Jonathan Spector

The USMNT Has Outside Back Options

by

 

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

by

 

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

by

 

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

by

 

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

by

 

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.

 

USMNT: Risk, Failure, and Success

by

 

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.

 

USMNT: A Better Gold Cup Roster

by

 

Even before his preliminary USMNT Gold Cup roster, Jürgen Klinsmann should have had all of these players in mind.

Below is a stronger and more balanced Gold Cup roster than Jürgen Klinsmann’s preliminary Gold Cup roster or his final roster (for the group stage):

 

GOALKEEPERS: Luis ROBLES, Clint IRWIN, Dan KENNEDY

Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson are promising prospects, but were Robles, Irwin, and Kennedy even given a chance? Many people regard Robles as a mistake machine, but the same can be said of Hamid and Johnson.

It’s hard to be a goalkeeper with no one behind you to save you from mistakes. People criticize goalkeepers when they stay on their line and when they come off their line, but Robles, Irwin, and Kennedy were equally as worthy as Hamid and Johnson of roster spots.

 

Robles is more controversial than Irwin and Kennedy, but it’s hard to believe that Hamid and Johnson really outperformed Robles, Irwin, and Kennedy in MLS.

 

In many ways, Irwin and Kennedy are less prone to mistakes than Hamid and Johnson, while Robles is a keeper who makes phenomenal saves with the occasional overly-criticized mistake.

 

RIGHT BACKS: Jonathan SPECTOR, Kofi SARKODIE

 

Jonathan Spector proved himself against Brazil and Spain. Enough said. Not calling up an internationally-proven right back was inexcusable.

 

Kofi Sarkodie was another Klinsmann snub. Like DeAndre Yedlin who maybe should have been in the running for the preliminary Gold Cup roster despite his involvement in this summer’s U-20 World Cup, Sarkodie brings great speed and attacking play, which is one of the trademarks of modern outside backs, and Sarkodie has a sizeable body of MLS work for Klinsmann to have seen.

 

This Gold Cup was supposed to take players who had the tools to play international soccer and get them experience in the Gold Cup without calling up overly inexperienced players. Sarkodie certainly has demonstrated that his recovery defense, his attacking, and the threat he poses along the right flank are valuable assets for the USMNT.

 

LEFT BACKS: Chris KLUTE, Edgar CASTILLO

 

Chris Klute is personally backed by Eric Wynalda, and observers have been seeing just how effective his two-way ability is. For a country with precious few left backs, Klute has more than enough MLS starts and minutes to now consider him an experienced MLS player with the physical gifts and technical ability to excel at the international level.

 

Klute is known for his speed, but Klute possesses great touch, passing, overlapping runs, and crossing ability. When so many people just blindly hit crosses, Klute makes his way down the sideline and through traffic to play controlled passes into the box that have a specific target in mind.

 

Klute’s tackling, heading, speed, and two-way threat are there for all to see. Klute has been praised by Eric Wynalda, Marcelo Balboa, and Alexi Lalas, and it’s hard for Klinsmann and his staff to say that they’ve selected the best MLS players when a player with Klute’s skills and physical gifts wasn’t even mentioned.

 

Edgar Casillo made Klinsmann’s roster, and with good reason. Casillo had an impressive season with Xolos in La Liga MX as well as the Copa Libertadores. Castillo has improved his game tremendously over the past year, and his inclusion on the roster wasn’t considered surprising or controversial.

 

CENTER BACKS: George JOHN, Amobi OKUGO, Andrew FARRELL, Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE 

 

Andrew Farrell is a center back who has been playing as a right back for the New England Revolution, but a good way to make a lot of money would be to bet someone that Farrell’s skill, speed, and tackling eclipse Onyewu’s and Goodson’s. Farrell’s speed and ability is immediately noticeable. His time spent living in Peru because of his parents taught him the superiority of advanced technical ability and one-to-two touch passing.

 

George John’s exclusion makes no sense. John is regarded as one of the best center backs in MLS, and his services have been sought after by EPL teams and the Greek national team. Klinsmann has decided to just pretend that he doesn’t exist.

 

Gale Agbossoumonde is a well-known name in American soccer circles. For a stretch of some 10 MLS games, Agbossoumonde performed very well when Toronto FC’s more established center backs were unavailable.

 

Some 10 games worth of video to study (including a game marking Thierry Henry) is more than enough video evidence for Klinsmann to see the comfort on the ball Agbossoumonde brings in addition to his exceptional size, athleticism, defensive timing, and his soccer IQ.

 

Klinsmann wants Americans to blindly except the exclusion of Agbossoumonde over unqualified center backs like Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu.

 

For all of Klinsmann’s talk of change, proactive play, and better technical ability, Klinsmann is totally unwilling to let younger, more athletic, and more skilled players play at almost any position, even in the group stage of a tournament like the Gold Cup, which features truly poor competition.

 

Amobi Okugo can play as a defensive midfielder or as a center back, and he like George John was widely regarded as a Klinsmann snub. While Agbossoumonde and Farrell are choices for a coach who recognizes the need to use less experienced but better players, John and Okugo were players who the American soccer media widely viewed as roster snubs.

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Perry KITCHEN, Jeremy HALL

 

Kyle Beckerman was chosen to play in the Gold Cup, and Beckerman cannot play international soccer. He’s slow. He’s not quick, and he has never been able to keep up with the pace of the game against basically anyone the United States has faced when Jürgen Klinsmann was the coach or before.

 

On the other hand, Perry Kitchen and Jeremy Hall are upgrades to Beckerman. They are quicker. Their tackles are less reckless and better timed, and they have a more advanced skill-set. Jeremy Hall scored a goal this season in MLS where he muscled Giles Barnes off a bouncing ball and then somewhat Cruyffed his defender to get free, and then he scored a goal from outside of the box.

 

This display of skill combined with the athleticism and overall defensive and passing performance that he has displayed this year makes him a far superior international defensive midfielder to Beckerman.

 

Kitchen is a known commodity. He tackles and shields the ball well, and he knows how to pass well with both feet without conceding possession.

 

With his superior athleticism and comfort on the ball over Beckerman in addition to his ability to play center back, Kitchen would have been a much wiser choice than Beckerman who has shown that he cannot keep up with the speed of international play without excessive, reckless, and mistimed tackling.

 

Beckerman is something of a walking yellow yard, and he’s a walking red card against faster players.

 

ATTACKING AND BOX-BOX MIDFIELDERS: Benny FEILHABER, Joe CORONA, Stuart HOLDEN, Benji JOYA

 

Everyone in this category has a proven track record of international success. Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden are known commodities that have flourished against some of the best players in the world, and Joe Corona proved himself in the Copa Libertadores and La Liga MX. Klinsmann called him up, but in World Cup qualifying Klinsmann seemed to view Corona’s proven-ability to play creative, proactive soccer against the likes of Paulinho as irrelevant. Graham Zusi, a 26 year old MLS player who just signed a four year contract extension, was chosen to start over a creative attacking midfielder with smooth passing ability and strong scoring potential.

 

Even Benji Joya should have been on the preliminary roster, as the U-20 U.S. national team was in the group of death at the U-20 World Cup. Anyone who saw Joya play Paul Pogba had further confirmation of the skill that has already been on display for quite some time from the young midfielder. Joya is a complete midfielder who silenced his critics when he played against Pogba.

 

(Additional Attacking Midfielders) WINGERS: Joe GYAU, Brek SHEA

 

To give the USMNT the option of speed and skill out wide, both Gyau and Shea bring excellent speed and skill and the willingness to cut into toward the middle of the penalty box and try to score or set up their teammates. With most of the width normally coming from the outside backs, two extremely fast and slippery wingers on the roster gives the U.S. a different dimension with which to attack opponents.

 

At the very least, players like Gyau and Shea disrupt the defensive shape of opponents, which opens up space for these wingers’ teammates.

 

STRIKERS: Juan AGUDELO, Terrence BOYD, Lamar NEAGLE, Tony TAYLOR

 

The American soccer media can continue to insist that the MLS scoring-rate of American strikers is an accurate barometer of international success, but a realistic perspective of world soccer proves this to be questionable.

 

While a certain type of form and ability in MLS can signal the ability to play international soccer effectively as a striker, history has taught the United States that even small soccer countries often have faster and more skilled defenders than what is normally prevalent in MLS.

 

The competition in the Gold Cup is poor, but the point is to see how good the talent is outside of the players that Jürgen Klinsmann has been normally calling up.

 

The exclusion of Juan Agudelo from the USMNT’s Gold Cup roster is nearly impossible to support. Will Bruin has four MLS goals this season, and Chris Wondolowski has five; both are on the roster.

 

Agudelo has five MLS goals plus 17 caps inside a tall physique with lean and fast-twitch muscles that have translated to the international level.

 

Agudelo is too creative, too quick, too adventurous, and too dangerous to be excluded from a national team like the United States,’ which needs all the players like this that it can get its hands on.

 

Tony Taylor has been criticized for not playing too often in Portugal, but how many American strikers actually play at all in Portugal, and how many aren’t dropped by their second division teams when the team moves up into a league with great talent like the Portuguese Primeira Liga?

 

American soccer writers will try to compare battling for playing time in the Primeira Liga as less impressive than scoring regularly in MLS, but this opinion tries in vain to convince knowledgeable soccer observers that MLS and the Primeira Liga are comparable, even for a Primeira Liga bench player.

 

Taylor is very fast and skilled, and the fact that he wasn’t dropped by Estoril Praia when they moved up to the Primeira Liga says a lot. Certainly, Estoril could have found strikers everywhere in Brazil and Portugal to take Taylor’s spot or found some loophole in his contract to send him packing.

 

Taylor did actually play in the Primeira Liga, and if one thinks that is no different that playing in MLS, then one can try to rationalize that mentality.

 

Finally, Lamar Neagle has demonstrated a much higher capacity to play international soccer than both Jack McInerney and Will Bruin. The caliber of Neagle’s goals this year and his ability to free himself to take shots on goal and score is well-beyond anything Bruin or McInerney have shown.

 

On paper, both players look like two of the best MLS forwards, but the way that Neagle plays and the more advanced display of individual skill will translate much better to the international game. McInerney is fast but small, but he doesn’t have the 1v1 dribbling ability or trickery needed to outfox international defenders who are fast and used to dealing with more gifted dribblers.

 

Bruin and McInerney might be fine for the competition in the first round of the Gold Cup, but one of the purposes of this tournament was to initiate people who can break into the senior team. Neagle at least presents the size, speed, and skill to be internationally competitive, certainly more than Wondolowski has shown when given the chance to play international soccer.

 

How good is Klinsmann’s USMNT XI?

by

 

Clint Dempsey (left) and Jozy Altidore (right). (Photo: AP)
Clint Dempsey (left) and Jozy Altidore (right). (Photo: AP)

 

For several months, this writer has proposed fielding a United States Men’s National Team XI made up of some of the U-20 players with the best USMNT players, even the ones Klinsmann refuses to use.

 

What would this look like? It would look like Benji Joya, DeAndre Yedlin, Shane O’Neill, Caleb Stanko, Mario Rodriguez, José Villarreal, Alonso Hernandez, Juan Agudelo, Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, and even Freddy Adu being given a real shot.

 

The caliber of the passing hasn’t been good enough, and there haven’t been enough shots on goal.

 

So, just how good are Klinsmann’s starting line-ups?

 

Skipping quickly past the goalkeeper position, either Tim Howard or Brad Guzan are proven international and EPL keepers who serve the United States well.

 

Who plays right back? Well, Steve Cherundolo is certainly a seasoned Bundesliga and USMNT veteran who nobody really ever doubted in the past. Now, he’s a little older, and he asked for time off this summer. Additionally, some observers feel as if he’s lost a step.

 

Jonathan Spector is a capable player with strong technical ability, experience, and respectable athleticism for an international player. He’s by no means slow, and he isn’t very old. Spector performed well against Spain and Brazil in the 2009, and that’s something that he can continue to point to for a long time.

 

A bolder choice is tossing DeAndre Yedlin into the deep end with the full USMNT at right back where he gives the United States a modern outside back blessed with speed, attacking inclinations, comfort on the ball, and fairly aggressive defensive tendencies.

 

Yedlin is thought of as primarily an attacking threat, but he has certainly demonstrated an ability to tackle well, force attackers wide, and track down opposing players. The advantage of using Yedlin is that he puts the opposition on its heels when he marauds down the sideline, which breaks the defensive shape of the opposition and sucks opposing players toward the sideline, which frees up Yedlin’s teammates.

 

Who should be the two American center backs is really up for debate, and until all of the relevant parties are allowed to step into the ring, no one is really going to know which American center backs or defensive midfielders can take the center of the American defense to the next level.

 

Are Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler better than Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, and Oguchi Onyewu? Definitely yes.

 

Are Gonzalez and Besler better than Jay DeMerit? Probably not.

 

DeMerit was baptized by fire and performed well in two major FIFA tournaments against truly elite attackers. DeMerit didn’t just survive when the famous players were coming at him, he showed that he was an American center back that was too good to be victimized by elite forwards.

 

With that being said, Jürgen Klinsmann owes American fans and himself the opportunity to get to see the list of 10 or so center backs being tossed into the shark tank.

 

Center back is a difficult position primarily because faster and better players are sprinting at center backs while center backs are backpedaling; at any moment, the opposition can play balls through or over center backs or simply decide to dribble past them with a full head of steam.

 

It’s easy to say that center backs are mistake prone or too easily beaten. It’s hard to stop someone sprinting at a center back when the center back has his back to goal.

 

Gonzalez and Besler? Cameron and Gonzalez? Cameron and Besler? Shane O’Neill and Besler? Cameron and Shane O’Neill? George John and Maurice Edu? The list of possibilities goes on as several center backs like Amobi Okugo, Gale Agbossoumonde, Caleb Stanko, and Andrew Farrell (amongst others) weren’t even mentioned in the options above.

 

Taking a look at Agbossoumonde and Farrell together at center back in a friendly would be a very bold move that could prove to bring better skill, defense, and athleticism to the center of the American defense.

 

Should Fabian Johnson play as a left back where he can attack and bring better skill to the left side of the defense?

 

Should a brand new MLS player like Chris Klute be allowed to suit up for a friendly or tested in camp?

 

Should right backs with the ability to play as left backs be used?

 

These are all legitimate questions, which Klinsmann hasn’t posed or tried to answer through testing, with the exception of frequently using Johnson at left back.

 

Despite Klinsmann’s makeshift line-ups, one thing is for certain: the United States Men’s National Team has a better and more athletic pool of players than ever before.

 

Will they get a chance to show what they can do? Will they be giving a fair shot?

 

The front six offers a lot more certainly.

 

Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore are starting as a box-to-box/defensive midfielder, roaming attacking midfielder or second striker, and first striker, respectively; this fact leaves three open spots.

 

Will Trapp isn’t beating Jermaine Jones or Geoff Cameron out for the defensive midfielder spot any time soon, and Perry Kitchen hasn’t even been given the chance to show how well he would do against someone like Brazil, if Jones or Cameron were unavailable.

 

Can Jeremy Hall or Amobi Okugo outperform Maurice Edu? Who knows?

 

The U.S. has other midfield destroyers as well, but no one from Tab Ramos’ U-20 U.S. side (except maybe Stanko in the future) is taking the misunderstood number 6 role, which requires a lot of comfort on the ball, speed, defensive skill, and elegant passing ability.

 

Two spots remain to be discussed, and these two spots have been Jürgen Klinsmann’s clearest display of being a poor tactician.

 

The ability to appreciate creative passing skills in a player who is willing to try passes that might not slip through the defense and the need of the first and second strikers to have a playmaker who is inventive, smooth, instinctual, and a risk taker is a connection that Klinsmann either refuses to try to address or a connection that he refuses to accept.

 

Either way, Klinsmann has been unwilling to even test out the best playmaker options at his disposal and pick one. Klinsmann’s standards for playmakers are high, but he has never proven that his assessment of Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, Freddy Adu, Mix Diskerud, or anyone else is correct. He needs to prove it.

 

He needs to allow a playmaker to play with Cameron/Jones, Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore, and he needs to evaluate all of the options at his disposal.

 

With Cameron or Jones playing with Bradley and Dempsey and Donovan combining with Altidore to help him to attack the goal, Klinsmann doesn’t have a good excuse to not try out playmakers who link the more defensive midfielders with Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore.

 

Until he tries it out, he can’t support his tactics. Klinsmann needs to try something. He is entitled to not use his archenemies (Feilhaber and Adu) to whom he has nothing to teach , but he could at least play a line of three attacking midfielders Donovan, Corona, and Dempsey behind Altidore with Cameron and Bradley playing deep.

 

That’s fair.

 

That’s tactically sound.

 

Based on how Benji Joya has played in the U-20 World Cup and in CONCACAF U-20 World Cup qualifying, Joya would be a very useful midfielder to begin to incorporate into the USMNT.

 

Joya brings skill, calm passing, defensive qualities, good athleticism, and intensity. He’s a complete midfielder that offers Bradley, Cameron, Jones, and Dempsey a player who can play at their level and help the team to produce better soccer.

 

Perhaps the best performance ever for the USMNT under Klinsmann was the game against Panama in which Klinsmann had players close to fulfilling the 1 through 11 numbering system: Tim Howard 1, Brad Evans 2, Omar Gonzalez 3, Matt Besler 4, DaMarcus Beasley 5, Geoff Cameron 6, Fabian Johnson 7, Michael Bradley 8, Jozy Altidore 9, Eddie Johnson 9, Clint Dempsey 11. No number 10 or anything close to it.

 

Even Joe Corona, an actual number 10 who proved himself in the Copa Libertadores, was on the bench for several qualifiers before and after the Panama game when the U.S. was passing poorly. Corona’s cameo against Panama was essentially a public insult from Klinsmann that said, “It means nothing to me that you start for a good Liga MX team that went deep into the Copa Libertadores, and I don’t care that you proved yourself twice against Corinthians.”

 

Looking at the starting line-up against Panama, the right back and left back were questionable as legitimate options against better teams. Eddie Johnson was oddly used as a right midfield winger. Clint Dempsey was used as a 10.

 

The reason the line-up worked was because Cameron, Bradley, Fabian Johnson, Dempsey, Eddie Johnson, and Altidore all had the skill-level, playing style, and athleticism to display a higher caliber of passing play despite the rather bizarre formation with a striker like Eddie Johnson as a right winger and Dempsey as a playmaker .

 

The State of the USMNT

by

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The Best 50 American Soccer Players (June 2013)

by

 

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