American Soccer

MLS Improving from Hacking to Skill Soccer

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MLS Is Improving from Hacking to Skill Soccer

The level of play in Major League Soccer has improved, but the level still falls short of the top European and Latin American soccer leagues. The major difference, which stands out immediately, is that the control and smoothness of the passing is not at the same high level as those other leagues. It’s not the speed of the passing per se that makes the passing smoother because the English Premier League has almost out of control and overly fast passing where many of the teams look like there are rushing their passing and putting too much power behind their passes. But, anyone watching the passing in La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, etc can see that each player normally takes a maximum of two touches when the ball is passed to them: one touch to control the pass and one touch to play the ball to a teammate.

MLS is still improving in this regard. MLS games feature more balls played in the air, more header sequences, and more instances of the ball bouncing around in a chaotic fashion. You could say that the passing and ball control in MLS needs to settle down without transforming into slow, listless, and boring play. By all accounts MLS continues to improve and the overall skill of the players both American and non-American continues to improve, but it is still true that too many players who base their play on physicality over technical skill and athleticism.

The next area where MLS needs to improve is curbing the roughness and dirty, violent play. There’s a difference between some pushing and taking out people’s legs from behind. There’s also a feeling that too many coaches, players, and media members believe that rough tackles are a part of the game. Nobody said slide tackles or shielding the ball don’t belong in soccer, but can’t we draw the line and slide tackling players’ legs from out from behind them without getting the ball. Can’t MLS refs give more cards for stomping player’s ankles, feet, and legs.

MLS fans can now enjoy more technical and creative players who can beat defenders with individual skill and quickly combine with teammates, and while this is great, too many talentless hackers and dirty players are uglying up MLS games with dangerous play that they feel is part of the game. The reality for these players is that you won’t see elite enforcers around the world playing quite as dirty as they do. Of course, any soccer fan can list certain elite players who are dirty hackers, but by and large, this type of thuggery is not allowed by other elite players who keep these hackers in check.

MLS has definitely seen a bump in attractive and creative play, and an excellent example of this is Jozy Altidore, who has been showcasing a new dimension of playmaking and passing to his game. Altidore is fairly or unfairly seen as a player whose play is based on size and strength, but his transformation to a smoother, more refined player signals a change to more skillful play in MLS, that is separate from the continued influx of technical players from outside of the United States.

 

 

Clint Dempsey Is Still Underrated and Disrespected by Americans

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Clint Dempsey Is Still Underrated and Disrespected By Americans

At a certain point, underrating someone crosses the line into disrespecting someone, and that applies to Clint Dempsey. Many media members and fans will insist that Dempsey isn’t the best American soccer player ever, and this is very hard to understand. Dempsey has been displaying individual trickery and goals for 12 years, but there is still no widespread acknowledgment of his superiority to Landon Donovan.

Dempsey’s playing resume features some seven years of playing in the English Premier League and scoring goals consistently as a midfielder, even while playing for a mediocre Fulham team without much technical quality or creativity in the squad. At the international level, Dempsey is now just two goals short of Landon Donovan’s goal-scoring record, which is likely the last obstacle to being considered the best American player ever.

More so than the statistics, Dempsey really stands out from Donovan for his ability to always be dangerous and effective even against the very best international opponents. Unlike Donovan, Dempsey wasn’t ever neutralized be opponents or psyched out by elite international opponents, and it was this ability to always be a difference maker, no matter the opponent, that makes him the best American player ever. No matter how bad the rest of the team played, Dempsey always stood out amongst his teammates when the U.S. played.

He might be a victim of American soccer fans and media members being adverse to individual trickery and flashiness, as American soccer fans are still largely influenced by British soccer where tricks and flair are seen as pointless. Many times Dempsey was criticized for some of his 1v1 attempts not panning out, and some people viewed his play as wasteful. Anyway you look at it though, he always looked much better than his teammates, and his goals confirmed that this was in fact true.

In the most recent U.S. victory over Honduras, people kept saying that Dempsey probably wouldn’t start or that he wouldn’t be at 100%, but Dempsey scored a hat trick where every goal showcased technical skill and clinical finishing. The standard criticism of American soccer players is that they lack the skill on the ball of other elite players, but this never applied to Dempsey.

The Texan’s game has always featured stand-out individual skill combined with the mentality and athleticism to play well against any opponent, and even at two goals shy of Donovan’s goal-scoring record, Dempsey must be considered superior to Donovan for his playing resume and skill-level.

Donovan was the first of his kind for an American soccer player, but continuing to not consider Dempsey the best American soccer player ever is simply disrespectful and off-base. We continue to hear forming U.S. Men’s National Team players saying that Dempsey isn’t better than Donovan, yet they can’t support their position with any evidence. Donovan was great, but he wasn’t as great as Dempsey was and is.

Once the reality of Dempsey’s proximity to Donovan’s scoring record really sinks in, people won’t be so quick to declare Donovan better than Dempsey. Honduras isn’t a good opponent, but the United States needed to beat Honduras to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, which is when Dempsey scored three goals, none of which were tap-ins. These goals were a sliding blast into the top corner with a defender hanging all over him, a goal scored past two defenders and a goalkeeper off the dribble, and a world-class free kick to the far post from outside the box.

 

Who Should the United States Start against Honduras?

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Who Should the United States Start against Honduras?

The United States Men’s National Team faces Honduras in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tomorrow, and coach Bruce Arena has several crucial lineup decisions to make. There’s a possibility that he’ll trot out a mediocre and lackluster lineup that won’t possess enough skill to impose its will on Honduras. After a rash of injuries, Arena has called up several mediocre and unexciting players like Graham Zusi and Chris Wondolowski as replacements, and only Zusi is a possible starter.

Tim Howard will definitely start in goal, and he should start in goal. Arena has to play musical chairs with his defense as his starting right back DeAndre Yedlin is injured, and this injury could force Arena to move his starting right center back to right back, which forces Arena to start someone else at right center back. These means that the Back Four could be from right to left: Michael Orozco, Omar Gonzalez, John Brooks, and Jorge Villafaña. Both Gonzalez and Brooks are tall enough to be prone to being wrong-footed and thrown off balance by quick and crafty attacking players, and Villafaña hasn’t been a regular starter for Santos Laguna, his club team. Maybe letting Walker Zimmerman start at center back isn’t as risky as using Gonzalez and Brooks in the center of the defense.

Once Arena figures out his defense, his Front Six of four or five midfielders with one or two forwards has better options. Michael Bradley will play as the defensive midfielder, and starting Kellyn Acosta as the box-to-box midfielder would be an inspired choice. Acosta has been active and decisive in all of his games, and since Acosta is even netting free kicks from outside of the box, just how risky is starting him? Acosta is exactly what Bradley needs: a skilled and athletic box-to-box midfielder who can truly play the position correctly.

If Bradley and Acosta start as the holding midfielders, then Arena can start Sebastian Lletget, Clint Dempsey, and Christian Pulisic as the line of three attacking midfielders behind Jozy Altidore or Jordan Morris. There is lots of public and media support to start Darlington Nagbe on the left wing with Pulisic in the middle, but Nagbe doesn’t really use his left foot. Starting Lletget gives the U.S. a better passer, a better 1v1 player, and more of a scoring threat.

Not starting Dempsey against Honduras seems crazy. Dempsey has played 90 minutes in each of his first three games this season for the Seattle Sounders. Pulisic will probably be the U.S.’ best player within one or two years, but Dempsey is still far and away the best American player with the exception of Bobby Wood, who is injured.

Why wouldn’t Arena start Dempsey? Whatever Arena does, he must be sure to field the players who can keep possession, create scoring opportunities, and score.

World Soccer Source backs the starting of this lineup: Howard; Cameron, Zimmerman, Brooks, Villafaña; Bradley, Acosta; Lletget, Dempsey, Pulisic; Morris.

Goalkeeper: Tim Howard

Right Back: Geoff Cameron

Center Back: Walker Zimmerman

Center Back: John Brooks

Left Back: Jorge Villafaña

Defensive Midfielder: Michael Bradley

Center Midfielder: Kellyn Acosta

Right Wing: Sebastian Lletget

Attacking Midfielder: Clint Dempsey

Left Wing: Christian Pulisic

Striker: Jordan Morris

 

Five Players the United States Should Include on its March World Cup Qualifying Roster

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Five Players the United States Should Include on its March World Cup Qualifying Roster

Going into the March World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama, the United States must place a premium on selecting enough skill players to not get outplayed and embarrassed. Here are five players that Bruce Arena would be wise to call up again.

Sebastian Lletget

Sebastian Lletget is an essential inclusion on the United States’ roster because he improves the team’s passing ability, creativity, and overall technical ability. Lletget is an active player that constantly passes and moves, and he offers a proactive and refined playing style that the United States lacks. With Christian Pulisic certain to start, Lletget is a player that complements Pulisic’s quick, creative, and skilled play. Whether Lletget is used as a wing, playmaker, or central midfielder, the LA Galaxy midfielder has a skill-set worthy of a starter for the United States.

Benny Feilhaber

Benny Feilhaber is still the best playmaker in the American player pool, and in the recent international friendlies, he showed why he is a more creative and dangerous option than Sacha Kljestan, who is a level below Feilhaber in terms of skill and efficacy against better teams. Feilhaber facilitates quick combination play and scoring opportunities, which the United States sorely needs. The Sporting Kansas City midfielder is still at the top of his game, and he’s the United States’ best option as the Number 10 or attacking midfielder beneath the strikers.

Kellyn Acosta

Kellyn Acosta has really come into his own over the last year, and he’s the type of box-to-box midfielder that the United States has been lacking. Acosta brings excellent two-footed skill on the ball plus tons of athleticism and ball-winning ability. Acosta is also a very aggressive and direct midfielder who opens up space for the attacking players with his spirited runs into the attack. The FC Dallas midfielder is also a scoring threat from the midfield, and his tendency to rip shots on target from outside of the box unsettles the opposing defense and draws defenders away from American attackers.

Juan Agudelo

Juan Agudelo is arguably the best center forward in the American player pool after Bobby Wood, and he might offer some more flair and creativity than Wood, who appears to have only displayed part of his creativity so far. Agudelo can play either as the Number 9 or as a second striker, and he offers a complete forward skill-set of two-footed finishing, individual dribbling ability, heading ability, speed, and the needed physicality. Agudelo is needed on the roster for his aggressive, proactive play that helps the team more than Jozy Altidore’s deeper, more subdued play.

Jordan Morris

Like Agudelo and Wood, Jordan Morris is just more aggressive and direct than Altidore. Morris’ creates multiple scoring opportunities every game, and he goes straight to goal. Morris has a tendency to never use his left foot, but he still consistently beats defenders and scores.  Morris also has a huge, game-changing weapon in his phenomenal speed that allows him to torch almost any defender in a foot race. The Seattle Sounders forward excels at getting behind the defense and attacking the goal, and even with less experience than Altidore, Morris is a more difficult center forward for opposing defenders to contain. The physicality that Altidore brings is also present in Morris who doesn’t let himself get pushed around either.

Clint Dempsey and Bobby Wood Can Form the United States’ Best Forward Partnership

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Clint Dempsey and Bobby Wood Can Form the United States’ Best Forward Partnership

Clint Dempsey and Bobby Wood can form the United States’ most creative and deadly strike duo, which means a spot on the bench for Jozy Altidore. Bruce Arena will likely start Altidore against Honduras no matter what, but Wood is the more talented striker, who has been scoring impressive goals in the Bundesliga.

For a while now, many have viewed Wood as just a nice foil or complement to Altidore as the Number 9, but Wood is a more skilled, more active, and more aggressive striker, which makes for a better partner for Dempsey. When Wood first started playing for the United States, he surprised a lot of people by scoring impressive goals in consecutive games, but after a while, it became clear that these goals weren’t just lucky goals in international friendlies.

Dempsey has long been in a class of his own for the United States, and he hasn’t had a smooth and creative center forward to combine with. When Obafemi Martins was playing with Dempsey for the Seattle Sounders, you could see how Dempsey thrived when he had a strike partner who played his same brand of one-to-two-touch street soccer. With Wood as the center forward, Dempsey will once again have a strike partner who plays quicker and smarter than Altidore, who still slows up the pace of play too much without enough movement off the ball or direct attacking play.

The upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama are must-win games for the United States, and the U.S. must go straight for the jugular with Dempsey and Wood in the attack. Dempsey is fully fit to play, and if Wood is also healthy, then these two have a greater capacity to score on Honduras and Panama than a Altidore-Wood partnership.

When Altidore plays, the American attack is slower and less deadly, and Wood is a true Number 9, even though his style of play is facing the goal and looking for balls played to his feet or into space. Nothing says that a center forward has to play with his back to goal and hold up play, and Wood’s style of play is more effective and more impressive.

When Arena makes his starting lineup for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, he would be wise to partner Dempsey with Wood because Dempsey doesn’t need any time to get used to playing with Wood. Dempsey just knows how to play, and anyone that aggressively attacks the goal will be welcomed by Dempsey.

Starting Dempsey with Wood should bring out the most in both players, and it will cause opposing defenders to have a hard time deciding who to focus on, which will leave one attacker in a dangerous scoring position.

Bobby Wood Represents a Milestone for American Center Forwards

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Bobby Wood Represents a Milestone for American Center Forwards

Bobby Wood represents a milestone for American strikers because he is a technical, fast, and direct striker who breaks the chain of American strikers who were primarily just a target for headers. In the past, the United States has essentially looked to bomb long balls and hit cross to their center forwards, but now Wood is an aggressive, skilled striker who looks to stretch the defense and go straight to goal.

While Eric Wynalda and Brian McBride were skilled strikers who played in the Bundesliga and the English Premier League respectively, Wood’s skill set and playing style is still something of a new phenomenon for American strikers.

In contrast to his contemporary Jozy Altidore, who is several years older,  Wood provides constant movement on and off the ball. He makes runs behind the defense, he checks back to receive a pass and turn, and he also dribbles straight at the defense.

The United States has been looking for a Number 9 who will attack the defense directly, and Wood has the ability and speed to beat defenders off the defense and create scoring opportunities.

Another excellent quality of Wood’s play is how he doesn’t need an invitation to shoot. So many American soccer players will not hit shots on target when they only have half a chance, and so many American soccer players will not take risks.

Wood is undoubtedly the best American center forward right now, and the evidence of this is both the fact that he starts and scores in the Bundesliga and the fact that his game is based on skill and creativity as opposed to physicality. He is tough and physical, but his game isn’t based on pushing people around or looking to head in crosses and corning kicks.

When the United States has its all-important World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama at the end of March, Wood’s name should be the first name on the sheet. The United States may have Clint Dempsey to combine with and create chances for Wood, but even if they don’t, Christian Pulisic, Benny Feilhaber, and Sebastian Lletget are all players who will look to constantly involve Wood and play final balls to him.

Rather than using Wood as a striker partner for Altidore, Wood should be used as the focal point of the attack, and he should be given plenty of space to operate at the front and center of the attack.

 

Where Does Clint Dempsey Rank All-Time Among United States Soccer Players?

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Where Does Clint Dempsey Rank All-Time Among United States Soccer Players?

Landon Donovan is widely regarded as the best American soccer player of all time whether at the club level or on the international level, but is he really better than Clint Dempsey?

No disrespect to Donovan, but the touch, skill, directness, and toughness that Dempsey has displayed over his career in the English Premier League, in Major League Soccer, and at the international level is beyond anything that Donovan has shown in all of his impressive highlights and stats in Major League Soccer or for the United States at the international level.

The two biggest things that separate Dempsey from Donovan are Dempsey’s individual ability with the ball and his willingness and ability to use that ability effectively even against the toughest opponents. Whether people wish to admit it or not, Dempsey has always played with an intensity and aggressiveness that Donovan has never really shown, even in several of his most memorable goals.

Dempsey’s club resume far exceeds Donovan’s as well because there is no reasonable way to claim that all of Donovan’s stats and awards in MLS compare to Dempsey’s seven years of consistently scoring in the EPL as a midfielder. It’s important to remember that for much of Dempsey’s career he was playing in the midfield where he had less passes played to him in scoring positions.

While Donovan is a highly-skilled and smooth player who uses both feet interchangeably, there can be no comparison with the way that Dempsey harnessed his skill and mind to be effective and never intimidated by elite competition. The 2006 World Cup saw Donovan being bullied around and shut out of games, whereas Dempsey was attacking Italy and Ghana directly with his technical ability, creativity, and intensity.

It’s a shame that so frequently that former American players and soccer pundits claim that Donovan is the best American player ever, and it would be interesting to see some sort of poll of former American players and soccer media members where they either selected Donovan or Dempsey as the best American player ever.

Ranking Dempsey as the greatest American soccer player ever isn’t about criticizing or downplaying Donovan’s play and achievements, but it is about acknowledging that Dempsey has a more impressive playing resume combined with an ability to be more effective and dangerous against better opponents. Dempsey wasn’t selected to play for the United States until some three years after Donovan, and Dempsey’s scoring stats for the United States are very close to Donovan’s.

On a personal note, I remember a German friend telling me that Dempsey’s goal against Ghana in the 2006 World Cup was so good that it looked like an American didn’t score it. That comment really sheds light on how non-Americans really do view American soccer players as inferior and how Dempsey’s play has truly stood out among all other American players.

Arena’s United States Roster Options for March

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Bruce Arena’s United States Roster Options for March

Bruce Arena has more deserving players than he has roster spots for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama, and the last couple of international friendlies against Serbia and Jamaica have left him with some tough roster decisions.

For one, his former LA Galaxy player Sebastian Lletget looked good enough to start because of the positive impact he had on the team’s overall passing and skill level, plus Lletget can play the position that the suspended Jermaine Jones plays.

Benny Feilhaber also showed very well as an attacking midfielder, and he outplayed Sacha Kljestan, which isn’t surprising given the fact that Feilhaber is a more dynamic and creative player than Kljestan, who still offers qualities that the team needs. Darlington Nagbe looked dangerous as a left wing, and Nagbe might be more useful as a center midfielder.

Feilhaber and Lletget demonstrated that they offer the type of passing, possession, and creativity that the U.S. has been lacking, so starting them together with Christian Pulisic would make a lot of sense. This possibly leaves Fabian Johnson on the bench, but Arena has the option of using Wood as the lone forward, which would allow Michael Bradley, Johnson, Feilhaber, Lletget, and Pulisic to all start in the midfield.

There are also some decisions to make with regards to the defense, but starting DeAndre Yedlin, Steve Birnbaum, John Brooks, and possibly Jorge Villafaña as the Back Four might be Arena’s best option, if Geoff Cameron is out. Walker Zimmerman played well enough to earn a spot on the roster as a center back, and he has developed some chemistry with Birnbaum.

Arena is supposed to call up about 25 players for the upcoming games, and here is a look at the players who deserve to make that list right now:

Goalkeepers

Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, William Yarbrough

Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are automatic inclusions for this roster, if Howard is healthy, which he is reported to be, and William Yarbrough is likely the more talented and qualified goalkeeper after them. Yarbrough has played well in Liga MX for several years now, and he looked commanding and qualified to man the goal for the United States when he has featured in the past. There are many other excellent goalkeeper options for the U.S. such as Ethan Horvath, David Bingham, and Nick Rimando, but Yarbrough is likely better and more prepared for this type of game, which is a World Cup qualifier. Yarbrough plays against better competition than the other third goalkeeper options. The question of who is the best third goalkeeper for the U.S. still doesn’t have a clear answer, but Arena’s comments indicate that he is leaning toward Rimando.

Defenders

Steve Birnbaum, John Brooks, Omar Gonzalez, Walker Zimmerman, DeAndre Yedlin, Eric Lichaj, Jorge Villafaña, Greg Garza

This group of defenders is fairly straight forward. There are four center backs and four outside backs (two right backs and two left backs). Lichaj plays both right back and left back. Villafaña thoroughly outplayed Garza in the United States’ friendlies in January and February against Serbia and Jamaica, but Garza played against the better team in Serbia who fielded something of a C Team against the U.S. Nevertheless, Villafaña played with much more skill, activity, and influence than Garza who still looks very one-footed. Unlike Garza, Villafaña was cutting inside onto his weaker right foot to play crosses and combine with his teammates. With Geoff Cameron possibly not available for the March World Cup qualifiers, Walker Zimmerman will likely be his replacement on the roster with Birnbaum likely starting with John Brooks. Omar Gonzalez seems a likely pick to round out the fourth center back spot, although the U.S. should be calling up a more agile and skillful defender than Gonzalez who still looks prone to be left for dead by shifty and skillful attacking players.

Midfielders

Michael Bradley, Dax McCarty, Kellyn Acosta, Sebastian Lletget, Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Darlington Nagbe, Fabian Johnson, Christian Pulisic, Paul Arriola

This list has three defensive midfielders in Bradley, McCarty, and Acosta, and it also includes three playmakers in Feilhaber, Kljestan, and Lletget. It arguably has four attacking midfielders or playmakers if you include Nagbe. Lletget also excels as a box-to-box midfielder and wing on either side, and it’s important to note that both Kljestan and Feilhaber play as central midfielders or box-to-box midfielders where Nagbe also thrives. As for wings, this group includes five wings in Lletget, Pulisic, Johnson, Nagbe, and Arriola. Whether Arena uses a 4-2-3-1, 4-1-3-2, 4-3-3, or 4-4-2 formation, this group has the personnel to field an effective and talented lineup in any of those formations. This list of midfielders offers more technical skill, more ability to keep possession, and more attacking ability than the midfielders that the United States has used in the past.

Forwards

Bobby Wood, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Jordan Morris

The United States has never had a group of forwards as skilled as these four, and Wood is clearly the best of the bunch. Wood plays with a combination of smoothness, directness, speed, and clinical skill where he routinely stretches the defense and goes straight to goal. Wood is a more skilled and effective center forward than Altidore, and Wood is better at beating defenders and goalkeepers with both skill and speed. Agudelo is likely the second most skilled forward in the pool, and he is also able to bring hold up play and physicality along with his more important qualities of individual skill and creativity. Morris is a skillful and direct forward who also uses his excellent speed to beat defenders and attack the goal. Like Wood and Agudelo, Morris is a more aggressive and involved player than Altidore who needs to be more direct and ruthless in his attacking play. Wood and Altidore are the likely starting forward duo, but Agudelo with Wood would offer more of an attacking threat for the United States.

What is the best starting lineup from this group?

Guzan; Yedlin, Birnbaum, Brooks, Villafaña; Bradley; Johnson, Lletget, Feilhaber, Pulisic; Wood.

The United States Finally Have the Skill Players to Abandon Hustle Soccer

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Bruce Arena and the United States Have the Skill Players to Abandon Hustle Soccer

For far too long the United States prided itself on its hustle soccer and fighting spirit, and even Clint Dempsey was unfairly characterized as more of a toughness player than a skill player, which must have really bothered him.

Bruce Arena has a direct, fast, creative, and clinical center forward in Bobby Wood, and he has an electric young winger in Christian Pulisic, who is playing as an attacking player for one of the best club teams in the world. Being skillful and creative is a given for anyone starting or seeing playing time as a winger for Borussia Dortmund.

The United States also has Sebastian Lletget who is another skillful, creative attacking player who can play as an attacking midfielder, wing, or even as a box-to-box midfielder.

Benny Feilhaber has also returned to the national team as a playmaker, and the addition of him and the other players mentioned means that the United States has the critical mass of technical and active players needed to actually keep possession and attack the opposition.

Michael Bradley is the clear first-choice defensive midfielder, and his overall skill level and technical ability is high despite experiencing something of a slump over the past year. Bradley excels at distributing from the back, covering lots of territory, and recovering possession, so he is another important piece of the lineup that helps with the team’s passing and tempo.

While Darlington Nagbe proved himself to be another excellent wing option or center midfielder, Lletget is arguably the more dynamic and talented player, which isn’t to say that Nagbe isn’t a dangerous and creative player with plenty of exciting skills.

Going into March, Arena can deploy a 4-1-3-2 where the Front Six is Bradley, Lletget, Feilhaber, Pulisic, Dempsey, and Wood, and that group of six is easily a more talented and technical group than anything the United States has used before.

With several new players and some veterans, Arena and the United States have the personnel to no longer deploy tactics where the game plan is to out-hustle and out-tough more skillful opponents. Now is a clear turning point in American soccer when the United States can look to use skill and creativity plus the obvious requisite athleticism to outplay most opponents save the likes of soccer’s true giants.

Sebastian Lletget Has Earned Starting Role for the United States

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Sebastian Lletget Has Earned Starting Role for the United States

Sebastian Lletget showcased his creative skillset and ability to defend when the United States played Serbia in San Diego, and he has earned a starting midfield role. The United States continues to be a national team that passes the ball poorly by international standards, but Lletget is a player than can and does facilitate better passing through one-to-two touch soccer.

Bruce Arena used Lletget as a Number 8 or box-to-box midfielder, as he did with the LA Galaxy, but Lletget is an attacking midfielder who also thrives as a wing. Nevertheless, Lletget has shown well as a central midfielder where he provides much more defending, running, and physicality than perhaps many people knew about. While soccer isn’t a sport dictated by physicality, being able to not be pushed off the ball or overpowered is important.

Given Lletget’s skillset as a creative and technical player, using him as a box-to-box midfielder does feel like something of a waste, and he seems more suited to play alongside Darlington Nagbe and Benny Feilhaber in the line of attacking midfielders playing in a more advanced role than the holding midfielders.

Against Serbia, only Nagbe was threatening the penalty area or the goal in the first half, but Lletget provided these things as well as soon as he was subbed in. The primary reason that Lletget should have earned a starting role was that the ability and playing style than he showcased was much better than everybody but Nagbe was able to display against Serbia.

It’s fair to point out that Bobby Wood and Christian Pulisic are unavailable for these January and February friendlies, and those two players provide much more skill, creativity, and movement than the rest of the regular United States squad. The U.S. needs to field anyone who can continue to add to the skill-level and playing style of its best players. Based on what Nagbe and Lletget showed against Serbia, the United States now has four lively, influential, skillful, and creative players in Nagbe, Lletget, Wood, and Pulisic.

Going forward, Lletget is a player who can provide more of the things that the United States needs to improve: skill, creativity, direct play, scoring ability, and passing ability.