Darmian) who also excel as wingbacks.

Look for Prandelli and Italy to adapt their tactics depending on their opponents, but Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli will be constants: Pirlo as the midfield maestro and Balotelli at striker as Italy’s giant killer.

2014 World Cup: The Best USA Front Six

June 2, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

There’s no way to escape the obvious point that Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey would have been the strongest starting wing options for the United States in the 2014 World Cup.

Lots of people want American soccer fans to get over the Donovan omission, but the United States isn’t a soccer nation that can afford to omit technically-skilled and experienced attacking players that are only 32 years old and still fit. The laments about the Donovan omission aren’t going anywhere, and they shouldn’t.

Despite the exciting showings of DeAndre Yedlin and John Brooks in the defense, Klinsmann isn’t getting a pass on excluding Donovan, especially when he also showed a talented and experienced 23-year-old attacking midfielder like Joe Corona the door as well.

Since it also relates to the Front Six, it’s worth bringing up again that Klinsmann also cut Maurice Edu for Kyle Beckerman who is an athletic liability. Klinsmann has a lot to answer for in regards to his midfield and forward selections.

In other countries, Klinsmann would have been engulfed in criticism for these types of choices.

Without Donovan, Jürgen Klinsmann wants Americans to believe that Brad Davis or Graham Zusi or Alejandro Bedoya – who are both much better than Davis – are better attacking options for the United States against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany.

Since the 23-year-old Corona isn’t even on the roster either, the obvious question is what is the best way to field a Front Six that can keep possession, win back possession, create scoring chances, and score goals.

Looking at the USA roster, both Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley have to be deployed as the starting defensive midfielders. Even though Bradley and Jones for that matter are two-way players, they do fall into the category of defensive or box-to-box midfielders, and Kyle Beckerman lacks the quickness of foot and overall speed to realistically compete against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany.

The United States needs Jones and Bradley anchoring the midfield, but the United States also needs Mix Diskerud starting in order to provide the link-up play, technical skill, and creativity that is needed to keep possession and be dangerous in the attacking third.

Dempsey’s position on paper isn’t too important, and given the ability of Diskerud to provide a skill-set that the United States sorely needs, Dempsey should be deployed on the left wing where he has seen lots of success not only in the English Premier League and the Europa League, but also for the USA on the international level. Dempsey’s game is based on constant free-flowing movement, and starting him as a left wing doesn’t hinder his ability to get lots of touches in scoring positions.

With Jones and Bradley playing deeper and Diskerud at the central attacking midfielder spot with Dempsey out left, then the questions about the right wing and striker still remain.

One solution to this problem would be to use a 4-2-1-3 formation where Diskerud could line up as the Number 10 with Dempsey out left and Aron Jóhannsson out right. In this way, both players could float behind and play off Jozy Altidore who would line up as the striker.

Most soccer formations are fairly fluid in the attack, and having Diskerud orchestrating an attack where Dempsey, Altidore, and Jóhannsson have lots of freedom of movement in the attacking third is perhaps the best way for Klinsmann to maximize the skill of his roster.

Given Dempsey’s tendency to drop back and cover a lot of territory, it would be a mistake to think of Dempsey and Jóhannsson as players forced to stay out wide where they would be less dangerous.

The United States is using outside backs that like to get forward into the attack, and the attacking width of the United States will primarily come from the outside backs.

Keeping Diskerud and Jóhannsson on the bench to play substitute roles is a poor use of the USA’s talent, and it’s important to get theses important attacking players into the starting line-up, especially given the defensive coverage provided by Bradley and Jones.

The advantage of using Bradley and Jones is that both players can cover for each other and participate in the attack when they see fit, and having these two players affords the United States the ability to start a playmaker like Diskerud who can bring the creativity and skill on the ball than players like Dempsey and Altidore need to be more effective.

Adding Jóhannsson into the mix only improves the overall technical ability and firepower of the team, and this is more important than placing a premium on starting a left midfielder like Brad Davis whose main contribution is crosses, as almost any free kick would be taken by Dempsey, Bradley, Diskerud, or Altidore.

An overreliance on crossing is too much of a one-dimensional manner to attack Ghana, Portugal, and Germany who will all easily head these crosses out and invite the United States to send in more of them.

The best blend of defending and attacking for the United States’ midfield and attack is to start a Front Six made up of Jones, Bradley, Diskerud, Dempsey, Altidore, and Jóhannsson because this provides quality defending and passing deep in the midfield along with creativity and technical skill in the attack.

Jürgen Klinsmann has players that can be effective in the World Cup, but they need to be started to compete with the likes of Ghana, Portugal, and Germany.

This need to maximize the skill of the Front Six makes both Davis and Beckerman (and to a lesser extent Bedoya and Zusi) players that should be on the bench.

2014 World Cup: The Best USA Back Four

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014 by Colin Reese

John Anthony Brooks. (Photo: John MacDougall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

By: COLIN REESE

John Brooks’ and DeAndre Yedlin’s strong showings against Turkey on Sunday caused more question marks about just what the best USA Back Four is.

While Geoff Cameron and Fabian Johnson seem to have locked up their starting spots in the United States’ defense, Brooks and Yedlin showed against Turkey that they are as ready as two new defenders for the United States can be before a World Cup.

Other countries have entire squads entirely comprised of players that are more or less experienced and proven from their play in top European or South American leagues, but the United States doesn’t have this.

Matt Besler has done well for the United States, but it’s difficult to come away from the United States’ win over Turkey and not think that perhaps the 21-year-old Brooks offers everything that Besler offers but at a higher level; Brooks also starts in the Bundesliga.

Brooks showed quick reflexes and strong defending with his last second sliding clearance yesterday when the ball was close to being slammed at the USA goal from point blank range, and Brooks showed the ability to block shots and passes, in addition to being able to work the ball out of tight spaces.

Brooks had a strong performance against Turkey, and he certainly showed that he was a more agile and more two-footed player than Besler, who did play fairly well. Besler didn’t really do anything wrong, but Brooks looked like a defender that was a level above Besler.

All defenders make mistakes, but Brooks’ qualities and physical gifts should make him a legitimate contender to take Besler’s spot; Brooks at the very least should be considered.

Geoff Cameron offers the United States too much to not be a lock as a center back starter for the USA, but Besler, who was the player that many considered the absolute lock, now has a very capable Brooks looking to take his spot. Whether Besler or Brooks, at least the United States has three capable center backs, but Cameron has to start.

Fabian Johnson’s technical ability, attacking skill, speed, and club experience have long been known, but he has recently been showing that he also can dispossess attackers and make clean tackles.

Klinsmann has been using Johnson as a right back recently, but the two-footed Johnson, who also starts in the Bundesliga, is needed more as a left back where the USA is weak.

Johnson can just as easily score goals off give-and-goes and overlapping runs with his right foot as he did with his left foot against Turkey.

DeAndre Yedlin has been repeatedly labeled a raw player that lacks the defensive qualities needed for international play at this point in his career, but he keeps disproving this criticism. Yedlin has been proving people wrong, and his two-way play and electric speed are good enough to earn a starting spot in Brazil.

While Timothy Chandler is a skilled two-way right back, starting Yedlin might be a so-called risk that Klinsmann needs to take. Yedlin is also a two-way right back that is technically-skilled with both feet (and also extremely fast), and this is exactly what the United States needs.

There definitely needs to be a showdown between Chandler and Yedlin before the World Cup in the next USA game against Nigeria, but Yedlin is not the defensive liability that he was made out to be by many people.

Both Yedlin and Brooks have validated Klinsmann’s inclusion of them on the World Cup roster, and just maybe a Back Four comprised of Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Johnson gives the United States a defensive unit that is not only skilled and athletic but also ready to go, even if they didn’t get the chance to play together on multiple occasions; Klinsmann’s constant roster tinkering eliminated any chance of the United States building up the amount of chemistry that would make USA fans more comfortable.

With the caveat that Chandler or Yedlin for right back is a toss-up, Cameron, Brooks, and Johnson are the best choices at center back and left back, and there also certainly needs to be one final battle in the Nigeria game between Besler and Brooks for the starting left center back spot.

All of these caveats leave the USA with the likelihood that Yedlin/Chandler, Cameron, Brooks/Besler, and Johnson is the best USA Back Four for the World Cup.

2014 World Cup: Mix Diskerud Is the USA’s Number 10

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014 by Colin Reese

Mix Diskerud (Photo: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports)

By: COLIN REESE

Without Landon Donovan or Joe Corona on the USA World Cup roster, Mix Diskerud should be started as the central attacking midfielder because he frees up Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore to score goals.

Starting Diskerud, Dempsey, and Altidore together maximizes the American’s potential to be effective in the attack because Diskerud helps the USA to keep possession and set up goals, in addition to linking Jones and Bradley to the attack.

Ideally, Jones should play the stay-at-home defensive midfield role with Bradley being free to play as the box-to-box midfielder, and Diskerud is the needed piece to link Bradley to the attack, so that Bradley can also support Jones defensively.

As of right now, the United States’ 23-man World Cup roster looks set up to start Tim Howard in goal with Timothy Chandler, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, and Fabian Johnson forming the likely starting Back Four.

As the two-man defensive midfield, Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley are locks as starters in the line of two in the 4-2-3-1 formation, but time will tell if Jones can play his deeper more defensive role in the defensive midfielder partnership and let Bradley have the freedom to play the box-to-box role.

The idea that Bradley is some sort of attacking midfielder or playmaker is a misunderstanding of his special ability to play the box-to-box midfielder role that is so vital to trying to win the battle for the midfield. Playing as a box-to-box midfielder or as a defensive midfielder doesn’t mean that Bradley isn’t heavily involved in the build-up play and and chance creation for the Americans.

In the attack, which for the U.S., is the line of three attacking midfielders plus the striker, Clint Dempsey will likely start centrally or out left with Jozy Altidore at striker.

Will Jürgen Klinsmann start Alejandro Bedoya and Graham Zusi as the right and left wings, or will Klinsmann roll the dice and start Julian Green at left wing?

Mix Diskerud has been used by Klinsmann as a central attacking midfielder, which is why he is on this roster, so will Klinsmann start Diskerud in the center with Dempsey out left? If this happens, who starts out right: Bedoya, Zusi, or Green?

Lots of questions and possibilities about the starters in the attack, but no clear answers.

The decision really comes down to which other two players start with Dempsey and Altidore, and where will Dempsey and the other two players besides Altidore start?

The USA might line up with Bedoya, Dempsey, and Green starting in the line of three attacking midfielders, or the United States might start Bedoya, Dempsey, and Zusi as the line of three.

The option of using Green, Diskerud, and Dempsey as the line of three is an interesting possibility, and perhaps using Diskerud as a central attacking midfielder will prevent Jones from venturing too far into the attack.

Diskerud has shown well as a central attacking midfielder, and the arguments can be made that Dempsey’s position on paper doesn’t matter and that he’s played his best soccer out left. Thinking of Dempsey as stuck out on the left just because he starts at left wing doesn’t reflect Dempsey’s fluid movement without the ball all over the field.

Starting Diskerud changes everything. If Diskerud is started centrally and Dempsey out left, then Klinsmann is maximizing the talent and experience he has available to him among his attacking options.

There’s little question that Diskerud can keep possession and display creative and quality passing at the World Cup level better than most of the USA’s roster, even if Diskerud’s passing and skill is not even close to being on the same level of say a world-class playmaker like Oscar.

By way of another example, the USA’s opponent, Kevin-Prince Boateng, as a box-to-box midfielder that frequently plays as a playmaker, is light years beyond Diskerud in terms of passing and scoring ability, overall skill, athleticism, and effectiveness against elite competition.

The fact remains that any examination of the midfielders and forwards available to the United States in the World Cup reveals Jones, Bradley, Diskerud, Dempsey, and Altidore as five of the six best options for the USA’s Front Six.

If Dempsey needs to be moved to left wing – a position that he excels at – then so be it. Diskerud helps link Jones and Bradley to Dempsey and Altidore.

Let Green, Bedoya, and Zusi fight for the final spot in the USA’s Front Six, but given the need to maximize the skill of the United States, Diskerud deserves to start at the Number 10 spot.

As of right now, the USA appears to be set to use a 4-2-3-1 formation in the World Cup, but Klinsmann said that they may use three different formations in the World Cup.

What could two USA XIs look like if Diskerud is started at the central attacking midfielder role?

NOTE: Just today US Soccer seemed to imply via Twitter that the USMNT would be using a diamond midfield formation against Azerbaijan in the first warm-up friendly before the World Cup. This formation is sometimes referred to as the diamond 4-4-2, but it really is a 4-1-2-1-2 formation because it uses four defenders, a defensive midfielder, two box-to-box midfielders or wings, a central attacking midfielder, and a first and second striker or two center forwards.

Whether or not the USA will use the 4-2-3-1 or the 4-1-2-1-2 or both in the World Cup has yet to be seen.

2014 World Cup: Who Should Start For the USA?

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014 by Colin Reese

Clint Dempsey (left) and Jozy Altidore (right). (Photo: AP)

By: COLIN REESE

Unless there are injuries before the start of the 2014 World Cup, the USA’s World Cup roster is officially down to a final list of 23 players.

The United States’ roster is a balanced roster in terms of the amount of players selected for each position. Jürgen Klinsmann selected three goalkeepers, four outside backs, four center backs, three defensive midfielders, six attacking midfielders, and three strikers.

Going into further detail, Klinsmann selected two left-footed center backs, two right-footed center backs, two right backs, and two left backs. Furthermore, Klinsmann selected four wingers, and three first strikers. Clint Dempsey is basically an attacker that doesn’t fall into a rigid category, and Mix Diskerud can be firmly classified as a playmaker or a central attacking midfielder.

At the very least, Klinsmann’s roster, unlike most of his others, basically included a first and second choice option for each of the starting positions in his 4-2-3-1 formation.

Below is the USA World Cup roster broken down by position:

GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Nick RIMANDO

CENTER BACKS: Geoff CAMERON, Matt BESLER, Omar GONZALEZ, John Anthony BROOKS

RIGHT BACKS: Timothy CHANDLER, DeAndre YEDLIN

– Chandler also plays left back

LEFT BACKS: Fabian JOHNSON, DaMarcus BEASLEY

– Johnson also plays right back

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Kyle BECKERMAN

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS: Mix DISKERUD, Alejandro BEDOYA, Graham ZUSI, Julian GREEN, Brad DAVIS

FORWARDS: Clint DEMPSEY, Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Chris WONDOLOWSKI

-Of the forward group, Clint Dempsey is really a second striker or withdrawn striker or support striker or shadow striker – whichever term you wish to use. The other three forwards are out-and-out strikers a.k.a. first strikers

The First-Choice USA Starting XI is likely:

Tim Howard; Timothy Chandler, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, Fabian Johnson; Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley; Alejandro Bedoya, Clint Dempsey, Julian Green; Jozy Altidore.

*For this writer, it seems likely that Julian Green was selected to the final roster to start at left wing in place of Landon Donovan whose exclusion from the roster overshadowed the rest of the roster inclusions and omissions.

Roster Snubs

Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, Maurice Edu, and Terrence Boyd were the biggest snubs on the USA World Cup roster.

Both Corona and Donovan were more deserving of roster spots than both Davis and Green due to their skill and experience, and Corona who was playing as a left wing, right wing, or central attacking midfielder in La Liga MX is also on a better run of form than both Davis and Green.

Donovan’s omission is hard to justify in a country like the United States where technical ability and experience playing and performing well against elite soccer stars are in short supply, but this is the situation in which Dempsey and Bradley find themselves.

Regardless of what Klinsmann claimed, Donovan was in fact in direct competition with both Brad Davis and Julian Green who both made the roster in what can only be described as widespread disapproval across both the English-language and Spanish-language media in the United States. Donovan is a winger or a second striker, and Green plays both of these positions and Davis plays as a left midfielder.

Like Donovan, Joe Corona’s omission in favor of both Brad Davis and Julian Green is hard for Klinsmann to justify, but this story was overshadowed by the exclusion of Donovan, which eliminated the USA’s ability to start a midfield consisting of Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan at the same time.

It’s possible that Mix Diskerud and Joe Corona were competing for just one roster spot, but Corona’s ability to play on both wings or as a central attacking midfielder would have made both players useful inclusions on a roster in desperate need of technical ability, creativity, and a willingness to look to score goals and set up goals, along with the ability to do so.

In other roster battles, Klinsmann selected Kyle Beckerman over Maurice Edu, and he selected John Anthony Brooks over Clarence Goodson. Timothy Chandler and DeAndre Yedlin were chosen over Brad Evans and Michael Parkhurst, and Chris Wondolowski was selected over Terrence Boyd.

Boyd is a much deadlier, more athletic, and more physically-imposing striker than Wondolowski, and contending that Wondolowski’s style of play and sub-par athleticism for a professional soccer player translate to World Cup soccer is a big stretch.

Reviewing the Likely USA Starting XI:

HOWARD; CHANDLER, CAMERON, BESLER, JOHNSON; JONES, BRADLEY; BEDOYA, DEMPSEY, GREEN; ALTIDORE.

Since Klinsmann has been using Dempsey in the middle of the line of three attacking midfielders in what is really a second striker role, Dempsey is likely to play there in the World Cup as well.

With the inclusion of Green on the World Cup roster along with the exclusion of both Donovan and Corona, it might be the case that Klinsmann plans to toss Green into the deep end and start him at left wing in the World Cup.

At right wing, predicting whether Bedoya will start over Zusi is a toss up, but Bedoya is a faster and more skilled player that has been playing in Ligue 1, as opposed to MLS.

Given the players on the 23-man roster, the remaining starting spots listed above seem fairly predictable and straight forward.

Below is a diagram of the Likely USA XI:

If it were up to me, given the 23 players selected, the USA XI would be:

Howard; Yedlin, Cameron, Besler, Johnson; Jones, Bradley; Green, Diskerud, Dempsey; Altidore.

2014 World Cup: The USA Needs To Throw Caution to the Wind

May 21, 2014May 21, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

If Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States trot out Brad Evans, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis, or Chris Wondolowski at the World Cup, no one will be impressed by American soccer.

While the goal is to win as many games as possible, there is a connection between the skill required to play attractive soccer and winning.

The United States historically has been much less skilled on the ball than top soccer nations, but Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Geoff Cameron are exceptions to this characterization.

Klinsmann hasn’t reduced the USA World Cup roster from 30 to 23 players yet, but there are certain players and certain combinations of players that he would be wise to use.

Three names in particular stand out: Joe Corona, Mix Diskerud, and DeAndre Yedlin.

All three of these players have been described as somewhat unlikely to make the final roster by many observers, but their talent is undeniable and an improvement to many of the players that the United States used in the past.

U.S. Soccer even released a promotion video about Joe Corona, which can be found below, and the video seems to be some sort of indication that U.S. Soccer is using an official video release to build up support for the American attacking midfielder playing for Tijuana who hasn’t even been listed as a member of the final roster yet. No such other videos have been released, and the video on Corona appears to have used footage recorded prior to the announcement of the preliminary roster.

Releasing a video showcasing a player that could be potentially cut before the World Cup starts was a strange occurrence, and one has to wonder if this indicates that Klinsmann does in fact intend to put Corona on the final roster, despite the fact that Corona was largely dismissed by most American soccer writers (not this one) as a very unlikely roster inclusion.

While many Americans have misgivings about players like Diskerud, Corona, and Yedlin, World Soccer Source has no reservations about openly contending that Diskerud, Corona, and Yedlin are much better players than Brad Evans, Brad Davis, and even Graham Zusi, which is an opinion that is not shared by the most prominent American soccer writers and pundits.

With Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey being excellent attacking players that excel mostly when playing off strikers and playmakers, it’s logical that Klinsmann put two playmakers like Corona and Diskerud on his 30-man preliminary roster.

Likewise, the inclusion of DeAndre Yedlin who, along with Chris Klute, is perhaps the most exciting American outside back in some time also makes a lot of sense.

For outside back starters, Klinsmann knows that he already has Timothy Chandler and Fabian Johnson who are both Bundesliga outside backs that can play on either side of the defense, so including a young and dynamic two-way outside back like Yedlin as one of his best back-up outside back options is a smart move, even if Yedlin is young and inexperienced. Klinsmann has limited options. He can’t really play Brad Evans against Ghana, Portugal, or Germany.

In short, Klinsmann as coach of the United States needs to take his more talented and proven players, and use new talent to fill in the needed spots.

Despite the use of Dempsey as a second striker playing where a central attacking midfielder would play in a 4-2-3-1, Klinsmann would be wise to start Donovan and Dempsey as the right and left wings and start either Corona or Diskerud as the central attacking midfielder.

Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley are the logical starters as the defensive midfielder and as the central midfielder or box-to-box midfielder, and Jones needs to be specifically instructed to play the stay-at-home midfield destroyer role. If Jones can’t or won’t play that role with the United States then Geoff Cameron needs to be started as the defensive midfielder.

Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler have been the starting center backs, and despite Klinsmann never specifically saying so, there is a strong feeling that Cameron will take Gonzalez’s starting spot, which would make Cameron and Besler the starting center backs.

Nevertheless, a center back pairing consisting of Maurice Edu and Geoff Cameron would give the United States better defending, more athleticism, and better technical ability in the center of the defense.

For the United States Men’s National Team, there is no reward for playing small when the status quo of your national team is to play soccer not founded on excellent technical ability.

The final verdict is that the USA Starting XI should be:

HOWARD; CHANDLER, EDU, CAMERON, JOHNSON; JONES, BRADLEY; DONOVAN, CORONA/DISKERUD, DEMPSEY; ALTIDORE.

– It’s very unlikely that both Mix Diskerud and Joe Corona will be cut from the final 23-man roster. Both Corona and Diskerud can give the USA the playmaking role that the team needs. Maurice Edu is another likely roster inclusion to play as a defensive midfielder or as a center back.

– If Jones proves unwilling to play the defensive midfielder role, then Besler should retain his starting left center back spot with Cameron playing as the defensive midfielder.

-At the central attacking midfielder spot, Corona offers more versatility than Diskerud, and starting him in between Donovan and Dempsey allows all three players to freely switch places, in order to produce a fluid and dynamic combination of attacking midfielders behind Jozy Altidore at the striker spot.