Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

With the September friendlies coming up, here is World Soccer Source’s Best USA XI for August 2014:

GOALKEEPER: Brad GUZAN

Now seems like the time for Tim Howard to pass the torch to Brad Guzan. Guzan is arguably as good as Howard, and certain aspects of his game are better than Howard’s, such as his knowledge of when to come off his line and when to stay on it. Guzan’s club performances in the EPL and his performances for the United States prove his ability to be the USMNT Number 1 right now. Guzan has been as good and as consistent as Howard for years.

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

DeAndre Yedlin is the undisputed starting right back for the United States. Yedlin can track down and tackle basically any attacker regardless of their speed, and Yedlin is excellent in his ability to get down the sideline in the attack, play crosses, and play quality passes to midfielders and attacker in and around the penalty box. Yedlin was tossed into the deep end at the World Cup and he not only held his own but his skill and excellence stood out. The interest from European clubs in Yedlin solidifies his spot as the starting USA right back.

CENTER BACK: Geoff CAMERON

Geoff Cameron is the best American center back in the pool, and his combination of defending, size, skill, and athleticism makes his inclusion as a starter over Omar Gonzalez undeniable. All defenders make mistakes and get beaten, but Cameron offers the United States the most capable and competitive center back to play the right center back spot. Cameron has a great weaker left foot, and he’s equally as skilled as a left center back.

CENTER BACK: John BROOKS

Matt Besler is the lock starter at the left center back spot for most observers, but Brooks is better than Besler almost in every defensive, technical, and athletic category – and Brooks is a better combination of all of these categories. Brooks is a better 1v1 defender with more technical ability than Besler. Brooks is also better in the air defensively and on set pieces in the attack. Brooks proved his worth at the 2014 World Cup, and despite Besler’s quality play at the World Cup, now is the time to give Brooks the job.

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

Chris Klute needs to be more aggressive in his willingness to look to score and cut inside toward the penalty box, but Klute’s two-footed skill and ability to get forward with the attack and back on defense with world-class speed make him an outside back that the United States needs to use as a starter now. Klute needs to be allowed to make mistakes and get more experience as well. Klute is an investment that needs to be made now so that he can reach his full potential and become more complete soon. Making Klute wait longer doesn’t help the United States at all.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Maurice EDU

Starting Maurice Edu with Michael Bradley ensures that Bradley will have defensive coverage from a skilled and athletic midfielder and defender that can also get forward with the attack with Bradley drops deeper. Using Edu as a defensive midfielder allows Geoff Cameron to start at center back where he is needed the most.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu are both defensive midfielders that not only know how to participate in the attack but that also know to stay back deeper to provide defensive coverage so that the Back Four isn’t exposed. Bradley provides the needed defensive and constant running while also helping to control the team’s passing, in addition to setting up goals.

RIGHT ATTACKER: Joe CORONA

Using Joe Corona as the right attacker not only helps Benny Feilhaber to keep possession and create scoring chances but he also plays slightly deeper than Clint Dempsey who is really a forward in the form of a second striker. While Fabian Johnson could start here for his attacking skill and pace, Corona helps to link the defensive midfielders to Juan Agudelo and Clint Dempsey more so than Johnson does.

NUMBER 10: Benny FEILHABER

Benny Feilhaber is the best and most proven Number 10 or central attacking midfielder in the entire American player pool, and he has developed a strong two-way style of play full of running and defending. Feilhaber is a playmaker and skilled goal-scorer, but he has now also become a playmaker with the work rate and defender of a box-to-box midfielder.

LEFT ATTACKER: Clint DEMPSEY

As the best American player and attacker, Clint Dempsey lining up out left allows him to attack wide, cut inside, or sneak forward next to the striker. A free-flowing attacker like Dempsey has total freedom of movement for the United States, and starting him out left opens up a starting spot for Edu to start alongside Bradley in the defensive midfield to protect the back line and to help start the attack from the back. For most of his career, starting out left with the freedom to cut inside provided Dempsey with the most success because he could help provide link-up play with the striker and go forward to partner with the first striker.

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

Juan Agudelo is a more complete and more dangerous striker than Jozy Altidore. Agudelo’s touch, skill on the ball, creativity, and finishing are all superior to Altidore, and Agudelo has all of the athleticism and height of Altidore with good strength albeit not quite as much as the almost NFL strength of Altidore. Therefore, Agudelo brings Altidore’s athleticism and size with more skill, trickery, and better finishing. Agudelo is also much more active off the ball and more capable of attacking from wide positions and centrally. Finally, Agudelo is just as good or better than Altidore in the air. Altidore has been criticized at times for the inconsistency in the quality of his touch and skill on the ball, but no one has ever accused Agudelo of being technically lacking.

Tactical Formation (4-2-3-1):

GUZAN

YEDLIN CAMERON BROOKS KLUTE

BRADLEY EDU

CORONA FEILHABER DEMPSEY

AGUDELO

By: COLIN REESE

These rankings aren’t based on skill alone, but they are a subjective ranking of American footballers factoring in skill, club form, international form, and athleticism. It’s impossible to weigh the various criteria evenly, and trying to compare attackers to midfielders to defenders to goalkeepers is even more difficult, as each position has different but equally important skill-sets.

Here are World Soccer Source’s rankings of the Best American Footballers as of August 2014:

1. Clint DEMPSEY

2. Landon DONOVAN

3. Michael BRADLEY

4. Fabian JOHNSON

5. Tim HOWARD

6. Jermaine JONES

7. Benny FEILHABER

8. Geoff CAMERON

9. Juan AGUDELO

10. Joe CORONA

11. DeAndre YEDLIN

12. Mix DISKERUD

13. Jozy ALTIDORE

14. Brad GUZAN

15. Maurice EDU

16. Eddie JOHNSON

17. John BROOKS

18. Benji JOYA

19. Dillon POWERS

20. Shane O’NEILL

21. Robbie ROGERS

22. Chris KLUTE

23. Michael OROZCO 

24. Michael PARKHURST

25. Matt BESLER

26. Julian GREEN

27. Andrew FARRELL

28. Lee NGUYEN

29. Kellyn ACOSTA

30. Gyasi ZARDES

By: COLIN REESE

Joe Corona and Clint Dempsey flanking Juan Agudelo on paper but really playing as attacking midfielders behind Agudelo is a big attacking upgrade for the United States Men’s National Team.

Those three players added to an American midfield comprised of Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Benji Joya discussed in a previous article make for a formidable Front Six entirely made up of technically-skilled and athletic players with the ability to play high quality soccer.

On paper this is a 4-3-3 formation, but it’s really the same as the 4-2-3-1 formation.

Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey form the attacking midfield portion of the Front Six, and Bradley is the defensive midfielder lining up in front of the Back Four. Joya is a two-way central midfielder than defends and attacks in addition to helping to link Bradley to the likes of Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey.

In the same way, Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey help to make sure Agudelo sees plenty of the ball in the attacking third to maximize his effectiveness as a striker and goal-scorer.

This trident of Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey is a departure from the formula Jürgen Klinsmann planned on using in the World Cup before Jozy Altidore was injured in the first game. Klinsmann appeared to be banking on Dempsey alone being the only real link between the midfield and the attack, but the trident as described above allows for a much more potent attack made up of more attackers that can combine with one another and create more scoring chances and hopefully finish them.

Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey all passing and moving and swirling around in the attacking third makes for a much more fluid and dynamic combination of attackers who pass and move as opposed to just leaving Dempsey and Altidore isolated up top with no consistent service other than long balls.

The best choice of players is subjective but a midfield of Bradley, Feilhaber, and Joya behind an attack of Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey is a big step in the right direction for the United States that is still considered a national team that lacks collective technical skill and inventive play by most of the world that admires the Americans’ determination, teamwork, and work rate but little else.

While many Americans love that their national team is known around the world for its mental toughness and running, this is another way of saying that Americans run a lot but lack the skill needed to consistently create scoring chances and beat top national teams from the run of play.

Using the Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey trident is a way to immediately bolster the inventiveness, attacking skill, and dynamism of the American attack, and the United States would be wise to use these players who have all proven their worth either on the club level or internationally or both.

Another way to think of this trident is actually Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey forming the line of three attacking midfielders behind Agudelo, but Corona and Dempsey are both forward-midfield hybrids that look to score and get into the penalty box.

Below is the three-man USMNT attack that World Soccer Source backs for success.

Right Attacker: Joe CORONA 

*(Fabian JOHNSON)

Striker: Juan AGUDELO

Left Attacker: Clint DEMPSEY

By: COLIN REESE

The goal to improve the quality of American soccer and of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) marches on, and the gap remains between the amount of quality possession and technical soccer that the USA plays and other national teams play.

While it’s vital to have a defense made up of quality defenders with good athleticism and skill on the ball and while it’s important to have attackers that can finish scoring chances and create scoring opportunities, the midfield is where the real battle is waged.

The need to have better link-up play between the defensive midfielders and the attack has been harped upon by observers of the USMNT, so there is no disagreement among observers that this element of the United States’ play needs to be improved.

If Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones both start for the United States, then there is still not enough of a link-up midfielder and attacking midfielder in the Starting XI to solve the problem of poor passing and little creativity in the midfield.

Out of all of the players in the American player pool, perhaps none other than Benny Feilhaber is more equipped right now to provide the type of link-up play and creativity that is missing from the national team.

Given all of the praise that Feilhaber has received for his improved defense and two-way play along with his drastically improved fitness levels, it is only logical for Feilhaber to be the first name that needs to be added to the American midfield with Bradley, since the only real criticism of Feilhaber in the past was that he didn’t play enough defense.

Maybe it’s also time to start thinking of a box-to-box midfielder or central midfielder to take Jones’ place, even if Jones is still going strong and looking very fit as he approaches 33.

Who should Jones’ replacement be? Benji Joya or Dillon Powers.

The USMNT roster needs both Joya and Powers, but Joya is the more technical, quick, and creative of the two for the Starting XI. Powers might be a better combination of defending and attacking than Joya, but Joya’s work rate and defending are still excellent. To be clear, Powers is a skilled passer and technical player that knows how to set up goals and score goals, and his gifts and skills look high-caliber.

Although Bradley has been marketed as more of an attacking and creative player than he really is, the USA needs Bradley lining up in front of the defense where he can protect the Back Four and help to orchestrate the passing. Bradley is the best American defensive midfielder.

His tireless running and intense but clean tackling are huge assets to the American midfield, and they are invaluable to the center backs and outside backs for whom he is providing defensive coverage.

Bradley’s two-footed passing can help the United States to work the ball out of the back with possession, and as a defensive midfielder he can be a passing outlet for the defense.

One complaint about Jones has been his sometimes dirty tackling and knack for getting cards, and although this wasn’t a problem in the World Cup, Bradley doesn’t have this same problem with dirty tackling.

An American midfield comprised of Bradley, Feilhaber, and Joya gives the USA defensive coverage, technical players, and skilled passers in the midfield, and players like Joe Corona and Clint Dempsey lining up out right and left as attackers that drift inside and sort of form part of the midfield gives the United States enough skilled passers and gifted players in between the defense and the striker to produce the sort of improved possession and overall play that Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States are looking for.

To progress with the times and improve, the United States should think of its midfield as a three-player system composed of a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, and a playmaker, and these players are listed below.

Defensive Midfielder: Michael BRADLEY

Playmaker: Benny FEILHABER

Central Midfielder: Benji JOYA

The reason that Corona and Dempsey are not listed to make the midfield a five-man system is because they are forward-midfield hybrids that help to provide more support for the striker and more link-up play for the midfielders.

Since Feilhaber has become a much fitter and much more two-way midfielder, his creativity, vision, and technical skill can be bolstered by having players like Corona and Dempsey to combine with, and let’s not forget Joya who is a complete midfielder with the attacking skill, speed, and quickness to be used as an attacker.

Bradley, Feilhaber, Joya, Corona, and Dempsey behind either Jozy Altidore or Juan Agudelo is a strong and balanced American midfield and attack that improves the overall technical ability of the national team, which is what all American soccer fans want to see now and in future games and touraments.

By: COLIN REESE

DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, John Brooks, and Chris Klute. The new USMNT defense.

Before going any further, it’s important to point out immediately that Fabian Johnson has a really strong cases as a starter over Chris Klute.

Johnson has received rave reviews on the club and international level for his play as a left back and right back, and anyone that has seen him play knows his attacking quality, overall skill-level, two-footedness, and speed.

The Klute over Johnson opinion is based on the fact that Klute is more of a defender than Johnson and better at tracking back on defense sooner and not leaving open space behind him, and Klute is a lightning-fast player.

Johnson is a converted winger who is essentially world-class as a winger on either side who also does play the right and left back positions really well from an attacking standpoint, but Klute is a better defender who still excels at participating in the attack and playing crosses and passes from the flanks.

Johnson is a more technical attacker, but Klute is a better defender. Both players excel as left backs or as right backs.

Klute is a technical and two-footed player with underrated dribbling ability, but Johnson is a much more talented player in terms of his overall technical ability and attacking skills. Johnson can score goals, and Klute just doesn’t have the same ability to cut inside and score.

This is one of the the weapons that Klute needs to add to his game. His speed and ability to use both feet would be more dangerous if he looked to take shots and score more often than he does now.

But, if the USA wants a fast and modern two-way outside back, Klute provides much better defending while still bringing a constant attacking threat out wide. Klute’s speed is also something that is just an enormous weapon defensively and offensively.

Whatever gap there is between Klute’s technical ability and Johnson’s is made up for with the speed that Klute uses to track down attackers, to burst down the sideline in the attack, to cut off passes, to make tackles, and to dribble out of the back.

Perhaps the best use of Johnson is as a winger in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, but this would take a starting spot from Corona who knows how to orchestrate an attack and score and Dempsey who brings so much scoring ability and trickery to the attack.

Going forward, Yedlin and Cameron are the clear starting right back and right center back, and Brooks is a more complete and younger center back than Matt Besler who has done well for the United States and Sporting Kansas City.

The ability of Yedlin and Klute to get forward in the attack with pace and their ability to catch and defend speedy attackers make them the outside backs that the United States needs the most in the USMNT XI.

With Cameron and Brooks as the center back pairing and Yedlin and Klute as the outside back pairing, the United States has the type of defense that it’s looking for: a fast and technical one with strong defending.

Although this Back Four is a strong one and the type that the United States needs, the USMNT still needs to give Maurice Edu more minutes as a center back with Geoff Cameron, and Fabian Johnson and Chris Klute need to be tested against one another.

The Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute Back Four looks to be a strong one, but each of those positions need second-choice options, plus Johnson’s best role needs to be discovered.

As World Soccer Source will back a three-man midfield of Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Benji Joya in a latter article, in addition to an attack of Joe Corona, Juan Agudelo, and Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson’s attacking skill as a two-footed winger who excels on either side makes him a starting winger for most observers.

Maybe having Feilhaber and Corona in the Starting XI would cause those players to get in each other’s way, or maybe it’s necessary to have two playmakers like that for the USA to see better possession and create more scoring chances. Either way, Johnson is a lock on the roster, but really ironing out the best USA XI will take some experimentation and time.

For now, a Back Four of Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute is a good starting point for the American defense, and Klute is more of an outside back than Johnson who really plays his best as a winger on either side.

Here is the USA Back Four that World Soccer Source supports:

Right Back: DeAndre YEDLIN

Center Back: Geoff CAMERON

Center Back: John BROOKS

Left Back: Chris KLUTE

By: COLIN REESE

According to World Soccer Source, here is the Best USMNT 23 as of August 2014:

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Cody CROPPER

DEFENDERS: Geoff CAMERON, John BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL, Andrew FARRELL, DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Kofi SARKODIE, Kellyn ACOSTA

MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Benny FEILHABER, Maurice EDU, Fabian JOHNSON, Joe CORONA, Benji JOYA, Dillon POWERS

ATTACKERS: Clint DEMPSEY, Jozy ALTIDORE, Julian GREEN, Juan AGUDELO

Roster Notes:

– Center Back is a deep position on this roster. Cameron, Brooks, O’Neill, and Farrell are center backs, as is Edu. Brooks is naturally left-footed, so the United States has a clear left center back starter, not to mention Cameron and O’Neill who are perfectly comfortable and capable playing left center back or right center back. Cameron is the obvious right center back starter.

– Klute and Acosta play as right backs or left backs, and Yedlin and Sarkodie are really just right backs (although Yedlin can play left back). Farrell is also a right back.

– Bradley and Edu are listed as the defensive midfielders, but Cameron and O’Neill also excel in this role. Farrell is also known to do well as a midfield destroyer.

– Joya, Powers, Bradley, and Edu are all box-to-box midfielders in addition to other positions that they play whether those be defensive midfielders in Bradley’s and Edu’s case or playmakers in Joya’s and Powers’s case.

– Dempsey, Corona, F. Johnson, Green, and Joya can all play as wings on either side of the field.

– Dempsey and Green are midfield-forward hybrids that can play as second strikers or as wings.

– Altidore, and Agudelo are the Number 9s or first strikers on this roster, which gives the United States two out-and-out strikers in order to avoid the 2014 World Cup scenario where the roster only included one fully-healthy and quality striker, Altidore, who was injured in the first game. Aron Jóhannsson appears to have been playing injured even before the 2014 World Cup.

– Fabian Johnson listed as a midfielder because his best position is as a right or left winger, but Johnson is obviously a international-caliber right back or left back.

– Clear playmakers are present on this roster. Feilhaber and Corona are naturally central attacking midfielders, but Joya and Powers also excel in this role. Dempsey shines in this role as well where he’s really playing as a withdrawn striker, which is a variation of the central attacking midfielder.

– Each position of the 4-2-3-1 is at least two players deep on this roster, and the flexibility of so many of the players gives the United States plenty of tactical options and formation choices, including the fluid 4-3-3 formation.

By: COLIN REESE

With two international friendlies on the horizon, the United States Men’s National Team has to look to improve its mediocre passing in the 2014 World Cup, and it’s time to take stock of the player pool.

The 4-3-3 formation quickly becomes the 4-2-3-1 formation, but thinking of the USMNT as a 4-3-3 formation is a convenient way to list a balanced midfield and attack in a sport where players’ positions are so fluid.

As some attacking midfielders that play wide or centrally are referred to as forwards or attackers nowadays while other similar players are listed as midfielders, fielding a midfield three comprised of a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, and a playmaker or central attacking midfielder is a simple and logical way begin forming a USA XI.

Most of this is semantics, and the important things are to have defensive coverage in front of the defense and to have link-up play between the defensive midfielders and the attacking players.

Nevertheless, selecting a defensive midfielder, a two-way central midfielder, and a playmaker is a great method to ensure that the USA has a nice balance of players in the midfield.

AS Roma is associate with the 4-3-3, and that’s exactly the type of soccer that the United States is looking to play – proactive with an organized and traditional defense made up of two-way outside backs and two center backs.

Tab Ramos in an interview with Soccer America explained how his U-20 USMNT roster from the last U-20 World Cup had Will Trapp as the defensive midfielder, Benji Joya as the box-to-box midfielder, and Luis Gil as the Number 10.

It’s easy to see how this playing philosophy demonstrates a strong fundamental understanding of how to field a midfield that is a balance between defending and attacking.

In addition to the three types of midfielders listed above, let some of the wingers or wide attacking midfielders that like to cut inside be listed as forwards if that makes selecting a balanced roster easier.

The important thing is to be two players deep at all 11 positions in a common and proven tactical formation such as the 4-2-3-1, the 4-3-3, or the 4-1-4-1. The players on the field are just going to move around constantly anyway.

Putting two defensive midfielders, two box-to-box midfielders, and two playmakers on the 23-man roster eliminates the problem that the United States had in the 2014 World Cup: no link-up play between the defensive midfielders and the attack.

For the United States right now, the midfield has to begin with Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielder, and Benny Feilhaber continues to make his case as the best American playmaker in the pool, plus he has the international experience and success to back up this claim.

Selecting a box-to-box midfielder is more difficult and controversial for many people. Should the USA go with a new talent like Benji Joya or Dillon Powers, or is it too soon?

Landon Donovan, DeAndre Yedlin, and Juan Agudelo have all debunked the belief that young and inexperienced American players can’t deliver on the international level, and Joya is at the top of the list as far as young American box-to-box midfielders go.

By all accounts, Joya is the central midfielder that will be a fixture for the USMNT for the next 10 plus years.

Dillon Powers is another option, and perhaps he should already be thought of as the second-choice box-to-box midfielder behind Joya.

Either way, Joya and Powers are ready to be on the roster now because the best you can do is pick your best players for each position even if they aren’t too experienced internationally.

Talented young players need to be allowed to play to keep a club or national team with a steady pipeline of talent with playing time.

The other advantage of both Joya and Powers on the roster is that the USA does have the option of using a midfield three comprised of two box-to-box midfielders with a defensive midfielder.

With two box-to-box midfielders flanking a defensive midfielder, the playmaker on paper can just be in the front line of three attackers who will all be constantly moving, roaming around, and swapping positions with one another, except for the striker who should be playing higher and looking to stretch the defense.

For simplicity’s sake, a three-man midfield made up of Joya, Bradley, and Feilhaber is a technical and athletic group that are all two way players with some differing skill-sets.

The four-man defense should be a foregone conclusion. Whether one chooses Fabian Johnson or Chris Klute as the left back, the USA Back Four should be DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, John Brooks, and Johnson or Klute.

The argument can be made for Matt Besler as the left center back, but Brooks is a better 1v1 defender, more two-footed, and a Bundesliga starter. Brooks is therefore a better defender and a better soccer player than Besler, plus he’s younger. This makes Brooks the better option.

The three-man attack is really two attacking midfielders plus a striker. With Joe Corona out right and Clint Dempsey out left, both players can cut inside, play wide, and float behind Juan Agudelo who is the most talented and complete striker in the American pool.

Both Corona and Dempsey are attacking midfielders that are always looking to score and to get into the penalty box, so using these two players behind Agudelo gives the American attack lots of combination play and goal-scoring ability.

In many ways this set-up is just a 4-2-3-1 in disguise (with Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey as the line of three), but listing it as a 4-3-3 is a convenient way to separate the midfielders with the midfield-forward hybrids like Corona and Dempsey.

Bradley and Joya would be the line of two defensive midfielders – with Joya being the box-to-box midfielder and Bradley being the stay-at-home defensive midfielder. Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey would be the line of three attacking midfielders, and Agudelo would be the striker.

This sort of balanced and organized tactical set-up would allow the United States to maximize its talent while not continuing to play too defensively without the link-up players needed to have an effective and technical attack.

What would a USMNT 4-3-3 look like?

GUZAN

YEDLIN CAMERON BROOKS KLUTE/JOHNSON

JOYA BRADLEY FEILHABER

CORONA AGUDELO DEMPSEY 

– This USA XI includes four lines of players comprised of a goalkeeper, a defense, a midfield, and an attack.

– Specifically, this 4-3-3- has a goalkeeper, a right back, two center backs, a left back, a  box-to-box midfielder, a defensive midfielder, a playmaker, two attacking midfielders that line up out wide and cut inside, and a striker.

– With this USA XI, it’s also easy to select a suitable back-up for each of the 10 field positions, plus two more goalkeepers.

By: COLIN REESE

Many American soccer writers, commentators, pundits, and fans won’t ever even consider the use of young and inexperienced American players on the United States Men’s National Team because those players aren’t the current starters, so there’s never any real pressure placed on the USMNT to conduct an actual examination of the player pool, which holds the United States back.

Better national teams are comprised of players playing in top European or Latin American leagues, so although the World Cup or international play is a different animal, new players’ club play offers up a sense of how they will perform at the international level against top competition.

Cruising along with the status quo is a bad strategy for the USMNT to close the gap with first and second-tier national teams.

The United States needs to start bringing new and talented players into the fold and see how they do. If these players don’t appear to be capable of playing well at the international level after several appearances, then other players should be tried out.

U.S. Soccer keeps a list of players in the pool, but there definitely needs to be a list of around 100 players organized by position that need to be monitored.

Here, World Soccer Source identifies 12 players from the United States Men’s National Team’s World Cup squad that Jürgen Klinsmann should continue to use, and 11 new players that are needed to fill the remaining roster spots and improve the national team are also identified.

PLAYERS THE USMNT SHOULD KEEP:

GK: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN

CB: Geoff CAMERON, John BROOKS

OB: DeAndre YEDLIN, Fabian JOHNSON

DM: Jermaine JONES, Michael BRADLEY

AM: Clint DEMPSEY, Mix DISKERUD, Julian GREEN

S: Jozy ALTIDORE

PLAYERS THE USMNT SHOULD DROP/ADD:

OUT: Nick RIMANDO

IN: Cody CROPPER

OUT: Omar GONZALEZ

IN: Shane O’NEILL

OUT: Matt BESLER

IN: Michael OROZCO

OUT: DaMarcus BEASLEY

IN: Chris KLUTE

OUT: Timothy CHANDLER

IN: Kellyn ACOSTA

OUT: Kyle BECKERMAN

IN: Maurice EDU

OUT: Alejandro BEDOYA

IN: Joe CORONA

OUT: Brad DAVIS

IN: Benji JOYA

OUT: Graham ZUSI

IN: Dillon POWERS

OUT: Chris WONDOLOWSKI

IN: Juan AGUDELO

OUT: Aron JÓHANNSSON

IN: Benny FEILHABER*

*Not a like-for-like switch but the final roster has a first and second choice option for each spot in the 4-2-3-1 formation.

The Updated USMNT Roster:

GK: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Cody CROPPER

RB: DeAndre YEDLIN, Kellyn ACOSTA

RCB: Geoff CAMERON, Shane O’NEILL

LCB: John BROOKS, Michael OROZCO

LB: Chris KLUTE, Fabian JOHNSON

DM: Michael BRADLEY, Maurice EDU

CM: Jermaine JONES, Dillon POWERS

RW: Joe CORONA, Benji JOYA

CAM: Benny FEILHABER, Mix DISKERUD

LW: Clint DEMPSEY, Julian GREEN

S: Jozy ALTIDORE, Juan AGUDELO

Abbreviation Guide:

GK- Goalkeeper

CB- Center Back

OB- Outside Back

RB- Right Back

RCB- Right Center Back

LCB- Left Center Back

LB- Left Back

DM- Defensive Midfielder

CM- Central Midfielder

AM– Attacking Midfielder

RW- Right Wing

CAM- Central Attacking Midfielder

LW- Left Wing

S- Striker