American Soccer

Christian Pulisic Faces Tough Competition for Playing Time at Chelsea

by

There can be no doubt that Christian Pulisic’s $73 million move to Chelsea was the biggest move ever for an American footballer, and by all appearances it appears as though the 20-year-old is the most impressive American footballer yet. Nevertheless, Pulisic faces intense competition for playing time despite starting Chelsea’s last two matches.

Although he was unfairly, heavily criticized by Chelsea fans, Willian is an absolutely world-class Brazilian footballer who Pulisic will be competing with for playing time. As Pulisic plays as a wing for Chelsea, he also will competing with Pedro and Mason Mount for minutes.

While Pedro and Willian are already both world-class players, Mount also looks to be an elite player who plays with great technique, creativity, directness, and speed. Mount like Willian or Pulisic or Pedro for that matter plays well centrally as a playmaker, and this allows Chelsea’s manager Frank Lampard to have quite a bit of flexibility with his attacking lineup.

In short, having four excellent attacking midfielders/wingers/forwards is a great problem for Lampard to have, but from an American fan’s perspective it also means Pulisic might not be starting every match and going 90 minutes.

On paper it would appear that Pedro and Willian are far superior to both Mount and Pulisic, and there is a possibility that Lampard could deploy Ngolo Kante and Jorginho as the central or defensive midfielders with Pedro, Kovacic, and Willian lining up in front of them as a line of three.

Kovacic is another world-class player for Chelsea as Kante and Jorginho are, and his ability to be deployed as a true attacking midfielder or playmaker behind Olivier Giroud should not be underestimated. Kovacic didn’t always get as much playing time as he deserved at Real Madrid, but he’s an elegant, graceful, and creative playmaker who deserves his starting spot for Chelsea. This reality makes the competition between Mount and Pulisic even stiffer.

Nevertheless, Pulisic has proven himself to be an electric and aggressive attacker with great creativity and directness, and the presence of stiff competition at Chelsea will not impede his progression as a player or his rise to fame. Let’s not forget that Pulisic already played for Borussia Dortmund, one of the top clubs in the world. The Premier League would appear to be more en vogue than the Bundesliga right now rightly or wrongly, and this will only increase Pulisic’s game and quest to demonstrate that the United States has finally produced a world-class player.

 

Christian Pulisic Is Somewhat of a Faster Version of Clint Dempsey

by

Clint Dempsey was a special American player because of his skill with the ball, which was way beyond any other American player minus Freddy Adu, who for all his problems, was exceptional with the ball at his feet. Christian Pulisic appears to have Dempsey’s technical ability with the ball, although it remains to be seen just how his shooting and ball striking compare.

Christian Pulisic’s Speed Gives Him an X-Factor That Clint Dempsey Didn’t Have

Without a doubt his passing is as good or better than Dempsey’s. Pulisic’s speed and quickness allows him to shake defenders and/or glide past them even if they are particularly fast. Dempsey didn’t have this asset to use, even though he was by no means slow. Pulisic, on the other hand, is truly fast, and his electric speed makes him more dangerous against top competition than Dempsey was.

Dempsey had many qualities, and in many ways, he was underrated to the extent that people looking to mock American soccer players liked to downplay and openly scoff at his ability. Of course, there was no justification for this, but nevertheless, the speed that Pulisic has allows him to beat defenders and get into the area with greater ease than Dempsey. One has to think that Dempsey can’t watch Pulisic without wishing that he himself was blessed with that extra gear of speed.

They say speed kills, so you should have no illusions that speed isn’t a deadly weapon in football. Speed is so important that many observers have claimed that Kylian Mbappe has already surpassed Neymar despite not having the same quiver of dribbling, passing, and shooting skills that make the Brazilian truly a grandmaster. Mbappe’s speed hypnotizes people into believing that he is a better player than Neymar which isn’t the case. In an interview with Alexis Nunes of ESPN, the Jamaican footballer, Leon Bailey said that Neymar was the only player close to Ronaldinho in terms of technical ability and magic with the ball. He could have said Lionel Messi, but he didn’t. That tells you just how magical Neymar is.

The increased media attention on Pulisic now that he’s at Chelsea in many ways demonstrates a certain degree of bias and ignorance amongst the media and fans. Pulisic was already playing for Borussia Dortmund, which is arguably the second biggest club in Germany and in the Bundesliga, so Pulisic was already a proven commodity at the highest level. German football is better than English football, and Germany as a country has four World Cup titles. To argue that Pulisic is only now playing under the spotlight or at the highest level is simply demonstrably untrue.

We’ll see how Pulisic performs for Chelsea and how much he plays. He looked sharp, electric, direct, and aggressive in his first game for Chelsea. Although last season at Dortmund, his playing time was down from the previous year, Chelsea’s players might not be at the same level as Dortmund’s. German football is very technical and elite, and it’s hard to argue that the Premier League showcases the same degree of technical skill and ability.

One thing is for certain, and that is that Pulisic is easily the best American player any of us has ever seen. No other American was able to attack top defenders and blow past them like Pulisic has done, and in addition to his individual 1v1 ability and speed, he has a great football mind who reads the game quickly and plays creative one-to-two touch football.

 

Christian Pulisic Makes History with Chelsea as the Most High Profile American Soccer Signing Ever

by

Today Chelsea bought Christian Pulisic for $73 million. It was the biggest and most expensive signing of an American soccer player ever.

Even Clint Dempsey never played for that big of a club or was signed for that much money. It’s worth mentioning that Michael Bradley played for AS Roma, and that club and the level of their play is comparable to Chelsea. Bradley wasn’t signed for anywhere close to that kind of money though. Nevertheless, Bradley playing for a big Serie A club known for attacking soccer was a huge milestone for American soccer.

Based on Pulisic’s skill level combined with his speed and his past performances in the Bundesliga, the Champions League, and for the United States, the American forward/midfielder is arguably worth the money. In contrast to Dempsey, Pulisic is much faster and quicker, and these extra gears of speed and quickness make him more of an attacking threat against elite competition. Dempsey wasn’t slow by any means, but he definitely lacked the speed to blow past top defenders. We’ll see if Pulisic has the same longevity, fire, skill, and toughness as Dempsey.

As an attacking player, Pulisic doesn’t have any real weaknesses. He’s skilled with both feet in his dribbling, passing, and shooting, plus he’s creative and flashy in his playing style. He’s also very direct and bold, which is rare for an American player. Many people have praised Pulisic for his maturity and mentality, and those are two more qualities that will help him out.  Given the amount of social media commentary on the Premier League, Pulisic would be wise to take the Kobe Bryant approach and not read anything said or written about him on social media or in the press.

The American has his work really cut out for him in seeing playing time for Chelsea next season because he will likely be competing for playing time with Willian, who is nothing short of a world-class midfielder and forward. The Brazilian smokes defenders off the dribble, and he’s a pass master. Let’s not forget that Willian normally starts for Brazil. Out of everything in world football, starting for Brazil has to be one of the strongest proofs of a player’s quality and class.

Pulisic’s biggest giant to slay will be what the fans and media say and write about him because this could mess with his confidence if he pays attention to it. From a playing standpoint, Pulisic has demonstrated that he plays well against elite competition, and he’s a goalscorer and assist man. As this author wrote before Pulisic played for the United States, once you have played a home game at Borussia Dortmund in front of their huge crowd, then you are already prepared to play anywhere else.

Chelsea is a bigger brand than Dortmund, but Pulisic won’t find the crowd or pressure any more daunting than at Dortmund. The real demons are the ones on the internet. Beppe Severgnini once wrote that “In the Coliseum there were lions, but in San Siro there are TV cameras.” The same analogy applies here where these virtual monsters are maybe as scary as real predators.

How the USMNT Needs to Improve Against Italy on Tuesday

by

The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) played lifeless and overly defensive against England last Thursday and got housed 3-0. It was a goleada, which by definition usually requires a three-goal deficit.

When the USMNT plays Italy, the top priority has to be attacking more, and the next priority has to be passing and moving and keeping possession.

Some of David Sarachan’s lineup selections were questionable: most notably Will Trapp starting over Tyler Adams, Julian Green starting over Sebastian Lletget, and DeAndre Yedlin starting over Reggie Cannon. So, Sarachan got 8 of his 11 selections right, but three wrong selections is one or two too many.

Against Italy, the U.S. would be wise to start Lletget, Adams, and Cannon, but the players need to play with more urgency and more effort. All three of those players are direct and aggressive, and their inclusion should change the dynamic of the U.S.

If the U.S. trots out a midfield of Kellyn Acosta, Adams, and Lletget, then the team has a chance of having more possession and being more dangerous, but Italy is a soccer giant with great players.

The poor effort the U.S. displayed against England makes any real analysis of the game difficult. With the U.S. dogging it and sitting back, there isn’t much more to analyze about the performance.

Regardless of what many observers claim, the talent pool of American players is deeper and the technical ability and athleticism of the players in general is higher than in the past. So, the U.S. attack of Christian Pulisic, Timothy Weah, and Bobby Wood is fully capable of being dangerous and effective against even the best opponents. In fact, all three players play in Europe in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

The England game appears to be an aberration from previous recent USMNT games where the team and the players played and looked much better against good teams, even if they didn’t win.

Here is World Soccer Source’s preferred lineup against Italy: Guzan; Cannon, Miazga, Long, Villafaña; Adams, Acosta, Lletget; Pulisic, Wood, Weah.

Who Should Start for the USMNT Against England and Italy?

by

The United States Men’s National Teams (USMNT) takes on England and Italy in the wake of taking on two strong South American sides in Colombia and Peru. Here is the lineup that this site believes should start.

USMNT Goalkeeper

With Zack Steffen having to withdrawal from this U.S. camp with an injury, Brad Guzan is the first-choice goalkeeper, but it’s possible Jonathan Klinsmann gets to start. It’s in the best interest of the U.S. to give Guzan plenty of minutes as he is an experienced and talented goalkeeper that isn’t very old. The U.S. will need him down the road, and they should keep him sharp.

USMNT Defense

There are some lineup dilemmas in the defense, but Reggie Cannon has really proven that he’s the best right back in the player pool. He’s even better than DeAndre Yedlin, Eric Lichaj, and Shaq Moore. Cannon looked very smooth and very good and very comfortable in his first cap with the U.S. Some players are just good, and Cannon definitely showed that’s he’s an impressive player who quickly locked down his starting spot. As fast as Yedlin is, he simply doesn’t have Cannon’s ability. Cannon’s fast too. Really fast.

Matt Miazga has looked like the best American center back for several months now, and John Brooks is likely his best center back partner. There’s still a battle going on in between Cameron Carter-Vickers, Brooks, Nate Parker, Aaron Long, and Erik Palmer-Brown, and we honestly don’t know who’s better.

At left back, Jorge Villafaña has always played well for the U.S. He’s great going forward and he defends well. He also uses both feet well, so when he cuts inside, he can actually pass, dribble, and shoot well with his weaker right foot. Nevertheless, Antonee Robinson has shown similar qualities. He did get burned by some elite Colombian attackers, but does that really make him not good and not deserving of the starting spot?

USMNT Midfield

Without Michael Bradley on this roster, the real battle is a three-way one between Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Kellyn Acosta for two of the three midfield spots. The third midfield spot needs to be given to Sebastian Lletget due to his overall quality and playmaking ability. In addition to covering plenty of ground defensively and facilitating possession, Lletget is a special attacking talent who creates goals and scores goals. After Christian Pulisic, Lletget is the best U.S. player. The team needs that transition between the midfield and attack, and both McKennie and Adams lack that next level of creativity and attacking skill that Lletget provides. Lletget should be playing his soccer in Europe in Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, or the Bundesliga. His skill-level is at that level. With Lletget playing, Pulisic, Timothy Weah, and Bobby Wood or Josh Sargent should be getting more goals.

USMNT Forwards/Attack

There’s no question that Christian Pulisic will be starting, but who else will start? Timothy Weah has looked too dangerous and too fast and quick not to start. His style of playing combined with his speed and skill create a lot of scoring chances for the U.S. Either Bobby Wood or Josh Sargent at the center forward is a good option. People still seem to downplay Wood’s abilities, but he’s an exciting and effective Number 9. He finishes well, plus he has great off the ball movement and excellent speed. Wood is also a Bundesliga striker. Compared to say Jozy Altidore, Wood is better at getting behind defenders and going straight to goal. Sargent is also good at these things, and we still don’t know who’s better. Maybe playing both of them would make the U.S. much more dangerous against top national teams, but playing both would take away a midfielder from the lineup.

Final USMNT Lineup:

GK: Brad Guzan

RB: Reggie Cannon

CB: Matt Miazga

CB: John Brooks

LB: Jorge Villafaña

CM: Weston McKennie

CM: Tyler Adams

RW: Timothy Weah

AM: Sebastian Lletget

LW: Christian Pulisic

CF: Bobby Wood

 

Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Kellyn Acosta Will Battle for USMNT Midfield Spots

by

Over the past year, three new or newish center midfielders have emerged for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT), and Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Kellyn Acosta are their names.

The Emergence of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Kellyn Acosta Doesn’t Make Michael Bradley Disposable

The United States of course also has Michael Bradley, and many USMNT fans have baselessly decided that Bradley is the problem with the national team. This of course makes no sense as Bradley recently demonstrated his quality for the U.S. with his solo goal against Mexico from some 40 meters out where he dispossessed an opponent and dribbled through a crowd to chip Memo Ochoa.

McKennie, Adams, and Acosta Are All Skilled, Fast, and Intelligence Players Who Use Both Feet, but none of them are really true defensive midfielders

Off the three younger center midfielders, McKennie plays in the better league, but both Adams and Acosta have excellent technical quality. Acosta is perhaps the least popular and hyped right now, but he has demonstrated special skill with his free kicks.

McKennie plays in the Bundesliga for Schalke and Adams will be playing for Leipzig in the Bundesliga, but Acosta is a European-level talent. The Schalke midfielder has shown his ability to score, and while he is fast and quick, Adams and Acosta are devasting with their speed and nonstop running combined with their skill.

Both Acosta and Adams play quick one-to-two touch soccer, and they both excel at threading balls through the defense. They hit first-time passes that catch the defense off guard and release attackers into dangerous areas in the final third.

Most people seem to consider McKennie the best of the three because he starts for Schalke, but all three are quite excellent and perhaps better than anyone else the U.S. has had in the center of the midfield in the past. Even Bradley lacks their special impact because all three are bolder and more aggressive going forward, even though Bradley did net that recent golazo from distance against Mexico.

Starting McKennie, Adams, and Acosta Limits the Amount of Attacking Players Who Can Start: Most Notably Sebastian Lletget

Starting all three midfielders might be the right choice for the U.S. going forward, but this somewhat limits the amount of attacking players the U.S. can field. These three midfielders are all box-to-box midfielders, but all three can play as a true defensive midfielder. The best option is to have these players cover for each other when one goes forward instead of designating one as a true defensive midfielder. As good as they are going forward, they aren’t as good as Christian Pulisic and Sebastian Lletget in the attack.

Playing all three means there are three attacking places open for the U.S., and those spots should probably go to Pulsic and Lletget with Bobby Wood playing as the center forward. Rubio Rubin and Timothy Weah are strong attacking options, and Weah is likely too good to not start. Perhaps the U.S. needs to try Weah out as a center forward and see how it goes. Right now Wood is likely the better finisher, but Weah is just a teenager and he’s looked too skilled, too fast, and too dangerous not to start. The question is is he really a center forward?

Sebastian Lletget Is the Second Best U.S. Player in MLS After Clint Dempsey

by

Sebastian Lletget is the third best American soccer player in the world after Christian Pulisic and Clint Dempsey, and the second best American player in MLS after Dempsey.

What makes Lletget special is that he combines playmaking ability with individual 1v1 skill. He also runs all game and has good speed. Unlike most American players, Lletget is a flair player whose flair is effective, and he always looks to score. Many American players don’t aggressively attack the goal, but Lletget does. He’ll hit accurate shots with either foot as soon as he has a yard of space to shoot.

The LA Galaxy midfielder knows how to have the team play through him to facilitate possession, and he plays incisive and creative passes to unlock defenses and set up goals. Anyone that watches Lletget play can see that his skill on the ball is much higher than your average American player. He stands out in MLS and for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Lletget should be one of the center pieces of the U.S. Men’s National Team going forward along with Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Kellyn Acosta, and Tyler Adams. Adams, McKennie, and Acosta have all been on the rise over the last year, and even compared to the latter three excellent players, Lletget has more creativity and individual skill. What’s good for the U.S. is that all four players are a little different and bring different qualities, but Lletget is definitely the playmaker of the group along with Pulisic who he has shown that he can play with for the U.S.

A close look at Lletget’s playing style shows that he is a player who not only uses both feet interchangeably but who also excels at dribbling, shooting, and passing. It’s rare to find an American player whose ability with all three skills is good enough to be effective even against top international opponents. Additionally, Lletget appears to be something of a big game player, who isn’t intimidated or psyched out by big games and top opponents. He also covers a lot of ground recovering the ball and making tackles.

After falling out of favor with West Ham United, Lletget’s play in MLS looks impressive enough to get him into a top European league again. Since Lletget has the skill, mentality, and athleticism to play in a better league, he or his agent should be quietly trying to get him into a better league.

Although Lletget is a good goalscorer and assist provider, he could use a season with impressive goal and assist numbers to get him more recognition and interest from better clubs in a better league. The season before Lletget was injured he was playing a box-to-box midfielder role which greatly reduced his goal and assist numbers. The Galaxy should be deploying him as a playmaker this season behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and it would appear that is exactly what coach Sigi Schmid is doing.

Lletget deserves more recognition than he is currently receiving, and it’s hard to name an American player other than Pulisic and Dempsey with more individual skill. Like Pulisic and Dempsey, Lletget is a scoring threat against top opponents, and he should be a starter for the United States, as he was before getting injured.

 

Oscar Pareja Should be the Next Coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team

by

Sometimes former players make for bad coaches, but former players who are good coaches is the best of both worlds. Thus is the case with Oscar Pareja.

The U.S. Men’s National Team is always looking for coaches with international experience in better soccer environments than the U.S., and that definitely describes Oscar Pareja.

Pareja knows there is plenty of talent in the United States, and he has a great eye for talent. Say what you want about American soccer, but it’s definitely not as good as Colombian soccer. Colombia has better players and a better national team.

Others have backed Pareja to coach the U.S. before, but his name isn’t mentioned as often as the likes of Peter Vermes, who wouldn’t make the changes needed. Here are the reasons that Pareja should be the next U.S. Men’s National Team coach:

Oscar Pareja is a former Colombia international and a proven coach in MLS

Pareja not only played for Colombia, but he knows the American talent pool very well from his time in MLS. This makes Pareja an excellent combination of international experience and knowledge of the U.S. soccer landscape. In fact, Pareja is considered one of the very best coaches in MLS, if not the very best. Hiring Pareja would avoid the problem of an international coach who doesn’t know the player pool or the lay of the land. The United States Soccer Federation has always wanted an international coach with a better soccer background than an American coach, and that’s why they hired Jürgen Klinsmann. Unfortunately, Klinsmann was a poor tactician, and he didn’t do well selection rosters or lineups. Nevertheless, Pareja has a better track record than Klinsmann with knowing the U.S. talent pool.

Oscar Pareja fields quality lineups and uses good tactics

Pareja is known for his quality lineups and sound tactics in MLS, which makes him a proven MLS coach. He has frequently used the 4-2-3-1 formation, which shows that he knows to provide enough defensive coverage in the midfield without fielding an overly defensive lineup. Compared to other candidates like Peter Vermes, Pareja is more disposed to using the more technical players. Under Bob Bradley, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Bruce Arena, the U.S. did not have the right balance of defending and attacking play. None of these coaches would use a playmaker, and the U.S.’ passing was poor under all three. Pareja doesn’t have a history of starting players out of position or fielding lineups that don’t have the players needed to keep possession and create scoring chances.

Oscar Pareja has a great eye for talent.

As a former Colombian international, Pareja is a coach who knows how to spot technical and talented players, and he has shown this already.

As the coach of the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas, Pareja fielded the right players. An excellent example of this was Pareja starting Chris Klute at left back, where he looked like the best outside back in MLS. Pareja started Klute when only Eric Wynalda knew who he was. Klute was essentially a nobody who Pareja proved to much better than others realized. After Pareja left, coaches stopped playing Klute even after all he had proven under Pareja.

Don’t forget that Pareja is the coach that really let Kellyn Acosta play his best position: center midfielder. Others made Acosta play outside back, but under Pareja, Acosta has been bossing the midfield in games and netting impressive free kicks. Pareja knew Acosta was better as a central midfielder where he saw more of the ball and was more influential in games.

Oscar Pareja values technical players over hustle players and purely athletic players.

Pablo Mastroeni coached the Colorado Rapids after Pareja, and Mastroeni was not an advocate of skill soccer. He favored hustle players and emphasized physicality and running. Mastroeni himself was essentially a hacker known for dirty fouls, but Pareja as a coach is all about technique and footballing talent. Pareja better utilized Dillon Powers as a central midfielder, whereas Mastroeni pushed him too close to goal, which didn’t maximize his skill set. Anyone who watches Pareja’s teams knows that he fields lineups who display technical skill and quality passing. Pareja as coach of the U.S. will know how to have the team playing quality football.

Oscar Pareja plays young players who are ready.

The U.S. has been producing better and better players, but MLS coaches and U.S. national team coaches are not letting these players play. Pareja has shown at two different MLS clubs that he plays his best players no matter their age. Youth is not held against talented players if the team can use their technical skills. Probably the most important thing for the next U.S. coach will be fielding the younger and better players. Not all of the coaching options will have the courage and intelligence to let the best players play even if they are young and inexperienced. It’s a cliché, but you can’t get experience without somebody giving your experience. How long will U.S. coaches think small and play small?

 

Problems the U.S. National Team Must Fix Now

by

Even the U.S. National Team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the United States needs to start fixing problems with the team right now. The U.S. doesn’t actually have a competitive game for a year, but any upcoming fixtures can help the team incorporate new players and get the squad back on track.

Here are five problems with the U.S. National Team that should be fixed sooner rather than later:

Poor movement off the ball

When the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the team looked listless and disinterested. Besides Christian Pulisic being aggressive and direct, the rest of the team didn’t show for the ball or make runs into space. The U.S. had the players to keep possession and score goals, but nobody except Pulisic looked like they wanted the ball played through them. No matter who is playing for the U.S., the players will need to show a lot more movement off the ball if the team is going to be more dynamic.

Lack of fluid passing

Like the poor movement off the ball discussed above, the U.S. hasn’t displayed fluid passing basically ever. For years players like Benny Feilhaber and Lee Nguyen have been mostly left off the national team for no good reason. Pulisic has shown that he can open up the defense with his passing and dribbling, but the other players need to be more involved in the team’s passing. The U.S. will never play like Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, or Argentina until everyone on the national team looks to play one to two touch passing with plenty of movement of the ball. It has been 15 years since the U.S. reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, so the lack of fluid and crisp passing by the U.S. is pretty embarrassing but apparently not enough so for changes to be made.

Constantly changing U.S. National Team lineups

Elite footballing nationals have a familiar cast of players that are trotted out all the time. Sometimes regulars are swapped for more deserving replacements, but enormous wholesale charges aren’t normally made. Elite national teams incorporate new and/or better players, but their players are accustomed to playing together and know how to play together. For many years, it has felt like almost every U.S. lineups is a type of soccer musical chairs where all sorts of different players start. The U.S. hasn’t shown much teamwork or impressive combination play for some time. Christian Pulisic and Clint Dempsey have no problem playing together, but most of the other players don’t play like they know how to play with their teammates.

The U.S. isn’t starting enough skill players to play well

For whatever reason, whoever coaches the U.S. doesn’t field enough technical and dynamic players for the team to truly play well. Under Bruce Arena, Bob Bradley, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Bruce Arena again, the U.S. simply refuses to field the type of technical players needed to improve the level of the U.S.’ play. It’s hard to argue that the U.S. doesn’t have the needed players to at least pass the ball well. There aren’t many elite soccer players in the U.S., but there are skilled players who have the technical ability and soccer brain to play the right way. For the U.S. to play better, it needs to field the players who play a more advanced brand of soccer.

Poor coaching

The last two coaches of the U.S. have let the U.S. down. Klinsmann overlooked too many of the best American players, and he started too many players out of position. After him, Arena wouldn’t commit to fielding a playmaker like he promised, and he always went with his former club center back Omar Gonzalez over EPL veteran Geoff Cameron who was much better and much faster. Tab Ramos was supposed to be the interim coach of the U.S., so perhaps the poor coaching could have been fixed. Ramos was a Number 10, and he has proven to be a coach with a good eye for talent who fields quality lineups. Time will tell how different the U.S.’ lineups and games look with a new coach.

 

Why Clint Dempsey is the Undisputed Best U.S. Soccer Player Ever

by

Clint Dempsey only needs one goal to beat Landon Donovan’s all-time U.S. goal record, but oddly, Dempsey is still underrated even by Americans.

Dempsey and not Landon Donovan is the best U.S. soccer player ever because Donovan played his club football in MLS and not in what the rest of the world considers a real league.

Here are some of the reasons that Dempsey is the best U.S. player of all-time:

Clint Dempsey is the most successful U.S. player in a top league.

Dempsey played in the English Premier League for seven years, and he was a consistent goalscorer all of those seasons, even as a midfielder. Brian McBride was another long-time Fulham player, but there was a night and day difference between Dempsey’s skill-level and McBride’s. Dempsey’s flair and creativity showed much more talent than McBride’s play, which was based on hold up play and headers.

Clint Dempsey’s technical ability is better than any other U.S. player including Christian Pulisic, who is merely faster.

Dempsey’s technical ability was and is shockingly good for an American player. That should be the thing that he is remembered for. Even right now, Dempsey’s skill on the ball and comfort with it is way beyond all of his teammates save Pulisic. Pulisic hasn’t shown all of his skills yet, but it will be hard for his technical ability to truly be above Dempsey’s. The thing about Pulisic’s play is that he plays with much more speed than Dempsey, which changes everything. With the extra speed, Pulisic is able to be so much more direct and devastating to defenders than Dempsey ever was without the same gift of speed and quickness. Dempsey uses both feet interchangeably as Pulisic does, and Dempsey has shown a full arsenal of dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. In recent years, he has also displayed excellent free kick ability.

Clint Dempsey performed better than any other U.S. player against elite competition and in big games.

Landon Donovan did nothing in the 2006 World Cup, and you can’t say the same thing about any World Cup that Dempsey played in. The U.S. national team was never in the spotlight much more than when they faced Spain the the semifinal of the 2009 Confederations Cup. During that tournament Dempsey was the U.S. player that shined above everyone else. After losing in the final to Brazil, the Wall Street Journal ran a headline about Dempsey that read “American loses a final but gains a leader.” That was an incredible headline at the time. On many occasions Donovan looked intimidated and played small against elite opponents. Not so for Dempsey.

Clint Dempsey played against better competition than Landon Donovan.

Whereas Donovan played essentially his entire career in MLS, Dempsey spent seven years in the EPL. No matter how much MLS has improve since its inception, the skill level and competition in the league is nothing compared to the EPL. From Dempsey’s very first game in the EPL, he showed that he belonged and could perform well at that level. It’s a shame that he never got to play in La Liga, Serie A, or the Bundesliga because he would have played excellently there. His game was all about skill and technical ability, and those leagues are based on that more than the EPL. If you want the real proof that Dempsey has a more impressive resume than Donovan, it’s his consistently high level in the EPL for seven years while Donovan played in MLS.

Clint Dempsey is tied with Landon Donovan on all-time U.S. goals with much fewer penalty kick goals.

It’s important to remember than Donovan played with the national team since he was 18, whereas Dempsey didn’t start until he was 21 or 22. That’s some four more years of national team appearance to score goals. Even with such a huge head start, Dempsey is now tied with Donovan at 57 U.S. goals. And Donovan had lots of goals off penalties. Donovan has openly acknowledged as much, and he’s said Dempsey’s goal-rate was more impressive. To be fair, Donovan was being generous and complimentary to Dempsey when he made those comments, but they still seemed sincere. Here are 50 of Dempsey’s 57 U.S. goals:

Clint Dempsey played consistently well as a pro from his time in MLS to the English Premier League to back in MLS.

It’s hard to recall any real low points or bad games for Dempsey in his career. His detractors sometimes accused him of some overdribbling or forcing things, but Dempsey never really played poorly. Dempsey wasn’t highly rated before the MLS Combine, and he proved just how bad scouting within American soccer really was. He went from being essentially a nobody to head and shoulders above all of his American contemporaries except for Donovan. That elite level for a U.S. player began as a rookie in MLS up until still right now at 34. You can’t say that Dempsey’s fitness or skill level has dropped at any point since he became a professional.