2015 Gold Cup

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

There’s just no predicting Jürgen Klinsmann’s rosters for the United States Men’s National Team.

 

Trying to guess his rosters is problematic, and he frequently omits players that are deserving of a roster spot.

 

At least commenting on who deserves a spot doesn’t require a crystal ball.

 

Although formations vary, a 23-man squad somewhat limits how many players of each position can fit on the roster.

 

The United States needs three goalkeepers, four center backs, two right backs, and two left backs, but after this, some decisions have to be made about how many defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders, and forwards the roster needs.

 

Of the 23 roster slots, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Brad Guzan, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Mix Diskerud, Fabian Johnson, Alejandro Bedoya, and Joe Corona need to be on the roster.

 

It’s worth mentioning that Benny Feilhaber deserves to be on the roster, but Klinsmann seems to not like him.

 

Starting with the defense, surely outside backs DeAndre Yedlin and Greg Garza need to be on the roster.

 

Likewise, center backs Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks are too good to leave off the roster, especially given their youth, skill, and athleticism.

 

With William Yarbrough as the back-up goalkeeper to Guzan, this is already 14 players. This includes two goalkeepers, two center backs, a right back, two left backs, four midfielders, and three forwards.

 

Since Bradley can help the squad more as a box-to-box midfielder than as strictly a defensive midfielder, two roster spots should go to defensive midfielders, and Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu or Perry Kitchen deserve these places.

 

Edu can probably help the national team most as a center back where he frequently plays in MLS, so Cameron and Kitchen are good choices to occupy defensive midfielder spots.

 

Edu, Alvarado, and Brooks make three center backs, and Andrew Farrel who is having an excellent MLS season would be a strong choice to fill the fourth center back place on the squad.

 

Farrell would be new to the national team, but it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve it.

 

The USMNT needs a fast and skilled center back that can defend on the ground and in the air, and Farrell is a technical player that is really hard to beat for pace.

 

Another new player that the United States would benefit from is Dillon Powers who is a two-way midfielder that can play anywhere in the midfield.

 

His skill, work-rate, and defending are bolstered by the fact that he’s a player with enough speed and endurance to perform at the international level against better competition.

 

As a general policy, Klinsmann cannot afford to keep excluding this new breed of better young American players now playing in MLS.

 

In keeping with the need to bring in more of these new MLS players into the fold, London Woodberry is another player ready for international play.

 

The right back fills a need the national team has for another right back that can defend and go forward at the international level, and Woodberry looks to be the player to fill this need.

 

The American attack needs so more firepower on the bench to back up Dempsey, Altidore, and Agudelo, so Gyasi Zardes and Rubio Rubin have demonstrated that they have what it takes to perform well as forwards on the international stage.

 

Zardes is a powerful, fast, and skilled Number 9 that plays well as a wing, whereas Rubin can play well as either a second striker or as a Number 9.

 

Finally, the squad needs a third goalkeeper, and Bill Hamid is qualified to fill this role.

 

So, what would this roster look like in a more organized fashion?

 

Here is the 23-man roster discussed above:

 

Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, William Yarbrough, Bill Hamid

 

Defenders (8): Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks, Maurice Edu, Andrew Farrell*, DeAndre Yedlin, Greg Garza, London Woodberry*, Fabian Johnson

 

Midfielders (7): Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, Perry Kitchen, Dillon Powers*, Mix Diskerud, Alejandro Bedoya, Joe Corona

 

Forwards (5): Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Gyasi Zardes, Rubio Rubin

 

* = New players

 

 

That 23-man squad consists of 12 MLS players, 7 players from European leagues, and four players from Liga MX.

 

How would this USMNT line up?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

This isn’t Jürgen Klinsmann’s likely 23-man Gold Cup roster. This is World Soccer Source’s opinion of the 23 U.S. internationals that deserve to represent the United States Men’s National Team at the 2015 Gold Cup.

 

It goes without saying, but many deserving players were left off this list due to a need to have a balanced roster with the right amount of center backs, outside backs, defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders, wingers, and forwards.

 

Many of the players with the talent and mentality to do well this summer have been seeing limited club playing time, so it is premature to back them until things change. This applies to many of the players in the U.S.’s youth national teams playing outside of MLS.

 

Jermaine Jones was omitted because the United States has other capable center backs, and it’s time to let the younger center backs play because the United States needs this for its long-term success.

 

Alejandro Bedoya is a fast and technical player excelling in Europe with Nantes in Ligue 1. This is a commendable achievement, but, Bedoya was dropped from World Soccer Source’s USA roster to allow room for both Kelyn Rowe and José Villarreal because World Soccer Source considers them to be better at creating and scoring goals. They also play under more control. Both players can also play centrally and in wide positions better than Bedoya in World Soccer Source’s opinion.

 

Joe Corona is a more important player for the United States in this writer’s opinion because Corona is a better playmaker than Bedoya. Corona can play as a Number 10, on either wing, or as a second striker. Bedoya’s value is attacking at pace, but the United States really needs more possession with purpose and assists. This is what Corona brings to the squad, and Corona also scores goals.

 

Klinsmann’s refusal to use Benny Feilhaber is inexcusable, especially given the problems the U.S. has had with possession, with creating scoring opportunities, and displaying a degree of technical skill in the midfield against elite competition. Feilhaber deserves to represent the United States. Klinsmann clearly has some personal problem with Feilhaber, and Klinsmann needs to let it go.

 

Some other selections warrant some deeper explanation. Both Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu are versatile players that excel as defensive midfielders and center backs, and Edu can also play as a central midfielder, while Cameron also plays both outside back positions.

 

These two players give the National Team depth at the defensive midfielder spot, so Bradley can either play as a center defensive midfielder directly in front of the Back Four or as a center midfielder of the box-to-box variety, depending on how attack-minded the United States wishes to play.

 

Andrew Farrell played as a right back last season for the New England Revolution, but this season he’s playing his natural position of center back. Farrell is a quality center back, but he’s also an outside back that provides more of the combination of defending, speed, and technical ability that the USA needs from its outside backs. Farrell can also play as a midfield destroyer in a pinch.

 

Robbie Rogers has been playing as a left back, but the right-footed player can play as a right back or in the midfield on either side as a midfielder, which is where he used to always play.

 

Looking at the bigger problems with Klinsmann’s player selection, the USSF cannot afford to keep snubbing the majority of the quality American players in the 20-25 year old range that aren’t dual-nationals from Europe, as Klinsmann has largely been doing.

 

So, below is World Soccer Source’s 23-man list of the players that deserve to represent the Stars and Stripes this summer at the 2015 Gold Cup:

 

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, William Yarbrough, Clint Irwin

 

Defenders: Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks, Maurice Edu, Shane O’Neill, DeAndre Yedlin, Greg Garza, Andrew Farrell, Robbie Rogers

 

Midfielders: Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, Dillon Powers, Benny Feilhaber, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona

 

Forwards: Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Gyasi Zardes, José Villarreal, Kelyn Rowe

 

 

 

World Soccer Source’s USA XI (4-3-3): Guzan; Yedlin, Alvarado, Brooks, Garza; Bradley, Cameron, Feilhaber; Corona, Altidore, Dempsey.

 

 

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

In addition to continuing to improve the overall play of the United States Men’s National Team, the next goal for the United States Men’s National Team is to win next summer’s 2015 Gold Cup.

 

Jürgen Klinsmann will want to use the best players available to him in addition to including a few of the somewhat younger players – many of whom already have quality experience with the senior side.

 

Here is World Soccer Source’s best guess of Klinsmann’s USMNT XI for the 2015 Gold Cup, and there’s nothing to suggest that Klinsmann doesn’t continue to view Clint Dempsey as the Number 10:

 

 

GOALKEEPER: Brad GUZAN

 

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Geoff CAMERON

CENTER BACK: John BROOKS

LEFT BACK: Fabian JOHNSON

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Maurice EDU

CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

 

RIGHT ATTACKER: Joe CORONA

NUMBER 10: Clint DEMPSEY

LEFT ATTACKER: Julian GREEN

 

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

 

Tactical Formation (4-2-3-1)

 

GUZAN

YEDLIN CAMERON BROOKS JOHNSON

EDU BRADLEY

CORONA DEMPSEY GREEN

AGUDELO