USMNT

U-20 World Cup: U.S. improves, ties France

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Daniel Cuevas (20) scored the equalizer and celebrates with Benji Joya (8). (Photo: Jamie McDonald/FIFA/FIFA/Getty Images)
Daniel Cuevas (20) scored the equalizer and celebrates with Benji Joya (8). (Photo: Jamie McDonald/FIFA/FIFA/Getty Images)

 

In the United States’ second U-20 World Cup game, Javan Torre started again at center back and the more highly-rated center back, Caleb Stanko, was benched despite outplaying Torre in the first game, and the United States tied France 1-1.

 

Torre may or not be one of the two best center back options at Ramos’ disposal, but he did fairly well against France.

 

Perhaps if M’Baye Niang were playing as a first striker for France, the combination of Niang and midfield extraordinaire Paul Pogba would have spelled a horror show for the United States’ defense.

 

As it was, Pogba displayed his usual effortless play even with Will Trapp and Benji Joya putting pressure on him.

 

Pogba wasn’t fazed or neutralized, but Joya showed his ability to play against elite players. This was a good barometer to prove to any of Joya’s doubters that he has the ability to play with the United States Men’s National Team.

 

In addition to Pogba, French striker, Yaya Sanogo (amongst others) was a handful for U.S. center back, Shane O’Neill, who was luckily available for this game, unlike the first World Cup match.

 

The U.S. had an equal share of possession against Spain, but against France, the U.S. saw far less possession. Unlike in the game against Spain, Will Trapp did a better job of tackling and playing deeper which is his job playing as somewhat of a midfield destroyer with the number 6 jersey.

 

On the other hand, Joya who was again used as a box-to-box midfielder played as well or better than he played against Spain.

 

Joya and Trapp did a good job of putting pressure on France’s midfield even though all of France’s players were tall, elite athletes who passed effortlessly and seemed to easily enjoy the lion’s share of possession.

 

But, the United States did pass well and combine well with each other, and the U.S. didn’t look outmatched, as the U.S. was able to advance forward with good team passing.

 

One of the most striking aspects of the game was how physically imposing and graceful almost all of the French players were, and despite this, the United States still was able to play with France and attack and defend them.

 

With one loss and one tie so far in the U-20 World Cup, the U.S.’ U-20 team has displayed a good level of soccer that technically looks better than the United States Men’s National Team as a whole, and the quality of play occurred against a fast and technically-skilled Spanish team and a French squad that was equally skilled but athletically far superior to Spain.

 

The size, skill, and athleticism of France was remarkable, but the U.S.’ players like O’Neill and Joya seemed unfazed by it.

 

Frankly, France’s U-20 squad looked unbeatable when the game started.

 

Based on how many goals Spain scored on the U.S., this French squad right after kickoff looked like they were going to dominate the United States, and they did dominate possession.

 

Despite the 59% to 41% possession difference, the U.S.’ front six were able to string passes together playing one-to-two touch soccer and get into the final third, and the defense was able to somewhat contain France.

 

This signals an improvement for American soccer.

 

Looking at the state of American soccer in general, it would appear that many of the U.S.’ U-20 players are ready to play alongside players like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Benny Feilhaber, Juan Agudelo, Freddy Adu, Joe Corona, and Jozy Altidore.

 

Some combination of the best players from the U-20 team combined with the USMNT players listed above indicates an improvement in the overall technical ability of the United States.

 

One important thing to remember about the U-20 World Cup is that Brazil and Argentina didn’t qualify for it, which seems to indicate that their players of this age group are already being incorporated into their main national teams.

 

The United States and Jürgen Klinsmann would be wise to incorporate some of these players like DeAndre Yedlin, Benji Joya, Luis Gil, Shane O’Neill, Mario Rodriguez, Alonso Hernandez, and José Villarreal into the USMNT for the Gold Cup or for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

 

FIFA MATCH REPORT AND RECAP:

http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/round=259235/match=300232815/report.html

 

U-20 World Cup: Tab Ramos Improves U.S. XI

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Tab Ramos made several line-up changes. (Photo: ISIphotos.com)
Tab Ramos made several line-up changes. (Photo: ISIphotos.com)

 

Unlike Jürgen Klinsmann, the United States’ U-20 coach Tab Ramos’ roster and line-up selections make sense. The criticism from the American soccer media before and after the first U-20 World Cup game for the United States was the exclusion of some Major League Soccer players and the inclusion of Javan Torre in the starting line-up.

 

Ramos’ line-ups have been balanced, and, by and large, strong at every position. Against France, Ramos used four capable defenders playing their natural positions, three different kinds of midfielders, and three strikers up top who brought different qualities.

 

Ramos used two modern outside backs in DeAndre Yedlin and Juan Pablo Ocegueda, which is an improvement over Klinsmann’s use of players out of position at outside back. Ramos also used two center backs who combined speed, skill, and sufficient size to compete against France.

 

Will Trapp was used as a defensive midfielder, but he doesn’t seem to possess anything remotely close to the speed, size, skill, or physicality of Michael Bradley. Trapp did make several key tackles against France, which was an improvement over his performance against Spain, but the line-up was basically without a midfield destroyer.

 

Trapp’s parter along with Luis Gil was Benji Joya, and Joya is the real deal. Joya is underrated by many in the American soccer media who seem to feel that Joya was responsible for covering the same amount of defensive duties as Trapp despite the fact that Joya wears the number 8 jersey for a reason instead of Trapp’s number 6 jersey.

 

Tab Ramos deploys Luis Gil as a playmaker, and this is a position that Klinsmann simply refuses to use on his United States Men’s National Team. Gil is good at playing final balls, helping the U.S. to maintain possession, and scoring goals, and he was used behind a trident of strikers.

 

This trident of strikers was a change in tactics from the formation used against Spain, and using Mario Rodriguez, José Villarreal, and Alonso Hernandez as strikers allowed the U.S. to try to stretch the French backline in addition to pressuring them when France had possession.

 

The Best 40 American Players (July 2013)

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Clint Dempsey, the best American soccer player ever. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Clint Dempsey, the best American soccer player ever. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS ARE RANKED USING THE CRITERIA OF SKILL AND PROVEN ABILITY AT THE INTERNATIONAL OR CLUB LEVEL:

 

“Clint (Dempsey), I think has the most ability.” – Pelé (on who is the best American player)

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/66/united-states/2013/06/05/4026451/pele-freddy-adus-career-hasnt-turned-out-the-way-i-expected

 

1. Clint DEMPSEY

2. Michael BRADLEY

3. Jozy ALTIDORE

4. Landon DONOVAN

5. Tim HOWARD

 

6. Benny FEILHABER

7. Geoff CAMERON

8. Jermaine JONES

9. Fabian JOHNSON

10. Freddy ADU

 

11. Steve CHERUNDOLO

12. Joe CORONA

13. Juan AGUDELO

14. Terrence BOYD

15. Brad GUZAN

 

16. Benji JOYA

17. Eddie JOHNSON

18. Stuart HOLDEN

19. Joe GYAU

20. Mix DISKERUD

 

21. Jonathan SPECTOR

22. Luis GIL

23. Brek SHEA

24. Mario RODRIGUEZ

25. Alonso HERNANDEZ

 

26. Tony TAYLOR

27. DeAndre YEDLIN

28. Andrew FARRELL

29. Chris KLUTE

30. Eric LICHAJ

 

31. Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

32. Perry KITCHEN

33. Daniel CUEVAS

34. Teal BUNBURY

35. Maurice EDU

 

36. George JOHN

37. Kofi SARKODIE

38. Shane O’NEILL

39. Caleb STANKO

40. Matt BESLER

 

**NOTE: HERCULEZ GOMEZ WAS INJURED AT THE TIME THAT THIS LIST WAS MADE.

 

 

 

U-20 World Cup: Without a midfield destroyer, the U.S. loses to Spain

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Spain's attackers were too much for the United States. (Photo: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
Spain’s attackers were too much for the United States. (Photo: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

 

Despite being on the receiving end of a 4-1 goleada by Spain’s Under -20 national team in its opening game of the U-20 World Cup, in many ways, the United States’ Under-20 national team displayed better passing and overall skill on the ball than the so-called “senior” United States Men’s National Team.

 

The main problem for Tab Ramos’ U-20 American side was the lack of a real defensive midfielder to cut down on the space Spain had in front of the American defense to run at them and break them down with passes and dribbling.

 

Some of Ramos’s roster selections raised eyebrows (Javan Torre, Daniel Garcia, and maybe Alonso Hernandez), and the main scapegoat for the U.S.’ loss was Javan Torre. Nevertheless, Spain’s strikers Gerard Deulofeu and Jesé Rodriguez are extremely talented strikers who attack with speed, technique, and trickery.

 

There were several examples of both of Spain’s strikers being given too much space to score, but Spain’s second goal scored by Deulofeu was probably unstoppable.

 

Javan Torre stayed close to Deulofeu to almost entirely block any clear angle to score, but Deulofeu put so much inside of the foot bend on the ball that he was able to strike the ball wide of Torre and American goalkeeper, Cody Cropper, and still find the back of the net despite Cropper doing a full lay out dive, which had the angle to the far post blocked.

 

American soccer fans might have to accept that particular goal as a moment of individual skill, unlike the first Spanish goal which was a combination of individual skill on the pass and DeAndre Yedlin leaving Jesé Rodríguez with too much space to volley a goal from close range with the inside of his foot.

 

Likely, the real root of the problem lies with the two American center backs being in the position where Spain had space in front of them to either sprint at them or play passes through or over them.

 

However one looks at it, the American defense was too easily beaten on four occasions, but the United States did play an open game with Spain, in which the U.S. showed good team passing and a good display of comfort on the ball.

 

American midfielders Benji Joya and Luis Gil displayed the ability to play on Spain’s level, but Will Trapp had a quiet game, in which he appeared to not provide enough defensive coverage deep in the American midfield. Joya was often dropping deep to receive the ball and then advancing up field, which allowed Spain to have a big hole to exploit in front of the American defense.

 

In the upcoming game against France, the U.S. has the displeasure of having to face off against perhaps the best defensive and box-to-box midfielder in the world: Paul Pogba.

 

Given the fact that Pogba is not only the best player in the entire tournament but one of the best midfielders in the world for any age group, it’s particularly unfortunate that the United States is weak at the defensive midfielder position.

 

Against Pogba, Tab Ramos will have to make an adjustment to his line-up to try to attempt to somewhat neutralize Pogba (which won’t be possible), and this adjustment will likely be starting Shane O’Neill and someone else at center back with Caleb Stanko at the midfield destroyer role.

 

While the passing and skill level of the United States was encouraging and genuinely high quality, the defense delivered by Will Trapp and the American back four was poor. Either the American back four was left helpless by Trapp, or they were guilty of being two easily beaten.

 

Perhaps starting Stanko with a center back besides Torre would have put the United States in the position to better handle Spain’s attacking forays even with the hole deep in the American midfield, or maybe Spain’s strikers were just too good.

 

In the wake of a three-goal loss to Spain, the United States has plenty of strong attacking and midfield options, but these skilled midfielders and forwards need to not be made irrelevant due to a hole deep in the American midfield or a weak center back tandem.

 

The silver lining to the game was an excellent left-footed upper 90 golazo scored by American playmaker Luis Gil after he freed himself to shoot with a Cruyff. Gil’s overall play, near assist for Alonso Hernandez, as well as Gil’s goal provided more evidence that Jürgen Klinsmann has playmaker options for his USMNT.

 

In a way, the area where the USMNT is very strong, defensive midfield, and the area where they are weak, the attacking portion of the midfield, is the opposite of the U-20 U.S. national team.

 

Against France, Tab Ramos needs to play Stanko as a midfield destroyer, so that the U-20’s technical ability and attacking skill aren’t wasted.

 

The State of the USMNT

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Clint Dempsey will be the best American soccer player for years to come. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Clint Dempsey will be the best American soccer player for years to come. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

 

Starting with the strikers and moving backward towards the goalkeepers, there are lots of pros and cons to what Jürgen Klinsmann is doing.

 

The main thing Klinsmann has done right is that he is close to finding a Starting XI that can play a higher caliber of soccer against top national teams.

 

The main two things he has done wrong are 1.) failing to use a player to connect the midfield to the attack; and 2.) filling the non-starter roster spots with players who haven’t proven they are better than other players the U.S. has at its disposal.

 

There’s no real connection between the improved international play of players like Jozy Altidore, and anything Jürgen Klinsmann is doing as a coach. Klinsmann simply likes to remind Altidore how he was a great German striker and thus entitled to publicly rag on Altidore, as opposed to solving the problem of providing Altidore with more service.

 

Klinsmann has publicly insulted Altidore on multiple occasions (supposedly as some sort of motivational tactic), but the improved service that Altidore received when playing for the United States was the real reason for Altidore’s recently improved scoring rate and combination play with Clint Dempsey.

 

Altidore’s improved skill-level and international performances is a product of steady improvement from childhood until seeing lots of playing time with technical footballers in Holland.

 

Clint Dempsey has been playing for the United States Men’s National Team as a second striker, even if a diagram of the line-up makes him look like a central attacking midfielder, but Dempsey’s performances for the U.S. have always been better when he’s provided with a better supporting cast who can play on his level.

 

Dempsey’s record and highlights speak for themselves, but Dempsey is often the scapegoat when the USMNT plays poorly. Often, Dempsey receives lower ratings from the American soccer media than players who clearly didn’t show as much class and intensity in a particular game. The more players like Michael Bradley who are playing with Dempsey, the more he’ll be able to play off his teammates and shine.

 

Despite the praise Graham Zusi has received from the American soccer media for his World Cup qualifying performances, Zusi looked mostly in over his head against Germany and Belgium. Often a single cross that finds its target in a game largely characterized by just trying to keep up with international competition will garner Zusi praise.

 

Zusi is certainly a technically-sound player with the ability to rely less on a steady stream of crosses and more on higher-caliber passing than he does. Zusi crossed the ball 12 times against Honduras, and while a few of them were well-weighted and elegant, others looked like he was married to crossing the ball. Nevertheless, Zusi has shown the ability to play a better style of passes, but he should play that way more.

 

One of the back ups for Zusi is Joe Corona, and Corona almost seems blackballed by Klinsmann, despite seeing a small number of World Cup qualifying minutes against Panama. Whatever Klinsmann’s rationale is for not using Corona more, even though he continues to call him up to the national team, it makes but little sense.

 

Every soccer fan around the world knows that the one missing element from the U.S. national team now is starting a higher number of technically-skilled players like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, Jozy Altidore, and Fabian Johnson. Corona is not only technically-skilled, but he’s creative, experienced, and a starting attacking midfielder in a league that is better than Major League Soccer: La Liga MX.

 

The constant refusal to let Corona play a bigger role is a tough sale for any knowledgeable soccer fan. The United States Men’s National Team is simply not good enough in its current form to exclude players like Corona.

 

Amidst the euphoria of sitting on 13 points in World Cup qualifying, American soccer fans and the American soccer media should be mindful of how easily Germany’s B Team was able to score a flurry of goals in a matter of minutes when it was actually trying. Additionally, Belgium absolutely destroyed the United States in the friendly before Germany.

 

The United States wouldn’t have been outclassed to such an extent by Belgium if a greater number of  better players were used. Without any thought, anyone who has followed the USMNT knows that Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber could have simply been given a uniform for the Belgium game and had no problems performing well without looking in over their heads. The United States might have still lost, but the quality of play would have been better.

 

People can say what they like about Donovan or Feilhaber, but both of them have skill-sets that this current U.S. team is missing.

 

While the United States has a variety of strong pieces in Klinsmann’s recent starting line-ups, there is undoubtedly a better right back, a better right midfielder, and a better playmaker. Klinsmann could simply insert three new starters to start with eight of his current starters and make the USMNT instantly better.

 

The State of the United States Men’s National Team is that eight of Klinsmann’s 11 starters should continue to start: Tim Howard (goalkeeper), Omar Gonzalez (center back), Matt Besler (center back), Fabian Johnson (left back), Michael Bradley (defensive midfielder), Geoff Cameron or Jermaine Jones (defensive midfielder), Clint Dempsey (second striker), and Jozy Altidore (first striker).

 

The United States needs to use new players at right back, at the central attacking midfielder role, and as the right attacking midfielder, and Klinsmann has the players available to him to strengthen these three positions.

 

At right back, Klinsmann has DeAndre Yedlin, Jonathan Spector, Eric Lichaj, and Andrew Farrell. At playmaker, Klinsmann has Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, Benji Joya, and Freddy Adu. And lining up as a right midfielder, Klinsmann has Landon Donovan, any of the players listed at playmaker, Joe Gyau, Brek Shea, or Stuart Holden.

 

The State of the United States Men’s National Team is that it has the players in the pool to shore up its weaknesses, but Klinsmann refuses to use even the internationally-proven ones.

 

The United States is in first place in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, but the line-ups Klinsmann is using don’t have the collective quality to beat stronger national teams. Klinsmann will have to use someone who can provided Dempsey and Altidore with more service, and Klinsmann will also have  to use a right back with more speed than Brad Evans.

 

Not everything that Klinsmann is doing is bad, as Klinsmann is somewhat close to fielding a starting line-up with 10 skilled, dynamic, and athletic field players, but the missing connection between the defensive midfielders and the attack is still a problem.

 

One reality of the USMNT is that Jürgen Klinsmann is using some players who make the United States play below its real ability, and it’s time to see just how good the U.S. really is.

 

Can Cameron, Jones, and Bradley start together?

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Geoff Cameron (20) allows Michael Bradley to attack more. Can Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, and Geoff Cameron start at the same time? (Photo: AP/Rick Bowmer)
Geoff Cameron (20) allows Michael Bradley to attack more. Can Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, and Geoff Cameron start at the same time? (Photo: AP/Rick Bowmer)

 

In the wake of the United States Men’s National Team’s 1-0 win over Honduras, there are still many questions about how the United States should use Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, and Jermaine Jones.

 

While Cameron allows Bradley to play a bigger role in the attack, Jones is still a very talented Champions League and Bundesliga defensive midfielder who like Cameron has refined passing skills and an overall comfort with the ball at his feet.

 

Does starting Cameron, Bradley, and Jones play at the same time allow the USMNT to pass better while still being tough to break down defensively? Can all three stay out of each other’s way?

 

The American soccer media likes to refer to the various types of defensive midfielders as central midfielders, as if defensive midfielder means midfield destroyer and central midfielder means a box-to-box midfielder. The second classification is an accurate assessement, but there is this conflict of ideas of how the central midfield should line up and who should play there.

 

As many writers, pundits, and fans have pointed out, Geoff Cameron is doing a better job than Jermaine Jones of agreeing to play some variation of the midfield destroyer role. Nevertheless, Jones is a highly-skilled Champions League and Bundesliga veteran, but Cameron is, as many people have observed, allowing Bradley to play farther up field and participate in the attack closer to Clint Dempsey.

 

With that being said, Jones certainly has the right and skill to advance toward the final third as Bradley does, but if that is going to continue to happen, then the United States Men’s National Team will need to play Jones and Bradley in front of Cameron as three points of a diamond midfield formation.

 

If Bradley and Jones want to play closer to goal, Cameron seems perfectly willing and able to fulfill more of the defensive duties in front of the defensive back four while also stamping his passing imprint on the game as well. Starting Cameron, Bradley, and Jones leaves three open positions in the midfield and at forward, so the USMNT could start Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, and one other player as part of the front six.

 

If Jürgen Klinsmann ever elects to start Cameron, Jones, and Bradley together, then he’ll have to finally take the plunge and allow Joe Corona, Benny Feilhaber, Benji Joya, or Freddy Adu to start.

 

This sort of line-up would be an improvement over the types of three defensive midfielder formations that Klinsmann used in the past.

 

In the past, the player tasked with the midfield destroyer role wasn’t as agile and skilled on the ball as Geoff Cameron. With Cameron playing as the midfield destroyer, the United States would be giving both Jones and Bradley (both defensive midfielders) the license to really play as box-to-box midfielders more so than in the past with a playmaker in front of them and a second striker and first striker in front of the playmaker.

 

The United States has used a midfield with Landon Donovan out right, Clint Dempsey out left, and Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber in the middle, but the U.S. has never used three midfielders with Bradley’s, Jones’s, and Cameron’s defensive and technical skills behind three essentially pure attack-minded players.

 

The key to the system is Cameron playing deeper than everyone else in the front six, and Cameron not only has no problem doing this, but he also seems to enjoy roaming the back where he gets lots of touches on the ball, which allows him to either spray passes around or combine with his teammates with quicker passes on the ground.

 

This formation would eliminate the need for Bradley to sacrifice his attacking qualities, in order to provide defensive coverage for Jones, and this formation would also be technically-skilled but difficult for opposing teams to break down.

 

As long as some playmaker is linking Cameron, Bradley, and Jones to Dempsey and Altidore, then this formation could allow Bradley and Jones the freedom to both attack and defend without fearing leaving a big hole behind them.

 

This system would be attempting to let the USMNT start two players similar (in position only) to a player of a much higher caliber: Arturo Vidal.

 

Despite being excellent European and international players and with all due respect to their technical qualities, Bradley and Jones don’t have the same attacking arsenal and class as Arturo Vidal, who’s essentially a combination of Bradley’s running, tenacity, and defensive skill with Dempsey’s technical ability.

 

Nevertheless, all of the U.S. midfielders listed above are quality international midfielders by any standard, and starting Cameron, Bradley, Jones, and Corona with Dempsey and Altidore up top would be a courageous and tactically-sound formation.

 

The most likely reaction by the majority of the American fan base and soccer media to the line-up proposed above would be a mixture between complaints that Corona isn’t ready to arguments that this is a formation with three midfield destroyers

A USMNT Front Six with Dempsey, Holden, and Corona

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Photo by John Todd/ISIPhotos.com
Photo by John Todd/ISIPhotos.com

 

After seeing Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley partner well together as something close to a defensive midfielder partnership, the next step for Jürgen Klinsmann is to start three attacking midfielders in front of them against Honduras.

 

While Cameron and Bradley do much more than breaking up the opposition’s possession and helping to protect the defensive back four, starting three dynamic attacking midfielders such as Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, and Joe Corona would give the United States Men’s National Team the chance to see how the passing could be improved even more from the Panama game without taking any real risks.

 

Playing as a left midfielder with the freedom to roam around the field is not a new or unnatural role for Dempsey, and Holden and Corona are attacking midfielders who have plenty of experience plus all of the tools to help the USMNT continue to improve its possession and passing ability.

 

Starting four defenders and two defensive midfielders (even of the more box-to-box variety) is considered by many to be a fairly defensive line-up, therefore starting Dempsey, Holden, and Corona in front of the two defensive midfielders is hardly an overly attack-minded line-up.

 

These three attacking midfielders gives Klinsmann the chance to see his vision for the U.S. national team go to the next level.

 

Klinsmann had to like the type of passing and off the ball movement he saw against Panama, and using Holden and Corona provides him with the chance of taking his vision of proactive soccer to the next level without using inexperienced or unproven players.

 

Starting Corona is a decision that Klinsmann needs to make, if he’s serious about taking the United States national team to the next level.

 

Based on the type of combination play Altidore and Dempsey were displaying against Panama, the next logical step is to play someone like Corona behind them, in order to give them the types of final balls they are looking for.  Nice chemistry between a first and second striker poses a real threat to a defense, but a playmaker behind players of Altidore and Dempsey’s skill level is even more of a threat.

 

Although Dempsey in this system would be starting as an attacking midfielder on paper, Dempsey will be looking to slip behind the Honduran defense and provide support for Altidore.

 

Holden and Corona aren’t liabilities as starters, but if people view them as somewhat risky, the risk cannot be much more than minimal.

Who Should the USMNT Start Against Honduras?

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Geoff Cameron (20). © TONY QUINN / ISIPHOTOS.COM
Geoff Cameron (20).
© TONY QUINN / ISIPHOTOS.COM

 

 

Who Jürgen Klinsmann will include in his Starting XI for the United States Men’s National Team is anyone’s guess, but it seems likely that Edgar Castillo would slot into his natural position of left back to replace the suspended DaMarcus Beasley.

 

Additionally, Klinsmann has been a big fan of Graham Zusi’s play as a pseudo-right winger. Nevertheless, Klinsmann must have liked the type of passing and off the ball movement the U.S. showed against Panama without Zusi.

 

The likely starters based on Klinsmann’s past decisions are: Tim Howard; Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Edgar Castillo; Geoff Cameron; Michael Bradley; Graham Zusi or Eddie Johnson, Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson ; Jozy Altidore.

 

Is this the best starting line-up that can be formed from the players on the roster considering the suspensions? Maybe it is, or maybe it isn’t.

 

On the one hand, the United States played its best soccer under Klinsmann when two of Klinsmann’s first choice starters, Graham Zusi and Jermaine Jones, were unavailable. Zusi had delivered an assist two games in a row in the games before the Panama match, but without Zusi, Eddie Johnson was in the line-up making runs behind the Panamanian defense.

 

While Jones has performed well and provided the American midfield with lots of qualities, Cameron seemed to do a better job of playing a combination of a midfield destroyer and a box-to-box midfielder, mainly in regards to his passing and defensive recovery duties.

 

Klinsmann does have the option of starting Cameron right in front of the back four with Jones and Bradley in front of him to the right and left playing as box-to-box midfielders, but two things are unclear: is Jones ready to play again after his concussion, and would Klinsmann use all three at once given the problems with using three defensive midfielders in the past?

 

Despite the likely starting line-up predicted above, Klinsmann has the option of using Stuart Holden or Joe Corona or both, and Klinsmann has the option of using Terrence Boyd or Eddie Johnson as an additional center forward alongside Jozy Altidore.

 

Who will Klinsmann start? Who should Klinsmann start? These are two different questions.

 

The game against Panama at the very least demonstrated that changes to the starting line-up can greatly improve the USMNT’s performance, as opposed to the conventional wisdom that constant line-up changes prevent the team from playing as a cohesive unit.

 

A new line-up against Panama produced the first real glimpse of the type of proactive soccer that Klinsmann said he was trying to instill when he became head coach of the U.S. two years ago.

 

The right kind of change is good, and the next step for the U.S. is adding a playmaker in addition to the improved passing displayed with Geoff Cameron as somewhat of a combination of a midfield destroyer and a box-to-box midfielder.

The USMNT’s Christmas Tree Option Against Honduras

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With Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore up top, the USMNT can use the Christmas Tree Formation against Honduras. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
With Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore in attack, the USMNT can use the Christmas Tree Formation against Honduras. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

 

The Christmas Tree formation, a.k.a. L’albero di Natale, is a tactical option against Honduras next Tuesday.

 

With Geoff Cameron, Jermaine Jones, and Michael Bradley all possessing strong technical and defensive abilities, these three players in a line of three in front of the defensive back four could neutralize Honduras’ technical ability and speed while also stuffing the midfield with technically-skilled midfielders who like to circulate the ball around quickly.

 

Using Cameron, Jones, and Bradley is much different than the three defensive midfielder formation that Jürgen Klinsmann used to use with the United States Men’s National Team because all three players have a superior combination of athleticism and skill than Danny Williams, Kyle Beckerman, and to a lesser extent, Maurice Edu.

 

On paper, this Christmas Tree formation looks overly defensive, but given the playing style and skill-level of Cameron, Bradley, and Jones, these three defensive midfielders don’t just sit back and play defense; all three are able to facilitate possession soccer and play incisive through balls and final balls.

 

These three midfielders started at the same time employs a military strategy called “rapid dominance” which is often referred to as “shock and awe.” The presence of three midfielders of the size, athleticism, and ball control of Bradley, Jones, and Cameron should be able to easily dictate the tempo of the game against Honduras by simultaneously using defensive prowess and technical ability as a weapon against Honduras.

 

Many observers commented on how Cameron knew how to stay back deeper against Panama in order to let Bradley go forward more with the attack, but Cameron provided excellent passing throughout the game, in addition to surging forward when the opportunity presented itself. Cameron showed that he knew how to go forward and track back without being caught out of position.

 

With Jones, Bradley, and Cameron covering for each other and picking their opportunities to go forward, the USMNT has the opportunity to disrupt the passing rhythm of Honduras while still playing one-to-two touch soccer.

 

As the line of two players in front of Bradley, Cameron, and Jones, the U.S. has the option of using Clint Dempsey plus one other player. Some people will call for Graham Zusi. Others will call for Fabian Johnson, and still others will see this as a time to insert Stuart Holden. The boldest choice of all and the one with the most potential for exciting and effective attacking play is Joe Corona.

 

With the formation proposed above, Joe Corona playing with Clint Dempsey behind Jozy Altidore presents the United States with the chance to give Corona a bigger role with the national team, and this role can further improve the display of quality team passing that occurred against Panama.