USMNT

USMNT: 23 For Brazil (January 2014)

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Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)
Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)

 

 

USMNT: 23 For Brazil (January 2014)

 

Below are two 23-man United States Men’s National Team rosters for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

 

Neither are predictions of which players Jürgen Klinsmann will select because it’s hard to guess how he might change his thinking about some of his players’ strengths and weaknesses given the United States’ World Cup draw into Group G with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.

 

Klinsmann is a tough coach to read because some of his signature victories have come when certain players were injured or unavailable, and he won’t be able to call his players that are playing their club soccer in Europe or Mexico into the January camp.

 

Therefore, reading a coach’s mind is a fool’s errand, and below are this writer’s roster preferences along with this writer’s estimation of something closer to a more popular 23-man roster.

 

Neither group is right or wrong, but they are merely one person’s opinion along with the same person’s approximation of something that perhaps a bigger percentage of American soccer fans and observers are comfortable with.

 

World Soccer Source’s picks are an attempt to support the players that World Soccer Source believes are the most talented, the most athletic, and the most effective players against World Cup competition such as Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.

 

Below are the two rosters:

 

World Soccer Source’s Preferred 23-Man USMNT World Cup Roster

 

GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Luis ROBLES

 

DEFENDERS: Geoff CAMERON, John Anthony BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL, Andrew FARRELL, Chris KLUTE, DeAndre YEDLIN, Eric LICHAJ

 

MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Benny FEILHABER, Mix DISKERUD, Joe CORONA, Benji JOYA, Amobi OKUGO

 

FORWARDS: Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Juan AGUDELO, Terrence BOYD

 

 

Notes:

 

-This roster contains new MLS defenders such as Chris Klute, Andrew Farrell, DeAndre Yedlin, and Shane O’Neill, along with the 20-year-old Bundesliga defender, John Anthony Brooks.

 

-This roster contains playmakers like Benny Feilhaber, Mix Diskerud, and Joe Corona because this writer believes the United States needs them on the roster to field a balanced line-up that can pass the ball well and produce attacking soccer.

 

-This roster contains the 20-year-old midfielder Benji Joya who is an internationally-inexperienced midfielder that can play as a box-to-box midfielder or as an attacking midfielder out right, out left, or in the center as a central attacking midfielder. Joya’s skill-set and style of play can be a great asset to the United States.

 

-This roster includes Juan Agudelo and Terrence Boyd as strikers along with Jozy Altidore and Aron Jóhannsson. For this writer, Agudelo and Boyd are too good, too athletic, and too physically-imposing to leave off.

 

A More Mainstream 23-Man USA World Cup Roster

 

GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Nick RIMANDO

 

DEFENDERS: Matt BESLER, Omar GONZALEZ, John Anthony BROOKS, Geoff CAMERON, Fabian JOHNSON, Eric LICHAJ, Chris KLUTE, DeAndre YEDLIN

 

MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Jermaine JONES, Mix DISKERUD, Graham ZUSI, Benny FEILHABER, Joe CORONA

 

FORWARDS: Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Juan AGUDELO, Terrence BOYD

 

Notes:

-This roster contains Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez who have both been widely and rightly praised for their play for the United States in 2013. Both center backs are fairly complete center backs that may or may not be able to play at the same level against better competition. The World Soccer Source selections are younger and more inexperienced center backs that World Soccer Source believes have the tools to perform better at the World Cup.

 

-This roster includes Graham Zusi who has received almost unanimous praise for his play in MLS, and most observers consider him to be a valuable asset for the United States. World Soccer Source finds Zusi to be a two-footed and fundamentally-sound attacking midfielder whose technical-ability isn’t quite as quick, smooth, creative, and dynamic as players like Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, Mix Diskerud, and Benji Joya.

 

-This roster includes Fabian Johnson whose skill is evidenced by the fact that he is a Bundesliga players. Johnson is an excellent winger that can also play fairly well as an outside back. For this writer, Johnson isn’t as strong of a defender as Klute, Farrell, Yedlin, and Lichaj, but the counter argument for this is that Johnson has lots of experience playing as an outside back in the Bundesliga.

 

The Best American Soccer Players (January 2014)

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Clint Dempsey. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Clint Dempsey. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

 

 

The Best American Soccer Players (January 2014)

 

These rankings aren’t a scientific ranking of players according to skill, club form, international form, or experience, but rather they are a subjective ranking of players using a variety of criteria such as those listed above.

 

A higher or lower ranking doesn’t indicate a higher or lower amount of skill.

 

The group of names as a whole is more important the rankings because some players are clearly more skilled than others, and others are experiencing a better run of form than others.

 

In general, the American soccer media seems to rank American players based on how much they are used by Jürgen Klinsmann, as opposed to how skilled or capable the players are, and the rationale behind this is understandable given Klinsmann’s fame and playing resume.

 

This writer finds Klinsmann’s player selections and the criteria that many American soccer observers use or value to rank players to be questionable, but everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion in something as subjective as soccer.

 

These rankings were done by Colin Reese before the announcement of the USMNT’s January camp. All attempts were made to not accidentally overlook or omit any worthy player.

 

 

Here are the rankings of the Best American Soccer Players or Footballers For January 2014:

 

1. Clint DEMPSEY (Seattle Sounders)

2. Giuseppe ROSSI (Fiorentina)

3. Michael BRADLEY (Roma)

4. Aron JÓHANNSSON (AZ Alkmaar)

5. Landon DONOVAN (LA Galaxy)

 

6. Benny FEILHABER (Sporting KC)

7. Mix DISKERUD (Rosenborg)

8. Jozy ALTIDORE (Sunderland)

9. Juan AGUDELO (Work Permit for Stoke City denied)

10. Joe CORONA (Tijuana)

 

11.Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City) 

12. Terrence BOYD (Rapid Wien)

13. Jermaine JONES (Schalke)

14. Benji JOYA (Santos Laguna)

15. Steve CHERUNDOLO (Hannover)

 

 

16. Fabian JOHNSON (Hoffenheim)

17. Brad GUZAN (Aston Villa)

18. Tim HOWARD (Everton)

19. Freddy ADU (E.C. Bahia; May or May Not be leaving)*

20. Alonso HERNANDEZ (Monterrey)

 

 

21. Mario RODRIGUEZ (Borussia Mönchengladbach U-23)

22. Paul ARRIOLA (Tijuana)

23. José VILLARREAL (LA Galaxy)

24. Shane O’NEILL (Colorado Rapids)

25. Eddie JOHNSON (Seattle Sounders)

 

26. John Anthony BROOKS (Hertha Berlin)

27. Junior FLORES (Borussia Dortmund II)

28. DeAndre YEDLIN (Seattle Sounders)

28. Chris KLUTE (Colorado Rapids)

28. Andrew FARRELL (New England Revolution)

 

31. Eric LICHAJ (Nottingham Forest)

32. Herculez GOMEZ (Tijuana)

33. Gyasi ZARDES (LA Galaxy)

34. Michael OROZCO (Puebla)

35. Jared JEFFREY (DC United)

 

36. Dax McCARTY (New York Red Bulls)

37. Graham ZUSI (Sporting Kansas City)

38. Jonathan SPECTOR (Birmingham City)

39. Kofi SARKODIE (Houston Dynamo)

 40. Kellyn ACOSTA (FC Dallas)

 

41. Perry KITCHEN (DC United)

42. Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE (Toronto FC)

43. Chris SCHULER (Real Salt Lake)

44. Matt BESLER (Sporting Kansas City)

45. Omar GONZALEZ (Los Angeles Galaxy)

 

 

A New and Improved USMNT Front Six for 2014

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Mix Diskerud. (Photo: Reuters)
Mix Diskerud. (Photo: Reuters)

 

Beating Germany, Portugal, and Ghana in the 2014 World Cup is possible for the United States Men’s National Team, if the right Front Six or the right type of Front Six were to be used.

 

While the United States Men’s National Team’s Back Four for the 2014 World Cup is a matter of great concern for American soccer fans, the Front Six should be a fairly straight forward decision for Jürgen Klinsmann.

 

There might be ways to improve or modify the Front Six for certain tactical reasons, such as a desire to use two strikers, but the United States is capable of fielding a Front Six made up of a mixture of defensive-minded players, attack-minded players, or both that can really compete with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana in the 2014 World Cup.

 

Jürgen Klinsmann has been using a 4-2-3-1 formation, and that’s a sound tactical set-up to produce effective soccer that is also quality soccer. World Soccer Source has frequently discussed the combination of players discussed below, but the United States continues to use the wrong combination of defensive midfielders, in addition to not using a playmaker and using a striker as an outside attacking midfielder.

 

Aron Jóhannsson and Eddie Johnson have oddly been stuck out on the right or left in the line of three attacking midfielders, which essentially negates the point of using three players who excel at creativity and passing in front of two defensive midfielders.

 

When strikers like Jóhannsson and Johnson are used, they need to be used up top as the focal point of the attack, as opposed to sticking them out wide where they aren’t able to utilize their skills and qualities in the right way.

 

Under Klinsmann, the United States has essentially never started a playmaker between Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey and part of the reason for that has been when one player or the other was unavailable, but playing either player as a playmaker or using a striker as a right or left attacking midfielder is holding the United States back.

 

Amidst all the decisions about players that need to be made before the 2014 World Cup, Klinsmann has the ability to field a Front Six made up entirely with players that he has used before and that he rates.

 

The best way for this to occur is for Klinsmann to do the obvious, which is to start Cameron and Bradley behind Donovan, Diskerud, and Dempsey with Altidore up top.

 

Tactically, this set-up makes sense, and it’s likely better than anything the United States has even used before.

 

Using Cameron as a midfield destroyer gives Bradley more freedom to make attacking forays, and starting Diskerud in between Donovan and Dempsey allows for better possession and a higher number of goal-scoring chances.

 

No matter how straight forward using that Front Six appears, it nevertheless is something that the United States has never used, and it allows the United States to showcase a higher level of soccer that should be more effective against the likes of Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.

 

Klinsmann has shown that Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Diskerud, Dempsey, and Altidore are all players that are in his plans, but he needs to start them together if he wants to make good on his promise of delivering better soccer that can improve the level and reputation of American soccer.

 

None of the players mentioned above need any change in mentality or special motivation because they are all competitive players who are experienced enough and skilled enough to play with the ability, athleticism, and mental intensity that’s needed in the World Cup.

 

The benefit of this Front Six is that none of the players are players who can be dismissed as too slow for the international game or not technically-skilled enough for the international game.

 

While Joe Corona, Aron Jóhannsson, Benny Feilhaber, Jermaine Jones, and Juan Agudelo all have an argument to make as players that should be part of the Front Six, the Front Six proposed in this article is nevertheless qualified to face off against strong international competition and do well.

 

This is a legitimate Front Six made up of players who are athletic and calm and skilled on the ball and that can play well when the speed of play goes up at the international level in the World Cup.

 

There are other American players who can also do the same as part of the Front Six, but this is a group of players with which American soccer fans should feel comfortable.

 

The United States shouldn’t overcomplicate things, but it should change some aspects of the Front Six.

 

Tim Howard plus the following Front Six is a solid starting point for the improvement of the USMNT in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup:

 

Defensive Midfielder: Geoff CAMERON

Box-To-Box Midfielder: Michael BRADLEY

Right Attacking Midfielder: Landon DONOVAN

Central Attacking Midfielder: Mix DISKERUD

Left Attacking Midfielder: Clint DEMPSEY

Striker: Jozy ALTIDORE

 

 

 

American Playmakers and Running

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Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Club Tijuana)
Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Club Tijuana)

 

Running, work rate, and defending have always been important soccer fundamentals that have always snuck into the conversation when discussing the performance and importance of playmakers – and also strikers for that matter.

 

Playmakers are sometimes referred to as luxury players or non-essential players because there is a belief that many people have which holds that playmakers are a liability for their lack of work rate, defending, and their lack of overall distance covered, and this opinion has an important element of truth to it, which is that running and movement without the ball or off the ball are a vital quality for any soccer player.

 

No matter what one’s personal opinion is about the amount and the type of running that one should expect out of a playmaker, running and movement off the ball is part and parcel with being a good playmaker.

 

Take for example the games Zinedine Zidane played for France in the knockout rounds of the 2006 World Cup. Zidane was demonstrating a great deal of running and movement off the ball because it was essential to one of his greatest qualities as a footballer: constantly being a passing option or outlet for his teammates.

 

Zidane was most effective when he constantly presented himself as a passing option for his teammates, and this required constant movement and running. The Magician of Marseille was lethal to opponents when he dictated the tempo of the game by essentially receiving seemingly every other pass, and he did this by playing passes to his teammates and instantly showing for the ball or moving into space to receive the ball back.

 

When Zidane played like this, he even made Brazil look mediocre.

 

Turning to American soccer and the United States Men’s National Team, it’s important to expect lots of running from American playmakers, but it should be the right type of running.

 

Constantly moving all over the field to provide one’s teammates with a player to whom the ball can be played is essential to dictating the tempo and style of the game, and American playmakers should make a major effort to use their touch, vision, ball control, and creativity all over the field.

 

American playmakers should show just how valuable they are to American soccer fans and Jürgen Klinsmann by constantly involving themselves in the passing all over the field because this displays how the skill-set that playmakers bring to games is vital to producing quality passing and imposing the United States’ will on opponents, as opposed to being played out of games when opponents boss the midfield and pressure the American defense.

 

While the purpose of the United States using playmakers is to produce a better quality of play and create more scoring opportunities, American playmakers like Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, Benny Feilhaber, and especially Freddy Adu must make a conscientious effort to be actively involved in the passing of the United States all over the field to win over the fans and the coaching staff.

 

Technically, a system with two defensive midfielders should somewhat cut out some of the running needed from a central attacking midfielder or a number 10, but fair or not, it looks as if American playmakers will need to take their work rate and running to a level above and beyond what is normal.

 

At its core, soccer is a sport based on constant movement in addition to ball control and vision, and American playmakers will need to be virtually omnipresent on the field, in order to convince many people of their importance in the long term success of American sides against competition on the club and international level.

 

To win over an American audience and the coaching staff of the United States, it would appear that American playmakers will have to fight their way onto the national team and prove their worth through lots of running for the purpose of forcing a superior brand of passing and soccer to be played by the United States Men’s National Team.

 

If the 2013 MLS Cup playoff taught Americans anything, it was that Benny Feilhaber’s increased work rate and distance covered won over a lot of people and silenced a lot of critics.

 

With the 2014 World Cup approaching, the United States’ roster will probably need two true playmakers to really be able to keep possession and effectively attack Germany, Portugal, and Ghana. Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, Benny Feilhaber, and the controversial Freddy Adu are all part of the American player pool, and the United States needs two of them on the roster with one starting.

 

Many people will not want Adu on the roster because of his lack of club playing time and his club limbo (which is a valid point), but the United States needs to pick two playmakers from the following options: Feilhaber, Diskerud, Corona, and Adu.

 

Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones or Geoff Cameron, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore or Aron Jóhannsson need a playmaker to fire on all cylinders, and the idea that the United States can really produce quality soccer without a playmaker starting with the other players in the Front Six is a fantasy.

 

Looking Ahead to the USMNT’s 2014 January Camp

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Shane O'Neill (center).(Photo: Bart Young / Colorado Rapids)
Shane O’Neill (center). (Photo: Bart Young / Colorado Rapids)

 

Jürgen Klinsmann has a great opportunity to see how many of the new or young Major League Soccer talents stack up to many of his regular Major League Soccer selections. With a very tough World Cup Group G coming up this summer, the January camp gives the coaching staff of the United States the chance to evaluate multiple players at every position to see their strengths and their weaknesses as well as trying to approximate how they will do against World Cup competition.

 

Players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Eddie Johnson, and Juan Agudelo should allow Klinsmann to gain some sort of perspective of the quality of his defensive options in terms of positioning, tackling, quickness, speed, technical ability, and aerial ability.

 

Furthermore, defenders like Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler who have performed pretty well by international standards in 2013 will allow the coaching staff to evaluate attacking midfielders and forwards.

 

Given Kyle Beckerman’s lack of sufficient athleticism, despite his sound technical ability, finding another defensive midfielder to add to the list of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, and Geoff Cameron should also be a priority.

 

Technically, the players playing their club soccer in Mexico and Europe should mostly be unavailable with the exception of Scandinavia-based players or players in between clubs in any league.

 

Klinsmann probably won’t call up a group bigger than 23 players for the January camp, but the camp allows the coaching staff an extended look at an assortment of internationally-experienced or internationally-inexperienced players.

 

Additionally, Clint Dempsey could possibly be loaned out to a European side during the January camp.

 

Below is a long list of likely or not-so-likely January camp player options for the United States Men’s National Team:

 

GOALKEEPERS: Nick RIMANDO; Clint IRWIN; Dan KENNEDY; Tally HALL; Bill HAMID; Sean JOHNSON

 

CENTER BACKS: Omar GONZALEZ; Matt BESLER; Shane O’NEILL; Andrew FARRELL; Chris SCHULER; Amobi OKUGO; Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE, Clarence GOODSON, Michael PARKHURST, George JOHN

 

OUTSIDE BACKS: Chris KLUTE; DeAndre YEDLIN; (Andrew FARRELL); Kofi SARKODIE; Seth SINOVIC; Zach LOYD; Sheanon WILLIAMS; Brad EVANS; Chance MYERS; Kellyn ACOSTA

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Amobi OKUGO; Perry KITCHEN; Jared JEFFREY; Kyle BECKERMAN; Dax MCCARTY; Jeremy HALL; Ricardo CLARK

 

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS: Clint DEMPSEY; Landon DONOVAN; Benny FEILHABER; Mix DISKERUD; Luis GIL; Graham ZUSI; Dillon POWERS; Brad DAVIS; Freddy ADU; Mike MAGEE; Kelyn ROWE

 

STRIKERS AND FORWARDS: Juan AGUDELO; Eddie JOHNSON; Gyasi ZARDES; José VILLARREAL; C.J. SAPONG; Teal BUNBURY, Chris WONDOLOWSKI

 

World Soccer Source’s Preferred 25-man January Camp Roster:

 

GOALKEEPERS: IRWIN, KENNEDY, HALL

DEFENDERS: BESLER, GONZALEZ, O’NEILL, SCHULER, AGBOSSOUMONDE, FARRELL, KLUTE, YEDLIN, SARKODIE

MIDFIELDERS: DEMPSEY, DONOVAN, DISKERUD, FEILHABER, ADU, OKUGO, KITCHEN, MCCARTY, POWERS

FORWARDS: AGUDELO, VILLARREAL, ZARDES, JOHNSON

 

World Soccer Source’s USMNT Starting XI Proposal:

 

IRWIN; YEDLIN, FARRELL, O’NEILL, KLUTE; KITCHEN/OKUGO, MCCARTY; DONOVAN, FEILHABER/DISKERUD, DEMPSEY; AGUDELO

 

 

 

Were there any players that were overlooked from the player pool listed above? What are your thoughts on the proposed Starting XI?

 

 

 

USA Starting XI Options for the 2014 World Cup

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Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)
Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)

 

 

The typical United States Men’s National Team Starting XI as picked by Jürgen Klinsmann will be a recipe for defeat in the 2014 World Cup, and the United States has progressed too far as a footballing nation and developed too many technically-skilled players to field mediocre starting line-ups, especially in Brazil with Neymar on the rise. The United States needs to take advantage of its new talents and all of its progress over the past 20 years, so that the USMNT can play to win.

 

Whether one proposes using a greater number of the United States’ more-skilled proven players at the same time or whether one favors inserting some of the new American talents, something has to change in Klinsmann’s line-ups, and the United States has plenty of Starting XI options.

 

Below are some ideas ranging from experienced Starting XIs to even a Starting XI if all of the core group of American players are unavailable.

Option 1:

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced Players:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: Jonathan SPECTOR

CENTER BACK: Michael OROZCO

CENTER BACK: John Anthony BROOKS

LEFT BACK: Eric LICHAJ

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Landon DONOVAN

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

 

Option 2:

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced and New Players:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

 

Option 3: 

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced and New Players and Juan Agudelo as the Striker:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 4: 

4-1-3-2 Formation with Jozy Altidore and Juan Agudelo as Strikers:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Geoff CAMERON

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benji JOYA

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 5:

4-3-2-1 Formation with One Defensive Midfielder and Two Box-To-Box Midfielders:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Benji JOYA

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 6: 

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced and New Players and Juan Agudelo as the Striker and Freddy Adu as the playmaker:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Freddy ADU

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 7:

If Tim Howard, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore are all injured or suspended:

 

GOALKEEPER: Brad GUZAN

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Shane O’NEILL

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benji JOYA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Mix DISKERUD

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

SECOND STRIKER: Freddy ADU

 

 

USMNT: Becoming Giant Killers

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

 

The United States Men’s National Team is close to becoming a Giant Killer.

 

Granted, there is a big talent gap between the technical ability of the United States as a collective unit, but someone like Clint Dempsey is a world-class soccer player, even if someone like Robinho is much better.

 

Furthermore, a defensive or box-to-box midfielder like Michael Bradley isn’t anywhere close to Paul Pogba in terms of skill or athleticism, but that certainly doesn’t take anything away from Bradley’s qualities and physical gifts.

 

For the United States to become a Giant Killer, the entire Starting XI needs to be players who are close to or equal to Dempsey’s and Bradley’s level.

 

The key is a team comprised of technically-skilled and athletic players who have different and complimentary skills that allow them to play their own natural positions better than other American players.

 

There has been real progress in American soccer, and even if Jürgen Klinsmann isn’t using the best outside backs at his disposal and even if he doesn’t seem to be entirely convinced that he needs to start a playmaker, the talent and athleticism is there in the core group of United States internationals.

 

To be fair, it was already there when Bob Bradley was coach because Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore were all regulars during his tenure.

 

The good news is that Bradley and Altidore are drastically better than they used to be, and Bradley was somewhat close to being a finished product before Klinsmann took the reins as coach of the United States.

 

Altidore is really the player who has seen an enormous improvement in his technical ability, his smoothness on the ball, his finishing, and the aggression with which he attacks the goal, but the reason for these improvement was his time spent in Dutch football.

 

On the other hand, Dempsey is a player who has just progressively become better over time, but Dempsey’s skill-level and his ability to excel against top competition was already excellent when he first started playing for the United States and before he went to play in the English Premier League.

 

Of all the core group of strong U.S. internationals, Donovan has been around the longest, and players like Bradley and Dempsey provided skills and qualities that he didn’t have or they served as needed support. Dempsey and Donovan play the same position, and they can just be started together on opposite sides of the field and allowed to roam free.

 

Looking really closely at Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore, what one sees is a defensive midfielder, two attacking midfielders who aren’t playmakers but who can score, and finally a first striker who combines athleticism with size and technical ability.

 

These four players along with Tim Howard give the United States half of a Starting XI minus the Back Four and a playmaker, and the role of playmaker has a front-runner: Benny Feilhaber, a proven and experienced central attacking midfielder.

 

Giant Killing is the next step for the United States.

 

Jürgen Klinsmann needs to start Bradley as a defensive midfielder behind Donovan, Feilhaber, and Dempsey as a line of three attacking midfielders with Altidore as the first striker.

 

If Klinsmann does that, which he hasn’t done, then he simply needs to find four quality defenders and either a second defensive midfielder or an additional center forward or a second striker, the latter of which can play off Altidore as a sort of secondary playmaker to compliment Feilhaber.

 

Once Klinsmann fields something like the Starting XI proposed in the paragraph above, then the United States Men’s National Team is inching closer to becoming a Giant Killer.

 

There are probably very few people in the American soccer media or in the American fan base who would strongly doubt the logic of starting Bradley, Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Altidore together, especially if Geoff Cameron was inserted into the Front Six to be the midfield destroyer in place of Jermaine Jones so that Bradley had more license to go forward and attack.

 

Although Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the like would be better in terms of collective team skill, starting Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Altidore together is certainly a competitive and legit Front Six that national teams would take seriously.

 

The Front Six proposed is strong because it has a more stay-at-home defensive midfielder or midfield destroyer, a defensive midfielder with more licence to attack, a playmaker flanked by free-roaming attacking midfielders who can score, and a first striker that has the skill and speed to stretch the opposition’s defense. The Front Six is also all players who can keep possession by playing one-to-two touch soccer with purpose.

 

Despite the skill of the Front Six, the weak area is thus the American defense because no matter how well that American Front Six does, what happens when really first-rate midfielders and attackers terrorize the American Back Four?

 

This is the true impediment to American success because Tim Howard or Brad Guzan can only make so many game-saving saves before top national teams or second-tier national teams eventually find the back of the net. Howard and Guzan cannot be expected to stop every shot off the feet or head of elite players.

 

Klinsmann has Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley as his preferred Back Four, but questioning their ability to stop the type of competition in the World Cup is a fair question, and it is a question that needs to be taken seriously.

 

Many people have placed too much trust in the ability of those four defenders (two of which aren’t defenders) to stop elite attackers or even merely international-caliber attackers, and this mentality could doom the United States in the World Cup.

 

American soccer and the United States Men’s National Team has improved, although not really because of Klinsmann, but the American defense is a problem and a matter of concern.

 

There are two solutions to the problems with the USMNT’s Back Four: 1.) Start a more proven Back Four such as Jonathan Spector, Michael Orozco, John Anthony Brooks, and Eric Lichaj; or 2) Start a Back Four made up of DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Shane O’Neill, and Chris Klute.

 

Of course, the obvious third solution is some combination of the more-proven defenders with the newer MLS defenders.

 

Plenty of people will contend that the young MLS defenders are unproven and inexperienced, but at least they are defenders that are both skilled and athletic. Their youth or their lack of international inexperience doesn’t change the fact that they have the skill and the athleticism to compete at the international level, and their youth and inexperienced shouldn’t be used against them.

 

How long until the U.S lets the better defenders play?

 

The real question is not which players Klinsmann prefers, but rather who are the best American players at each position?

 

Given the amount of teams in the 2014 World Cup that are frankly much better than the current preferred Klinsmann starting line-up, the United States would be wise to start the Front Six advocated in this article and use a new Back Four that has the ability to compete with the types of players who will be in this World Cup.

 

The United States won’t be a Giant Killer in this World Cup if Klinsmann’s makeshift defenses are used or if no playmaker is used.

 

These two things need to change because starting Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Altidore as the Front Six at the very least makes for a competitive group of players with the skill and the athleticism to do well in the 2014 World Cup.

 

No one will know how good the United States Men’s National Team really is until Klinsmann fields the best American players at the same time in a balanced formation that tactically makes sense.

 

Brad Evans, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, DaMarcus Beasley, Graham Zusi, and Brad Davis are solid MLS players, but they are not Giant Killers.

 

They really aren’t as good as other American options such as DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Shane O’Neill, Chris Klute, Joe Corona, and Mix Diskerud.

 

Many of Jürgen Klinsmann’s first-choice starters hold players like Cameron, Bradley, Dempsey, Feilhaber, Donovan, and Altidore back, and this needs to change.

 

Camisa Dez: Benny Feilhaber

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Benny Feilhaber. (Photo: Reuters)
Benny Feilhaber. (Photo: Reuters)

 

The American soccer media revived their interest in Benny Feilhaber after his impressive outing against the Houston Dynamo in the second leg of the MLS Cup Semifinal, which caused many observers to realize that that game was part of a series of influential playoff games.

 

Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu seem to attract the same American critics with the difference being that Feilhaber has been used more by the United States Men’s National Team and thus has more quality international performances to cite as evidence of his playmaking skill and efficacy against something close to the highest level of competition.

 

While many people value Feilhaber for his playmaking skills and his technical ability, which the USMNT needs, other people are very critical of his playing resume and his playing style.

 

By beating the Houston Dynamo recently, Feilhaber outlasted both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Of course, Feilhaber is a different type of player than Dempsey and Donovan, but Feilhaber’s play has highlighted the importance of playmakers.

 

One thing that Feilhaber showed was that no matter what critics said or wrote about him that he was willing and able to rise to the occasion in another important game when he was needed.

 

Feilhaber’s performances disprove the belief that skilled American players who Klinsmann hasn’t really used have no place on the national team.

 

The United States Men’s National Team will need to fit the various types of players together to form a balanced and skilled national team, and Feilhaber offered a glimpse of how the United States could improve by playing Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore together as the Front Six.

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Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey Are Not Playmakers

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Landon Donovan (10) and Clint Dempsey (8). (Photo: MexSport)
Landon Donovan (10) and Clint Dempsey (8). (Photo: MexSport)

 

Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey Are Not Playmakers

 

Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are excellent attacking midfielders or second strikers, but they aren’t playmakers.

 

The best way to get the most out of both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey is to start them as the right and left attacking midfielders with a true playmaker in between them.

 

Joe Corona won over a lot of American fans and members of the American soccer media with his play in the 2013 Gold Cup, but Corona had already proven himself way before the Gold Cup, particularly with his play against Corinthians in the Copa Libertadores.

 

With the coaching change at Corona’s club, Tijuana, Corona has found himself in the doghouse struggling to get club minutes, but for the purposes of the United States Men’s National Team, this shouldn’t matter given his skill-set as a playmaker who can also play on the right or left side of the field.

 

Mix Diskerud has also begun to win more plaudits due to his playmaking abilities and his clear ability to perform well against strong competition. Recently, Diskerud has reminded people of how Donovan and Dempsey aren’t playmakers and that they somewhat lack the true traits of a playmaker or central attacking midfielder.

 

Then, there is Benny Feilhaber. It’s unfortunate that after a season of quality passing and good form (not to mention his international record with the United States) that Feilhaber has only been praised or even discussed by the media or the majority of the American fan base after several excellent playoff games for Sporting Kansas City.

 

Furthermore, many of the people who praised Feilhaber after writing him off for so long seem to have been more interested in the amount of running he put into the second leg of the MLS Cup Semifinal against the Houston Dynamo than his technical ability, passing skills, and vision.

 

In short, Feilhaber garnered praise recently mostly by running a lot, and for Klinsmann’s entire tenure as coach, there has never been much support for using Feilhaber as a central attacking midfielder between Donovan and Dempsey.

 

The United States Men’s National Team has seen the most success when Michael Bradley was used as a defensive midfielder and when Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey flanked Benny Feilhaber who was used in the center to orchestrate the passing of the United States and create more scoring opportunities.

 

Given Freddy Adu’s almost total lack of playing time with Bahia, Adu has been scoffed at by Americans and non-Americans alike, but there’s never been much to suggest that the United States has the collective technical ability as a team to mock or freeze out skilled playmakers who haven’t lived up to people’s expectations or even seen a reasonable amount of club minutes.

 

When the 2014 World Cup comes around, the only thing that will matter is if the players that are started or used by Jürgen Klinsmann are physically fit to play and if they have the skill level to compete at the international level.

 

Feilhaber, Diskerud, Corona, and Adu are all skilled players with various club situations and form, and each player is different. The USMNT’s World Cup roster will probably need two or three of those players on the roster as they can all play left, right, or center, and they all bring playmaking qualities that Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan don’t bring.

 

With strikers like Jozy Altidore, Aron Jóhannsson, and Juan Agudelo in the American player pool, using a playmaker behind Altidore and in between Donovan and Dempsey with Michael Bradley and Geoff Cameron or Jermaine Jones in front of the Back Four is a strong tactical set-up to give the USMNT a balanced and talented Front Six that can compete in a World Cup.

 

Whether one prefers Feilhaber, Diskerud, Corona, or Adu playing as a central attacking midfielder, the United States really does need one of them to connect the defensive midfielders to Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore. The playmaker will strengthen the passing and the attack of the United States, and it’s time for more people to accept that the use of one is vital to World Cup success and American soccer progress.

 

With the 2014 World Cup coming up next summer, at the very least Jürgen Klinsmann and Americans should support starting Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as a two-man defensive midfield where Cameron hangs back more than Bradley, and Americans should support playing a true playmaker in between Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey behind Jozy Altidore.

 

This set-up gives the United States defensive coverage and quality passing deep in the American midfield, and it gives the United States three attacking midfielders including a playmaker who can not only pass and attack well but who can ensure that Altidore receives enough service.

 

The key to this set-up is making a point of starting a true playmaker because no one has any major doubts about the efficacy of Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore, even if observers have their own Starting XI preferences.

 

Ranking USMNT Players By Position

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Clint Dempsey (right) and Freddy Adu (left). (Photo: MexSport)
Freddy Adu (left) and Clint Dempsey (right) . (Photo: MexSport)

 

Ranking USMNT Players By Position

 

GOALKEEPERS:

 

1. Tim HOWARD

2. Brad GUZAN

3. Clint IRWIN

4. Cody CROPPER

5. Nick RIMANDO

6. Tally HALL

7. Dan KENNEDY

8. Sean JOHNSON

9. Bill HAMID

 

CENTER BACKS:

 

1. Geoff CAMERON

2. John Anthony BROOKS

3. Michael OROZCO

4. Shane O’NEILL

5. Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

6. Andrew FARRELL

7. Caleb STANKO

8. Maurice EDU

9. Jermaine JONES

10. Amobi OKUGO

11. Omar GONZALEZ

12. George JOHN

13. Matt BESLER

14. Zach LOYD

 

RIGHT BACKS:

 

1. Steve CHERUNDOLO

2. Chris KLUTE

3. Andrew FARRELL

4. DeAndre YEDLIN

5. Jonathan SPECTOR

6. Eric LICHAJ

7. Zach LOYD

8. Sheanon WILLIAMS

 

LEFT BACKS:

 

1. Chris KLUTE

2. Eric LICHAJ

3. Andrew FARRELL

4. DeAndre YEDLIN

5.  Jonathan SPECTOR

6. Fabian JOHNSON

7. Edgar CASTILLO

8. Zach LOYD

9. DaMarcus BEASLEY

10. Brek SHEA

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS:

 

1. Michael BRADLEY

2. Geoff CAMERON

3. Jermaine JONES

4. Jonathan SPECTOR

5.  Maurice EDU

6. Perry KITCHEN

7. Amobi OKUGO

8. Jared JEFFREY

9. Ricardo CLARK

10. Will TRAPP

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