There’s no denying Jürgen Klinsmann’s U.S. Men’s National Team roster was bizarre, but there is a way to at least make the starting line-up more effective.
In the U.S.’ opening win against Honduras, the Americans’ passing and attacking were poor. Klinsmann didn’t field the right personnel to keep possession and create enough chances.
While the defensive problems are most likely do to a Back Four that wasn’t used to playing together, the Front Six contained a strange assortment of players used out of position.
Klinsmann tried to deploy Gyasi Zardes and DeAndre Yedlin as something like box-to-box midfielders deployed slightly in front of and to the right and left of Kyle Beckerman. This didn’t work.
If the U.S. starts Brad Evans and Michael Bradley at the base of the midfield as central midfielders with Mix Diskerud in front of them as an attacking midfielder, then the American midfield is more balanced.
Evans has been used by Klinsmann as a utility player, but Evans is a center midfielder by trade where he can take advantage of his engine, his sound technical ability, his defensive skills, and his underrated athleticism.
A two-man center midfield of Evans and Bradley behind Diskerud, who himself defends well, is a stronger midfield.
As far as other changes go, DeAndre Yedlin and Fabian Johnson need to switch roles in a sense.
Johnson’s best qualities are his skill and speed, whereas Yedlin is skilled but not to the same level of Johnson.
Yedlin better serves the squad as a lightning fast right back that can surge forward in attack and chase down attackers as a defender.
Jozy Altidore is the best center forward on the roster, and he should keep his role as the reference point of the attack with Clint Dempsey and Johnson flanking him on the left and right respectively.
These roles for Dempsey and Johnson give them the freedom to do what they do best.
The American defense was the biggest source of criticism in the United States’ first game, and taking Timothy Chandler out of the line-up is the first step in correcting this.
Center back Ventura Alvarado became the target of fans’ criticism, but the two cases where Alvarado was burned were situations where an attacker came at him at a full sprint when he was isolated.
In short, there’s a difference between being badly beaten 1v1 and not being a quality defender. It’s hard to say Omar Gonzalez would have fared better when placed in the same isolated position.
Besides Chandler, the other change that needs to be made is inserting Greg Garza at left back since Johnson plays better in more of an advanced role.
These changes make a Back Four of Yedlin, Alvarado, Brooks, and Garza. At the very least, all of these players are young and talented defenders playing their natural positions.
Whereas the United States fielded a collection of players deployed out of position against Honduras, at least the line-up proposed below makes sense.
In the line-up below, only Evans looks out of position, but he is being deployed in his natural position.
Who should the United States start in the Gold Cup, and what formation should the U.S. use?
The modern 4-3-3 formation seems best, particularly since a 4-3-3 is the same as the 4-2-3-1. Both formations use two midfielders tasked with the bulk of the recovery of possession in the midfield with three more attack-minded players behind an out-and-out striker or center forward.
The Midfield Three
Let’s start with the defensive midfielder anchoring the center of the Midfield Three.
Is it really necessary to have a midfield destroyer like Kyle Beckerman starting there when Michael Bradley thrives in this role?
Sure, Bradley has been outstanding with the freedom to go forward, but doesn’t also starting Mix Diskerud in the midfield afford Bradley defensive cover when he goes forward?
Alejandro Bedoya has shown a willingness to track back on defense and recover possession, so a Midfield Three of Bedoya-Bradley-Diskerud should provide plenty of defending and ball recovery.
The Front Three
If the Midfield Three is Bedoya, Bradley, and Diskerud, then what is the Front Three or attacking trident?
Jozy Altidore should start at center forward with Clint Dempsey at left wing, but who plays right wing: Fabian Johnson or Gyasi Zardes?
There’s no immediate answer to this question. On the one hand, Johnson is a naturally wide player that uses both feet interchangeably, but Zardes is an MLS forward on the rise that is something of a force of nature.
Just maybe Zardes combination of speed, running, raw athleticism, and attacking ability is more valuable that Johnson’s great wing play. Zardes has proven that he plays well in a wide role, and Zardes is more of a worker than Johnson with a bigger scoring threat.
The Back Four
How about the Back Four? Who should start in the defense?
DeAndre Yedlin and Greg Garza are the right back and left back with the qualities that the National Team needs, and Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks check all of the boxes for quality center backs.
There’s a widespread belief that Omar Gonzalez should start at right center back over Alvarado, but Alvarado is harder to wrong foot or beat for pace.
The fact that Alvarado was caught on the wrong side of his man on a header in a friendly is hardly a reason to declare Gonzalez the more solid defender.
Tactical Formation
As Brad Guzan is the clear starter in goal, then this USA XI is perhaps the best for this summer’s Gold Cup:
Two observations about this line-up warrant mentioning: 1.) Bedoya and Zardes provide a lot of running and defending on the right side of the field; and 2.) Dempsey’s natural inclination will be to drop deep making Zardes and Altidore a two-man striker force to stretch the defense and high press.
The United States is a national team with a roster and line-up still in flux, but this line-up sets the squad up to play a more modern and effective style of soccer that can help the United States to improve on the international level.
William Yarbrough and Ventura Alvarado (Photo: US Soccer)
By: COLIN REESE
GOALKEEPER
Starter: Brad Guzan
Back-Up: William Yarbrough
Third GK: Clint Irwin
RIGHT BACK
Starter: DeAndre Yedlin
Back-Up: Fabian Johnson
RIGHT CENTER BACK
Starter: Ventura Alvarado
Back-Up: Maurice Edu
LEFT CENTER BACK
Starter: John Brooks
Back-Up: Michael Orozco
LEFT BACK
Starter: Greg Garza
Back-Up: Brek Shea
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
Starter: Geoff Cameron
Back-Up: Jermaine Jones
CENTER MIDFIELDER
Starter: Michael Bradley
Back-Up: Dillon Powers
RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
Starter: Joe Corona
Back-Up: Alejandro Bedoya
CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
Starter: Benny Feilhaber
Back-Up: Mix Diskerud
LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
Starter: Clint Dempsey
Back-Up: Kelyn Rowe
STRIKER
Starter: Juan Agudelo
Back-Up: Jozy Altidore
Looking at the First Team
Guzan in goal with Yedlin, Alvarado, Brooks, and Garza as the Back Four is a strong defense. American soccer fans can be proud and confident with this defense.
Cameron and Bradley as the defensive midfielders with Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey is a balanced and talented combination of defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders.
This midfield even has the all-important duo of a stay-at-home defensive midfielder with a box-to-box midfielder, and it has a true Number 10 flanked by technical and creative attacking midfielders with lots of freedom to float around.
Agudelo as a striker gives the United States a very talented striker that is creative, fast, tall, and strong, and he can score with both feet and his head. Agudelo also can create his own scoring chances and set up others to score.
Brad Guzan, DeAndre Yedlin, Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks, Greg Garza, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, Juan Agudelo, and Clint Dempsey is the Best USMNT XI in a Diamond 4-4-2 formation for the 2015 Gold Cup, and below is the best 23-man roster USMNT fans can hope to see this summer.
The 23-man roster is made up of three goalkeepers, eight defenders, eight midfielders, and four forwards, and the group below allows for several different formations and tactical schemes.
Much of this roster consists of proven and very experienced players. Such players include Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore, Geoff Cameron, Brad Guzan, and Michael Orozco.
Other players like Juan Agudelo, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, Alejandro Bedoya, Fabian Johnson, Ventura Alvarado, DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, Greg Garza, and William Yarbrough are too good to really contest.
So, in essence, this roster only contains several players that are debatable, and these players are Dillon Powers, Brek Shea, Gyasi Zardes, Perry Kitchen, and Clint Irwin.
Powers has been very impressive in MLS for several seasons, and he plays every position in the midfield. He’s technical and fast, and he defends and attacks. He has the vision and skill to set up goals, and he can score goals himself.
Zardes has shown well in MLS and for the U.S., and Shea has been converted into a left back, which seems to best exploit his skill set.
Irwin is easily one of the very best goalkeepers in MLS, and frankly a level above Bill Hamid or Sean Johnson. Nick Rimando is more experienced, but nothing about Irwin’s play suggest that he isn’t ready to be the USA’s third goalkeeper.
Kitchen has been a consistently good performer in MLS, and he put in a good showing against Mexico on April 15, when he came into the game late and had no problem adjusting to the speed of play or playing well as a midfield destroyer.
Plenty of other players are qualified to make this roster, but except the five players singled out, this group of U.S. internationals should all be easily recognizable as highly-qualified players by USMNT fans.
Benny Feilhaber was excluded due to the fact that Jürgen Klinsmann has shown no intention of making him part of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Here is the best 23-man USMNT roster for the 2015 Gold Cup:
The United States celebrating after scoring against Honduras. (Photo: LARRY W. SMITH/EPA)
Evaluating the USMNT’s progress during the Gold Cup presents some challenges mainly due to the changing starting line-ups and the differing skill level of various opponents.
Before defeating Honduras 3-1, the United States Men’s National Team defeated El Salvador 5-1, and Honduras is a much stronger opponent.
Jürgen Klinsmann knew that Honduras was stronger than El Salvador, but based on his line-up, some of the player selections weren’t consistent with this reality.
An important and improved starting line-up change that Klinsmann made was the use of Eddie Johnson at first-striker over Chris Wondolowski. Johnson’s combination of skill and speed were on full-display on his well-taken goal that showed cool finishing, impressive athleticism, direct-to-goal play, and excellent movement off the ball to get open.
While the USMNT used a better striker in Eddie Johnson, the U.S. didn’t start the best playmaker on the roster, Joe Benny Corona.
Surprisingly, Corona was not started against Honduras, but perhaps it was Klinsmann’s plan to use him later in the game if needed.
Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler have been the central back pairing of choice during recent World Cup qualifiers, and yet, Gonzalez didn’t play one minute of the Gold Cup semifinal against Honduras, despite being called up to the roster after the group stage and missing the quarterfinal game so that he could participate in a club game.
Additionally, Mix Diskerud didn’t start against Honduras despite also having one of the breakout performances of the Gold Cup for the United States.
Despite not starting Diskerud or Corona against Honduras, Klinsmann likely values the creativity and overall skill-set that Corona and Diskerud bring to the team more so they he did in the past.
In addition to the attacking play, scoring, and creativity, Corona provided a lot of tenacious and valuable defense to the USMNT, so it was surprising to see Corona not starting.
In hindsight, the coach of the United States either felt that it was important to give Diskerud and Corona some rest or he simply wanted to give important playing time and experience to both Bedoya and Holden.
Jürgen Klinsmann is a coach who is difficult to predict, but he has substituted well in this Gold Cup, even if some of his starting line-ups haven’t looked to include some of his best options.
Against Honduras, Joe Benny Corona, Omar Gonzalez, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Brek Shea, and Mix Diskerud all didn’t start, but they were available if Klinsmann needed them.
Clearly the coaching staff of the USMNT was confident in their Starting XI selections to face Honduras, and they ended up being correct in their belief that the 11 players that were selected to start had the tools to beat Honduras.
Looking back at the U.S.’ victory over Honduras, one can see from the overall possession and the shots on goal that Honduras proved to be a much tougher opponent than El Salvador and others.
Many members of the American soccer media as well as many USMNT fans view critiques of the United States’ play and tactics as inappropriate when the United States wins, but the purpose of critiquing Jürgen Klinsmann is to advocate for producing the best soccer possible out of the United States Men’s National Team.
Based on the Honduras game, the exclusion of Joe Benny Corona from the starting line-up is giving Corona one less game to continue to build chemistry with players like Landon Donovan, Stuart Holden, Mix Diskerud (who didn’t start), and Eddie Johnson.
While Alejandro Bedoya did well to set up two goals and to put lots of pressure on the defensive back four of Honduras, a playmaker like Corona is a player who clearly has an ability to create goals and score goals, which is on a level above that of Bedoya. The United States beat Honduras, but Klinsmann missed an opportunity to have Corona playing final balls for Eddie Johnson for an entire game.
The quality of the two goals that Corona scored in this Gold Cup were the types of goals that aren’t very common from the United States Men’s National team, and those goals combined with the smooth passing and creativity of Corona make him a superior player to Bedoya.
The USMNT needs playmakers in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, and Corona is a skilled goal-scoring playmaker.
The purpose of the Gold Cup for the United States is of course to win it, but the other purpose is to see which players can be incorporated into the so-called “A Team” that participates in qualifiers and friendlies against strong international opponents.
When Clarence Goodson was repeatedly torched by Sebastian Giovinco of Italy in February of 2012, that was a reminder that the U.S. needs quicker center backs to shore up the defense. Therefore, excluding Michael Orozco from this game as a center back wasted an opportunity to get a look at Orozco starting with Matt Besler against one of the better CONCACAF opponents.
Frankly, Orozco and Besler are quicker and more-skilled than Goodson and Gonzalez, although Besler is somewhat one-footed.
The primary improvement for the United States during the Gold Cup is that the United States is passing the ball better in the Gold Cup with players like Landon Donovan, Stuart Holden, Michael Orozco, Mix Diskerud, Joe Benny Corona, and Michael Parkhurst playing, but, with the differing starting line-ups used, it’s unclear what the best Starting XI is from this current group of 23 players.
The USMNT should start Michael Orozco Fiscal over Kyle Beckerman as the midfield destroyer against Honduras to give the U.S. superior speed and technical ability in front of the defensive back four.
Orozco is a faster and quicker player than Beckerman, and he is a better defender who has the athleticism to better time his challenges and keep up with quicker and more elusive opponents.
Whereas Beckerman always seems to be chugging along at a labored jog, Orozco is a quick defender who has a visibly higher technical skill-set than the other center backs on the Gold Cup roster.
At 27 years old, Orozco has been playing for years at the highest level in Mexico, and his skill-level and quickness as a defender have been highly regarded by the U.S. Soccer set-up for years.
While there was a time that Orozco was the subject of ridicule by American soccer fans, no one ever questioned his skill on the ball or the improved agility that he brought to the American defense compared to other center back options except for Geoff Cameron.
With Orozco’s speed and skill on the ball and Klinsmann’s likely preference to start Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler at center back, using Orozco as the midfield destroyer allows the USMNT to start both Stuart Holden and Mix Diskerud in more advanced roles relieving them of having to constantly track back on defense or playing deeper than they naturally play.
The only tactical problem with using Holden and Diskerud together in place of Beckerman was that both players had to focus more on playing defense deeper in the midfield, as opposed to focusing on their strong suit which is using their passing and technical ability in a more attacking role.
By starting Orozco as a midfield destroyer over Beckerman, the United States can have Stuart Holden, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, and Landon Donovan combining together to break down Honduras as a unit of skilled attacking midfielders, while Orozco covers for them deeper in the midfield.
Using Orozco deep in the midfield and pushing Holden and Diskerud forward to play closer to Corona and Donovan allows both Holden and Diskerud to concentrate on playing more final balls for Eddie Johnson.
If Beckerman is susceptible to being beaten with speed or quick combination passing by Honduras, why not use Orozco as a defensive midfielder since he clearly has the skill on the ball, the heading ability, the speed, and the defensive skills to protect the American center backs from either counter attacks or just quality attacking play from Honduras?
It is very likely that Beckerman will be unable to keep up with Honduras, so why not start Orozco in his place?
While this suggestion may seem experimental or risky, Orozco has demonstrated than he passes well out of the back with both feet and he has the speed and defensive skills to fulfill the role of the midfield destroyer.
Any passing or defending that Beckerman can do, Orozco can do better.
Orozco plays in a better league, and his superior athleticism, defending, and skill on the ball are documented with ample video evidence from this Gold Cup and previous USMNT games.
While Beckerman is a MLS veteran, Michael Orozco Fiscal is a Liga MX player who is an aggressive and intense player who is always fired up to play. Below are Orozco’s club and international playing record:
This mentality combined with his ability to receive and release balls quicker than Beckerman, in addition to his athletic gifts outline above, make him the only option Jürgen Klinsmann has at his disposal to compensate for Beckerman’s lack of speed and quickness.
With Orozco floating between the realm of the center backs and the realm of the midfield destroyer, the United States has a capable gatekeeper to support the defensive back four in order to allow Holden, Diskerud, and Corona to focus on possession, attacking, and scoring.
Honduras should be better than El Salvador, and El Salvador was only down by one goal to the United States until the 60th minute. Additionally, Beckerman’s lack of quickness was particularly on display when he was left for dead in the penalty box by Rodolfo Zelaya of El Salvador.
Starting Michael Orozco Fiscal as a midfield destroyer would certainly catch Honduras off guard and help to shore up the USMNT’s defense.
USMNT XI Proposal with Michael Orozco as a midfield destroyer (4-1-2-1-2):
Nick RIMANDO; Michael PARKHURST, Omar GONZALEZ, Matt BESLER, DaMarcus BEASLEY; Michael OROZCO FISCAL; Stuart HOLDEN, Mix DISKERUD; Joe Benny CORONA; Eddie JOHNSON, Landon DONOVAN.
JOE BENNY CORONA (6). (Photo: Steve Conner/Icon SMI)
Stuart Holden did not play a single minute of the USMNT’s goleada over El Salvador, which was presumably due to the fact that the previous match was the first time he played the full 90 minutes in several years.
With the Gold Cup semifinal against Honduras on the horizon, one would think that United States Men’s National Team coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, would start or at least play Holden in that game.
Whether or not Klinsmann starts both Holden and Diskerud is anyone’s guess.
As Kyle Beckerman is a Klinsmann favorite and the only defensive midfielder on the roster, the presumption is that Klinsmann will start Beckerman again. It will be interesting to see what Klinsmann decides to do with Mix Diskerud, Stuart Holden, Joe Benny Corona, José Torres, and Brek Shea vying for three spots.
It would be shocking if Klinsmann didn’t start Kyle Beckerman, Landon Donovan, Joe Benny Corona, and Eddie Johnson as four of his Front Six. That leaves two spots open that likely would go to Diskerud and Holden as Donovan and Corona can both line up on the left or right with presumably Holden lining up next to Beckerman with Diskerud in a more advanced role.
Brek Shea might be somewhat unlikely to start due to his continued return to full health and fitness, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Torres start again, which would likely force Klinsmann to pick either Holden or Diskerud for the bench.
The semifinal against Honduras marks the addition of Omar Gonzalez to the roster presumably as a starting center back partner for Matt Besler, but then again, Eddie Johnson didn’t start against El Salvador at striker, despite being called away from his club team in order to represent the United States. Therefore, maybe Klinsmann doesn’t start Gonzalez.
The most likely back four that the coach of the United States will field for the start of the semifinal against Honduras is Michael Parkhurst at right back, Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler at center back, and DaMarcus Beasley at left back.
With all of this in mind, who will Jürgen Klinsmann likely start?
Klinsmann could likely start this XI below (but perhaps with José Torres taking either Holden’s or Diskerud’s spot):
Nick RIMANDO; Michael PARKHURST, Omar GONZALEZ, Matt BESLER, DaMarcus BEASLEY; Kyle BECKERMAN; Stuart HOLDEN, Mix DISKERUD; Joe Benny CORONA; Eddie JOHNSON, Landon DONOVAN.
The USMNT XI that Klinsmann will use is certainly a tactically sound and reasonable line-up with three small caveats: 1.) Michael Orozco might just be a better center back than both Gonzalez and Besler; 2.) Orozco could likely fulfill Beckerman’s midfield destroyer role better than Beckerman; 3.) Starting Brek Shea might put Honduras on their heels from the beginning of the game.
The concern with Beckerman is of course speed, agility, quickness, the ability to not mistime tackles, and of course the fact that Gonzalez and Besler have always been protected by some two-man combination of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Geoff Cameron, and Maurice Edu.
Beckerman cannot protect the gap between Besler and Gonzalez like those four defensive midfielders can.
Therefore, starting Michael Orozco allows the U.S. to have a player who alternates between playing as a midfield destroyer and a third center back for the entire game.
As a coach Jürgen Klinsmann has progressed in the balance and tactical acumen of his formations, but his player selection and ability to judge talent soon enough is still lacking.
During the Gold Cup, Klinsmann has improved as a coach because he’s been using balanced line-ups that balance defensive coverage with attacking ability.
The line-up proposed above as something that Klinsmann might use against Honduras is balanced and essentially uses almost all of the best options that Klinsmann has on his roster at every position, however flawed that roster itself is.
It will be interesting to see if Klinsmann goes with Stuart Holden and Mix Diskerud in place of Kyle Beckerman, or if he plays some combination of the three.
If Klinsmann starts Clarence Goodson instead of Omar Gonzalez and Michael Orozco, then there can be a legitimate critique that Klinsmann didn’t select the best partner for Matt Besler.
Then again, Gonzalez and Orozco as the center back tandem might prove to pay dividends.
There are three major foreseeable problems for the USMNT against Honduras.
First, Beckerman might be exposed as too slow to keep up with Honduras. Secondly, Klinsmann could start Chris Wondolowski over Eddie Johnson at striker. Thirdly, Michael Orozco might start on the bench as opposed to bringing speed and skill to either the center of the defense or to the midfield destroyer role.
Looking just at the players who the United States Men’s National Team has to choose from on the Gold Cup roster, the U.S. just might be at full strength without Chris Wondolowski, Kyle Beckerman, or Clarence Goodson starting.
If Orozco is quick, strong on defense, and passes the ball well with both feet, then why does Beckerman need to start as the midfield destroyer, if Klinsmann could start Orozco just behind Holden and Diskerud?
Despite what Klinsmann might decide to do, World Soccer Source believes a strong starting line-up would be the following one below:
Nick RIMANDO; Michael PARKHURST, Omar GONZALEZ, Matt BESLER, DaMarcus BEASLEY; Michael OROZCO; Stuart HOLDEN, Mix DISKERUD; Joe Benny CORONA; Eddie JOHNSON, Landon DONOVAN.
0=Multiple own goals, no display of any skill, and a red card
5= Average performance for a professional player. No big mistakes. Nothing special.
10=Zidane against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup
GOALKEEPER: Nick RIMANDO – 7.0
The U.S. goalkeeper gets a rating of 7 largely for his fantastic kick save that saved a certain goal at a time when the game could have been even. Rimando had a number of other saves, but getting overexcited about the quality of the saves in a way downplays his goalkeeping abilities, which have always been solid. 5 is an average rating, and 7 shows the difficulty and importance of the kick save, which kept the U.S. in the lead.
RIGHT BACK: Michael PARKHURST – 6.0
Parkhurst is a center back playing right back, and rather than just defending well out wide, Parkhurst has proven to know how and when to participate in the attack. His passing and crosses from out wide in the attack are good, and against El Salvador, he made a good foray into the box and his solid shot on target was saved by Portillo’s shin. Parkhurst is a veteran, and 6 is an above average score that was given due to his quality participation in the attack.
CENTER BACK: Clarence GOODSON – 5.5
Goodson receives a rating of just above average due to his goal, which was somewhat of a sitter, but it still required Goodson to react to a deflection through a Salvadoran defender’s legs and finish the point blank goal. Otherwise, it was impossible not to think of how much more skilled and faster Michael Orozco was, and he was sitting on the bench.
CENTER BACK: Matt BESLER – 6.0
Besler has a tendency to not be really noticeable in games, and that sort of indicates a lack of major mistakes, which is good for a center back. Besler will have to use his right foot more if he wants to compete with the new, younger center backs who are coming up through the American player pool. Besler looked bad on Zelaya’s run into the penalty box, but El Salvador only scored off a penalty kick, as opposed to Besler ever being guilty of making any mistakes.
LEFT BACK: DaMarcus BEASLEY – 6.0
Beasley conceded a penalty kick, but he probably didn’t have a choice. Beasley could have let Zelaya dribble past him and have an open shot on goal or Beasley could have tried to get away with an obstruction. Beasley did his best to stop Zelaya without tackling him or hacking him in the box. Beasley was involved and effective in the attack, but there was nothing to give him a score of 7, which is considered a high score around the world. Receiving a rating of 7 or above requires something special.
MIDFIELD DESTROYER: Kyle BECKERMAN – 6.5
Beckerman’s shots on goal combined with several of his passes releasing his teammates downfield give him a rating of 6.5, but Beckerman is always a player who is a victim of a lack of quickness. Due to a lack of athleticism, Beckerman didn’t show the imposing midfield destroyer presence to receive a score of 7 or higher. Beckerman was poor on the play leading up to Zelaya’s penalty kick.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Mix DISKERUD – 7.0
Diskerud is really an attacking midfielder by any definition, and his superior athleticism to Beckerman’s forced him into a role of providing coverage for Beckerman’s lack of speed. Diskerud score in this game, and players like Diskerud are the sort of quick passing and creative players that Jürgen Klinsmann froze out of his World Cup qualifying and previous rosters for the most part. Diskerud was a vital component of the United States’ domination of possession and improved passing. For his ability to play a higher caliber of soccer like Donovan and Corona play plus his goal, Diskerud receives a 7 for providing dynamic passing and defensive support for Beckerman.
RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA – 7.5
For Corona’s well-taken and self-created goal plus his major involvement in the facilitation of one-to-two touch soccer during this game, Corona earns a higher score than Diskerud. Corona scored in traffic from around the top of the penalty box, and that goal showed a coolness in front of the goal and an advanced ability to score goals that required 1v1 skill. Corona continues to show a willingness and an ability to put defensive pressure on the opposition and win the ball back.
SECOND STRIKER: Landon DONOVAN – 7.0
Landon Donovan is a seasoned veteran blessed with speed and skill, and Donovan is well-known to be a good player. While Donovan played very well against El Salvador, he also played really aggressively, but Donovan should run riot on teams below the world’s elite national teams.
LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: José TORRES – 6.0
Torres’ has improved over the last year, and his performances throughout the Gold Cup show a player who has learned how to make more of an impact in international games with his passing and his technical ability. Torres is still a one-footed soccer player, which is really on display when Corona, Diskerud, and Donovan are playing, but Torres has improved his ability to affect the outcome of international games in the U.S. jersey.
FIRST-STRIKER: Chris WONDOLOWSKI – 5.5
Wondolowski’s passing was quite good against El Salvador, and for this reason, he receives a rating of 5.5, which is just above average. Eddie Johnson is just much better and more athletic than Wondolowski.
Substitutes:
FIRST-STRIKER: Eddie Johnson – 7.0
Eddie Johnson scored a ruthless and mean-spirited trampoline header on his first touch of the game. The header was hit almost as hard as a punt. While Johnson used to not attack defenders aggressively enough, he is a technically-smooth and phenomenal athlete for any level of soccer. When he harnesses all of his gifts, Johnson is a useful weapon against any national team. Despite the opposition, Johnson’s headed pass off Rimando’s punt to set up Landon Donovan for a goal was something that not many soccer players can do. It would appear that Klinsmann’s strategy was to unleash an athletic prodigy and a skilled striker on El Salvador when they were tired and soaked with sweat.
LEFT WINGER: Brek SHEA – 6.0
Regardless of what people want to say, Shea is a very talented, athletic, and tall winger. Five years ago, the USMNT didn’t have wing players like Brek Shea. Without more inside information, it’s clear that Shea is still recovering from his injury, but Shea showed why players like him bring a degree of skill and athleticism combined with a willingness to attack that the U.S. needs. Shea’s touches were good, and his service into Eddie Johnson showed a real ability to provide plays that can win games. Shea’s service and his attacking earned him an above average rating.
CENTER BACK: Michael OROZCO FISCAL – 6.0
Orozco receives a 6 for showing quickly how his skill-level and athleticism is well-above that of Clarence Goodson. The U.S. could have used Orozco when Zelaya pillaged the penalty box and proceeded to score a statement Panenka. Orozco once again showed why he is a superior center back to Goodson.
Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports)
The Starting XI will be greatly affected by the four new players added to the United States Men’s National Team’s roster.
Jürgen Klinsmann added four new players to the USMNT’s Gold Cup roster off the preliminary 35-man roster, and he sent four players back to their club teams.
Per the rules of the tournament, at the conclusion of the group stage, Klinsmann was allowed to add up to four players off his preliminary roster to his 23-man roster, if he removed four players from the current roster.
The USMNT added Eddie Johnson, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and Alan Gordon to the roster, so Klinsmann chose to select two strikers and two center backs. Klinsmann sent Herculez Gomez, Jack McInerney, Corey Ashe, and Oguchi Onyewu back to their club teams.
Gomez and Onyewu were dropped from the roster due to injuries, whereas McInerney and Ashe were dropped presumably due to the fact that they didn’t impress Klinsmann (Ashe had a minor injury before the Gold Cup).
Both McInerney and Ashe are an example of Klinsmann filling up roster spots with players he has no intention of using. One has to wonder why two players who he was more likely to use weren’t put on the preliminary roster or the final Gold Cup roster.
Klinsmann didn’t add Benny Feilhaber or Graham Zusi as midfielders, but Stuart Holden, Joe Corona, Landon Donovan, Mix Diskerud, and even José Torres give Klinsmann good options in the midfield.
The area where the U.S. needed to strengthen its roster was at defensive midfielder, center back, and right back, but the preliminary roster didn’t offer Klinsmann these options (except at center back), which is an example of his continued inability to call up balanced rosters.
Of the four players added to the roster, it seems likely that Klinsmann would definitely start Eddie Johnson at first-striker with Besler at center back, as it has been reported that Gonzalez will not join the U.S. until the semifinal game, if the U.S. beats El Salvador.
Michael Orozco has been playing well in the Gold Cup, and the argument can be made that Orozco is simply a better soccer player than both Besler and Gonzalez.
Besler is less one-footed than he used to be but still favors his left foot and Gonzalez isn’t as quick, fast, or as skilled as Orozco.
Orozco also seems less prone to falling asleep on defense compared to Gonzalez.
Based on these new additions Klinsmann’s likely Starting XI just might be:
Nick Rimando; Michael Parkhurst, Michael Orozco, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Kyle Beckerman; Stuart Holden, Mix Diskerud; Joe Corona; Eddie Johnson, Landon Donovan.
In all fairness to Klinsmann, this is a fairly solid line-up, even if Klinsmann’s 35-man and 23-man rosters omitted a number of very promising and even proven players.
It’s possible that Klinsmann might elect to chose either Holden or Diskerud to start, thus opening up a Starting XI spot for José Torres, who really did have a strong game against Costa Rica, but Klinsmann might start Beckerman, Holden, and Diskerud at the same time.
Diskerud and Holden aren’t anything close to defensive midfielders, whether one is referring to midfield destroyers or more box-to-box midfielders, but the two did a good job when they shared the defensive workload in the midfield.
Beckerman’s actual skill-level is good, but his lack of athleticism makes him a liability in the midfield because when he gets beaten off the dribble or with passes, he tends to go into reckless tackles as a result of the inability to run fast enough or move quickly enough to get into position to make clean tackles.
World Soccer Source supports using the Starting XI option below:
World Soccer Source obviously prefers the Starting XI option presented above, but Klinsmann is more likely to use the option presented as Klinsmann’s likely Starting XI. Klinsmann could possibly decide that Beckerman might not have the athleticism to keep up with El Salvador and use World Soccer Source’s preferred Starting XI, which is surely an option that Klinsmann himself has been considering for days.
Whoever the USMNT elects to start, it seems likely that Holden, Diskerud, Corona, Donovan, and Johnson will all be starting, and this collection of midfielders and attackers is a solid group that would do well for the USMNT’s A Team as well.
Johnson should bring the speed, movement off the ball, and skill to allow all of the players above an excellent target to whom they can play final balls, and that target has world-class speed for any level of international soccer.
Hopefully Klinsmann and the United States learned their lesson that Joe Corona is an essential player in the midfield because he gives Diskerud and Holden a strong passing option in the midfield, which helps to connect the midfield to the attack.
Corona was missed for the 80 minutes that he wasn’t playing in the previous game against Costa Rica, which the U.S. didn’t need to win.
The strongest option for the USMNT would be to use a Front Six consisting of: Holden, Diskerud, Donovan, Corona, Shea, and Johnson.
This Front Six with Parkhurst, Orozco, Besler, and Beasley as the back four and Rimando in goal should give the United States the tools needed to win.
Landon Donovan (left), Herculez Gomez (center), and Joe Corona (right) have all earned the start against Costa Rica. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
As Eric Wynalda remarked while commentating for Fox during the USA versus Cuba game, nobody knows what Jürgen Klinsmann is thinking or going to do.
Klinsmann made a statement where he said that Costa Rica presented the first real test for the USMNT, and that’s an accurate statement.
In all fairness to Cuba, Cuba showed how skilled and athletic players can score on the U.S. at any time, and José Ciprian showed this with an outstanding side-volleyed golazo against the United States Men’s National Team.
Looking at the defenders, the midfielders, and the forwards or forward, Klinsmann has a variety of options at his disposal, and despite some of his bizarre formations before the Gold Cup, Klinsmann has been fielding Gold Cup starting line-ups that make sense.
Additionally, Klinsmann is making the correct substitutions when he sees a need to correct something.
Overlooking some of his roster omissions like Perry Kitchen, Klinsmann has been fielding starting line-ups that tactically make sense, and one constant has been the inclusion of Kyle Beckerman in the starting line-up, as he is the only midfield destroyer on the roster.
Furthermore, Beckerman isn’t a more dynamic defensive midfielder like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, or Geoff Cameron.
All three of these defensive midfielders have the athleticism to play as midfield destroyers while still picking their opportunities to go forward.
On the other hand, Beckerman doesn’t have the endurance or speed to run as much or as fast as Jones, Bradley, and Cameron, which forces Beckerman to conserve his energy by always playing very deep.
Even when Bradley, Jones, and Cameron play as the midfield destroyer, they certainly cover much more territory, even when they restrict themselves to just patrolling the very back of the midfield
Unless Klinsmann elects to start Mix Diskerud and Stuart Holden together in order to allow two people to fulfill the extreme running endurance that other American defensive midfielders can deliver on their own, then Beckerman will be starting as a midfield destroyer with Holden, Diskerud, or both supporting him.
Compared to Holden and Diskerud who are really more attacking midfielders, Cameron, Bradley, and Jones are like apex predators who can run endlessly and deliver the running necessary to play as a midfield destroyer for the full 90 minutes.
While Klinsmann has been using Bradley, Jones, and Cameron in two-man tandems, all three of those players can run the entire game in order to play defense as well as being some of the main protagonists in the passing play of the USMNT’s midfield.
Looking at who Klinsmann will start and who Klinsmann should start, it seems obvious that Nick Rimando will be starting in goal with DaMarcus Beasley playing as a left back.
Beasley as a right back with Edgar Castillo as a left back would be a real curveball, so it seems likely that Klinsmann will start Michael Parkhurst at right back with DaMarcus Beasley at left back.
At center back, Michael Orozco Fiscal is playing very well, and he looks to be more skilled and quicker than both Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu.
Klinsmann will likely start Orozco with Goodson, but it would be interesting to see if Klinsmann decided that he needed Parkhurst and Orozco as the center backs against a Costa Rican side that is quite frankly much better than Belize or Cuba.
In all likelihood, Klinsmann’s back four will be Parkhurst, Orozco, Goodson, and Beasley, but a back four of Beltran, Parkhurst, Orozco, and Beasley might just be a better option as the competition in the Gold Cup goes up.
In front of the defensive back four, Klinsmann will likely start Beckerman, and it will be interesting to see if he elects to start a diamond midfield formation of Beckerman playing as a destroyer with Holden and Diskerud just in front of him as essentially attacking midfielders playing like a tandem of box-to-box midfielders.
This set-up would protect Beckerman from being too exposed to being beaten by quicker opponents as often, and it would allow the American midfield to have two midfielders in Holden and Diskerud who can maintain possession and pose a real threat going forward.
In the diamond midfield formation, Corona could play as the tip of the diamond as a central attacking midfielder, trequartista, enganche, meia-armador, or any other synonymous term one wishes to use to describe the playmaker playing behind the strikers.
Landon Donovan and Herculez Gomez could likely start in front of the diamond midfield formation with Donovan as the second striker, or perhaps Klinsmann will elect to use a different formation all together.
Therefore, the coach of the USMNT has many options against Costa Rica.
He can start Beckerman with Holden or Diskerud deeper in the midfield with a line of three attacking midfielders in front of them, or he could elect to use the diamond formation discussed above.
Below are three options that Klinsmann might employ, but it should be noted that Klinsmann probably has several others up his sleeve:
World Soccer Source would like to see an entirely different option than the three proposed above.
The World Soccer Source option eliminates Beckerman from the starting line-up and tasks Diskerud and Holden with sharing the work load to fulfill the defensive duties of Beckerman, while bringing more athleticism and more creative and dynamic midfield play that is both able to keep possession and unlock the Costa Rican defense from a deeper role or when one of the pair advances forward more to attack.
Shea had an off-game against Cuba, but the talent, speed, size, and the willingness to attack are strong qualities in Shea’s game.
World Soccer Source is willing to write off a performance as bad as Shea’s against Cuba as just a bad outing characterized by reluctant play, crosses sailed over the goal and out of bounds, and some hesitancy to control one cross-field pass soon enough, which Eric Wynalda discussed during Fox’s broadcast.
Shea started to improve a little bit toward the end of the first half, and World Soccer Source supports using a weapon like Shea against the strongest opponent the USMNT has faced in this tournament so far, even if Shea had a bad game against Cuba. When he’s on his game Shea disrupts defenses and poses a threat to opponents.
Therefore, World Soccer Source proposes using the following Starting XI against Costa Rica:
On a final note, it’s unclear whether Klinsmann views Chris Wondolowski’s recent string of goals as a reason to start him over Gomez, or if he views Wondolowski’s nose for goal as a good option to save for the final 20 minutes of the game, as Eric Wynalda suggested on the air for Fox during the U.S.’ game against Cuba.
