USMNT

American Soccer Still Undervalues Playmakers

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Clint Dempsey (right) has always seemed to appreciate Freddy Adu (left) and Benny Feilhaber (not pictured) even if many American soccer fans didn't. (Photo: MexSport)
Clint Dempsey (right) has always seemed to appreciate Freddy Adu (left) and Benny Feilhaber (not pictured) even if many American soccer fans didn’t. (Photo: MexSport)

 

There’s no zealot like a convert.

The negative opinion that many Americans have toward playmakers in soccer is likely rooted in the fact that a fair amount of American soccer fans and coaches didn’t play soccer as children or watch the best players play enough, even in highlights.

The Americans who show no real appreciation for playmakers, creativity, and individual brilliance with the ball were baptized in the church of the English Premier League as adults where they came to know soccer through the biased lens of the English media and English football fans who glorify overly-physical play over skill soccer.

There’s a reason that England never wins anything.

No other American soccer players provoke the polarizing reaction that Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber provoke, and this is likely due to the fact that both of these playmakers’ greatest strength seems to be a quality that is greatly undervalued in American soccer circles: creativity.

While Americans certainly value players who show excellent skill on the ball and advanced technical ability, there has never been a strong belief in the United States that at least one member of a starting line-up should be a creative playmaker whose defensive tendencies are heavily outweighed by a focus on quick passing, playmaking, creative play, and unlocking defenses.

Playmakers should be expected to put pressure on the opposition when the opposition has the ball in order to attempt to force the opposition to give up possession, but expecting playmakers to bring the same gifts and qualities that defensive or box-to-box midfielders bring is unrealistic and unnecessary.

Every type of player brings their own strengths and weaknesses to the table, and the American soccer community (including ex-players and member of the media) needs to learn the difference between skilled attacking players and playmakers because they aren’t the same thing.

This failure by many people to recognize this difference between skilled attacking play and playmaking abilities creates a strong belief that players like Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan who are skilled attacking midfielders can bring the unique combination of playmaking abilities that Dempsey and Donovan themselves need to thrive.

Now, Michael Bradley’s improved technical ability and passing skills have some American soccer fans classifying him not as a defensive midfielder but as some sort of attacking midfielder or some sort of box-to-box midfielder who plays like Arturo Vital, Paulinho, Paul Pogba, Kevin-Prince Boateng, or Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Any examination of the play of the United States Men’s National Team since the 2006 World Cup will reveal that Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore were all able to perform at their best and play the way they wanted to play when they had a playmaker to fulfill a role that they themselves couldn’t play.

Many American critics of Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu have a variety of reactions to either player’s name, and those reactions range from laughter to anger.

The real root of this phenomenon appears to be a strong belief that true playmakers either don’t play enough defense or that many of their passes don’t find their target or result in conceding possession.

The role of the playmaker is to have the vision, the willingness, and the ability to make the passes that unlock the defense or create scoring chances.

Additionally, a playmaker is supposed to constantly be available to receive a pass and quickly release a pass to a teammate in order to establish a good passing rhythm and maintain possession.

With playmakers, people remember the passes that don’t quite squeak through the defense or the chipped pass that is played a yard too long or the ambitious pass that is blocked or intercepted.

People remember mistakes more than they remember successes, and this is the reason behind the criticism of Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber.

While Benny Feilhaber has 40 caps for the USMNT, Freddy Adu pops up out of nowhere on the international level like the Pink Panther and performs really well only to then disappear from the USMNT for months or years.

Years later American soccer fans remember a few good passes, but they forget the way that the playmaker changed the momentum of the game or the way the playmaker improved the passing of the United States.

Years later these performances are dismissed as some examples of playmakers providing a few nice passes and a few memorable highlights, but the position and the player is dismissed as a wasted starting line-up spot that could have been occupied by someone who offered more grit, more running, or more toughness.

The problem with this dismissal is that the unique skill-set of the playmakers and the ability to perform against very skilled and famous opponents was in fact the reason for the memorable win or tie.

The United States wouldn’t have played as well in the 2009 Confederations Cup and in the 2010 World Cup without Benny Feilhaber, and the United States might have not made the 2011 Gold Cup Final without Freddy Adu filling in for Benny Feilhaber.

These are realities, and even years later, new playmakers like Joe Benny Corona or Mix Diskerud aren’t being considered as vital players who allow Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore to play their natural positions and do what they do best.

Closing the gap with Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Argentina, and the like will require that Americans and whoever is coaching the United States Men’s National Team truly acknowledge that elite national teams can’t be beaten without players who can unlocked balanced and organized national teams who have world-class players at every position.

Running a lot and pretending that skilled attacking midfielders are all playmakers will not give the United States the tools to unlock defenses where the center backs have the skill-sets of elite midfielders.

Whether the United States uses Joe Benny Corona, Mix Diskerud, Benny Feilhaber, or Freddy Adu, there must be a player who links the running and smooth passing of Michael Bradley with the goal-scoring and attacking threat of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, and Juan Agudelo.

Without a playmaker to provide service for the goal-scorers, the United States won’t ever pose a real threat to the best national teams in the world playing at full-strength.

There’s a reason that the amount of defensive players and attacking players in a Starting XI is roughly equal, and the reason is because the delegation of responsibilities is supposed to make sure that there is a strong enough defense to partner with a dangerous enough attack.

Not using a playmaker is a good way to try and contain elite national teams, but it’s not a good way to try to actual beat them in a World Cup.

There’s no American Zidane yet, and there’s no American Ronaldinho Gaúcho (who was a goal-scoring playmaker).

But, a healthy appreciation of the importance of American soccer players with playmaking qualities would be an important sign of progress for American soccer.

Playmakers in other countries are treated like kings and treasured, but many Americans view true playmakers as surplus to requirements.

 

Who Should the USMNT Start vs. Costa Rica?

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The Starting XI that Jürgen Klinsmann would use and the Starting XI that the USMNT should use are two different things.

Just because Klinsmann was an outstanding player doesn’t mean that all of his coaching preferences and decisions are correct. Much of the improvement of the overall play of the United States is due to the continuing improvement of players like Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore.

Nevertheless, it is possible to make an educated guess about the Starting XI that Klinsmann will use. Tim Howard is the first-choice American goalkeeper, and Klinsmann has essentially stated that he will be using DaMarcus Beasley as a left back.

Predicting the other three members of the Back Four is harder to do because Klinsmann used Geoff Cameron and John Anthony Brooks as center backs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but before he was starting Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

Klinsmann’s first-choice right back has been Brad Evans, but Evans was replaced by Michael Parkhurst due to injury. Even though Parkhurst was given Evans’ roster spot, Klinsmann could start Geoff Cameron or Michael Orozco at right back.

As the United States is looking to cap-tie John Anthony Brooks to the United States, Brooks could either start at center back or be used as a substitute. Either way, it’s hard to guess which two center backs will start.

Assuming Klinsmann continues to use the 4-2-3-1 formation, Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley will be used as the defensive midfield tandem, and the assumption has to be that Klinsmann starts Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Fabian Johnson as a line of three attacking midfielders behind Jozy Altidore (unless he is still injured).

Klinsmann’s line of three attacking midfielders is set-up to use second strikers and free-roaming attacking midfielders as playmakers, as opposed to starting a playmaker like Mix Diskerud in between Donovan and Dempsey.

There is an additional possibility to consider, which is that Klinsmann could possibly not start Donovan as a right attacking midfielder because he wants to use Graham Zusi who was playing in that position when Donovan was away from the national team.

All of these guesses and assumptions paint the picture of a Starting XI made up of Tim Howard, Michael Parkhurst, Geoff Cameron or Omar Gonzalez, John Anthony Brooks or Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson, and Jozy Altidore or Aron Jóhannsson or Eddie Johnson.

Keeping in mind that Klinsmann could decide to use Cameron or Orozco at right back and that Klinsmann could use a different center back combination, the players above are a safe bet to line-up in a 4-2-3-1 against Costa Rica.

Klinsmann Likely Starting XI is the one below:

Tim HOWARD; Michael PARKHURST, Geoff CAMERON or Omar GONZALEZ, John Anthony BROOKS or Matt BESLER, DaMarcus BEASLEY; Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES; Landon DONOVAN, Clint DEMPSEY, Fabian JOHNSON; Jozy ALTIDORE / Aron JÓHANNSSON.

On the other hand, it’s worth exploring whether or not Klinsmann’s likely XI is really the best one for the USMNT to use.

Firstly, Klinsmann’s likely line-up relies on Dempsey and Donovan, who are free-roaming attacking midfielders or second strikers, to be playmakers, which is not really their strength.

Both players can deliver final balls and set-up goals, but Donovan and Dempsey are best used when played off a playmaker where they are free to look to make runs to get into scoring positions.

In short, both players excel more at getting into position to be on the receiving end of final balls than on actually delivering the final balls.

The problem with the Jones and Bradley pairing is that when one player goes forward, the other player won’t immediately drop back to allow the other player to go forward by himself.

The best policy would be for both players to pick their openings to go forward and as soon as the other one saw that his counterpart was going forward to then drop back to protect the area in front of the defensive back four.

When Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley were the defensive midfield duo, Cameron simply told Bradley that he would play the deeper and more defensive role so that Bradley could be more involved in the attack.

Cameron seemed to flourish in this set-up because it allowed him to be more involved in the passing play of the United States, and it allowed him to use his athleticism to cover a lot of ground in the midfield.

Cameron was more involved in the game as a midfield destroyer than he was a center back where he was often left with both Bradley and Jones too far up field to provide him with any protection from the opposition’s attackers.

A very strong argument can be made that using Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley together as the defensive midfielders allows for a more balanced USMNT that also keeps possession better than when both Bradley and Jones are fighting to be more involved in the attack.

Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler have given many people a false sense of security about the strength of the center of the American defense, when in fact neither center back has really proved themselves against higher-level competition.

Much of the praise of both center backs comes from the United States’ tie with Mexico, but many people seem to forget that both Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu were playing very deep to protect Besler and Gonzalez. It almost looked like the United States was using four center backs against Mexico.

The problems with Klinsmann’s Starting XIs don’t stop with the center backs or the defensive midfielders, there are also a lot of question marks about the preferred outside backs and the preferred line of three attacking midfielders.

Whereas Klinsmann will probably start Donovan, Dempsey, and Fabian Johnson as a line of three attacking midfielders, the USMNT might be better off to start Diskerud as a playmaker to provide the link between the defensive midfielders and players like Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore who are focused on scoring or getting into the penalty box to disrupt the defense.

Despite the United States’ winning streak, Klinsmann might be wise to make some adjustments to his preferred Starting XI, and these adjustments are all things that Klinsmann has already used with success. Klinsmann has used Cameron and Bradley together with success. Klinsmann has used Fabian Johnson over DaMarcus Beasley as a left back with success, and Klinsmann has seen the missing creative element that Diskerud brings to the national team.

The coach of the United States has made it clear that Beasley is his first-choice left back and that Fabian Johnson is his first-choice left winger, but a left back is just as much a left winger as he is a defender covering the left flank.

Starting Fabian Johnson at left back allows him to provide better defense that Beasley can provide, and it also allows him to provide better attacking play out wide than Beasley can provide. It is the job of the defensive midfielders to cover for outside backs when they make marauding runs into the attack.

The United States can enjoy Fabian Johnson’s attacking skills even when he is used as a left back, and this is in fact the way that the best teams in the world implement width into their attacks.

World Soccer Source views the right back situation as problematic because both Michael Orozco and Geoff Cameron are likely more useful in positions other than the right back position, but both players are faster and more technically-skilled than Parkhurst. Both players are also better defenders.

Furthermore, Cameron’s best position is the midfield destroyer role, as opposed to the center back role because he can use his technical ability and athleticism more in the midfield than he can having to back pedal as a center back where he is at the mercy of through balls and chips being played past him with little to no defensive support.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, World Soccer Source would like to see the USMNT use the following Starting XI below:

Tim HOWARD; Michael PARKHURST, Michael OROZCO, John Anthony BROOKS, Fabian JOHNSON; Geoff CAMERON, Michael BRADLEY; Landon DONOVAN, Mix DISKERUD, Clint DEMPSEY; Jozy ALTIDORE (STILL SLIGHTLY INJURED?) / Aron JÓHANNSSON. 

 

The Rapid Rise of Chris Klute

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Chris Klute (right) is likely the best American left back along with Fabian Johnson. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
Chris Klute (right) is likely the best American left back along with Fabian Johnson. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

Chris Klute’s attacking abilities as a left back are the usual focus for any discussion of him, but Klute’s defensive qualities are equally as good.

While his attacking runs down the sideline and the visual effect of his speed and crossing ability are what observers normally notice about Klute, his actual defensive qualities are underrated.

Specifically, Klute is hard to take off the dribble in 1v1 situations because he knows how to strip players of the ball, and he has the instincts and technique to block passes and shots.

Furthermore, the timing of Klute’s tackles is particularly good.

He waits until the moment when he can get the ball before the player, and then he goes in hard to win the ball with a slidetackle without making dangerous contact with the attacker.

Klute is hard to beat with 1v1 dribbling skills from a standstill, and he is hard to get past using speed because, if a player gets past him, he simply chases the player down and cleanly dispossesses them with a slidetackle or by taking the ball off their feet or out of the air.

Any American left back who is as fast and defensively-sound as Klute, and who has the skill and technique to dribble and pass out of the back with both feet has to be seriously considered for the USMNT.

If Klute is in a situation where there isn’t the time or the space to dribble or pass out of trouble, he knows when to simply clear balls out of bounds or downfield.

There is more to defending than knowing when to clear balls out and when to pass or dribble out of the back; there is also the skill of tackling attackers without fouling them or without being cautioned.

The United States doesn’t have another left back option who brings all of these qualities to the national team, and the exclusion of Chris Klute from the roster again by Jürgen Klinsmann, even to be used as a substitute, shows Klinsmann’s unwillingness to consider using new talent in vital games, even when it is necessary.

While Klinsmann does call up Fabian Johnson, Klinsmann has stated that he views Fabian Johnson as a left winger.

Calling up Johnson and Klute would have made sense because it would have provided Klinsmann with a more experienced option and a new and talented option.

Improvement for the USMNT will require risk and change, but Klinsmann’s changes are mostly biased toward the selection of dual-citizens over talented American players who grew up in the United States.

Furthermore, many of the players who are selected by Klinsmann are played out of position and clearly less-talented than other options at Klinsmann’s disposal, and using Brad Evans and Michael Parkhurst at right back over Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector, DeAndre Yedlin, and Andrew Farrell is the obvious example of this tendency.

The friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina would have been the perfect time for Klinsmann to evaluate Chris Klute with the national team, but Klinsmann chose to waste more time before evaluating the player who is likely the best American left back.

Now, Jürgen Klinsmann has selected a USMNT roster where his best left back, Fabian Johnson, is going to be deployed as a wing, but the starting left back is going to be DaMarcus Beasley who has been played at left back instead of using any of the natural outside backs at Klinsmann’s disposal.

The point of using Chris Klute against Bosnia and Herzegovina would have been to get him ready to play left back against Costa Rica and Mexico, but now Klinsmann is going to be using a makeshift defensive back four again.

 

Reaction: The September USMNT Roster

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Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey (8) should start together. (Photo: MexSport)
Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey (8) should start together. (Photo: MexSport)

 

Yesterday, Jürgen Klinsmann selected a 23-man roster for the United States Men’s National Team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico. Several other players are on standby in case of injury.

Below is the roster for the September qualifiers:

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

OUTSIDE BACKS (3): Brad EVANS, Edgar CASTILLO, DaMarcus BEASLEY

CENTER BACKS (5): Geoff CAMERON, John Anthony BROOKS, Matt BESLER, Omar GONZALEZ, Michael OROZCO.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS (3): Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Kyle BECKERMAN.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS (4): Mix DISKERUD, Fabian JOHNSON, Graham ZUSI, Alejandro BEDOYA.

FORWARDS (5): Jozy ALTIDORE, Aron JÓHANNSSON, Eddie JOHNSON, Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN.

To see the official U.S. Soccer press release, click HERE.

 

REACTION:

For the most part, the roster is fairly balanced in the midfield (with some of the attacking midfielders actually listed as forwards), but the outside back selections are the most controversial.

Additionally, Joe Benny Corona was omitted from the roster, even though a strong argument can be made that Corona is a superior and more versatile attacking midfielder than Graham Zusi, and Corona provides the USMNT with another playmaker in addition to Mix Diskerud.

Having both Alejandro Bedoya and Joe Benny Corona on the roster instead of Graham Zusi and Alejandro Bendoya offers more of an attacking threat, and Corona has shown a real willingness to play defense.

Despite many of the younger American players who haven’t been introduced into the fold yet, Klinsmann has selected a fairly strong roster, and the most notable omissions were Joe Benny Corona, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector, and Juan Agudelo.

Many of the young players who will eventually bolster the USMNT haven’t been introduced into the fold, even as players to use in case of injury or suspension, because Klinsmann has chosen to not experiment with new players during World Cup qualifying.

This rationale makes sense, even if some of the newer and less internationally-experienced players are actually better than several of Klinsmann’s selections.

Eric Lichaj and Jonathan Spector would have been useful to have as outside back options because both Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley aren’t natural outside backs, and both Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo are left backs who are better as left wingers. Nevertheless, this roster has three players who can play left back without counting Geoff Cameron.

At right back, Klinsmann’s plan is likely to start Brad Evans at right back, and if there is some sort of problem, then both Geoff Cameron and Michael Orozco Fiscal can play right back. Fabian Johnson can also play as a right back.

This USMNT roster has a number of quality center back options including John Anthony Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Omar Gonzalez, and Matt Besler, so at center back, all of the selections are capable center backs.

On the other hand, guessing which two Klinsmann will actually start will be easier to do as the Costa Rica game approaches.

In general, the United States can field a very strong Starting XI from the players selected to the roster, and based on Klinsmann’s comments, it appears that Klinsmann plans on starting a Front Six made up of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson, and Jozy Altidore.

While Cameron and Bradley have shown signs of being a better defensive midfield tandem with better chemistry than Jones and Bradley, Jermaine Jones is a very talented and athletic Bundesliga and Champions League defensive midfielder.

Fabian Johnson has been playing as a left back for Hoffenheim, so perhaps the United States would be more effective by starting Johnson at left back with a playmaker like Mix Diskerud starting in between Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey as a line of three attacking midfielders.

The main problem with the roster is that it’s set up to use Brad Evans at right back and DaMarcus Beasley at left back, but Michael Orozco, Geoff Cameron, Edgar Castillo, and Fabian Johnson are available at outside back if there are any problems.

After these two games, the time has really come to incorporate Chris Klute, DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Eric Lichaj, and Jonathan Spector into the American defense.

Looking forward, players like Benji Joya and Juan Agudelo are too good to leave off the World Cup roster, if the United States qualifies for the World Cup.

By factoring in Klinsmann’s past line-ups and his comments to the press, the line-up below is the line-up that the Klinsmann will likely field.

Jürgen Klinsmann’s Likely USMNT XI:

Tim HOWARD; Brad EVANS, Geoff CAMERON/Omar GONZALEZ, John Anthony BROOKS/Matt BESLER, DaMarcus BEASLEY; Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES; Landon DONOVAN, Clint DEMPSEY, Fabian JOHNSON; Jozy ALTIDORE.

While Klinsmann’s Likely Starting XI looks capable enough, World Soccer Source would like to see Fabian Johnson starting at right back, Edgar Castillo starting at left back, Geoff Cameron starting as the midfield destroyer, and Mix Diskerud starting as the central attacking midfielder or playmaker.

World Soccer Source would like to see the Starting XI below because it includes natural outside backs, a better defensive midfield tandem, and a true playmaker.

World Soccer Source’s Preferred USMNT XI:

Tim HOWARD; Fabian JOHNSON (RB), Michael OROZCO FISCAL, John Anthony BROOKS, Edgar CASTILLO (LB); Geoff CAMERON, Michael BRADLEY; Landon DONOVAN, Mix DISKERUD, Clint DEMPSEY; Jozy ALTIDORE.

 

USMNT: Changes Without Real Risk

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Excluding a whole list of new players on the American soccer scene, Jürgen Klinsmann has to decide if he wants to select a roster and Starting XI that consists entirely of players that he has been using or if he wants to bring in some players that he hasn’t been calling up.

There are players like Jonathan Spector, Eric Lichaj, and Benny Feilhaber that are experienced but who seem to not be Klinsmann’s personal preferences.

With Mix Diskerud and Joe Benny Corona, Klinsmann doesn’t necessarily need Feilhaber, but he does need Spector and Lichaj if he isn’t going to call up outside backs like Chris Klute, DeAndre Yedlin, and Andrew Farrell.

This all means that Klinsmann can make some roster and line-up adjustments without really experimenting with new players during World Cup qualifying.

Certainly, putting Landon Donovan into the starting line-up for the next World Cup qualifiers isn’t experimentation, and neither is starting Lichaj or Spector at right back.

The preferred XI for Klinsmann is hard to guess because so many adjustments were made during World Cup qualifying, the Gold Cup, and the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, no one knows what the Status Quo Starting XI would be for the USMNT and Klinsmann.

While Tim Howard is the first choice goalkeeper over Brad Guzan, even though Guzan is probably just as good, the first choice outside backs and center backs are unknown.

Are Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley the first-choice right back and left back, or are Geoff Cameron and Fabian Johnson the first-choice outside backs?

Is some combination of those four players Klinsmann’s first-choice outside back pairing?

After Geoff Cameron and John Anthony Brooks had a strong showing against Bosnia and Herzegovina, are they the first-choice center backs, or are Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler Klinsmann’s first-choice center back tandem?

Maybe Klinsmann liked the speed, positioning, and athleticism that Michael Orozco brought to the center of the American defense.

In front of the defense, Klinsmann prefers Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones as the defensive midfield tandem, but Klinsmann had to like the way Cameron played the midfield destroyer role against Panama.

Starting Cameron over Jones would fall into the New Starting XI category for Klinsmann, and it’s probably a change that needs to be made unless Klinsmann is going to start Cameron, Bradley, and Jones together in the midfield.

Whether Klinsmann starts Cameron or Jones, Klinsmann really has to insert Landon Donovan into the starting line-up to play with Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, and this leaves one starting spot open in the Front Six.

If Klinsmann starts Bradley, Jones/Cameron, Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore, then Klinsmann has one of his hardest decision to make: Who should start: Joe Benny Corona, Aron Jóhannsson, Mix Diskerud, Graham Zusi, or Alejandro Bedoya?

This decision will likely prove to be the most difficult decision that Klinsmann has to make for the next World Cup qualifier.

The problem is whether or not he wants to insert more of a true playmaker than Donovan and Dempsey or whether he wants to use two center forwards.

If Jones and Bradley are starting together, then both players are likely to constantly be pushing up into the attack, which leaves the area in front of the American defense exposed.

On the other hand, if Cameron and Bradley start together, then Bradley can push up into the attack to help to create scoring chances and play final balls.

With Bradley combining with Donovan and Dempsey behind Altidore and Jóhannsson, then the USMNT would have three skilled midfielders in Bradley, Donovan, and Dempsey creating chances for not only Altidore and Jóhannson, but also themselves.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, the USMNT could field a new and better Starting XI without introducing players who are inexperienced at the international level.

One option for the United States would be to start this line-up below:

Howard; Lichaj, Orozco, Brooks, F. Johnson; Cameron, Bradley; Donovan, Corona, Dempsey; Altidore

 

The line-up proposed above is a new combination of players, but it isn’t a group of players who aren’t used to playing together or who aren’t used to international soccer.

Lichaj has played with many of the players before, and Orozco and Brooks are good enough to play together in the center of the defense, especially with Cameron and Bradley in front of them.

This sort of line-up above is different but not risky.

The United States could lose to any national team on any given day, but this starting line-up gives the United States skilled and athletic players at every position who are experienced and used to big games.

There’s no escaping risk, but this line-up is a way for Klinsmann to field a more balanced and a more talented line-up without throwing new players into the deep end.

From a tactical standpoint, the line-up above offers defenders with the skill, speed, and positional sense to play international soccer, and it offers a variety of different types of players in the Front Six who each play a needed role.

Cameron allows Bradley more license to attack, and Corona allows Donovan and Dempsey to not be tasked with all of the playmaking responsibilities.

For all of the people who are skeptical of inserting new players into the next World Cup qualifiers, the line-up proposed above is a way for Klinsmann to play the type of soccer that he wants to play where the attack begins in the very back and all of the players can play one-to-two touch soccer.

Tim Howard, Eric Lichaj, Michael Orozco Fiscal, John Anthony Brooks, Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Joe Benny Corona, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore make a solid combination of players with the experience, skill, and athleticism to field a balanced Starting XI that produces quality soccer that puts the United States in the position to win.

This is a reasonable, capable, and effective USMNT Starting XI.

 

Juan Agudelo, Refined and Ready

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Juan Agudelo. (Photo: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sport)
Juan Agudelo. (Photo: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sport)

 

Many observers criticize soccer players who are willing to continue to attempt tricks or audacious plays even if many of those attempts are failed attempts.

People who criticize showmanship and flair view it as wasted energy, but individual brilliance also wins games.

Juan Agudelo has been identified as a special American talent since he was 17 years old, and ever since that time, he has reaffirmed his skill-level, athleticism, and effectiveness as a striker on the club and international level.

Nevertheless, Agudelo is more of a finished product than he used to be because his 1v1 abilities, his movement off the ball, and his finishing all look more effective and refined than they used to be.

Everyone knew that Agudelo had talent that couldn’t be taught, and everyone knew that Agudelo wasn’t afraid to play with bravado. But, despite all of the highlights and despite quality international play, it was apparent that Agudelo was still a young striker who was ironing out weaknesses and honing his craft.

Over the course of this MLS season, Agudelo has become more efficient and more clinical in his technical ability, in his finishing, and in his execution of tricks, which is making him a more polished striker that can play a major role with the United States Men’s National Team.

The evidence of Agudelo’s increased level of play isn’t just in his collection of electrifying and high-difficulty goals, but it’s also evident in the overall-quality of his play, which includes two-footed technical ability, textbook heading technique, a soft first-touch, good vision, a nose for goal, and intelligent movement off the ball.

Agudelo has improved his movement off the ball, his ability to not be dispossessed in the penalty box, and in his increased sense of when to pass, when to shoot, and when to take defenders off the dribble.

What’s on display now is a striker who is ready to use all of his physical gifts and skills to excel against better competition on the international and club level.

For example, there’s a difference between being able to execute smooth stepovers, and being able to smoothly execute stepovers close enough to elite defenders to use the trick to leave the defender for dead.

Many people are critical of soccer players who play with flash and flair, but Agudelo seems to have learned how to use his flash more productively and more efficiently.

Whereas Jozy Altidore was criticized in the past for not enough movement off the ball, not enough aggressiveness, and not enough smooth technical ability, Agudelo has been criticized for being overly-flashy and losing the ball too often, due to his willingness to attempt multiple tricks in succession.

The major pieces of criticism of Altidore are a thing of the past, but now Agudelo too is close to going from being criticized to being praised.

As Altidore has refined his technical ability and attacking prowess, Agudelo has also been improving.

Agudelo has learned how to eliminate excess energy and movement by using his creativity, skill, size, and athleticism with more purpose and efficiency.

Juan Agudelo is now harder to mark, harder to dispossess, and harder to keep off the United States Men’s National Team because a striker with his skill-level, his athleticism, and his size has simply become too qualified to not be a fixture on the roster.

While Altidore has displayed an enormous improvement in his technical ability, his movement off the ball, and his finishing, which bodes well for the future of the USMNT, the prospect of Altidore playing alongside a polished Agudelo marks a new milestone for American strikers.

American midfielders like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Michael Bradley have distinguished themselves among American soccer players and broken a lot of barriers for American players, but the United States Men’s National Team has been missing a ruthless first striker until Altidore went on a totally mean-spirited hat trick rampage against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite two years at AZ Alkmaar with an excellent scoring rate, the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina was a turning point for Altidore.

With strikers like Jozy Altidore, Aron Jóhannsson, and hopefully Juan Agudelo on the USMNT, the threat that the United States poses to top national teams has become very real.

Aron Jóhannsson is looking too good not to start, but starting Altidore and Agudelo together could take the United States to another level in terms of the skill, size, and athleticism of its strikers, and it should help the USMNT become closer to closing the gap with soccer’s giants.

 

Juan Agudelo’s Individual Highlights From This Season:

 

 

Best U.S. Soccer Players (September 2013)

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Chris Klute (right) is likely the best American left back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
Chris Klute (right) is likely the best American left back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

The Best American Soccer Players (September 2013)

-The rankings are based on skill-level, club form, international performances, and athleticism.

 

1.) Clint DEMPSEY (The Seattle Sounders)

2.) Michael BRADLEY (AS Roma)

3.) Jozy ALTIDORE (Sunderland)

4.) Landon DONOVAN (The LA Galaxy)

5. Tim HOWARD (Everton)

 

6.) Aron JÓHANNSSON (AZ Alkmaar)

7.) Fabian JOHNSON (Hoffenheim)

8.) Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)

9.) Jermaine JONES (Schalke)

10.) Joe Benny CORONA (Tijuana)

 

11.) Juan AGUDELO (The New England Revolution / Stoke City)

12.) Mix DISKERUD (Rosenborg)

13.) Benny FEILHABER (Sporting Kansas City)

14.) Freddy ADU (EC Bahia)

15.) Benji JOYA (Santos Laguna)

 

16.) Brad GUZAN (Aston Villa)

17.) John Anthony BROOKS (Hertha Berlin)

18.) Herculez GOMEZ (Santos Laguna)

19.) Eddie JOHNSON (The Seattle Sounders)

20.) Terrence BOYD (Rapid Wien)

 

21.) Shane O’NEILL (The Colorado Rapids)

22.) José VILLARREAL (The Los Angeles Galaxy)

23.) Chris KLUTE (The Colorado Rapids)

24.) Gyasi ZARDES (The Los Angeles Galaxy)

25.) DeAndre YEDLIN (The Seattle Sounders)

 

26.) Alonso HERNANDEZ (Monterrey)

27.) Michael OROZCO FISCAL (Puebla)

28.) Jonathan SPECTOR (Birmingham City)

29.) Eric LICHAJ (Nottingham Forest)

30.) Paul ARRIOLA (Tijuana)

 

31.) Mario RODRIGUEZ (Borussia Mönchengladbach (U-23))

32.) Andrew FARRELL (The New England Revolution)

33.) Brek SHEA (Stoke City)

34.) Bobby WOOD (1860 Munich)

35.) Tony TAYLOR (Omonia)

 

36.) Joe GYAU (Hoffenheim II)

37.) Daniel CUEVAS (Santos Laguna)

38.) Edgar CASTILLO (Tijuana)

39.) Lamar NEAGLE  (The Seattle Sounders)

40.) Luis GIL (Real Salt Lake)

 

41.) Alejandro BEDOYA (Nantes)

42.) Maurice EDU (Stoke City)

43.) José TORRES (Tigres)

44.) Caleb STANKO (Freiburg)

45.) Perry KITCHEN (DC United)

 

46.) Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE (Toronto FC)

47.) Conor DOYLE (DC United)

48.) Jared JEFFREY (DC United)

49.) Kellyn ACOSTA (FC Dallas)

50.) Will TRAPP (The Columbus Crew)

 

Benji Joya, Creative Two-Way Midfielder

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Benji Joya (8). (Photo: MexSport)
Benji Joya (8). (Photo: MexSport)

 

Jürgen Klinsmann should strongly consider using a formation where Michael Bradley and Benji Joya start as box-to-box midfielders with Geoff Cameron as a midfield destroyer.

Benji Joya’s playing style is very similar to Stuart Holden’s playing style, and Joya just might be the player who offers the USMNT the creative attacking play combined with the quality defense for which Stuart Holden has been so valued.

Benji Joya is one of the new American talents tagged with the inexperienced label by many people in the American soccer media and in the American fan base, but no one skips college soccer, MLS, and makes it in La Liga MX who doesn’t have a lot of talent.

In many ways, Benji Joya is the box-to-box midfielder in the USMNT player pool who possesses the most creativity and attacking skill.

While Michael Bradley is outstanding at controlling the tempo of the passing, pushing the attack, and at providing defensive coverage, Joya provides more creativity and flair than tireless running. One of Bradley’s best qualities is that his tireless running allows him to be constantly involved in the game all over the field.

By using Joya, the USMNT can have a technically-skilled attacker who looks to play one-to-two touch soccer but who also provides defensive coverage in the midfield.

Joya’s competitiveness was on full display during the U-20 World Cup when he faced off against Paul Pogba, and this mentality combined with Joya’s skill-level means that Joya shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly just because he doesn’t see significant club minutes for a famous Mexican club team at just 19 years old.

To really evaluate Joya, critics and skeptics need to move past the fact that Joya doesn’t have a lot of appearances for Santos Laguna.

After all, Joya is only 19.

The relevant question is whether or not Joya has the athletic and physical gifts along with the technical ability to play international soccer, and those questions were answered by Joya’s play in the U-20 World Cup.

This writer would argue that the competition in the U-20 World Cup was high enough to indicate that Joya is ready to play for the USMNT.

Just because Santos Laguna isn’t starting a 19 year old doesn’t mean that the USMNT can’t use Joya’s unique skill-set.

World Soccer Source has discussed starting Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, and Jermaine Jones together, but this is probably an overly-defensive midfield, even if three attack-minded players are the other three players in the Front Six.

On the other hand, Joya is a technically-skilled midfielder who provides quality defense, but it’s nothing like the level of defense that Bradley and Cameron provide.

This difference between players like Cameron, Bradley, and Joya is a good thing because Bradley’s defensive strengths combined with his smooth passing could benefit from a creative and technical player like Joya to combine with who has the benefit of providing much more defense than Clint Dempsey, Joe Benny Corona, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore.

Joya is a nice complement to Cameron and Bradley because Joya’s technical ability tends slightly more toward the creative than Bradley’s does, even if Bradley is skilled at pushing the attack and playing final balls.

Going forward, a Front Six with a complementary set of unique skill-sets can help the United States to close the gap with better national teams, and the criteria for inclusion on the USMNT should be expanded to include player’s with unique and needed qualities and playing styles, even if they don’t have as many club minutes as less-skilled players who see more playing time.

At some point in the near future, the United States needs to incorporate Benji Joya. Using a Front Six like the one below would offer a balanced combination of types of players and skill-sets making up the Front Six of the USMNT:

Geoff CAMERON; Michael BRADLEY, Benji JOYA; Joe Benny CORONA; Jozy ALTIDORE, Clint DEMPSEY.

 

 

The O’Neill-Brooks Center Back Tandem

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World Soccer Source is more than willing to come right out and declare that both Shane O’Neill and John Anthony Brooks are better center backs than both Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

Since World Soccer Source would like to see Geoff Cameron playing as the midfield destroyer, Shane O’Neill is the center back partner being proposed for John Anthony Brooks.

This declaration doesn’t mean that Gonzalez and Besler aren’t international-caliber center backs or that they shouldn’t be on the roster, but this writer is voicing the opinion that O’Neill and Brooks are better center backs and better soccer players than Gonzalez and Besler.

When Brooks played against Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic, he really wasn’t guilty of making any serious mistakes.

On Bosnia’s first goal, Eddie Johnson was stripped of the ball in front of his own penalty box as he was trying to find a way to get the ball out of the danger zone, and Bosnia stole the ball and played a pass through John Anthony Brooks and Geoff Cameron, which both players got their feet on. So, both Brooks and Cameron both blocked an expertly played through ball, but the ball managed to ricochet through a crowd.

That’s hardly a mistake, and when Brooks and Cameron were blamed for not crashing the net to stop the second attempt after Tim Howard blocked the first shot, it is very possible that both defenders were trying to keep their marks offside.

On Bosnia’s second goal scored by Vedad Ibisevic, Geoff Cameron was likely expecting John Anthony Brooks (who was ball side of Cameron) to head a ball played in both of their directions out, but Brooks was pushed in the back in the process of going for the header. This push not only prevented Brooks from jumping, but it also threw Cameron off. There is also the argument that Vedad Ibisevic was offside, and Cameron was behind him because he was trying to keep him offside.

On Bosnia’s third goal, Geoff Cameron was closer to a cross coming in Brooks direction and Cameron jumped really high to attempt to head the cross out, but he wasn’t able to get up high enough. This writer would argue that it’s likely that this jump obstructed Brooks view of the ball coming in for a split-second, but an elite striker like Dzeko was equipped to still finish the cross with his head, even with his view obstructed for a split-second.

The point of reviewing these three goals is to demonstrate that both Cameron and Brooks put in a very good defensive performance against an elite Bosnia-Herzegovina side where their only mistakes were being beaten to two headers by fractions of a second, and on both headers, there is a strong case to be made that their timing was thrown off by the situations described above.

As John Anthony Brooks is a Bundesliga starter, the question is now, “Why should Shane O’Neill start at center back for the USMNT?”

The answer to this question is simple. O’Neill is a more talented defender than both Gonzalez and Besler because he not only has a more complete set of defensive and overall fundamentals, but he also has the athleticism and understanding of the game to play as a center back, right back, left back, and defensive midfielder.

O’Neill brings a greater amount of agility in terms of his ability to keep up with quicker and craftier attackers, whereas against Germany even Matt Besler was easily rounded by André Schürrle. Besler is certainly fast and talented, but the same degree of quickness and mobility isn’t there.

This writer would argue that the actual defensive timing and positioning of O’Neill is well beyond that of Besler and Gonzalez, and even Tab Ramos is a big Shane O’Neill supporter.

It shouldn’t be forgotten than Shane O’Neill performed very well against France’s U-20 World Cup squad, which was stacked with elite European players, whereas Gonzalez and Besler have really only played fairly well against a Germany B Team, that in all honesty took it very easy until they decided to take the scoreline from 4-1 to 4-3 in a matter of minutes.

There’s a strong argument to be made that Germany wasn’t really trying very hard until the prospect of suffering an embarrassing loss to the United States became possible.

To be fair to Gonzalez, he has had the misfortune of coming up against some forwards who almost everyone has trouble defending, including Neymar, Romelu Lukaku, and Christian Benteke

While Gonzalez and Besler are definitely international-caliber center backs, the combination of technical ability, defensive timing and fundamentals, and athleticism seen from both Shane O’Neill and John Anthony Brooks looks to be superior to that of both Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

Many observers view Gonzalez and Besler as locks at center back, but two realities remain: O’Neill swam with the sharks against France’s ruthless U-20 World Cup squad and Brooks is a Bundesliga starter for a major club who faced off against an elite Bosnia and Herzegovina side without showing any nerves or real weaknesses.

Gonzalez and Besler are players who are strong candidates to start at center back for the USMNT, but whether or not they are the best American center backs remains to be seen.

Jürgen Klinsmann should strongly consider the possibility that not only is John Anthony Brooks better than Gonzalez and Besler, but Shane O’Neill is as well.

 

Does the USMNT Need a Playmaker?

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Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports)
Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports)

 

Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, and many other top national teams all use playmakers.

Top national teams clearly value playmakers, and if the USMNT is trying to close the gap with top national teams, then the U.S. should probably use a playmaker too.

With the exception of the two times that Jürgen Klinsmann has used Benny Feilhaber, the 2013 Gold Cup might have been the first time that Klinsmann really deployed an actual playmaker for the United States Men’s National Team.

The use of players like Joe Benny Corona and Mix Diskerud in the Gold Cup increased the amount of scoring chances that the United States produced compared to previous World Cup qualifying games.

For the most part, Klinsmann’s hasn’t used a playmaker because he has opted to use either Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan as second strikers to be tasked with the creative responsibilities in the attacking third.

Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Klinsmann used Diskerud as a playmaker in front of Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley, and Diskerud did actually create a scenario where he himself was the player in the penalty box looking to score. Diskerud was fouled multiple times in the penalty box on that particular play, but no penalty was called.

In the very same game, Klinsmann moved Eddie Johnson up to center forward to partner with Jozy Altidore, and this set-up allowed for Altidore and Johnson to combine to produce a goal that started off an initial Bradley pass played over the top of the defense.

While this situation didn’t involve a playmaker, it did involve Altidore having more attacking support with him up top in a game without Dempsey or Donovan.

Whether Altidore has an additional center forward playing with him or perhaps a second striker (as opposed to a first striker), the additional support in the attack allows for more combination play in the final third.

Going into the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Klinsmann has to be planning on using Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore in the attack, and the best way to maximize all of these players would be to use a playmaker to combine with them and be tasked with more of the playmaking responsibilities, which would free these three up to combine with each other and play off each other.

Bradley, Cameron, and Jones have all shown the ability to set-up goals and play final balls, but none of those players are playmakers. They are skilled passers with the ability to play well-weighted killer balls, but truly being a playmaker is a gift.

While Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore would be creating for each other and combining in the attacking third, certainly all three of these players are better at scoring and combining with each other than they are at producing a steady stream of final balls. They can play final balls, but all three players excel more when they are making the runs to score themselves.

Therefore, adding a playmaker to set these players up to score is a way for the USMNT to increase the amount of shots created and the goals scored. Based on the playmakers that Klinsmann has recently used, it appears that Klinsmann has a choice between using Joe Benny Corona, Mix Diskerud, or even both.

While this writer believes using Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as the defensive midfield tandem produces better passing than the Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley tandem, both Diskerud and Corona possess more playmaking skills than Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore.

Klinsmann would be wise to call up both Corona and Diskerud to the World Cup qualifying roster, and he should pick one of these players to start to give the USMNT a nice balance of different types of players started in the Front Six.

Whichever playmaker Klinsmann elects to start, if he even starts one, he always has the option of substituting one playmaker in for the other if the starting playmaker is having an off game, becomes injured, or is carded.

Bradley, Cameron, Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore can certainly foster a brand of one-to-two touch soccer that produces goals, but adding a playmaker to that group of players should take the USMNT’s passing to a higher level, not to mention the fact that Corona has a knack for scoring.