Eric Lichaj

Which American Defenders Are Good Enough For the World Cup?

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Chris Klute, the Best American Left Back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
Chris Klute, the Best American Left Back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

Using your best defenders regardless of age or international experience within reason is a customary and logical tactical game plan for competing in a World Cup.

Every national team in the world uses its best defenders either based on club performance, international performance, or skill-level regardless of their youth or lack of youth.

If the best American defenders are young players with plenty of club experience but not a wealth of international experience, then so be it. Soccer is a skill sport, and international experience doesn’t guarantee that defenders won’t make mistakes in a World Cup.

There are no guarantees in soccer; the best thing a national team can do is to play its best players.

Eight defenders is the traditional number of defenders for a national team roster, but seven defenders would suffice if some players double as center backs and as defensive midfielders.

This is precisely the case with Geoff Cameron and Shane O’Neill, the latter of whom really demonstrated throughout an entire season in Major League Soccer plus the U-20 World Cup that he was just as good if not better than Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

The United States Men’s National Team likely has defenders who are good enough to hold their own and even excel at the 2014 World Cup.

While Neymar and the like are essentially unplayable, which means incapable of being marked, players below that level can be well-defended and marked by the USMNT with team defense.

Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones or some other defensive midfielder in front of center backs like Geoff Cameron, John Anthony Brooks, or Michael Orozco should really be equipped to mostly contain much of the World Cup competition unless elite attackers really turn up the intensity and the style points, which almost no defender can contain anyway.

Whether it’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Mario Balotelli, Thomas Müller, or Neymar, players of that level are capable of victimizing and embarrassing any defender, so the best thing the United States can do is field the defenders with the defensive instincts and fundamentals, the athleticism, and the technical ability to perform well on the international level.

Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez have done well as center backs under Jürgen Klinsmann, but Geoff Cameron, John Anthony Brooks, and Michael Orozco are likely better.

That would be five center backs on the roster unless one takes the view that Cameron and Orozco are doubling as outside backs. Furthermore, Shane O’Neill is an excellent center back, but he was listed as a defensive midfielder in World Soccer Source’s previous article on midfielders.

At this point, Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley have shown that they can do well enough as outside backs in a pinch, but starting them over natural outside backs or converted outside backs like Cameron is misguided.

Chris Klute, DeAndre Yedlin, and Andrew Farrell proved this season in MLS that they are likely the best outside backs available to the United States in addition to Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector, and Steve Cherundolo.

Fabian Johnson is also a capable outside back, but his defending and recovery defense seems outmatched by Farrell, Yedlin, and Klute. Johnson is an excellent player who attacks with speed and two-footed skill, but from a defensive standpoint, Farrell, Yedlin, and Klute are better defenders.

Farrell and Klute looked better than Yedlin from a defensive standpoint for most of the MLS season, but over the last few months of the season, Yedlin has evolved into an effective defender who has improved his ability to tackle and dispossess attackers.

Klute, Yedlin, and Farrell would be new to the United States Men’s National Team set-up, but that’s not a good enough reason to exclude them for players that are not only not as good but that are also being played out of position.

If the United States selects seven defenders with either Cameron or O’Neill listed as midfielders, then Brooks, Cameron, and Orozco add up to three defenders, and Yedlin, Farrell, and Klute make six defenders. The final spot should go to Eric Lichaj who is an experienced, young, and talented outside back that can play as a right or left back, and he has the club and international experience to be considered by and large a proven performer.

Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Brad Evans, and DaMarcus Beasley didn’t make World Soccer Source’s list of preferred defenders for the World Cup, but Cameron, Brooks, and Orozco are all more complete center backs who aren’t a liability in terms of defending, speed, or technical ability.

Gonzalez isn’t quite as fast or as skilled defensively as any of those three, and Besler falls just slightly below Cameron, Brooks, and Orozco in terms of his overall package as a center back. Besler is certainly an upgrade from Carlos Bocanegra or Clarence Goodson, but anything that Besler can do, Cameron, Brooks, and Orozco can do better.

Shane O’Neill and Andrew Farrell are also better center backs than Gonzalez and Besler because there’s no weak area for O’Neill and Farrell as defenders. Both are tall, strong, fast, quick, and technically-skilled, and both are outstanding defenders who aggressively tackle without fouling.

Youth and international inexperience shouldn’t be qualities that disqualify Farrell, O’Neill, Yedlin, and Klute from the USMNT. All of these players were starters for their club teams for the entire season, and the international experience of Gonzalez, Besler, Beasley, and Evans as defenders was mostly against fairly weak competition.

The argument that many observers use for supporting Evans, Gonzalez, Besler, and Beasley as the starting Back Four is that they played for the United States during a nice winning streak, but the performance of all four of those players went down as the competition went up.

World Soccer Source would rather see USMNT defenders with the physical gifts and the tools to succeed against better competition, then just sticking with the status quo that looked shaky when the quality of the opposition went up.

With Shane O’Neill listed as a midfielder, Geoff Cameron, John Anthony Brooks, Michael Orozco, Andrew Farrell, Eric Lichaj, DeAndre Yedlin, and Chris Klute are the seven or really eight defenders that World Soccer Source believes have what it takes to perform at the 2014 World Cup.

Additionally, Gale Agbossoumonde is a center back prospect who is too promising to not be evaluated and seriously considered before the World Cup. Hypothetically, Agbossoumonde has everything one could ask for in a center back: excellent defensive instincts and fundamentals, refined technical ability with both feet, calmness, and great athleticism in a tall, strong physique.

As American soccer has continued to improve, it’s quite logical that newer American defenders are better than ones in the past. Major League Soccer has never seen a crop of defenders like O’Neill, Farrell, Yedlin, and Klute, and making them wait years for another World Cup is a waste of good talent that can help the United States to improve.

Starting a Back Four made up of DeAndre Yedlin, Shane O’Neill, Andrew Farrell, and Chris Klute with Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielders is one of the boldest and best options for the United States in the 2014 World Cup, and another viable option would be to start Farrell, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute as the Back Four.

These are new Back Fours, but they are made up of better players than the Standard Klinsmann Back Four comprised of Evans, Gonzalez, Besler, and Beasley.

Finally, a Back Four comprised of Lichaj, Orozco, Brooks, and Klute with Cameron and Bradley as a two-man defensive midfield would be another option where basically everyone except Klute was experienced and by and large proven at the international level or at the high level of the Bundesliga in Brooks’ case.

 

Eight American Defenders Who Can Compete in the World Cup:

CENTER BACKS/DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Geoff CAMERON, Shane O’NEILL

CENTER BACKS: John Anthony BROOKS, Michael OROZCO, Andrew FARRELL.

OUTSIDE BACKS: Eric LICHAJ, DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, (Andrew FARRELL)

 

The USMNT Has Outside Back Options

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Chris Klute (right) might be the best American left back. (Photo: Eamon Queeny / The Columbus Dispatch)
Chris Klute (right) might be the best American left back. (Photo: Eamon Queeny / The Columbus Dispatch)

 

The United States Men’s National Team and Jürgen Klinsmann have plenty of outside back options available to them with the 2014 World Cup coming up next summer.

Due to the fact that Jonathan Spector and Eric Lichaj are proven-performers at the international level and the club level in England, it remains a mystery why Klinsmann has insisted on stubbornly declaring that Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley are his best right back and left back options respectively, especially since both players are less-proven and playing out of position.

There’s a widespread belief that both players have done well against CONCACAF competition and deserve recognition for holding their own at positions that neither player are naturally suited to play, but there is also widespread concern that Klinsmann is leaving the United States’ defense vulnerable out wide.

Any realistic examination of the types of attackers that the United States will face in the 2014 World Cup reveals the real danger of starting two players at outside back who are not really outside backs.

Klinsmann has a wealth of options at outside back, and many of his best options are players who are experienced outside backs with international experience. Additionally, there is the issue of the group of new MLS players who have demonstrated that they have the tools to be international-caliber outside backs.

The real mystery is why Klinsmann feels that using Evans and Beasley out of position is a better option than starting professional outside backs.

The coach of the United States Men’s National Team has been refusing to use outside backs that are paid to play the position at the club level for a living.

Even excluding new MLS outside backs like Chris Klute, DeAndre Yedlin, and Andrew Farrell, who are actually professional outside backs, Klinsmann has decided that both Jonathan Spector and Eric Lichaj don’t deserve any call ups to the national team, despite the fact that both players have a documented history of performing well for the United States and a wealth of experience in the English Premier League.

Klinsmann’s outside back selections have been a topic of discussion and debate for a long time now, and even if Klinsmann wants to start Evans and Beasley, there is no explanation for not putting Spector and Lichaj on the roster to fill the other two outside back roster spots.

Anyway that one chooses to look at this coaching situation, there is no way to counter the argument that Klinsmann has not put four natural outside backs on his rosters.

While Klinsmann can support the argument that Chris Klute, DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, and Kofi Sarkodie are inexperienced at the international level, he can’t support his stance that Spector and Lichaj are somehow less qualified to start as the outside backs than Evans and Beasley.

Spector in particular has performed well against Spain, Brazil, and a whole list of other top national teams, and Spector is under 30 years old. Lichaj too has performed well for the United States, even if he doesn’t have the same experience against elite national teams.

If Klinsmann views Fabian Johnson as more of a winger now as opposed to an outside back, Timothy Chandler, Fabian Johnson, Eric Lichaj, and Jonathan Spector are still all professional outside backs who have proven that they have the speed and skill along with the defensive skills to be the United States’ outside backs.

The track record of Spector, Johnson, Chandler, and Lichaj along with Klinsmann’s insistence on not making them his four outside backs really calls into question Klinsmann’s decision-making.

Consistently calling up the outside backs listed above was really only the first step that Klinsmann had to make in selecting his outside backs because he also needed to use some of the friendlies over the last few months to get a good look at the new outside backs like Klute, Yedlin, and Farrell.

At this point, there is no real evidence that Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley are more equipped to deal with better attackers than Spector, Lichaj, Chandler, Johnson, Klute, Yedlin, and Farrell because Evans and Beasley have only held their own against fairly weak competition.

Klute, Yedlin, and Farrell may be inexperienced but each of them has the technical and defensive skills along with the athleticism to stand a better chance of performing against the better competition in the World Cup. All three outside backs are skilled on the ball with both feet and extremely fast, and Klute and Farrell in particular have demonstrated very good defensive fundamentals and instincts.

Given the amount of playing time that Klute, Yedlin, and Farrell have seen as well as the quality of their performances for an entire season, all three of these outside backs have earned the chance to prove that they can outplay Evans and Beasley as outside backs.

Despite the fact that Chandler has cast doubts on how interested he is in really playing for the United States, certainly Spector, Lichaj, and Johnson should have all been a fixture on the U.S. rosters over the last two years.

Without a lot of games before next summer’s World Cup, there is a real possibility that Klinsmann will simply insist on freezing Spector, Lichaj, Klute, Yedlin, Farrell, and Sarkodie out of the United States Men’s National Team.

If this is the case, then the United States may very well not even put proven-players like Spector and Lichaj on the World Cup roster as outside back options, which essentially means that Klinsmann will be banking on using make-shift substitutes should his already make-shift outside backs be injured or suspended.

Klinsmann’s roster selections at outside back have been a problem, and from an American perspective, player selection at outside back is a major cause for concern going into the 2014 World Cup.

 

Klinsmann’s USMNT Options For October Qualifiers

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Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)
Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)

 

Despite the possibility of Michael Bradley and John Anthony Brooks still being injured, Jürgen Klinsmann still has a lot of new options for the United States Men’s National Team’s October World Cup qualifiers.

A prudent decision for the future success of the USMNT is for Klinsmann to start many of the proven players who he has chosen to snub in the past, but he should fill the rest of the roster with new players that need to be given experience.

The math on this is simple; Klinsmann has 11 starting line-ups spots that he can reserve for some of the more-experienced American players who he has chosen to not use, and he has 12 roster spots for the new talents in American soccer.

The other alternative is to use the same roster outlined above but start the new players.

If Klinsmann wants to start more-proven players, then this is a topic that can be discussed with specificity.

For example, Klinsmann could start Brad Guzan in goal with Jonathan Spector at right back, Shane O’Neill and Michael Orozco at center back, and Eric Lichaj at left back.

In front of them, Klinsmann can start Geoff Cameron as a defensive midfielder with Joe Benny Corona, Benny Feilhaber, and Mix Diskerud as a line of three attacking midfielders.

Up top, Klinsmann could start Juan Agudelo (if he’s healthy) or Terrence Boyd with Aron Jóhannsson.

The line-up proposed above leaves 11 or 12 roster spots open for Klinsmann, depending on the health of Agudelo.

Starting in the defense, the obvious names are DeAndre Yedlin, Chris Klute, and Andrew Farrell.

This leaves eight or nine roster spots (depending on whether or not Agudelo is healthy) for goalkeepers, midfielders, and forwards.

If there are eight roster spots, calling up Nick Rimando and some other goalkeeper like Clint Irwin, Dan Kennedy, Sean Johnson, Luis Robles, or Tally Hall leaves six more roster spots to fill.

For the final six roster spots, Perry Kitchen as a defensive midfielder, Amobi Okugo as a center back and defensive midfielder, Benji Joya as a midfielder who plays as an attacking midfielder or as a box-to-box midfielder, José Villarreal as a forward or attacking midfielder, Joe Gyau as a winger or forward, and Freddy Adu as midfielder or forward (it’s time for Klinsmann to check in with Adu).

The roster proposed above includes three goalkeepers, four outside backs, four center backs, four forwards, five attacking midfielders, three defensive or box-to-box midfielders (plus Shane O’Neill and Geoff Cameron).

To be clear, the USMNT could start the following fairly-experienced XI below:

Guzan; Spector, O’Neill, Orozco, Lichaj; Cameron; Corona, Feilhaber, Diskerud; Agudelo/Boyd, Jóhannsson.

On the bench, the USMNT would have the following players available:

Rimando, Irwin/Kennedy/Robles/S. Johnson/Hall, Yedlin, Klute, Farrell, Kitchen, Okugo, Joya, Villarreal, Gyau, Adu.

Starting Guzan in goal with Spector, O’Neill, Orozco, and Lichaj forming the Back Four should be a strong enough defense to win or at least they should be strong enough to win.

In front of them, Cameron as a defensive midfielder behind a line of three attacking midfielders (Corona, Feilhaber, Diskerud) should be a midfield with a strong defender and good passer patrolling the back with three creative midfielders helping the United States to maintain possession and set up goals.

Up top, Agudelo or Boyd with Jóhannsson is a potent young strike force who at the very least should cause problems for all but the very best of international defenders.

These forwards still have room to improve, but all three of them are real threats on the international level. There is no reason to think that they aren’t capable of easily scoring against CONCACAF opposition unless they simply don’t receive enough service.

Something similar to the roster and starting line-up proposed in this article combines the best of both worlds for the United States Men’s National Team: more-experienced players that Klinsmann hasn’t favored as starters with new talents who can gain experience and help to strengthen the national team.

On the other hand, if Klinsmann wanted to use mainly new and/or younger players, then he could start the following XI:

Guzan; Yedlin, Farrell, O’Neill, Klute; Cameron, Joya; Adu, Feilhaber, Corona; Agudelo/Boyd/Jóhannsson.

What Jürgen Klinsmann really needs to learn is whether or not he’s been using the best players and if the new talents or some of the out of favor talents can improve the ability of the USMNT to better compete or win at the highest level against better national teams.

The coach of the United States enjoys using the metaphor about tossing players into the cold water, and with the 2014 World Cup approaching next summer, it’s time to see who the best American soccer players are and prepare them for the big stage.

 

 

Depth Chart: USMNT Left Backs

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USMNT Depth Chart: Left Backs

Left Back was an enormous problem for the United States Men’s National Team before Jürgen Klinsmann took over as head coach because normally a right-footed right back had been used as a left back, and under Klinsmann, Fabian Johnson was the preferred left back until recently.

Now, DaMarcus Beasley has been the preferred left back even though he is a left winger, and Fabian Johnson has been deployed as a left winger recently, which seems to suit his playing style better.

Despite starting as a left back for Hoffenheim, Fabian Johnson seems to lack the natural tendency to aggressively mark and tackle as a left back. Johnson’s excellent overall technical ability and athleticism mask the fact that his tackling and overall defensive fundamentals not might be not as good as the United States needs to get to the next level.

Certainly, Fabian Johnson knows how to force attackers out wide, chase attackers down, and dribble and pass out of the back, but it always seems like a more aggressive defender is needed to play left back.

Fabian Johnson would be an excellent choice to use as a left wing back if the United States were to use three center backs, but Chris Klute is looking like the only known player in the entire pool who can bring the needed combination of strong and clean defending, excellent athleticism, and attacking ability from the left back position.

With all of that being said, here is World Soccer Source’s depth chart of American left backs:

 

1.) Chris Klute (Colorado Rapids)

Chris Klute is a two-way left back and an excellent tackler and 1v1 marker with exceptional athleticism in a tall lean frame.

Klute is remarkably fast (even by international soccer standards), and Klute runs a 4.3 40-yard dash time. Just for comparison, Bo Jackson ran a 4.12, and Deion Sanders ran a 4.2.

While Klute is known for his speed, he excels at tracking down attackers and tackling them without fouling them. He uses his great vertical leap to clear out crosses and passes played over the top of the defense, and he is good at clearing balls out of the danger zone, if there isn’t the time or space to dribble or pass the ball out of the back.

Klute uses his dribbling and speed as a weapon to disrupt defenses when he makes his frequent marauding runs down the left sideline, and he can cross with either foot or cut inside toward the middle of the field to play passes or shoot with either foot.

In short, Klute is the most complete American left back on the radar screen, but he is inexperienced at the international level. The best thing Jürgen Klinsmann can do is to let him start games to start gaining experience and go through the process of learning from mistakes before the 2014 World Cup.

 

2.) Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim)

Fabian Johnson was discussed above in the introductory section. Johnson is a Bundesliga left back who is a more gifted soccer player and attacker than he is a gifted defender. Johnson has likely been made a left back because of his left foot.

For a national team that lacks left backs, Johnson is a fairly safe choice to be entrusted with the left back position because he possesses the skill-level and athleticism to not be victimized or easily dispossessed by top national teams. Nevertheless, Johnson is not a particular aggressive or noteworthy tackler or 1v1 defender.

 

3.) Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City) & Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest)

These two players are essentially a tie, and so together they are ranked as third, due to the lack of left backs in the American player pool.

Jonathan Spector and Eric Lichaj are lumped together because they are two right backs who can play as left backs, and both players are more experienced international and club defenders that DeAndre Yedlin and Andrew Farrell listed below.

Yedlin and Farrell might be better, but Spector and Lichaj are outside backs who are experienced in the English Premier League and at the international level; Spector is the more experienced and proven of the two.

When selecting four outside backs, the United States will likely have to pick two or three outside backs who are right backs but who can play as left backs.

 

4.) DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) & Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution)

Like Lichaj and Spector, both Yedlin and Farrell are listed together, but they are given the unscientific collective ranking of fourth.

World Soccer Source ranked two players at third and two players at fourth, in order to form two groups of more-experienced and less-experienced players.When using right backs as left backs, it’s difficult to distinguish two similar players who have a somewhat equal level of skill and experience.

Yedlin and Farrell were discussed in detail in World Soccer Source’s article about the depth chart at right back.  Both players are young, modern, two-way outside backs who can attack and defend equally-well. Both players are exceptionally fast, and both players are very technically-skilled.

Along with Klute, they are a new crop of American outside backs who seem to have more of the tools to be legitimate international-caliber outside backs who can perform against top national teams. All three players lack international experience, and it will be interesting to see how they compare to one another on the international-level.

It’s hard to imagine that all three wouldn’t be incorporated into the United States Men’s National Team now that the U.S. has qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

On a side note, it would be interesting to see who the fastest of the three young outside backs is, but Klute looks to be the fastest.

 

*Another Outside Back to Watch: Kellyn Acosta 

 

Conclusion:

The United States Men’s National Team has the option of calling up Chris Klute and Fabian Johnson to play as left backs, and the likely best option for four outside backs in total on a roster is to call up Klute, Johnson, Yedlin, and Spector, with Farrell being listed as a center back.

 

Depth Chart: USMNT Right Backs

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USMNT Depth Chart: Right Backs

 

1.) Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City; 34 international appearances)

Considering the injury to Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector is the American right back with the most proven-ability against high-level competition.

While still under 30 years old, Spector has played in England for years, and he’s shown his ability to defend and attack from the right back position at the international level.

Unlike DeAndre Yedlin or Andrew Farrell, Spector is the American right back with the most experience and proven ability, excluding Cherundolo. Spector is tall, mobile, skilled on the ball, sound defensively, and experienced against international-caliber players.

If Jürgen Klinsmann wants to use a right back who has the experience and skill to be ready to play right now, then Spector is the obvious choice until Cherundolo has returned from injury.

 

2.) DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders)

In many ways, DeAndre Yedlin represents the first American right back who has the tools and playing style of a modern outside back. Yedlin is just 20 years old, but he’s already distinguished himself from other MLS right backs (with the exception of Andrew Farrell) by his marauding runs down the sideline and his ability to dribble and pass his way out of the back with both feet.

Yedlin’s defense is better than he gets credit for, and his tackling and tracking down of opponents show good defensive fundamentals. Technically, Yedlin has demonstrated that his touch and ball control will translate to the international level.

Yedlin will soon be the best American right back unless Andrew Farrell has something to say about it.

 

2.) Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution)

Andrew Farrell was discussed in World Soccer Source’s previous article coving the depth of the center backs in the American player pool, but Farrell has been playing as a right back this season in MLS.

Strong, fast, and a good tackler, Farrell’s technical ability is good, and he can defend as well as he attacks. Right now, one would have to say that Farrell’s defending is better than that of Yedlin, so Farrell and Yedlin are somewhat equal as right backs.

Only time will tell if Yedlin or Farrell is a better right back, or if Farrell is better suited to play as a center back. Either way, World Soccer Source would be surprised to see Brad Evans outperform Andrew Farrell or DeAndre Yedlin on the international level.

 

4.) Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest; 8 international appearances)

Eric Lichaj has played in enough games for the United States Men’s National Team that it’s understandable for many people to consider him a better right back than Yedlin and Farrell, but the two younger American right backs look faster, better, and more promising.

Nevertheless, Lichaj has demonstrated that he should have been playing as a right back for the United States whenever he was available, and Jürgen Klinsmann’s insistence on freezing Lichaj out of the American roster is inexcusable.

Without a doubt, Lichaj is an international-caliber right back who has all of the tools to play for the United States. Klinsmann’s refusal to call up Eric Lichaj is a total mystery considering Lichaj’s international and club resume combined with his youth.

 

Conclusion:

While it’s unclear how interested Timothy Chandler really is in playing for the United States, Klinsmann’s exclusion of Jonathan Spector and Eric Lichaj from the roster is baffling, especially since Steve Cherundolo is injured.

Klinsmann can justify not having incorporated Yedlin and Farrell yet because the U.S. hadn’t qualified for the World Cup until this week, but the choice to use Brad Evans over both Jonathan Spector and Eric Lichaj looked like just poor coaching and roster selection on Klinsmann’s part. Klinsmann will claim that his coaching decisions worked since the U.S. qualified for the World Cup, but the competition was poor.

 

USMNT Roster Options for Klinsmann

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Chris Klute (arms raised). (Photo: USA Today SPORTS)
Chris Klute (arms raised). (Photo: USA Today SPORTS)

 

Making an improved 23-man USMNT roster is much easier than choosing the best Starting XI.

The primary difficulty now is not finding quality American players but rather cutting the pool down to 23 players and deciding how many new players should receive roster spots.

Any national team roster normally contains three goalkeepers, four outside backs, four center backs, 4 defensive midfielders, four attacking midfielders, and four forwards, but frequently players can play more than one position so the amount of players at each position can vary.

At goalkeeper, Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are clearly the best two American goalkeepers (excluding Brad Friedel), and the only decision for Jürgen Klinsmann to make is who the the third goalkeeper should be. Maybe it should be Nick Rimando or some other goalkeeper like Clint Irwin, Dan Kennedy, Tally Hall, Sean Johnson, or Luis Robles, but perhaps Cody Cropper or some other young goalkeeper should receive the third goalkeeper spot.

When selecting center backs, a wise decision would be to have four center backs. The primary center backs to choose from for the USMNT are Geoff Cameron, George John, Omar Gonzalez, Michael Orozco, Michael Parkhurst, Tim Ream, and Matt Besler. These center backs are some of the more experienced center backs that aren’t too slow for or not skilled-enough for international play.

Additionally, there are younger center backs like Shane O’Neill, Andrew Farrell, Amobi Okugo, Gale Agbossoumonde, and Caleb Stanko who are worthy of a look. Assuming John Anthony Brooks plays for the United States, which isn’t definite, he also has to be strongly considered as a front-runner for one of the four spots.

Therefore, at center back, the coaching staff of the USMNT has at least 12 players to look at without doing more extensive scouting of all of the other options.

When choosing four center backs, the final decision comes down to deciding which center backs have the defensive instincts and fundamentals combined with the technical ability and athleticism to realistically be able to compete at the international level.

Outside back is an area of some concern for the United States. Without any exploration of new players, the obvious starting point is to choose from Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector, Timothy Chandler, and Fabian Johnson, but then one has to strongly consider new players like Chris Klute, DeAndre Yedlin, and Andrew Farrell. Furthermore, Steve Cherundolo when healthy is still likely the best American outside back.

The United States has several quality defensive midfielders, and Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Geoff Cameron, and Maurice Edu are the first names that come to mind. There are additionally some MLS defensive midfielders like Perry Kitchen, Jared Jeffrey, and Jeremy Hall who need to be looked at.

Without even including Shane O’Neill and Caleb Stanko, who were listed above in the center back section, Jürgen Klinsmann has seven defensive midfielders to choose from for four spots.

Just looking at this list of defensive midfielders, Bradley, Jones, Cameron, and one other player are the obvious choices.

At the very least, Bradley, Jones, Cameron, and Edu are a good starting point unless Klinsmann is willing to pick one of the newer defensive midfielders instead of Edu.

Benji Joya falls in between the realm of the defensive midfielders and the attacking midfielders. Joya is somewhat more of an attacking midfielder than he is a defensive midfielder, even though he has stated that he is a holding midfielder. Joya has also stated that he can play a variety of positions. A young, complete midfielder like Joya is another name that deserves serious consideration for the USMNT because he can bring defensive coverage and excellent passing and attacking skills to the American midfield.

The decisions now are attacking decisions.

For a country that has a reputation for not having very technically-skilled players, the United States has more quality attacking midfielders than it has roster spots. Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan should be obvious choices, and then the team realistically needs to select two playmakers. The obvious group of playmakers to choose from includes Benny Feilhaber, Joe Benny Corona, Mix Diskerud, and Freddy Adu.

While contending that Corona and Diskerud should be the playmakers on the roster is a logical and good decision, both Feilhaber and Adu have demonstrated their ability to perform well against strong opponents in international play.

Choosing Feilhaber should be a much easier choice than it appears to be for Klinsmann because Feilhaber has an excellent track record at the international level, and his comfort on the ball, passing ability, set piece taking, and his excellent shooting skills are quite evident.

Nevertheless, Corona and Diskerud have recently shown their ability to bring strong playmaking qualities to the United States, but of all of the playmakers, Feilhaber has the most international experience and the most proven-ability on the international level.

Additionally, the USMNT has wingers like Brek Shea and Joe Gyau in the player pool who can bring speed and skill as well attacking strength out wide.

At striker, the United States actually has more than four capable and effective strikers. The player pool includes Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Terrence Boyd, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez (injured), and the pool has newer strikers like Mario Rodriguez, José Villarreal, Alonso Hernandez, Gyasi Zardes, Teal Bunbury, Aron Jóhannsson, and Tony Taylor.  With the exception of Villarreal, those are all first strikers including Tony Taylor, but a roster normally has four forwards who are not always just first strikers.

The goal is to close the gap with the world’s best national teams, and Jürgen Klinsmann’s roster selections always contain way too many players that are solid at the club level but lacking that next level of skill and athleticism needed to do battle with elites and magicians.

The next step for Jürgen Klinsmann should be to at least call up all of his players with the most proven-ability at the international level, and he also needs to play them together. The starting line-up of proven-players would be something like this formation below:

Tim Howard; Jonathan Spector, Michael Orozco, Maurice Edu, Fabian Johnson; Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley; Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey; Jozy Altidore.

On the other hand, if the USMNT was willing to use more inexperienced players in the defense to try and improve the level of play of the United States, then perhaps this line-up below would be a good place to start:

Howard; Yedlin, O’Neill, Farrell, Klute; Cameron, Bradley; Donovan, Feilhaber/Corona, Dempsey; Altidore.

 

Who’s on the USMNT Roster vs. Bosnia?

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Guessing who Jürgen Klinsmann will select for the USMNT roster to face Bosnia-Herzegovina is impossible because there are too many factors that come into play, including his personal opinion of players and what his goals are. World Soccer Source’s guess at a possible Klinsmann USMNT roster can be found at the bottom of the page.

On the other hand, World Soccer Source would like to see a combination of the players from the Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying, in addition to some new players to strengthen the United States Men’s National Team at various positions.

Below is the roster that World Soccer Source would like to see called up to face Bosnia-Herzegovina, and it contains more than 23 players:

WSS USMNT ROSTER PROPOSAL VS. BOSNIA

GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Luis ROBLES.

DEFENDERS (8): Shane O’NEILL, Michael OROZCO, Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE, Andrew FARRELL; DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Kofi SARKODIE, Eric LICHAJ.

MIDFIELDERS (9): Michael BRADLEY, Geoff CAMERON, Jermaine JONES; Benji JOYA, Mix DISKERUD, Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Joe Benny CORONA, Benny FEILHABER.

FORWARDS (5): Jozy ALTIDORE, Terrence BOYD, Mario RODRIGUEZ, José VILLARREAL, Gyasi ZARDES.

*Injured- Juan AGUDELO

 

Based on World Cup qualifying and the 2013 Gold Cup, World Soccer Source believes this 23-man roster below is close to Jürgen Klinsmann’s first-choice team, with the exception of DeAndre Yedlin and Chris Klute who World Soccer Source believes Jürgen Klinsmann is close to calling up due to a need for outside backs:

 

Jürgen Klinsmann’s Likely USMNT Roster vs. Bosnia

GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Nick RIMANDO.

DEFENDERS (8): Matt BESLER, Omar GONZALEZ, Michael OROZCO, Clarence GOODSON, Timothy CHANDLER, DeAndre YEDLIN, Fabian JOHNSON, Chris KLUTE.

*It’s unclear whether John Anthony Brooks will be representing the United States.

MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Geoff CAMERON, Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Mix DISKERUD, Joe Benny CORONA, Graham ZUSI.

FORWARDS (4): Jozy ALTIDORE, Terrence BOYD, Eddie JOHNSON, Aron JÓHANNSSON.

 

USMNT: Risk, Failure, and Success

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Benji Joya (8). (Photo: MexSport)
Benji Joya (8). (Photo: MexSport)

 

The best athlete in the history of American sports said over and over again that failure was the key to his success. That athlete was Michael Jordan.

American soccer has more potential for success right now than at any time in the entire history of soccer in the United States. The key to success is actually fielding unproven players at the international level who have demonstrated the potential ability and the athleticism to be competitive with elite soccer nations.

A vast majority of the coaches in the United States including Jürgen Klinsmann are afraid to risk losing by playing starting line-ups made up of several internationally unproven players in meaningful games, but there is a way to accomplish this without jeopardizing qualification for the 2014 World Cup.

The solution is quite simple: use a Starting XI made up of proven players and fill the remaining roster spots with new but talented players in addition to players who are too good to exclude.

 

After the Gold Cup, the USMNT could start the follow starting line-up without taking any more risks than usual:

Tim Howard; Jonathan Spector, Maurice Edu, Geoff Cameron, Eric Lichaj; Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones; Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey; Jozy Altidore.

 

The Starting XI listed above isn’t really a risky line-up by any means, as all of those players have ample experience playing international soccer at a respectable level.

If the whole world considers the United States Men’s National Team to be a team with just a few technically-skilled players, then why not use friendlies to field new players who have demonstrated the ability to offer an improvement over many of the players Jürgen Klinsmann has been using?

The sort of undertaking described above is considered risky by many, but couldn’t it also be considered risky not to attempt to strengthen areas where the USMNT is weak?

Beginning to improve the caliber of players fielded by the United States isn’t a question of teaching experienced players to play differently, but it is a question of actually starting promising players who could do very poorly in their first game or games.

On the other hand, maybe they’d do well.

The first step in this process is easy because the first step is deciding which players among the players that Klinsmann has been starting in World Cup qualifying absolutely have to start, and this list of names is short.

Tim Howard or Brad Guzan have to start. Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey have to start, but who else absolutely has to start? Maybe Landon Donovan has to start too.

Looking at that list, that list includes five names for four starting spots leaving seven Starting XI spots up for grabs. Starting line-up space for seven open spots leaves the door open for a lot of possibilities.

Looking at right back, DeAndre Yedlin of the Seattle Sounders seems like a risk worth taking, given his performances in MLS and in the U-20 World Cup, not to mention the two-way threat he poses. Yedlin has speed that’s close to Chris Klute’s speed, and using them as the outside backs would certainly improve the U.S.’ ability to attack and defend out wide.

Moving to center back, Geoff Cameron has demonstrated that he has a level of athleticism and skill, not to mention size, that has never really been given a chance to partner with a center back of similar qualities.

Why can’t Gale Agbossoumonde, Andrew Farrell, or Shane O’Neill be given a shot to start with Cameron? What’s the real argument against that?

Is there any proof that Omar Gonzalez or Matt Besler can outplay Agbossoumonde, Farrell, or O’Neill in an international game when they are partnered with Cameron? Those are all good MLS players, so trying them out should be something that the USMNT’s coaching staff and American soccer writers are interested in seeing.

None of those three players have been given the chance to show how they can perform compared to Besler and Gonzalez, but Besler was started against Mexico in Estadio Azteca in a World Cup qualifier with essentially no significant international experience. Besler and Gonzalez have done well, but have they really proven that they are the best?

At left back, Chris Klute hasn’t been given the chance to show how he can do compared to DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson. Beasley and Johnson aren’t even really left backs. Klute actually is a two-way left back, and he’s a very fast and skilled two-way left back who uses both feet.

If Americans really want to see better soccer, where’s the backing for at least using a friendly to field a backline of Yedlin, Agbossoumonde, Cameron, and Klute with Howard as the goalkeeper? Certainly, the United States has never fielded a back four with that degree of speed and technical ability.

There doesn’t appear to be any real risk, particularly in a friendly. The U.S. might lose, but the U.S. might lose anyway. Klinsmann’s World Cup qualifying rosters and line-ups have been completely make-shift and experimental anyway.

All of the players listed above are players who are garnering attention from the American soccer media and American soccer fans. None of those players are soccer players taken off the street; those are all well-known professional players.

One of the arguments that Klinsmann’s methods have been working is the USMNT’s victory over Italy.

The U.S. played Italy in a friendly, only to have Mario Balotelli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, and Daniele De Rossi not start. The USMNT can’t really say that it beat Italy convincingly, if Balotelli wasn’t playing. Cesare Prandelli and Italy clearly felt like they didn’t need to use their best players against the U.S. because, if Italy lost, everyone would know Italy didn’t use its best players.

Certainly, Clint Dempsey played well against Italy, but Americans already knew that Dempsey could perform well against elite opponents.

Rather than not taking any risks in friendlies, the USMNT would be better served to see how much potential it could show if a bunch of young, athletic, and skilled defenders were allowed to play with a slightly older Geoff Cameron who too hasn’t really been given a fair chance to play with an adequate center back partner.

Assuming Michael Bradley is playing as a defensive midfielder and Landon Donovan is out on the right wing, why not start Freddy Adu or Joe Corona as a central attacking midfielder with Clint Dempsey out left? This group of players has been used before with success, at least with Adu playing with Dempsey and Donovan. Whereas, Corona hasn’t really been given the chance to play with Dempsey yet.

With the players mentioned above, there are only a few line-up choices left to make for the purpose of this experiment.

Does the U.S. use another defensive midfielder or perhaps a box-to-box midfielder with Bradley, or should the U.S. start two forwards? If the USMNT plays another midfielder with Bradley, is there any reason not to let Benji Joya start with Bradley?

Furthermore, who should the U.S. start at striker?

Jozy Altidore has improved greatly over the past two seasons in Holland, and the players listed above provide him with the service he needs to score goals.

On the other hand, if Altidore has already proven himself by scoring so many goals in Holland as well as showing that he can score for the U.S. when provided with service, shouldn’t the USMNT see how Juan Agudelo or Terrence Boyd can play with the players listed above?

Lots of questions. Few answers.

It’s time to start answering some of those questions, and the way to answer those questions is to start the following Starting XI:

Howard; Yedlin, Agbossoumonde/Farrell/O’Neill, Cameron, Klute; Bradley, Joya/Holden; Donovan, Adu/Corona/Feilhaber, Dempsey; Agudelo/Boyd.

 

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.

 

 

 

The Best 50 American Soccer Players (June 2013)

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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)

 

The Best 50 American Soccer Players (June 2013 Edition)

 

World Soccer Source contends that the list of players included in “The ASN 100” produced by the excellent website, American Soccer Now, displays an unrealistic estimation of the skill-level of many of the players included on their list in comparison to the types of international competition that the United States Men’s National Team faces.

Valuing Major League Soccer statistics over the touch, technique, movement off the ball, athleticism, vision, and fundamentals of players in Major League Soccer or elsewhere can only tell one so much.

Once the United States faces better opponents, players without the technical qualities seen more in better soccer nations will be thoroughly outmatched on the field

American Soccer Now won’t rank players based on their technical ability and their ability to play high-level soccer against strong competition, as is the case with American Soccer Now’s high ranking of Graham Zusi compared to the visibly-superior Joe Corona, who is not only more skilled, but who performs well consistently against better Latin American competition.

While all of the players included on American Soccer Now’s list should be applauded as solid professionals, the overall make-up of ASN’s list places a low premium on technical ability and ranks many of the United States’ best players way too low.

For example, Freddy Adu was ranked 73rd by ASN in last month’s list after being signed by one of the two major Salvador, Brazil clubs, Bahia, in the Brasileirão.

In short, The ASN Top 100 and the people responsible for making it support the use of less-skilled players who don’t put the United States in a position to beat first and second-tier national teams.

 

*THE WORLD SOCCER SOURCE LIST IS NOT A LIST OF THE MOST SKILLED PLAYERS RANKED IN ORDER. THESE RANKINGS ARE BASED ON A COMBINATION OF FACTORS: SKILL, CLUB FORM, PROVEN INTERNATIONAL ABILITY, THE LEAGUE PLAYED IN, AND CURRENT INTERNATIONAL FORM.

 

Caveats:

-Every player, coach, fan, writer, commentator, analyst, etc has a different idea of what “best” means in terms of ranking soccer players.

-Some people want a player’s club or international form at the moment the rankings are done to be the most important factor.

-Other people believe the league played in is the most important indicator of a player’s skill and form.

-And, still other people contend that skill is the most important factor, with the obvious requirement that the player has actually demonstrated skill against real competition.

-Still others try to balance both skill, the league played in, and current form when evaluating players.

-This list attempts to balance skill, current form, and the league played in.

-World Soccer Source advocates actually calling up certain players to the national team over certain players who are ranked higher on this list. For instance, Hercúlez Gómez is ranked higher than both Mario Rodriguez and José Villarreal, but World Soccer Source believes the four USMNT strikers on the roster should be: Juan Agudelo, Terrence Boyd, Mario Rodríguez, and José Villarreal.

 

Zinedine Zidane had this to say about how to determine what “best” really meant:

 

 

 

The Best 50 American Soccer Players (June 2013)

 

1. Clint DEMPSEY (Tottenham)

2. Michael BRADLEY (Roma)

3. Landon DONOVAN (LA Galaxy)

4. Tim HOWARD (Everton)

5. Benny FEILHABER (Sporting Kansas City)

 

6. Jermaine JONES (Schalke)

7. Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)

8. Fabian JOHNSON (Hoffenheim)

9. Joe CORONA (Tijuana)

10. Freddy ADU (Bahia)

 

11. Steve CHERUNDOLO (Hannover)

12. Juan AGUDELO (New England Revolution)

13. Terrence BOYD (Rapid Wien)

14. Jozy ALTIDORE (AZ Alkmaar)

15. Benji JOYA (Santos Laguna)

 

16. Hérculez GÓMEZ (Santos Laguna)

17. Brad GUZAN (Aston Villa)

18. Jonathan SPECTOR (Birmingham City)

19. Mix DISKERUD (Rosenborg)

20. Brek SHEA (Stoke City)

 

21.  Eric LICHAJ (Contract not renewed by Aston Villa)

22. Omar GONZALEZ (LA Galaxy)

23. Eddie JOHNSON (Seattle Sounders)

24. DeAndre YEDLIN (Seattle Sounders)

25. Edgar CASTILLO (Tijuana)

 

26. Perry KITCHEN (DC United)

27. Joe GYAU (St. Pauli on loan from Hoffenheim) 

28. Mario RODRIGUEZ (FC Kaiserslautern)

29. José VILLARREAL (LA Galaxy)

30. Stuart HOLDEN (Bolton)

 

31. Tony TAYLOR (Released by Estoril Praia)

32. Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE (Toronto FC)

33. Chris KLUTE (Colorado Rapids)

34. Teal BUNBURY (Sporting KC)

35. Kenny COOPER (FC Dallas)

 

36. Sacha KLJESTAN (Anderlecht)

37. George JOHN (FC Dallas) 

38. Andrew FARRELL (New England Revolution)

39. Alonso HERNANDEZ (Monterrey)

40. Daniel CUEVAS (Santos Laguna)

 

41. Shane O’NEILL (Colorado Rapids)

42. Kofi SARKODIE (Houston Dynamo)

43. Lee NGUYEN (New England Revolution)

44. Zach LOYD (FC Dallas)

45. Jeremy HALL (Toronto FC)

 

46. Lamar NEAGLE (Seattle Sounders)

 47. Caleb STANKO (Freiburg)

48. London WOODBERRY (FC Dallas)

49. Junior FLORES (Contracted by Borussia Dortmund)

50. Corey BAIRD