USMNT

 

 

 

By: Colin Reese 

 

Change is scary, and risk is scary.

 

But, that USA loss to Ukraine had to be alarming for American soccer fans because the first Ukrainian goal wasn’t some careless mistake made in the back – Ukraine just played a nonchalant chip over the American Back Four like it was nothing.

 

Many American soccer writers and many American soccer fans are of the opinion that starting a USA Back Four consisting of Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley is somehow a prudent and sound decision that will minimize risk and use an experienced group of players, but these players are not in fact experienced.

 

Compared to the skill-level of Ghana, Portugal, and Germany, these four defenders have no real experience defending that caliber of players or teams, and so the American Back Four and the American Front Six will need to change.

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By: COLIN REESE

 

Jürgen Klinsmann has his favorites, and many of them simply lack the genes or the refined skill that comes through practice to perform at the World Cup or in international soccer in general.

 

The United States Men’s National Team has seen various weak areas remain weak throughout Klinsmann’s tenure, and it appears many viable options are simply not even given a fair shot in friendlies.

 

With the World Cup fast approaching, only a small number of American players can be said to be truly ready and able to perform against high-level competition.

 

It could be said that the following USA regular are quality American footballers that belong on the World Cup roster:

 

Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Geoff CAMERON, Jermaine JONES, Michael BRADLEY, Landon DONOVAN, Mix DISKERUD, Clint DEMPSEY, Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON.

 

Jürgen Klinsmann’s other regular selections are highly-questionable, and Klinsmann likely gets away with them because of the fact that he can just point to his playing resume as a means to discredit any dissent or criticism.

 

 

Below are several American footballers that are either underused by Klinsmann or totally omitted from USA rosters:

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By: Colin Reese

 

World Soccer Source’s rankings for the Best American Footballers (March 2014) are an attempt to rank the American footballers based on talent and/or form.

 

For this writer, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Michael Bradley are the best three American footballers, and after those three, ranking American players is very difficult and subjective.

 

As far as American soccer players go, Clint Dempsey is still the king, and one of the only American players to have displayed high-level technical ability and the fire to compete and succeed against real competition.

 

Ultimately, soccer is a skill sport, and below is World Soccer Source’s rankings of the Best American Footballers (March 2014), which tries to be fair to players of all positions and different club situations:

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By: Colin Reese

 

With so little time before the 2014 World Cup, the United States Men’s National Team should make Michael Orozco and Geoff Cameron the starting center back pairing right now.

 

The selection of the center back duo is affected by the starting defensive midfielders because starting Cameron over Jermaine Jones means the center of the American defense will be without Cameron, and at this point, Cameron is the United States’ best center back option along with Orozco.

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By: Colin Reese

 

Unlike other national teams, the United States Men’s National Team under Jürgen Klinsmann has simply not systematically tested out the most talented players in the player pool at each position to determine who is in fact the best, and then the next step was never taken either, which is to then keep that player in the Starting XI, in order to move on to the next position that needed strengthening.

 

Obviously, players like Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan were obvious choices to start, but after that, all of the other starting line-up spots were toss ups.

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By: Colin Reese

 

Predicting Jürgen Klinsmann’s United States Men’s National Team Starting XI for the 2014 World Cup is hard to do because Klinsmann has always made a change here or there that totally changes the quality and look of the team.

 

On the other hand, there are certain players that Klinsmann clearly rates, and there are clearly players that Klinsmann doesn’t seem to rate.

 

Using only players that Klinsmann has shown that he considers to be quality players in his eyes, there is a strong USA XI that could perform well in the World Cup.

 

Without examining hypothetical Starting XIs based on players that Klinsmann hasn’t considered worthy of a starting spot, here is a starting line-up comprised entirely of players that Klinsmann has seemed to consider worthy of a role on the national team for an extended period of time:

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By: Colin Reese

 

The American soccer media and American soccer fans should learn to embrace risk more than they currently do. For American soccer to improve and for the United States Men’s National Team to improve, coaches like Jürgen Klinsmann will have to field more players with the tools and physical gifts to excel at high-level soccer, even if these players aren’t too experienced.

 

Only a small number of the USMNT regulars have enough experience against top competition to refer to them as truly experienced anyway, so even many regular starters under Jürgen Klinsmann aren’t truly experienced at the international level against top national teams.

 

Each month, World Soccer Source proposes a 23-man United States Men’s National Team roster for the 2014 World Cup, and all sorts of developments like Benji Joya’s loan to MLS or Joe Corona’s return to full fitness after limited minutes while his ankle fully-healed constantly affect the hypothetical player options for the World Cup.

 

Recently, World Soccer Source published a “USMNT: 23 For Brazil” article, but this roster below differs slightly from that roster in a few respects, in addition to offering more of an explanation of tactics and the rationale by the player selections.

 

The basic premise behind this roster is that there is a first-choice and second-choice option for each of the 11 spots in the 4-2-3-1 Starting XI formation, and given the limited number of months before the World Cup, this seems like the best manner to voice one’s opinion on the 23 American footballers who deserve roster spots.

 

By way of a disclaimer, there are only three first strikers included instead of four because Jürgen Klinsmann’s system employs one striker, and Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan also excel as second strikers, also known as support strikers or shadow strikers.

 

Let the most well-known American soccer writers simply parrot Jürgen Klinsmann’s preferred selections. World Soccer Source’s 23-man roster is an opinion piece, and thus not a prediction of the future.

 

Below is World Soccer Source’s 23-man USMNT roster proposal broken down by position with an explanation of the picks after the roster:

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By: Colin Reese

 

COMMENT:

 

In no way, shape, or form are ANY of these players listed below poor players that shouldn’t be commended for their success and their contribution to the growth and improvement of American soccer.

 

There’s a difference between being a poor footballer by international standards and being pedestrian and incapable of really impacting international or high level games.

 

All of the players listed below are solid MLS professionals that in many ways are evidence of how much American soccer has improved to make these players on this list average or below average players by international standards, as opposed to MLS standards.

 

American soccer is producing more players that are closer to the level of players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Michael Bradley, and these players as well as several others deserve to play with players closer to or equal to their level.

 

Read the list after the jump:

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By: Colin Reese

 

As of right now, if the goal of the United States Men’s National Team is to start international-caliber defenders that are proven on the club and international level, then Jürgen Klinsmann would be wise to start this Back Four: Jonathan Spector, Michael Orozco, Geoff Cameron, Eric Lichaj.

 

The United States will also need capable substitutes, and with Maurice Edu and Fabian Johnson listed as midfielders, then the United States has those two players in addition to other capable substitutes who are either internationally-proven or who possess the skill-set and physical gifts for high-level international soccer.

 

This list attempts to include both internationally-proven defenders as well as new talents with the qualities to play international soccer.

 

Below are the eight defenders that offer the United States the greatest chance for World Cup success, and many of these defenders are not highly-regarded by Jürgen Klinsmann:

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