What Formation Should Bruce Arena Use With the United States?
As the coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Bruce Arena was known to always trot out the 4-4-2 formation, but Arena is a more advanced and versatile tactician than that.
For what it’s worth Brazil, Argentina, Chile, France, and The Netherlands all use the 4-3-3 formation, so there’s something to be said for the soundness of that formation choice. It’s worth noting that the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1 are really the same lineup more or less, unless no attacking midfielder is used in the Midfield Three.
The United States could use the 4-3-3 formation, but the 4-2-3-1 formation might be as good of a place to start as any. With that set-up, the United States can have enough ball-winning in the midfield with two defensive or holding or central midfielders, and the squad would also have plenty of attacking firepower with a line of three attacking midfielders plus a striker.
The minority viewpoint among United States Men’s National Team observers that Michael Bradley shouldn’t be starting is crazy talk. The filling of the starting two defensive or central midfield roles starts with Bradley and then moves on to selecting Darlington Nagbe, Kellyn Acosta, or Dax McCarty. The latter would make Bradley the Number 8 or box-to-box midfielder, but going with Nagbe or Acosta would definitely be the more inspired choice with the intention of making a real effort to move forward with American tactics and improve the skill of the national team.
The next midfield issue is the question of who should start as the playmaker or central attacking midfielder or Number 10. The United States has to start one. It’s not going to work to just keep fielding a lineup without a playmaker, so Arena should pick one to start. Benny Feilhaber or Lee Nguyen are the obvious choices as both are simply better than Sacha Kljestan, but using Sebastian Lletget is perhaps a better option. If Arena were to start Feilhaber, then Lletget and Christian Pulisic could flank Feilhaber on the right and left behind Bobby Wood as the striker. It’s hard to argue that Feilhaber isn’t the best American playmaker, and his skillset and style of play is sorely needed on this dull United States Men’s National Team.
The United States’ defense is arguably solid right now. DeAndre Yedlin at right back with Geoff Cameron and John Brooks as the center backs with Fabian Johnson as the left back is a suitable Back Four. Maybe using Eric Lichaj instead of Johnson is a better option since Lichaj defends better. Lichaj could also start over Yedlin. Another inspired choice would be to start Andrew Farrell at right back with Lichaj at left back since the United States needs outside backs who can defend better while still being able to bomb down the sideline in the attack.
Arena couldn’t go wrong with using the 4-2-3-1 with the United States, and it’s as sound as any formation. This formation was the traditional formation of Brazil, and you could argue that the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3 are really the same thing.
Who Should Bruce Arena Call into the United States Men’s National Team’s January Camp?
Although the United States Men’s National Team’s January camp is over a month away, Bruce Arena has likely already made a list of domestic players that he plans to call up, and certainly he is still working on expanding and evaluating that list.
While it’s difficult to predict Arena’s list, it is possible to think of who deserves to make the list, and of course this list wouldn’t necessarily be comprehensive.
Let’s start from the goalkeepers and move on down to the forwards, and let’s consider just some of Arena’s best option. Here are 30 names instead of 23 names as several additional midfielders and an extra forward were included.
Goalkeepers- Clint Irwin, Brian Rowe, Zack Steffan, Bill Hamid
The American player pool features many excellent goalkeepers. Zack Steffen stood out with the youth national teams, and Clint Irwin and Brian Rowe have been excellent in MLS along with Bill Hamid. Tim Howard should still be injured in January.
Center Backs- Andrew Farrell, Maurice Edu, Steve Birnbaum, Matt Besler
Andrew Farrell played right back this past season, but his best position is at center back. Nevertheless, he’s a quality right back that can help Arena at that position as well. If Maurice Edu is fit, then he is a center back and defensive midfielder who has proven ability. Edu is a more technical and athletic center back than most of the United States’ options.
Outside Backs- Kofi Sarkodie, Robbie Rogers, Chris Tierney, Chris Klute
Three of the best American outside backs (DeAndre Yedlin, Eric Lichaj, Fabian Johnson) play in Europe, so here are four domestic outside backs who stand out. Chris Klute has been seeing limited playing time since playing so well with the Colorado Rapids under Oscar Pareja. Chris Tierney and Robbie Rogers are two left backs worth looking at, and Kofi Sarkodie has impressed in MLS for several seasons when used.
Midfielders- Michael Bradley, Dax McCarty, Kellyn Acosta, Fatai Alashe, Victor Ulloa, Dillon Powers, Will Trapp, Darlington Nagbe, Benny Feilhaber, Lee Nguyen, Sebastian Lletget, Kelyn Rowe, Ethan Finlay, Benji Joya
This list includes several extra midfielders because the United States’ midfield has been weak, and it’s important to really test out more midfielders. This list also includes plenty of attacking midfielders and playmakers as the United States’ level of technical ability and creativity in the midfield is way too low. This list also features a log jam of central midfielders. May the best ones win.
Here we have multiple playmakers in Benny Feilhaber, Lee Nguyen, Sebastian Lletget, Darlington Nagbe, and Kelyn Rowe. Nagbe has really thrived as a box-to-box midfielder because he can use his running endurance and speed to have his skill be useful all over the field, and he has also proven to be a good tackler and ball-winner.
Lletget and Rowe also excel as wings, and Christian Pulisic will need someone to play on the opposite side of the field from him. Feilhaber and Nguyen were the playmakers that Jürgen Klinsmann should have been using every game, but now the question is whether or not Sebastian Lletget is better than both. Still, these players aren’t mutually exclusive, as having both Feilhaber and Nguyen on the roster makes sense because Lletget also plays as a wing or second striker.
Ethan Finlay is also too talented and quick to overlook. The Columbus Crew winger and second striker has performed well for the United States already, and his skillset is needed. Finlay is also aggressive and looks to score or play final balls.
Forwards- Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Jordan Morris, Bradford Jamieson IV
Bradford Jamieson IV was included because of his compelling combination of skill, creativity, directness, and athleticism. Among young American players, Jamieson’s talent has really stood out along with Christian Pulisic and Rubio Rubin. Assuming Clint Dempsey can play, he can play second striker, attacking midfielder, or wing. The other center forwards are almost instant inclusions.
New Coaching Options for the United States Men’s National Team
Oscar Pareja
The Oscar Pareja pick would arguably be the best choice because he is a great tactician and talent scout who plays young players when they are good enough to play. The younger talent in the United States is better than the talent of previous generations, and Pareja is a coach who will select those players for the national team and let them play, if they are ready. Pareja offers fresh perspective and new ideas without those ideas being bizarre. Pareja coaches skill soccer in the Latin American style, and this style of play is a more advanced and effective style of play than the overemphasis on hustle and physicality that the United States has too often played. Beyond all of these reasons, Pareja has a history of winning in MLS, and he has a history of knowing how to build strong lineups who play quality soccer in a more skilled and effective style. A big dose of Latin American style soccer is needed for the United States that only fields a couple players who play soccer the right way.
Bruce Arena
There have been reports and rumors that Bruce Arena might be the coach to replace Jürgen Klinsmann, and the positives of that switch would be that Arena plays a balance of attacking and defensive players and that he knows the American player pool very well. The real problem with Klinsmann as coach was his poor tactics that led to a lack of possession and creativity in the lineup, and Arena doesn’t normally omit skill players and playmakers from his lineups and rosters. Unlike other options, Arena has experience and success as a coach at the international level, but hiring Arena feels like the five years under Klinsmann served no purpose for the United States. Arena could have been the coach again back in 2011, so selecting him doesn’t really qualify as fresh ideas. Klinsmann overlooked a lot of qualified players from MLS, and Arena seems to better at identifying the standout MLS players, as he did when he signed Sebastian Lletget to the LA Galaxy when he was stuck in Purgatory with Wes Ham United.
Sigi Schmid
Sigi Schmid has been a successful soccer coach and scout in the United States for decades, and in a recent interview with Alexi Lalas for the Mutant Gene Podcast, he showcased his tactical acumen and ability to scout and evaluate players. Unlike Klinsmann, Schmid doesn’t have a history of poor tactics and bad player evaluation. Even now, Klinsmann continues to insists that Michael Bradley is a playmaker. Schmid has a track record of winning and scouting, and the biggest issue for American soccer right now at the national team level is fielding more technically-skilled players in their correct positions. One gets the sense with Schmid that he wouldn’t field a lineup without a combination of defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders, and this is the real area where the United States gets destroyed by elite national teams and not-so-elite national teams. The United States loses when the opposing team runs circles around them and keeps possession, and this is less likely to happen with a coach like Schmid who is tactically-sound. Schmid is responsible for scouting and finding many of the most talented American players, and this ability is needed to select rosters.
Tab Ramos
Hiring Tab Ramos to replace Klinsmann would involve simply promoting an assistant coach to head coach, and like the other coaching options, Ramos is a better tactician and scout than Klinsmann. Like Pareja, Ramos believes in coaching soccer played the right way, and he has shown that he balances attacking and creativity with the needed defensive play. As coach of the United States’ youth national teams, Ramos always selected the most skilled players that he had available, rather than going by other unclear criteria. Ramos showed that he made sure to field midfields that combined defending with technical skill and attacking play, and he also didn’t field players out of position in unsuitable formations.
Who Should U.S. Soccer Pick to Replace Jürgen Klinsmann?
With Pareja and Ramos, U.S. Soccer would be showing a commitment to selecting a coach who is looking to field a team that plays better soccer based on skill, and with Arena or Schmid, U.S. Soccer would be picking a coach who selects rosters and lineups better than Klinsmann. Arena and Schmid coach skill soccer, but Pareja and Ramos coach that style even more. Looking to play more Latin American style soccer rather than English or European soccer would be a bolder move by U.S. Soccer.
In the 2-1 loss to Mexico in the hexagonal of World Cup qualifying, the United States Men’s National Team had a few players out of position, and this hurt Jürgen Klinsmann’s team’s ability to keep and recover possession. With three center backs and really only Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones in the midfield, the United States struggled to link up the midfield with the attack.
Geoff Cameron was unavailable due to injury for this game, and that forced the United States to use a slower and less talented defender in Omar Gonzalez. With or without Cameron, starting Sacha Kljestan in the midfield with Bradley and Jones instead of using three center backs might have better defined Bradley’s and Jones’ role while also adding another midfielder to keep possession and serve as a playmaker for the two strikers.
Christian Pulisic was dangerous and active in the attack as a Number 10, but he needed another creative midfielder to combine with to help playmake for Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore. Pulisic did his best, but the lineup was light on midfielders.
You could argue that dropping one of the center backs and starting DeAndre Yedlin over Timothy Chandler were the only things wrong with Klinsmann’s lineup and formation, but those two things had a devastating effect on the USA’s performance. Unfortunately, tactical mistakes like these have been the norm for Klinsmann as head coach of the United States. Referring to Klinsmann’s lack of accountability to Sunil Gulati and U.S. Soccer, the journalist, Kurtis Larson, tweeted that Klinsmann’s ‘leash is the circumference of the globe.’
Against a talented team like Mexico with players playing for better club teams, Klinsmann was wrong to use a new lineup that lacked balance or link up play between the midfield and the attack. This seems to be the mistake that Klinsmann makes over and over; he refuses to field a playmaker to help the United States to keep possession and play final balls to the forward or forwards. It’s unclear why Klinsmann continues to keep making the same mistake because he has several playmaker options at his disposal.
Klinsmann has coached the United States for five years now, and there’s nothing more to say about his tactics and personnel choices. They’re normally pretty poor. The coach has made a few excellent choices like consistently starting Bobby Wood because he is a talented striker full of skill, direct play, and creative play, and even more importantly, he consistently scores against good teams.
When the United States plays Costa Rica next, Klinsmann will need to field a formation that allows the players to keep possession better.
Grading the Most Recent USMNT Roster against Mexico and Costa Rica
Jürgen Klinsmann’s most recent United States Men’s National Team roster to face Mexico and Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying was light on technical skill and fullbacks. While the forward selections minus Alan Gordon were correct, the midfield and defense have makeshift feels. The midfield has only Sacha Kljestan in the creation, while Lee Nguyen, Darlington Nagbe, and Sebastian Lletget were all omitted. Juan Agudelo did enough to earn a roster spot only to see a big bruiser in Gordon take his roster spot.
Defense: C
The defense has too many center backs, and there isn’t a clear-cut back-up for the right back and left back positions. DeAndre Yedlin and Fabian Johnson are clearly the starting outside backs, but the substitutes aren’t clear like-for-like replacements. Timothy Chandler plays right back or left back, so he’s one left back substitute, which makes Michael Orozco the right back substitute. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of two clear right backs and two clear left backs. Cameron Carter-Vickers is an impressive young center back, but why were both Omar Gonzalez and Steve Birnbaum put on the roster then?
Midfield: C
The midfield selections lack a Sacha Kljestan replacement at the playmaker or central attacking midfielder position, and that spot should be filled by Lee Nguyen. Lynden Gooch and Julian Green are arguably lower down the depth chart than Sebastian Lletget and Paul Arriola or Kelyn Rowe on the wings, and there has to be room for Darlington Nagbe and Kellyn Acosta to be substitutes in central midfield. Caleb Stanko is a talented defensive midfielder, but Perry Kitchen was being groomed to replace Kyle Beckerman. Alejandro Bedoya and Graham Zusi are the other wings on this roster, and those two don’t bring enough individual skill to the wings. Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Christian Pulisic, and Sacha Kljestan clearly earned their spots, but the rest of the midfield is questionable.
Forwards: A-
Except for Alan Gordon, the forward selections are strong. Juan Agudelo would have been a much stronger option than Gordon, so Klinsmann gets an A- for forward selections. Despite not seeing much club playing time, Rubio Rubin has impressed with the national team in the past, and it’s time to just start consistently putting him on the roster due to his talent level and aggressive play. It’s hard to say that Aron Johannsson isn’t a quality center forward though, so how can you question his selection?
Questionable Call-ups
Alan Gordon, Graham Zusi, Caleb Stanko, Lynden Gooch, Michael Orozco, Julian Green, Cameron Carter-Vickers
Notable Omissions
Sebastian Lletget, Juan Agudelo, Darlington Nagbe, Lee Nguyen, Kellyn Acosta
Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team should use their best lineup in the friendly against Cuba, rather than doing too much experimentation.
Klinsmann has found a strong defensive unit, and he should stick with that Back Four. That also means starting Michael Bradley and Sacha Kljestan again in the center of the midfield with Christian Pulisic out wide. Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood have formed an effective striker partnership, and doubling up on strikers is an excellent idea for a national team like the United States that has struggled to score enough against top competition.
Using Altidore and Wood not only allows Altidore to have a strike partner, which allows him to be more involved, but it also makes it harder for the defense to mark Wood.
Maybe the only change to the lineup would be starting Paul Arriola on the right wing. If Pulisic is going to be on the left wing, then Arriola is the obvious choice to man the right wing, and Arriola has already performed well for the United States. Like Pulisic, Arriola brings speed and skill to the wing, and Arriola can also create like a Number 10. The Tijuana midfielder and forward also knows how to score.
Jürgen Klinsmann Has Improved as the United States Men’s National Team Coach
Jürgen Klinsmann is improving as a coach in his tactics and player selection. His rosters still have a tendency to feature two or three of his favorite players who don’t deserve a call-up, but all coaches have their favorites. With a few exceptions, the rosters contain the right amount of players for every position. No longer is there a sense that the rosters and lineups don’t have the players needed to perform well.
Chris Wondolowski stood out as a poor selection to this recent roster because the roster already had four other talented center forwards, and his spot could have gone to Sebastian Lletget of the LA Galaxy who is needed to play with Christian Pulisic in the midfield or attack. Even with Sasha Kljestan on the roster to play the playmaker role, Lletget is too creative and effective to omit. His technical ability and impact on games stand out every game for the LA Galaxy regardless of the opponent.
The defense that Klinsmann is set to use in the upcoming friendlies is once again a strong defense, but the outside back selection was once again poor. You could argue that the United States doesn’t have many good outside backs, but that would be inaccurate. Eric Lichaj is a talented and experienced right back who defends well and can go forward. Andrew Farrell of the New England Revolution is as good or better than Lichaj, and Farrell plays center back or right back equally well. At left back, Robbie Rogers and Chris Tierney are strong options, and their play in MLS over several years has been impressive enough to make the argument that they aren’t ready for international play weak. Both players are also fast enough to perform well against competition like Mexico that is often better than MLS.
Klinsmann called Paul Arriola up again, and despite limited playing time with Tijuana, Arriola is an excellent attacking player who can play wide or centrally just like Pulisic. For this writer, Lletget is impressive enough that making an argument for him again is justified. With Pulisic, Arriola, and Lletget playing, the United States would be evolving into a more technical and fluid team that was playing skill soccer and not hustle soccer.
The United States under Klinsmann is now fielding lineups where the pieces fit together, and the only major criticism is of certain player selected. There is still a sense that Klinsmann thinks the national team is all about him, and he continues to think that nobody else in the United States really knows much about soccer except for him. The players produced by the United States are so much better now that it will be hard to continue insisting that he doesn’t have the players he needs.
While Klinsmann has drastically improved his tactics and roster selection, there are still too many quality MLS players who appear to be almost ignored by Klinsmann and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Depth and Quality at Striker New for the United States
Striker traditionally just denoted the center forward or Number 9 position, and of course there was always the second striker or withdrawn forward to support and feed the first striker.
Nowadays, the term striker is sometimes used for any forward, but for the United States Men’s National Team, true strikers had been in short supply. With the emergence of Bobby Wood and Rubin Rubin, the United States has two talented center forwards who aren’t just target men for headers. Wood and Rubin are refined strikers with a full arsenal of attacking skills. The United States also has its long time striker, Jozy Altidore, who continues to improve and expand his skills and qualities.
Juan Agudelo is also back in good form, and Agudelo is something of the American striker par excellence. So far, Agudelo is the most explosive and talented of the American strikers, but Wood has proven to be a clinical and smooth striker with lots of speed and skill.
This kind of striker depth is a new phenomenon for the United States, and there are other strikers like Jordan Morris who haven’t been discussed yet. Putting the ball in the back of the net against elite competition has been a weakness for the United States, but Wood has shown a greater ability to get behind and past defenders than other strikers the U.S. has had. The Hawaiian center forward can take defenders off the dribble or slip behind them to receive passes, but he also knows how to suck defenders toward himself in order to set up a teammate to score.
The United States would be wise to capitalize on their striker talent, but again and again we see a reluctance from coaches of the U.S. to start an attacking midfielder or playmaker to feed the center forward.
Allotting at least three roster spots to center forwards is the wise choice for Jürgen Klinsmann. The United States has had a problem with losing its center forward in big tournaments, but losing two is possible as well. As goals are so crucial to success, reserving at least three roster spots to center forwards is not excessive on a 23-man roster. Since there is striker depth, why not start two forwards together with one as the first striker or Number 9 and the others as the second striker or Number 11.
Clint Dempsey used to be the only real scoring threat for the United States against top competition, but as a second striker, attacking midfielder, or wing, he was farther from the goal. Now with several strikers with the skill and athleticism to really threaten better international competition, the United States is moving towards being a tougher opponent.
Throughout this Major League Soccer season, Andrew Farrell earned praise for his two-way effectiveness as a right back for the New England Revolution.
The New England Revolution were knocked out of the MLS Playoffs last night, but Farrell has raised his game to a new level.
Amidst all of the just praise for DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell has truly cemented his status as an outstanding American talent who lived up to his hype and exceeded it.
Farrell is technically a center back, but Farrell not only embraced the right back role, but he also developed into an international-caliber outside back.
He used his skill on the ball and his blazing speed to burst through the opposition with forays downfield and also to hunt down attackers on the defensive end.
Even more so than in all of his quality and impressive performances throughout the regular reason, Farrell raised his game to a new level in the MLS Playoffs where he showed how well he could shut down attackers and how much he could impose his will on the game in the attack and in the defense.
While American defenders like Geoff Cameron, Chris Klute, Shane O’Neill, and DeAndre Yedlin have also shown this quality, Farrell showed a real ability to dribble and pass out of trouble deep in the heart of his own defense, as opposed to just sending clearances 50 yards downfield.
Farrell certainly knows when to just send a ball way out of the defense or play a ball out of bounds, but the combination of being able to dribble and pass out of the back combined with the instinct to know when to send a ball out of the danger area is something Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team can use.
World Soccer Source covered Chris Klute extensively this season in addition to highlighting the excellent qualities in DeAndre Yedlin’s game as a right back, but Andrew Farrell is equally as worthy of praise as Klute and Yedlin.
Yedlin and Klute will both be upgrades at the outside back positions for the United States, but Andrew Farrell is a monster who combines an intimidating combination of strength, size, and speed with a cultivated technical skill-set that makes him too good to leave off the the USMNT anymore.
When Klinsmann was watching Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber, and Juan Agudelo last night, there’s no way that he didn’t notice the impressive play of Andrew Farrell who is certainly someone who was being monitored and scouted anyway.
At the conclusion of Andrew Farrell’s rookie season in MLS, it’s safe to say that Farrell is for real and that he can certainly excel at the international level and outside of MLS.
Andrew Farrell is a freak of nature and his rookie season was a tour de force that displayed great attacking and skill on the ball along with strong defending and tackling without recklessness
World Soccer Source criticized Klinsmann for not selecting enough playmakers, attacking midfielders, outside backs, and center backs, but World Soccer Source was advocating for a midfield roster with too many playmakers, which eliminated enough room for the right amount of quality players of every position.
The new roster below contains three goalkeepers, four center backs, four outside backs, three defensive midfielders, a box-to-box midfidler (Joya), four attacking midfielders (including two playmakers), and four first strikers.
The United States Men’s National Team is at a point where there are more quality American soccer players with international-caliber abilities than ever before, and there isn’t room for all of them on the roster.
This realization makes any hypothetical discussion of who deserves to represent the United States in the 2014 World Cup or who the United States needs in the 2014 World Cup controversial and full of hard decisions.
Normally, any World Cup roster would consist of three goalkeepers, four center backs, four outside backs, four defensive midfielders (two of both varieties), four attacking midfielders, and four forwards.
In addition to this pro forma distribution of types of players, the issue of players who play more than one position arises, and the question of whether certain players should be classified as forwards or midfielders.
On top of this, a coach has to decide whether the forward spots should all be occupied by first strikers or whether some of the four forward spots should go to second strikers.
For any national team with more worthy players than roster spots, players that deserve to be on the roster are often undeservedly left off, and choosing one player over another almost feels like a coin toss.
Although Jürgen Klinsmann hasn’t used many of the players that World Soccer Source believes are some of the most talented American soccer players at their various positions, there are still a lot of indicators that many of the players that Klinsmann snubs are exactly the types of players that the United States will need in the World Cup.
Normally, World Soccer Source would make space for Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber because this writer believes that these two players bring special playmaking, technical, and passing qualities that Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore need to perform their best.
With the arrival of Joe Benny Corona and Mix Diskerud, the United States Men’s National Team has too very talented playmakers that bring similar passing qualities, that can also both score, and that have a degree of speed and quickness to allow them to keep up with fast-paced international soccer.
If Corona and Diskerud are on the roster, then one of the priorities changes from including legitimate playmakers to making sure the USMNT is deep enough at every position. If Feilhaber, Adu, Corona, Diskerud, and Feilhaber are all included, then there isn’t enough roster spots for the other types of players that are needed.
Looking at the midfield, the United States can use certain center backs like Geoff Cameron, Shane O’Neill, or Amobi Okugo as back ups for defensive midfielders like Michael Bradley or Jermaine Jones (if he’s not too much of a card liability), but a real roster shouldn’t depend on arguably the first choice center backs as back ups for Bradley.
Therefore, an eight-man midfield roster still requires three to four defensive midfielders, which makes it impossible to fit in all of the attacking midfielders that World Soccer Source rates highly.
Nevertheless, it’s more important that Corona and Diskerud take Graham Zusi’s and Brad Davis’ roster spots than it is that Corona, Diskerud, Feilhaber, and Adu are all on the roster; this takes priority.
The wise decision is to select four defensive midfielders and four attacking midfielders, and a new midfielder like Benji Joya has shown that he can play as a box-to-box midfielder, a playmaker, or an outside midfielder with the freedom to roam and cut inside.
Despite Joya’s youth and lack of significant minutes for Santos Laguna, Tab Ramos’ comments about him, in addition to how well he played against Paul Pogba, should carry a lot of weight.
If Bradley, Joya, Dempsey, Donovan, Corona, and Diskerud are on the World Cup roster, then the final two positions need to go to defensive midfielders, and the likely suspects are Amobi Okugo, Perry Kitchen, and Jared Jeffrey who are all more equipped to keep up with the pace of the international game than Kyle Beckerman.
Frankly, Kyle Beckerman should not be anywhere near the World Cup roster because he can’t track and mark fast and skilled international attackers and midfielders, and this should automatically rule him out of a World Cup roster spot.
While soccer is a game where technical ability is more important than athleticism, a baseline of athleticism is needed to even compete at the upper levels of international soccer, and Beckerman doesn’t have it.
So, who should Jürgen Klinsmann select to be the defensive midfielders besides Michael Bradley?
Jermaine Jones is a logical choice because of his playing resume, his technical ability, his defending, and his athleticism and physique, but Jones really is a card machine. Jones is a dirty tackler, and he also refuses to cooperate with Bradley in a two-man defensive midfield where one player covers for the other when the latter storms forward with the attack.
While Jones and Bradley could simply agree to not go forward at the same time, Geoff Cameron showed that he was much more willing to sit back deeper to cover for Bradley. Therefore, any system based on using Jones and Bradley at the same time is destined to leave a big hole right in from of the U.S.’ Back Four, which first and second tier national teams will exploit.
The United States can simply not tolerate leaving the center backs to have to back pedal with no defensive coverage from defensive midfielders in front of them as opponents attack them with combination play, through balls, and individual dribbling runs.
If Jones is unable to partner with Bradley, then perhaps Jones still deserves a roster spot as a substitute for Bradley, but the cards are still a major problem for Jones. The United States can’t be in the situation where Bradley is injured or suspended and Jones receives a red card or becomes suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Klinsmann should consider other defensive midfielders such as Jared Jeffrey, Perry Kitchen, and Amobi Okugo to be on the roster with Bradley.
Which one or two of these defensive midfielders can play better with players like Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan?
Who knows?
The friendlies and January camp before the 2014 World Cup need to answer that question.
Whichever defensive midfielders Klinsmann selects besides Bradley (if Klinsmann is even willing to accept that Beckerman is simply too slow), the roster needs three defensive midfielders, Benji Joya, and four attacking midfielders.
Selecting Diskerud, Corona, Joya, and two new defensive midfielders is something that the USMNT needs to do.
Turning to Klinsmann’s selections in the defense, there has been a tendency to not select eight defenders, and there has been a disturbing tendency to basically never select at least three to four natural outside backs.
Klinsmann has been selecting Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley as outside backs, and while Evans has proven that he has the technical ability and the athleticism to play at the international level as a central midfielder, using him as a right back can’t be the U.S.’ best option.
Therefore, Klinsmann needs four center backs and four outside backs who are naturally suited to play those positions and who have the requisite tools and physical gifts to play those position against strong international competition.
World Soccer Source has always contended that Klinsmann’s selections in the defense are not as good as they could be, and any real improvement to the Back Four will require using a better Back Four than Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley.
Using DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, John Anthony Brooks, and Chris Klute would be a better defensive back four in terms of defending, technical ability, and athleticism. With those four defenders as starters, the roster still needs two more outside backs and two more center backs.
This writer contends that Shane O’Neill and Gale Agbossoumonde are better center backs than Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler, and this writer also contends that Andrew Farrell and Kofi Sarkodie are better outside backs than Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley.
As far as playing World Cup competition goes, Evans, Gonzalez, Besler, and Beasley can hardly be described as experienced defenders against that level of competition. Using that Back Four is itself a gamble against top national teams, and it’s a bigger gamble than letting the inexperienced but better new defenders start.
As for the forwards, Jozy Altidore, Aron Jóhannsson, Juan Agudelo, and Terrence Boyd are the best four according to this writer, and all four of those strikers can score against even the best national teams.
The qualities that all four of those strikers possess make it a priority to include them all on the World Cup roster, and they deserve to have midfielders who can provide them with the quality service that they need to not be stranded up top without seeing many touches on the ball.
Below is a 23-man USMNT World Cup roster proposal, which has the correct amount of players of every position:
GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Clint IRWIN
CENTER BACKS: Geoff CAMERON, John Anthony BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL, Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE
OUTSIDE BACKS: Chris KLUTE, DeAndre YEDLIN, Andrew FARRELL, Kofi SARKODIE
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Amobi OKUGO, Jared JEFFREY
STRIKERS: Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Juan AGUDELO, Terrence BOYD
*SNUBS: Benny FEILHABER, Freddy ADU, Fabian JOHNSON, Jermaine JONES, Matt BESLER, Eddie JOHNSON, Omar GONZALEZ, Michael OROZCO, Jonathan SPECTOR, Eric LICHAJ, Timothy CHANDLER, Herculez GOMEZ, Maurice EDU.
World Soccer Source’s Preferred USMNT Starting XI:
