Who Should Start for the USMNT in the Copa America?
Jürgen Klinsmann’s starting lineups continue to lack continuity, and there is always the feeling that one or two players are out of position. But, the squad has the personnel to field a balanced and talented lineup. There isn’t a lot of creativity or goal-scoring ability, but there aren’t likely to be any players who look at sea against Latin American competition.
Goalkeeper
Brad Guzan has been backed as the starting goalkeeper for the United States, and there is no reason to doubt him. Perhaps Tim Howard is better, but Guzan has never really been allowed to settle into the role and make it his own. Commentators and fans seem to always be looking to be able to say that any mistake Guzan made, Howard wouldn’t have made. We’ll see, but Guzan is a proven EPL goalkeeper that almost any national team would be proud to have.
Fullbacks
DeAndre Yedlin and Fabian Johnson are the best choices for the right back and left back positions. Yedlin has vastly improved his defending in regards to his marking, tackling, and physicality, and Johnson is a skilled left back who plays better as a wing in the midfield or attack. Johnson is a more skilled and technical player than Yedlin, but Johnson sometimes doesn’t track back on defense well enough.
Center Backs
In the center of the defense, Geoff Cameron and John Brooks are likely the best options at center back. An argument can be made that Cameron could better serve the national team as a defensive midfielder to let Bradley have more freedom to go forward, but Bradley is an excellent defensive midfielder who excels at not only defending but passing from the back of the midfield. This allows Jermaine Jones the license to attack.
Midfielders
A three-man midfield of Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, and Darlington Nagbe is a strong option for the United States. Bradley can play the role of the defensive midfielder who plays in front of the defense, and this frees up both Jones and Nagbe to go forward and feed Clint Dempsey, Christian Pulisic, and Bobby Wood.
Forwards/Attackers
In the attack, Christian Pulisic, Bobby Wood, and Clint Dempsey form the best trio. Pulisic and Dempsey are “wings” on paper, but really their role is more as playmakers and goalscorers in their own right. Both can float out wide or play more centrally, and likewise Wood isn’t a stereotypical center forward. Nevertheless, Wood is a center forward. Just because he drops deep, drifts out wide, and looks to play final balls doesn’t mean that he isn’t a center forward. The belief of the Number 9 as only a big bruiser of a center forward playing with his back to goal and mostly looking to score headers is a fairly Stone Age concept of the center forward position. Wood can score with either foot, and he can stretch the defense and get behind them. Speed kills, and Wood is certainly fast and skilled.
Clint Dempsey
The belief that Dempsey has lost a step of lacks the stamina to run for 90 minutes lacks much proof. Dempsey’s play and fitness don’t suggest that he is slowing down or should be a bench player. The view that the United States somehow don’t need Dempsey starting is a vast overestimation of the technical ability of the United States’ other players.
Dempsey still stands apart from all other American soccer players in terms of technical ability and creativity. Even Nagbe so far has looked to be largely one-footed despite all of his many great attributes. Pulisic is an excellent young player that has proven his abilities in the Bundesliga, but he isn’t at Dempsey’s level yet, as Dempsey has the skill, mentality, and physicality to excel against world-class competition. The United States would be best served by Pulisic and Dempsey playing together.
Importance of the Midfield
Much of the success of this team will be dependent on the midfield, which is the same situation where any team finds itself. An American midfield of Bradley, Jones, and Nagbe is full of running, ball-winning ability, and technical skill, and if those three don’t offer enough defensive coverage then the United States has major problems.
Those three offer almost an excessive tendency toward the defensive, but all three are two-way threats. Jones, Bradley, and Nagbe is two holding midfielders and an attacking midfielder, and that is a tried and true midfield formula.
For example, Argentina will likely be starting Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia, and Javier Pastore which is two defensive midfielders and an attacking midfielder.
My USA XI: Guzan; Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, Johnson; Jones, Bradley, Nagbe; Pulisic, Wood, Dempsey.