USMNT - World Soccer Source

USA: 30 For the May World Cup Try-Out Camp

April 3, 2014 by Colin Reese

Joe Corona (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

By: COLIN REESE

The rumor is that 30 American soccer players will receive an invitation to the May Try-Out Camp for the 23-Man United States Men’s National Team roster.

After the 2-2 tie with Mexico, World Soccer Source looks at the American player pool and proposes a 30-man May World Cup Try-Out Camp roster for the USMNT.

DeAndre Yedlin, Julian Green, and Maurice Edu emerged as big winners after the 2-2 tie with Mexico.

By default, Michael Orozco’s stock skyrocketed after the play of the American center backs, and this USA side was clearly in need of Geoff Cameron (playing in England) to play as a center back or as a defensive midfielder.

Below is World Soccer Source’s list of 30 footballers who deserve the opportunity to try out for the USMNT’s World Cup roster:

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

CENTER BACKS (6): Geoff CAMERON, Michael OROZCO, Shane O’NEILL, Amobi OKUGO, Andrew FARRELL, Caleb STANKO

OUTSIDE BACKS (5): DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Greg GARZA, Kofi SARKODIE, Fabian JOHNSON

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: (4): Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Maurice EDU, Perry KITCHEN

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS (7): Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Benny FEILHABER, Joe CORONA, Mix DISKERUD, Benji JOYA, Julian GREEN

FORWARDS (5): Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Juan AGUDELO, Eddie JOHNSON, Terrence BOYD

Of those 30, World Soccer Source believes the following 23 are the most useful on the USA World Cup roster:

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

CENTER BACKS (4): Geoff CAMERON, Michael OROZCO, Shane O’NEILL, Andrew FARRELL

OUTSIDE BACKS (4): DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Kofi SARKODIE, Greg GARZA

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: (2): Michael BRADLEY, Maurice EDU

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS (6): Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Benny FEILHABER, Joe CORONA, Benji JOYA, Julian GREEN

FORWARDS (4): Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Juan AGUDELO, Eddie JOHNSON/Terrence BOYD

*Geoff Cameron, Maurice Edu, and Shane O’Neill are center backs AND defensive midfielders.

The World Soccer Source USA World Cup Starting XI:

HOWARD; YEDLIN, EDU, OROZCO, KLUTE/GARZA; CAMERON, BRADLEY; CORONA, FEILHABER, DEMPSEY; ALTIDORE/AGUDELO.

-BEST SUB OPTIONS: Donovan, O’Neill, Green, Jóhannsson, Joya

Here is a USA XI with Two Number 9s:

HOWARD; YEDLIN, OROZCO/EDU, CAMERON, KLUTE/GARZA; BRADLEY; CORONA, FEILHABER, DEMPSEY; ALTIDORE, AGUDELO.

USA: 23 For the 2014 World Cup (April 2014)

March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

The United States Men’s National Team roster should be based on a first and second choice option for each of the 11 spots in the 4-2-3-1 formation (plus the goalkeeper), but a well-planned World Cup roster with this formation should also have three goalkeepers and three strikers.

One of the keys to the roster proposal below is that several of the center backs double as defensive midfielders and vice versa.

Identifying the clear best players for many of the Starting XI spots is a fairly easy and straight-forward task for a national team like the United States Men’s National Team that lacks the amount of depth of first and second-tier national teams.

Hypothetically, any current USMNT roster should at the very least have Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielders with Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, and Clint Dempsey as the line of three attacking midfielders. Jozy Altidore is the clear first-choice striker.

Beyond this, Tim Howard is the clear first-choice goalkeeper with Brad Guzan as the second-choice, and DeAndre Yedlin is the only plausible starting right back with Michael Orozco being one of the two starting center backs, as Orozco is a more complete and international-caliber center back than Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

Below is World Soccer Source’s Preferred 23-man USA World Cup roster with explanations after the roster breakdown:

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9 USMNT Midfielders For the World Cup

March 27, 2014March 27, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

The United States Men’s National Team will need the right amount of defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders in the 2014 World Cup, plus there are midfielders who are hard to classify with just one label.

The USMNT will need attacking midfielders that can play out wide and those that can play centrally, plus there are those that can play wide and centrally.

Given Jürgen Klinsmann’s 4-2-3-1 formation preference and Landon Donovan’s and Clint Dempsey’s ability to play as second strikers, the United States has the roster space for nine midfielders on its 2014 World Cup roster.

USA Player Outlook: Julian Green

March 21, 2014March 21, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

By all accounts, Julian Green is a fast and two-footed attacker that brings strong 1v1 skills, goal-scoring abilities, creativity, and trickery.

World Soccer Source mentioned Julian Green as an Editor’s Note in the last two Best American Footballers rankings because Green is an 18-year-old player who hasn’t played enough in televised games to gauge how he stacks up compared to guys like Clint Dempey or Landon Donovan and players like Joe Corona or Juan Agudelo.

The talent is definitely there, which is evidenced by how highly Green is regarded by Bayern Munich and its players and coaches.

The Advantages of the USMNT using a 4-1-3-2 formation

March 20, 2014March 20, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

Not enough possession and not enough technical ability have always been the primary weaknesses of the United States Men’s National Team, and certainly a lack of consistent goal-scoring and some shaky and porous Defensive Back Fours have also been weaknesses for Team USA in international soccer.

While starting two defensive midfielders has been the standard practice of the United States due to the logic that the center backs need a lot of defensive coverage and support in front of them, perhaps using quicker and more agile center backs with only one defensive midfielder should be one of the formation changes that Jürgen Klinsmann makes.

An inability to string enough passes together without conceding possession and an inability to creative enough scoring chances have both plagued the United States at the international level, particularly against first and second tier national teams.

The use of only one defensive midfielder as advocated above allows the United States to stuff the midfield with players who are comfortable and effective with the ball at their feet when facing quality competition; it also allows line-up space for an additional attacking midfielder so that Clint Dempsey can be moved closer to goal as a second striker to partner with Jozy Altidore in order to give him a player with whom he can combine and off whom he can play.

World Cup: The USMNT Has Viable Modern Outside Backs

March 19, 2014March 19, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

Given the question marks about the ability of the United States Men’s National Team’s outside backs, DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders), Chris Klute (Colorado Rapids), and Greg Garza (Tijuana) have become legit outside back options for the United States.

The United States had other outside backs in contention, but they are retired or injured. Steve Cherundolo has retired, and both Eric Lichaj and Timothy Chandler are seriously injured just a few months before the 2014 World Cup.

DeAndre Yedlin and Chris Klute had outstanding 2013 seasons in MLS, and Greg Garza has been a known talent at left back for several years. Yedlin, Garza, and Klute are two-way outside backs, and Yedlin vastly improved his defending ability, which is an area where Klute was always solid.

Although Garza gained a lot of attention for two recent CONCACAF Champions League games against the LA Galaxy, Garza isn’t a left back who just deserves to be on the USMNT roster because of two games. In the two games against the Galaxy, Garza’s abilities were on display to more Americans than had watched him in the past.

The Best USA XI (March 2014)

March 17, 2014March 17, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

The basic truth about the United States Men’s National Team is that Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey are the best players.

If Geoff Cameron is started alongside Michael Bradley as the second defensive midfielder and Benny Feilhaber is started as the central attacking midfielder in between Donovan and Dempsey, then the United States has five midfielders that are all skilled on the ball and that allow the United States to win back possession, pass the ball well, and create scoring chances.

Jozy Altidore has proven that he can score when he is provided with enough service, so starting Altidore as the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation is the strongest option at this point.

Joe Corona Is a Vital USMNT World Cup Piece

March 12, 2014 by Colin Reese

BY: COLIN REESE

The United States Men’s National Team needs Joe Benny Corona in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil because Corona gives Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore a creative, two-footed, and one-to-two touch attacking midfielder to play with to give them a critical mass of American players who are skilled on the ball.

As Corona plays either on the left or right wing in addition to playing centrally as a playmaker, Corona is a versatile attacker that can either be a substitute for Donovan or Dempsey or be a playmaker to start in between them or a player to start over Donovan or Dempsey if the circumstances call for it.

MLS: All-American Best XI

March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: COLIN REESE

With much of the United States Men’s National Team coming from MLS due to the return of many USMNT regulars to MLS from European soccer and due to the improvement of the league overall, World Soccer Source surveys the American player pool in MLS and selects an All-American Best XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Oddly enough, this Best XI is almost identical to the USMNT Best XI that World Soccer Source would select with the exception of players such as Joe Benny Corona, Juan Agudelo, and Tim Howard.

Below is World Soccer Source’s MLS All-American Best XI:

Benji Joya, The First Complete American Midfielder

March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by Colin Reese

By: Colin Reese

In Benji Joya’s first MLS game and his first game for the Chicago Fire, the central midfielder proved that he was able to excel on the wing as an attacking midfielder, and this confirmed that Joya really was a complete midfielder who could play anywhere in the midfield.

Many central midfielders find it difficult to play out wide because they aren’t able to avoid being pinned to the sideline by opposing players, but Joya showed that he was able to attack from out wide and combine with his teammates and make runs without being trapped out wide with nowhere to go.