In my previous post, I proposed a 23-man USMNT roster made up of lots of players that the United States should call up to take stock of the talent pool, but this different roster seeks to include the best and most proven players along with the new talents that appear ready right now.
Fabian Johnson is listed as an attacking midfielder even though he is also a right and left back, and Geoff Cameron is listed as a center back even though he is also a defensive midfielder and an outside back. Maurice Edu is listed as a defensive midfielder, but he has certainly shown that he is a capable and effective center back.
Mix Diskerud is not included for now, despite being the victim of seeing no minutes in the 2014 World Cup for no logical reason. I consider Diskerud to be a gifted and experienced playmaker that has proven himself on multiple occasions on the international level against strong competition. Diskerud was unjustly the victim of not enough roster space.
Likewise, Aron Jóhannsson isn’t included despite not getting a fair shot at the 2014 World Cup, but now it appears that he might have been injured during the United States’ run in the tournament.
Jóhannsson has shown his ability and effectiveness on the club and international level, but this writer placed a higher premium on Juan Agudelo’s combination of skill, size, and speed as well as Terrence Boyd’s ability to play as a target striker like Altidore.
Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley aren’t included either although a strong argument can be made that both should be on this list. They deserve to be on the list, but I leaned toward the potential upside of letting younger players like Joe Corona, Shane O’Neill, Benji Joya, Chris Klute, and Kellyn Acosta use their youth and skill to hopefully bring the type of proactive soccer that Jürgen Klinsmann claims that he is looking to bring to the United States Men’s National Team.
The roster below contains four center backs and four outside backs, and the roster also contains defensive midfielders of the stay-at-home variety and those of the box-to-box variety. Most of the defensive midfielders can play either role. The roster also contains both wings and central attacking midfielders along with players that play both positions. Finally, this roster contains three Number 9s along with players like Clint Dempsey and Julian Green that can play a variety of forward and attacking midfielder roles.
Below is this writer’s opinion of the Best Current USA 23 as of July 2014, and the players are divided into their relevant categories in what this writer feels is a balanced line-up:
GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Cody CROPPER
CENTER BACKS: Geoff CAMERON, Matt BESLER, John Anthony BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL
OUTSIDE BACKS: DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Kellyn ACOSTA, Andrew FARRELL
-Fabian Johnson is listed below as an attacking midfielder despite excelling as a right and left back.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Maurice EDU
-Both Brooks and Besler are left-footed, but if a starting line-up can have two right-footed center backs, then why can’t it have two left-footed center backs? Brooks has proven to be very two-footed, and starting Brooks and Besler at center back allows Cameron to play as the stay-at-home defensive midfielder.
-Jones isn’t listed as a starter despite his superior play to Bradley in the World Cup because the Cameron-Bradley partnership gives the two-man defensive midfield more defined roles. Futhermore, the often attacking role that Jones played in the World Cup can be taken up by Corona, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Agudelo.
The USMNT needs Joe Corona as a Number 10 and as a winger. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images )
By: COLIN REESE
Now that the USA is out of the 2014 World Cup, criticism has been circulating about Jürgen Klinsmann’s defensive tactics and his poor decision to deploy Michael Bradley as a central attacking midfielder.
Many names will be in the mix for the next USA roster, but now is a good time for Klinsmann to take stock of the young talent at his disposal before any must-win games. The United States should let its most promising young players play and see if they display any improvement over most of the players used in the World Cup.
Given Klinsmann’s radical changes to his USA World Cup roster from what seemed to be his preferred 23, Klinsmann’s player selections are hard to predict, but there are certainly young American players in MLS and elsewhere that have shown real skill and promise.
World Soccer Source has long backed the inclusion of DeAndre Yedlin on the United States Men’s National Team, and Yedlin proved that he was not only ready to play at the World Cup but that he was capable of excelling.
With this reality in mind, now is the time to really introduce more of the best young American talent into the national team and let them get experience and establish strong chemistry.
Many of the very best USA internationals should still be the core of the squad, but now is the time for more of the overhaul that should have come a year before the World Cup, even if it was just the inclusion of three or four more new players.
Looking back at the 2014 World Cup, roster spots for players like Brad Davis and Chris Wondolowski could have gone to Landon Donovan or new talents that would have at least offered the possibility of being effective.
Both Davis and Wondolowski have long been considered players that aren’t international-caliber, and it’s a mystery why Klinsmann included them when he showed that he was willing to select young talents such as DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, and Julian Green.
Credit to Klinsmann for including these players, but other selections made little sense. In addition to Davis and Wondolowski mentioned above, Klinsmann selected Mix Diskerud, which most people assumed was in place of Joe Corona and Landon Donovan, but then Klinsmann never even played Diskerud to try to better link the defensive midfielders with the attack.
After seeing the United States struggle to display enough skill in most of its World Cup games, it is fair to question Klinsmann’s tactics and roster selections, and it’s also fair to say that Klinsmann isn’t responsible for the fighting spirit that the Americans showed at the World Cup and for which they were praised.
American soccer should now be at the point where it’s reasonable to not approve of the coach of the national team’s decisions, especially when they are valid criticisms about players deployed out of position or roster spots used on players of limited talent by global standards.
An ex-player and coach of Klinsmann’s experience should be expected to do a better job of picking a 23-man roster where there are better first and second-choice options for each position, and the USA Starting XIs need to be more balanced where defensive midfielders aren’t separated from the attacking midfielders and forwards without any creative link-up players to improve the USA’s ability to pass the ball and possess the ball with purpose.
Klinsmann and fans of his coaching have a tendency to use Klinsmann’s playing resume as a way to dismiss any valid and specific criticism of his choices, but just because Klinsmann had an excellent playing career doesn’t mean that all of his decisions are correct.
The gap in the ability of the Americans to keep possession and create scoring chances compared to better national teams was on full display even to Americans that had never really watched soccer at all until the World Cup.
Klinsmann can claim that there isn’t enough talent in the United States or that his players lacked the mentality to take the game to the opposition, but the global praise the American players received for their desire to win and the exclusion of Donovan from the roster directly disprove Klinsmann’s claims.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy working for ESPN voiced his opinion that the Americans’ technical ability and possession needed to be improved starting with the center backs, and Michael Ballack, also working for ESPN, voiced his opinion that the USA lacked creative, technical, and quick players in the attacking midfield that could help to not leave Clint Dempsey stranded up top.
In order to address these problems and test out the talent out there, the following players should be included on the next USA roster, and these players should serve as a starting point to assess their talent, in addition to testing out or recalling other American players depending on the performances of the players selected:
GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Clint IRWIN
CENTER BACKS: John BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL, Erik PALMER-BROWN, Andrew FARRELL
OUTSIDE BACKS: DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Kofi SARKODIE, Kellyn ACOSTA
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Geoff CAMERON, Maurice EDU
This starting line-up makes sense because it not only uses Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey in their natural positions, but it uses everyone in their natural position. All of these players have shown that they have the athleticism and technical ability to play international soccer, but they have also shown that they offer more of both of these things than the players the United States normally uses. Given the effectiveness of Yedlin, players like O’Neill, Klute, Joya, Corona, and Agudelo deserve a real shot to prove that they can help to improve the overall skill of the United States.
The United States was able to hold Germany to only one goal in the final game of the Group Stage at the 2014 World Cup, but in the upcoming Round of 16 match up with Belgium, Jürgen Klinsmann will be looking to improve the possession and attacking prowess of the USA.
Based on previous games and the performances of various players, the USA will likely start Tim Howard, Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi, and Clint Dempsey against Belgium.
The problem with this Starting XI is that it still doesn’t address the need for better passing in the midfield.
At this point, starting Mix Diskerud as the central attacking midfielder is the single most important change that has to be made if the USA wants to improve its passing and increase its possession, and Michael Bradley would need to be deployed as a defensive midfielder, which would leave no room for Beckerman in the USA XI.
Despite Beasley’s consistent performances, perhaps DeAndre Yedlin and Fabian Johnson as the right and left back is the strongest option to play to win against Belgium, rather than playing overly defensive soccer with Beckerman, Jones, and Bradley all starting together.
Beasley doesn’t deserve to be dropped, but starting Yedlin and Johnson as the outside backs is a bold move to bring more attacking firepower to the line-up. Beasley has defended well, but playing Johnson at left back allows room for Yedlin to start.
In the attack, Klinsmann’s first-choice striker Jozy Altidore is likely still out for the Belgium game because of his serious hamstring injury, despite being able to jog for the last four days, and back-up striker Aron Jóhannsson hasn’t been used since the USA’s first game against Ghana.
This suggests a likely formation with Dempsey playing out of position as a lone striker, and whether or not Dempsey starts as a False 9 instead of starting Jóhannsson at striker affects the rest of the line-up.
If Altidore is healthy, then he will start, but this seems unlikely given the recovery time needed for a hamstring injury.
With all of this in mind, the USA has several line-up adjustments that it can make, but there are risks both to making too many adjustments and to making too few adjustments.
For example, Besler has had a strong World Cup at left center back, but in the USA’s sole victory, John Brooks replaced Besler at halftime of the first game against Ghana and provided a full package of defending, athleticism, skill on the ball, and goal-scoring ability against a technical and athletic Ghana side that tied Germany in an electrifying 2-2 draw.
Also in the center of the defense, Gonzalez did well against Germany making several vital tackles and clearances, but Cameron started and played all 90 minutes of the first two group stage matches. Cameron is also clearly the more talented player, the better 1v1 defender, and the more gifted athlete.
Against Portugal, Cameron shanked a clearance of a cross that was itself shanked, resulting in a goal by Nani, and Cameron was criticized for making a costly mistake, albeit on ball that Gonzalez could have likely shanked as well.
It bears mentioning that Gonzalez totally whiffed a dangerous square pass played across the six yard box. Mistakes are a reality for all defenders, and defenders are frequently the target of media and fan criticism.
Michael Ballack working for ESPN as a studio analyst stated that he thought the 6’5’ Gonzalez might have been given the start against Germany because of Miroslav Klose’s ability to score with his head, but Klose didn’t actually end up starting.
The coach of the United States has shown a willingness to make changes to his starting line-ups, some of them good changes, and some of them bad changes, as was the case with the misguided selection of Brad Davis to start as a left midfielder against Germany.
For the United States to advance against Belgium, Klinsmann likely needs to tweak his line-up again.
The United States needs to balance effective defending with the personnel needed to produce a higher quality of passing with more potent attacking play, so a few changes are in order for Klinsmann’s side.
Using Bradley as the team’s playmaker is not working because Bradley is a defensive midfielder that lacks the requisite vision, touch, creativity, and quick feet needed to play the central attacking midfielder role.
Diskerud was selected to the national team to play as a creative midfielder that plays as a central attacking midfielder, and it’s quite evident that his skill-set is sorely needed for Dempsey to see more service and for the USA to pose a greater attacking threat. With both Landon Donovan and Joe Corona cut from the 30-man preliminary roster, it’s somewhat surprising that Diskerud hasn’t seen any playing time.
Looking ahead to the Belgium game, at the very least, Cameron needs to replace Gonzalez, and Diskerud needs to replace Davis. This would change the USA XI to something of a 4-3-2-1 formation made up of: Howard; Johnson, Cameron, Besler, Beasley; Bradley, Beckerman, Jones; Bedoya, Diskerud; Dempsey.
This group of players gives the USA a playmaker to link Bradley, Beckerman, and Jones to Dempsey, so this is an improvement and a simple change to make to the line-up used in the majority of the United States’ three group stage games.
This minor adjustment seeks to correct the two major problems the USA has been having: lack of quality possession and little attacking strength.
The following USA XI offers the team continuity with some needed changes:
CAVEAT: If Jozy Altidore is fit to play then Bedoya should be benched and Dempsey should move back to play as an attacking midfielder alongside Diskerud with Altidore as the lone striker.
This USA XI is a bolder option with some fairly radical changes:
CAVEAT: If Jozy Altidore is fit to play, then he should replace Jóhannsson in the line-up proposed above.
Final Note:
For all of the understandable excitement about the USA advancing out of the Group Stage for the second World Cup in a row, it should be pointed out that several players off the 30-man preliminary roster are sorely needed.
Maurice Edu would offer the United States another defensive midfielder and center back with lots of experience, and Kyle Beckerman has looked like a constant card risk. For all of the praise Beckerman deserves for solid showings, Edu is a much more athletic and disciplined player with years of European experience plus previous World Cup experience. A defensive midfielder that doesn’t need to purposely foul players that can outpace him would be helpful to continue to allow Jones and Bradley to play as box-to-box midfielders.
Landon Donovan and Joe Corona are certainly two attacking midfielders that the United States could use given the limited efficacy of Brad Davis, Alejandro Bedoya, and Graham Zusi – not to mention the fact that Julian Green hasn’t played at all.
Finally, Terrence Boyd is a first striker that the USA could have sorely used after Altidore injured his hamstring in the first half of the USA’s first game.
Clint Dempsey (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
By: COLIN REESE
The United States did beat Ghana 2-1, but the USA starting line-up and tactics didn’t work. Clint Dempsey and John Brooks scored massive goals, but the poor team passing of the Americans should be worrying for American fans.
Against Portugual, the Americans will need to address the United States’ lack of possession and poor passing. After Clint Dempsey’s amazing lightning goal that must rank as the best American goal ever in a World Cup from a skill standpoint (with his goal against Ghana in 2006 and Eric Wynalda’s free kick in 1994 being close behind), the USA was being bombarded by wave upon wave of Ghanaian attacks.
In the 82nd minute, Ghana shredded the American midfield and defense with a series of give and go passes that culiminated with a smashed left-footed outside of the foot swerving goal from André Ayew, which American goalkeeper Tim Howard had no chance of saving.
Geoff Cameron and John Brooks did particularly well in the center of the American defense, and Matt Besler held his own in the first half at left center back before he was taken out at halftime due to injury. Looking back at the game, Cameron and Brooks both displayed better defending and superior technical ability and athleticism than Besler displayed.
Luckily for the Americans, Brooks headed in a striker’s goal that he hammered off the ground on a corner kick in the dying minutes of the game, and this goal won the game for the United States in a game where the United States was thoroughly outplayed from a passing and skill standpoint.
Jürgen Klinsmann will have to tweak his Starting XI to look to fix the Americans’ inability to keep possession and display quality and effective passing not only in the back but also in the midfield.
After the game, Clint Dempsey specifically pointed out the need to have better possession in the next game and to be more confident with the ball. The American captain noted that the passing needed to improve not only in the back but also all over the field.
Klinsmann will be looking to correct this problem, and he has a few options. Based on the logic that American defensive midfielder Jermaine Jones was able to play the wide left role that he was asked to play against Ghana, there is nothing to suggest that Jones or Michael Bradley can’t be tasked with playing the defensive midfield role that Kyle Beckerman played against Ghana – after all, Jones and Bradley are both defensive midfielders.
Removing Beckerman from the Starting XI opens up a spot for Mix Diskerud, and this needs to happen for the United States to see better possession and be a more dangerous and technical team against Portugal.
Surely Bradley and Jones can play as the two defensive midfielders against Portugal, and they need to really accept their roles as two-way central midfielders that need to cover for each other when one of the two goes forward with the attack.
With Jozy Altidore out, Klinsmann has no option but to start Aron Jóhannsson who is a fast and technical striker that plays the Number 9 role differently than Altidore.
The Americans will need to look to not just launch lots of long balls for Jóhannsson, but rather the Americans will need to display better one-to-two touch passing to allow players like Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya, Mix Diskerud, and Clint Dempsey to combine with Aron Jóhannsson and each other.
Klinsmann might keep the same line-up, but DaMarcus Beasley looked outmatched on the left flank as the left back.
The USA selected the young and exciting right back DeAndre Yedlin for the World Cup roster, and it’s time to start him at right back and move Fabian Johnson to left back – one of the positions at which he most excels.
Finally, whether Matt Besler has recovered from his hamstring injury or not, John Brooks is the better left center back to start with Geoff Cameron in the center of the defense.
Brooks provides better defending and particularly better man-marking, and Brooks is a smoother and more technical player with a higher level of athleticism than Besler. Brooks is also a major goal-scoring threat on corner kicks, and he’s an imposing figure in the center of the defense along with Cameron, which discourages opposing teams from being able to beat the United States with goals off headers.
Cameron and Brooks are best suited to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo as both are both laterally-quicker and more athletic than Besler, in addition to being better in the air. Cristiano Ronaldo has tendinosis in his left knee, but if Cristiano Ronaldo plays, then he will be a major threat not only in the air but with the ball at his feet.
Against Portugal, the United States will need to make three line-up changes from the fortunate win against Ghana: 1.) Mix Diskerud for Kyle Beckerman; 2.) John Brooks for Matt Besler; and 3.) DeAndre Yedlin for DaMarcus Beasley, which moves Johnson to left back.
Who does the USA need to start against Portugal with or without Cristiano Ronaldo?
GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD
RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN
CENTER BACK: Geoff CAMERON
CENTER BACK: John BROOKS
LEFT BACK: Fabian JOHNSON
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Jermaine JONES
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY
RIGHT WING: Alejandro BEDOYA
PLAYMAKER: Mix DISKERUD
LEFT WING: Clint DEMPSEY
STRIKER: Aron JÓHANNSSON
USA XI (4-2-3-1): HOWARD; YEDLIN, CAMERON, BROOKS, JOHNSON; JONES, BRADLEY; BEDOYA, DISKERUD, DEMPSEY; JÓHANNSSON.
Why should the USA start this XI?
– Yedlin and Johnson as the right back and left back give the Americans fast, two-way outside backs that give the United States the best chance to keep up with Portugal’s attackers in addition to providing a wide attacking threat for the Americans. If Klinsmann is not willing to start Yedlin, then he shouldn’t have put him on the roster. In the pre-World Cup friendlies, Yedlin has shown the will and capacity to track back on defense and tackle, whereas Chandler didn’t do too well in this regard in the heat of Honduras in the USA’s famous loss against Honduras in February of 2013 in World Cup qualifying.
– Cameron and Brooks are the best American center back pairing on this World Cup roster. Brooks’ advantages over Besler were described above, and Besler does have an injured or at least sore hamstring.
– The Front Six is more self-explanatatory. Starting Jones and Bradley as the defensive midfielders or central midfielders (whichever term you wish to use) is the strongest option for the United States, and Dempsey has shown time and time again his ability to thrive when started out left where he’s free to cut inside and float around.
-Let a playmaker like Diskerud provide some additional creativity and technical ability to the center of the line of American attacking midfielders. Bedoya does well out right, and Jóhannsson is the most talented and experienced striker option not named Altidore, who is out with a hamstring injury.
– This USA XI gives the United States the most skill and athleticism as well as the highest likelihood of winning.
– Kyle Beckerman is not needed as the midfield destroyer, and against Ghana, he had the benefit of not having to face off with Kevin-Prince Boateng from the opening whistle, which gave the illusion of a strong performance. In reality, the USA was totally dominated in terms of the passing and quality of play, and Beckerman didn’t do much to help the USA to pass well out of the back to relieve the pressure.
– Starting Diskerud seeks to fix this passing problem, and look for the young central midfielder William Carvalho to possibly start for Portugal in some capacity, which will make the Americans’ battle for midfield possession even harder.
Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. (Source: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Europe)
By: COLIN REESE
The USA XI that started against Nigeria in the last of the United States’ official friendlies (and not scrimmages) before the World Cup looked promising, and it looked like probably 10 of the 11 starters from that game will start against Ghana.
Players like Tim Howard, Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore offer American fans some quality players to count on and cheer for, but some of the other starters for the United States are harder to count on or get excited about.
The opening World Cup game against Ghana is a game that Jürgen Klinsmann would be wise not to start Kyle Beckerman as the defensive midfielder because he will be directly facing off with Kevin-Prince Boateng as Ghana’s central attacking midfielder, and Kwadwo Asamoah and André Ayew will likely be on the wings with Asamoah Gyan as the lone striker.
If Beckerman doesn’t start, then the set-up that Klinsmann used to free up Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones to attack more against Nigeria goes out the window.
This is a real problem with no clear answer.
Maurice Edu was unwisely cut by Klinsmann from the USA’s World Cup roster, and this eliminated the possibility of using a more athletic and more experienced defensive midfielder against a fast, strong, and technical Ghanaian side.
With Edu on the roster, then the USA could have continued to deploy Bradley and Jones as box-to-box midfielders, but this option is now off the table for the opening game against Ghana.
In all likelihood, Jones will have to play Beckerman’s defensive midfielder role, which will mean that Bradley will be playing as a traditional box-to-box midfielder, as opposed to an attacking midfielder role, which isn’t a role that maximizes Bradley’s skill set.
While Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley will likely be the starting Back Four, moving Johnson to left back with DeAndre Yedlin at right back is a bolder attempt to use young two-way outside backs against a team with fast and skilled wings, but the question is whether it’s better to use the same Back Four or better to surprise Ghana by being very bold by starting Yedlin.
It’s important to note that DaMarcus Beasley did play very well against Nigeria, which was a game where he showed an ability to defend and be an important component of the attack, and the left-footed Beasley looked very confident and capable with his weaker right foot. Beasely is a left winger that was converted to left back, but against Nigeria, he looked to have possibly turned out his best left back performance yet for the United States – and he did it at the perfect time.
Setting aside the defense, the Front Six that was used against Nigeria won’t work against Ghana, Portugal, or Germany.
Just like Ghana will be a problem for Beckerman, so too will Portuguese players such as William Carvalho, Miguel Veloso, Nani, João Moutinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Eder be a problem for Beckerman. The Germans will be an even bigger problem with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Mario Götze, Mesut Özil, André Schurrle, and Thomas Müller likely starting.
None of those players are players that Kyle Beckerman can defend or compete against like Jermaine Jones or Michael Bradley can.
Beckerman is the definite weak link in the USA XI that Klinsmann used against Nigeria, and that belief isn’t a personal attack on Beckerman, but it is an indictment of Jürgen Klinsmann for preaching fitness and speed only to select a slower and less fit defensive midfielder over the more athletic and fitter Edu who has not only a better club resume (including years in Europe) but also quality performances in the 2010 World Cup.
Against any of the Group G opponents, Bradley will need a player that can help him to provide link-up play with the attack, and Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore will need some more creativity from the midfielders than Bradley can provide on his own.
Although Brazil’s Paulinho is simply a much better central midfielder than Bradley, many Americans would have you believe that Bradley doesn’t play Paulinho’s position, but rather they would have you believe that the American attack is being orchestrated by Bradley just like Oscar or Neymar pull the strings for Brazil’s attack.
Bradley is a Number 8, and he needs to be played in that role.
The United States needs to be realistic about the likely scenario of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Kevin-Prince Boateng making it very difficult for Bradley to run through the center of the Ghanaian midfield to play final balls and create scoring chances.
This problem is one of the reasons that the exclusion of Maurice Edu, Landon Donovan, and Joe Corona for that matter was such a mistake in this writer’s opinion. Had all three of these players made the U.S. roster, then Klinsmann would have had the option of using Edu as the defensive midfielder with Jones and Bradley as box-to-box midfielders with Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Joe Corona helping to keep possession and provide service for Jozy Altidore.
Alejandro Bedoya is a capable attacking midfielder, but his roster inclusion still afforded room for Edu, Donovan, and Corona to make the squad, provided that Beckerman, Davis, and Green or Zusi were excluded. While Bedoya has shown an ability to maneuver and pass in tight quarters, Zusi’s play is predicated on hopeful crosses and long balls often played blindly into the penalty box or over the endline.
Who will Klinsmann start against Ghana? Who knows?
Maybe Klinsmann elects to start Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielder and box-to-box midfielder with Alejandro Bedoya, Mix Diskerud, and Clint Dempsey as the line of three attacking midfielders behind Jozy Altidore, but Klinsmann hasn’t seemed willing to start Diskerud.
Perhaps Klinsmann has to start Diskerud, but will he do it?
Diskerud’s ability to be a link between Bradley and Jones and the attack allows Jones to stay deeper and for Bradley to play more of a box-to-box role rather than being asked to not only constantly support Jones but to also orchestrate the attacking play of the Americans.
I see a major problem for Klinsmann against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany, and this problem is two-fold: how does he start an athletically-lacking midfielder like Beckerman in the World Cup, and can he trust Jones and Bradley to form a strong defensive midfield partnership?
For all the talk of Bradley being an attacking midfielder, Bradley’s skill-set and talents are special because of his classification as a two-way central midfielder, and deploying him as a central attacking midfielder diminishes his potential to be effective and influential all over the midfield and not just in the attacking third.
Klinsmann’s best option is to start Diskerud in place of Beckerman, which changes how Jones and Bradley play, but will Klinsmann acknowledge the tremendous liability that Beckerman is as a player tasked with defending midfielders and attackers that are frankly all more talented and athletic than he is?
The coach of the United States is definitely a tinkerman, but starting a natural central attacking midfielder or Number 10 is not something that he has been keen on doing.
Therefore, Diskerud’s likelihood of starting is about as low as the percentage of Hispanics that Klinsmann included on the USA roster.
In the World Cup, look for Klinsmann to employ one of three options: 1.) use the same XI that beat Nigeria; 2.) remove Beckerman from the XI and start Zusi and Bedoya as the wings flanking Dempsey in a central role as a withdrawn striker; or 3.) remove Beckerman from the XI, and start Diskerud as a central attacking midfielder in between Dempsey and Bedoya.
Anything is possible when Klinsmann is picking the USA XIs, but starting this USA XI is perhaps Klinsmann’s best option without tinkering too much:
Personally, I would like to see this USA XI against Ghana because I think it gives the United States the best combination of players to play Ghana to win and not the best XI to bunker in on Ghana and try to stop wave after wave of Ghanaian attacks:
There’s no way to escape the obvious point that Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey would have been the strongest starting wing options for the United States in the 2014 World Cup.
Lots of people want American soccer fans to get over the Donovan omission, but the United States isn’t a soccer nation that can afford to omit technically-skilled and experienced attacking players that are only 32 years old and still fit. The laments about the Donovan omission aren’t going anywhere, and they shouldn’t.
Despite the exciting showings of DeAndre Yedlin and John Brooks in the defense, Klinsmann isn’t getting a pass on excluding Donovan, especially when he also showed a talented and experienced 23-year-old attacking midfielder like Joe Corona the door as well.
Since it also relates to the Front Six, it’s worth bringing up again that Klinsmann also cut Maurice Edu for Kyle Beckerman who is an athletic liability. Klinsmann has a lot to answer for in regards to his midfield and forward selections.
In other countries, Klinsmann would have been engulfed in criticism for these types of choices.
Without Donovan, Jürgen Klinsmann wants Americans to believe that Brad Davis or Graham Zusi or Alejandro Bedoya – who are both much better than Davis – are better attacking options for the United States against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany.
Since the 23-year-old Corona isn’t even on the roster either, the obvious question is what is the best way to field a Front Six that can keep possession, win back possession, create scoring chances, and score goals.
Looking at the USA roster, both Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley have to be deployed as the starting defensive midfielders. Even though Bradley and Jones for that matter are two-way players, they do fall into the category of defensive or box-to-box midfielders, and Kyle Beckerman lacks the quickness of foot and overall speed to realistically compete against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany.
The United States needs Jones and Bradley anchoring the midfield, but the United States also needs Mix Diskerud starting in order to provide the link-up play, technical skill, and creativity that is needed to keep possession and be dangerous in the attacking third.
Dempsey’s position on paper isn’t too important, and given the ability of Diskerud to provide a skill-set that the United States sorely needs, Dempsey should be deployed on the left wing where he has seen lots of success not only in the English Premier League and the Europa League, but also for the USA on the international level. Dempsey’s game is based on constant free-flowing movement, and starting him as a left wing doesn’t hinder his ability to get lots of touches in scoring positions.
With Jones and Bradley playing deeper and Diskerud at the central attacking midfielder spot with Dempsey out left, then the questions about the right wing and striker still remain.
One solution to this problem would be to use a 4-2-1-3 formation where Diskerud could line up as the Number 10 with Dempsey out left and Aron Jóhannsson out right. In this way, both players could float behind and play off Jozy Altidore who would line up as the striker.
Most soccer formations are fairly fluid in the attack, and having Diskerud orchestrating an attack where Dempsey, Altidore, and Jóhannsson have lots of freedom of movement in the attacking third is perhaps the best way for Klinsmann to maximize the skill of his roster.
Given Dempsey’s tendency to drop back and cover a lot of territory, it would be a mistake to think of Dempsey and Jóhannsson as players forced to stay out wide where they would be less dangerous.
The United States is using outside backs that like to get forward into the attack, and the attacking width of the United States will primarily come from the outside backs.
Keeping Diskerud and Jóhannsson on the bench to play substitute roles is a poor use of the USA’s talent, and it’s important to get theses important attacking players into the starting line-up, especially given the defensive coverage provided by Bradley and Jones.
The advantage of using Bradley and Jones is that both players can cover for each other and participate in the attack when they see fit, and having these two players affords the United States the ability to start a playmaker like Diskerud who can bring the creativity and skill on the ball than players like Dempsey and Altidore need to be more effective.
Adding Jóhannsson into the mix only improves the overall technical ability and firepower of the team, and this is more important than placing a premium on starting a left midfielder like Brad Davis whose main contribution is crosses, as almost any free kick would be taken by Dempsey, Bradley, Diskerud, or Altidore.
An overreliance on crossing is too much of a one-dimensional manner to attack Ghana, Portugal, and Germany who will all easily head these crosses out and invite the United States to send in more of them.
The best blend of defending and attacking for the United States’ midfield and attack is to start a Front Six made up of Jones, Bradley, Diskerud, Dempsey, Altidore, and Jóhannsson because this provides quality defending and passing deep in the midfield along with creativity and technical skill in the attack.
Jürgen Klinsmann has players that can be effective in the World Cup, but they need to be started to compete with the likes of Ghana, Portugal, and Germany.
This need to maximize the skill of the Front Six makes both Davis and Beckerman (and to a lesser extent Bedoya and Zusi) players that should be on the bench.
John Anthony Brooks. (Photo: John MacDougall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)
By: COLIN REESE
John Brooks’ and DeAndre Yedlin’s strong showings against Turkey on Sunday caused more question marks about just what the best USA Back Four is.
While Geoff Cameron and Fabian Johnson seem to have locked up their starting spots in the United States’ defense, Brooks and Yedlin showed against Turkey that they are as ready as two new defenders for the United States can be before a World Cup.
Other countries have entire squads entirely comprised of players that are more or less experienced and proven from their play in top European or South American leagues, but the United States doesn’t have this.
Matt Besler has done well for the United States, but it’s difficult to come away from the United States’ win over Turkey and not think that perhaps the 21-year-old Brooks offers everything that Besler offers but at a higher level; Brooks also starts in the Bundesliga.
Brooks showed quick reflexes and strong defending with his last second sliding clearance yesterday when the ball was close to being slammed at the USA goal from point blank range, and Brooks showed the ability to block shots and passes, in addition to being able to work the ball out of tight spaces.
Brooks had a strong performance against Turkey, and he certainly showed that he was a more agile and more two-footed player than Besler, who did play fairly well. Besler didn’t really do anything wrong, but Brooks looked like a defender that was a level above Besler.
All defenders make mistakes, but Brooks’ qualities and physical gifts should make him a legitimate contender to take Besler’s spot; Brooks at the very least should be considered.
Geoff Cameron offers the United States too much to not be a lock as a center back starter for the USA, but Besler, who was the player that many considered the absolute lock, now has a very capable Brooks looking to take his spot. Whether Besler or Brooks, at least the United States has three capable center backs, but Cameron has to start.
Fabian Johnson’s technical ability, attacking skill, speed, and club experience have long been known, but he has recently been showing that he also can dispossess attackers and make clean tackles.
Klinsmann has been using Johnson as a right back recently, but the two-footed Johnson, who also starts in the Bundesliga, is needed more as a left back where the USA is weak.
Johnson can just as easily score goals off give-and-goes and overlapping runs with his right foot as he did with his left foot against Turkey.
DeAndre Yedlin has been repeatedly labeled a raw player that lacks the defensive qualities needed for international play at this point in his career, but he keeps disproving this criticism. Yedlin has been proving people wrong, and his two-way play and electric speed are good enough to earn a starting spot in Brazil.
While Timothy Chandler is a skilled two-way right back, starting Yedlin might be a so-called risk that Klinsmann needs to take. Yedlin is also a two-way right back that is technically-skilled with both feet (and also extremely fast), and this is exactly what the United States needs.
There definitely needs to be a showdown between Chandler and Yedlin before the World Cup in the next USA game against Nigeria, but Yedlin is not the defensive liability that he was made out to be by many people.
Both Yedlin and Brooks have validated Klinsmann’s inclusion of them on the World Cup roster, and just maybe a Back Four comprised of Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Johnson gives the United States a defensive unit that is not only skilled and athletic but also ready to go, even if they didn’t get the chance to play together on multiple occasions; Klinsmann’s constant roster tinkering eliminated any chance of the United States building up the amount of chemistry that would make USA fans more comfortable.
With the caveat that Chandler or Yedlin for right back is a toss-up, Cameron, Brooks, and Johnson are the best choices at center back and left back, and there also certainly needs to be one final battle in the Nigeria game between Besler and Brooks for the starting left center back spot.
All of these caveats leave the USA with the likelihood that Yedlin/Chandler, Cameron, Brooks/Besler, and Johnson is the best USA Back Four for the World Cup.
Clint Dempsey (left) and Jozy Altidore (right). (Photo: AP)
By: COLIN REESE
Unless there are injuries before the start of the 2014 World Cup, the USA’s World Cup roster is officially down to a final list of 23 players.
The United States’ roster is a balanced roster in terms of the amount of players selected for each position. Jürgen Klinsmann selected three goalkeepers, four outside backs, four center backs, three defensive midfielders, six attacking midfielders, and three strikers.
Going into further detail, Klinsmann selected two left-footed center backs, two right-footed center backs, two right backs, and two left backs. Furthermore, Klinsmann selected four wingers, and three first strikers. Clint Dempsey is basically an attacker that doesn’t fall into a rigid category, and Mix Diskerud can be firmly classified as a playmaker or a central attacking midfielder.
At the very least, Klinsmann’s roster, unlike most of his others, basically included a first and second choice option for each of the starting positions in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
Below is the USA World Cup roster broken down by position:
GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Nick RIMANDO
CENTER BACKS: Geoff CAMERON, Matt BESLER, Omar GONZALEZ, John Anthony BROOKS
RIGHT BACKS: Timothy CHANDLER, DeAndre YEDLIN
– Chandler also plays left back
LEFT BACKS: Fabian JOHNSON, DaMarcus BEASLEY
– Johnson also plays right back
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Kyle BECKERMAN
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS: Mix DISKERUD, Alejandro BEDOYA, Graham ZUSI, Julian GREEN, Brad DAVIS
FORWARDS: Clint DEMPSEY, Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Chris WONDOLOWSKI
-Of the forward group, Clint Dempsey is really a second striker or withdrawn striker or support striker or shadow striker – whichever term you wish to use. The other three forwards are out-and-out strikers a.k.a. first strikers
The First-Choice USA Starting XI is likely:
Tim Howard; Timothy Chandler, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, Fabian Johnson; Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley; Alejandro Bedoya, Clint Dempsey, Julian Green; Jozy Altidore.
*For this writer, it seems likely that Julian Green was selected to the final roster to start at left wing in place of Landon Donovan whose exclusion from the roster overshadowed the rest of the roster inclusions and omissions.
Roster Snubs
Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, Maurice Edu, and Terrence Boyd were the biggest snubs on the USA World Cup roster.
Both Corona and Donovan were more deserving of roster spots than both Davis and Green due to their skill and experience, and Corona who was playing as a left wing, right wing, or central attacking midfielder in La Liga MX is also on a better run of form than both Davis and Green.
Donovan’s omission is hard to justify in a country like the United States where technical ability and experience playing and performing well against elite soccer stars are in short supply, but this is the situation in which Dempsey and Bradley find themselves.
Regardless of what Klinsmann claimed, Donovan was in fact in direct competition with both Brad Davis and Julian Green who both made the roster in what can only be described as widespread disapproval across both the English-language and Spanish-language media in the United States. Donovan is a winger or a second striker, and Green plays both of these positions and Davis plays as a left midfielder.
Like Donovan, Joe Corona’s omission in favor of both Brad Davis and Julian Green is hard for Klinsmann to justify, but this story was overshadowed by the exclusion of Donovan, which eliminated the USA’s ability to start a midfield consisting of Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan at the same time.
It’s possible that Mix Diskerud and Joe Corona were competing for just one roster spot, but Corona’s ability to play on both wings or as a central attacking midfielder would have made both players useful inclusions on a roster in desperate need of technical ability, creativity, and a willingness to look to score goals and set up goals, along with the ability to do so.
In other roster battles, Klinsmann selected Kyle Beckerman over Maurice Edu, and he selected John Anthony Brooks over Clarence Goodson. Timothy Chandler and DeAndre Yedlin were chosen over Brad Evans and Michael Parkhurst, and Chris Wondolowski was selected over Terrence Boyd.
Boyd is a much deadlier, more athletic, and more physically-imposing striker than Wondolowski, and contending that Wondolowski’s style of play and sub-par athleticism for a professional soccer player translate to World Cup soccer is a big stretch.
Since Klinsmann has been using Dempsey in the middle of the line of three attacking midfielders in what is really a second striker role, Dempsey is likely to play there in the World Cup as well.
With the inclusion of Green on the World Cup roster along with the exclusion of both Donovan and Corona, it might be the case that Klinsmann plans to toss Green into the deep end and start him at left wing in the World Cup.
At right wing, predicting whether Bedoya will start over Zusi is a toss up, but Bedoya is a faster and more skilled player that has been playing in Ligue 1, as opposed to MLS.
Given the players on the 23-man roster, the remaining starting spots listed above seem fairly predictable and straight forward.
Below is a diagram of the Likely USA XI:
If it were up to me, given the 23 players selected, the USA XI would be:
Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. (Source: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Europe)
By: COLIN REESE
If Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States trot out Brad Evans, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis, or Chris Wondolowski at the World Cup, no one will be impressed by American soccer.
While the goal is to win as many games as possible, there is a connection between the skill required to play attractive soccer and winning.
The United States historically has been much less skilled on the ball than top soccer nations, but Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Geoff Cameron are exceptions to this characterization.
Klinsmann hasn’t reduced the USA World Cup roster from 30 to 23 players yet, but there are certain players and certain combinations of players that he would be wise to use.
Three names in particular stand out: Joe Corona, Mix Diskerud, and DeAndre Yedlin.
All three of these players have been described as somewhat unlikely to make the final roster by many observers, but their talent is undeniable and an improvement to many of the players that the United States used in the past.
U.S. Soccer even released a promotion video about Joe Corona, which can be found below, and the video seems to be some sort of indication that U.S. Soccer is using an official video release to build up support for the American attacking midfielder playing for Tijuana who hasn’t even been listed as a member of the final roster yet. No such other videos have been released, and the video on Corona appears to have used footage recorded prior to the announcement of the preliminary roster.
Releasing a video showcasing a player that could be potentially cut before the World Cup starts was a strange occurrence, and one has to wonder if this indicates that Klinsmann does in fact intend to put Corona on the final roster, despite the fact that Corona was largely dismissed by most American soccer writers (not this one) as a very unlikely roster inclusion.
While many Americans have misgivings about players like Diskerud, Corona, and Yedlin, World Soccer Source has no reservations about openly contending that Diskerud, Corona, and Yedlin are much better players than Brad Evans, Brad Davis, and even Graham Zusi, which is an opinion that is not shared by the most prominent American soccer writers and pundits.
With Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey being excellent attacking players that excel mostly when playing off strikers and playmakers, it’s logical that Klinsmann put two playmakers like Corona and Diskerud on his 30-man preliminary roster.
Likewise, the inclusion of DeAndre Yedlin who, along with Chris Klute, is perhaps the most exciting American outside back in some time also makes a lot of sense.
For outside back starters, Klinsmann knows that he already has Timothy Chandler and Fabian Johnson who are both Bundesliga outside backs that can play on either side of the defense, so including a young and dynamic two-way outside back like Yedlin as one of his best back-up outside back options is a smart move, even if Yedlin is young and inexperienced. Klinsmann has limited options. He can’t really play Brad Evans against Ghana, Portugal, or Germany.
In short, Klinsmann as coach of the United States needs to take his more talented and proven players, and use new talent to fill in the needed spots.
Despite the use of Dempsey as a second striker playing where a central attacking midfielder would play in a 4-2-3-1, Klinsmann would be wise to start Donovan and Dempsey as the right and left wings and start either Corona or Diskerud as the central attacking midfielder.
Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley are the logical starters as the defensive midfielder and as the central midfielder or box-to-box midfielder, and Jones needs to be specifically instructed to play the stay-at-home midfield destroyer role. If Jones can’t or won’t play that role with the United States then Geoff Cameron needs to be started as the defensive midfielder.
Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler have been the starting center backs, and despite Klinsmann never specifically saying so, there is a strong feeling that Cameron will take Gonzalez’s starting spot, which would make Cameron and Besler the starting center backs.
Nevertheless, a center back pairing consisting of Maurice Edu and Geoff Cameron would give the United States better defending, more athleticism, and better technical ability in the center of the defense.
For the United States Men’s National Team, there is no reward for playing small when the status quo of your national team is to play soccer not founded on excellent technical ability.
The final verdict is that the USA Starting XI should be:
– It’s very unlikely that both Mix Diskerud and Joe Corona will be cut from the final 23-man roster. Both Corona and Diskerud can give the USA the playmaking role that the team needs. Maurice Edu is another likely roster inclusion to play as a defensive midfielder or as a center back.
– If Jones proves unwilling to play the defensive midfielder role, then Besler should retain his starting left center back spot with Cameron playing as the defensive midfielder.
-At the central attacking midfielder spot, Corona offers more versatility than Diskerud, and starting him in between Donovan and Dempsey allows all three players to freely switch places, in order to produce a fluid and dynamic combination of attacking midfielders behind Jozy Altidore at the striker spot.
Barring injury, the United States has several regular players that are absolute locks on the World Cup roster: Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, Fabian Johnson, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, and Aron Jóhannsson.
In addition to these players, there are other regular USMNT players like Alejandro Bedoya and Michael Parkhurst that should be included based on the available options.
The locks described above need additional players to fill needed positions in the Starting XI or on the bench.
Here are the six players that the USA cannot afford to cut:
Mix DISKERUD –Attacking Midfielder (Rosenborg)
Mix Diskerud is the only central attacking midfielder on the 30-man roster besides Joe Corona, and Corona can also play on either wing. For a team that needs more technical players, better passing, and more scoring opportunities, players like Diskerud and Corona are a must.
Joe CORONA – Attacking Midfielder (Tijuana)
Despite the fact that Diskerud is a needed player for this writer, Corona is also needed for his ability to play as the central attacking midfielder or to start or substitute on either wing. Corona is too talented to exclude from a roster that has a limited number of players with advanced technical ability by international standards. There is only one Clint Dempsey on this roster.
Terrence BOYD –Striker (Rapid Wien)
Terrence Boyd is a more talented, faster, bigger, stronger, and quicker striker than Chris Wondolowski whose main strength is being in the right place at the right time, which is important. Based on the way Boyd has played against better international opponents than Wondolowski has faced, Boyd is a better option for a third striker spot with Jozy Altidore and Aron Jóhannsson being roster locks. Boyd is the only natural substitute for Altidore on the roster, and Boyd is a more aggressive and active player than Altidore, plus Boyd looks to go straight to goal. Boyd might be better than Altidore on pure skill.
Timothy CHANDLER – Right Back/Left Back/Winger (Nürnberg)
Timothy Chandler could be called a soccer mercenary, but he is a U.S. citizen that is a Bundesliga starter as an outside back on either side. He’s also a winger. Compared to someone like Brad Evans, Chandler is a much higher-caliber option, and besides a poor game against Honduras, he had plenty of good games with the United States.
Maurice EDU – Defensive Midfielder/Center Back (Philadelphia Union)
Maurice Edu is more important to the United States than Kyle Beckerman. Beckerman is slow, and that matters a lot. Americans are criticized for valuing athleticism over technical ability, but Beckerman cannot keep track of World Cup midfielders and attackers. Edu has a more impressive club resume, World Cup experience, and he plays as a defensive midfielder or as a center back. The USA needs to give Edu a spot over Beckerman.
John BROOKS – Center Back (Hertha Berlin)
What happens if Matt Besler is injured or suspended and Geoff Cameron is needed as the defensive midfielder because Jermaine Jones is injured or suspended?
John Brooks is inexperienced with the USMNT, but he is a Bundesliga center back that is quicker and more technical than Omar Gonzalez and Clarence Goodson. Cutting Brooks would be a mistake.
Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones both want to be the box-to-box midfielder, so Cameron might be absolutely needed as the defensive midfielder. This leaves Maurice Edu and John Brooks as the best back-up center back options to partner with Besler or back up Besler if Besler is unavailable.
Many people are uncomfortable with what they perceive as a risk, but the United States is already at a major disadvantage against the Group G competition consisting of Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. Brooks is too good to dismiss as some inexperienced young defender that the USA doesn’t need because it has some frankly mediocre second-choice center backs like Gonzalez and Goodson.
Which members of the current 30-man squad ARE directly affected?
Brad EVANS, Brad DAVIS, Kyle BECKERMAN, Omar GONZALEZ, Chris WONDOLOWSKI
Which member of the current 30-man squad AREN’T directly affected by these inclusions?
Alejandro BEDOYA, Julian GREEN, Michael PARKHURST, DeAndre YEDLIN
